Evergreen Piecemakers, My Home Guild

It was really fun tonight presenting my new program, Blocks, Borders, Fabric, Oh My, for EP. I consider them to be my home guild. I have been a member for lots of years. Like most guilds their goal is to promote the art of quilting. And so much more. A safe place to share, learn and grow. If you don't belong to a guild I strongly suggest you join one.

Show and Tell

Triangle Free Quilt Blocks

Me and my scrap quilts, I love them all! Sometimes I find a block from a book and I just have to make it. And stopping at one just isn't my style. Triangle Free Quilts by Judy Hopkins has one of those blocks. It's on the cover, and I made lots!

Skip the fuss of working with triangles! These classic quilts start with shapes that are a snap to sew -- and they're absolutely, positively, completely triangle-free.

Gotta love the color!

Gig Harbor Quilters

A mug rug exchange! What a fun idea!

Today was my day to visit the Gig Harbor Quilters. Fun bunch of ladies! They meet at 1 p.m. the first Wednesday of the month at the Gig Harbor United Methodist Church, 7400 Pioneer Way, Gig Harbor Washington. Visit or join them if you are in Gig Harbor the first Wednesday of the month!
The Gig Harbor Quilters Guild promotes the interest and preservation of quilting. They accomplish this through fellowship programs featuring educational speakers and show and tell of projects. Members make and donate comfort quilts to cancer patients and pillowcases and blankets to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital. A quilt is made by the group and raffled to support programs.

“BLING MY BAG CONTEST!” You still have time!

“BLING MY BAG CONTEST!” is all about adding interest to your Two-Hour Tulip Purse. Entries due March 31, 2015.

I would love to see one of you win!

Check out the details! 

Remember that one purse has two sides! I decorated them differently!

Sewing & Stitcehry Expo - Puyallup

The Sewing and Stitchery Expo offers shopping and learning opportunities for the novice and experienced. Today is the last day for this year! It's wonderful as always. You know I visited all 480 booths. Two of my favorites are Superior Threads and QuiltWorks NW.

Just look at all that wonderful thread!

Washington State Fair and Events Center
110 9th Avenue Southwest
Puyallup, WA 98371

You still have time, Sew Expo is

Shoppers shopping.

open 8:30 AM to 4 PM today.

Admission is $14 at the door.

Contract is signed! International Quilt Festival

Joining the Blocks- Quilt As You Go Style

I'll be at the International Quilt Festival in Houston TX: Oct 26- Nov 1, 2015
Join me in my workshops: 

•  Joining the Blocks - Quilt As You Go Style  (By Popular Demand,  Offered THREE times)
• SuperFast Piping & Binding
• Fantastic Fabric Foiling
• Fun & Fancy – Make a Purse
• A Fine Line: Creating the Quilting Design
• Paint, Glorious Paint
• Borders –The Final Chapter



Fun & Fancy – Make a Purse

• Beads are a Blast!

 Web sign ups begin the middle of July: I'll keep you posted!

Sunset Arrives...

At the time of sunset, more light is piercing the atmosphere than at other times during the day. The heating process during the day has created a high number of particles in the air, which are able to scatter more light. We know that sunsets derive their red hues because the long wavelengths are the least scattered. The geography of Hawaii, tropical temperatures, humidity levels and a variety of other factors combine to give us the original palette we see as the sun sets.

And it's time to return home!

My Favorite Fabric Store

I know I said no more new fabric, but who could resist the best souvenirs?

Hawaiian Fabric.com, Dave Johnson is the man! The store carries lots of 100% cotton fabrics at great prices. See something wonderful on the web site? Shipping is cheap!

I also bought a lot of 100% cotton white-on-whites for dyeing. The photo's were awful! Stay tuned till dyeing time this summer.

