Cat Den Mountain Quilts
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Whistle Stop Tour Blog Hop Day 2

9/10/2019

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​Today there are 2 stops on the tour. One is with my friend and fellow Studio 180 Design Certified Instructor, Michelle Renee Hiatt, Sew On the Go. Michelle shared the 12" Do the Twist block. The 6" 54-40 or Fight block was presented by Marie McKay, Ribbon Star Studio.
Here are my blocks. Again I am using Deb Tucker's Island Batik collection by Kathy Engel called Twilight Chic. I sure hope I can keep up with the blog hop.

For your reference, the scheduled stops on the Whistle Stop Tour are:

Monday September 9th
  • Karen Overton – The Quilt Rambler (12" Dutchman's Puzzle & 6" Winged Four Patch)
Tuesday September 10th
  • Michelle Renee Hiatt – Sew on the Go (12" Do the Twist)
  • Marie McKay – Ribbon Star Studio (6" 54-40 or Fight)
Wednesday September 11th
  • Sarah Furrer – Studio 180 Design
Thursday, September 12th
  • Gail Renna – Quilt Haven Threads
  • Kathie Beltz- Kathie Beltz Designs
Friday, September 13th
  • Jackie O’Brien – If these Threads Could Talk
Saturday, September 14th
  • Tammy Silvers – Tamarinis
  • Carolyn Ratola – CaTs Quilting
Sunday, September 15th
  • Tina Dillard – Quilting Affection Design
  • Bonny Peters – Cat Den Mountain Quilts (Hey, this is me - meet me here!)
Monday, September 16th
  • Sarah Furrer – Studio 180 Design
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WHistle stop blog hop day 1

9/9/2019

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The blog hop started today with an awesome post from my friend and fellow Studio 180 Design Certified Instructor, Karen Overton, The Quilt Rambler. She even included a video showing how she uses a stiletto to match points. It is definitely worth a view. Be sure to visit her post and download today's two blocks - 12" Dutchman's Puzzle and 6" Winged Four Patch. There is a pdf download for each block.
I decided to try and follow along with this blog hop. Don't worry, I will still have my own stop on the tour later this week. Here are my two blocks from today. I used Deb Tucker's earlier Island Batik collection Twilight Chic by Kathy Engel. Note that although the pictures are the same size, I did make them correctly. The one on the left is the 12" Dutchman's Puzzle. The 6" Winged Four Patch in on the right. I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep up with all of the days but I'll do my best.

For your reference, the scheduled stops on the Whistle Stop Tour are:

Monday September 9th
  • Karen Overton – The Quilt Rambler (12" Dutchman's Puzzle & 6" Winged Four Patch)
Tuesday September 10th
  • Michelle Renee Hiatt – Sew on the Go
  • Marie McKay – Ribbon Star Studio
Wednesday September 11th
  • Sarah Furrer – Studio 180 Design
Thursday, September 12th
  • Gail Renna – Quilt Haven Threads
  • Kathie Beltz- Kathie Beltz Designs
Friday, September 13th
  • Jackie O’Brien – If these Threads Could Talk
Saturday, September 14th
  • Tammy Silvers – Tamarinis
  • Carolyn Ratola – CaTs Quilting
Sunday, September 15th
  • Tina Dillard – Quilting Affection Design
  • Bonny Peters – Cat Den Mountain Quilts (Hey, this is me - meet me here!)
Monday, September 16th
  • Sarah Furrer – Studio 180 Design
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Latest Pattern Published

9/2/2019

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I have written before about my love for The Quilt Pattern Magazine (TQPM). In this month's issue (September 2019) is my pattern Lucky Stars. I hope you like it as much as I do. It is the 19th pattern of mine that has been published in TQPM. There are 3 more of my patterns in the works and will be appearing in future issues.
For full disclosure, I now work for the magazine formatting patterns. It is fun to see how others approach piecing so I find it an interesting job working with some very talented people. If you are interested in getting a subscription to this digital-only magazine, go to Subscription Special and use the secret code CDMQ.
Back to my newest pattern, Lucky Stars. This is a huge 9-patch like my Easy Garden pattern. I hope you like it.
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As with all of my patterns, I made Lucky Stars in two colorways. Which do you like better?
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See you again soon with the Steam Engine Blog Hop in just a few days.
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Things have been busy & more

8/29/2019

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To say that things have been busy about covers it. I started this month with a fabulous Sleep In Your Own Bed Retreat in Hinsdale, New Hampshire. Everyone that attended claimed that the facility was awesome. They all got a lot of quilting accomplished. I was fortunate enough to have my sister, Sally, here to help with the food.
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That's my sister's husband in the background. I have on our Row by Row Experience outfit for 2019. The theme is Taste the Experience so Sally made us chef outfits - love mine! Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of her serving. 

