Pin Cushion Exchange

Posted on April 27, 2014 by nwquiltedcat

Hi everyone,

I had a terrific time this past week at the April monthly meeting for the Portland Modern Quilt Guild. I met new people and saw some wonderful quilts as well as a preview from Violet Craft’s new fabric line called Brambleberry Ridge.

This month, members were invited to make a pin cushion and bring it in a brown paper bag. At break time, we got to exchange pin cushions by choosing a brown paper bag and finding our surprise inside!

I made a cute little bird pin cushion using red and aqua fabrics. The pattern is by Joel Dewberry. You can find the pattern for free here.

After I finished the bird, I took a wooden spool and wrapped it in red ribbon. I then attached the wooden spool to the bird to give it a cute little base.

Here’s a look at the pin cushion I made:

Bird Pin Cushion

Bottom of Wooden Spool on Bird Pin Cushion

I received this great pin cushion in exchange with colors that I really like. My thanks to Ellen Colburn for making this beautiful pin cushion!

Colorful Pin Cushion

Today, I worked on quilting my Triangle QAL. I hope to get the binding stitched on later tonight and will take photos of the finished quilt this week.

Enjoy!
~Jennifer

Reach for the Stars Quilt, Blocks 1-3

Posted on April 8, 2014 by nwquiltedcat

This year, I made myself a goal to improve my piecing skills. To achieve that goal, I’m participating in various online BOMs as well as working on the Reach for the Stars quilt. You can read about my start on this quilt as well as all my fabric selections here.

I’m using the delicious Sunnyside line by Kate Spain for Moda, along with several solids thrown into the mix.

I finished up part 2 of 7 this weekend, which included blocks 1-3. I really wanted to get an outdoors photo to show off the fabrics better, but couldn’t squeeze it in before work on Monday.

Here are close-up photos of blocks 1-3. You can click each picture to zoom in on the block.

Reach for the Stars, Block 1

Reach for the Stars, Block 2

Reach for the Stars, Block 3

These blocks will be placed on the top of the quilt, above the center medallion:

Reach for the Stars, Blocks 1-3 with Center Medallion

It was challenging to find a floor space big enough for a photo. I stood on a little chair to get high enough, and I’m really surprised that one of my quilt inspectors didn’t come to “rearrange” the blocks, lol!

Since this project stretches over a year or so, I decided to create a little fabric swatch card/cheat sheet.

Fabric Swatch Cheat Sheet

This cheat sheet really helped me keep all my fabric placements correct for each block. In the past, I just had my chicken scratches on a piece of paper. I could just see myself confusing dark 2 with dark 3 or light tan with medium 1 if I didn’t have the little fabric swatches.

I cut out all the pieces for blocks 1-3 at the same time and kept them in individual groups with labels:

Cut Fabric Groups

Now, if only I could be this organized with all my quilty projects!

I hope you enjoyed seeing photos of this evolving quilt. I still need to “catch up” on parts 3 and 4, which are already published in the magazine.

Happy quilting,
Jen

Vice Versa BOM: March Blocks

Posted on March 24, 2014 by nwquiltedcat

I did both some hiking and some sewing this weekend to kick off spring break here in Oregon!

I finished up my 2 March blocks for the Vice Versa BOM, hosted by AnneMarie over at GenXQuilters. We made the bear paw block this month, which is one of my all-time favorite blocks.

Here’s at look at the regular block and the inverse block:

Vice Versa BOM – March Blocks

You can read about my fabric selections in my first Vice Versa post here.

We’ve made 3 months worth of blocks, and I love taking pictures of them together. The colors are so springy and make me happy!

3 Months of Vice Versa BOM

I’m working on pictures from our scenic hike over the weekend so stay tuned!

Happy quilting!
~Jennifer

Quilted Name Tag and Lanyard

Posted on March 19, 2014 by nwquiltedcat

I belong to a local quilt guild, and we have our monthly meeting coming up this week. The guild encourages people to create name tags to wear at the meetings since there are quite a few members. I’ve been procrastinating on this task for quite some time!

