Posted on by agilejack

Aboriginal Fabric 16-Patch is Happening — and SNOW!

It snowed this evening. It snowed a lot more than I thought it would. This is a big deal for Portland. I have friends in the area who got up to nine inches.

Today my friend and I took a really delicious Thai lunch to a mutual friend who lives in Oregon City on the southeast side of Portland. It was a really fun visit. It snowed the entire time we were at her place but it didn’t accumulate on the ground. She has a really nice piece of property and it was so pretty.

We knew a storm was coming in and I knew it was important to get home before the storm hit because it gets really bad here really fast when it snows. I finally got my friend in the car around 4:00 and we were on our way. The drive home was just rainy and traffic was light. We stopped and got gas as we got close to my house and pulled into my driveway right at 5:00 as it was just starting to snow.

We just watched the 11 pm news and the freeways around Portland are still backed up with traffic and a dead standstill. People have been stuck in their cars since the evening commute. I would imagine a good number of people will be spending the night in their cars. I’m so glad we got home when we did!

Portland doesn’t do snow well. They essentially don’t do anything to clear the snow… except wait for it to melt. So when a storm hits the roads are treacherous.

The snow has stopped now but we could pick up a little more over night. Here’s a photo from earlier this evening.

It was really snowing! And now it’s cold. It’s not supposed to get above freezing tomorrow so I would think it’s unlikely we’ll be going anywhere since the roads will still be solid ice.

So we hunkered down in the house tonight and got to sewing. I started pressing and slicing the strip sets we started last night.

My friend sat at the sewing machine and sewed the pressed and cut strip sets that I handed her.

We had 12 strip sets that we started last night and got them all ready to sew into blocks.

OMG! Look at hat block! It’s one of my favorites! Something so magical about red and turquoise together!

We sort of tag teamed it tonight. I cut, she pressed, I pinned, she sewed, she pressed, I sewed… and in a couple of hours we had 24 blocks done and up on the design wall.

That was a really productive night! And I’m loving this quilt!!! I can’t wait to see It as we add more blocks. I think it will brighten up quite a bit because there are some vibrant colors that aren’t in there yet.

My friend is liking it more tonight and I’m happy to see that.

Here’s some eye candy…

And one more…

We have a couple of projects to do around the house tomorrow. We want to hang the curtain rod in my bedroom and hang a bunch of dog photos in my utility room. Plus, we have more blocks to make!

My brother sent me this photo from his place on the southern coast today.

Someone is worn out tonight.

51 Replies to “Aboriginal Fabric 16-Patch is Happening — and SNOW!”

    1. My visiting friend lives near the mouths of Big and Little Cottonwood canyons in Salt Lake. I think she got about 14 inches at her house. She’s had a lot of snow this winter.

      I lived in Utah my entire life before I moved to Portland. I have a lot of experience with lots of snow. Not sure if I miss it or not!

      Anne

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  5. Good morning from Niagara Falls, we also have snow but freezing rain as well, most things are closed. It is so much fun to be snowed in with a good friend, sewing and creating. My favourite block is the one with the gold fabric, it is rich looking. All the blocks are lovely but that one is my favourite. Enjoy your day. Doreen

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    1. I really hate freezing rain. It’s the one storm thing we get up here that actually scares me. All the trees and branches coming down…

      I have so many favorite blocks. And I’m sure there’s not one in there that aI don’t like!

      Anne

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  7. Snow is devastating to areas that don’t get it very often. They are so unprepared for even a little bit. Drivers are inexperienced in driving in snow adds to the chaos. Glad you and your friend got home ok. The quilt is coming along beautifully. It will be fun to see how you arrange the blocks once they are all done. I bet Rico and Bender have fun in the snow!

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    1. Yeah. People have no idea how to drive in snow here. And the governments have no idea how to deal with it. it’s not terribly unusual for this to happen here.

      Rico and bender love the snow and would like me to love it a little more!

      Anne

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  8. Snow days are fun , we got 18 inches in Logan but the drifts are about 3 ft at my front porch . My dogs love the snow bet yours do as well . Beautiful colors on the patches bright and cheerful . Be safe

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  10. Here in central Minnesota the snow continues to fall and blowā€¦the quilt shop where I work has closed for the day. Last night when communicating with our staff member who deals with our newsletter and Facebook posts, she was on the phone with her daughter who had been attempting to travel 3 miles from a convention center to her hotel in Portlandā€¦she was at 70 minutes! Iā€™m loving your friendā€™s projectā€¦stay put and keep sewing!

