Celtic Solstice: A New Mystery Quilt!

Posted on October 27, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

Bonnie Hunter’s latest mystery quilt, Celtic Solstice, is starting!! Her mystery quilts are great because she emphasizes using scraps and fabrics from your stash. She recently posted the colors for this year’s mystery based on Olympic paint cards from Lowe’s.

I picked up the paint cards this week. Here’s a slightly blurry pic showing Brilliant Blue (B52-6), Blarney Stone (B65-6), Bumble Bee (A13-6), and Orange Poppy (A23-6):

Celtic Solstice Colors

I haven’t participated in one of Bonnie’s mystery quilts yet, but have decided to do it this year. With the trusty paint cards in hand, I started pulling fabrics from my stash.

My quilty cat helper “assisted!” The cat kept wiggling so I only have this blurry photo to show:

Celtic Solstice Fabrics

I started pulling the neutrals which need to be whites and creams, but I don’t have many of these colors. I have white and cream solids, but need to pick up a few fat quarters with patterned whites and creams. I have enough blues, greens, yellows, and oranges in my scrap pile and stash, and I’m so excited to be able to use these in this project.

There is plenty of time to join the mystery since the first clue will go live on November 29th. You’ll also need to have several rulers on hand which Bonnie describes in her first posting on this mystery quilt.

You still have time to leave me a comment on my Pumpkin Patch Cat wall-hanging for the Wicked Blog Hop. I’ll draw a winner on Halloween from all comments received. Good luck!

Happy quilting!
~Jennifer

Sew Oregon Quilt Shop Hop!

Posted on October 6, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

The annual Oregon statewide quilt shop hop is on from now until October 19th. Sew Oregon kicked off this weekend, and I was able to hop on over to visit 5 out of 31 shops. Although I won’t be able to visit all of the shops, I hope to visit several more next weekend.

I really enjoyed visiting Pioneer Quilts in Happy Valley. This store had all 11 of the themed shop hop fabrics called “Pacific Adventures” on display. This fabric captures the colors and textures found in Oregon from the beaches to the forests to the mountains. Of course, I just had to pick up a 1/2 yard portion of each piece so I can make a quilt with it!

Here are the “Pacific Adventure” swatches:

Sew Oregon Shop Hop Fabric

Fabric and Passport

Along with featuring the shop hop fabric, each store that you visit will stamp your passport and give you a little packet containing a pattern and enough “Pacific Adventures” fabric to make a 6-inch block. For those quilters who visit all 31 stores, the grand prize is a Bernette Chicago 7 Sewing & Embroidery Machine. Wish I could take the week off work to hop to all the shops!

Hope you had a great weekend!
~Jennifer

A Sunflower Glass Tile

Posted on September 6, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

In early August, some co-workers and I went to a local glass studio for a team building event. Each attendee got to create their own 6-inch fused glass tile masterpiece!

At first, I wanted to make a quilt pattern, but it quickly became too difficult since I couldn’t cut the glass pieces to exact sizes like I can with fabric pieces. Instead, I decided to create one of my favorite flowers – the sunflower.

I got to pick up my finished piece this week. The finished project is completely smooth with a “sushi” dish like shape (meaning it curves up slightly on all sides). I plan to use it to hold notions in my sewing room.

The first picture shows me holding it up to catch the afternoon light shining through the glass. The second picture shows the dish inside on a kitchen counter. I think it’s really interesting how the yellow and orange “petal” glass pieces seem to change positions, depending on the lighting.

Glass Sunflower Dish Outside

Glass Sunflower Dish on Counter

Here’s a look at the tile before it was fused. The colored glass pieces are positioned on top of a clear glass tile.

Pre-Fused Glass Tile

I think I’ll return to the glass studio in the future. I have some ideas for unique Christmas gifts!

Have you ever made a fused glass or blown glass piece?

Enjoy!
~Jennifer

Little Bird!

Posted on June 20, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

I saw the cutest little stuffed bird pattern called Friends of a Feather by Indygo Junction recently and just knew that I had to make it!

This little bird can sit in the palm of my hand very easily so it is the perfect size to perch upon my computer while I work. I used a Kaffe Fassett fabric for the bird body and tail. The pink fabric is something that I pulled out of my stash so I do not know the fabric line, but I think it pops nicely against the body.

For the eyes, I used mini turquoise buttons and attached them with embroidery floss. I didn’t have the proper gauge of wire on hand as the pattern recommended, but I did have some thinner crafting wire in a pretty turquoise color that complements the eyes and the body fabric.

