Stitchin' Post in Sisters

Val's new "Girlfriends" patterns are here!

Valori has been working in collaboration with Nick Coman to develop a new series of fashion patterns called Girlfriends.  The first patterns in the new series are designed to work with Val's wonderfully soft & drapey jersey knit fabric! 

Introducing the first two patterns in the  Girlfriends series: "Sondy" and "Isabelle".

The Sondy Top is an up-tempo style with a cowl back neckline and three-quarter sleeves.  It can easily be lengthened into a tunic or a dress.  Pattern includes all sizes from Small to XXLarge. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Isabelle Skirt is a six gore style with a little bit of a flip at the hemline.  The elastic waistline makes it easy to construct and comfortable to wear.  Make it with one fabric or several.  Pattern includes all sizes from Small to XXLarge.

 

 

 

 

 

Girlfriends patterns started with a desire to create fresh everyday wearables with a boutique feel...All of our designs have a little bit of whimsy to make them stand out in a crowd, without being a “statement.” We have used the most current fabrics available (and we think the nicest!) to give you a starting point, be creative! We hope you enjoy wearing our designs as much as we have enjoyed creating them.
~ Nick and Valori ~

Click here for Val's tips on working with jersey knit!

 

 

Quilt for Two Rivers: A Metolius Meander

Fiber artists
contributing to the Quilt for Two Rivers are blogging about
their quilt panels for the single, 40-foot quilt which honors Sisters, Oregon’s Treasured
Landscape. Featured this week:

A METOLIUS MEANDER by Tonye Belinda Phillips

Section
#11 of the Quilt for Two Rivers
25”x30”

My heart and my soul belong to the Metolius basin. 
There was never any question that my focus would be on this beautiful
and magical river valley. I fell in love
with Camp Sherman
and the Metolius River when I was a young girl. And since 1972 I have been a permanent
resident of Camp Sherman. 

My piece, “A Metolius Meander,” showcases a rustic cabin nestled in among the towering ponderosa,
larch, fir and aspen trees that grow so majestically along the Metolius River. 
The color of the dirt, pine needles, lichen and cinders come alive to
add even more interest and texture. This
piece has been “painted” using commercial fabrics. It also includes both
raw-edge and hand appliqué as well as machine and hand quilting.

- Tonye Belinda Phillips

A Treasured Landscape Becomes a Masterpiece

A Treasured Landscape Becomes a Masterpiece
Quilt for Two Rivers celebrates the outdoors in a classic American art form
By Maret Pajutee, Ecologist, Sisters Ranger District, U.S.ForestService

To date, the Tale of Two Rivers conservation campaign has generated an original microbrew, an annual cycling event, a plein air paint-a-thon and a movie screening.

Now up: a modern quilting bee.
A collaboration between the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, the National Forest Foundation and the U.S. Forest Service, Quilt for Two Rivers brings together 20 leading Pacific Northwest fiber artists who are combining talents on a single work; a 40-foot quilt with Whychus Creek running through each individual segment.
Fulfilling one aim of the Treasured Landscapes program, the project is strengthening community connections to the outdoors, specifically to two Wild & Scenic-designated Oregon rivers, Whychus and the Metolius River.
“These are not your grandma’s quilts, they are works of modern art,” notes Ann Richardson, Executive Director of the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, a co-sponsor of Quilt for Two Rivers. “And this is a unique, inspiring way to tell the story of how salmon and steelhead are making a comeback in these important waterways.”
Jean Wells, founder of the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show (the world’s largest outdoor quilting festival), named her segment of the quilt “Coming Home,” honoring restoration work that is bringing back native fish to Whychus Creek. Her project is a family endeavor:
“My son Jason took me to the magical place on Whychus that you mostly see in the piece. Other elements come from a hike to waterfalls in the upper reach I took with my six-year-old granddaughter, Livy, who took some of the photos I used in conceptualizing the work. My daughter Valori is going to paint steelhead in the water section of the quilt. My dream is to see them coming home to Whychus, and having Jason be able to go fishing there.”
Below, photos of Whychus Creek and the Jean Wells quilt panel they inspired

The 17-panel final masterpiece will be sold either as a complete installation or as individual quilts. A second, smaller quilt (four panels, seven feet long) along the same theme is also in development. Half the proceeds from sales of the quilts will go to restoration projects on the two rivers, with the other half going to the quilters. Both quilts will be unveiled June 1, with the large work exhibited at the Sisters quilt show as well as in Portland and Tacoma.

One goal has already been met: encouraging people from different walks of life to visit outstanding natural areas they may not know about in their own back yards.
Stay tuned for the upcoming “name the quilt” contest, blog posts and a short video by Liking the Quilt for Two Rivers Facebook page.
Quilt for Two Rivers is a project of the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, U.S. Forest Service, and the National Forest Foundation, funded by US Bank with the participation of the Deschutes County Cultural Coalition, the Oregon Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.

That's so 252 billion seconds ago...

Ok~ quick math here:  252 billion seconds ago is roughly eight years, which is approximately when I started this quilt!

This was the quilt I started in Lawry's Absolutely Beginning Quilting Class Fall 2003, when I first moved to Sisters (all my friends in Portland said I would have to take up quilting if I was going to live in Sisters!)

