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The day started with the Big Ben ringtone of my phone to wake me earlier than usual. I hoped to get an early start to the day, deciding late last night to drive back to the Quilters Anonymous Quilt Show at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe, Washington, about 90 minutes from my bluff. It was a long drive with snow and slush, but a quick stop for coffee and pastry helped fuel the drive. The drive was well worth it to go back and see this collection of quilts again, up close, and without any time constraints. And did I really join this guild in order to get in 'free'...well, maybe.

With my ballot in hand, I started at the back end of the new exhibit building and worked my way forward. I studied the quilts, and marked my ballots judiciously. I'm sharing just a few of the photos I took today. If you are in the Seattle area, I hope they will entice you to visit the show tomorrow. It is well worth it.

Well, if I thought I had seen it all, I had a big surprise. The featured quilter was Sally Laboeuf. Her work was rich in colors, and beautifully free form and "wonky." I loved all of her quilts.

I ended my visit with a tour around the perimeter of the building to 'shop' the vendors. There were my favorites and a few new shops. I headed for home with a good supply of new fabrics for projects here and there, and a pattern for a great jacket (someday), and a bit of this and that. I feel inspired by all the fiber art I saw today in this community of quilters.

It is a stormy Thursday here. I woke way too late after reading way too late last night. The day looked dark and windy, and wet. I went out to fill the bird feeders, scaring off a handful of sparrows and house finches, and just then the sun came from behind the layers of wet and gray and lit up the bluff. The ocean is churned with white peaks. It is a good day to be inside.

After making a sponge for sourdough bread and a cup of coffee, well, not in that order really, I headed in to the studio to continue the putting away bins of fabric.

The painter finished off the patched hole in the wall, so the last shelving unit could be moved into place. I wonder why I never thought to remove the closet doors before now. It opens the space even more. It took some doing, and many trips down the short hall to the grand boys' bedroom, schlepping the bins into and on the shelves. Most of it is moved. I think as I use the bins, I'll move them around for easier access, especially the colors I use frequently.

I took a short break for more coffee, and back to work on sorting 'bits'....these are designated less than 4" in length and a few inches in diameter, or less. The process is slow, but one I've wanted to do for a long time. I love how the bins look on the shelf. All the colors are visible, and within reach.

The space in here is working well. After living with carpeting in my space, the slickness of a hard surface surprises me. I do have to anchor the chair (with wheels) before I sit.

I got an unexpected invitation to attend another guild's pre-quilt show party this evening as a guest. It is a bit of a drive from here...maybe 90 minutes each way. But then, nothing is close by when you live on an island. It will be fun to get a peek at the quilts that will be in the Snohomish quilt show this weekend.

On my list to do today before I leave is to work on my fruit bowl collage. Once I get these bitty pieces glued on, I can move it to the design wall to work from.

Just home from a long weekend in Palm Desert, California where there are more palm trees than Starbucks...maybe. The temperature was warm, the sky blue, and flowers bloomed everywhere. My mission was a two-day workshop at one of two fabric stores in Palm Desert, Quilter's Faire. The owner, Debby, has an amazing sense of color and line, and her fabrics and displays are exciting.

On day 1 of the workshop, we worked on the Here2There pattern A's Strips. They had their fabrics already cut into strips, so we started with making 9-patch blocks, auditioning fabric choices and placement as we went along.

They tried splicing in bird photos and bits of fabric into the long strips of the columns.

On day 2 we worked on free form placemats, using the strips left from their A's Strips blocks from yesterday. It is a bit daunting to create without a pattern as a guide, but the students were willing and pleased with the results.

By mid day, each had a growing pile of scraps and strips left over from the projects to take home to use for another project.

And I left with a suitcase full of bright fabrics to take back to my studio.....

and warm memories of Palm Desert and Quilter's Faire. Thank you Debby, Zak, Alice, and Janet and everyone who made the workshop a success.

I hope it all fits inside the luggage!

Stacked on top are sample quilts for our patterns, quilts to show and share, pillows, totes, placemats, and Amy's hand collaged cards, and all of our patterns, not to mention all the necessary tools to teach two days of workshops.

My luggage and I will be flying to Ontario Airport...that would be two hours east of Los Angeles...on Friday morning, and from there 90 minutes to the desert. Debby of Quilter's Faire - www.quiltersfaire.com - invited me to help her celebrate her shop's 2nd birthday by doing workshops and demos. I will be teaching our popular first pattern, A's Strips, on Saturday, Feb. 18th at noon, and my free-form stripped scrappy placemats on Sunday, Feb. 19th at noon. In between I will be quilting (on a quilt we made from a jelly roll using the A's Strips pattern) using her Janome. But, the best part of the weekend will be meeting her customers.