Here are samples of the beautiful work that got done. It was such a success that the next one is in the planning stages. Stay tuned for dates, etc.
Since the retreat I have been catching up on pattern testing. There are some marvelous new patterns and techniques in the future. I can hardly wait to share. You are in luck though because I do have something exciting to share.

 Coming soon to a computer near you is the Whistle Stop Tour - Steam Engine Blog Hop. We will be featuring Blockbuster blocks form Studio 180 Design and fabrics from Island Batik's Steam Engine collection. Through this blog hop you will get a marvelous sampler quilt pattern. 

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Monday September 9th
  • Karen Overton – The Quilt Rambler
Tuesday September 10th
  • Michelle Renee Hiatt – Sew on the Go
  • Marie McKay – Ribbon Star Studio
Wednesday September 11th
  • Sarah Furrer - Studio 180 Design
Thursday, September 12th
  • Gail Renna – Quilt Haven Threads
  • Kathie Beltz- Kathie Beltz Designs
Friday, September 13th
  • Jackie O’Brien – If these Threads Could Talk
Saturday, September 14th
  • Tammy Silvers – Tamarinis
  • Carolyn Ratola – CaTs Quilting
Sunday, September 15th
  • Tina Dillard – Quilting Affection Design
  • Bonny Peters – Cat Den Mountain Quilts
Monday, September 16th
  • Sarah Furrer - Studio 180 Design
​
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My turn for Tuckerize Your quilting blog hop

7/20/2019

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I am so excited to be part of this blog hop with my fellow Studio 180 Design Certified Instructors. Now it is my turn and I'm going to fill you in on the V-Block tool plus some tools I use to enhance my pressing.
So to get started you just need to decide on what size finished unit you would like to make. The size strips to cut for each of the 11 possible finished sizes are listed on the slanted end of the tool. I picked a size and cut strips the correct width from 2 fabrics - a gold for the center triangle and a luscious green for the side triangles.
To cut the center triangle, I folded over the end of the strip far enough so I could line up the dashed line of the tool on the fold and have sufficient fabric to cut my first center triangle. If I was left handed, I would have had the strip going away from me instead of to the right. (Rotate the picture counterclockwise to see.)

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​For the next center triangle, I flipped the strip over and aligned the center triangle trim line with the edge of the fabric. If I was left handed, I would have had the strip going away from me instead of to the right. (Rotate the picture counterclockwise to see.)



For a third center triangle, I flipped the strip back to right side up and again aligned the center triangle trim line with the edge of the fabric. If I was left handed, I would have had the strip going away from me instead of to the right. (Rotate the picture counterclockwise to see.)


Now to cut the side triangles I left the strip folded in half and removed the selvedges. For the first pair of side triangles I aligned the bold line on the cut edge of my fabric strip. If I was left handed, I would have had the strip going away from me instead of to the right. (Rotate the picture counterclockwise to see.)


​For the second pair of side triangles, I had to rotate my tool 180 degrees. I looked for the diagonal line that slants up and to the left from the bottom of the tool. That line aligns with the cut edge of the fabric to cut the side triangles. Note in the picture that the section used for cutting the side triangles from the strip is at the bottom of the trim down section of the tool. The edge of the tool is on the bottom of my strip. If I was left handed, I would have had the strip going away from me instead of to the right. (Rotate the picture counterclockwise to see.)

​For the third pair of side triangles, I rotated the tool back so I could again align the bold line with the cut edge of my strips. If I was left handed, I would have had the strip going away from me instead of to the right. (Rotate the picture counterclockwise to see.)



The next step was to lay out the pieces in the correct orientation. That way I knew which side triangle went on which side of the center triangle.



I lined up the center traingle with a side triangle keeping the center triangle on top. The points of the center triangle were placed at the points of the side triangle. 




Then I stitched the seam keeping the center triangle on top and using the edge of the center triangle as my guide for the 1/4" seam.




​Then I pressed the seam toward the side triangle. I spray of water or starch or whatever on the back of the unit. Then I press from the front side. In the picture you see my 2 tools for better pressing. I use a wool mat which reflects the heat from the iron back into the fabric. This helps to make a better crease. The other item is a wood block that I apply after pressing. The block absorbs any remaining moister and retains the heat in the unit. The combiantion of the wool mat and wood block make for a much flatter seam as shown in the second picture.

I repeated the process to sew on the other side triangle. I kept the center triangle on top and made sure the points of the triangles were lined up. The seam was pressed toward the side triangle and I used my wool mat and wood block.