I finished the quilt top by the final day of class and actually had quilted several lines of "in the ditch" quilting along the sashings.  That's when I decided this quilt was just too big for me to handle on my basic Kenmore machine.  I talked to a long-arm quilter who said if I picked out the "invisible thread" quilting I had already done, she would be happy to quilt this for me...by the time I finally got around to and finished "un-quilting", she was no longer quilting for hire!

Last year I hired Cindy, from here at the Stitchin' Post, to do the quilting.  She did a fantastic job making each block special, with beautiful feathery hearts & circles.  Cindy has a great eye for visualizing what quilting motifs will look best in each area of a pieced top.  So the quilt has been sitting in a corner of my sewing room for yet another year, quietly whispering "binding...binding...binding." 

Now finally...this is my first UFO of 2012. I didn't quite make January, but I'm just so happy to have this quilt finished.  It was an anniversary gift to my husband in 2004, when it was just a finished top.  It was a birthday gift to him in 2011 when it was three layers quilted together.  And this week it was a Valentine's gift to him in 2012 as a finished quilt.  He's waited a long time to snuggle under this quilt!

For everyone working toward the 2012 UFO Challenge, I hope you too are making progress.  Thank you D.M. for giving me the "kick-in-the-pants" I needed to finish this project...!  ~Tamra

 

 

David Butler fabric has arrived!

David Butler (husband of Amy Butler) is no stranger to design and the textile industry.  As the designer behind the brand "Art of the Midwest," David has an extensive list of  familiar clientelle.  This is his first line of fabric called "Curious Nature" which is produced by Free Spirit under the design name of Parson Gray. 

Here is Free Spirit's description of the line:

• "Curious Nature" is the first collection of prints from Parson Gray. The collection is a folk modern interpretation of natural elements. It weaves together a balance of hand-drawn patterns inspired by Japanese indigo and mid-century fine art. The palette is grounded in richly muted nature tones evoking deep forest and dark ocean balanced by bone ivory and oyster grays.
• Parson Gray's "Curious Nature" is being interpreted to fabric by FreeSpirit in both quilting/fashion and larger prints on Home Décor weight cotton. As David's new brand will offer a unique voice to a predominantly male audience outside of the fabric and quilting industry, his hope is that these fabrics will appeal to both women and men seeking modern, naturalistic, artistic style.

Here is my description of the line:

• Masculine yet clean, earthy yet chic, geometric yet natural.  No fish, no animals, no sporting goods...I love it!   

Enjoy! ~ Tamra

 

 

 

Suzy likes red!

Meet Suzy!  Here she is with her recently quilted Log Cabin In The Round~ It's so beautiful! 

Since September, Suzy has been diligently working in what she affectionately calls "Suzy's Sweat Shop."  Although this quilt has red in it, this is not typical of most of Suzy's quilts!  Most of her quilts have ALOT of red!  (If you could peek at the backing you would see that it is of course RED!) 

Our very own talented Cindy Y. did the long-arm quilting.  Great job to both ladies!

Congratulations Kathy!

Kathy brought in this sweet little quilt she started in December!  The quilt features paper-pieced blocks of farm animals mixed with charm squares surrounding a paper-pieced barn in the center. Complete with an embroidered label on the back...To Owen~  It is a gift for her new grandson, due to arrive in May 2012!

 

BUT WAIT...THERE'S MORE!

 

Notice the big smile! 

The label on the back of this sweet quilt says
To Noah~  
Yes...TWINS! 

Congratulations Kathy~ and beautiful job on both quilts!

February Yarn Special!

Andrea and Val have been busily redesigning the yarn department!  They have been moving fixtures and tables, making the entire department very spacious and more comfortable for customers and our Wednesday Knitters!

In the center of everything is the display for our Monthly Yarn Special~

This month's featured yarn is Ella Rae Classic 100% wool, perfect for felting!  10% off all Ella Rae Classic during the month of February AND a receive a free pattern with purchase of Ella Rae Classic.  (Customers may choose between Felted Tote and Aunt Maggie's Slippers!)

If you're available on Wednesdays, join us for Sit & Knit (1-4 pm or 5-7 pm.)  Bring a project to work on while enjoying a spot of tea and making new friends.  Or, just stop by and say hello~ the conversation is always very lively!

Pull up a chair...

This is one of the coolest things I have seen in a while (...and I get to see some pretty cool quilted items around here!)  Can you guess who made it?

Jean brought this awesome chair into the store Thursday morning!  She started it just after Christmas and worked a little bit at a time between her other numerous projects.  The chair will reside in the entry of her artfully decorated home.

Here are some photos of the work in progress:

Jean machine-pieced the covers for the chair, and then fashioned them into a slipcover (which can be removed if necessary for laundering.)  Most of the construction of the slipcover was also done on a sewing machine.  Only a small section needed to be hand-sewn to create the curved corners for the top of the chair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a detailed close-up of the intuitive-style gentle curve piecing for which Jean is so well known:

You can learn more about this type of quilting in Jean's book Intuitive Color and Design.

Jean doesn't have any plans to move into the upholstery business, but it is always fun to create new quilting challenges~especially when they turn out this great!