more Portland Quilt Shops

Just a few blocks up the road I tracked down Bolt "the neighborhood Fabric Boutique", an exquisite shop with not a large selection of fabric but a very carefully chosen collection - Amy Butler, Westminsters - you get the picture. There were also Finnish Marimekko designs and other unusual fabrics. The patterns were lovely with garment and children's styles as well as the usual bags and aprons. I bought splashy lilac, turquoise and yellow prints to make a strip pieced hexagon quilt I've had in mind for some time but I want to use these lighter more modern fabrics rather than my rather grungy stash I attach photos of Bolt and my purchases but also want to mention another destination - Josephine's Dry Goods in downtown Portland on the corner of 11th and Washington, not far from Powells. Again Amy Butlers and similar types as well as silks, fine wools etc. The emphasis was on dressmaking and I wished I was living in Portland so I could attend some of their garment making classes.

Visit to Astoria

On a beautiful day we set off for Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia River, a lovely setting, lots old work buildings on the shore, clapboarded houses in pretty colours on the wooded slopes and downtown cafes and secondhand shops. To my surprise Alan pointe out a Jo-Ann's right there on the main street. Not as large as some but but I bought some cheap turquoise fabric for the back of my workshop quilt coming up. My husband is a star! After lunch he went off to the Maritime Museum while I went to the Flavell historic house, beautifully restored. There were two quilts upstairs, not original to the house and one a 1930's piece. I also squeezed in a quick visit to the airy Hmespun Quilt shop on 10th right by the river and bought fabric and a Lazy Angle ruler and a Wondercut ruler, the former I'd seen demonstrated on The Quilt Show and the latter I've read about a lot on Stashbusters. I just cannot resist those special rulers!

Downtown Portland

Our first venture beyond our immediate neighbourhood was downtown Portland on the tram where we took a self guided walk around some of the main buildings and along the river before ending up at Powells, world famous and huge bookshop. I liked the way new and secondhand books were interfiled so one could choose the cheaper volume. I managed about two and half bays of quilting books before saturation point was reached. I bought titles of historical interest including two books detailing Barbara Johannah's methods as I'm very interested in tracking back to the original sources of the quicker methods we all use today. I also bought Lois Hallock's "Creating your perfect quilting space" as I plan to remodel my sewing room and I'm going to a talk by her on Monday, I hope. I also bought Spike Gillespie's "Quilty as charged" a lively account of the world of quilting from, initially, an outsider's point of view. Great American Quilts Book 6 and Carol Fure's "Surprising designs from traditional quilt blocks". Anyway here is the quilting section at Powells and more of neighbour Mary's quilts.

Quilting in Portland, Oregon

Here I am houseswapping in Portland, Oregon in a lovely historic neighbourhood of turn of the century houses and tree lined streets. Our house here has been beautifully restored and furnished by the owners. Very comfortable and lots of nice things to look at including two cats. It's taken me a few days to get organised with uploading photos and blogging. The local church has loaned a very old Singer which is a bit of a struggle but it will be nice to complete a few of my Katharine Guerrier blocks while here. I was very disappointed it lacked a presser foot and the ankle and nut to attach it with but our neighbour from across the road arrived with a pretty box of tomatoes and herbs and of course she is a quilter too. We adjourned over the road where she lay her quilts on the bed for me to admire and photograph. I hope to get a set of prints done for her before I go. Then it was off to the sewing machine shop where parts were produced. Of the two versions I bought, one works, one doesn't. Now I'm puzzling how the 600E bobbin works - I can't see anywhere to wind it either. However I think a manual is available to view online. I have made a start with the bobbin already in there. After the sewing machine shop it was off to Fabric Depot a really big shop. I didn't buy anything as it was overwhelming but I shall return - they had lots of wadding including the green bottles variety which I want to try. I'll show more of my namesake's quilts in coming blogs.

Dragonflies Quilt Show 01

On Saturday I went to the Dragonflies Quilt Show in Deal, Kent. They have a lot of youngish members and the show reflected a certain joie de vivre. I met my friend to hand over her Little Gem but was a bit flustered so forgot to take a photo but judging from her quilts I chose the right one as quiltwise at least she's "in the pink". As I stood by the smaller one two people were exchanging nice comments about it - "pink and grey, unusual I must remember that and those 3D triangles are nice, aren't they." I thought so too!

Log Cabin Quilters meeting

At our meeting of the Log Cabin quilters Trish brought her completed mystery top, a lovely surprise as I'd forgotton which fabrics she'd used and the combination looked good. the completed Patchwork Party block is hers too while Mavis brought in the quilt made for a granddaughter using leftover pieces from her Houston Stars quilt.

