LaConner: Quilt Museum

Once my mom heard that there was a quilt museum within reach of the tulip festival, she really started looking forward to our tulip trip.

It was a gorgeous day and we were surprised at just how quickly we could drive to La Conner from the tulip fields. The La Conner Quilt and Textile Museum is located in a the 114-year-old Gaches Mansion. I love that their mission statement:

"The mission of the La Conner Quilt & Textile Museum is to present exhibitions and educational programs in all fiber arts that enrich and inspire, honor cultural traditions, and celebrate the creative spirit." - La Conner Quilt & Textile Museum

The temporary exhibit on display when we visited all sewn by Donna Hanson Eines. Needless to say, she has an eye for color and pattern. It takes a special kind of person to spend this many hours handcrafting an heirloom.

There were two other quilts that spoke to me as we wandered from floor to floor. The first was a small piece made entirely from the silk ribbons that were wrapped around boxes of cigars in the late 1800's. Someone thought the colors and lettering looked beautiful together and sewed the ribbons into a quilt, of sorts. An early example of upcycling, wouldn't you say?

And this wonderful example of a crazy quilt (below). It was made (prior to her marriage and move out West) by Annie Pickens and her friends in Little Ferry, NJ in 1885. I bet they found hours of delight talking and sewing together. Would have really liked participating in a sewing bee, knowing that for a certain period of time every week I'd be with my friends and neighbors working on a craft together.

The Gaches Mansion was finished in 1891 and has a staircase that I want to show you. 

Each flight of stairs is separated by a wall. The servants used the stairwell on the left. If you look closely, you'll notice that the staircase for the family has smaller, closer steps to accommodate a grateful gait. The servant steps are father apart and are made for hustling up and down in a hurry.

We really enjoyed our time in the La Conner Quilt and Textile Museum. They have a wonderful gift shop (look for the Rebecca Barker Quiltscapes greeting cards - they are beautiful!) and even sell a few old quilts and pieces of lace and piecework. Then walk across the street and admire the Butterfly Garden.

Sewing and Stitchery Expo 2016

I was so happy that I could attend the famed Sewing and Stitchery Expo in Puyallup, Washington this year. I vividly remember standing in my living room in Michigan, half watching an episode of Sewing with Nancy when a segment started from the middle of a huge sewing convention. 

I was just starting to wonder where a big event like that would be held, when Nancy said that she was south of Seattle! Dan had just started travelling there for work and I couldn't believe my luck. Fast forward 18 months and now I'm living in Seattle and able to attend the show. 

You just don't know where life will take you.

I have to open my description of the show by stating that is the vendors and classes are primarily for those that make quilts and sew apparel. I do neither, so I am not necessarily the target demographic for the show. I had a great time just the same! I was so impressed with the skill and intricacies of the quilts on display.

Can you believe what you're seeing? This is a dollhouse made completely of fabric and embroidery! The artist at My Fair Lady sells the pattern to make this entire house on a sewing machine embroidery hoop. That kind of vision should be applauded.

The most exciting part of the show for me was the color. For example, look that this magnificent selection of embroidery thread from Floriani. I could see myself asking Santa for this, can't you?

I attended the show with two new friends from Seattle (they can sew...for real!) and I let them decide how we spent our time. One lecture was about using different types of stabilizer in machine embroidery. The lecture was given by a rep for Floriani out of Boston and though the talk could have been as dull as stabilizer itself, she held our attention completely. Good job!

I want to call attention to American Made Brand, a Seattle-based company that produces solid cotton fabrics "sourced and manufactured in the United States." In what I think is a terrific marketing move, they handed out small sample stacks of their cotton colors to interested attendees. It puts their color and quality right in the public's hands and I am sure that it helped to attract new customers. 

I spread out the sample pieces so that you could see for yourself. I think I might sew these into something wonderful for a dollhouse - I love small squares of fabric and it would be fun to make a lasting memory from my first sewing expo. I won't get to it until I've moved from our apartment, but someday...

I couldn't resist buying some fabric - a print of houses (7th from left) by Brandon Mably called "Shanty Town." I bought the color way you see here (Bright) and the same print in more of a seashell pastel. Someday they will be placemats in my house. Do you have a stack of fabric and a someday list too?

My heart skipped a beat when I saw these interesting fabric flowers in the Terial Arts booth. This is the kind of project I would make - absolutely! I was hoping to see even more items/projects like this at the sewing expo. Using beautiful fabrics in an unexpected way intrigues me.

If you put aside the shopping, the Sewing and Stitchery Expo has enough lectures, free classes and paid seminars that it could stand alone as a teaching event. The number of classes offered is staggering. The breadth of topics is impressive. I read the entire course offering in the pre-released catalog (available online and in Seattle-area sewing shops) weeks before the expo and determined that I needed to learn more before about basic construction before I could benefit from the classes. I also need to spend more time with my serger (which is currently in Michigan) before a lot of the tips and tricks will make sense.

That being said, my friend Judy and I did attend one paid seminar. Michelle Paganini of Paganoonoo offered an hour long explanation called Upcycle Sewing on how to convert multiple tag sale shirts into a funky shirt-dress for a woman.

Michelle had a booth at the show and sold her patterns to walk skilled home sewers through the deconstruction and revitalization of thrift store finds. Her enthusiasm for upcycling was contagious.

The Sewing and Stitchery Expo was a great show. If you are within reach of Seattle next February and you love quilting and/or garment construction, this is the show for you.