So..if you are in the area, look for a huge white tent in the parking lot behind Starbucks on Gateway Drive in Palm Desert...come in and say hi!

The Quilter's Faire
34500 Gateway Drive Suite 110
Palm Desert CA 92211
760-3288769

I look up from my computer screen,and across the room I see a tumble of colors and swirls under my Juki. It is a variation of our pattern Orcas Swirls. I smile for two reasons....it is beautiful...and, almost finished. I'm sewing on the long binding, and then a few hours of hand stitching and it will be completed. Fortunately, the deadline for an upcoming quilt show was extended just long enough to get this completed and entered.

The LaConner Quilt Museum's Quilt Festival 2012 is in full swing this weekend. Two of our quilts were juried in, Orcas Swirls and Amy's Twelve2. I walked through the show last night and was in awe at the range and quality of the quilts on display. Come by if you are in the Seattle area.

Another happening in the area is the Stanwood Art Walk tonight, September 30, 5-8pm. All the shops in our little town will be open with a featured artist(s) in each place. Our quilts will be on display through the month of October at Snowgoose Bookstore in Stanwood.

Thank you to those of you who came by and said 'hi' at Art By the Bay last weekend. I always enjoy meeting you, and showing off our quilted pieces and talking about our
work. It was a good show in spite of the cool and wet weather.

Roger and I are getting ready for the show and sale in our home in just 8 days. If you are in the area I hope you will come by and see our beautiful quilted wall hangings and quilts displayed throughout the house. My studio will be open where you can see not only projects in progress on the design walls but a glimpse of my fabric stash.

This is one of Roger's latest series. It was recently featured in an art show at Creative Arts where he was the featured artist. His other works will be displayed as well. If you are a collector of his pieces, you will enjoy seeing his latest work.

The dates for our Quilt Art and Clay Show are July 22, 23, and 24 from 10 am. to 5 pm. Directions to our house are on Roger's website, www.camanoisland pottery.com

This weekend is the annual Art By the Bay art show at the Stanwood Fairgrounds - Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Amy and I have been busy finishing up projects for this show. We will have beautiful quilts, decorator pillows, quilted wall hangings, unique place mats, quilt patterns, quilted arty totes, and handmade collaged cards for sale. I finished this quilted tote just a few hours ago. Don't you love those oranges?

The other side of the tote has a very 'fishy' pocket.

We hope that if you are in the Seattle area, you will come by and see us, and enjoy the work of other local artists, eat some good food, and hear great music on the stage.

Come and see Here2There fiber art in person! We'll be showing a large number of works, many of them lap- and throw-sized quilts which we haven't even given sneak peeks of on the blog. This is a special event and a rare chance to see firsthand the magic of our collaboration. We hope you'll join us!

Thank you for the support and encouraging words from those of you who came by our booth last weekend at Art By the Bay on Camano Island in Washington, and especially those who braved the cold and rain on Sunday. We had the most colorful booth at the show. Our birdhouse placemats were a hit. In fact, we sold all of them and took special orders for others. Our pattern for A's Strips was popular for the quilters, and our quilted art totes found new homes. And I smiled when I saw someone walk by with one of our quilted coffee sleeves on their espresso drink....

This is our booth before it was set up,,,,10 feet by 10 feet, with a climbing rope hanging right in the middle.

Still not ready, but almost...these are some of our items we had on display.

Everyone commented about our soft colorful Dream Pillows.

Today, the day after, we are busy completing special orders and planning for the upcoming shows.

We have a table at the Pleasant Ridge Gallery At Rexville. We have our totes, placemats, quilted wall hangings, pillows, original hand made cards, and Amy's pen pouches for sale. The venue is a grange building, the largest one in the state of Washington. Maybe you don't know what a grange is, like me just a few years ago. A grange is a community center for those living in rural areas. If you live in the area, drop in and see our work in person. But hurry, the show ends this Sunday, the 19th of April.

This is a peek at our Crane quilt which I just finished quilting late last night. Amy designed the blocks. We worked a bit together getting it started, and then each worked separately to finish the blocks. It needs a binding, the final step in the process, and the one I love almost as much as quilting. I'll post a photo when it is finished.