Moosin’ Around with a Circle of Geese

Posted on July 31, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

Have you ever wanted to sew flying geese in a circle? This is a fun project that I’ve wanted to do for a while using a free paper pieced pattern by Piece by Number. I’ve seen various quilters use this pattern with stunning results using all different types of color schemes.

I feel in love with the Mama Said Sew line by Sweetwater for Moda last year and picked up a few 1/2 yard pieces. I decided to use this grouping to make my test circle of geese.

The quilt square finishes at 12 x 12-inches, and I added a 1-inch black border all around:

Circle of Geese Block

This block came together pretty quickly, and I think I may make two more using the same fabrics to make a table runner.

Just for fun, I took a little moose figurine that I purchased last summer at Grand Teton National Park and added it to the center of the unfinished block. I think he looks cute!

Moose and Geese

Moose and Geese Closeup

I might make a small matching wall hanging using this fabric, but I’ll probably reduce the pattern to make a 9-inch finished block instead.

Have you made a fun block with a circle of geese? I’d love to hear about your project!

Happy piecing,
~Jennifer

Using Shot Cottons with Paper Piecing

Posted on July 24, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

I still have a few more pictures to upload from the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, but wanted to show you how I’ve incorporated some beautiful shot cotton fabric into a paper piecing project.

I picked up some fat quarter bundles of Kaffe Fassett shot cotton a while ago, but didn’t have a specific project in mind. When I participated in the Central Oregon shop hop earlier this year, I picked up a very colorful batik at the Stitchin’ Post in Sisters.

Inspiration hit me! What if I used the shot cottons to pull out the colors in the batik? I could do a paper piecing project since the paper would act as a stabilizer for the more delicate shot cotton fabric. I also used Kona cotton in snow and artichoke to help add structure.

Here’s a look at the shot cottons and batik:

Kaffe Fassett Shot Cottons and a Batik

On Carol Doak’s Yahoo Group, we recently celebrated the 7th anniversary of that group with a new block called Oh Happy Days! This block has a ton of different pointy pieces that worked perfectly with the shot cottons. Carol also provided a suggested quilt layout with the block that I used.

Here’s a look at the completed quilt top:

Oh Happy Days Quilt Top

I’m pretty happy with how colorful this quilt top turned out, and really enjoyed being able to incorporate the delicate shot cottons into a project. I hope to quilt it soon!

Have you used shot cottons in a quilt? Please share your projects!

Happy paper piecing,
~Jennifer

Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, Post 1

Posted on July 17, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

Hi everyone,

I had an amazing time last Saturday looking at all the wonderful quilts displayed in the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. I took plenty of quilt show photos and will post them over the next few days.

I’ll start by posting this great view of the Three Sisters:

Three Sisters in July

I love living here in Oregon, amongst these beautiful Cascade mountains and tall evergreens!

In this post, I’ll show you the three quilts that I displayed this year. The Hummer Storm quilt we found right away, but the other two quilts were a bit more difficult to find. We finally did find them at opposite ends of town.

I love this picture that my hubby took of my Hummer Storm quilt because you can see our son also taking a picture of me and the quilt with our little point-and-shoot camera:

Hummer Storm at Sisters

Here’s a look at Yahoo Stars:

Yahoo Stars at Sisters

And Happy Halloween:

Happy Halloween at Sisters

We started the day bright and early during the quilt hanging process. We finished touring the quilt show around 11:30 when our little guy decided he’d had enough of the quilts and wanted to go for a hike.

Proxy Falls, Oregon

I hope you enjoyed this first post on the quilt show. Stay tuned for more quilt photos in my next post!

Enjoy!
~Jennifer

A Little Cat Mini!

Posted on July 10, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

While I impatiently wait for the Sisters Quilt Show this upcoming Saturday, I decided to take on a miniature quilt challenge. This is my first mini quilt, although I have made some mini blocks before (just never found the time to piece them together!).

This mini quilt and block is called the Royal Miniature Star and is designed by Carol Doak. I have this wonderful black and white cat border print by Michael Miller in my stash that I’ve been wanting to use but didn’t have the right project. I decided to use this print as the outer border and “catify” my Royal Star! My sister gave me some wonderful black-on-black and white-on-white cat fabric that I used as well. If you look closely at the images, you can see little cat silhouettes in the black and white fabric pieces.

Here’s a look at the mini quilt top:

Royal Mini “Cat” Star Quilt

I plan to quilt it, bind it, and then display it on a mini wire rack soon.

Here’s a look at the quilt top in comparison to my Cow cat:

Cow and the Mini Quilt

Isn’t it such a cute little quilt? The center block is a 2-inches finished while the little cornerstone blocks are 1.5-inches finished. I think this quilt top would also make a fabulous pillow cover or tote panel as well as a fun wall-hanging to make as a gift.

Enjoy!
~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

Another Red, White, and Blue Swap Block

Posted on July 2, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

I’ve finished another red, white, and blue block for a quilt block exchange that I’m hosting on the Carol Doak Yahoo group.

This one is the Africa block from Carol’s Mariner’s Compass Stars book. I think this block really gives great movement to the red and blue points. I have enough fabric scraps left over so I could make another one to add to my own red, white, and blue quilt.

Here’s the unfinished block at 12.5 inches:

Africa block

My quilting inspector decided to admire from afar while sitting on the fence under a shady tree. With temps in the upper 90s in the Willamette Valley this week, I can’t blame him!

A Shady Spot

I’m getting very excited for the upcoming Sisters Quilt Show! We only have a couple more weekends to go. I do plan on dropping off my quilts in person later this week and checking out the Stitchin’ Post before the show to pick up some goodies.

Until next time, happy quilting!
~Jennifer

Hummer Storm at Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show!

Posted on June 22, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

In an earlier post, I showed you the BOM quilt that I’m entering into the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. I’m also entering this Happy Halloween applique quilt.

I finished my third and final quilt to display at the show called Hummer Storm! This quilt is entirely paper pieced using just 3 fabrics. The design is by Cherry Blossoms Quilting Studio.

I just love how this quilt turned out! The movement of the Storm at Sea blocks combined with Snail Trail blocks showcases well and the turquoise zinger really adds that extra pop.

Here’s a look at the quilt front:

Hummer Storm Quilt Front

For the quilt back, I used leftover pieces of fabric to add some interest to the label area:

Hummer Storm Quilt Back

The finished quilt is about 66 inches by 66 inches.

I can’t wait to see it displayed at the quilt show in just a few weekends!
Enjoy,
~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

Quilted Mystery BOM for the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show

Posted on June 6, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

A few weeks ago, I posted that I had completed piecing together the top of Carol Doak’s year-long mystery block-of-the-month that she created for her Yahoo groupies.

I plan on displaying this quilt as one of three quilts this July at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. I’m calling my completed quilt “Yahoo Stars” in honor of Carol’s Yahoo group and because I used 2 star themed fabrics in the quilt. I will write about the other two quilts in a future blog post.

I finished up the quilting and binding this week and took a few photos of the completed project:

Quilt on a log swing

Quilt on a Swing

Me holding the quilt front

Quilt Font

My hubby holding quilt back

Quilt Back

The quilt back is just a coordinating navy blue/star print with a label attached to the bottom.

I plan on going to the Sisters Quilt Show to photograph my quilt in person. If you see me there, say hi!

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.