Happy Thursday, quilty friends!

I was on a family camping trip to Vancouver Island this past week and missed sewing and blogging. We did have some wonderful hikes and sightseeing adventures while on the island.

In Strathcona Provincial Park, we did a strenuous hike up to Baby Bedwell Lake and Bedwell Lake. It was about 4 miles one way and about a 2000 foot elevation gain!

Baby Bedwell Lake, Strathcona Provincial Park, BC

Bedwell Lake, Strathcona Provincial Park, BC

Near Tofino, we spent some time walking on the beach at Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. This part of the island definitely reminded us of the Oregon Coast. We spotted some black bears, bald eagles, and other critters on a tour from Tofino and had a great time!

Driftwood and seagulls at Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

Sunset and Mist in Tofino

Black bear near Tofino, BC

We returned home several days ago, and I have so many projects to catch up on before returning to work next week. I decided to finish up my quilt for the Row by Row Experience so I could have a chance at winning a prize. I finished about 5 of the rows before our vacation so I spent 2 feverish days stitching together 3 more rows before joining the rows, quilting the sandwich, and binding the whole project.

For the back, I used my label plus some of the Row by Row license plates from stores whose rows I used in the quilt. Unfortunately, only 5 of the 8 stores carried the license plates. I neglected to take a picture of the quilt back before heading out to the Pine Needle this morning to claim my prize.

Once at the Pine Needle, I ran into Dawn of First Light Designs. We’ve been visiting each other’s quilting blogs so it was great to meet in person! Dawn kindly agreed to hold up the quilt (it is taller than me at 5 feet, 4 inches!!) while one of the store employees took my photo.

Here’s a look at the quilt flimsy:

Row by Row Flimsy

Here’s a picture of me with the completed quilt:

Row by Row 2014 Experience – Finished Quilt!

I visited more than 8 shops but decided to stick with “nature” themed rows for my quilt. I have some other adorable rows (including some chicken rows) that I will make into fun table runners. I used Aurifil thread for the piecing and quilting and Hobbs 80/20 for the batting.

My row by row quilt contains rows from the following quilt stores, in order from the top of the quilt to the bottom:
1. Mt. Washington, Three Sisters and Broken Top from the Stitchin’ Post in Sisters, OR
2. Pine Trees from the Pine Needle in Lake Oswego, OR
3. Cabin and scene from Homestead Quilts in La Pine, OR
4. Wonky trees from Greenbaum’s Quilted Forest in Salem, OR
5. Oregon plants from A Common Thread in Portland, OR
6. Stars by Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe in West Linn, OR
7. Hearts by Quilting Delights in Clackamas, OR
8. Cascade Mountains by BJ’s Quilt Basket in Bend, OR

Since I was the first person to bring in a finished row by row quilt at the Pine Needle, I won the 25 fat quarter prize. In addition, I won the bonus prize since I used that shop’s row in my quilt. I left my finished quilt at the Pine Needle so it will be on display for the next few weeks. If you are in the area, stop by and take a look!

My prizes:

Row by Row Prize

I had fun participating in the Row by Row Experience this year and hope that it returns next year! Now, I’m off to finish up a few more blocks before exhaustion sets in this evening.

Enjoy!
~Jennifer