Sew Stuff at Retreat

On a four day retreat you'd think I'd finish lots of stuff, but I'm here to tell you not so. I think, the laughing, eating got in the way of the sewing!

I did manage to start and finish a couple of small quilts for kids in crisis.
  

And add a few rows to this red, white and blue one.

Take a Class

Spent part of my retreat time taking a class at Quilted Straight, the wonderful quilt shop just down the road in Port Gamble.

 "Ink Workshop -The Crayon Thing".

This three hour class offers students a chance to experiment Crayola Crayons and Tsukeniko Inks on fabric. Learn techniques for applying each medium to create a soft “color book like” look as well as some basics on shading and establishing a light source. Discuss the pros, cons, and potential of both products. A kit including handouts, patterns, and fabric as well as use of crayons, inks, applicators, and markers will be provided.

You still have time to take it from instructor, Barb Schultz from Enchanted Valley Arts
Sunday, February 23, 1 pm to 4 pm

PS (Don't forget, I'll be there in April leading a couple of fast finishing classes).

It's Retreat Week

I spend a week every winter on a retreat. My definition of retreat is to sew with friends, no projects, no plan, just sew, eat, sew, visit and sew some more.

This is what the space looked like at the beginning and end, I forgot to take a picture in the middle, guess I was just too busy.

My Lucky View

We have Bald Eagle's in Western Washington. We have mating pair living on our little lake for a few years.   I can't believe I can sit in my studio and watch eagles out my window.  I know there is a nest up the lake, but despite it's size, I can't find it. Eagle's are found near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and old-growth trees for nesting. The Bald Eagle is an opportunistic feeder which subsists mainly on fish, which it swoops down and snatches from the water with its talons. It builds the largest nest of any North American bird and the largest tree nests ever recorded for any animal species, up to 13 ft deep, 8.2 ft wide, and 1 ton in weight.

Bald Eagles are not actually bald; the name derives from an older meaning of "white headed". The adult is mainly brown with a white head and tail. The sexes are identical in plumage, but females are larger than males. The beak is large and hooked. The plumage of the immature is brown.

Quilt Show

Something new for the year.

It's sunny in Seattle

On a sunny winter day, what's better that a trip to Chinatown for lunch  

and then a quick trip to a quilt shop? Nothing I can think of!

The West Seattle Fabric Company is a neighborhood quilt shop that is a creative haven for experienced and novice sewing enthusiasts alike. At West Seattle Fabric Company they believe sewing doesn’t have to be fussy, so go and see how much fun sewing can be!

Classes at Quilted Straight, Port Gamble WA

Sign up Now!

I'm pleased to announce that on Sunday, April 13^rd I,  will be teaching two fun and informative classes on how to finish your quilting projects easily and quickly, sharing loads of professional tips and secrets.

Quilt-As-You-Go; Joining the Blocks will show you several ways to machine-join already quilted
pieces (SO much easier than trying to fit a large quilt into your sewing machine!)

Super-Fast Piping and Binding
If you find binding your quilt too slow or just want to learn a few new ‘tricks of the trade’ then this is the class for you. Bindings and pipings are a snap with this no-fail, completely machine-stitched method.

My New Years Resolution - Learn New Things

Karen Kay Buckley's new Perfect Curved Scissors.  What is the benefit of the curved tip you might ask?  The benefit is that it allows you to clip close to your fabric without cutting into your quilt top.  These scissors are fabulous for clipping threads for machine quilting, machine applique and machine embroidery.  They have a serrated blade, a very comfortable handle, and a right or left hander can use them with ease.

Perfect Pins
I have never before worked with a pin that is this thin.  It is very, very skinny and very sharp.  You can see the size in the photograph.  Because the head on these pins is so small I find that I like to spill the pins onto a piece of felt, making it easier to pick them up. There are 50 pins in each little plastic tube.

The Power is Out

The newspaper says "High winds knocked out power Saturday to tens of thousands of electricity customers in Western Washington, and crews worked to get them back on line for residents hoping to watch the Seattle Seahawks playoff game against the New Orleans Saints."

I am not a football person, my husband listened to the game on the radio. For me it meant that there was no sewing machine, computer or lights. Fortunately the temperature was in the low forties, so the fire kept us warm.
I took the day off to read! Glorious!

Getting Organized in the New Year

The new year usually brings a bout of getting more organized so I can sew more efficiently. This year I am focusing on my sewing table.The right side just doesn't have enough room, I'm always knocking things in to the trash can that sits right next to the table. On a trip to Ikea I bought a small wooden shelf which my husband attached to the end of the table.

This is my view of the shelf from my chair.

  I liked that shelf so much, I went back to Ikea and bought another one to add to the end of the fabric cabinet. I also bought the metal baskets. I bought four, I wonder what I did with the other two? Handy little things, I think I'll look for them!

The view from my chair.

What's New (or new to me) -Thread

New colors of thread are always interesting. While I know I don't have the most fabric, I'm getting close to having the most thread. The last thing in the world I need is more thread. But when I saw the luscious  Isacord embroidery thread available in multicolor spools, I knew I just had to buy some. Now all I need is the perfect project to use them. Guess I better get sewing!

Pantone color of the year for 2014: Radiant Orchid

Emerald green is so 2013. Say hello to Radiant Orchid, Pantone's color of the year for 2014. In 2013 Emerald, served as a symbol of growth, renewal and prosperity, Radiant Orchid reaches across the color wheel to intrigue the eye and spark the imagination.  

An enchanting harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones, Radiant Orchid inspires confidence and emanates great joy, love and health. It is a captivating purple, one that draws you in with its beguiling charm.

Classes at QuiltWorks Northwest and Beads & Beyond

Stitching Through the Layers

Melody Crust 

All Skill Levels
NO Sewing Machine necessary
1:00-4:00 Feb 2

Based on her book, Stitching Through the Layers, The Art and Elegance of Straight Line Quilting, by local artist Melody Crust.

Register here for Stitching Through the Layers

re with Melody:

  

Joining the Blocks: Quilt As You Go Style   

10:30-1:30 Feb 1

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.

Super Fast Binding and Piping

2:00-5:00 Feb 1

Is binding the quilt your least favorite part? Tired of humdrum finishes? Come and learn piping and binding techniques to make your quilts stand out in a crowd. In class you will be making samples of finishing methods to take home and use on your own quilts. Bindings will never be boring again!

QuiltWorks Northwest
121A 107th Avenue NE
Bellevue, WA  98004-5911
Hours: 
M, W, F, Sa  10:00am - 6:00
Tu, Th  10:00am - 9:00
Sun  Noon - 5:00
Phone:     (425) 453 - 6005
Toll Free:     (877) 295 - 7222
http://www.quiltworksnw.com  

Happy New Year!

It's New Year's! Time to clink champagne glasses, let the confetti shower down and maybe even share a kiss when the clock strikes midnight.  Have you written your new year's resolutions yet? I have, sew more and agonize less!

Something New in My House

The short story is, we bought a new dishwasher, the old one leaked. I thought we just bought the old one but no, it was 14 years old. But this post isn't about the new dishwasher, I'm one of those people that thinks new appliances aren't fun.

The new dishwasher holds more dishes than the old one. I'm not sure how, but we run out of dinner plates before the thing is full. The idea of hand washing a couple to 'get by' doesn't enter my head. So I did the only sensible thing, bought more plates. I like my plain, round white ones, would have like square dishes just to be different. But I just couldn't resist the pretty, white ruffled ones.

More Old Quilts

I don't know anything about these quilts. Just loved the colors!

Merry Christmas to all

Happy Christmas to Me!

According to Wikipedia, "a handbag, also purse or pouch in American English, is a handled medium-to-large bag that is often fashionably designed, typically used by women, to hold personal items such as wallet/coins, keys, a mobile phone, books, a pen and paper, cosmetics and jewelry, a hairbrush, contraceptives, or pepper spray."

I just think they are fun! I bought myself a new one for Christmas.

The afternoon

Neiman Marcus.

I love how they display things in their store.

Of course all the bling caught my eye!

96th floor of the Hancock Building, Stunning view!

The Art Institute of Chicago

The Art Institute of Chicago had some wonderful exhibits.

The Thorne Rooms, 21 miniature rooms with 11 rooms dressed in holiday finery!

 


Art and Appetite: American Painting, Culture, and Cuisine   
   
Examine the many meanings and interpretations of eating in America through over 100 paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts from the 18th through the 20th century.

What is it? I thought maybe a head band? or neck piece?

Surprise, it's gloves!

After the Party, Chicago

View from my hotel window

I had planned to rent a car and drive to Dubuque to visit a friend, but minus 6 weather and 5" of snow put a stop to that! So instead I spent the day in downtown Chicago. The day I spent downtown it was a balmy 18! I was dressed warm enough, but I wasn't prepared for the slush. No boots!

What I really wanted was the image of the carving above the window of the building across the street, what I got was mostly snow!

Anne, me, Karen, Katheryn

Karen (a wonderful garment sewer) graciously asked me to join her and her mom and aunt for the day. Spent most of the day in The Art Institute of Chicago and Nieman's shopping. And an elevator ride to the 96th floor of the Hancock Building for a drink. Stunning view!

Saying good bye

Our days at the Creative were fun, but it came time to say good bye. Be sure to sign up for the BERNINA newsletter, or We All Sew blog.

Jeannine and Alice

The whole staff

Getting it together for a 'family' portrait

Still getting it together for a 'family' portrait

BERNINA

Sewing on new machines was a joy! Learning about the new generations of machines like the BERNINA 580. It has built-in embroidery function, BERNINA Stitch Regulator (BSR), high-resolution, modern touchscreen, versatile memory function, large stitch package and a wealth of built-in embroidery designs, and much more.

We made pillows. These are some examples of the pillows made by the BERNINA staff.