Catching Up

It's time to catch up and fess up. I've been mum for the last couple of months because I've had nothing to blog about. The longarm machine has been gathering dust, there are at least five large trash bags of denim jeans stored under the longarm table, the armoire of projects to be quilted is still full of the same projects that have been there since 2012! It’s not that I’ve been idle all summer…it’s just that I got caught up in a jam-making frenzy and, if you look at my earlier blogs, an upcycled denim bag frenzy. Combine the obsession I’ve had with making jam and denim bags with four trips to So Cal and two trips to Portland and you might begin to understand why I’ve had little time to sew this summer. At least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

I did do something this month that directly relates to quilting...the Northwest Quilt Expo! And, it had the same effect on me as it has the last three years. I left the show in awe of the beautiful quilts I saw and feeling a bit like a novice, actually a slacker-novice! We can all improve our skills by hard work and eventually attain technical proficiency to the point we might be considered excellent at our craft, but those handful of quilts each year that take my breath away go far beyond technical excellence and are in a category by themselves. They are truly original in their design and creative use of textiles and other materials (lots of metal this year, especially clock gears). They are not out of place hanging next to any other great work of art. I don’t think anyone would argue, they go well beyond “craft” and are an art form themselves.

This year was special because Sally flew to Portland for four days to fabric shop…I mean, attend the Quilt Expo. Actually, we did fabric shop, attend the event, fabric shop and fabric shop a bit more. We’d brought a wheelchair from home (thank you, Vera) to carry our packages and Sally and me, at times. Thanks to Cece’s friend, Joanie, we discovered a fabric treasure in Portland: Craft Warehouse. I am always so put-off by store names that include “warehouse” or “depot” and twice now I stand corrected. Craft Warehouse is a new favorite and in some ways even superior to Fabric Depot. Quilt shows always bring enthusiasts to town so local fabric merchants offer specials during the three-day event. The Craft Warehouse had a “truckload” of flat fold quilt fabrics for as low as $4 a yard. We thought we’d died and gone to heaven! 

I was exhausted by the end of Saturday and told Sally it was my turn to ride…

Actually, Verne was the pusher all weekend. He's a good man and never complained once about spending four days doing "quilt girl" stuff with us. You deserve a medal, Mr. Patience!