Oregon State Fair

My family recently made a trip to Portland, OR. Besides being a major hub of modern quilting, it's a great place for a family vacation. They have Voodoo Donuts, Powell's City of Books, the International Rose Test Garden, OMSI, and food trucks. We also made a side trip to Newport and the Oregon State Fair in Salem.

Of course, I checked out the quilts. There was a nice assortment of modern, traditional, and art. As for modern, I recognized this Mod Pop.

This version of the owl pattern from Boo Davis' book features girly cuteness, scallop feathers, and detailed quilting.

The pattern can be found in Dare to Be Square Quilting.

For all you selvage savers, here's a thought.

As for art quilts, my favorite was this autumn feline with a snarky look.

There were some fine examples of traditional quilting too. While peering at this crazy quilt, one of the guild ladies volunteering in the exhibit asked, "Are you going to go home and make that one?" Sorry, but hand embroidery and velvet aren't my cup of tea, I'm afraid.

I enjoyed the dense machine quilting and bright batiks on this one.

There's no denying the precision and fine handwork on this feathered star.

The quilts weren't the only artistically inspiring items at the fair. Permit me to show you are few other  categories. While there may have been some ribboned beauties in the produce section, this was my favorite vegetable on display.

A new-to-me category featured at the Oregon fair was table settings. I thought these were fun, especially given the current popularity of party-planning blogs.

Then there's cake decorating. You may think I've misplaced my picture here, but it is actually composed of frosting!

This wee mouse house had an incredible amount of detail.

Wouldn't this be cute for a baby shower?

Avengers, anyone?

Fandom in Stitches followers, this is one I know you'll appreciate.

Where do I begin? Wow!

How could the state fair officials give anything less than a blue ribbon for this?

The cuteness doesn't stop at tiny balloons. How about some garden creatures?

Isn't this just a feast for the eyes? I  can't decide what I love most--the realistic shells, the mosaic, or the fondant waves.

My son has developed an obsession for those boards with holes for your head, so my husband and daughter joined him in a celebration of dairy products.

We staved off our hunger with friend balls of mashed potatoes, roasted corn, and a colossal brownie before listening to the Charlie Daniels' Band play "The Devil Went Down to Georgia".

Quilters Newsletter Celebrate 45 Years of Quilting Challenge

Quilters Newsletter issued a quilt challenge entitled Celebrate 45 Years of Quilting to readers in the February/March 2014 issue. Participants were instructed to create a 45" x 45" quilt that celebrates 45 years of quilting.

XLV was my entry. It celebrates Quilters Newsletter’s forty-fifth anniversary using the traditional numeric system of timepieces, Roman numerals. The Plus X blocks contain the first digit, L’s can be found in the middle border, and the outer chevron border contains the V’s. The center square is representative of a gemstone, a classic anniversary gift. Traditional and modern aesthetics were combined to commemorate Quilters Newsletter’s rich history and exciting future. Monochromatic tones hint at a bygone era, while bold hues exude current color trends. Solid fabrics and a medallion style were chosen due to their timeless nature. Vintage blocks such as the Four Patch, Half Square Triangles, and Flying Geese evoke tradition, while playing alongside Plus X and Chevron blocks. Dense machine quilting portrays a similar paradox; traditional cross-hatching and cathedral window patterns join geometric shapes and matchstick quilting. Quilters Newsletter, congratulations on XLV wonderful years. Here’s to your past, present, and future!

The center medallion is paper-pieced. The half square triangles were created by placing squares 1" larger than the finished size right-sides-together and stitching 1/4" on either side of a line drawn diagonally from corner to corner of the wrong side of the lighter fabric. After pressing, a cut was made on the drawn line. The resulting half square triangles were squared to the correct unfinished size. Flying geese were created using the No Waste Method. The Cross X blocks combined strip piecing and stitch and flip techniques. The L blocks and four patches were were strip pieced, while  the chevron blocks used stitch and flip triangles.

I used an assortment of free-motion quilting designs and stitched in the ditch for stability.

The backing is this colorful Dr. Seuss print.

I am the very fortunate winner of the grand prize, which included a Bernina 750 and this fantastic prize package.

Ann Silva's Sewing Center presented me with the Bernina 750 during their Open House. It was a joyous event for me!

I am very grateful to the generous sponsors.

The other entries show an incredible wealth of talent and creativity. You can see the top five entries on the Quilters Newsletter website. All sixteen finalist quilts will be featured in the December/January 2015 issue of Quilters Newsletter.

Sorbet Quilt

I just wrapped up my Sorbet quilt, which was inspired by Leanne's Reflection at She Can Quilt. It is composed entirely of 2 1/2" strips sewn into strip sets, cross-cut, reorganized, and then sewn together into this pretty.

The value shift between the rainbow-bright blenders and the low-volume prints gives a dramatic overall affect.

If you want to make your own, I have it covered. Download my step-by-step color instructions here.

I primarily used Alison Glass's Sun Prints line and Pearl Bracelets by Lizzy House, along with other modern blenders and low volume fabrics that coordinated with the color scheme. Fabric.com has many of Sorbet's fabrics available at their online store too, but you'll need to order in half yard increments.
Professional long-armer, Linda Noordt did the long-arm quilting in a graceful floral pattern.

I used a Benartex floral fabric for the backing and binding. The way it ties in all the colors within the top is really working for me.