Quilts on Display in Downtown Oly

If you were anywhere near Olympia WA (my home) this weekend you likely heard the beating of the drums-made-from-things and the stomping of dancers as they wound their way through our downtown and huge waves and trees being towed down the streets by people in outlandish costume.

While these sounds and sights could happen at any moment around here, there was an actual purpose this weekend.

What you witnessed was our home grown spectacle, the amazing springtime event, the Procession of the Species parade!
It is an annual thing, held during our equally wonderful spring ArtsWalk. And while the parade is only a few hours once a year, the Art of ArtsWalk is still available to see.

ArtsWalk is a cooperative event between local artists and downtown businesses: the businesses host and display the art and the public gets to come and see what is what. Some of the art is installed for just the official day of the Walk, but others, like my Quilt Guild's display, is up for a week. Some is up for even longer.

I had the opportunity to host the Guild Display at Olympia's well-loved Browser's Books on Saturday afternoon. I met lots of nice quilters and quilters-in-planning, and got to tell them where the wonderful local shops are, who is teaching what kind of classes, hand out brochures and invite to attend a couple Guild meetings.

And we sold Raffle tickets to this cute little reproduction fabrics quilt. (Only $1 per ticket!)

If you would like to see the amazing quits in person, please stop in at Browsers. Or at least look at the wonderful window displays, full of miniature quilts, doll quilts, quilted postcards, softies and stuffed things like Sock Monkeys!

I also posted some other pictures of the weekend and some of the other Art at my work-related blog.

Cute new shop!

In the Puget Sound area of Western Washington where I live, we are blessed with dozens of quilt shops, long arm quilters, quilt appraisals etc.
How many is this? I count 10 shops within a half hour drive of my house. (And here is a google map that shows the 56 shops on the Shop Hop this year: Map. This isn't even all the shops in the area!)
With so many places for the quilters to choose from, every shop strives to differentiate themselves and set themselves apart from the competition.


One of the members of my quilt guild recently opened her new shop for quilters and creafter in Tumwater: Ruby Street Quiltworks. She took over the space of a well known and well loved quilt shop called Quilters Quarters when the owners decided to focus on their longarm quilting business.


And the new shop is a complete success! She is carrying fabric lines no other shop has, tools and essentials, and has some very fun non-quilt related, but crafty and fun! I am doubly lucky in that she has invited my small Bee to come in to sew once a week. So when I get time away from my work schedule, I come in and sew around all these gorgeous fabrics.


Inspiration!
And some minor naughtiness- it is really hard to resist the pretty things, like the Kaffe Fasset fabrics.

And the owner has just sent out an email that there is now Open Sew on Sundays: 11 to 3 pm, just bring your machine and project and get working. How much fun is that!

I'm #37!

"Another Little Quilt Swap" has been posted, and I jumped! So that makes me #37 of the swappers from around the globe. I can't wait to hear who I get to make for. These little quilts go together so quickly- the hardest part is figuring out what to do. I must of course say Thank You to our fabulous Hostess, Kate. Now I must go prowl the web to see what has been made on the other little swappies recently.

Half a Pug, plus

We had one of those pretty spring mornings recently, and the dog and the husband and I all went out for a very brisk walk at a nearby park. I got some great pictures too- shapes that I think may translate to a quilt...

Gorgeous tree shapes
An outdoor art exhibit of stones
Big toys make some great shadows!

No patience for me!

I must that admit I am not a patient person. I sent that block off for the Round Robin, and then had to wait and wait, because I jumped the gun a bit and sent it about 2 weeks earlier than everyone else LOL

So what to do???
Start a new quilt! (of course)

At the sew-in at the library on Saturday, I cut out scads of 2 1/2 inch wide brown strips, and 1 1/2 inch wide cream strips and have been happily making offset Log Cabins, with cheery little indigo cranes for the center square.

I also signed up for a Charm pack swap at guild, which is tomorrow. So late tonight, I remembered, and cut out 51 charms of Striped Fabrics! I can't wait to see what goodies I get from everyone else tomorrow. But here are the ones I did tonight.

I think I am done cutting for a while.

Inspiration from...

Olympia is is the midst of spring, and that means some of us get itchy feet and want to start getting out and seeing the natural world again. I decided I needed an adventure. But I am realistic enough to acknowledge that I am in poor shape for any kind of exciting adventure LOL So we looked for mini-adventures to day- things to draw inspiration from and ponder.

We found lots of free things in front yards, blooming skunk cabbage and tree blossoms, a couple llamas in back yards, and even played with the sundial at the nearby elementary school.

We also have a great open space park, with about 4 or 5 entrances, one of which is about 4 blocks from our house, and another which is about 3 blocks from our favorite little bakery- the San Francisco Street bakery. So of course, we took the trail and got ourselves some coffee and pastry.

I hope you all are having fun adventures!

Migrating Robin... errr Spawning Salmon???

I signed up for a Round Robin with some of the other members of WASIQ (Washington State Internet Quilters).

We are calling it a Migrating Robin, because it is going all over the countryside as we work on each section. We all made a center block with something that is reminiscent of our area. Then each row has a specific set of rules to use when designing. We will all be including one of the fabrics we used in the center block. I think I will send the dark brown. Beige is everywhere, but that brown is rich and specific.

This is the Center block I made, just some extra 4-patch blocks I had from my Table Runner, plus some sashing, and I added a salmon applique (made of salmon fabric!).

We were also encouraged to include a journal for the others to write in- I decided to send my Soft Journal, with pages made of muslin. (I had not decided what to do with it, and since it is the same scraps as the block background, it just really fits.)

It will be shipped out just as soon as I hear who I have to send to. I can't believe I am done early! What is happening to me!

I have never participated in a Robin before, so I am excited to see how it works out and how I interpret each Round from another quilter.

The highest bidder is...

Well, I actually got the binding on the Auction Quilt, a whole 12 hours early! A new record for me. And we raised good money for Habitat for Humanity!
Of course, I was well thanked, then I got re-volunteered for next year LOL
So... I think I will just do it.
But I think I will get the top done Early- like by June? Then try to get the Quilt done early too- maybe September. That way we can have 6 months to sell Raffle tickets for a drawing next March.
I wonder if I can get anyone to help me this time...
At any rate, I had a lot of fun making it, and I am glad I jumped in and did it. And I can recommend it to anyone who has thought of it.
And one of the really nice things is that the non-quilters don't even see the boo-boos!

Finally- a day to sew

I have not had a chance to sew since the last time I posted on my blog. Can you believe it!!

My sewing machine didn't even make it out of its little travel bag. :(
I know, I know... I should be glad that I am staying busy and have work to do and clients to help. (But I am being selfish right now, so I will not admit that.)

So when today dawned as the Sew-In day in Lakewood, I went.

I will admit, I didn't get much done. Just a mitered border on the auction quilt.

But it felt good to be with the other quilters and just gabbing and having fun.

Here is the newly bordered quilt:

Happy, For Me!

I finally resized the blocks I miscut, I unsewed and sewed and pressed and all while I was chatting with some wonderful quilty friends from WASIQ at the sew-in at the Lakewood library.

And the top is all done!

What shall I do for the quilting...