I decided to pull out some fun sewing-themed fabrics to use with my name tag.

Fabrics for Name Tag

These fabrics are:
Black: Color Weave by P&B Textiles
Green: Light Green #23070-H from She Who Sews Handmaids line by Janet Wecker Frisch for Quilting Treasures
Solid White: Kona cotton in white
Scissors Print on White: Pattern #600 by The Henley Studio for Makower Andover (can’t find a link)

I decided to make a simple pinwheel quilt block with a finished measurement of 3-inches by 3-inches. Next, I added a small white rectangle below the pinwheel so I could write my name. I used the Handmaids green fabric as a border, and then made my miniature quilt sandwich!

Name Tag Quilt Sandwich

Isn’t it cute! For piecing, I used Aurifil #2000. For the quilting, I used an Aurifil Green to echo stitch around each pinwheel shape and around the white rectangle. I used Aurifil black to stitch on the black color weave binding.

I then cut a piece of black ribbon from my stash and stitched it to the backside of the name tag and turned it into a lanyard. I decided to make a lanyard style to avoid pinning the tag to my clothes and so I could add commemorative buttons from quilting events to the ribbon.

As a final touch, I added 3 decorative buttons: a cat (of course!), a pair of scissors, and a thimble.

Quilted Name Tag Lanyard

I love these quick-and-easy projects!

Do you have a quilted name tag? I’d love to see photos.

Enjoy!
~Jennifer

Happy Worldwide Quilting Day!

Posted on March 15, 2014 by nwquiltedcat

Did you know that today, March 15th, is Worldwide Quilting Day? Yippee – a special day devoted to our love of all things quilty.

I celebrated the event by purchasing some gorgeous fabric from a local quilt shop having a 20% off sale this week. I was drooling over the new Sunnyside line by Kate Spain for Moda. You can purchase this fabric online from Fat Quarter Shop if your local shop does not have it.

I didn’t have a specific project in mind until I saw the Reach for the Stars quilt on Dawn’s blog, First Light Designs. This quilt pattern features a medallion in the quilt center, something that I haven’t yet tried in a quilt. The design is by Terry Krysan and can be found in the Quilter’s Newsletter magazine as a 7-part series. Look for the October/November 2013 issue for the fabric requirements and the medallion instructions.

For my quilt, I’m using the Sunnyside line plus 2 Bella Solids (Night Sky and Porcelain) and 1 color weave in turquoise. I’m using Aurifil in Light Sand (#2000) for all the piecing. I really need to get an Aurifil thread color chart so I can pick out the best thread color for the quilting.

Here’s a quick iPhone picture of my medallion before I had it sewn together.

Tiger on Medallion

I finished sewing the borders onto the medallion this evening and tried to catch the last of the light. These pictures are a little grainy due to the low-light conditions, but I hope you see the beautiful Sunnyside fabrics!

Reach for the Stars Medallion

Some of my points do not quite match up, but I can see definite improvement in my piecing skills over the last year.

Of course, one of my cat inspectors could not resist sitting on the medallion during my photo session. I could hardly keep him off the fabric so I guess he approves!

Cow the Cat on the medallion

Once I finish piecing the top for my Star Light Star Bright QAL project, then I hope to be able to work on the next blocks on this Reach for the Stars quilt.

I hope you had a little time to do some sewing today!

Enjoy,
~Jennifer

Star Light Star Bright QAL, Block Corners

Posted on March 9, 2014 by nwquiltedcat

I finished up the block corners for the Star Light Star Bright quilt-along, hosted by Melissa over at Happy Quilting.

The quilt top is really starting to take shape! Next week, we’ll finish assembling the top.

One of my quilt inspectors fell asleep on the job! When I placed several block corners in his kitty bed, I got this startled expression:

Romeo gets startled by block corner units

Ha,ha, big kitty eyes!

Here’s a look at the block corner units with the other pieces:

Block Corner Units

Once the blocks are stitched together, I’ll rearrange the blocks before adding the sashing strips.

We’re having a brief break in the rain today so I’m going to enjoy while I can!

