Homespun & Holly Holiday Workshop!

Posted on November 18, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

This weekend, I was delighted to attend the 5th annual “Homespun & Holly” holiday workshop at one of my all-time favorite quilt shops, Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe!

The event features 4 different holiday themed projects by some very talented designers! The projects are not revealed until the event. Participants rotate between the 4 designers so each attendee gets to make each project.

My first project station was with Karla Eisenbach of Sweetwater. She had such a fun little tree ornament project called “Embellished Trees.” She provided enough materials for each person to make 5 of these little trees, and I was able to complete 2 during class.

Embellished Trees Kit

2 Completed Trees

Karla also designed one of my favorite fabric lines called “Mama Said Sew.” I brought my completed project from the Star Surround QAL and asked her to sign the label. Here’s a picture of me and Karla with my quilt featuring her fabric line (I’m the one in the solid black shirt):

Jennifer and Karla with quilt featuring Mama Said Sew fabric

For my second project, I rotated to Debbie Busby of Wooden Spool Designs. Her project was a cute little holiday felt wreath called “Crazy Hex Ornament.” I finished about half of this project in class and finished the rest at home. Debbie had this great little tool called the “Clover Chaco Liner Chalk Wheel” that we used to draw around our hex template onto the black felt. I must get one!!

Crazy Hex Kit

Finished Ornament

I arrived at Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs’ station for my third project. I was so excited to meet Anne because I had just finished sewing on the outer border of her Merry Merry Snowman quilt just the night before. I asked her to sign my quilt label. Her project was my favorite because it featured an adorable little snowman popping out of a mitten called “Cozy Christmas!”

Cozy Christmas Kit

Finished Snowman in Mitten

Snowman and Mitten

For my last station, I went to visit the cheerful sister duo, Barb & Mary of Me & My Sister Designs! They had the cutest little scissor and bead project for us that only took a short time to assemble. As a bonus, they had a short game for everyone at the table and the top 6 finishers won a free pattern! They also took everyone on a “field trip” to Hollyhill’s companion store across the street featuring Christmas fabrics, quilt kits, and decorations. This store is called Boughs of Holly and is a wonderful place to visit!

Bead Kit and Free Pattern

Completed Scissors Bead Fob

Lastly, Brian and Jan, the owners of Hollyhill and organizers of this wonderful event, gave each attendee a special gift. Inside the package, I found yummy chocolates, a snowman ornament, a pattern, thread, and 2 Aspen Frost mini charm packs to make the pattern.

Homespun & Holly Gift Bag

I had such a great time and really hope that “Homespun & Holly” will return in the future. I’d like to thank Brian and Jan as well as the wonderful staff of Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe for making this year’s event such a treat! I’d also like to thank all the talented designers who came to visit and share their special projects with everyone!

I’m so inspired to finish up my holiday sewing and crafting projects!

Enjoy!
~Jennifer

New Mystery Block Plus a Free Class

Posted on November 7, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

Hi everyone!

***Spoiler Alert*** In this post, I’m going to share my solution to a paper pieced mystery block. If you are working on this quilt block by Paper Panache and do not wish to see my solution, then click away now! I will post pictures and more about the mystery below.

I wanted to let everyone know about a free quilting class being offered at Craftsy this week. The class is called “Piece, Patch, Quilt: Basic Quiltmaking Skills” presented by Gail Kessler. This class has 11 lessons centered around basic quilting skills from cutting your fabric to finishing your quilt by adding the binding and label.

This month, I am participating in a paper pieced mystery block by Linda of Paper Panache. Linda has some wonderful and intricate paper pieced patterns on her site so go check it out! I’ve got my eye on her snow globe pattern as it would make such an adorable addition to my holiday decor.

I just finished mystery block #70 and will be posting my solution below. I followed the fabric color recommendations pretty closely, but did stick to fabrics already in my stash.

