Perfect Scissors™

Karen Kay Buckley has done it again. Perfect Scissors™ in a medium size.  All of her scissors have a soft grip handle and a plastic protective cover.  One blade is micro-serrated and one is a regular blade which can be sharpened. I love them! 

New from YLI

Hand Dyed Organic Cotton Braid. Check it out!

Evergreen Piecemakers

The Evergreen Piecemakers Quilt Guild was formed almost 30 years ago on a hot summer’s day in an apple orchard in Kent, Washington. The “founding mothers” outgrew the original meeting place and chose the First Christian Church, 11717 SE 240th, Kent, Washington 98031. The meetings still take place at this church!  
The meetings take place the 2nd and 4th Mondays at 7 p.m.  The second Monday of each month is a business meeting with Show & Tell afterwards. The fourth Monday of the month is our program night. It could involve a speaker who either shows us the quilts she or he has made, or a slide show. Other program nights include hands-on activities.

Stop by and visit if you are in our neighborhood!

 Make It and Take It program

 Pillow case project.

Book and magazine sale

Freddy Moran at Island Quilter - Vashon Island WA

Freddy Moran has been producing her groundbreaking colorful quilts for the past twenty two years. Her first quilting book, “Freddy’s House”, brought her fearless use of color to a wide audience and is still in  demand. Since then she has written and co-authored several other books. Freddy travels and teaches extensively, challenging quilters to break the rules and do what works best for them. She has appeared on national television, including the DIY network.
“Red is a neutral” is her quilting mantra. Island Quilter is excited to show over 30 of Freddy’s works.


Extended due to popular demand:
Exhibit open until December 4.


Island Quilter Store location: 17639 Vashon Hwy SW, Vashon

Cold and Beautiful

Woke up this morning to as clear and cold, but beautiful sky.

Even the lake was pink!

The artist reception Tuesday evening was lovely. Be sure to check out the White River Museum 'Small Works, Big Presents: The Gift of Art'. Exhibit.

em-bel-ish - a purse

Note that the closure is a hair elastic.

I think that if you need to ask the question 'is it enough?' The answer is always NO! Here is a great example of that idea.

I made a purse...it really needs to be decorated.

4 layers of nylon net, cut 4 & 6" wide

layer one on top of the other, long stitch down the middle

pull gathers to desired length

pin ruffle on to purse

a polka dot ribbon and a plain ribbon, gathered again

the back, all ewn

for the front closure, I cut 10, 4" circles, gathered the center

a large button, it's finished1

Small Works, Big Presents: The Gift of Art

I'll be at the artist’s preview opening on Tuesday, November 19^th, from 5:00pm – 7:00pm. 

Gipsy Trader - 2 1/2" x 5"

Blue Velvet - 2 1/2" x 5"

 White River Valley Museum
918 H Street SE
Auburn, WA 98002

253-288-7433   
Contact:Patricia Cosgrove, Museum Director
253 288 7437
pcosgrove@auburnwa.gov

Small Works, Big Presents: The Gift of Art
White River Valley Museum
November 20th - December 15th 

AUBURN, WA- The fifth annual Small Works Big Presents, the Gift of Art display opens at the White River Valley Museum November 20. This juried show and sale will be on display through December 15, leaving time for patrons to wrap up their purchases for the holidays.

"Each year I am excited to hang this show because it is visually so exciting and the work so intriguing. Our local art community is rich in talent, and a joy for us to support" notes director Patricia Cosgrove.

Over 50 northwest artists entered 186 pieces of original artwork for consideration. The three person jury selected 81 pieces of art representing a wide range of media including drawing, painting, ceramics, textile, assemblage, printmaking, encaustic and photography.  Jurors were Patricia Cosgrove Museum Director, Cary Davidson, member of the City of Auburn Arts Commission and teacher of photography and design at Mountain View High School, and Kenneth Greg Watson City of Auburn Arts Commissioner, artist and art teacher at West Auburn High School.

Winners of $1,500 in prize money will be announced at the artists' preview opening the evening of November 19.  During the first two weeks of the exhibit visitors are invited to cast their vote for the People's Choice Award. Along with the $400 cash prize, artwork by the winner will be featured on the next year's exhibit poster. 

