2020 Mini Series SAL – Week 5

Posted on April 24, 2020 by nwquiltedcat

Hi everyone,

Surprisingly, this week is going by fast for me. I’m balancing working from home with helping my teen with his schooling from home, and fitting in some sewing each evening. I’m also trying to keep anxiety feelings at bay with regular exercise, mostly in the form of long walks with my dog.

The block in our sew-along this week is one of my favorites. It is called Stretched Geese. I really like any form of the flying geese block, and this one is really fun!

This is my 4-inch block in progress:

Stretched Geese block during construction

I decided to alter the block slightly by adding little border strips to the sides of the flying geese using my one print fabric from Tula Pink. I’m working in a little bit of this fabric into each block.

Stretched Geese block, slightly modified

I love my growing group of little blocks! The beachy feel of the fabrics is quite soothing.

Mini Series SAL blocks, weeks 1 to 5

We now have 3 official blocks left to make in the SAL, plus I need to make the bonus block.

On one of my dog walks this week, I saw one of my favorite flowers, lupine, starting to bloom. Isn’t it pretty?

I just realized that the colors in my lupine photo below match the fabric colors in my SAL blocks! What a happy coincidence.

Lupine starting to bloom

I hope you are all staying healthy and making a little time to work on sewing projects other than face masks.

Take care!

~Jen

2020 Mini Series SAL – Week 4

Posted on April 17, 2020 by nwquiltedcat

Hi everyone,

The little block for this week is called Hexagon Step. This is another block that took about 2 hours to sew together.

When I first saw the block, it reminded me of radiation danger signs!

Hexagon Step Pattern cover

I decided to change up the look by not alternating my color strips with background strips in each row. Instead, I used full color row around the hexagon shape and then followed it with a full row of the background fabric.

Here’s a look at my Hexagon Step block with one of my antique toy sewing machines. Isn’t the little seahorse cute?

My Hexagon Step block with antique toy sewing machine

I’m enjoying piecing these little blocks each week. There are small but satisfying in these unusual times. We have four more blocks left to sew in the SAL, not counting the bonus block, and then we have a 2 week window to make and finish a project using the blocks.

Here’s a look at my first four blocks together:

Mini Series SAL blocks 1-4

Next week, I’ll post my Stretched Geese block for week 5.

Take care and happy quilting!

~Jen

2020 Mini Series SAL – Week 1

Posted on March 23, 2020 by nwquiltedcat

Hi everyone,

Have you heard about the 2020 Mini Series Sew Along hosted by Alison Glass (#alisonglass) and Giucy Giuce (#giucygiuce) ?

It’s a 10-week sew along with 8 tiny foundation paper-pieced blocks plus a bonus block for those participants who sign up on Alison’s website. The SAL is free; however, you do need to purchase the patterns. You can find the patterns on Alison’s website or from various quilt stores that she mentions

Here are my fabric selections for the SAL:

A Kona charm square pack called Mermaid Shores
A batik fabric for the background that reminds me of pebbles on a beach
A Tula Pink fat quarter from the Zuma line with little stars and seahorses

Fabric Selection for 2020 Mini Series SAL

I’m making the 4-inch blocks rather than the 8-inch blocks due to the length of my charm squares.

For week one, we are making the classic log cabin block. I’m an experienced foundation paper piecer so I already had an Add-An-Eighth ruler on hand as well as some very fine 80 weight piecing thread. The 80 weight thread is important with smaller blocks because it is less thick than 50 weight thread so your block presses flatter.

I fuzzy cut a little star for the very center of my block from the Zuma fat quarter. You can see it in the picture with the dime for scale.

Here are some pictures of my log cabin block:

Week 1: Log Cabin Block

Week 1: Log Cabin block with dime for scale

Week 1: Log Cabin Block on Tree

Week 1: Log Cabin block on a stump

I really love these colors together! I’m leaning towards making a small wall-hanging quilt with the blocks from this SAL. I may make a few extra of some of the blocks, but I have’t entirely decided.

Here’s a look at the back of the block. I will keep the paper on for stability until I sew the block to another block or sashing.

Week 1: Log Cabin back of block

Are you participating in the SAL? Leave me a comment below!