Here’s a close-up of the delicious treat:

Pumpkin Pie Closeup

The mystery block finishes at 8-inches by 8-inches. I decided to add a 1-1/2 inch border from dark blue fabric to the sides and the top of the block. For the bottom, I added a 3-inch border and hand-embroidered the name of the object presented in this mystery block.

Finally, I made a little quilt sandwich and did some free-motion quilting on my domestic machine.

Pumpkin Pie Block

Doesn’t that pumpkin pie look delicious? I can’t wait for Thanksgiving to arrive so I can enjoy some homemade pie.

I’m linking this paper pieced block up at Quiet Play’s Paper Piecing Party today.

Happy quilting!
~Jennifer

Happy Halloween and Giveaway Winner!

Posted on October 31, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

Greetings and Happy Halloween!

We are still busy handing out candy to the little ghouls and goblins here on the west coast. Here are the pumpkins that we carved last night:

Jack-o-Lanterns

I hope everyone had a safe and fun night of trick-or-treating!

And now for the Wicked Blog Hop Giveaway Winner . . . . . . .
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using a random number generator is . . . .
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Lisa of In the Boon Docks! Lisa, I will be emailing you a copy of my Pumpkin Cat Patch pattern! I really hope you enjoy the pattern, and I’d love to see a picture of your finished quilt!

Enjoy!
~Jennifer

Wicked Blog Hop and Giveaway!

Posted on October 21, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

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Greetings and welcome to day 1 of the Wicked Blog Hop, brought to us by the wickedly fabulous Madame Samm and our devilishly delightful cheerleader, Wendy!

My project for this Halloween Hop is inspired by my handsome black and white cat and a pumpkin patch:

Black and White Cat Familiar

Pumpkin Patch

These two images combined in my creative cauldron, and I developed a wicked recipe for a quilted wall-hanging featuring a cat sitting amongst whimsical pumpkins!

Here’s a look at the completed quilt, called “Pumpkin Patch Cat.”

Pumpkin Patch Cat Completed Quilt Top

Pumpkin Patch Cat Quilt

This little wall-hanging finishes at 11.5 inches x 13 inches and can be made in a day and quilted on your domestic sewing machine. I echo quilted around each pumpkin and the cat. I then quilted stars and a moon in the purple background.

Just look at the wickedly handsome cat!!

You can add your own details to this pattern very easily! My pattern tester and sister extraordinaire made the cat solid black and added a little witch’s hat:

Black Cat with Witch’s Hat

Giveaway Details!
One lucky blog hop commenter will win a free copy of my Pumpkin Patch Cat pattern! I will use a random number generator to pick the lucky winner on Halloween, which is the last day of the hop. Be sure to leave me a comment!

You can also purchase this pattern from my Craftsy shop.

Hop on over to these fellow bloggers today to enjoy some more Halloween treats:
Grammie Q’s
Stitchin by the Lake
Quilted Delights
Buzzing and Bumbling
Vrooman’s Quilts
Life in the Scrapatch
Meadowbrook
Patchouli Moon Studio
The Nosy Pepper
Sew Incredibly Crazy

If you get lost along the hop while admiring the many wicked treasures or if you want to see the full list of participants, just click on the Wicked Blog Hop button located in the right hand pane of my blog.

Grab a tasty goblin brew and enjoy!
~Jennifer

Easy Charm Square Halloween Table Runner Tutorial

Posted on October 16, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

With Halloween just a couple weeks away, I thought my living room table needed a little festive decor! I decided to stitch up a quick and easy table runner using a charm pack.

Here’s a look at the completed runner:

Easy Charm Pack Halloween Table Runner

I’ve created a tutorial if you want to make one of these fun Halloween table runners for yourself. I made my table runner single-sided, but you could easily make it double-sided and extend its use into the Thanksgiving holiday by picking out a second autumn-themed charm pack.

Supplies Needed
1 charm pack or 27 5-inch squares (Boo Crew by Sweetwater for Moda is used in my runner)
1/2 yard backing fabric (or make a double-sided runner)
1/2 yard batting
1/4 yard binding, black
black thread
ruler, rotary cutter, mat, pins, and marking pencil

Halloween Charm Pack and Fabric!

Tutorial
Note: Use a 1/4-inch seam allowance.

1. Lay out your charm squares into 3 rows of 9 squares each. Move the charm squares around until you find a color arrangement that you like. Note: If you have a cat “assistant,” you may find your squares re-arranged! See figure 1.

3 Rows with 9 Charm Squares Each

2.Sew 9 charm squares into a row. Press seams open. Repeat for the other rows.

3. Sew the first row to the second row, taking care to match seams. Press seams open.

4. Sew the third row to the completed unit from step 3, taking care to match seams. Press seams open.

5. Cut each right and left end square on both the top and bottom rows so that the squares become triangles. Tip: Use your ruler and marking pencil to draw a diagonal line before cutting the triangles. See figure 2.

Cut End Squares into Triangles

6. Press the quilt top. The quilt top should resemble figure 3.

Halloween Runner Quilt Top

7. Prepare quilt top for quilting by layering backing, batting, and quilt top. Baste with pins.

8. Quilt as desired. I quilted my runner using my domestic sewing machine by using my 1/4-inch foot and sewing square shapes in each charm square.

9. Prepare binding. I like to use 2-1/4″ binding strips and then press them in half.

10. Sew on binding strips. Press. Hand-stitch binding to the backing.

11. Remember to add a quilt label!

12. Optional: Add embellishments such as hot-fix crystals or Halloween themed buttons.

I think this little table runner really adds a festive touch to my coffee table. I added a pumpkin shaped bowl and filled it with chocolate candies. Mysteriously, those little candies seem to disappear quickly in my house!

Halloween Runner Closeup

I hope you enjoy this tutorial! Let me know if you make one by leaving a comment or linking up to your blog. I’d love to see pictures.

With Halloween charm,
~Jennifer

Modern Trees QAL Top Finished and Beach Pic

Posted on October 13, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

Happy Sunday everyone!

This weekend, I worked on completing my table runner top for the Modern Trees QAL, hosted by Christa at Christa Quilts!

Rather than making a quilt sized project, I decided to make 5 improv tree blocks so I could have a cute little wintery table runner. I added a dark blue inner border which really complements the trees well. The next step will be to add the backing and do basting. Since my project is so small, I’ll probably do the machine quilting at the same time so stay tuned!

Here’s a look at the Modern Tree QAL table runner top:

Modern Tree QAL Table Runner

Yesterday, I took a drive with my hubby and son to the Oregon Coast to pick up several more Sew Oregon quilt shop hop stamps on my passport. The weather was surprising nice – no wind and about 60 degrees! We took a picnic blanket and ate lunch on the beach near Haystack Rock. The tide was still out far enough that many families and children were exploring the exposed tidepools.

Here’s a pic of the “Needles” rock formations just to the left of Haystack Rock (not pictured).

Cannon Beach, Oregon

Hope you had a great weekend!
~Jennifer

Modern Trees Quilt Along

Posted on October 4, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

I have a new-to-me dining room table that is just begging for a table runner. Since the holidays are coming up, I thought a Christmas themed one would be perfect, and I should have enough time to complete one before early December.

Then, I saw that Christa is hosting a Modern Tree Quilt Along (QAL) on her blog, Christa Quilts! She has instructions for a 30″ x 40″ finished quilt, but I decided to pare it down into a 5 block table runner.

I looked through my stash and found a Snowman Gatherings by Moda charm pack. You can find it online at the Fat Quarter Shop. This is such an adorable line of fabric that I decided to use it to make my improv trees. I found a nice solid light blue in my stash to use as a background.