The exhibit is sponsored by the City of Auburn Arts Commission. 

A Great Idea

I try to be neat, but sometimes I just can't get there from here. If messy thread isn't your thing either, here's a great tip. On a trip to the dollar store, I purchased a package of hair elastics. For my dollar I got 36 tangled thread solutions! What a find!

An opportunity for a functioning brain; the gift of gab

I am now working with a small Seattle publisher with quilt books to sell.

They're looking for someone to call quilt shops around the country and sell them books on a commission basis. Work from anywhere, set your own hours (when shops are open), use your own words to sell.

The publisher will handle shipping and invoicing.

If you are smart, willing, have a good phone voice, speak clearly, can accurately keep track of orders and aren’t cold call-phobic this could be a great match.

If you have a resume please send it with a cover letter extolling your virtues. If you don’t have a resume don’t waste your time writing one – just send a letter telling how good you are and how you got that way.

If they like what you have to say they will contact you, send you to the website so you can see the book for yourself and set up a phone interview.

Block Party Quilters Annual Quilt Show

You still have time to attend a great quilt show! The Block Party Quilters show is:
Friday, November 8 - Sunday, November 10, 2013
Hours: Friday and Saturday 10 AM - 5 PM, Sunday 10 AM - 4 PM
Issaquah Community Center
301 Rainier Boulevard South
Issaquah, WA

Lovely vendors like Gossypium.
Quilts like this silk one that just glowed by JB Scharf.

 Gossypium

 

 Silk Dreams by JB Scharf

Still Shopping

I try not to wander up and down the aisles of the more than 1100 venders at Festival in a complete fog. I might miss something. Fortunately for me I was alert enough to wander into Miss Rose - Sister Violet.    They design everything in their booth. And I know it doesn't look like my style, but it's vintage things remade new again and I loved it!

The Shopping at Festival

With over 1100 booths containing such wonderful things to explore and purchase, its always hard for me to practice restraint. Almost anything I buy I'll need to ship. It puts a real damper on things. There are exceptions, there is always room for a new piece of jewelry and a spool of thread or two!

Someone in Thread Toppings had a spool of metallic thread from Superior Threads to dye for!
Check out thes great tutorials on the Superior Threads web site.

Metallic #25 Variegated Gold

More Favorites

Philippa Naylor decided to change it up this year! She showcased her garment sewing skills and created this dress and jacket!

Jane Sassaman won the Machine Artistry prize for her Illinois Album quilt!

The Quilts

Sunday afternoon I finally had some time to visit the quilts. A FEW of my favorites were:

Linda Roy, Knoxville TN

Claudia Clark Myers and Marilyn Badger, Duluth MN

Carol Morrissey, Double Oak TX

Shopping - It Sparkles

There is a great deal of 1950's jewelry. The 1950's developed it's own definitive styles which include multi-strand beaded necklaces with much larger beads than seen in previous years. Diamante (clear or crystal) rhinestone jewels, including "prom queen" necklace and earrings sets were chosen for diamond-like sparkle without the price. And now these jewels can be mine!

I visited my favorite jewelry lady and came home with this tucked in the corner of my carry-on!

Sunday Morning at Festival

Joining the Blocks: Quilt-As-You-Go Style
Learn to join pre-quilted blocks using several innovative techniques. Go home ready to make larger machine quilted quilts without all the work of trying to get it into your machine. The Quilt-As-You-Go method allows for more detailed quilting using a standard sewing machine since you're only quilting a small section at a time.

Saturday Afternoon

For the Love of Color
               
What you always wanted to know about color but were afraid to ask. Understand color concepts that quilters use – balance, pattern, texture, dominance and the many moods of color. We will play with a large variety of fabric samples, laying them out to experience for ourselves the magic we can create with glorious color. 

Saturday at Festival

Saturday Sampler
Stitching Through the Layers: The Art & Elegance of Straight Line Quilting

Quilting Counts! Really, when you think about it, it’s the stitching through the layers that transforms a top into a quilt, so make sure it contributes in full measure to the beauty of your quilt!

The line

Still in line

Before it begins

This mornings sunrise.

Yesterday Thread Toppings, we spent the day playing with thread.