Enjoy,
~Jennifer

Andover Fabrics Downton Abbey Tea Party + Giveaway!

Posted on February 19, 2014 by nwquiltedcat

Good morning, everyone!

I had a little panic moment when my pictures from this event would not download from my camera card to my computer! Fortunately, I found a workaround and I was able to retrieve the pictures – yea!

Last weekend, I was so excited to be able to attend a Downton Abbey themed tea and trunk show by Andover Fabrics and hosted by Fabric Depot. This was a ticketed event that had been scheduled for the weekend before but got postponed due to a snow and ice storm in Portland.

Each place setting was beautifully decorated and we could choose between a Creme de la Earl Grey tea or a Forest Park tea. I went with the Earl Grey and it was delicious! We also enjoyed delicate little bite-sized treats to go with our tea!

Tea Party Setting

Tea Party Treats

During the tea, attendees were invited to show a panel of judges any sewn creations that they had made using the Downton Abbey fabric line by Andover. I saw many beautiful and elegant dresses, hats, and bags that definitely fit the period of the show. Since I don’t really sew garments, I decided to create a little table topper using the Rock Candy pattern by Jaybird Quilts. You can read about it in my earlier post here. I believe that I had the only quilty type project to show the judges.

Towards the end of the tea, the prizes were announced and I won second place (most creative) for my little table topper! The prize was a $50 gift certificate to Fabric Depot that I, of course, spent when the tea concluded.

Here’s a picture of my prize and my entry:

Most Creative Prize

Rocky Candy Table Topper

I had so much fun at this event and found myself purchasing more Downton Abbey fabric! I want to make a bag and possibly a small quilt wall-hanging.

The trunk show included some completed quilts and bags using the fabric line. I took a few pictures so you could enjoy all of the wonderful creations.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Fabric Depot has posted a summary of this event with more photos on their blog here. There is a picture of my hands and the judges’ hands holding my little table topper about half-way through the blog post.

And now for the giveaway! To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment on this post. Be sure that I can contact you if you win! The giveaway will be open until Monday, February 24th at 8:00 a.m., Pacific Time. I’ll use a random number generator to choose a winner. If you are a follower, you can earn an extra entry by letting me know how you follow my blog. I will mail internationally so everyone can enter.

The prize is a pack of Gutermann thread designed to go with the Dowager Countess fabrics from the Downton Abbey collection. This set includes a plum thread (#942), a light grey thread (#100), and a dark grey thread (#112).

Dowager Countess Thread Pack Giveaway

Good luck!
-Jennifer

Wake Up to Kona on the Beach + Giveaway!

Posted on January 19, 2014 by nwquiltedcat

183

Happy Monday, everyone!

Today is my day to share the project that I made for the Wake Up to Kona blog hop, and I’m so excited! I’d like to give a big thanks to Madame Samm, our wonderful hostess and supporter of all things quilty and our great cheerleader, Carol, who inspires us all.

We have great sponsors for this blog hop – Amanda Murphy (author of Quilt Essentials), Robert Kaufman (all those delicious Kona solids), and Aurifil threads that keep us in stitches!

For my project, I started with Kona black as my background color and added this delicious grouping of colors:

Beautiful Kona solids!

The colors are: #110 Peony, #141 Carnation, #1062 Candy Pink, #1066 Cerise, #24 Petunia, #1484 Lupine, #1383 Violet, #188 Hibiscus, #1005 Aqua, #1009 Azure, #442 Capri, and #1064 Caribbean.

Next, I selected the Night Sky pattern by Jaybird Quilts for its striking beauty! This quilt uses her sidekick ruler to create the triangle and diamond shapes that are used in the construction of the quilt. Each starbust (or starfish?) has 4 different shades of a color group.

I pieced the entire quilt top using Aurifil threads, 50 wt (#2000 light sand color and #2692 black color).

I used Superior Threads So Fine #50 in Genoa Gray because I really wanted the quilting to stand out against the black background.

We took the finished quilt to the beautiful Oregon Coast this weekend to take some photographs. I had my hubby and son be my scouting location/photography assistants, and I think they did a wonderful job.

