Summer - and Another Road Trip

Annie's has heirloom quality fabrics and notions for quilters. A wide range of kits, books, patterns, tools, and sample quilts. Lots of unique patterns and fabric combinations into pre-assembled quilt kits that are exclusive to Annie's.

Located in beautiful, Shelton, WA, they have a welcoming shop, where customers can enjoy product demos, block of the month programs, and fun, interactive classes for quilters of all skill abilities.

High Quality! Low Price! $7.99 per yard!

• Phone: (360) 427-6164
• 2505 Olympic Hwy North #220
  Shelton, WA 98584
• Monday - Saturday -10:00am - 5:30pm
  Sunday: 11:00am to 2:00pm

The best selection of WonderFil Thread, I think I have ever seen!

Labels

I am making a label for a friends quilt. Thought I would share a few ideas.

This one is inked. I made a master with my computer and traced.

I used pretreated for printing fabric and ran it through the printer.

Here is the latest information regarding the Houston Quilt Festival - as of 8/30/2017

Dear Friends of Quilt Festival,

First, we would like to think all who have sent messages of support to us in response to the devastating flooding taking place in our home city of Houston. We are happy to report that all of our staff is safe, and that our office did not suffer any damages.

Many others have not been so lucky, and we ask that you keep Houston and all areas that have been devastated by Hurricane Harvey in your thoughts, and, if possible, consider making a contribution toward organizations involved in the ongoing relief efforts.

We have also heard from many people asking whether they should cancel their plans to attend this year’s International Quilt Festival in Houston. We want to assure you that there is no reason to cancel any travel plans, as the show is still scheduled to go on.

The show is still over two months away, and we have full confidence that our city will bounce back quickly, as it has always done. Also, neither the George R. Brown Convention Center nor the Downtown Houston hotels were damaged in the flooding.

At this time, our office remains closed, and will until it is safe for our staff to return to work. We will post an announcement to our website and social media when the office reopens. In the meantime, we ask that you be patient in receiving a response to any calls or emails.

Once again, Quilt Festival in Houston is still scheduled to take place November 2-5 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. We hope you will plan to be there to support our amazing city and enjoy the show!

Thank you!

----------------

One more note...those who submitted quilts for our Houston shows are (understandably) concerned about their whereabouts. Please be assured that all of the quilts are in a secure and DRY location. This is always a top priority for us, and we take every possible measure to ensure their safety!
 

Labor Day

Labor Day in the United States is a public holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. It honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, laws and well-being of the country. It is the Monday of the long weekend known as Labor Day Weekend and it is considered the unofficial end of summer in the United States. The holiday is also a federal holiday.

Summer Inspirations

I am not a gardener, but I love flowers. These are from the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden, located at the Ballard Locks, is the result of a gardener hired in 1931 to transform a graveled area of the grounds, to an English estate style garden. An expert horticulturist and botanist, Carl S. English Jr. traveled and corresponded with botanists around the world, and with the aid of the captains of ships passing through the locks, amassed a significant collection of plants.

Impatiens is a beautiful annual that makes an excellent houseplant or summer bedding plant. It is also known as "Busy Lizzie" and its name is a Latin word that describes the way its seeds shoot out of its pods when ripe (the slightest touch can make a ripe impatiens seed pod burst open and scatter its seeds). Impatiens like shade and moisture. Begonia is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family

Begoniaceae. The genus contains about 1,400 different plant species. The Begonias are native to moist subtropical and tropical climates. Some species are commonly grown indoors as ornamental houseplants in cooler climates. In cooler climates some species are cultivated outside in summertime for their bright colourful flowers, which have sepals but no petals.

Rudbeckia hirta, commonly called black-eyed Susan, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to the Eastern and Central United States. It is one of a number of plants with the common name black-eyed Susan. The plant also is a traditional Native American medicinal herb in several tribal nations; believed in those cultures to be a remedy, among other things, for colds, flu, infection, swelling and (topically, by poultice) for snake bite (although not all parts of the plant are edible).

A Garden Tour, well sort of...

By now you all know I don't garden, but a trip to Mulback's was a real treat.I especially loved these small container gardens.


 Current Store Hours  
Daily 9am-6pm

13625 NE 175th St.
Woodinville, WA 98072
email:
    contact_us@molbaks.com
phone:
    (425) 483-5000
toll free:
    (866) 466-5225
plant info booth:
    (425) 398-5225

However I was not ready for this!!!

It takes them 12 weeks to set up for Christmas!

A Day at the Beach

Took a day off to spend the day at the beach with some friends. Great Day!

