February Color Challenge Link Up

We've reached the end of February, rather quickly I might add, and it's time to link up your Color Challenge blocks!

This year when you add your Color Challenge block to the Link Up you will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win one of the awesome prizes from our sponsors.

Prizes will be chosen quarterly and each month that you link up a block gives you an entry into the drawing.

There is still time to get the block instructions for February.
FIND THE BLOCK HERE.

Find all of the information for the 2020 Monthly Color Challenge HERE.

Quarter 1 Sponsors

Sponsors for January through March are:

 

Quilters Chic - PDF Pattern

3rd Story Workshop: Andrea Jackson - Book: Gemology






For the Love of Geese - PDF Pattern

Quilters Dream Batting - Dream Fusible 80/20 - 60" x 60"

Andover Fabrics - Fabric Bundle -  Giucy Giuce's DECLASSIFIED

Warm Company - Warm and Natural - Needled Cotton Batting 45" x 60"

Make Modern Magazine - 6 month subscription

Patterns By Jen - Superior Thread S-Fine 30

Patterns By Jen - Tucker Trimmer

I can't wait to see your blocks. Thank you for sewing along! Find the link up below!

Happy Stitching!
Jen

New to Patterns By Jen?

2020 Monthly Color Challenge

Newsletter sign up

Find paper, digital patterns, and Studio 180 Design rulers in my Etsy shop.

Find fun PBJ merchandise at Teespring

Join the Quilt and Learn with Patterns By Jen Facebook page.

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook for daily sneak peeks and updates.


**Please add your first name and last initial to the caption of your block so I can find you if you are a winner.**

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Previously Backlogged Jobs Link Up Week 2

How are your Works In Progress coming along? 

I am pleased to say I finished piecing both Border Quilt 3 quilt tops and Braided Chain has been cut. Both patterns went out to the testers yesterday! Yay for new quilt patterns!

My next WIP, other than getting these tops quilted and to the photographer, is getting a start on my first Jacob's Ladder Quilt.

I am making it for my son, Jacob, for his 21st birthday, which is next month. I've given myself permission to not finish on time, but I'm hoping I will at least have it pieced. When asked what colors he would like his next quilt to be the answer was teal and yellow....

I needed a background color as well, but I'm hoping this will please him. Side note, yes it's another quilt with the first two colors from the 2020 Monthly Color Challenge, they just work well together!

I also need to do the block for the BOM from my LQS. Confession.....I didn't make a single block from last year.  I am going to try to make last years at the same time as this year. Hopefully during the next Backlogged post I can post a picture of both blocks.

This year we are using a set of new to me rulers.

The Mini Easy Angle and the Mini Companion Angle. Fingers crossed I can do this!

These hockey blocks are fabulous from the Week 1 link up. Penguins fan here, and I'm pretty sure I need that block! To see the other WIP links go HERE.

Now it's your turn to show me what you are working on!!  Whether it's an old project you are pulling out or a new one you are excited about. No need to be a blogger! Link up so we can be inspired!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Happy Stitching!

Jen

New to Patterns By Jen?

2020 Monthly Color Challenge

Newsletter sign up

Find paper, digital patterns, and Studio 180 Design rulers in my Etsy shop.

Find fun PBJ merchandise at Teespring

Join the Quilt and Learn with Patterns By Jen Facebook page.

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook for daily sneak peeks and updates.

Introducing Diamond Run!

I'm so excited to introduce to you the newest pattern from Patterns By Jen: Diamond Run!

Diamond Run comes with instructions for six different quilt sizes. There is a size from the tiniest person you make quilts for to the person with a king sized bed.

This pattern is for the Advanced Quilter, but and Advanced Beginner could try their hand at it as well. The pieced Flying Geese units are probably the most complicated part of the piecing, but a patient piecer will be able to make them.

Someday soon I want to make this with colors that remind me of a baseball field, because that is what the main block reminds me of and is also the reason I named it Diamond Run, aka running around the baseball diamond.

