The Day That The Rains Came Down

The Pacific Northwest is getting soaked today - all day, so far.  Steady, life-giving, rain.  It's dark like a winter's day, making inside chores a much drier [depending upon the chore, however] alternative to weeding in the garden.  This June day I'm creating quilted Christmas stockings for a fund-raising craft fair on Nov. 2 at Woodmoor Elementary in the Bothell/Woodinville, WA area.  [That's my initial go at creating one, in the photo.]

Rodale Press has graciously given their approval for me to make these to sell, as seen and described in one of Lynette Jensen's quilting books.  The craft fair is sponsored by the SEPAC, the special education council and professionals associated with the special ed program in our Northshore School District.  Along with these stockings, I'll be creating additional 'traditional' quilted things [cards, table linens, lap quilts] as well as smaller, non-traditional art pieces in frames.

I just received Rodale's permission this morning, so I jumped to the Internet to order bells and ribbon.  My stash luckily overfloweth with Christmas fabrics of all colors and motifs, collected over the past thirty years or so.  SEPAC is a most-deserving recipient of the funds they receive from artists' table fees.  The services they offer go way beyond their income.  The UW Huskies football team has a 'bye' [rest day] that Saturday, so I'm not sacrificing an annual tradition with my adult children in order to participate in the fair.  And so, I'll sew on!

Many thanks to the viewers who drop by my blog from time to time.  Don't hesitate to drop me a line - it's fun to connect with artist/quilters from all over the world!

 

June 6          "Saratoga Passage"

One of the countless amazing views in our Evergreen State of Washington is across Saratoga Passage, from the town of Langley on Whidbey Island looking east across the passage to Camano Island and on to the Cascade Mountains.  In any type of weather or any season, this is a grand view.  I've tried to interpret this horizon with fabric and stitch, meaning to capture a fleeting moment in time for my mind's eye.

The April/May Quilting Arts magazine posed a Reader's Challenge called "Passages."  We can interpret the word any way we wish, and I chose this real-life piece of our local geography.  We'll see if it "passes" the juror's vision for interpretation.

Langley is a wonderful little town, full of tourists in appropriate seasons, and island residents year-round.  There are lots of art galleries and great places to eat, fine dining as well as fast-food island-style.  Langley is a short ferry ride from just north of Seattle at Mukilteo, or a longer but scenic drive accessing the island over Deception Pass on Whidbey Island's north end.  Either way you go, it's like stepping away from the stresses of day to day life and entering another world of salt air and seafood - a mini-vacation in a day.  Restful and enriching.  Always.