Field trip! Gossypium, Kathy Doughty and threads

Some of the Woolies with quilt artist Kathy Doughty, lower right,
at Gossypium Quilt Shop in Issaquah, WA.

Some of the Woolies hit the road last week for a field trip to the Gossypium Quilt Shop in Issaquah, WA (near Seattle), to meet Australian quilt artist Kathy Doughty, who has just come out with a new book, "Mixing Quilt Elements -- A Modern Look at Color, Style and Design."

Kathy, signing her newest book.

The book is a feast for the eyes, with bright, wild colors and patterns as well as directions for a dozen pieced and appliquéd quilts and two magpie pillows. 

Kathy writes about her evolution as a quilter and the creative process.  I identified when she wrote, "Somewhere along the way I have become a quilter that likes to go slow, to savor the process. Handwork appeals to me as a way to sit quietly and listen to my thoughts." 

Over the past four or five years, I've savored the peacefulness of wool applique, embroidery and beading, away from the noise of the sewing machine. (But I still do some machine work.) The large hand quilting stitches in Kathy's piece above have inspired me to similarly quilt my current wool piece. I think she said she uses pearl cotton #12 for the quilting with an embroidery needle and a wool batting with no scrim.

Besides Kathy's fabulous quilts, Gossypium itself is a feast for the eyes, with a whole room devoted to Kaffe fabrics, a large wool selection and fun quilter gifts. Gossypium is the scientific name for cotton, and the airy light fixtures resemble cotton bolls.

I also discovered that the shop is featured in the current issue of Better Homes & Gardens Quilt Sampler of top shops around the country.

Here are some photos from inside the store.

Besides the book, I scooped up some more of my favorite new fabric line: Grunge with dots.

Then we went around the corner to Threadneedle Street, a small shop jam packed with thread. I zeroed in on the DMC pearl cotton #5, which I love for embroidery embellishment. 

My total haul is nicely color coordinated,

which always makes me happy.

We topped off our visit with a little stop at Ben & Jerry's for ice cream. Sadly, our choices weren't colorful. Happily, they tasted great!

Have a colorful day