One Block Swoon Quilt

Posted on October 24, 2014 by nwquiltedcat

Hi everyone,

I’ve been wanting to make the large Swoon block by Camille of Thimble Blossoms for a while, but didn’t have a specific project in mind. I did use the mini-Swoon block for my project in the Black Cat Crossing swap recently.

I participated in a 5-month Supernova friendship block swap with my new friend, Cindy of What’s One More Project. We have been making and sending blocks to each other since July using the Ansonia fabric line from Denyse Schmidt. October is our last block!

So I decided to make a one block Swoon quilt for Cindy as a thank you. I used two fabrics from Sunnyside by Kate Spain along with Kona Snow for the background and a Kona blue for the binding.

I did some pretty heavy free-motion quilting on my Bernina Activa 145. I had so much fun! On the Sunnyside fabric, I used Stone Blue Denim Aurifil thread #3770 since it has a lovely variegated appearance. I used a cream Aurifil 50 wt thread on the Kona Snow portions.

I did some straight-line quilting around the block edges and in the border. Inside the orange and blue block shapes, I did some more straight-line quilting. I really wanted the background to stand out so I did some swirls and some bird-feather like shapes in the Kona Snow.

Here’s a look at the whole quilt:

One-Block Swoon Quilt

Here are some close-up views of the free-motion quilting:

Swoon Block Free-Motion Quilting Detail

Free-Motion Quilting on Swoon Block

For the backing, I used the same Kona blue as the binding except for two strips of leftover Sunnyside fabric and a label. I really like how the stitching shows up on the back!

Swoon Block Back

I’m definitely going to make this block again since it has so many possibilities from a one-block quilt to a pillow to a bed quilt.

Enjoy!
~Jennifer

Supernova Friendship Block Swap, Month 1

Posted on June 24, 2014 by nwquiltedcat

Hi everyone,

Thanks to everyone who sent me well wishes on my little leg surgery from last week. I’m doing better each day and will be back to normal in time for the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show coming up soon!!

So Stephanie over at Late Night Quilter and Sandra over at One Million Stitches came up with a fun twist on the typical quilt-along. For those who missed out on Lee’s (from Freshly Pieced) Supernova original quilt-along, why not get together with a fellow blogging quilter and make a quilt top together??? Genius!

The idea is to meet a new quilter and exchange blocks over a 5 month period. Each month, you make 1 Supernova block for yourself and an identical one for your swap partner. After 5 months, each swap buddy will have 10 blocks, enough to complete a Supernova quilt top.

I posted to the original thread searching for a partner. Bam! I had found a great partner that same day. I think we are kindred spirits because not only do we both love piecing quilts, but we also love the great outdoors. My partner is Cindy from What’s One More Project.

Our first blocks were due to be sent out by June 15th, and I didn’t want to reveal pictures until we each received our swap block! We’re using Denyse Schmidt’s Ansonia line, with Cindy using the pink colorway, and I’m using the green/blue colorway.

Here is a look at the blocks that I made:

Supernova Friendship Blocks, Month 1

And here’s a look with one of my blocks next to the one that Cindy sent me. Aren’t they great together?

Supernova, Month 1 Blocks

Our next blocks are due to be sent by July 15th so I need to get started and finished before heading over to Sisters in early July!

Also linking up with Lee’s WIP Wednesday!

Happy quilting!
~Jennifer

Aviatrix Medallion, Border 1 + More

Posted on May 16, 2014 by nwquiltedcat

Happy Friday, everyone!

It’s been a busy quilty week for me, in between work and the kiddo’s school schedule. I’ve made great progress on my Celtic Solstice top and should have all the borders added this weekend!

I also made a great antique sewing machine find at a local thrift store. I’ll take some pictures of my find and blog about it this weekend. So excited!

For the Aviatrix Quilt-along, our assignment this week is to add border 1. This border went together so nicely and took much less time than the gorgeous center block. Go check out all the details on Elizabeth’s blog, Oh Fransson.

This border has 32 HST units in 5 different neutral colors. Although my medallion colors are different, I did stick with the original neutrals as listed in the pattern. I’m using Aurifil Light Sand (#2000) for all the piecing.

Here’s a bit of blurry phone picture of the neatly trimmed HST blocks:

Trimmed HST Units in Neutrals

Here’s my center block now framed with border 1:

Aviatrix Medallion with Border 1

I just love how this quilt is coming together! We’ll work on border 2 next week.

Finally, have you heard about the Supernova Friendship Block Swap? You can find all the details on Stephanie’s blog, Late Night Quilter. I posted in the comments about needing a partner and found one within hours. I’m happy to say that I’m partnering up with Cindy of What’s One More Project. We’ve selected Denyse Schmidt’s Ansonia fabric line for our quilt.

Here are the 2 colorways. I’ll be working with the greens and Cindy will be working with the pinks.

Ansonia Fat Quarters in Green

Ansonia Fat Quarters in Pink

There is still time to hop aboard this fun swap. You’ll meet a new friend and have fun making quilt tops together. The first blocks are due June 15th.

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Enjoy!
~Jennifer

Red, White, and Blue Swapped Blocks

Posted on August 22, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

This summer, I hosted a red, white, and blue paper-pieced block swap on the Carol Doak Yahoo group. Each participant could swap 4, 8, or 12 blocks and the blocks could be any 12-inch pattern created by Carol. We had about 15 participants and around 92 blocks in the swap!

The packages started arriving in the mail, and I opened each one as they arrived to inspect for any mailing damage. Thankfully, all the blocks made it to me in great condition!

RWB Packages

Once I received all the blocks, I then swapped them and made sure that each quilter did not receive one of her own blocks back! It was quite a challenge, but I kept track block-by-block.

Here’s what some of the blocks looked like getting ready to be swapped:

RWB Blocks

More RWB Blocks

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get a picture of the entire group of blocks just due to space. I didn’t want to get the blocks out of order.

I made 4 blocks for the swap and received 4 in return. I got 1 each from Nancy, Mary, Dorian, and Eunice.

4 RWB Blocks

I also received an extra block from Ginny, one of the swappers – how sweet! I plan to take these 5 RWB blocks and make another 4 of my own to create a little patriotic quilt.

I really enjoyed hosting a block exchange and hope to be able to host another one in the future.

Happy block swapping!
~Jennifer

108 Flying Geese!

Posted on August 10, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

Whew – I did it! I sewed 108 flying geese this week for the Star Surround Quilt-A-Long. If you haven’t joined this QAL, there is still time! Just look for the button on the right-hand side of my blog and come join the fun!

Here’s a look at all 108 flying geese, sorted into 9 piles:

108 Flying Geese

My next task this weekend is to swap the red, white, and blue blocks for a block swap that I’m hosting on the Carol Doak Yahoo Group. I’ll take some pictures so you can see all of the beautiful blocks!

Enjoy!
~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

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

Country Lanes Block Swap

Posted on May 17, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

I’ve signed up to participate in another quilt block swap with my sister’s guild. For this latest swap, we have to make 6 blocks using primary colors and a specific block called “Country Lanes.”

I’m really enjoying making swap blocks because they often use color combinations or patterns that I haven’t tried. I looked through my stash for primary colors that would really pop together.

I used batiks, but found out that I only had enough of the original yellow color for 4 blocks. For the last 2 blocks, I used a substitute yellow that I actually like better than the first one! Since the blocks are going to 6 different people, the difference in yellow fabric should be fine.

Here’s a stack of blocks: