Halloween Fabric Stash

Posted on July 25, 2012 by nwquiltedcat

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I love the traditions and fun associated with kids trick-or-treating and the crispness of the autumn air. I love carved pumpkins sitting on porches and the colored leaves as they blow across lawns.

I really love Halloween fabrics. There are so many cute designs that I just cannot resist adding a fat quarter here and a 1/2 yard there to my stash.

I looked at my Halloween stash recently and decided it was overflowing, and I need to pick a project already!

Part of My Halloween Fabric Stash

Hmmm, are you wondering what I’ll pick? It is a delightful pattern full of whimsy and mischief from one of my favorite designers. I’ve been working on the first block this week and will post a picture of it when I’ve completed it.

Here’s a hint . . . it’s the same designer who created this crazy cat quilt pattern set that I did a few years ago and is now hanging in my sewing room.

Happy guessing!

~Jennifer~

Visiting Center Diamond Quilt Store

Posted on July 16, 2012 by nwquiltedcat

This weekend, I went on a camping trip with my 2 favorite guys – my husband and our son. On the way down to the campground, I managed to convince them that I needed to stop at a quilt store. Lucky for me, they didn’t mind waiting for a few minutes while I browsed inside Center Diamond in Cannon Beach, Oregon.

Center Diamond is a great little quilt shop along the Oregon coast. I particularly love their collection of batik fabrics. It’s definitely worth a stop if you are in the area.

I was searching for a turtle batik for a while and happened to find one while visiting. I picked up several coordinating fabrics that just feel summery to me. Wonder what I’ll make?

Turtle batik and other fabric

Aren’t these little turtles just wonderful?

Happy crafting!

~Jennifer~

August Mystery BOM

Posted on July 12, 2012 by nwquiltedcat

I’m a member of the Carol Doak Yahoo group. She recently started (in May) a new mystery block-of-the-month (BOM) program for her group members. Why is it a mystery? Because we get one block each month and won’t know how the blocks fit together until the last month!!

The August block got posted a little bit early due to Carol’s teaching schedule – yippee for us!

I was able to work a bit on this block over the past couple of days and finished it this evening. I absolutely love the fun pattern in this block, and I think it works so well with my star-themed fabrics!

Paper piecing is so much fun, and I encourage you to give it a try if you haven’t already. Carol has some great books and DVDs to get you going. Plus, the gals on the yahoo group are really fun and have great advice!

Don’t you just love how simple triangles can combine to make such great blocks?

August Mystery Block

Happy paper piecing!

Organizing My Quilting Tools

Posted on July 11, 2012 by nwquiltedcat

I have this great wooden light table that my grandfather made for me when I was in high school. I use it for many quilting and craft projects, including paper piecing and applique.

I realized that the table was too cluttered. I had rulers, rotary cutters, and writing implements all over the top of it. I kept pushing things to the side to make room to work on quilt blocks (using my wonderful combo Omnigrid cutting mat/ironing surface).

So a recent trip to IKEA became a hunt for a small organizer to hang above my light table!

I found a great set in the kitchen section called Fintorp. I purchased 1 rail, 2 sets of hooks, and 3 galvanized caddies.

Next, I decided to use my Cricut to cut some vinyl labels for each caddy.

Here’s the finished product organizer above the table:

Craft Room Organizer Above Light Box

Here’s a close-up:

Craft Room Organizer Close Up

I think these little buckets will really help me keep my cutting surface organized!

Cat Couch

Posted on July 8, 2012 by nwquiltedcat

I decided to get in a couple of hours of sewing today. I’ve been working on a batik pieced quilt for several months and wanted to finish the blocks.

My inspector is my big orange cat. He loves it when I spread out quilt blocks on the floor so he can examine the blocks up close. Since summer has finally arrived in the Pacific Northwest, my crafting room became warm pretty quickly.

As I spread out the blocks, my cat could barely crack open an eye to inspect my work. It took all his energy to remain on his cat couch for the remainder of the afternoon.

Tropical Delights Quilt

Posted on July 6, 2012 by nwquiltedcat

This spring, I had the opportunity to travel with my sister on our first ever quilting cruise! We went on the beautiful Allure of the Seas and had 3 days of classes while at sea. We made the gorgeous paper-pieced quilt called Tropical Delights. I finished about 1/3 of the quilt while on the cruise, and I finished it up at home over the past several months.

The bright colors in the quilt are very inspiring so I have the quilt hanging in my craft/sewing room.