Ready, Set, Go… Snowboarding

Fellow Quilters,

Woop!  Woop!  Today is the first day of the My Happy Place Row-along organized by Marian Pena of Seams to be Sew – thank you Marian for organizing this fun event.  This is the 4^th year of the Row-along and Marian has managed to round up a whopping 47 fantastic designers for this 5-week event.  Guidelines of the Row-along can be found here. Along with 4 other designers, I am leading off this fun event that includes free patterns for rows that depict our happy places, and giveaways at each stop.  If you’re new to my blog, welcome!!  In it, I like to share stories of my mostly-quilty life, along with tips and insights.  I hope you’ll visit often, and even subscribe.

My Happy Place Knobie from The Fat Quarter Gypsy

When Marian proposed this year’s theme of My Happy Place, many thoughts popped into my head.  Quilting is a BIG part of my life.  In fact, I have this terrific Knobie from The Fat Quarter Gypsy hanging on the handle of my longarm.

After all, my heart sings when I’m quilting.  However, several of the other designers selected quilting themes for their rows.  So what, then, should I choose?

Anyone who has followed my blog for more than a few months knows that my second love has to be snowboarding.  But how could I incorporate this into a row??  It would have to be vertical, and include snow-covered mountains, perhaps interspersed with some trees.  I thought of one of my all-time best-selling patterns, featured originally in McCall’s Quilting, then showcased in an 8-part quilt-along series.  McCall’s called it Misty Pines, however I call it Winter Solstice (available here).

PC190 Winter Solstice

Could I make a variation of it?  Absolutely!  Introducing On the Slopes, (click to download) a 12” wide x 30” high row/wall-hanging perfect for your favorite skier or snowboarder.

On the Slopes by Patti Carey

I gathered a selection of textures from a variety of Northcott collections, including Stonehenge Gradations, Naturescapes, Toscana and Artisan Spirit Shimmer.

Selection of Northcott textures

I needed 7 different values of grey from snow to medium grey.  After cutting all the pieces, I kept the greys in order for easy reference.

greys in order

To easily cut the triangle pieces using the template, I butted my ruler up to the edge of the template, then moved it to cut the piece.  This saved me from inadvertently shaving off bits of my template.

To easily cut the tree fabrics into quarter-square triangles, I aligned the squares on the vertical and horizontal lines on my cutting mat.

quarter square triangle cutting

Then I gathered the components for each tree block and placed them in stacks for quick assembly.

Assembling the tree pieces for chain-piecing

While sewing the mountain sections, I positioned the patches so that the seams were pressed toward me, thereby preventing them from getting twisted under the feed-dogs on my sewing machine.

Delectable mountain seams toward me

I did the same thing when sewing the columns of the quilt together, sewing the columns from bottom to top.

Assembling the columns with seams toward me

Here is my quilt top, finished except for the applique.

Finished quilt top minus the applique

In the pattern, I include appliques for a skier as well as a snowboarder.  I haven’t decided if I’m making this for me (snowboarder) or a friend (skier).  Perhaps I’ll do one of each!  This project took less than a day, so I could easily make another.

I hope you enjoy making this wintery scenic row as much as I enjoyed designing it for you!  Here is a list of the other designers and their blogs.

Tuesday September 4, 2018

The Quilt Rambler | Duck Creek Mountain Quilting | Cheryl LaPlante
| Patti’s Patchwork

Thursday September 6, 2018

 Be A Quilter

Pretty Piney | Ms P Designs USA | Creatin’ in the Sticks
Freemotion by the River | Any Pattern   

Tuesday September 11, 2018

Barbara Dieges | Upstairs Hobby Room
Quilt Art | UlaSewing / SzycieUli

Thursday September 13, 2018

Pumpkin Patch BC | Sew Incredibly Crazy
A Quilting Chick | Patchwork Breeze

Tuesday September 18, 2018

Just Let Me Quilt | Elizabeth Coughlin Designs | Quilt Fabrication
Renee’s Quilting Addiction | Made By Marney

Thursday September 20, 2018

Clever Chameleon | Adventurous Applique and Quilting
Heleen Pinkster Quilt Design
Cynthia’s Creating Ark | Seams To Be Sew

Tuesday September 25, 2018

Songbird Designs/Brenda’s Blog | Powered By Quilting | Kissed Quilts
Happy Sewing Room | Sew Joy Creations

Thursday September 27, 2018

BobbininQuilts | Daydreams of Quilts | The Quilted Snail | Scrapdash

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Words & Stitches | True Blue Quilts | Miss Loreen’s Schoolhouse
Meanderings Along Lizard Creek | Creativeblonde

Thursday, October 4, 2018

Quilt In Piece | Jaded Spade Creations | Mountain Meadow Designs
Masterpiece Quilting | Pamela Quilts

Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Show and Tell Day

Words & Stitches | Upstairs Hobby Room | Powered By Quilting
Elizabeth Coughlin Designs
Clever Chameleon | Creatin’ in the Sticks | Sew Joy Creations

Visit each designer’s blog to see their row and download the pattern for free within 1 week of their post.

Now for the giveaways!  I will randomly select 1 winner to receive a bundle of eight 1-yd cuts of Stonehenge Gradations (see them here).  To be eligible, please leave a comment on my blog by midnight September 10, telling me what your happy place is.  In your comment, please let me know which colorway you would like should I draw your name.

EQ8 software – a $259 value

Please also enter here to win the grand prize, a copy of EQ8, the amazing quilt design software I use every day to design my patterns. This prize will be given out at the end of the Row-along.

Enjoy the My Happy Place Row-along, and please stop by each designer’s blog to collect their pattern and enter for their giveaway.  Have fun!  I can’t wait to see your Row-along quilts!

Cheers,

Patti