Color to the rescue

 

I needed a big shot of color today because rain poured, wind howled, and sky and bay were gray. I also needed to finish some quilt projects that have been hanging around too long, so I spent the day in the studio (finally) surrounded by bright colors.

View from our back deck early this afternoon.

First, I put the binding on this batik jelly roll quilt. It's been so long since I've done a traditional binding that I accidentally sewed it on backwards and didn't realize it until I was almost done. Instead of ripping it out (something else I rarely do), I just wrapped it to the front and held it down with a quick zigzag. I like it!

Our gutters were gushing, forming this little lake by the front porch, which segues into the next quilt I finished ...

 "House On the Water"

I started this one YEARS ago and was never happy with it, but now that I've pulled it out again I do like it. The only thing I added was some gold with this Krylon gold leaf pen:

It has a lot of hand embroidery, and I painted every inch of the fabric other than the gold mesh. I used layers of silk organza to create more depth. A lot of roofs out here in the Northwest are green from moss (or lichen? anyone know for sure?) where the sun never shines.

For some reason I didn't put a backing on it before I did the quilting -- maybe I was thinking I would wrap it around stretcher bars? So I did a pillowcase backing and slapped a label over the hole where I turned it right side out. Done! And now I feel a lot better.
 

I just linked this to Nina Marie's Off-the-Wall Fridays, where you can see what's been going on this week in other fiber artists' studios:  http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-november-blues-off-wall-friday.html

Have a colorful day

Heeeere's Freddy!

At Island Quilter with Kristin, me, Freddy, Janet and Karen.

I mentioned in my last post that I was on Vashon Island for a special event, and here it is -- meeting quilter and author extraordinaire FREDDY MORAN in person at the Island Quilter shop!

She was wearing her trademark big red glasses and had a big red tote and red nail polish, but otherwise she was dressed all in black and white. Her quilts were being exhibited through October, and it was one of the most colorful exhibits I've ever seen.

The most surprising thing I heard her say is that she didn't start quilting until she was 60 and she's now 83.

 

Freddy was there last week for a book signing and tea. I bought "Freddy & Gwen Collaborate Again," written with Gwen Marston, and naturally she signed it in RED. Her other two books are "Collaborative Quilts," also written with Gwen, and "Freddy's Houses."
 

Her quilting mantra is

RED IS A NEUTRAL.

She said she uses black and white to give the eye a place to rest.

Here are some examples:

Another tidbit she offered about her freewheeling style is: "If it's too big, cut it down. If it's too small, add something." You can see that in this lively basket quilt, with the detail below showing how some basket bottoms are cut off and others float on the background. 

She also uses a lot of polka dots, and she spent a lot of time at Island Quilter's excellent polka dot shelf:

She said this next quilt, "Little House In Big Woods" represents Gwen Marston's house, which is all by itself surrounded by woods on an island in a lake.


"Little House In Big Woods" by Freddy Moran

The backs are almost as much fun as the fronts. I'm showing the detail of this sun quilting on a backside because the fabric is called "Madison WI," which is where my son lives. (Not that he ever reads my blog.)

The rest of the photos are just eye candy. You can see more of the exhibit on my earlier post: http://sherriequilt.blogspot.com/2013/10/red-is-neutral-freddy-says.html
I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did.

The cash register was a busy place during the event.

Have a colorful day

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