Guest Artist - Judi Bergsagel

Just finished my fast finishes piece from your class for QA this month. I am new to free motion quilting so had some fun preparing my rectangles. I loved your quilting using straight and satin so did that on the border piece. Think I will be using that often and it will always be the Melody stitch to me! Thanks so much for your instructions and help! 
Judi Bergsagel

Road Trip- Books and Art

BookTree is a vibrant gathering place for the exchange of ideas, and discussion of books and the literary arts.  It is a place where all are welcome to continue their journey, expand their knowledge, feed their interests and further their education through books and literature.  It is a place for families to find and enjoy the best of current literature.  A place where our customers can hear local and traveling writers, authors and poets present their work.

BookTree is one of the few remaining independent bookstores on the Eastside that will be an important part of our city’s identity.  
BookTree • 609 Market St, Kirkland, WA 98033 • (425) 202-7791
Store Hours-  M-F - 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.  Saturdays - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays - Noon to 5 p.m.

And the ART! All works done by my VERY talented sister HEATHER OSTERMAN

 

Today I AM Judging at the Western Washington State Fair

Thought I would share some of the comments I might make.

FEATURES OF THIS QUILT ARE:                                

GENERAL APPEARANCE

Excellent visual impact

Stood up well against stiff competition

Edges flat

Colors and fabrics well chosen for quilts style

Innovative use of color

Innovative use of pattern

Well balanced design

PIECING

Piecing well done

Points match

Block size is uniform

Straight lines are straight

Curved seams are smooth

APPLIQUÉ

Appliqué well done

Design well centered on block

Curves are smooth

Points are sharp

Stitches are even

Stitches are unobtrusive

BORDER

Border well done

Border compliment’s central design

Corner miters well done

BINDING

Binding well done

QUILTING

Quilting well done

Stitches are even

Stitches on back are even

Straight quilting lines are straight

Curves quilting lines are smooth

Quilting pattern appropriate

AREAS WHICH NEED IMPROVEMENT:

GENERAL APPEARANCE

Color impact could be improved

Good effort

Bearding is apparent

Loose threads should be cut (threads shadow)

Remove basting threads and/or pencil marks

Edges wobble or ripple

PIECING

Piecing needs improvement

Corners and points should meet precisely

Block size should be uniform

Straight lines should be straight

Shadowing-through detracts

Stitches should be secure

Piecing thread should not show

APPLIQUÉ

Appliqué needs improvement

Design should be centered on block

Curves should be smooth

Points should be sharp

Stitches should be even

Stitches should be unobtrusive

Background shadows through

BORDER

Border techniques need improvement

Border should compliment central design

Corner miters should be done carefully

Borders should be straight

Sashing inconsistent (not aligned)

BINDING

Binding techniques need improvement

Batting should fill binding completely

Corners should be stitched closed

Width of binding should be consistent

Fabric bias more appropriate than commercial bias

QUILTING

Quilting techniques need improvement

Density of quilting should be consistent over surface

Stitches should be of even length

Stitches should go all the way through

Beginning and ending of quilting threads should be invisible

Quilting design should enhance design

In the ditch quilting should stay in the ditch

Tension on quilting stitch should be even

It's Summer, here is a Tour of My Gardens

Jubliee

I love flowers! A psychedelic wonder with fragrance so sweet.

It is important to me that my art quilts suggest a meaning to the viewer rather than simply decorate walls. Underlying much of my work is the theme of wonderment for the workings of the earth.

Roses are Red

Flowers are a significant visual influence in my daily life. I can almost feel the warm summer sun and smell the fragrance of roses from my quilt garden. This is a glorious sensation.

Seattle Summer

Watching the goslings learn to fly is very fun! They run across the water until they nose dive into the water. Then do it again!

During the second year of their lives, Canada geese find a mate. They are monogamous, and most couples stay together all of their lives. If one dies, the other may find a new mate. The female lays from 2–9 eggs with an average of five and both parents protect the nest while the eggs incubate.

The incubation period, in which the female incubates while the male remains nearby, lasts for 24–28 days after laying. As the annual summer molt also takes place during the breeding season, the adults lose their flight feathers for 20–40 days, regaining flight at about the same time as their goslings start to fly.

As soon as the goslings hatch they are immediately capable of walking, swimming and finding their own food (a diet similar to the adult geese). Parents are often seen leading their goslings in a line, usually with one adult at the front, and the other at the back. While protecting their goslings, parents often violently chase away nearby creatures, from small blackbirds to lone humans that approach, after warning them by giving off a hissing sound and will then attack with bites and slaps of the wings if the threat does not retreat or has seized a gosling.

The offspring enter the fledging stage any time from 6 to 9 weeks of age. They do not leave their parents until after the spring migration, when they return to their birthplace.

Summer Garden Tour

I don't garden, but I love gardens. Here is one of my favorites.