Here’s a look at my 5 improv tree blocks:

Improv Modern Tree Blocks

I think this fabric combination will make a nice wintery table runner that I can display all season long. Next week, we’ll assemble the blocks as the second step in this QAL. There is still time to join this QAL and you can size the project to fit your space! You can make improv trees out of small scraps like I did or make solid trees from a 7-inch strip of fabric.

Happy quilting,
~Jennifer

4th of July Dachshunds

Posted on July 4, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

Happy 4th of July, everyone! We started the day off with a neighborhood parade. I marched in the parade with my son and dog. Although my dog is not a dachshund, he is part hound!

Here’s a pic of my patriotic dog, getting ready to march in the parade:

4th of July Dog

This afternoon, I decided to paper-piece some little dachshund blocks for a quilt that I’m making as a wedding gift. These are the smallest paper-pieced blocks that I’ve made with a finished size of just 6-inches by 3-inches! I’ve completed 4 of 8 little pups so far.

Here are 4 together with 2 dogs running up and 2 dogs running down:

4 Little Dachshunds

Aren’t these little dogs cute? Here’s a closeup with a 6-inch ruler to show the scale of the pieces:

Little Blue Dachshund

I think the smallest piece is about 1/8-inch by 1/8-inch!! What a challenge to paper-piece! I used my add-an-eighth inch ruler for all these blocks since the add-a-quarter inch was a tad bit too large.

Tiny Fabric Pieces!

I have 4 more left-facing dogs to make. Once the quilting is complete, I’ll embroider little noses and add button eyes to each dog. This pattern is from Janet Kime’s book, It’s Raining Cats and Dogs. I definitely recommend that you have some paper-piecing experience before beginning the projects from this book!

This evening, we plan to have a little BBQ in the backyard and watch fireworks!

Happy 4th of July!
~Jennifer

Red, White, and Blue Swap Block

Posted on June 14, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

Happy Flag Day everyone!

I’m the hostess for a red, white, and blue block swap on Carol Doak’s Yahoo group! This swap is so much fun to host because I love these colors and the 4th of July is my favorite holiday! Each participant makes 4, 8, or 12 blocks to swap with other members.

Here’s a look at the block that I made today:

Red, white, blue swap block

This is the Austria block from Carol’s book called Mariner’s Compass Stars. The white fabric in the background is actually a white-on-white print featuring stars but the camera didn’t pick up the white stars very well.

Now I need to decide if I’ll make all my blocks the same or make 4 different ones.

Hope you enjoy this little red, white, and blue post today and stay tuned for more patriotic blocks!

Happy quilting!
~Jennifer

Memorial Day Weekend: Quilting and Gardening

Posted on May 28, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

Over Memorial Day weekend, I had a little bit of time to work on several quilt projects.

The first project is a paper-pieced quilt that I’m planning on displaying at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show this July. I’ve pieced it, quilted it, and just need to finish up the binding.

Here’s a little teaser:

Rolled binding strips

I’ll post some photos of the completed quilt soon!

My next project involves sewing together lots of hexie shapes! This is a pattern called Snack Time by Jaybird Quilts. I was piecing together some of the shapes when my orange cat made an unexpected move and came to sit behind my sewing machine! Normally, he will only sit on the floor of my sewing room to do his inspection work. The lighting wasn’t great, but I had to take a quick pic before he moved.

Quilt inspector, Tiger, in window

In between rain squalls this weekend, my husband, 7-year-old son, and I decided to build a second raised bed in our backyard to plant more veggies and herbs. We made our first one two years ago, but decided we wanted to have more fresh salads and veggies this summer. We went to the local home improvement store to pick up some supplies and got building.

The larger raised bed is about 8 feet long! We planted zucchini, yellow squash, cucumber, bell pepper, tomatoes, lettuce, and kale. We also planted some herbs in smaller containers as well as sugar snap peas in a round container. Our cat, Cow, decided to test the catnip.