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  12. Oh..sounds like a wonderful dayā€¦snowing here in southern oregon too..I absolutely love the colors in the strips you chose to sew together..the colors really pop..such a nice assortmentā€¦beautifulā€¦.have a lovely day today..

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  13. Iā€™m so glad I discovered your blog! I also live in Portland- SE, we got 7 inches of snow here. Schools closed and it is very quiet.
    I am so inspired by both of the quilts you have just featured! I am cutting trapezoids for a Japanese taupe quilt. I will need to use a quilt ā€œwallā€ to figure out placement of pieces.
    Any tips? Will the pieces actually stay on the flannel?
    Thank you so much for your posts!

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    1. The fabric definitely does stick to flannel. I have a retractible design wall that hangs above a closet. I also made a smaller design wall that ti love from a styrofoam insulation sheet. Here’s a blog post that shows how I made it:https://agilejack1.com/2020/10/14/building-to-accommodate-my-next-make/

      If you have there wall space you could attach the sheets to a wall. I would love to have space for that!

      A design wall is a must for me!

      Anne

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  14. Iā€™m new to your blog and soooo enjoying it. I love KFC fabric too. I laughed at the pup sleeping on his back and just wanted to snuggle his tummy.
    Loved the snow picturesā€¦
    I live in N. Calif., my sister in Seattle and dear friends in Portland so seeing your photos is all very familiar to me.
    Canā€™t wait for your next adventure.
    Judy

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  16. Glad you have company and such fun stuff to do! Loving these blocks! If they were mine, Iā€™d be trying a narrow strip of black between them, to frame them. Keep it goingā€¦.

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  17. Love the colors you use in your quilts. I am starting to like aboriginal prints the more I see your posts. Now I have looked at the prints on various websites but wanted to ask if you buy aboriginal prints online and if you do, what are some names of quilt shops that have quality aboriginal fabric?
    I love that youā€™re herding with your dogs. I have done herding instinct tests with my dogs but they are not natural herding dogs, they are more of a droving dog. Whats the name of the dog bed in this post? I have a smaller bed like that that is too small for my girl and was looking for a better but similar one like I have.

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    1. My local quilt store has a good selection of Aboriginal fabrics and has an online shop. they are Pioneer Quilts in Milwaukie, Oregon. You can find them with a Google search.

      There are more and more Aboriginal knock offs showing up in shops and online. If you watch for fabrics that are made by M&S textiles you’ll be getting authentic designs.

      There are a good number of sellers on Etsy who have Aboriginal fabrics. You can just go there and search for them.

      I don’t know the name of the dog bed but I got it at Costco. This is basically the same thing.https://www.amazon.com/Calming-Anti-Anxiety-Cuddler-Warming-Cushion/dp/B08M5J8JMN?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&smid=A1EDAWTRI49CT8&th=1

      Bender loves it but Rico has never even laid down in it. He prefers a less fluffy bed.

      Anne

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  18. So glad you got home before it snowed much. That Gorge makes its own weather, for sure. Snow day yesterday and today in Battle Ground, where my granddaughter goes to school. Loving the aboriginal quilt, it’s going to be gorgeous. You are a marvel, and your friend–what a team! One question, do those dog beds have removable covers? They look so comfy, my dog would love one.

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    1. I’m heading up to Battle Ground in the morning for Rico’s herding lesson. I’m hoping the roads are in good shape.

      I don’t buy dog beds if I can’t take off the cover and wash them!!! they get so dirty. They are both from Costco.

      Anne

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  19. We haven’t had that much snow at one time yet this winter. We have been getting rain finally so the trees and bushes will be happy.
    I have most of my strips cut for my Aboriginal 16 patch, just a few more to cut today. Your friend’s blocks are great!!!

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    1. Thanks Wanda. My friend finally fell in love with it tonight! It took getting half the top all sewn together. I was so glad to see her fall in love with it!

      I can’t wait to see what yours looks like!

      Anne

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  20. The aboriginal blocks are gorgeous! I need to get through some of my ā€œalreadyā€ planned projects, but I am putting this on my ā€œto doā€ list! Thanks! ā¤ļø Enjoy your show and cold! Iā€™m in Sugar Land, TX (Houston) and itā€™s currently 85Ā°! Itā€™s FEBRUARY!!! šŸ¤¬

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    1. I heard from another reader in TX that had a temp of 96! That doesn’t sound like winter to me!!!

      If you’ve never done a 16 patch you should try one! I love them and like making them!

      Anne

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  24. Thank you for sharing your experiences and projects, not to mention the amazing pups. I am a fan, especially with KFC and aboriginal fabrics.šŸ’œ

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