I hope you can see in the picture that the V Block unit on the right is flatter than the unit on the left. I used my wool mat for both but did NOT use the wood block on the unit on the left. The seams are flatter in the unit on the right.

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The beauty of the V Block tool is the trim down section. The slanted lines that cross at the desired finished size were placed on the seam lines of the unit. That allowed me to trim along the top and right edges since I am right handed. If I was left handed, I would have had the V pointing to the right. (Rotate the picture counterclockwise to see.)

Then I rotated the unit so I could trim the other 2 sides. If I was left handed, I would have had the V pointing to the left. (Rotate the picture counterclockwise to see.)




I hope you found this step by step process for using the V Block tool helpful. 

Stay tuned for future posts and Blog Hops. You never know what you'll learn unless you stop by and visit.
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Schedule for Tuckerize Your Quilting Blog Hop
Day 1:
     Tammy Silvers, Tamarinis
     Tina Dillard, Quilting Affection Designs
Day 2:
     Karen Overton, The Quilt Rambler
     Sarah Furrer, Studio 180 Design
Day 3:
     Gail Renna, Quilt Haven Threads
     Marie McKay, Ribbon Star Studio
Day 4:
     Debbie Chiarelli, Quilts by Debbie (guest blogging for Tina Dillard)
Day 5:
     Michelle Hiatt, Sew On the Go
     Rosella Hanson (guest blogging for Tammy Silvers)
Day 6:
     Bonny Peters, Cat Den Mountain Quilts (Hey, that's me!)
     Lydia Ziegler (guest blogging for Karen Overton)
     
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A Fun, Informative Blog Hop

7/14/2019

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"Tuckerize Your Quilting" is a blog hop designed by Studio 180 Design Certified Instructors to share their love of the tools plus more. It starts on Monday so prepare to do some blog hopping. Check out the schedule below. My contribution will be Saturday the 20th. I know you won't miss that one but each post will have information that you won't want to miss. 

Monday, July 15th
Tammy Silvers, Tamarinis  tamarinis.typepad.com
Tina Dillard, Quilting Affections  http://quiltingaffection.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, July 16th

Karen Overton, The Quilt Rambler  https://thequiltrambler.com/blog/
Sarah Furrer, Studio 180 Design https://deb-tuckers-studio-180-design.myshopify.com/blogs/news


Wednesday, July 17th
Gail Renna, Quilt Haven Threads  www.quilthaventhreads.wordpress.com
Marie McKay Ribbon, Star Studio ribbonstarstudio.com/blog

Thursday, July 18th
Deborah Chiarelli, Guest Blogging for Tina Dillard  http://quiltingaffection.blogspot.com/

Friday, July 19th
Michelle Hiatt, Sew On the Go  http://sewonthego.blogspot.com
Rosella Hanson, Guest Blogging for Tammy Silvers  tamarinis.typepad.com

Saturday, July 20th
Bonny Peters, Cat Den Mountain Quilts https://www.catdenmountainquilts.com/project-journal
Lydia Zeigler, Guest Blogging for Karen Overton  https://thequiltrambler.com/blog/


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a change has come

7/4/2019

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Today I am unveiling my new company logo. Check out the Home tab to see a cute bobcat with glasses - that's me - in front of a delectable mountain block representing Cat Den Mountain where I live. The logo was designed for me by Tammy at Gem Graphics in Keene, New Hampshire. I am in awe of her talent.

Having a new logo also meant it was time to redesign my website. Most of it is the same but the look is different. I hope you can find what you are looking for when you visit. The new look will launch later today with the posting of the July installment of the CQG 2019 BOM. My next task is to reformat my patterns. I will slowly be bringing the new versions of them online. So far only "Alternate Ways" has gotten the face lift. since one is now done, the rest should be easier to bring up to speed. My patterns will still be available in both paper and digital versions.

In other news, I now work for The Quilt Pattern Magazine. My role is behind the scenes formatting patterns for inclusion in the issues. That entails translating the designers' vision into the high-quality pattern for which TQPM is known. Using CorelDraw, I draft the diagrams to accompany the written instructions. It is a lot of work but also very enjoyable seeing a pattern come to life.

