Flying Plaids is Quilted!

I've been quilting this puppy off and on all summer.

Wish I'd used brown thread for the back.  Oh well.

I got pretty good at this design.

I made the top last summer, all out of thrift store shirt plaids.

Yahoo!

I'm celebrating with a new toy, recommended by Kathy Doughty.

Very fun!

A Day with Kathy Doughty and Friends in Portland

This weekend I got to spend a VERY fun day in Portland, Oregon, with Kathy Doughty and her crew from Material Obsession in Sydney, Australia!

Aren't they gorgeous?  Well, so are their quilts!  Their works are truly stand-outs in the international quilt-making scene.

Cath, Wendy, Kathy and Carolyn

They were on their way to Sisters, OR, to teach at Quilter's Affair.  

I hope many of you will be there taking Kathy's classes!

We started the day in their hotel room.  The minute I walked in and saw them working on their amazing creations, I felt like I was home.  I was so bowled over by all their works, that I took only a few photos.  

This quilt is called "Fractured."  The pattern is in Kathy's latest book, Making Quilts, the Promise of Joy.  She's teaching it at Sisters and in Syracuse, NY, at Quilting by the Lake in a few weeks.

NEWS FLASH--THE U.S. VERSION OF THE BOOK IS BEING RELEASED THIS WEEK!  

Their strong, deep friendship is so evident.  They clown around and laugh all the time.   

I gave them these little pin cushions to tie onto their sewing machines.  Immediately, they all began trying out ways to wear them.  Necklace?  Bracelet?  Headband? 

Then we went to the Pendleton Woolen Mills Store.  This company is very Oregon.  They began in 1909, weaving blankets to trade with the Native American people.  The store sells top quality wool yardage and blankets in original designs.  They have BINS of remnants and strips for sale by the pound, plus sale tables.

I found some woven plaid cottons on sale for $2.50 A YARD!  

I bought three quilt backs, plus some remnants.  

Next stop was the very cool Alberta Street for lunch and visits to 

Bolt Fabric Boutique and Modern Domestic, plus other cute shops and refreshments at a patio cafe.

Then off to Pittock Mansion for a view of the city and a walk through the gardens.  

It was a real joy to see Portland through their eyes.  They found inspiration everywhere--a green painted house, a patch of red flowers, the shape of a thistle...  

The day renewed my gratitude for this amazing quilting community that we all share, with friends in every corner of the globe, inspiring and shaping us as we express our lives through our quilts.

More Inspiration from "Down Under"

Wagga  60 x 72"

I've admired the Australian Waggas for a long time.  

So, with Making Quilts...the Promise of Joy in hand, it was time to make my own!  

Kathy Doughty shows her beautiful Wagga in the book, made with wool suitings and heavy cottons.  

Keeping with the "thrifty" nature of these quilts, I used only five fabrics.  

The red and camel plaids are wool blend scraps.

The center panel is an old pillow cover made of heavy upholstery cotton.  

The blue plaid is cotton flannel.  The floral patches are cut from an old linen tablecloth.  

It's kind of an ugly duckling, but I like it.  

Just right for sending with my man when he goes out to the bush.  

This will get wool batting, a flannel back and lots of perle cotton.  

Wishing you all good health, great inspiration and lots of time to create in 2013!

Material Obsession Inspiration

Wahoo!  Look what I got for Christmas.  It's Kathy Doughty's new book!  

A dear friend travelled to Australia last month to visit friends in Sydney.  

She's not a quilter, but I suggested she visit Material Obsession.   

Well, she did!  AND she bought the book!  AND she had Kathy sign it!

AND she gave it to me for Christmas!

Of course, I spent Christmas night reading it, cover to cover.  

The book is generous, courageous and absolutely inspiring--

just like Kathy herself.  

The next morning I walked into my sewing room and found this on the wall.  Blah.

So I grabbed the Dresdens I had made in a class with Kathy in Sisters, Oregon, a few summers ago.  

Wa-la!  Thank you, Kathy!

On the Design Wall

Here's what's on my design wall today.

It will take a while to evolve.

It's inspired by this quilt in Gwen Marston's Liberated String Quilts book, and one by Sarah Fielke in Material Obsession Two.  I'm using the templates from the MO2 book, but not the instructions.

Remember these?  (December 8)  I had made them for this quilt, but had lost my courage and tried to find an easier way out.  Nothing satisfied me, so I went back to the original plan.

Sisters Trip

Last week's trip to Sisters, Oregon was FULL of inspiration and excitement.  You asked for lots of photos, so here you go!

We left Seattle on Wednesday, and got there in time to see Bill Volckening talk about his quilt collection.  He showed MANY wonderful quilts.  This one is by Lucy Mingo of Gee's Bend.

This is one of his New York Beauties that I especially liked.  It appears to have been salvaged and repaired from a larger quilt.

Thursday morning we shopped at The Stitchin Post, and look who we saw!  Kathy Doughty from Material Obsession in Australia and her friend, Cheryl.  There's Tonya too.

In the afternoon, we had a class with seven of the Gee's Bend quilt makers.  From left to right:  (I've forgotten the first woman's name.  I think it was Rivla?)  Anyway, next is Mary Ann Pettway, Louisiana Bendolph, Stella Mae Pettway, Lucy Mingo, China Pettway and Ruth Kennedy.

After a bit of singing, we all got to work.   Stella Mae helped me make this. 

Look who else was in the class.  Janet Bolton from London!  She is a lovely woman.  I hope to take a class from her someday. 

This is where we ate and slept, all seven of us Rebels, very comfortably in a cabin that was larger than these.

With a beautiful creek just outside the window.

 Friday was the "Garden Party" class with Kathy Doughty of Material Obsession.  Here she is, helping me with my quilt.  She is amazingly talented, generous, fun and approachable.  Two of her Australian "posse" helped out, also extremely talented and friendly.  Oh, to be able to work with them more often!!  Below are some other quilts made in the class.

You can get the pattern for this quilt at the Material Obsession site.

Saturday was the quilt show, with 1,300 quilts all hung outside.  They say it's the largest outdoor quilt show in the world!

There were so many fabulous quilts.  I focused on the Gee's Bend ones to share here.

                                                        This one is by Stella Mae Pettway.

                                                  This one is by Mary Ann Pettway.

                                                     This one is by Rita Mae Pettway.

                                                              This one is by Ruth Kennedy.

Remember the block contest I entered?  Here are about half of the entries.


Mine is top left.

Here's the winner, well deserved!

One of the most impressive things about the Sisters Quilt Show is the community participation.  Everyone comes out to help.  Here are some girls selling water.

Here are the Gee's Bend gals, ready to sign books.  L to R:  Lucy Mingo, Ruth Kennedy, Stella Mae Pettway, China Pettway and Mary Ann Pettway.  I've been fortunate to have seen them four times, and it's always hard to say "good bye."  This time, I'm saying, "See you at your place next time!"



Then it was time to leave beautiful Sisters, Oregon.  Mountains like these stand all around.

On Sunday, Tonya and I got to play in my sewing room.  My neighbor, Shannon, brought over a kitten so Tonya could get her kitty fix.

 

Then we played with orphan blocks.  Gratitude is a fitting word for how I'm feeling about this great trip, the visit with Tonya, all the talented quilt makers out there, the Rebels gals, and you with whom to share it all!