Category Archives: Quilt Shows

My Quilt at QuiltCon Together

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Happy March, everyone! We are seeing glimmers of spring everywhere around us after our ice storm several weeks ago. I have crocus and some early daffodils blooming and birds are joyfully singing!

A few weeks ago, I attended QuiltCon Together, which was a virtual quilt show this year due to the pandemic. Normally, QuiltCon, which features modern quilts in many categories, is held in person and alternates between west coast venues and east coast venues.

This year, I entered a quilt in the “Floral & Vine Fabric Challenge” category and, for the first time ever, I got a quilt juried into QuiltCon!! In this category, participants received 4
fat-eighths of specific fabric prints to use in the construction of a modern quilt. We could only use these prints plus any number of solid fabrics. We could buy extra quantities of the specified prints, but I decided to challenge myself by using only the provided fat eighth pack. I used 3 of the 4 prints plus a white solid in my quilt. The binding is a gray solid.

I drafted my pattern using paper and pencil initially. I wanted my quilt to express my hope that we will soon be able to gather together in person, and that this weird situation that we are currently living through will not last forever.

I came up with a design and then used EQ8 to create my foundation paper pieced templates and curved traditionally pieced templates. I then calculated my setting triangles to complete the design. I called my quilt, Concourse.

Here’s a picture of Concourse:

My quilt, Concourse, at QuiltCon Together, February 2021

Although QuiltCon Together is now over, the images below show what my quilt looked like displayed virtually. Quilt show attendees could zoom in on individual quilts and even listen to a short audio clip from the quilt makers.

My quilt, Concourse, hanging virtually at QuiltCon Together 2021, front view
My quilt, Concourse, hanging virtually at QuiltCon Together 2021, back view

I was very pleased to have my quilt selected as one of the entrants in this challenge fabric category. Although I did not win a ribbon, I’m just so happy to have had a quilt in the show.

I took a screen cap of the other quilts in the category so that you could see the variety of modern quilts that used just these 4 prints plus solids. Quite impressive!

QuiltCon 2022 is scheduled to be an in-person quilt show in Phoenix in February. I’m very hopeful that we’ll be returning to in-person events later this year. I hope to enter a quilt into that show and maybe (just maybe), I might get to attend it with my sister!

P.S. I added a new page to my blog with recommended quilting supplies and notions. Go check it out!

Happy quilting!

-Jennifer

Quilter’s Affair 2019 Classes

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This year, my sister and I took 2 classes at A Quilter’s Affair in the week leading up to the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show.

For our first class, we decided to take an English Paper Piecing class (EPP) with Violet Craft because we really haven’t used this quilting technique before and we both thought it might be a great technique to do while traveling.

We used the Fruit Basket pattern, and we both picked the strawberry for our practice block, and we learned some great tips in the class.

Start of my strawberry block:

Strawberry 1

Here’s a pic of us together with our strawberry blocks in August when my sister came to my house for a visit. I’m on the right with the blue shorts.

I have started working on the pineapple block, but I must admit that I haven’t made too much progress. I’ll pick it up again when the weather turns rainy, and I do less hiking and yard work.

For our second class, we took “Gertie’s Birdies” with Sally Frey. We used the pattern Feathers by The Pattern Basket. We signed up for this class because birds have a special inside meaning to us and these chunky little birds just looked so cute.

I made 3 birds in class using the Sweet Tea collection by Sweetwater for Moda Fabrics plus some solids by Cherrywood. I love these fabrics because they remind me of summer!

Here is a look at the birds from other quilters in the class at the end of the day. My 3 bird blocks are in the top left:

I’ve finished another 3 bird blocks in the months since our class. I plan on making 3 more so I can complete the smaller quilt, which will be a perfect little summer wall hanging.

The Quilter’s Affair is so much fun, and I’m glad my sister got to come this year. We hope to go again next year!

Here’s a view of the Three Sisters during an evening hike we took:

Happy quilting!

-Jen

Prince Cherrywood Challenge Finalist!

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This past year, I entered a quilt into the annual Cherrywood Challenge for the first time. Cherrywood makes beautiful and unique hand dyed fabrics with a suede-like appearance. Each year, they sponsor a challenge where contestants can submit 20-inch by 20-inch quilts in a specific theme using a limited palette of Cherrywood fabrics.

For 2018, the challenge theme was Prince. The Prince Challenge fabric bundle contained 3 purples and 1 black. While we could use other Cherrywood colors as accents, our quilts had to “read” as purple. We could also use embellishments to enhance our quilts.