It is my goal to not be so much of a stranger. I'll try to keep you better informed about what is happening on the mountain. That may include some wildlife videos so stay tuned. 
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Now this is fun

3/2/2019

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Electric Quilt has a Design Challenge this month using Deb Tucker's Island Batik collection Twilight Chic. I participated in a blog hop for this awesome collection not too long ago so this challenge was right up my alley.
I had a design that I had worked on a while back that hadn't quite been finished and this seemed the perfect time to do just that. The texture in the Island Batik fabric really adds to any quilt.
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 Do you see what I mean about texture?
This is the block I used in my design. It looks complicated, doesn't it? Well it isn't! The first thing to do is make a Shaded Four Patch. The technique sheet tells you how to make using your Tucker Trimmer.
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Can you see the Shaded Four Patch in the block? No? That's because the lower left corner has been popped using the awesome Corner Pop tool.
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Now let's take a Sliver off the right side. This is a technique for the Corner Beam tool.
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Almost there. Let's just give it one more little pop on the lower right corner.
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Now the fun really begins when you put more than 1 of these blocks together. Isn't this fabulous?
Thanks for stopping by and joining in the challenge.
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Check out my newest pattern

2/28/2019

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As many of you know, I design patterns that are published in The Quilt Pattern Magazine. In the March 2019 issue you will find my latest design, Happy Pinwheels. 
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If you are interested in subscribing to The Quilt Pattern Magazine, click here and use the discount code: CDMQ.
Before I forget, I want to share pictures of the tops from the patterns I tested in this month's issue of TQPM -  Burst & Telluride Puzzle. I really enjoyed piecing these interesting patterns.
For full disclosure, I work for TQPM formatting patterns from other designers for the magazine. I don't get any extra money for promoting. I just love the magazine.
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Today I was sewing the sample for a mystery quilt that will be published starting in the October issue. When it gets closer I might tell you more about it. IT is twin size and will be a nice project to work on over the winter.

Also, check out one of my local quilt shops, Four Pines Quilting, in Claremont, New Hampshire. March marks the start of the BOM I designed called Modern Twist. There are 4 colorways so there should be one you'll love. They mail nationwide so everyone can enjoy.
That's it for now. Talk to you again soon.
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Twilight Chic Blog Hop

2/6/2019

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​As a Certified Instructor for Studio 180 Design I was asked if I would like to participate in the Island Batik Twilight Chic Blog Hop hosted by Studio 180 Design. Twilight Chic is Deb Tucker’s signature collection for Island Batik designed by Kathy Engle.
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The schedule for the entire blog hop is:
Monday, February 4
  • Gaggle of Geese Tuffet with Sharyn of The Tuffet Source, here on the Studio 180 Design Blog
Tuesday, February 5
  • Jackie O'Brien, If These Threads Could Talk
  • Gail Renna, Quilt Haven Threads
Wednesday, February 6
  • Deb Tucker - Twilight Chic Projects
Thursday, February 7
  • Jill Seitcheck, Binding Bound
  • Bonny Peters, Cat Den Mountain Quilts
Friday, February 8
  • Michelle Hiatt, Sew On The Go
  • Debby Brown, Debby Brown Quilts
Saturday, February 9
  • Karen Overton, the Quilt Rambler
  • Tina Dillard, Quilting Affection Designs
 
Since today is Thursday it is my turn so here goes. Since I started quilting in 2012 I have spent a lot of time designing patterns that use five 1-yard cuts. In 2017 I became a Certified Instructor for Studio 180 Design. Since then my design focus has changed to incorporate the Studio 180 Design tools. Today I want to share how I designed the block for my Tumbling Stars quilt.
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Loving the Split Rects tool, I set out to design a block that used that unit. For a square block, I came up with this preliminary sketch.
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I decided to put Split Rects in the side rectangles and Flying Geese in the top and bottom positions.
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To me this looked like a star that had gotten a little squished – like it had rolled and had its’ star points pushed in. Hmmm, …. Tumbling Stars. I had a name but how could I make it look like it was rolling? Maybe if I put something in the middle on an angle it would have that impact when I rotated the block.
​I liked where this was going. Maybe I needed a center that didn’t move.
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Excellent! Just what I was looking for but how was I going to piece the middle? I needed to draw in a few more seam lines.
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I did it! I had a block that would appear to roll as I rotated it plus I could make all of the units using my Studio 180 Design tools – Split Rect, Wing Clipper I and Tucker Trimmer I. Each block had 2 Type #1 Split Rects, 2 Type #2 Split Rects, and 2 Flying Geese of the same size, plus 2 smaller Flying Geese, a Shaded 4 Patch and a square.
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Next up was fabric selection. The fabrics in the Twilight Chic collection supplemented by some of the Island Batiks basics made that part easy. Island Batik and Studio 180 Design provided the fabric and I got busy.
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It took very little time to make all of the components and piece the blocks. My fabric calculation used less than a yard for 4 of the fabrics and about 1-1/8 yard of the background. My goal of creating a pattern that utilize five 1-yard cuts was realized. So here it is – Tumbling Stars.
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Finally, there is a giveaway: ​
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