Here are some picks of my new little bird friend. Click on the pictures to see a larger image:

: Sitting in a bonsai plant

: Hiding in a tree

: Perched on my monitor

I’m definitely going to make some more of these little birdie friends to give as gifts! The pattern is quick and easy to follow and the birds require minimal supplies that I usually have on hand.

Tweet, tweet!
~Jennifer

New BOM – Toes in the Sand!

Posted on April 23, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

I had the great pleasure of taking a class from Julie Herman of Jaybird Quilts at the Block Party hosted by Quiltmaker here in Portland recently. In the class, one of the ladies mentioned Julie’s new BOM. I was intrigued!

I decided to sign up for this BOM through the Fat Quarter Shop. I think the BOM program is now full, but you can buy the full pattern set and pick up your own fabrics to make this great quilt.

Each month, the participants receive the materials to make 2 blocks. April is the first month so we also received the Toes in the Sand pattern book. This book is well laid out and easy to read so the blocks come together quickly and easily.

This BOM also uses Julie’s Hex N More ruler which is a very versatile tool for creating shapes in all kinds of sizes – hexagons, triangles, half-hexies, and jewels. Really, the possibilities are limitless!

I made my two “Baker Beach” blocks last night in about an hour while the hubs cooked a wonderful dinner. I had the opportunity this afternoon to take a photo in the Oregon sunshine with my dedicated cat helper and one of my official inspectors for all things quilt related.

My Cow cat has decided to rename this quilt — “Cat Toes in the Grass” BOM!

Toes in the Sand BOM – Block One

Hope you enjoy these fun triangle blocks, and I’ll post my progress each month.

Enjoy!
~Jennifer

Visit Your Local Quilt Shop Day!

Posted on January 24, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

Today is Visit Your Local Quilt Shop day – where fabric lovers show their support to locally owned fabric and quilt stores!

I visited Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe today for my photo op! I needed to pick up some more black and white fabrics so it made for a perfect lunch time excursion.

Here’s a pic of me at Hollyhill getting ready to purchase my fabric, snapped by one of the friendly cashiers:

Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe

As a special gift, Hollyhill gave a free fat quarter out to anyone who stopped by today. I got a nice, bright pink one! I think it may be a perfect zinger color to add to my black and white blocks.

Black, White & Pink

I’d love to hear if you made a stop to your favorite quilt shop today!

Happy fabric hunting!
~Jennifer~

Black and White Block Swap

Posted on January 9, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

Have you ever wanted to make a quilt using just black and white blocks? Or perhaps black and white with a few bright zinger colors? If so, now is a good time to join Carol’s Yahoo group. We’re doing a 12-inch block swap using black and white fabrics.

I have a limited supply of black and white fabrics in my stash, but I found enough pieces to make my first block.

There is some Michael Miller black fairy frost fabric in my block. Plus, the white fabric actually has little shimmery white dots that my camera couldn’t capture in today’s light. I may try the pics with different lighting.

Here’s the block:

Black and White Block #1

I used the Switzerland block from Carol Doak’s book, Mariner’s Compass Stars. This block has 64 total pieces!

One cool aspect of making a black and white block is that it meets with the approval of my cat, Cow.

Here he is giving his paw of approval:

Cow Approves the Block

I hope to make a few more black and white blocks for the swap.

Enjoy!
~Jennifer~

Picture Piecing

Posted on January 7, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

I started organizing my sewing room a bit this weekend. I didn’t get too far because I was distracted by some of the patterns, books, and fabrics that I “re-discovered.” One of those books is called Picture Piecing by Cynthia England.

Picture Piecing Book

The idea behind this technique is to create realistic pictorial quilts by piecing fabric together rather than using an applique technique. It differs from paper piecing in that you use freezer paper and iron it to the right side of your fabric rather than using it on the back of the fabric. Another major difference is that you don’t sew through the paper like you would in paper piecing. This means that there is no paper to remove at the end of your project!

I highly recommend getting a copy of Cynthia’s book to learn more about this fascinating technique.

The book contains a small butterfly practice pattern so you can get a feel for the technique before moving onto more complex projects.

Here’s my sample butterfly:

Batik Butterfly

I really like how the butterfly turned out and plan to use it in a yet-to-be-determined project!

One of my goals this year is to design my own picture pieced pattern. Before I do so, I went ahead and ordered one of Cynthia’s patterns to gain more experience. You can order the patterns directly from her website.

Have you sewn a picture pieced quilt before? If so, please share in the comments below!

Happy piecing!
~Jennifer~