For my entry, I wanted to feature Prince and his wonderful performance at the Superbowl. In particular, I wanted to highlight the song “Purple Rain” because it was such a stunning moment for him and the audience.

Here’s a look at my completed quilt with a ruler to show the judges the 20-inch size:

DSC_0211 (2)

Prince Cherrywood Challenge Completed Quilt

I used holographic thread for the swirly quilting in the black background. In person, the thread has a beautiful shimmery look to it. The black background also has little beads with silver metallic threads to represent the camera flashes from the stadium audience. I used a purple Razzle Dazzle thread to give a hint of the “purple” rain during the performance.

For the purple background, I used metallic thread in the straight-line quilting. I used the thread to accent the guitar, guitar strap, and to add music notes.

The Prince symbol represents the stage while Prince faces the crowd in a decorated purple jacket.

Here are some close-up pictures:

There were 388 submitted quilts for the Prince challenge. Out of those 388 quilts, there were 165 finalists.

My quilt made it as a finalist! It is now traveling the country to various quilt shows as part of the Prince Live Tour. I will get to visit the show in person in 2019 when it travels to 2 quilt shows near me: the Clark County Quilt Show in March and the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show in July. Cherrywood will likely have book signing events at each of these shows, and I hope to be one of the artists signing books.

Here’s a look at the Prince Cherrywood Challenge book:

You can order a copy of the book, featuring all of the finalist quilts, from Cherrywood directly or you can buy a copy at the traveling exhibit.

Happy quilting!

~Jen

Renewal, A QuiltCon Entry

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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

Bountiful Mini Quilt Challenge

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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.

“Bounty in Every Direction “Mini Quilt

“Bounty in Every Direction” Mini Quilt

Close-Up of “Bounty in Every Direction” Mini Quilt

“Bounty in Every Direction” Mini Quilt

“Bounty in Every Direction” Mini quilt

Happy Quilting!

~Jennifer

Wish Upon a Card Postcard, Sister’s Outdoor Quilt Show, 2015 entry

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Happy Sunday, quilty friends!

Back in April, I made and submitted a card to the Wish Upon a Card fundraiser that takes place each year at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. For my entry, I did use the Michael Miller challenge fabrics with the blue in the sky and the green in the middle meadow section.

I decided to feature the Three Sisters mountains with a flying geese rainbow arching over the mountains. Below the mountains are trees and grassy meadows.

Here’s a look at my card:

Wish Upon a Card Entry and Event Postcard

Wish Upon a Card Entry and Event Postcard

Wish Upon a Card Entry, Rainbow Over Sisters

Wish Upon a Card Entry, Rainbow Over Sisters

The postcards must be 4 x 6 inches and are available for sale at two locations: the Chamber of Commerce and Sisters High School from July 6th-10th. Last year, I purchased my own entry, which may sound crazy, but the money goes towards the Wendy’s Wish/St. Charles Cancer Center.

If you are in Sisters during the Quilter’s Affair or the actual quilt show, stop by and check out all the amazing quilted postcards!

Enjoy!
~Jennifer

Chicken Challenge Class at a Quilter’s Affair in Sisters

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Happy Monday, everyone!

Last week, I was able to take 2 classes at the Quilter’s Affair event leading up to the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. I took the classes with my sister and we had so much fun! We did stay for the quilt show, and I will upload some pictures of the show later this week.

We took a 2-day class called “Chicken Challenge” taught by Ann Shaw. Students could choose from several of Ann’s chicken patterns to use in the class. Ann is a fun and entertaining instructor who really helped the class understand the importance of fabric selection and placement in creating these unique pieced quilts. Yes, these quilts are pieced and not appliqued! Ann teaches a straight-line sewing technique based on Ruth McDowell’s wonderful art quilt methodologies.

Here’s a look at my chicken part way through the fabric audition process. The pattern is Gallus Gallus by Ann Shaw.

Gallus Gallus Fabric Auditions

Gallus Gallus Fabric Auditions

Although we both selected the same pattern, my sister and I selected different fabrics to create 2 equally colorful roosters:

Side-by-Side Roosters

Side-by-Side Roosters

We brought a variety of fabrics for the class, but naturally found ourselves shopping for more fabric yumminess from the Stitchin’ Post after class. With Ann’s help, I decided that my chicken needed to have a black and white background so I found myself petting bolt after bolt on Thursday afternoon before choosing a few pieces. I also picked up a wonderful Kaffe Fasset print for the ground.

My sister picked a great white-on-black print for her ground and used a neutral gray sketch fabric for her background that we had in our stash. I just finished piecing my chicken with about 30 minutes or so to spare in class. My sister almost finished her chicken and only has a couple of seams left to sew at home.

