Sewing and Stitchery Expo Invitation!
Category: Travel
Handmade gift review: This one’s for real!
I wanted to share a fun gift I made at Christmas. I thought I was SO clever! Many of you have seen the fun up-cycled shopping bags made from pet food bags, my quilting buddies made quite a few! I didn’t really need more shopping bags, but THEN I had the idea to use that as inspiration to make a larger container to store firewood! It would have to be more or less waterproof, keep the mess contained to a limited space, be easy to move, and fit inside the storage compartment of a camper (not too much to ask, right?). A friend saved large dog and cat food bags for me which I cleaned, and after that I was off to the sewing machine!
One 30# dog food bag made the sides and bottom, and two cat food bags made the ends of the tote. It is large! Approx. 24″ x 16″ x 16″! I purchased about 4 yards of 1″ nylon webbing for the handle which is continuous and runs under the tote for extra support and strength. I added nylon webbing pulls on each end so it is easy to grab. The gift was a big hit, we can’t wait ’til next camping season to use it!
New supplies just in!
If you’re like me, you’re planning your projects for the next few months! I had some ideas for great gift projects that didn’t get past the drawing board before Christmas! Getting a jump start on those, as well as some new designs that I’ve saved for winter will be fun. My husband and I drove over to Sisters on Friday so I could see what’s new at the Stitchin’ Post. The shop there is always inspiring, and of course I know a few of the employees so it’s a fun reunion too! I picked up some “yardage” for two projects.
On the way home we stopped at the Lodge at Suttle Lake for a wonderful late lunch. It was over 50 degrees! Such a beautiful sunny day in the mountains, especially compared to the fog we’ve had in the valley. There was a nice breeze, hence, the flying hair in the photo!
I have a footstool class coming up at Piece by Piece at the end of January, so I needed to order supplies. They are all in now, and ready to ship out to those of you who live far away. Some of you know that when you get the kit through the mail it comes with a NINE page instruction booklet that is filled with pictures of the process so there’s no question that you’ll be able to finish the project! You can order one here!
Pacific NW Quilt Expo!
It’s almost here! I’ll be helping to set up the Expo booth tomorrow in Portland. I can’t wait to see the Expo Hall transformed into such an outstanding quilt show! There are so many awesome classes offered, some still have some openings so be sure to check the Pacific Northwest Quilt Expo web site for your favorites, and then register at the show.
I have two classes/lectures. “New Designers: How to Get Started” is Friday, 9-10am. “Going Pro”, a lecture on setting up a longarm quilting business is Saturday, 9-10am.
I’ll also be signing books in the Expo booth, #38, just to the left as you enter the door!
I’m going to love seeing so many of my long-time friends and customers there, and will no doubt meet some new ones!
If I’m out of touch for a few days, you’ll know I’ve been immersed in quilts/quilt talk and quilters!
Rhododendron Quilt Guild, Florence Oregon
Once again I’ve had a ton of fun at the Rhododendron Quilt Guild in Florence! We got together for a lecture and trunk show. The following day we got together again for a fun class at the stunning conference room at Driftwood Shores. The room is large, plenty of space for 20+ quilters, cutting tables, ironing boards etc. We all had more than enough elbow room for working on A New York Minute, and even got to do our “seventh inning stretch”! (More about that in another post!) Thank you to the guild for arranging my time there, and to Marcia for hosting me at her guest house! I had a wonderful time and found a working 1927 Singer sewing machine in an antique shop, BONUS! A couple quilters brought the finished quilts (Adjust the Horizontal from my first book, Pieced To Fit) they had made in a class with me in 2005–very impressive! Can’t wait to come back and see all the New York Minutes! We’ll be talking 🙂
A Quilter’s Affair!
I was delighted to be traveling to Sisters at the end of last week to take a class at A Quilter’s Affair. There are such outstanding local, national and international teachers offering a huge variety of classes. This year I took just one class from Portland designer Elizabeth Hartman called Tokyo Subway Map Quilt. I chose to make the large 90×90 version scrappy with a melon colored background rather than white which Elizabeth used. I’m so happy with the beginning of this quilt! Not sure when I will EVER get back to in, but the first three blocks look dynamite and I do have a niece getting married in October (and a few deadlines between now and then)! It was a fun day, Elizabeth is a great teacher, very knowledgeable and organized, and I was so happy to be sewing and having what I call a “free day”. The picnic in the park that night was a hoot with Tonye Phillips, Sue Spargo and funny lady Gwen Marston doing show and tell. Loved the comparison of how they all use freezer paper in their work and of course Gwen uses it to wrap her pork chops! Hahaha!
Spring Market 2012, Kansas City
Last week I was singing “I’m goin’ to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come!” This week I’m wondering how it could have gone by SO FAST! It was a jumble of book signings, meetings, wandering in and out of booths and talking to people. I loved the colors, seeing the new fabrics, meeting old friends and making new ones! Every day I went back to my hotel with a brain that couldn’t settle down and go to sleep! For now, here’s a few pictures, but in the next few days I’ll be adding some fun inspirations from Market that caught my eye. I’m so excited for Spring Market to be in Portland next year!