Happy stitching!

~Jen

Cadence Court Quilt

Posted on December 14, 2018 by nwquiltedcat

Hi everyone!

I saw the beautiful Cadence Court Quilt by Sassafras Lane Designs on many Instagram feeds over the summer and decided that I really wanted to make one using sunset colors.

This quilt is mostly foundation paper pieced with a little bit of traditional piecing to add the background pieces and center pieces. There are 24 paper pieced wedges to make and each wedge took me roughly 2 hours to sew.

For my colorful sections, I used Alison Glass fabrics in 6 colors. Each color is repeated 4 times throughout the quilt. The white background is Alison Glass Sun Print Compass in coconut. The black fabric has tiny metallic hearts that look pretty in person and is called Yes Please Hearts by Riley Black. The gray fabrics are just solids.

I started working on the quilt in August, and I finished it in November. Between working full-time and going on a family hiking trip to the southwest in August, I think that I assembled this quilt pretty quickly!

I used my Handi Quilter Avante longarm with Superior thread to do ruler work around the triangle shapes as well as custom free-motion quilting in the negative spaces. I used the Handi Quilter 3-inch slice ruler to create a beautiful swirl in the quilt center.

If you live in the Missoula, Montana area, you can see the quilt on display at The Confident Stitch. They carry all the fabrics and the pattern that I used to make this quilt. For other color inspirations, go check out the #cadencecourt hashtag on Instagram!

Here’s a look at my finished quilt. Isn’t it just gorgeous?

Happy quilting!

~Jen

A Modern Star Quilt – Zoomer!

Posted on May 13, 2018 by nwquiltedcat

Happy Mother’s Day to everyone!

I recently finished a modern quilt called Zoomer. This pattern is by Elizabeth Dackson from the book, Rock Solid.

I used mostly solids but added a subtle print from Cotton + Steel in mint green. It adds just a hint of texture when you look at the quilt closely.

The quilt is pieced with Aurifil 50 weight thread in #2800, which is a very light mint color. For quilting, I used a similar light green mint by Omni. It blends in really well with the fabric colors without detracting from the modern design. I did free-motion swirls in the exploding star block, and I used my channel locks to quilt straight-lines in the negative space.

Here’s a look at the free-motion swirls on my HQ Avante:

Free-motion swirls on Zoomer

Here’s a look at the finished quilt in a field of Camas flowers:

Finished Zoomer Quilt

I also just finished another quilt using curved seams so I will blog about that one soon!

Happy quilting!

~Jen

Mt. Hood Elevated Abstractions Quilt

Posted on April 26, 2018 by nwquiltedcat

Hello quilters!

I love the landscape of the west, particularly in my home state of Oregon. When I saw the Elevated Abstractions quilt by Violet Craft, I just knew that I had to make it.

This quilt is a wonderful abstraction of Mt. Hood. It is entirely foundation paper-pieced using Pure Elements Solids by Art Gallery fabric and Aurifil thread in 50 weight.

I wanted the quilting to take a back seat to the piecing so I took a modern approach with straight-line quilting using channel locks on my HQ Avante.

MtHood_2

Once I took the quilt off the frame, my trusty quilt inspector instantly arrived. How do cats know?

MtHood3

I decided that the quilt needed a pop of bright color for the binding so I dug into my stash and added some orange Notorious fabric by Cotton + Steel. Then, I took the quilt on a 9 mile round trip hike to visit Pup Falls in the Mt. Hood National Forest. Quite the scene for a little photo op! My son took this picture while I balanced precariously on the muddy trail, working hard to keep it out of all that mud!

I really enjoyed piecing and quilting Elevated Abstractions. I need to find the perfect spot to hang it in my home.

Happy quilting! ~Jennifer

Elephant Abstractions, Mini Size

Posted on January 23, 2018 by nwquiltedcat

Greetings friends!

Last March, I started work on the Elephant Abstractions quilt by Violet Craft during a spring break quilt retreat with my sister. I finished it in August, just in time to display at the NW Quilting Expo in Portland.