Maker Spaces: My Patchwork Quilt Takes Shape in Seattle

I had so much fun Sewing in Seattle.  I like to make things (sew, bake, knit, buy, try) and when I knew that I would be spending a month in a hotel in Seattle, I wondered how I would adjust to having no sewing machine, serger or any of my crafting tools.  I could pack my knitting needles, but how many scarves can a girl wear? (Read my post about why I only knit scarves.)

When I had been on location about 2 weeks, I bought some beautiful stretch knit fabric and started hand-sewing it into a scarf one morning while I had coffee in the hotel lobby/dining room. 

My husband saw me making little to no progress over the course of breakfast and said, "This is ridiculous. There has to be a place where you can borrow a sewing machine."  He started Googling on his phone and sure enough, he found several places for me to contact.  Maker Spaces. Have you heard of them?

A maker space a workshop-style location filled with the machines and supplies needed for specialized creating.  In this case, I needed a maker space for sewing. I paid $10/hr to use the iron, measuring grids, rotary cutters and sewing machines.

I haven't found the perfect sewing maker space for me just yet, but I did visit a couple and was able to start making myself what I call a Reading Quilt (you can see the beginnings of it above). 

I wanted something that was: beautiful, portable, cozy and offered warmth when relaxing.  My favorite thing about a large patch quilt is that the fabrics have a chance to speak for themselves.  It isn't the tiny pieces and intricate stitches that capture your interest, it's the colors and patterns. I bought these gorgeous fabrics (from many different collections) at the Fabric Depot in Portland.  My quilt will be my souvenir from Portland, one that will last a lifetime.

As I worked on my quilt, I talked about it, and one of my new friends stepped in and loaned me her sewing machine! Can you believe it? The nicest thing a girl can do is lend her sewing machine to a friend who wants to sew. I designed this quilt to be patchwork on both sides and I will insert a blanket-style batting and finish it when I am back in Michigan.

When I return to Seattle this fall, I'll explore some other maker spaces I found. I want to take some basic sewing classes for fun and camaraderie, as well as create something unique at a high skill maker space.

I found one called Metrix Create that offers 3-D printing, heavy duty sewing machines (sturdy enough for leather and vinyl projects), large-scale knitting machines, lamination and grommeting tools, plus so much more. If you don't have the skills required to operate the machines, you can pay skilled labor by the hour to create your design. I was given a tour and it was so exciting. I have been trying to think of the perfect project to undertake. My mind whirls when I am in such a creative space. This was meant to be!

Patchwork Sail

"If you're shipwrecked on an island..."  How many of us have heard that conversation starter?  The point of the question is to learn about the person; to see into their heart and find out what is important to them.

When I saw this small boat in a quilting shop in Shipshewana, filled to the brim with fabric, I immediately thought of the "stranded on a desert island" riddle.  Yes, this amount of fabric would just about do it.  I could make a patchwork sail and find my way back to civilization.  Or I could settle in and make a shabby chic beach tent.  

I started thinking about it and I would also need some : candy, music, cook books, lip stick, yarn and needles, my camera, a few Rosamunde Pilcher novels...

Dollhouse Quilt

I think antique quilts are works of art. I love to have a quilt hanging on the wall as a decorating element in the house.

So naturally, my dollhouse needed one too! I have a sweet pink & white "guest room" where the grandmother doll lives and I made her this quilt to hang on the wall. It makes the pink and white bedding (with ruffle pillows!) look complete.

Do you know a little girl who would like a quilt for her dollhouse? Take a piece of white adhesive-backed stiffened felt (available at craft stores), cut it to the size of quilt you would like. Cut out a few 2 x 2 inch pieces of print fabric to have color and pattern in the background. Then cut out small squares and triangles of coordinating fabrics. On the table next to you, arrange the pieces in layers until you like the design. Starting at the lowest layer (larger background pieces), stick the pieces onto the sticky side of the stiffened adhesive-backed felt. Build up the design from there using fabric glue (I like Sobo). Glue white (or color appropriate) seam binding tape to make a finished edge. Use clothes pins to hold the seam binding tape in place as the glue dries.

Voila! You've made a mini-masterpiece!

Mirror Image

For years, designers have been using mirrors to make small rooms look larger. Occasionally, I like to use mirrors to make a dull room more interesting.

I love the look of antique quilts hung on the wall as art. This mustard and cream quilt is a beautiful example of the pattern called "Drunkard's Path" (hence the wobbling). One day I realized how neat it would look to have the quilt pattern reflected on the table. Enter a simple square mirror and a sushi bowl full of dahlias. The effect was stunning.

Spaced & Placed

I whipped up a few simple pillows on the sewing machine this weekend and as I was hand-stitching them closed, I started thinking about quilts. Quilting is so precise - each stitch is meticulously spaced and placed. I took this photograph of a quilt square one day as the sun was going down - the angle of the light brought out every stitch.

I wanted to tell you about region in northern Indiana's Amish country that offer tours of "Quilt Gardens." I saw it mentioned in Midwest Living magazine and I have it on my list of places I want to visit. Plots of dirt planted with flowers to mimic famous quilt patterns! So interesting, I thought you would enjoy taking a peek.

Wish List

I could look at this photograph all day. In fact, I may make it into a DELIGHT tote so that I can take it with me wherever I go! In the background you can see my favorite quilt - it is blue, green, pink and cream print stars. 

My Mom has an antique quilt collection and I get to borrow them to decorate my house, which I love. Do you see my new rose? 

It is called Honey Dijon and is a dusty dull yellow brown - so cool! I looked everywhere for this variety last year and actually yelped when I found one in stock 2 weeks ago. 

Do you have a rose wish list?