Quilt collecting

The little A4 piece doubles my contemporary quilt collection though I have two older quilts. My other purchase was from Jennie Lewis's gallery at Festival of quilts last year. I'm not sure of the title but it's the theme of pretty maids all in a row from the old nursery rhyme about my namesake and Jennie is someone I've been on retreats with. It's on my sewing room wall.

Little Gems

At the Festival of Quilts which I attended last weekend the Quilters' Guild held a "Little Gems" tombola where you had the chance to win an A4 quiltlet donated in aid of the St Anthony's Quilt Centre and Museum. Someone I met had won four including a beautifully quilted, trapuntoed and corded one by Philippa Naylor. Mine was by Carol Mowat someone whose work I have noted at Quilt Shows. I also won one for friend Monica by Margaret Cooter, a presence on the British Quilt List. I'm going to deliver it to her today at The Dragonflies Show in Deal, Kent, UK. The organisers started with 1600 pieces and more came in as the show progressed; they were divided up into the four batches one for each day and all were gone by the end, a super way to raise money, enjoyed by makers and winners alike.

Block redone

The comment on the previous post hit the nail on the head. I thought about leaving it as a teaser but feel the quilt will be so OTT anyway in terms of fabrics, colours and variations in value as my lights range from medium to very light and the darks likewise from medium to very dark that further complications would just be annoying as well as confusing. So I've redone the block.

One step forward two back

Look at my latest KG block when set with earlier ones. Something is wrong.

Katherine Guerrier block

I made another Katherine Guerrier block partly as a leader ender while working on the U3A quilt.

Patchwork Party 03

I made my third PP party block yesterday afternoon - a slighly odd design which I changed slightly as the green and coral corner blocks should be in alternate positions but I decided to maintain the diagonal look.

Patchwork Party in the Log Cabin

We met in the log cabin yesterday and produced the blocks we've been working on, Alison's in pretty pastels, Trish's in purple and green, mine in orangy colours and Mavis's in green, green and more green!

Patchwork Party

Last week we met in the log cabin to cut out our next Patchwork Party block a real stinker! It was designed by Marti Michell for use with her tenplates and I have the basic set which makes things easier. Choosing fabrics was not so easy and I have enough rejects for a couple more blocks so lets hope these shapes repeat themselves later in the project. As for sewing I didn't have a plan except to do the four side centre squares but otherwise just kept going till it all went together. Now I like it and visit my sewing room to gloat.

Group Garden Party

This week I went to a garden party of a group I visit every other year or so to sew and work on charity projects which I set for them. So it was nice to be invited to a lovely lunch and share some time with them. They make friendship quilts and the lucky winner is pictured here with her quilt. Also we tried to decide whether the turquoise or fuchsia background was best with these super stars. I think the turquoise harmonises better but the vote seemed to go to the fuchsia pink.

U3A Cherrywood piece

I've made a start on combining the blocks the U3A novices made into a quilt and created problems for myself in the urge to "get on". I meant to quilt the blocks individually and join into horizontall rows with vertical sashing pieces and then join these with horizontal sashing but somewhere along the line forgot so I now have sashed squares and oblongs. I can manage quilt as you go but it will be tricky. I shall still use this method as the blocks will still be easier to quilt this way.

Longarming our raffle qult

Last night we went to Alison's of "Smart Frog" to take the Oast Quilters' raffle quilt to be longarmed. We chose pattern and thread and look forward to seeing the result. Once it's bound and been shown at the Oast Quilters' Open Day I'll post about it. Reactions to the top haven't been particularly enthusiastic but we like it very much. It's been very well made and is in classic country colours.

Quay Quilters' Quilt Show 02

I've spent the last three days wrapped up in our quilt show, setting up, enjoying all the visitors, a day in the kitchen and taking down and now at home storing stands and unpacking bags. Was it worth all the work and worry? YES! Lots of nice comments, getting to know members better and realising what super people they are as lots worked their socks off. We judge our show and the winner of the Silver Thimble was Valerie with a beautifully stitched blue sampler quilt, first was Vanessa with an amazing optical illusion quilt, second was me with my Christmas Silent Stars sampler and third was Mellony with a quilt of squares and appliqued 3-D silk flowers which also won Visitors' Choice. This year's winner of the Silver Thimble will judge the next show in two years time if we have one. We rely on free use of the hall as part of the Swale Festival.