3207 Martha Street, Honolulu
808-381-3909
email: hawaiianfabrics@gmail.com

The First Hawaiians; Native Plants

They came by air and by sea: seeds and spores that sailed on the ocean currents, drifted high in the atmosphere, and hitched rides with migratory birds. Once every 100,000 years, a new plant made a lucky landfall and established itself in the young, isolated Hawaiian Islands. And then, often, it evolved. When Polynesians arrived in Hawaii, they found an archipelago already teeming with a diverse native flora. These plants, many found nowhere else on earth, became part of the medicine, the worship, the knowledge and the everyday lives—in short, part of the culture—of Hawaii before Western contact.

About the Beach

Without Madam Pele, there would be no Hawaii and no beaches. Her epic jaunt from island to island spewing lava and creating new land sparked the raw beginnings of the Hawaiian Islands. Plants and animals found their way over time, and then man arrived, first by ancient canoes guided by the stars and later by ships using the latest technology of their day. All helped shape the land, including the countless beaches that entertain, delight and amaze longtime residents and visitors alike.

One of the things  love most about Hawaiian Beaches, is that they are all public beaches access across private land maybe limited, but the beach is public.

Where else in the world are wedding pictures taken next to bathing beauties?

Aloha Stadium Swap Meet

Just 20 minutes away from Waikiki, it is Hawaii’s largest open air flea market where the locals shop for the best deals in town. Open three days a week, hundreds of local merchants offer the best value on imported merchandise, hand made items, eclectic art pieces, popular local snacks, and other made in Hawaii products. 

Makapu'u Light House

Today we hiked the 2 miles to Makapu'u Light House.The trail offerd outstanding views of the southeastern coastliner. From the top, one is rewarded with magnificent views of the windward coast and offshore islets, as well as the historic red-roofed Makapu‘u Lighthouse built in 1909, which makes a stunning picture against the deep blue sea below. We saw a few humpback whales off in the distance.

A bunch of local girls, were having too much fun with their selfie stick!

“Gong Xi Fa Cai” Happy new Year!

Considered to be one of the most important and an auspicious festival, the Chinese New Year marks the beginning of a new lunar year. The Chinese population all over the world celebrates with fun and merry making and Honolulu is no exception.

To begin with, we went to the Beretania, Mun Fa Cultural Plaza and Maunakea Street- the center of  Chinese New Year celebrations.

We also found a great spot to watch the Chinese New Year parade, featuring the lion and dragon dance with the Chinese animal of the year accompanying it.

First Thing on the List? The Beach

Many Faces of Waikiki

Waikiki Beach is actually several beaches, each with its own personality. Duke Kahanamoku Beach, named after the famed Olympic swimmer, sits in front of the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach and Resort. A protective seawall makes it a safe swimming spot for families. Prince Kuhio Beach is usually crowded, but it’s another family-friendly locale. Lava walls enclose two shallow swimming ponds perfect for little swimmers. San Souci Beach is on the Diamond Head end of Waikiki, fronting Kapiolani Park. A few hotels share the sand, but most of it is undeveloped, and healthy reef is roughly 50 yards out, which makes it good snorkeling territory. This is a favorite of the locals, particularly students from the University of Hawaii. Its nickname is “dig me beach” because beachgoers come to see and be seen. The swimsuits tend to be a bit more abbreviated than on most other parts of Waikiki Beach.

Winter in Seattle

In a word, Seattle in the winter is 'Gray'. The last few years we made it a priority to find some place with blue skies, sunshine and warmth. This year we are back to Hawaii, Oahu to be specific.


The average winter temperature in Seattle is fairly mild, with January experiencing the coldest monthly temps -- the average high is 47 degrees F and the average low is 36. February is typically a few degrees warmer.  It only rains about 39" per year in Seattle, but it rains in drips and dabs most of the time.

Hawaii’s climate may represent the best the world has to offer, with shorts, a t-shirt and sandals appropriate year round. Some winter days do get cool, especially when it's windy and cloudy.  The rainfall yields lush tropical scenery, but is usually considerate enough to remain isolated and short lived.