Since my cats aren’t too keen on traveling, my dog (and best hiking buddy) became my cat quilt inspector stunt-double. (Yes, he earned extra dog cookies for his hard work!).

Here are some pictures of my finished Night Sky quilt using Kona cotton solids:

Me and Hubby Holding Night Sky (dog legs too)

Night Sky with My Dog (cat quilt inspector stunt-double)

Me holding the quilt in the wind!

Night Sky Quilt – starbursts resemble starfish!

Night Sky Quilt – backside

These last two pictures show the free-motion quilting that I did using the Genoa Gray thread. The quilting alone took me 12 hours! I did a swirly pattern in the black background and did some straight-edge echo quilting in the colored starbursts.

While I was doing the quilting, I ran out of thread – yikes! I called local quilt stores within an hour of my house, but no one had the same thread in stock. Fortunately, I was able to order the thread from Superior Threads directly via 2-day shipping and completed it in time.

I really love how the free-motion swirls accent the Night Sky stars:

Night Sky Quilting Detail

Closeup of the quilting

I hope you enjoyed my project and please check out the other bloggers on the last 2 days of the hop!
January 20th
More Stars in Comanche
Buzzing and Bumbling
Quilting Quietly
Grammie Q’s
The Quilted Cat (you are here!)
The Quilting Queen Online
Lauraluvsloons
Sew Incredibly Crazy

January 21st
Just Sew Sue
Pigtales and Quilts
Miss Priss Quilts
Charlottes Creation
Childlike Fascination
Renee Luvs Quilting
Cherry Blossoms
Sew We Quilt

I am giving away 4 Kona cotton solid fat quarters! Just leave me a comment to enter. If you follow my blog, let me know how you follow for a second entry. I will ship internationally.

Wake Up to Kona Giveaway

Happy quilting!
~Jennifer

A Modern Cat Finish for the New Year!

Posted on January 5, 2014 by nwquiltedcat

Hello everyone!

While much of the country is getting hammered with winter storms, we woke up to a clear and sunny skies with temperatures reaching 48 degrees this afternoon. We took the opportunity to take a family walk in the sunshine, and I brought my first quilt finish of the year along with my camera.

After the past several weeks, I finished piecing the cat blocks from the catevent hosted by Elizabeth of Oh Fransson! I modified the end quilt slightly by adding a calico cat print border and a small outer gray border.

This cat quilt is made from scraps and pieces from my stash. Each cat block is from numerous different fabric scraps. The gray background is Painter’s Canvas by Michael Miller in gray (#CJ-4816) and the calico cat print border is Happy Hills Calico Cat by Michael Miller in white (DY-784). I used Kona cotton in slate for the binding. It is entirely pieced with Aurifil thread.

For quilting, I used some shiny Sulky thread in a silvery/gray blended mix to give a nice sheen to the quilt top. I did straight-line stitching using my Bernina.

The quilting took almost 8 hours, and I couldn’t have done it without the help from my Machingers gloves!

Straight line quilting

Here’s a look at the quilt flimsy with one of my cat inspectors:

Romeo Inspects the Cat Quilt

Here’s a look at another cat inspector sitting on the quilt sandwich. Only part of the quilting is completed here!

Tiger Likes the Cat Quilt!

And, finally, here are some shots of the finished quilt in the Oregon sunshine:

Catevent Completed Quilt

Me, holding the completed cat quilt!

My 8-year-old with the completed cat quilt!

My thanks to Elizabeth for designing these happy little cat blocks and for generously posting the instructions on her blog. I had so much fun making this project!

Wishing you much health, happiness, and quiltiness in the new year!
~Jennifer

Cat Quilt-Along, Week 2

Posted on December 15, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

Meow, Meow!

I’ve finished working on the cat blocks for week 2 of Elizabeth Hartman’s catvent on her blog, Oh Fransson! These cute little cat blocks have been a delight to sew this week in between some of my last minute Christmas projects. I definitely encourage you to join in on the fun! See my first post here.

Here are my cat blocks from the past week: