Sewtopia Wrap Up

Final post of the fun we had in Seattle.

Sewtopia Seattle had two swaps this year, a general blind swap, and a super secret swap with a named attendee.  I participated in both.  For the blind swap I made a zippered selvage bag and put a bunch of sewing goodies, mini charms and thread, a selvage coaster, and some treats.  I was the very lucky recipient of an amazing bag.

Isn't it gorgeous?  It is quite large, with leather straps and an inner pocket with a zipper.  I love it.  My bad memory of names leads me to guess this was by a Kathy...so terrible I can't be sure, but I recognized her from previous events.  Many thanks!!

For the secret swap, we left each other little things for the first two days, then the reveal was on the third day.  I was again the recipient of a very generous swapper.  

There was tea, treats, a teacup, tea towel, quilted tote with handles, ruler, thread, notepad, ruler, and the beautiful pillow with sewing machine.  Kathryn from Calgary is a talented maker herself and I appreciate all her time and care in the swap, just awed at the effort!

As I mentioned before, for the blind swap I made a Snap Bag and filled it with sewing goods, a pattern, fabric, and other treats.  Somehow, at stupid o'clock when I was packing, I never got a photo of it.  My partner, Jill, was very sweet in her appreciation of my gift.

Shop Hop finds were fun too.  I bought a bunch of fat quarters for our game night, which were all lost, haha, but I did make it home with plenty of fabric, including the swag bag from Sewtopia. 

Missing from this photo is another length of a Christmas print from Quilting Mayhem, and a length of solid fabric from Dry Goods.  

Our last day in Seattle, my sister and I were glad to have the afternoon to sightsee before our 7 pm flight.  We luckily were able to check out but leave our luggage with another attendee who was staying another night.  We took another Uber to the Space Needle area, first exploring the grounds and perusing all the eating places at The Armory.  

Kathy posing with another enourmous totem pole. The people watching was great while we enjoyed a stone fired pizza. The Children's Museum is below the Armory and it was fun to see all the kids.  We bought our passes and rode up the Space Needle with the crowd. 

The sky was gray and dramatic and I liked the contrast with the fall leaves on the trees lining the streets far below the tall buildings.

Lots of folks were posing on the revolving glass floor.  It was entertaining to watch :)  The Seattle Eye is there in middle at the edge of the water. 

I caught a seaplane flying low as the sun hid behind the clouds.  Too soon, we took the elevator down, perused the gift shop but did not buy anything, and made our way to the Chihuly exhibit and gardens.  Dale Chihuly is a famous Seattle glass artist who works in a team approach to making all his glassworks, which are displayed all over the world.  I'll  share just a few favorites of the many I photos I took!  I really loved the garden the most, with the dramatic plantings chosen to go along with the glass art. 

 Sort of a forest with all different shapes of glass.  The spires were about 8-10 feet tall.

This boat he found washed up on shore was filled with huge glass spheres.  The reflective black manganese floor is very unique.

As you exited the gallery, this large spray of glass shapes greeted you. 

Different glass shapes among plantings at the base of the Space Needle.

I loved this enormous bouquet of glass shapes wiggling atop the mound of Black Mondo Grass contrasting with the striking bright green tips of the bushes at the base.  Very dramatic!  Before we headed back to the hotel, we watched a live demo of glass blowing taking place alongside the gallery.  Three women were creating a vessel.  So many steps are involved, all of which can result in a collapse of the hot glass.  We had a terrific time in Seattle and with all the Sewtopia ladies.  Next November's Sewtopia will be in Orlando, Florida!  I've never been there, either!

Design Wall Monday: Seattle Sewtopia--What I Worked On

On my design wall is what I worked on at Sewtopia. See more design walls on Judy's Small Quilts and Doll Quilts blog. 

It was hard to make my choices for Sewtopia this year--the two previous events I worked solely on one project at a time.   I finally settled on three different options for Seattle: blocks to assemble, a child's dress, and a paper piecing project. 

Having recently finished all the individual blocks for Beach Cottage (Kim Brackett design), I brought them along to assemble into sets of four and play rearrange.  Having a design wall is a luxury for me--no space in my converted family room!  I stacked up the rows to assemble at home, and got to cutting out the dress for my daughter's best friend's little girl, who turns two this week.  It had been a long time since I sewed for a little girl.

New Look pattern, size 2.  I chose View A with the darling ruffle on the straps and hem. Of course, it was the view with the most pieces and pages of instruction :)  Cutting out went fairly smooth, but the bodice was pretty fussy, the ruffle being extended beyond the yoke and requiring a lot of stay stitching, clipping and pivoting, and lots and lots of pinning! I resorted to hand basting at one point. Laying the bodice aside,  I assembled the skirt including the pockets and bottom ruffle before stopping for the night.   

It wasn't hard, only time consuming, to gather the skirt and stitch to the bodice.  Having sewn many clothes for my girls growing up, I used my favorite method of stitching the gathering rows at 4/8" and 6/8", leaving the 5/8" seam allowance to be easily sewn between the gathering lines.  This makes pulling out the basting easy too.

I stopped at this point, with the zipper and lining finish left to complete at home.

My final project was the Mt. Hood  pattern by Violet Craft, who was actually sitting at the table next to us working on a new pattern!  She came to our guild last year and I got a small portion of the wallhanging done.  I didn't bother her, but had my seatmate help me when I got stuck--every five minutes!  I find paper piecing very difficult with its inside out and backwards fabric placement.  I had to rip out several sections more than once, especially after I sewed two sections together on the trimming line NOT the stitching line, making the moon wonky. 

My sister had bought me a set of Add A Quarter rulers.  The rulers are so helpful with trimming.  Hopefully I will not wait another six months before touching this again. I sure hope I have enough of the sky fabrics since I wasted some with my mistakes, yikes.  

Many others were working on making bags, Christmas quilts, lots and lots of blocks were being stitched, and there were plenty of design walls, cutting tables, and ironing stations in use.  So many repeat attendees were  present, a whole contingent from Canada, and from all over the US.  Next November's location was announced as Orlando, Florida.  The events sell out almost instantly, I think the Las Vegas one next spring took 4 minutes! 

Seattle Sewtopia

Wow, sorry for the lengthy unexpected break!  I was very busy these last few weeks--prepping to go to Sewtopia kept me busy for many hours leading up to the trip, and returning to work just as busy afterward.  My sister and I left on 11/6 and finally made it home in the wee hours of 11/11.  Prior to leaving, I stayed up until stupid o'clock doing final packing and searching for missing items.  I did not find the extra blades for my Olfa cutter until today!  I also now noticed that I have no photos of the gifts I made for my swap partners--though I was sure I took some..

I joined the Michael Miller Challenge again this year for Sewtopia.  I showed the unfinished basket quilt I made on my previous post, Fall Picnic Quilt from APQ magazine.  There were many hours spent quilting this approximately 25" quilt, the first pic is before quilting.  

  After ditch stitching, I marked the Xs through the outer border squares, then worked on the basket. 

 I was happy with the texture the quilting stitch gave the basket.  The handles and orange stripes got extra details too.

 This was a preset specialty stitch I elongated and widened to max.  I think it gave a nice touch. 

There was plenty of material left to make a nice pieced back.  I really liked this year's fabrics better than last year's (which I altered by stripping color).  Though my quilt did not win any of the prizes (very stiff and uber talented competition!), people did like it.  Next year we will have a different sponsor for the challenge.  

Our first day in Seattle was spent on a bus tour to two quilt shops.  The first was in Snohomish, Washington.  I was so glad the weather had not washed away all the fall color.  Our hotel was downtown and there were lots of great views from the bus. 

 Loved this colorful tall building.  The green electric bikes were available for rent all over the area.

Lots of construction going on downtown--including a new convention center right next to our hotel--but this Cell tower with branches was huge and interesting. 

 I had to really zoom in to get these window washers, many floors above ground level. Loved all the details on the old buildings still in use. 

On the slow crawl out to Snohomish, there was time to capture the famous houseboats on the lake, which I'm told are multi-million dollar homes. 

Our destination was Quilting Mayhem.

This is a very large shop with classrooms, sewing machine and longarm sales, and lots and lots of fabric.  The staff were well-prepared for us and moved as quickly as they could at cutting tables and registers.  There was time for lunch after fondling fabric and we strolled through this 150 year old town.  

This 1800s home was being eaten by ivy and brambles, but many others were in beautiful shape. the shingles on teh eaves matched the quilting on my picnic basket :)  The drive back to Seattle passed again through many acres of large farms, including Christmas Trees and cows, and harvested pumpkin fields. We headed to the Pioneer Square area of Seattle to shop at  very modern maker's shop, Dry Goods Design, near the Ferry terminal.  After a bit of shopping, Kathy and I wandered through public areas, enjoying the day. 

Such a pretty area to sit and read or rest.

Pioneer Square had lots of shops and restaurants, and large public areas for strolling, sitting, and playing.

 There were ping pong tables and playground equipment near these huge totem poles.

Skyscraper views, too...

Upon return to our hotel, it was time to check-in and get our sewing stations set up.  Let the sewing begin, in Jammies!

We had the whole second floor to ourselves, which was very nice.  We didn't last until the 12:00 midnight closing time, though, too tired!  I'll show projects I worked on in the next post.

Design Wall Monday--Churn Dash Baby Quilt Finish

Design Wall Monday with a finish to share.  See more Design Walls on Judy's Small Quilts and Doll Quilts Blog. 

I finished the quilting a couple of days before the baby shower for my niece by marriage, but got the binding on the night prior to the event.  I decided at a late-night hour to hand stitch the binding down, which I seldom do.  I almost went blind sewing with black thread on black fabric (!) and had to stop and go to bed before the last side was done. 

I finished it up the next morning before we had to leave to help our son-in-law with the boys at soccer--he was tasked with bringing the team banner and the halftime orange slices as well as getting the boys ready and at the field on time.  Mama left for work early as she was going to the baby shower too. 

It was a gorgeous day in Ojai, though hot, and we all sought shade and plenty of liquid refreshment.  The shower at a winery was lovely and elegant, with delicious food, fun games, and plenty of dessert choices.  Three sets of sisters are in this photo--four cousins and two great-aunties of the coming baby :)  So glad all could make it.

The beautiful Mama-to-be with the quilt.  I included a gift for the new daddy to play with until baby is old enough--a toy workbench.  He showed up toward the end of the shower and obligingly took a selfie with us. 

A few more weeks until due date, but I think they very ready to meet Baby E, especially Mama, who has been taken off work to rest due to some early contractions.  

Now I'm in full Sewtopia prep mode for the week, finishing off the challenge project and getting things set aside to bring and pack.  Meanwhile, we watch and wait for more fire news here in SoCalif.  Tis the season...

Lastly, a birthday shout-out to my best friend Toni.  Have a lovely day!

Design Wall Monday--10/21/19

Another week to see more Design Wall lovelies--check them out on Judy's Small Quilts and Doll Quilts. 

I spent more time with the baby quilt for my grand-nephew and got the top finished Thursday night. 

The Churn Dash blocks were from Barb's (Fun With Barb blog) swap in 2018.  I shopped my bulging stash yet could not come up with a suitable backing or binding, so off to Superbuzzy I went on Saturday.  Several Guild members were there to visit with and I showed off my design. I chose a black with white print that I will use for the backing and the binding.  The quilt sandwich has been made and I'll do simple quilting on this 38" square quilt.  It needs to be finished by Friday!  

I also got started on the Michael Miller challenge for Sewtopia Seattle, which is coming up fast in early November.  The fabrics were so pretty.  I chose a pattern from APQ magazine that I have wanted to make for some time. The basket handles will be fused and topstitched down.

I've since sewn all the pieces together and added the plain borders.  I did make one change to the bottom row of the basket, mostly because of the print's repeat--I cut it one inch deeper than the matching section so I didn't lose the flowers.  I plan to add ties to the quilt to make a sewing machine cover.  We also have the option at Sewtopia to do a Secret Swap and I joined in, so will need to gather some fun stuff for my person, and a special gift to finish up with.  

My little cross-stitch project started in Cambria is almost but not quite finished.  I'm not entirely happy with my latest additions. 

This was a free download from Lizzy Kate, I reversed the cup colors and added more white detail.  I see an oops on the cup handle where I need to add one.more.stitch where it touches the cup. And don't you think another cookie is in order?  Two cookies is never enough :)  Also I added the border but am considering extending it down both sides to perhaps make my initials and date a little less loud.  

And because there is not already too much going on in the sewing room, I started a new project!  In my defense, we have an upcoming Guild Sew-in of baby quilts and I got a bug to make up a kit ahead of time.   This is a charity quilt design by Jo Kramer and her daughter, free on APQ website, called Make the Connection.  The pattern includes four different sizes. While their design used 5" charm squares, I pulled out the mini charm packs that seem to sprout from nowhere. It was not hard to choose 100 charms.

These 2.5" squares sure differ in size with each manufacturer, with Moda's being the smallest.  I therefore had to do sliver trimming but it went quick and made pretty confetti.  I sewed sets of four  2.5" squares together and cut all the background pieces for the 25 blocks I'll be making for a 44" square quilt. It will be nice to just sit and sew blocks :)

Cambria Getaway--Lots of Words and Photos

Our short getaway to Cambria started off as any vacation for us usually does, leaving later than planned due to unexpected last minute errands and shopping, but traffic was fairly light as we made our way up the coastal route on Wednesday and we made good time.  Our hotel, booked the night before, was right on the cliffs in the most popular area of Cambria, Moonstone Drive. Off season pricing was very attractive.

The tide was going out and it was quite windy, but we luckily were very close to a beach access staircase from the boardwalk on the cliff.  This boardwalk goes for miles in either direction.

We had a nice view of the ocean from the hotel. Cambria holds a Scarecrow contest in October and this lady scarecrow posed outside the driveway.

Down on the sand, kids were climbing the rocks and there were a number of strollers enjoying the late afternoon on the packed sand.  Dogs were not allowed on the beach, which I appreciated.

Told you it was windy! We wandered on the beach and then rested a bit before thinking about dinner.  Luckily an internet search showed a good option 100 feet away--a dinner house called the Sea Chest.

We sat outside at the firepit with our drinks while we waited for a table--it was a very popular place at peak dinner hour. I popped across the road to get another shot of the ocean and setting sun.

Terrible lighting for photos but I wanted to show the business cards people have stuck up on the ceiling for decades, so many brown with age.  They were also stuck in the lampshades over the tables.  We had a lovely dinner including dessert.

I caught the sunset with a crescent moon and a gull before the light went.   

We enjoyed the free breakfast the next morning before heading into Cambria proper--the town is not large and we parked and poked around some of the little shops, had lunch in a Mexican Restaurant and then drove around the area a bit, revisiting the Cambria Pines Inn, where we had stayed 30 years before!  In the afternoon we drove further north--I had wanted to tour the Las Piedras Lighthouse, but we were too late for the guided tour.  We passed by Hearst Castle and saw the zebra herds, and the great house on the hill, which we had toured before.  We turned off the road to stretch our legs and see the elephant seals north of San Simeon. 

These were all juveniles, according the the Park Ranger,who for whatever reason had all crowded onto this smaller beach.  Beyond the rocks seen at the upper left there was a much larger and wider stretch of beach. 

There were some animals in the water at the surfline and nearby in the kelp beds, but most were lying about on the sand, using their flippers to throw sand over themselves as they lounged.  There were some who became irritated with other seals getting too close and some posturing and barking by the larger males, but no fighting.   Fortunately the seals were many feet below the boardwalk on the cliff so we were not in danger.  However, in the parking lot we did observe some clueless tourists who were feeding the squirrels and gulls and allowing their toddlers to pet the squirrels!  Incredible luck no one was bitten.  We returned to our hotel and I had a long nap before we found a local grill for dinner and watched the Dodgers on the big screens.  On our last morning, we went back into town for breakfast.   I chose the Creekside Restraurant.  While there was no actual creek visible, we sat outside on the patio and enjoyed a good meal.  

These Dias de la Muertas scarecrows saw us out.

Grant had to do some computer work before we finished packing up and I took another stroll down the boardwalk, heading south.

 The tide was in and there were a couple of surfers out.

I walked far enough to come to an estuary.  Lots of different birds were visible.  A flash of white caught my eye...

A long-legged heron or crane was busy hunting breakfast. As I made my way back toward the hotel, I got a shot of the typical rolling hills of the central California. coast, covered in dry brush and Oak trees.  Cambria has stayed a small town/resort area due to the lack of fresh water resources in this isolated area. 

 Grant joined me for one last selfie before we checked out.

It was a lot less windy!  On the way back home, we stopped in Pismo Beach to visit my best friend Toni and her husband Dan and give them the housewarming present I made, a little quilted tablemat made from four patches (which I have shown before but share again). 

They said they loved it.  Dan always expressed amazement at how I come up with the colors and arrangement.  Experience and good designers to learn from, I'll always say!   These were leftover four patch square in squares from the Go Four It quilt.  It was a wonderful getaway and coming home on Friday meant two more days to enjoy before the real world called again.  I'm hoping more short breaks like this are in our future.