Woolies color

It was a wonderful Woolies day yesterday, with so much color and inspiration and good company!

It started with Pam sharing all of her sewing case patterns and wool scraps so that we could each start a new project. 

Here are some of the ones she made -- I love her bright colors! (She dyes a lot of her own wool.)

They have room for everything -- needles, thread, scissors, pins, markers, chocolate.

Carolynn shared a Christmas table runner that she just finished with hand quilting. Beautiful work.

Mary showed her latest quilt top, a combination of wool and cotton.

Here's a closeup of one of the blocks:

And Donna finished her original seasonal houses. Here is the winter one, full of whimsey.

Look closely at the lace trim and you'll see the little white buttons with red polka dots -- just one of many special details. She is truly an artist.

Donna also brought each of us a little bundle of silk thread from her recent trip to China. The colors are lustrous and the thread feels really strong yet looks delicate.

Tomorrow I'll give you Mary's report on her craft tour of Ireland -- you won't want to miss it!

Have a colorful day

Emergency!

I survived two sewing emergencies this week with this one little candle mat project. First, I sewed the front (above) and the backing right sides together all around the scalloped edges. I forgot to cut a slit in the back for turning, but no problem. I took the scissors and snipped a little opening. Big problem! I cut the front.

So I appliqued a wool snowball right over that mistake. Onward.

I had the perfect wool/silk thread for embroidering a blanket stitch around the edge. Problem: I ran out halfway around. The nearest store that stocked that thread was the Quilted Strait in Port Gamble, 50 minutes away.

So first thing this morning I was on my way to my favorite quilt shop, where the sun was shining and I ran into two friends. And they had my thread in the right color.

Problem: Instead of just buying the thread for $5, this is what I came home with for $50. I'm sure you quilters can relate. But the fabric was all on sale, so that was good.

Port Gamble is always a fun little town to visit, and I ended up with a bagful of small Christmas gifts for friends and family before I hit the road for home.

Have a colorful day

Color in Spokane

I visited my daughter in Spokane the past few days and was treated to some dramatic sunsets. This was the view from my hotel room the first night! I just love sunsets, but we can't see them from our house.

The same view the next morning revealed fall colors and reflections in the Spokane River.

We took a gondola ride out over the river to see the Spokane Falls.

Julia looked fine at the outset of the ride, but she was really nervous. Our gondola rocked, shuddered and hung for a long time over the falls.

Downtown is much bigger than I had imagined, and it was bustling on the weekend with families, couples, dog walkers, people whizzing by on electric scooters and the usual buzzing of city energy. 

We stopped at my daughter's vintage shop in Chosen, a vintage mall downtown. She has a nice selection of wicker, baskets, Mexican clothing and rugs, macrame, brass, etc.

But the real fun in Spokane is snuggling with the rabbits. Here I am with Bunners, who will be 12 years old next month. She came into Julia's life when Julia was a teen-ager, and now Julia is 30 and Bunners is still with her.

Charlie has a face you just have to love! 

Bailey was very interested in the cupcake container ...

... from these vegan cupcakes that were to die for. Chocolate espresso for me and pumpkin chocolate chip for Julia.

We also ate at a few Thai restaurants.

One night I just had a spinach stuffed pretzel at Barnes and Noble's while we read magazines. I miss having a B&N near my house in Gig Harbor. When we lived in Illinois, we had a B&N and a Border's just a few minutes away and I spent almost every evening at them reading and having a drink and a snack.

Julia had some vintage quilts and a jacket that were interesting. She gave me the thrifted jacket from India because I love the kantha stitching. It'll fit me if I lose about 20 pounds. 

This pink and white quilt is all hand stitched and beautifully soft and puckered.

A friend gave her this thrifted pink tied quilt covered with applique bunnies, who each have their name embroidered beside them. I wish I knew the story behind it.

Mornings at the hotel were spent stitching a winter table topper, with each tree cut from a different piece of green wool. Naturally, we hit up a few quilt stores where I bought more trim for my wool applique and drooled over some of the new Christmas projects but forgot to get pictures.

The trip started and ended with a sunset. Here is the sky as I awaited takeoff at the airport. A nice way to end a great trip!

Have a colorful day

October color block

Here are the pictures for my October block. They're heavy on gold, orange and reddish-orange leaves, plus some brilliant blue skies as well as grey clouds and fog. And the ever-present green of the Northwest.

Here are the fabrics I pulled out to pick up the colors in the photos. I realized that I hardly have any red in my stash, and what I have is too red-red to use. I like red in other people's quilts, but for my own work it's usually too bold and feels too aggressive.

Here is the finished block, minus the red leaves. I used yellow-orange thread for the quilting because that color seemed to predominate this month. Onward to November!

 Have a colorful day

A fine fall day on the Nisqually River Delta

The Feet & Forks' latest adventure was a hike yesterday along the trails of the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge near Olympia, WA, in perfect fall weather.

I suggested that they each hide behind a big-leaf maple leaf for a photo, and when they lifted the leaves in place the sun magically shone through. The leaves of the Acer macrophyllum, also known as the big-leaf maple or Oregon maple, grow up to one foot in width and height.

The Nisqually River Delta is formed where the freshwater of the river combines with the saltwater of the Puget Sound to form an estuary rich in nutrients, supporting an incredible variety of animal and plant life. I recognized geese, seagulls, eagles, owls, swallows, buffleheads, ducks and a coyote. 

Most major estuaries in Washington have been filled, dredged or developed, but this one was set aside for wildlife in 1974. The estuary was restored in 2009 by removing dikes and reconnecting 762 acres with the tides of the Puget Sound.

The black spot to the upper right of the tree is an eagle that circled with two others before landing on the top branch.

A mile-long boardwalk allows visitors to walk out over the delicate tidelands and marshes.

Part of the boardwalk trail.

Lenticular clouds over Mt. Rainier.

The light gave us a soft, blue sky that morning, although by the end of the walk rain clouds were moving in and the birds became eerily silent. By the time we got to a restaurant for lunch, it was pouring buckets.

The official name of the area is the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. Billy Frank (1931-2014) was a Nisqually Indian, fisherman and civil rights leader. He dedicated his life to protecting and celebrating the traditions of native people and to ensuring that future generations were surrounded by abundant, healthy natural resources. I'm so grateful that his work and that of others gave us this treasure.

 Lunch was at McNamara's Pub in DuPont. 

Thai chicken flatbread for me.

Have a colorful day