Quilter’s Affair 2019 Classes

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

Supernova Friendship Block Swap Update + Broken Top Hike

Hi quilty friends,

Summer is quickly ending so I hope to have more time this fall and winter to catch up on my many projects in progress.

One project that I’m working on this year with a partner, Cindy, from What’s One More Project is the Friendship Supernova Block Exchange. You can read more about this unique swap in my first post here. In my first post, I have pictures of our month 1 blocks.

In this post, I’m happy to say that we have now swapped 2 more blocks (July and August) for a total of 6 blocks all together. We have 2 more months (September and October) for the blocks before we finish sewing our quilt tops together.

Here are the blocks that I made for July and August (1 to keep and 1 for my partner):

I took a picture of the first 6 blocks on my design wall in random order (3 made by me and 3 made by Cindy):

Supernova, First 6 blocks

Supernova, First 6 blocks

Isn’t it looking fabulous??!! I just love how this quilt is coming together so far.

For those of you who have visited or are familiar with the Sisters, Oregon area (home of the fabulous Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show), you might be familiar with one of the mountains called Broken Top. This mountain is next to the Three Sisters and is featured in many patterns, including the row-by-row pattern by the Stitchin’ Post this year. I used this row as the top row in my quilt here.

My family decided to squeeze in one last camping/hiking trip before school starts here next week. We camped near Broken Top and took a moderate to aggressive, 4-mile roundtrip hike to a beautiful glacier lake near the top of the mountain. The color of the lake water is amazing – a sort of blue/green/turquoise color and absolutely gorgeous!

The road to the trail head is very rough and not really suitable for passenger cars. You need a vehicle with higher clearance to navigate some sections. Broken Top itself is 9,177 feet. I’m not sure what the elevation is here at the lake, but I’d guess around 7,500 feet or so.

Unnamed Glacier Lake at Broken Top

Unnamed Glacier Lake at Broken Top

Another view looking back at the lake from farther up the trail:

View of Broken Top and Unnamed Glacier Lake

View of Broken Top and Unnamed Glacier Lake

If you turn from this viewpoint in the opposite direction, you are rewarded with a stunning, up-close view of the Three Sisters. Here’s my dog with his hiking boots to protect his paw pads:

Broken Top Hike with View of the Three Sisters (and Brutus the dog)

Broken Top Hike with View of the Three Sisters (and Brutus the dog)

My 9-year-old did great on this hike and had a great time. I think we wore out the dog because he slept for about 2 days straight after the hike! If you are ever in the central Oregon area, I’d highly recommend this hike for the impressive views.

Enjoy!
~Jennifer

A Weekend of Rocky Hiking!

Last weekend, we decided to spend the first part of spring break doing some short hikes in central Oregon. The weather was perfect for hiking with bright sunshine and highs in the 60s.

On our first hike, we visited Balanced Rocks. These rocks were revealed in 2002 when a wildfire burned down the surrounding forest. Since then, the Forest Service has established a short 1/2 mile walk to the balanced rock overlook. Once at the overlook, you can walk down into the balanced rocks to explore them up close, if you don’t mind a little scrambling along the loose terrain.

Behind the rocks, you can see part of the Cascade Range including Mt. Jefferson in the foreground and Mt. Hood way in the distance.

Balanced Rocks Hike with Mt. Jefferson and Mt. Hood

Balanced Rocks Hike with Mt. Jefferson and Mt. Hood

The short walk out to the rocks is suitable for all ages. Older kids can easily scramble down with you to view the formations up close.

A Kid-Friendly Hike

A Kid-Friendly Hike

Here are some up-close views of the balanced rocks:

To get to the Balanced Rock hike from Cove Palisades State Park, follow the signs towards Perry South campground. You’ll be on a paved road for about 12.2 miles until it turns to gravel. Drive another 0.3 miles and you’ll see a small turn-out on the right. Park here for the trailhead. The trailhead sign seems to have disappeared but you will see some posts, boulders, and a gravel path:

Balanced Rocks Trailhead

Balanced Rocks Trailhead

The next day, we decided to hike up Misery Ridge Trail at Smith Rocks State Park near Redmond. Yes, the trail is actually called Misery Ridge due to the steep switchbacks. The trail is about 2/3 mile up to the top with stunning views of the Cascade Range.

Smith Rocks with Black Butte in the Background

Smith Rocks with Black Butte in the Background

Although the trail is steep, kids can definitely do this hike with you provided you have plenty of water and snacks. I highly recommend doing this hike before it is too hot outside. The trail down is often slippery due to the loose rock so take your time and watch your kids.

View along Misery Ridge Hike

View along Misery Ridge Hike

A Little Hiking Dude!

A Little Hiking Dude!

Once on top, enjoy some snacks and the view of Cascade Range!

These 2 small hikes were the perfect start to spring. We really enjoy exploring all the beautiful places here in Oregon. If you have a favorite hike, let me know!

Enjoy!
~Jennifer