Knit One Quilt Too

5 Years!

 

Tomorrow is the 5th anniversary of this blog.  This summer I've added another fiber arts passion to a long list!  This hand dyeing craze is here to stay, I think.  I have been trying all sorts of ready for dye fabrics as well as DMC embroidery floss and perle cotton.  By the way, those DMC StitchBow floss holders are fabulous!  I wouldn't go without them next time.

 

Without them, this is what I end up with.  Several evenings of untangling I expect!

 

Now for the good stuff.  I had lots of leftovers of the pimatex cotton, linen and combed cotton lawn from my previous dye session.   Also I've been collecting some other brands, Kona Cotton pfd, Moda Bella pfd, Maywood pfd, and I got some unusual stuff from Dharma like a hemp/cotton blend and a rough woven cotton.  Oh, and the ready to dye cotton lace.  I knew I wanted some nice sky blues and various greens.  Other than that it's just what comes over me as the mad scientist inside takes over.  It's a ton of work, but so much fun.  

 

Scrabble's just had a bath so he's not so fluffy!

 

The hardest for me so far is creating nice browns!  Who would've thought?  This time I also experimented with watering down the dye to make lighter colors.  Oh, and I tried various shibori techniques.  I'll have to take some photos of that soon.  I will take a good look at what I have and see if any of the regular quilting cottons are favorites.  Right now it seems they all dye nicely, some brighter than others, but that's not always desirable.  I love the hand of the Kona cotton and the Moda Bella.  I definitely don't like the pimatex for hand sewing, but it would be great for a machine sewed quilt.  I have an idea to help Ryan make small art piece using the pimatex and some fusible.  That's the perfect use for it really, but I won't buy it again because I don't like hand stitching with it.

Well, since it's a celebration and all, I've decided to make up 5 packs of hand dyed fabric scraps.  Nothing too big because I want it to be inexpensive to mail.  I'll choose 5 random winners from the comments.  Leave a comment on this post telling me where you're from and what is your biggest quilting inspiration right now.  Comments close on Saturday, July 31 at 9 am Pacific.  Good luck!

SOQS:: Wrapping it up

 

Back to some more traditional quilting.  The heart quilt above was made by my mom.  The hearts are needle turned.  

 

The day was waning, but I wanted to stick around for the raffles, so I meandered back to the main area behind the Stitchin' Post.  Here I got a very good look at the raffle bike.  This was something new this year, but apparently it's so popular there's a long waiting list for these babies if you want to buy one.  Take a look at the fabulous quilt patterns on it.

 

More meandering and I found these three quilts all made by the same maker.  I was in the quilt collection office when these came in and they have marvelous labels with the story of how they came to be made.  Each one has thousands of pieces.  I don't have the details, but it's like 10,000 pieces per quilt!

 

I had completely forgotten to look at the special exhibit by Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson!  So I headed over to take a look.

 

The quilt above was made by Ricky.  Love the colors and design.

 

The last two were made by Alex. I like the thin strips. She said she made these after teaching a class with Jean Wells.  I really love the colors in the quilt below.

Well, I didn't win the raffle quilt or the bike, but it was a fabulous day.  I hope you've enjoyed this trip around the show!

SOQS:: Teacher's Tent

 

On the way to the teacher's tent I came upon the Mountain Meadow Guild's special exhibit, "Inspired by Jean (Wells)".  The flowers above are just wonderful as is the pictorial quilt below, about travels in Italy.

 

These wonky houses are fabulous.

 

Now, onto the teacher's tent!

 

Katie Pasquini Masopust above. Sue Nickels and Pat Holly below.

 

 

Sue Spargo above, Tonye Phillips below.

 

Joanne Myers above, Tonye Phillips below.

 

 

I really like this pieced ground above.  Tiny, tiny pieces.

 

The leaves are pieced and then appliqued.  Karen Flamme below.  Love the humor!

 

I didn't get the name of the quilter above, but the quilt has such a great design and the embellishing is wonderful.  Sarah Kaufman below.  I believe this is the cover quilt for her new book.  The cover has a blue quilt despite the photo on Amazon.  The bottom portion was from a skirt she found at the thrift store.

 

Sue Spargo again.  I know I've shown this quilt before, but I love it and had to get some more detailed shots.

 

Below is Sarah Kaufman's clothing tag quilt.  Can you believe this?  She must have been saving tags for years and years!

 

Barb Shapel above.  I didn't get the name of the quilter below, but again, another wonderful pictorial.