All tourist areas of Oahu have great micro climates, especially Waikiki. When the East coast is experiencing bad weather, head to Waikiki and watch the clouds miraculously disappear, stopped by the mountain's.

Stitching Straight Lines

It's no secret I love quilting with straight lines. I'll be in Centennial CO next month to film a second time at The Quilt Show, with Ricky and Alex.

This blue tape contrasts nicely, for better vision.

My favorite way to mark is with masking tape. I'm not particular what kind of tape I use, just about the contrast. I do have one very important rule:
NEVER leave the tape on over night!
 
I prefer to stitch right next to the tape. I think I get a straighter line, and if I miss, I don't mind using a pair of tweezers and picking out the bits.









Others prefer to place the walking foot next to the tape.

Which ever works for you is the right one! Try them both, it's fun!

Lumi on Shark Tank Tonight

Lumi - Print Fabric With Light
A simple DIY alternative to screen-printing powered by sunlight.

 See the presentation on Shark Tank Tonight!

  

 Inkodye® is a photosensitive dye activated by sunlight or UV. It works on cotton, linen, silk, rayon, canvas, or any other natural and absorbent material. Once finished, the print is soft, permanent and can be machine washed without fading.

Piecing Half Square Triangles

It isn't my favorite thing to piece half square triangles. I know it is most accurate to piece on a foundation, but the truth be known, I hate to tear the paper away. So I do it an older, just as accurate way.

6" squares = 2" finished blocks. Use these measurements for any other sizes.

For eight 2" finished half square triangles, start with two pieces 6" squares of fabric, right sides together.
Draw lines from corner to corner. Sew 1/4" from both sides of the lines.

Cut on the drawn lines, and not moving the fabric cut vertically and horizontally too.

 You will end up with eight per 6" pair.

After pressing, one corner usually does not need to be trimmed.

I use a half square triangle ruler and trim two sides for perfect squares.

Perfect half square triangles.

Making Blocks

Retreat time is time for me to regroup and restart my brain. It is also time for me to look at other peoples books for ideas. I doodle on scrap paper to see what new ideas I can come up with.

I love this frame, now I just have to decide what to put in the middle.

I needed to see it in less scrappy, another color, right now! (Note it's pinned).

Retreat Time

Winter  is the time for my annual retreat with my friends. We all sew on our own projects (or not), This year we moved to a new spot, a friend joined us and lent her studio.

The view is spectacular!  

The fully stocked studio is almost 1200 square feet!

We moved right in!

Lots of fun, food and laughter was had by all!

Seattle - where the skies are beautiful ... sometimes

A Beautiful Sunrise - taken from my kitchen window.

Seattle and the Pacific Northwest generally have a wet climate, normal rain for our area is 37"per year.

It rains in Seattle at least 50% of the time, with the heaviest rain periods between January & May and between October & December. June, July and August are our dryest and warmest months.

Temperatures in the summer usually hover around a pleasant 75, though we also have been known to suffer through weeklong heat spells in the high 80s or low 90s.

In the winter, Seattle may see a handful of snow days per year: the last major snow event in Seattle was in 1997, when we were snowed in for a week with several inches. However, in the winter of 2006/2007, the Puget Sound area experienced a number of damaging winter storms, lowland snow, wind storms, and a weeks-long string of below-freezing days -- it remains to be seen whether this winter is an anomaly or part of a larger climatological shift caused by global warming.

Seattle summer climate tends more toward the dry than the humid -- we get occasional summer thunderstorms, but not many, and tornados are rare.

Here is the Ultimate Door Stop

I found out there is danger the big box hardware store! I went with a mission ... to buy new switch plates. Had my list, found what I needed. Just in passing there was this bin with bright colored twine. I mean neon colors I couldn't resist. I came home with $2 worth of this stuff and decided to create a weather proof door stop. It must be the rain!