The original pattern is quite large and, having made the full-size Giraffe Abstractions, I decided to make the elephant at 50% size. Since this is a foundation paper-pieced pattern, it is easy to scale it by reducing the templates when copying them.

I purchased all my fabrics at the Stitchin Post the summer before in a frenzy of purchasing in the week leading up to the annual quilt show! The background is an Alison Glass Handcrafted Grove in Neon batik fabric and the elephant fabrics are a combination of Moda Grunge, Michael Miller Painter’s Canvas, and some solids.

For the quilting, I did some pretty dense custom free-motion quilting on the elephant body. I used more geometric shapes on the ears and different curvy shapes on the head, body, and tusks. I added pearl hot fix crystals in the center of the eyes. For the background, I wanted the quilting to make it seem like the elephant is running out from the jungle towards the viewer.

Here’s a look at the finished quilt:

Elephant Abstractions Quilt

Here are some close-up pics of the quilting:

I’m very pleased with how this small quilt turned out, and I’m excited to do another one of Violet’s abstraction patterns soon! Maybe even her new one, the Wolf!

Happy quilting!

~Jennifer

Renewal, A QuiltCon Entry

Posted on January 16, 2018 by nwquiltedcat

Happy 2018 everyone!

My goal this year is to blog at least once each week. Although I post on Instagram regularly (@nwquiltedcat), my blog posts let me go into greater details on my quilts!

For this post, I want to show you a foundation paper-pieced quilt that I designed for the small quilt category for QuiltCon 2018 in Pasadena. Unfortunately, the QuiltCon selection committee did not choose my quilt for display. I do hope to enter it into a local show later this year.

This quilt is called Renewal, and I designed as a personal reflection of my feelings for the Eagle Creek Fire in the Columbia River Gorge in the summer of 2017. This fire was human-caused and devastated the area. My family has been hiking, camping, and fishing in the area for 4 generations so this fire really hit home.

However, wildfires also promote renewal and healing in the forest. It is a natural process and cycle that keeps forests in balance. Hence, my quilt is Renewal!

Look for the quilted shadow animals. These shadows represent the animals that lost their lives in the fire, but also represent animals returning to the forest as it regrows.

Renewal

Renewal Close-Up

I really wish that I could attend QuiltCon this year, but vacation time and funds are in short supply. Hoping to go in 2020!

Happy quilting!

~Jen

Little Protean Mini Quilt Finish

Posted on August 27, 2017 by nwquiltedcat

Hi everyone,

Recently, I made a very dynamic and wavy looking mini quilt called Fierce Protean. This mini is approximately 21 x 21 inches finished and is designed by Eye Candy Quilts.

I made this mini as a shop sample for The Confident Stitch in Missoula, Montana. If you’re in that area, you can stop by and see it in person.

The quilt only uses 2 blocks. One is traditionally pieced and one is foundation paper pieced. The triangle shapes come together to form a wavy motion, especially when you limit your color palette. I did add a color pop using yellow. The yellow bits remind me of sun sparkling on the water.

I did circular free-motion quilting, which I think enhances the overall effect of moving water.

Here’s a look at the finished mini:

Fierce Protean Mini Quilt

Cat Inspects Fierce Protean

Happy quilting!

~Jennifer

Bountiful Mini Quilt Challenge

Posted on August 22, 2017 by nwquiltedcat

Hi everyone!

I’m excited to share with you my mini quilt entry for a collaborative contest between the Portland Modern Quilt Guild and Art Gallery Fabrics. We used the Bountiful Fabrics collection by Sharon Holland. Our challenge was to create a mini quilt to celebrate the beauty and scenery found across the mid-west.

My entry is called “Bounty in Every Direction” and is inspired by all the wonderful farms and ranches that I’ve seen while flying. The arrows are my own foundation paper-pieced design. I used free-motion quilting in a circular shape to represent the center-pivot irrigation system used on many crops.

The dark brown border is made from faux leather and represents the ranches in the mid-west. The appliqued flower with beaded center represents the farms and growers.

I hope that you enjoy this little quilt! It will be on display, along with all the other entries, at the PMQG Quilt Showcase on October 19th at the Lagunitas Community Room in Portland so come check it out if you’re local.