 

Sue Spargo above and Tonye Phillips below.  I was thrilled to find out that the Stitchin' Post is planning a retreat with Sue and Tonye next year! 

Well that's almost it for my photos.  One more post to go.   Next week there will be a celebration of sorts here so check back on Wednesday!

SOQS:: Block Contest

 

By the time I got to the Block Contest area, the winds had sprung up and things were drifting.  One of them actually blew down right when I was looking at it.  I got it safely into the hands of the hostess for the area.  I got photos of three from last year that were finished.  I thought there might have been a fourth, but it's not in my photos for some reason.  Mine is above right.  

 

This year's theme of black and white plus one color didn't appeal to me as much.  I did do the contest though and so did my sister.  Cheryl's is below.  I really like the movement in this block.

 

This is mine.  I was hot off the Posies class and so did a liberated flower pot.

 

This is just one panel of blocks.  Is it just me, or did they get a lot more than last year?  There were at least two more panels like this.  Below are some of my favorites.  The ones with the green ribbon are the teacher's picks. 

 

And the grand prize winner!  Sheep were big this year.  I wish I'd thought of the black and white birds.  Next time- the Teacher's Tent.  One of my favorite parts of the show!

SOQS:: Collaborative Chicks

  

On the way to see the Collaborative Chicks exhibit (and lunch) I saw several quilts of interest.  I love recipe quilts, especially for pie!

  

There were several really cute quilts on the front of the Stitchin' Post, including this one done with Tonye Phillips' Houses pattern.  I love the happy colors and fabrics in this!

 

This amazing quilt shows the Stitchin' Post and various quilting art forms from around the world in the border.  It's fabulous!

  

This one is a t-shirt quilt with lots of old SOQS shirts and some quilt show fabric from past years. 

  

Here's the way to really get around town.  I decided this year that I need to bring my bike next year.  It would be a breeze to get around town and I'd see way more quilts that way.  With Cascade shut to traffic it's a no brainer really.  

  

Yay for Collaborative quilts and Gwen Marston and Freddy Moran!  This exhibit was really cool.  Not only were there quilts from our classes, but there were quilts from their retreat as well (not mine, alas, it's still in it's rather unfinished state).  The only problem for me was the organization.  With the various sizes of the quilts they had a hard time hanging like with like in some cases.  So you'll see them kind of mixed up.  

  

My Jen's Garden (pattern called Our Garden), Jackie's Posies.

  

Spider Web, mine on right.

  

Liberated wedding ring by my friend Jan.  This one is all solids and really gorgeous.  Again, I wish I had a better photo.

   

Jan's basket quilt from the retreat, Joyce's Halloween liberated wedding ring.

Mom and the poppies.  One thing about Sisters is that it really looks gorgeous for quilt week!

 

My Christmas liberated wedding ring.

 

1937 Revisited, mine is on the right, called Happy Turquoise.

 

My posies on left, Jan's 1937 Revisted on right.  She's calling it a picnic blanket.  I just love it.  The animal fabric is great!  Also, the machine quilter added quotes in sashing that pertain to life and celebration.  Just wonderful!

 

Lorie's Spider Web on the left.  Our garden on right, not sure who made that one.

  

My Lone Star.

 

Jan's liberated baskets again.  Don't you love how she put the outer baskets on their sides and upside down.  Delightfully quirky!  Next time, the Block Contest!

SOQS:: Quilt Show volunteers

 

I thought I'd give a little explanation of the quilt show hostess job.  I had the first shift (9:30-11:30) and got a great spot right on Cascade Avenue.  That's the main street through town which is closed to traffic for quilt show day (causing major traffic jams, but that's another story!).  Generally there are two volunteers for each section of the show and the area that I had was at the Sisters Drug & Gift.  In part of my section there was a special exhibit called "Garden Inspired Quilts" by Hedda Wright.  I was thrilled to keep an eye on these marvelous applique quilts!  Hedda was there for most of my shift, telling folks all about her quilts.  I was especially thrilled to see that she is also a fan of Tonye Phillips and Sue Spargo.  Tonye inspired quilt above, Sue below.

  

Much of the time was spent in just watching the quilts to be sure no one touched them and that they stayed put.  I also answered questions for show goers and handed out show magazines.  But for me the best part was getting a good look at the wonderful quilts in my care.

