Patterns By Jen: February 2023

Friday, February 3, 2023

Softly Circled Class

My local quilt shop Graceful Marilyn Quilt Shoppe in Marshall, MN asked me to teach my Softly Circled Class, and I was so happy to accept!

It's the first time in four years that I've had a chance to teach this class, but it's one of my favorites, even when I'm rusty. There were seven students who came, from experienced to this is their very first quilt (!) and it was a good day.

The first step was learning about our Corner Beam® ruler from Deb Tucker's Studio 180 Design. We started with our beams.

Next we cut our side triangles.

The ruler can seem complicated at first, and definitely takes a minute to learn, but once you get in the groove (cut lots of units) muscle memory kicks in.

And then. . . we sewed. . .

. . . and sewed, then trimmed. . .

. . . and, well you get the picture.

And at the end of the day there were blocks and units to show.

I love how there were such individual fabric choices.

Solids to prints.

To Tula Pink.

Two quilters chose purple (the one pictured above has other colors to go where the purple is), but one chose it as the main and the other as the background.

As happens quite often in the quilting world, the seam ripper did make an appearance, a few times.

In the end, I think it was a good day for quilting.

P.S. Can you believe this is her first quilt!!

Here is a shot with what will eventually become part of the pieced border.

Rachel gave me permission to share her fabulous quilt plan. The Aqua is her background and then she cut pieces of her fat quarters to plan out her blocks. So dang smart. Each piece is labeled on the back as well. Yeah. Smart!

All in all, a good day of stitching, lucky flamingo socks and all.

P.S. Don't wear heels when you are used to tennis shoes. 😉

If you are interested in a class, please send me an email and lets talk!

jen(at)patternsbyjen(dot)com

Let's make something Extraordinary!

Jen

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2023 Monthly Color Challenge

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Wednesday, February 1, 2023

2023 February Monthly Color Challenge

We're headed into a new month, and I love that the Monthly Color Challenge gives me something to look forward to.

I adore this block. I don't know if it's the style or the color, but I hope you enjoy making it as much as I love looking at it.

Image credit: https://www.carcovers.com/articles/how-old-is-a-classic-car

February's color is Aqua. These first two cars that I used for inspiration make me want to take a cruise along the ocean with the top down.

I have to give a shout out to my sister-in-law who went through cars for me to choose from, and my brother who also sent me cars. It takes a village to do this Monthly Color Challenge, even villagers who don't quilt.

This year Benartex is sponsoring the 2023 Monthly Color Challenge with their basics line, Cotton Shot.

The light is "Aqua" and the dark is "Peacock."

Photo credit: https://www.britannica.com/animal/peacock

My grandfather had peacocks on his hobby farm. The male's finery is a thing to behold when they strut with their feathers up. Let's be honest though, nothing can prepare you for the sound a peacock makes when you are home alone, taking a shower in the basement, and it screams right outside the window. It really does sound like a woman screaming and it's terrifying when you aren't expecting it. 🙃

This year we are doing things differently with the bloggers. There will be just one quilter a month that will be featured. February's blogger is Joanne. I *adore* the pink fabric she chose as her main fabric. Definitely hop over there and give her some quilty love. I encourage you to grab your favorite warm (or cold if it's hot where you live) drink and stay awhile to check out ALL her fun makes!

Joanne - Everyone Deserves a Quilt

You can also find her @everyone_deserves_a_quilt on Instagram

Ready for the block? Here it is! We're making the same Flying Geese units that we made last month, but as I did last month I've included a "How To" video, so make sure to scroll all the way down the instructions page to find the link.

The rest of the block goes together simply. Make sure to join the Quilt and Learn with Patterns By Jen Facebook group where you will get a lot of support and questions answered! If you aren't on Facebook you can also follow Patterns By Jen on Instagram. Use #2023MonthlyColorChallenge when sharing so I can be sure to see your block.

I can't wait to see all of the aqua flood my world this month! Take your time on the Flying Geese units, and make sure to watch the How To Video for trimming.

Ready to get the pattern? Go to Payhip and download it now! The block is free for the month of Februay! Each set of instructions includes a "How To" video.

It's too late for the January and February instructions, but you can still sign up to have the March - December blocks (and the layout!) sent directly to your email. Sign up HERE.