Saturday, December 31, 2011

Dougan Falls Raffle Quilt

All three of my children have attended Washougal High School, and with Kimberly a senior this year, we are approaching the end of our involvement with the school.  My eldest son, Reid, started attending WHS in 1999.  His entry into the school couldn't have been at a worse time because that was the year a community school bond passed and a major remodel and upgrade started at WHS.  Reid still tells stories of leaking roofs, no heat, temporary classrooms crowded in the gym with plastic sheeting for "walls," dust everywhere, and continuously changing construction zones. 

After almost two years of construction though, it is a beautiful school that the community is very proud of.  In addition to adding and updating classrooms, they also added a state-of-the-art auditorium.  Named after the tireless and much loved WHS educator and administrator Gordon Washburn, the Washburn Performing Arts Auditorium is a true acoustic theatre that draws rave reviews from attendees.  Many a time I have sat in that auditorium and watched Reid, then Brice (my second son), and now Kimberly playing percussion instruments as a part of an ensemble or with one of the WHS bands (yes, that's right....all three of my children are percussionists....it's what I blame my deafness on!).

One of the traditions at the school is an all-night party for the graduating seniors.  After their graduation on June 9, 2012, the seniors will be put on a bus and taken to a secret location for an all-night drug-free party.  This party is not funded by the school or taxpayers, but rather by dedicated parents who tirelessly hold fundraising events.

In thinking about how much of my family life has been tied to the high school, I wanted to help raise money for the senior class party.  So, I decided to make a quilt.  I really wanted to make this quilt something specific to the Washougal area, so one day I drove up along the Washougal River and stopped at interesting sites and took pictures.  I ended up at Dougan Falls, which is a magnificent waterfall that you can usually hear before you get there.  I took lots of pictures and headed home.

"Dougan Falls" is the resulting quilt.  Measuring 45" long x 28" wide, I painted each element individually, then appliqued it onto the hand painted water fabric.  It was then heavily machine quilted with thread and cheese cloth couched on for added dimension. 

This quilt will be on display at various locations in the Washougal and Camas areas for the next several months.  You will be able to buy a raffle ticket for $5 each with all the proceeds going to the WHS Senior Class.  The drama department at WHS is putting on the play "The Quilters" in April and May, and during intermission on May 5th, a ticket will be drawn and a lucky winner will be announced.  So, I hope you'll participate and potentially win this quilt!

3 comments:

  1. This quilt is beautiful - Hope it makes an appearance at Folk School! I will bring raffle money...

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  2. Hi Cindy,

    I won't be able to bring the quilt, but I will have a few raffle tickets with me! See you soon!!

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  3. I love the quilt. Just wondering how you worked the water. I have a totally different quilt to finish and the water has me stumped. Would love to hear what you did.
    Thanks,
    Cindy Richard
    Cindyrquilts.com

    ReplyDelete