   

 

Isn't this one wonderful!  Apparently the pattern is based on an antique.  Lots of show goers wanted to know why the bottom corners were cut out.*

At one point I had to call quilt rescue because this quilt was shifting and too many people wanted to touch it so they could take a photo.  Quilt rescue came in their trusty golf cart with ladders and clothespins and fixed it all up.  Later in the day I was standing in front of a quilt when it blew down and I just heard tonight that one of my quilts blew down as well.  It's common.  Often a show goer will rescue it and look for the hostess to hand it to for safe keeping.  The show has all sorts of contingency plans in place in case of emergency or bad weather.

 

Ahh, that's better!

   

 

There's also a lot of standing and walking around when you are a quilt show hostess.  I attempted to stay out of the sun and found Ryan's quilt on the opposite corner, so I got a picture of that.

 

While sitting in my shady spot for a little break I heard singing all of a sudden and turned around to see this quartet singing some old time tunes!  

When my shift was over I rushed back to the Stitchin' Post for my next position at the Friends of the Show booth.  At the booth we were fundraising for the show which costs $100,000 to put on each year.  My friend Sarah came over for a visit and to show off her show goodies.

By 1:30 I was done and could enjoy the rest of the day.  I'll get to that in the next post, but thought I would also mention that the volunteering can really pay off.  Last night was the volunteer thank you party.  I went with another friend and had a wonderful time.  In addition to a delicious meal they raffled off a bunch of stuff from gift certificates to merchandise to quilts made by Stitchin' Post employees and even Jean Wells herself.  I had volunteered over 10 hours this year, so was in the "Top Ten" category.  We had the first chance with the raffle items and I was thrilled to win a $100 gift certificate to Donterra Artworks in Sisters!

*For those who don't know, the bottom corners were cut that way to allow for the quilt to hang properly on a four poster bed.

SOQS:: Inspirational Quilter and more fabulous quilts

 

During the first half hour before my volunteer shift I made a quick dash to see as many quilts as possible.  One of my first stops was the Inspirational Instructor special exhibit.  Joanne Myers is a member of my guild and famous around these parts for knowing about all things quilt related.  She's a well loved teacher and an incredible applique artist.  The quilt below was documented in the Oregon Quilt Project the day I was volunteering there.  It's a visually stunning quilt and the fine workmanship is amazing.  When I expressed an interest in the block pattern she reached into the binder of quilt information she had with it and gave me the hand drawn pattern she'd used to make the red circular part!  I was amazed and surprised.  I traced it and gave it back a few weeks later.  I hope to try this block some day, though I might mix it up with something unusual like appliqued bugs.  

 

I really love this one above that has a Gwen Marston feel.  The four different borders really add an extra dimension.  And look at all those tiny little needle turned berries!

 

 

Moving along to other quilts in the show, the next one is my Gee's Bend Treasure, in good company.

  

The quilt below is another Fractured Art Quilt.  There are 9 sections, each done by a different quilter.

 

Wonderful birds!

 

Below are some of the entries in the Stars Over Sisters Theme Challenge.  In case you are wondering about the interpretation of the theme, in the one on the left, the mountains are the Sisters Mountains which dominate the skyline over the little town of Sisters.  On the right, the stars are over the sisters which are on the back of the quilt.  I only found that out when I stayed for the award ceremony late in the day.  

 

I had an idea for this challenge, but never got around to it.  Someone else had the same idea when they made the quilt, below right, which has the stars over the mountains and the town of Sisters and the feel of the Van Gogh painting, Starry Night.  My photo does not do it justice here.

 

The first place winner, below, is beautifully done and embellished.  I am hoping to enter the theme challenge next year.  I hope it's a good one!

 

This pretty yellow quilt was made by my friend, Jan.  Jan was in several of the Collaborative Chicks classes with me and also in the Gwen and Freddy retreat.  She's lots of fun and likes a lot of the same style of quilts that I like.  This one is so pretty in person, again, the photo isn't the best.  

 

Lastly, you've gotta love these funny four eyed pups!  Next time I'll show the amazing quilts I was in charge of during my hostess stint!

SOQS:: First Impressions

Once again I'm pressed for time.  This has been a crazy July even though I really tried to make it more easy going.  Oh well.  This first Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show post is about the quilts I saw in the first half hour that really caught my eye.  I tend to gravitate toward color, interesting pictorial quilts, beautiful stitching and anything liberated.  There's lots more to come over the next few days.  Enjoy!

