em·bel·lish

/emˈbeliSH/

Verb

1. Make (something) more attractive by the addition of decorative details or features: "blue silk embellished with golden embroidery".

Perhaps my favorite word in my quilting vocabulary! For me this covers paint, beads, buttons, thread and anything else I can add to my quilts!

button covers? really??

I'm looking for new ideas all the time and my collection of photographs reflects this.I'm sorry to say that I have no idea who made this but I just loved it! Note; I am NOT planning on making one any time soon!

note the decorated drawer liners

and a doily too

It's Time for the Fair, the Washington State Fair

The Washington State Fair - Do the Puyallup is the largest single attraction held annually in the state of Washington. The Washington State Fair is one of the biggest fairs in the world, and the largest in the Pacific Northwest. It started in 1900 in Puyallup, and welcomes over one million guests to the single largest attended event in the state. Star-studded entertainment, the PRCA Rodeo, rides, exhibits, food, flowers and animals are mainstays of the 17-day event in September. For more info about the Sept. 6-22, 2013 Washington State Fair, visit www.thefair.com, or text “FAIR” to 87767.

I'm one of the judges for the quilts this year. "The wide range of colors makes the Home Arts Department’s quilt contest a kaleidoscope each year, and this will be no exception at the Washington State Fair. Entries will be displayed at the Washington State Fair, Sept. 6-22, 2013."

Pacific West Quilt Show

Visited the Pacific West Quilt Show today. Boy do they do a wonderful job! I spent a glorious day visiting with friends new and old. Saw what must have been hundreds of quilts, lots of merchants, what a day and right on my own back yard. You have time to visit too. The show is open Sunday from 10 - 4 PM at the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center, 1500 Broadway, Tacoma WA. Click here to see the list of winners

 There was a special exhibit of quilts from The Quilt Museum in La Connor WA.

I had the opportunity to visit booths like this one presented by:

The Pine Needle, from Lake Oswego Oregon

and the Applique Society.

The Applique Society

Pacific West Quilt Show

August 23-25

Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center
1500 Broadway
Tacoma, WA 98402

I'm off to the show today. Hope to see you there! 

 

I'm looking forward to the special exhibits that include: 

Stitches Through Time
For 2013 we will present a special quilt exhibit, Stitches Through Time, to feature a retrospective of APNQ/APWQ winning contest quilts from 1994 to 2012. This exhibit will chronicle the outstanding work that has been created in the region throughout the years.

La Conner Quilt & Textile Museum
The Museum’s permanent collection includes quilts and textiles ranging from the 1820’s to contemporary works. This special exhibit will feature a selection of the antique quilts in their collection, as well as quilts on loan to them from collectors. Founded in 1997, the La Conner Quilt & Textile Museum is the only quilt museum in the State of Washington. To learn more, please visit their website at www.laconnerquilts.org.

Cindy Needham - Machine Magic
Cindy has been quilting now for 42 years. Recognized for her spectacular vintage linen quilts, she has created her own unique style of heirloom machine quilting. Specially curated for the 2013 PWQS, this selection of elegantly quilted pieces displays her progression as a machine quilter throughout the years.

APWQ Members' Exhibit
We’ve seen the imaginative and beautiful quilts that you, the quilters of the region, are making. In an effort to encourage, honor and recognize all the quiltmaking talent in our region, we invite you to share your work for these exhibits. All members of APWQ are eligible to submit regardless of where you reside.

From Away is a travelling exhibition of 28 works by members of the Fibre Art Network. From Away is a Maritime expression meaning “Not from Around Here.” As a Western Canadian group their art reflects individual style, perspective, experience, and their personal journeys with fibre medium.

Best Place to be on a Sunny Tuesday in Seattle

DUCK DODGE "The Ultimate Beer Can Race" - Sailing World, July 2008
Listed in FODOR's as one of the "TOP 100 Things to do in Northern America." Tropical Night won the Seattle Magazine's 2007 award for "Best Night on the Water".

 

And if you are really luck you just might get to watch  Arron Jones and the Way film a music video!

em·bel·lish

Summer in Seattle means, fun and festivals. I love Seafair because of all the party like parades they sponsor. The Chinese Community Girls Drill Team in fun to watch. And what embellish ideas I see.

Summer Travel - The Palouse Scenic Byway

The Palouse Scenic Byway, located in the heart of the Palouse region in southeastern Washington, combines 208 miles of rolling hills and farmland with rich history, small town charm, spectacular scenic vistas and outstanding recreational opportunities. 

It's Time for Red and White

The weather is beautiful! Who wants to sew? Here are a couple of really old quilts from the past.

It's Summer in the City

Seattle is a major coastal seaport city, in the U.S. state of Washington. With an estimated 634,535 residents, Seattle is the largest city in the Pacific Northwest region and is one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation. The Seattle metropolitan area of around 4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the United States. The city is situated on a narrow isthmus between Puget Sound (an inlet of the Pacific Ocean) and Lake Washington, about 100 miles south of the Canada–United States border.

Covington Quilters - 16th Annual Quilt Show

Quilt by Dawn Shirron

Visited a great quilt show yesterday, you have time to see it too! It runs until Sunday. See the details below.

Cedar Heights Middle School
19640 SE 272nd
Covington, WA

Friday, August 2 - 10am-5pm
Saturday, August 3 - 10am-5pm
Sunday, August 4 - 10am-4pm
Featuring: Judged quilts, vendors, tea room, bazaar, bed turning, HUGS charity quilt display and quilts in progress, I Spy, door prizes and lots of fun.

Joanne Lee sewing on her 1932 Mason Rotary, manufactured in Cleveland Ohio

The ladies and quilts from HUGS

International Quilt Festival/Houston

International Quilt Festival Houston 2013
October 31-November 3, 2013
George R. Brown Convention Center
Houston, Texas


Sign up for a workshop today!

Thread Toppings
Thread is no longer a ‘Plain Jane’ necessity - it’s now available in many luscious colors and types. Steering your way through the sea of threads out there can be a bit daunting. Experiment while you learn how to match thread to the appropriate needle, make the tension setting your best friend and troubleshoot your way to fun and fancy sewing.

Calamity

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.

Lavish Leaf

Paint Stick Magic
Make elegant fabric with the look of airbrushing! Paint sticks applied to cotton or silk is fun, permanent and has an exceptionally short learning curve. Come play with paint sticks while learning the tricks the professionals use in this informative hands-on workshop for both quilt and clothing makers..

Halo

Fantastic Fabric Foiling 
Bring your projects to life with instant (and permanent) glitz and shine. We will apply foil using a variety of adhesives and make use of a variety of ideas that make it easy. Traditional and non-traditional quilters will learn how to incorporate foil into real show-stoppers!

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.

Super Fast Binding and Piping!
Is binding the quilt your least favorite part?  Bindings and piping are a snap with this no-fail completely machine-stitched method.  In this class you will be making a sample to take home to keep as a ‘how to’ example for your own quilts. Binding will never be the same again!

Saturday Sampler
Stitching Through the Layers: The Art & and
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!