I quilted the baby sized quilt on my Husqvarna Lily 555 using a large stippling and throwing a carrot in there every now and then.

My sister said the colors of the 64" x 88" size reminded her of the ocean, so again using my Husqvarna 555, I quilted what I hope looks like ripples of water. Though when I look at this picture I see cacti....

The testers made some amazing quilts! I think you will be inspired by their color choices.

Beverly's purple sings to my purple love heart. The dark purple really shows you the pattern of this quilt.

Anja stepped out of her comfort zone and used orange. Maybe it's because we've had more cloudy days than sunny, but I think her yellow and orange combo are so bright a beautiful. I hope she works with these colors again in the future.

Joanne's classic blue is everything. Simple. Classic. I also love how a pieced quilt top that is not quilted, otherwise known as a flimsy, looks like a stained glass piece.

Sherry's 64" square is the perfect size for watching a movie under.

Janice switched the values so she could use her stash (you know I LOVE that). Isn't it funny how having the squares as the dark fabric changes what your eye sees?

Fawn went scrappy in order to use all fabrics from her stash. It's a fabulous use of color.

Kathy also went with the classic blue, but on a larger scale. I love that we can see how the quilt looks on the bed. I still love it!

Sandy's colors lend themselves to fall and cool weather. With maybe a mask thrown in for good measure. ☺

Denise's quilt has a fun teal stripe in it that really draws your eye around the block. The yellow is the perfect background for it, too.

You can find the digital pattern in my Etsy shop and Payhip shop. There is also a preorder for the printed pattern in the Etsy shop. Patterns are on sale at a special introductory price of $8.00.

Click on the one you would like to go to:

Etsy Digital

Payhip Digital

Etsy Pre-order Printed

Happy Stitching!

Jen

New to Patterns By Jen?

2020 Monthly Color Challenge

Newsletter sign up

Find paper, digital patterns, and Studio 180 Design rulers in my Etsy shop.

Find fun PBJ merchandise at Teespring

Join the Quilt and Learn with Patterns By Jen Facebook page.

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook for daily sneak peeks and updates.

Previously Backlogged Jobs Link Up Week 1

It's our first week of Previously Backlogged Jobs. Are you ready to pull out a project you've been putting off or hiding from?

You can see the introductory post HERE.

For this first week I'm sharing the fabric buys from my Super Bowl sale purchases on Sunday. These fabric buys are actually Backlogged Jobs, because the testers are waiting on me to finish MY testing of the new patterns so they can get started. Shhh, I don't want to talk about it.

I will share pretty pictures though!

The first fabric I picked out was this gorgeous stripe. As soon as I saw it I knew it was going to be the binding for The Border Quilt 3.

It was so fun going through the store and choosing fabrics that worked with the colors in those stripes. I'm so excited to get this one started.

The baby version for The Border Quilt 3 used this fun print as the inspiration.

Orange is quickly becoming one of my favorite colors to work with.

Other quilts in the Medallion Series from PBJ:

The Border Quilt

The Border Quilt 2

The testers worked on an earlier version of Braided Chain, but I have since scrapped that version and am starting over. I can't put out a pattern I'm not in love with, so it had to happen. I am really in love with the newest draft, and I think the version is going to be stunning in these batiks.

Now it's your turn! Pull out a Previously Backlogged Job, snap a picture and add it to the link up! You know I'm big on using up our stash, that includes projects we've tucked away, so lets encourage each other and start working on those tucked away projects. If you are a blogger, please link back to this page.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Happy Stitching!

Jen

New to Patterns By Jen?

2020 Monthly Color Challenge

Newsletter sign up

Find paper, digital patterns, and Studio 180 Design rulers in my Etsy shop.

Find fun PBJ merchandise at Teespring

Join the Quilt and Learn with Patterns By Jen Facebook page.