 

Circles!  I love circles.  Been thinking about doing some reverse applique circles some time.  Not that these are, I can't remember.  I did see some on a quilt that Alex Anderson did- you'll see that later.

 

Wonderful use of scraps!

 

This African embroidery is really lovely.  I am getting back into embroidery and would love to try some of this.

 

Owls- these are wonderful.  Have you noticed how owls are popping up everywhere?   I remember in the 70's my mom collecting owl figurines and making owl stitcheries.  They've made a comeback.  Chloe* and I went to Powell's on Hawthorne (Portland) yesterday.  It's an offshoot of the City of Books.  This one has two stores side by side.  One has all the regular books and a kid section, the other has the hand craft books and lots of gift items.  It's a fun store.  Anyway, they had a whole bunch of owl aprons with some of my favorite quilt fabrics and a whole table of owl goodies.  Very tempting!

 

I was in such a rush I didn't even notice that rogue block at the show!  Isn't that cool?

 

This sort of reminds me of my Gee's Bend quilt.  This was in the machine quilter's showcase.  I would have loved it more if it was hand quilted.  See you next time!

* Just a note- Chloe is back from Europe which was why we were in Portland again.  She came back with tons of stories, lots of photos and excellent memories.  The 4 hour ride home just flew by with all the talking we did!

Friday Night: Picnic in the Park

 

The Picnic in the Park was hosted by Alex Anderson.  Ricky Tims was there too, but had just gotten up when I took this photo.  Alex spoke about her love of the quilt show, presented the Stitchin' Post employee challenge quilts, showed some of her own quilts and then she commentated a retrospective of outstanding Central Oregon quilters over the past 35 years.  The light was fading and many of my photos didn't come out.  I also am having a hard time remembering who did what, but I will note it when I can.  Enjoy!

    

I know the next three are done by Alex, perhaps the ones above too?  

I believe the following are from the retrospective.  Some are quilters I know and have noted their names.  There are an abundance of local quilters making names for themselves by publishing quilt books.  In many cases they were supported and inspired by Jean and Valori Wells. 

Wendy Hill above, has published many books including Easy Bias Covered Curves, which this quilt is an example of.  Check out her link if you want to see some wonderful photos of her other work and a much better photo of the quilt above.

This wonderful tree quilt is two sided, but I couldn't get a photo of the other side.

  

Above is Sarah Kaufman, another local right in my own neighborhood, who has just published her first quilting book, Folded Log Cabin Quilts.  The link goes to Amazon, but I have the book in hand and it's got a blue cover so don't be surprised if you find something that looks quite different.  They just got the hot off the press copies at the Stitchin' Post so I don't know when general release will be.

Joanne Myers, above, is one of our local quilt gurus.  She was the quilt show's featured "Inspirational Quilter" and has done lots of beautiful work with applique and hand quilting.  She's knowledgeable in just about any kind of quilting though, including the beautiful pineapple quilt you see here.

Tonye Phillips needs no introduction here.  I'm a huge fan of her and her quilts.  This is one of her early ones combining piecing and applique.

Taking it slow: The 35th Anniversary Party

Here I am catching up on events of the past week.  It was a whirlwind and I didn't even take classes this year!  On Tuesday night there was the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show's 35th Anniversary Party.  There was a wonderful display of memorabilia from the past 35 years.

 

I love this photo of Gwen Marston and the lemonade kids.  "Lemonade for sale, come on over, 25cents for quilters, 26 cents for everyone else".

 

 

 

An early photo of the crowd.  More were coming in.

 

There were some wonderful, huge raffle baskets.  Above, a basket of thread from A Common Thread in Portland.  Didn't win, but I did pull the numbers for these!

 

Gorgeous works of art were sold in live auction by the fantastic auctioneer.  Above is Jean Well's fish art quilt, a smaller version of the one in the gallery show.

  

A fun framed art piece by Tonye Phillips.  I really wanted this one, but the prices were out of my league.  I'd like to try framing some small art pieces someday.
 
 

 

Some of Jean's work was decorating the dinner tent.

 

 

The quilt show's fearless leader, Ann Richardson read aloud some words of congratulations for Jean.  Jean will be the 40th inductee into the Quilter's Hall of Fame next week.

 

Jean, a board member and Valori Wells, stand for the accolades.

 

Ann's delight at winning one of the auction items.

 

Cake and champagne, what could be better?

 

My lovely table mates.

 

And a round of Happy Birthday for the quilt show.  Next time, the Friday night Picnic in the Park.