Here are our pieced roosters with backgrounds:

Pieced Roosters

Pieced Roosters

I plan on changing my borders slightly this week and will then quilt up my Gallus Gallus!

I did get a chance to snap a few pictures of some of the other chickens created by our fellow class members. I’m missing a few of the chickens, but these pictures will give you a good idea of how the fabric selections can really change the look of the pattern. Whenever possible, I tried to include the participant’s name in the photo. If you were in the class, please leave a comment!

Rooster by Michele Dore
Rooster by Christine
Rooster by Unknown
Rooster by Leslie
Rooster by Susie Linford
Rooster by Sheryl Kock
Rooster by Barbara
Rooster by Claire Christiansen

Here’s a sample that Ann had finished using the Gallus Gallus pattern. This quilt was on display at the mini store inside Sisters High School.

Completed Gallus Gallus by Ann Shaw

Completed Gallus Gallus by Ann Shaw

My thanks goes to Ann for teaching such a wonderful class! Can’t wait for next year.

Enjoy!
~Jennifer

Scott Lake Quilted Postcard, Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show

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Each year, the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show has a special fundraiser called Wish Upon a Card. Participants make fabric postcards to be auctioned during the quilt show week.

This year, I decided to make a fabric postcard featuring Scott Lake with the Three Sisters in the background. For inspiration, I used a photograph that I took at Scott Lake last fall during a camping trip.

Here’s my original picture:

Scott Lake at Sunset

Scott Lake at Sunset

It’s such a beautiful place and worth the short drive from Sisters if you are visiting the area.

I printed out my photo and then started to look in my scrap bin for fabrics to use. I’m entering the Michael Miller fabric challenge with this postcard so I needed to incorporate a piece of the Beadwork fabric into my design.

I decided to use the Beadwork fabric to represent the green meadow on the far side of the lake.

I built my postcard by layering the sky and water to form a solid foundation piece. Next, I carefully cut out and appliqued the mountain, lake, and tree shapes to this foundation using various colors of Aurifil thread. I added rocks to the water, a cloud to the sky, and a stick along the grass in the foreground.

Once all the shapes were appliqued, I used embroidery floss to add extra details such as the hint of tree trunks and late summer snow on the mountains. Finally, I layered the completed fabric postcard top with interfacing and cardstock and bound the edges using a black color weave fabric by P&B Textiles.

Here’s a look at the finished fabric postcard side-by-side with my printed photo:

Scott Lake Fabric Postcard and Picture

Scott Lake Fabric Postcard and Picture

Here’s a close-up look of the fabric postcard:

Scott Lake Fabric Postcard for the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show

Scott Lake Fabric Postcard for the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show

I really love how this fabric postcard turned out, and I’d be so thrilled to be one of the finalists!

I plan to attend the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show this year, and I always stop by the wonderful postcard exhibit and auction.

Happy quilting!
~Jennifer

2013 NW Quilt Expo, Update 2

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Happy Friday everyone!

The NW Quilt Expo last weekend had so many great quilts! I tried to take a bunch of pictures with my little point-and-shoot camera, but it was very crowded and the light wasn’t ideal. However, I did get a few pictures for you to enjoy! If you made any of these quilts, please comment so I can attach your name to the photo.

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I hope these pictures give you some quilty inspiration!

Enjoy,
~Jennifer

2013 NW Quilting Expo

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Hi everyone!

I’m so excited to shared that I had a quilt accepted into this year’s NW Quilting Expo, held during the past 3 days in Portland. It is the Hummer Storm quilt that I also displayed at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show over the summer.

Here it is at the Expo show:

Hummer Storm at 2013 NW Quilt Expo

Hummer Storm at 2013 NW Quilt Expo

There were so many beautiful quilts in the show! I hope to finish cropping and uploading some of the photos that I took to display in a future post soon.

Here is the first place winner from the Pictorial Quilts category, made by Claudia Pfeil. It is stunning and the photos do not do it justice! Since I love turtles, I think it may have been my favorite quilt at the show.

First Place, Pictorial Quilts, Made by Claudia Pfeil

First Place, Pictorial Quilts, Made by Claudia Pfeil


Another quilt closeup, Made by Claudia Pfeil
Quilt Closeup, Made by Claudia Pfeil

I had a great time at this year’s event! I purchased some fun fabric and seriously looked at buying a hobby level 18″ long-arm and frame. Unfortunately, I came home without the long-arm, but hope to get one sometime in the future.

Happy quilting!
~Jennifer