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook for daily sneak peeks and updates.

February 2020 Monthly Color Challenge

Month two of the Monthly Color Challenge is here already. This time it brings my favorite Half Square Triangle unit(HST), and of course a beautiful bird.

This year our Color Challenge has gone to the birds! Inspired by their gracious flight, unique and sometimes vibrant color, I chose birds to guide us in our challenge this year. To see the full year in preview read the 2020 Monthly Color Challenge Announcement.

Our bird inspiration for February is the Indigo Bunting and we are focusing on the more teal-blue version

.

Some fun facts about the Indigo Bunting bird from AllAboutBirds.org

"Indigo Buntings migrate at night, using the stars for guidance."

"The birds possess an internal clock that enables them to continually adjust their angle of orientation to a star—even as that star moves through the night sky."

"Indigo Buntings learn their songs as youngsters, from nearby males but not from their fathers."

"You can attract Indigo Buntings to your yard with feeders, particularly with small seeds such as thistle or nyjer. Indigo Buntings also eat many insects, so live mealworms may attract them as well.

**I don't know about you, but I'm not adding live mealworms to my backyard for any bird.**

Conservation status: Least Concern (Population decreasing) - Wikipedia

Ready for the second block in the 2020 Monthly Color Challenge?

This funky and fun block looks more challenging than it really is. Turning the HST units gives the block more movement and is interesting to the eye.

This year I am offering instructions for making the background the same throughout with a neutral. You can download the yardage amount and instructions HERE.

See the short video for a "how to" on cutting the yardage.

February Color Challenge Bloggers

Kathy - Penny For My Thoughts

Joanne - Everyone Deserves a Quilt

Claudia - Create with Claudia

Carolyn - Sweet Boater Chick

Sheila - So This is Kentucky

Quarter 1 Sponsors

Have you heard?! We have sponsors for the 2020 Monthly Color Challenge! Meet all of them in THIS POST! 

Prizes will be given quarterly: April 1, July 1, Oct 1 and January 1 2021. To enter you must link up your block at the end of the month. Each month you enter gives you a chance to win. If you miss one month, don't despair, you can still enter the other months for a chance.

 

Quarter 1 Sponsors

Sponsors for January through March are:

Quilters Chic - PDF Pattern

3rd Story Workshop: Andrea Jackson - Book: Gemology






For the Love of Geese - PDF Pattern

Quilters Dream Batting - Dream Fusible 80/20 - 60" x 60"

Andover Fabrics - Fabric Bundle -  Giucy Giuce's DECLASSIFIED

Warm Company - Warm and Natural - Needled Cotton Batting 45" x 60"

Make Modern Magazine - 6 month subscription

Patterns By Jen - Superior Thread S-Fine 50

Patterns By Jen - Tucker Trimmer

I would truly appreciate if you would let these amazing sponsors know our appreciation in the comments below and/or on their social media pages.

Are you ready to get your block instructions? Remember if you want to get the block sent directly to your email you need to sign up HERE. This will NOT give you past blocks, including this month's. You will have to go to the Payhip shop to get past blocks. You need to sign up even if you received the 2019 Monthly Color Challenge in your email.  On the first of each month you will receive the block instructions in your email. Please make sure to add jen(at)patternsbyjen(dot)com to your email address book. If you don't see it in your email sometime during the 1st/2nd, make sure you check your spam and promo files.

Now it's time! Follow the Payhip Link to the February block and get stitching!

Thank you so much for sewing along with me and the amazing 2020 Monthly Color Challenge Bloggers!

Happy Stitching!

Jen

New to Patterns By Jen?

2020 Monthly Color Challenge

Newsletter sign up

Find paper, digital patterns, and Studio 180 Design rulers in my Etsy shop.

Find fun PBJ merchandise at Teespring

Join the Quilt and Learn with Patterns By Jen Facebook page.

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook for daily sneak peeks and updates.