January | 2015 | NW Quilted Cat

Hi everyone and Happy Monday to you!

I recently participated in my first Instagram (IG) mini quilt swap ! This swap was organized by Kristi (IG is schnitzelandboo) and you had to be an IG user to participate. My IG name is nwquiltedcat if you want to follow me.

My partner has received the mini quilt and extras that I made for her so I’m going to share them here. I haven’t yet received my mini in exchange but the mailing deadline isn’t until this Friday, the 23rd so I need to have patience!!

I used a pattern called “Candy Dish” by This & That Patterns and used April Showers fabric by Bonnie and Camille with a little white dot solid for the background by Michael Miller. I didn’t take a final measurement, but this mini quilt finishes at about 18 x 18 inches. The binding is also from the April Showers line. I did straight-line quilting using white Aurifil 50 weight thread.

Here’s the mini:

Schnitzel and Boo, Round 3 Mini Quilt

For extras, I used the free pattern “no guts” boxy pouch by So Chick. For this pouch, I used fabric from Violet Craft’s Brambleberry Ridge line and paired it with some pink polka-dot fabric for a contrasting zipper pull.

I also made a little pin cushion using Sweetwater fabric scraps and no pattern. I just winged it by starting with a 2.5 x 2.5 inch piece in the middle, and then adding little strips of fabric to the sides and tops.

Here are the extras:

Swap Extras: No Guts Boxie Pouch and a Pin Cushion!

I really had fun with my first IG swap! I’ve signed up for 3 more with 2 being due at the end of March and one in mid-April. I like using these mini quilts to help hone my skills and work from my stash!

Enjoy!
~Jennifer

Hi quilty friends!

I hope that your 2015 is off to a great start! I have a few quilty goals in mind for this year so I hope to add those to a blog post soon.

One goal is to participate in some mini quilt swaps on Instagram. I’m now signed up for 4 this year, and I’ll send the first one out later this week. There is a vibrant quilt community on Instagram, and you can find me there as nwquiltedcat.

The other day as I was driving home from work, some late afternoon sun beams hit Mt. Hood with a striking intensity. The volcano seemed to glow, and I pulled over to take a picture (along with several other people!). Unfortunately, I just had a little point-and-shoot, and the pictures don’t do the scene justice.

Mt. Hood at Evening

I’ve been participating in Bonnie Hunter’s latest mystery called Grand Illusion. She released the final clue last week so I have been working on putting my top together. I went with a smaller quilt center and just a solid aqua border rather than a thin inner yellow border and pieced outer border. I used some of my leftover pieces on the back.

Here’s the quilt flimsy:

Grand Illusion Flimsy

For the backing, I used units that would have gone into the pieced border along with some darker turquoise fabric that I had on hand. While trying to lay it out on the floor, someone jumped on the fabric!

Tiger on Grand Illusion back

After piecing the back, I framed it up on my HQ16 and just quilted an all-over meandering pattern with white Aurifil thread:

Grand Illusion on the HQ16

My Grand Illusion quilt (small version) is now quilted. I need to square it up and bind it. What do you think for binding – aqua or black or something else?