Stitchin' Post, Sisters, Oregon

On Wednesday, April 4rd I taught The Art of Machine Quilting class to attendees at the Stitchin' Post in Sisters, Oregon.  It is always such a treat to come to Sisters during this time of year - one minute the sun is brightly shining, and the next minute it's snowing! 

On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, I taught a Waterdance class.  It was terrific being able to work with the gals for three full days on this pattern.  Everyone finished their quilt top in class - and one gal managed to complete two!

Awesome!!!!

One gal brought the Labyrinth she had started in an earlier class with me - Great Job, Mike!!!

I'm looking forward to returning to Sisters in July and participating in Quilter's Affair and the Outdoor Quilt Show on July 14th. 

Mid Valley Quilt Guild, Salem, Oregon

On March 28th, I had the opportunity to speak to the Mid Valley Quilt Guild located in Salem, Oregon.  There were about 135 attendees in the morning, and another 45 attendees during the evening program.  Lunch was at the original McGrath's in downtown Salem and was with a number of quilt guild members.  Two of those attendees were Gwen and JoAnn, who I have known and worked with for many, many years at Hewlett-Packard.  It was just great catching up with them.

After lunch, my hostess, Leola Flocker and I walked to Greenbaum's Quilted Forest - a great quilt shop I've wanted to visit for years.  The shop features a full line of batiks, lots of novelty prints, patterns, thread - just a lot of inspiration everywhere you look!  We then walked to Whitman's, a sewing machine and vacuum cleaner store.  Because of the sewing machines, they have a very good selection of threads available - always great to see!

In the evening, I drove to Dave and Leola's beautiful home.  They live on acreage in the rolling, wooded hills outside of Salem. Leola has the entire home decorated with quilts, and it was such a pleasure to sleep under a couple of beautiful quilts - what a gift!

On Thursday the 29th, I taught a Thread Painting class to a large group of guild attendees and Leola was my classroom helper - thanks SO MUCH for your help, Leola!



July 5, 2012
P.S.:  I've just received the following pictures from Dianne Nordyke.....congrats, Dianne, your heron is just terrific!!!  Thanks for sharing!!!

Country Keepsakes, Brookings, Oregon

On March 23 and 24, I was invited by Michelle Fallert, owner of a wonderful quilt shop called Country Keepsakes, to teach a two-day Thread Painting class.  Country Keepsakes is in the Southern Oregon coast town of Brookings. 

Michelle and her daughter, Laurie Mitts, opened their quilt store on June 8, 1988, making Country Keepsakes one of the oldest quilt shops in the state.  Situated on the main highway that runs through the center of town, the quilt shop is easy to get to and fun to shop at.  Their shop is so successful, in fact, that last year they expanded into the office space next door.  They now have a classroom in the back, along with the use of an adjacent events center for larger gatherings.  There is also a long arm quilting machine in the back that Michelle rents time on to those gals interested in quilting their own quilts.

One side of their herons.....

....and the other side!  Way to go, gals!!!

Country Keepsakes has a lot of stencils, books, and patterns.  They also have a large amount of threads, including cotton, metallic, rayon, invisible, and polyester.  They are open 10 to 5 Monday through Saturday, and are closed on Sundays.

The students in class spent two days working on their great Blue Herons - well, most were Herons....there was one Pink Flamingo that showed up in class!!  I always prefer teaching the Thread Painting class as a two-day class because it gives me the opportunity to talk at length about needles, threads, and hoops - very important topics when machine quilting.  Students then have another day and a half to work on their skills while creating the heron. 

Sightseeing along the scenic Oregon coast.

I'm returning to Country Keepsakes October 19 and 20, 2012 in order to teach a Nautilus class.  I'm really looking forward to returning to this beautiful part of the country again!!  Thanks, Michelle and Laurie!!!

The Quilter, Vancouver, Washington

On March 17th, I was at The Quilter in Vancouver, Washington teaching another Art of Machine Quilting class.  For as many times as I've taught this class in this area, I keep thinking that we'll run out of students, but they keep coming!!!

One of the reasons why I like teaching at The Quilter is because Bonnie Craig, the owner, has the full line of Hemingworth threads.  I love this thread for a number of reasons - it's a 40 wt. polyester, has over 500 colors in the line (and I want every one of them!), the plastic cover that fits over the top of the thread assures the thread will come off the cone correctly - regardless of whether the cone is placed horizontally or vertically.  It's always such a nice bonus when teaching a machine quilting class to be in a place that offers threads for sale if students want to try something different.  Bonnie is also kind enough to order large quantities of the machine embroidery hoop that I use when thread painting. 

I'll be back at The Quilter teaching another machine quilting class on Saturday, July 21 if you're in the area. 

Thanks again, Bonnie!

Northwest Quilters Guild, Portland, Oregon

On March 12th, I had the opportunity to speak to the members of the Northwest Quilters Guild at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Portland, Oregon.  They are a very active group with lots of community volunteer projects in the works.  They also put on a very successful quilt show annually that is very well attended.

The guild's president and other board members help during show-and-tell.

A great big THANK YOU to LoisMarie and the other members of the board who organized my visit.  I really appreciate it!

River Quilts, Camas, Washington

On Saturday, March 10th, I had the pleasure of teaching The Art of Machine Quilting to a group of enthusiastic women at River Quilts in Camas, Washington. 

Nancy Sullivan is the owner and very friendly proprietor of River Quilts. 

This bright, airy store has a lot of batiks, reproductions, novelty prints, and a wide range of patterns.

Nancy has a real knack for decorating her store!

 So, if you live in the Southwest Washington area, River Quilts is a wonderful addition to our fabric shopping options.  Nancy is also planning the second outdoor quilt show on August 3 and 4, 2012 in downtown Camas.  There were over 125 quilts on display last year and she's hoping to double the number this year - awesome!!  So, stay tuned for information about how you can enter a quilt or two into this year's show!