Halloween pumpkins on Vashon Island

Happy Halloween!

A few days ago, I took the ferry back to Vashon Island, WA, with some friends for a special event at Island Quilter. On the way, we passed these great carved pumpkins at the Vashon Island Coffee Roasterie, a local landmark.

Our lunch restaurant of choice, The Hardware Store, was closed, so we tried out Sporty's because we heard they had plate-size pancakes. They sure did. It looks sort of like a pumpkin:

My next post will be about the special event, but here's a teaser. Can you tell who was there? Check out my last post from Island Quilter for a clue: http://sherriequilt.blogspot.com/2013/10/red-is-neutral-freddy-says.html

Have a colorful day

An amble through Port Gamble

The Feet and Forks hit the road again yesterday, this time to explore the quaint, historic town of Port Gamble, WA. The highlight (for me and the other quilter) was the very colorful quilt shop, the Quilted Strait.

It's housed in a 105-year-old stable building, but it has plenty of contemporary offerings. Feast your eyes:

I'm definitely going back. Check out the website at www.quiltedstrait.com

This embroidered pillow at the shop leads right into the next photo of my friends and flowers. The town has beautiful blooms set against changing fall foliage and white picket fences.

Being located in wet western Washington, Port Gamble also has plenty of mushrooms. We took our traditional "feet" photo by this one:

This sign sums up the history of the town. (Click on it for a larger view.)

 

Great yarn store.

View from town.

You know I always take food photos, so here is the "forks" photo from this trip. I had a Portobello mushroom sandwich, sweet potato fries and a decadent flourless chocolate cake at the General Store and Cafe.
 

 Have a colorful day

 

"Red is a neutral," Freddy says



A few weeks ago, my husband and I took the ferry over to Vashon Island so I could visit Island Quilter and he could go to a wine tasting. Here's the view from the ferry line as we waited to get on and sail through that layer of fog. That's Vashon Island, above, poking out of the cloud.

And these two photos show Mt. Rainier towering above the morning water activity in Tacoma.

It got gray as we entered the fog bank, but once we got to the quilt shop there was this explosion of color:

 

Island Quilter on Vashon Island, WA

Do you see the mountain hanging above the fabric? Besides thousands of bolts of vivid color, Island Quilter has a different exhibit each month.

 

October's exhibit has dozens of quilts by the VERY colorful Freddy Moran, whose quilting mantra is:

"Red is a neutral."

 

Freddy Moran exhibit

I got permission to take photos and put them on the blog, so here is a glimpse of her fabulous work. You have until Oct. 31 to see them in person, and she's also scheduled to do a book signing at Island Quilter on Oct. 29. Check with the shop for details.

 

"Oklahoma Chickens" by Freddy Moran



I really liked "Oklahoma Chickens." The closer I looked, the more details I discovered.

"Around the Block" by Freddy Moran

"White Flower" by Freddy Moran

The exhibit is uninhibited delight! Here is what the shop's blog has to say about Freddy, in case you're not familiar with her:

"Freddy Moran has been producing her groundbreaking colorful quilts for the past 22 years. Her first quilting book, 'Freddy's House,' brought her fearless use of color to a wide audience and is still in demand. Since then she has written and co-authored several other books. Freddy travels and teaches extensively, challenging quilters to break the rules and do what works best for them. "

"Then Pony" by Freddy Moran

After the exhibit, we had lunch and wandered around the little business area. Vashon has a large community of artists, so there is plenty of local art and other interesting activities.

Then it was back on the ferry for a sunnier ride home.

Have a colorful day

Come to our quilt show!

Come to the Gig Harbor Quilt Show!

 

Friday and Saturday, Oct. 18-19

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

 

United Methodist Church

7400 Pioneer Way, Gig Harbor

 

Admission: Free

Today we hung quilts from our Gig Harbor Quilters guild for a show that opens tomorrow. In addition to our guild, there will be charity quilts from Pieces of Love, quilts made by inmates at the Washington Correctional Center for Women, quilts from the Gig Harbor Quilt Festival, which raises money to fight breast cancer, and Comfort Quilts made for local cancer patients.

Many hands made light work, and in less than 2 1/2 hours we cleared out all the chairs and tables from the large meeting room, assembled quilt racks and hung every quilt that was submitted.

In addition to our guild, there will be charity quilts from Pieces of Love, quilts made by inmates at the Washington Correctional Center for Women, and quilts from the Gig Harbor Quilt Festival, which raises money for breast cancer and Comfort Quilts made for local cancer patients.

Opportunity quilt to raise funds to help fight breast cancer.

When we stepped outside to leave, this is what greeted us: A nearly full moon in a dusty pale rose sky.

Have a colorful day