2013 Northwest Quilters Show

The Northwest Quilters group is putting on their annual quilt show this weekend. Mom and I dragged the kids to the Portland Expo center for the show. I took a few shots with my phone while there – many much more blurry than I’d like, but I thought I’d share in case you’re still on the fence about going.

Zoe was not thrilled…

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Owl made with strips. Pretty clever.

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Quarter circle pattern with batiks…

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A “Hazel Quilt” – certainly her style.

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One of Alex’s favorites…

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There were a few in this optical illusion style…this was by far the simplest version and in that, I preferred it.

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I’m really bummed this is blurry however with the blurry it’s easier to see the ribbon effect the colors of the half square triangles produced. Makes me start singing, “Cinderelly, Cinderelly…”

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This hexagon pattern quilt…well, again, my photos don’t do it justice. The boarder alone is fantastic…and what you can’t see is each diamond/rhombus/flower/whatever you want to call it around each yellow hexagon was fussy cut and/or arranged so each one has a design…it was truly one of those quilts where you keep on noticing new details.

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I dunno…tiny triangles got me…this was not the tiniest or the most tiny triangles in a quilt there…I just thought it was a neat concept.

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This was Alex’s favorite quilt.

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I have a thing for late 60s/early 70s aesthetic.

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This is a popular Tula Pink alphabet pattern done, I think, exceptionally well. The background quilting was truly impressive and oh, my, really fine taste in fabrics.

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Oh, come one. You have to appreciate it. It’s cute. See the bombers in the triangles?

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This….this I love. Simple, clean, yet surprising.

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A few others in the same series…they were color studies…

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I’m bummed this one is blurry. This has been a prediction of mine – more die cut, 3 dimensional quilts will be getting popular. I’m not in love with it…but it will happen all the same.

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I’m a sucker for Bavarian and Swedish folk art stylings.

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Fabric as painting…

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Fun with wearable art…

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I should have gotten a better photo of that Baltimore appliqué in the background. Oh well. Also a weakness – good indigos and sashiko.

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I didn’t get a photo of the kids doing the crafts available at the show because I’m easily distracted (long story), but there was a Build A Block for Habitat for Humanity in the back of the Expo, and station set up for the kids to learn how to tie a quilt. They also had these little passports they had to answer questions in as they toured around which made it a little less boring for them (see green hint sign on brown optical illusion quilt at top). We were there for 3 hours without any major meltdowns.

There were also a few vendors, including the show sponsor, Montavilla Sewing, that had machines up for trial including long arm free motion quilting machines by Gammill, Juki and BabyLock. Many small quilt shops had booths with lots of goodies for sale and the volunteers were infinitely kind and helpful.

It’s only $5 if you use the coupon on the Montavilla site, and children under 12 are free, so there’s really no reason not to go and support our many fine, local quilt shops (like Boersma’s). There are booths specializing in imported fabrics, embroidery, chenille and anything else your heart desires….even iron-on crystals if that’s your thing.

Easter Dresses And Other Delusions

Old Navy Easter

Theoretically I should be joining the rest of sewing/crafting/quilting bloggerverse and making Easter dresses for my girls and some sort of pastel tie for my boys and man.

That’s just not going to happen.

It’s not that I don’t love making dresses, it’s that I know when I’ve taken on plenty already. Oh, and I’ve taken on plenty.

I’ve got a ‘day job’ that requires at least 50 hours a week not including commute time. It’s a pretty intense job at times that pays alright and gives my family amazing medical insurance – so I kinda have to do that.

There’s also the whole 4 kids thing ranging from 18 yrs to 13 months.

Senior photo by robwagpdx
Senior photo by robwagpdx

AND I’ve started my first of many sewing classes. The first to start is the Free Motion Quilting series at Montavilla by Billie Whipple. She’s great. I suspect it will be fun seeing the difference between Billie’s style and the FMQ class I have next month at Modern Domestic. The class at Montavilla is a series of 6 – 2 hour classes. It is so generous of people such as Billie to give their time and knowledge. She’s been quilting for such a long time and has so much experience to give. It’s great. That and my Lordie does she have a feisty sense of humor! That is just perfect for me!

I also have some sort of delusional dream that while doing all of this, I’m going to enter a couple dresses into the Colette Laurel pattern competition.

Colette's Laurel Pattern
Colette’s Laurel Pattern

I’ve started what I’m calling the Julia Prototype. I got a bunch of long sleeve t-shirts on clearance at Target and inspired by some friends from The PDX Breeders Club, I’m making some “semi-homemade” Star Wars dresses.

Julia Prototype
Target Hack!

It’s not quite done. That skirt is just pinned to the top and needs to be serged and top-stitched together still. I’m pretty happy with it though – especially considering I did NO planning and just winged it.

So, back to being an Easter slacker.

I went to Old Navy instead.

Old Navy Easter
Old Navy Easter

Upcoming: More Bags, Infinity Scarves and Modeling

I know I said I wouldn’t get more fabric except solids, but….I had to get the last of this fox fabric, and I’ve been wanting this Birch fois bois…and I happened to have a sewmamasew.com gift card.

sew mama sew fabrics
sew mama sew fabrics – washed but pre-ironing

I feel so lame writing “fois bois.”

I may have went a little over my gift card, and got this orange plaid to go WITH my mushroom fabric.

bag combo
bag combo

But this time, you see, the fabric has plans before it was purchased. I’m addicted to these farmer’s market bags. And I’ve really been wanting an infinity scarf that’s sweeping the interwebs, but all I could find tutorials on was knit instructions….and that fox fabric was just begging me to be worn…by me…

AND….I had to go to Cool Cottons because they had the Star Wars fabric in stock that I need….and walking to the front door, there was a sale rack. I walked right past it. Just right past it. Then….went right back out and grabbed the bicycle fabric…and matching Kona….but I was really good and didn’t buy any of the shot cottons…yet…

Octavia combo
Octavia combo

Doesn’t this fabric just make you feel spring?

Octavia Fabric
Octavia Fabric

Excuse the wrinkles, I took photos after washing them but before ironing. I was too excited. It could be worse. I’ve been looking at Jukis and cover stitch machines….

Here’s some shots of the first infinity scarf. I experimented on myself….before I made more…so much more. Photos below are by my dear man. He takes great photos….then puts up animated gifs of me making dinner. That’s True Love….the part where I let him do that.

Scarf 1
Scarf 1
scarf 2
scarf 2
scarf 3
scarf 3

OK, I have ALL of that to show you coming up AND AND AND

I signed up for some classes at Modern Domestic, one at Montavilla and a Jenny Doan lecture. Normally, I’m not a fan of classes, only because I’m too impatient and when I want to learn something I just go find it….but I have my reasons for these particular classes which I’ll expand on later.

That, and most of my lessons in sewing have either been my mom or self-taught, and while that’s great, it’s such a HUGE subject…I know a couple different ways of putting pants together, for example, but I prefer one particular way over the other. That’s barely scratching the surface of techniques, habits and tricks. In fact, I’ve got a trick to share with you right after I post this that I haven’t read anywhere.

Sewing, quilting and embroidery are truly humbling in that I will never know it all….and I love that.