More Photos of La Conner (Blaine, WA)

I wanted to share more photos of La Conner.  We are in Blaine, WA and finally have decent WiFi for uploading photos.

We had to walk around town often to burn off the calories from all the delicious food we found to eat at the Calico Cupboard Cafe & Bakery. (sorry no photo)

Plus, this is a great place to window shop!  So many unusual art pieces from near and far.  I could have spent hours just looking in each shop.

Across the river is the Swinomish Indian Tribe Community.  They also own the land that our campground is located.

I just love a town that loved a strange looking dog so much that they have a statue of him and named the little square after him. 

Art work seems to be everywhere. In small squares and sidewalks....

on porches.....

and on old dock pilings

I fell in love with several old homes.  The wood work and paint colors are so inspiring!  I wish I could see the inside of the house in the photo below.

Okay, I had to have at least one photo of La Conner's famous bridge.

So, I will end my photo tour here for now.

On The Cutting Board

More Southwest Happy Campers in the making!  

I sort of let my needle get away from me on the peach one.  Lots of embroidery on that one!  Well, they are not going to get done if I stay on the computer, so back to the cutting board for more sewing!

Happy Quilting!

Getting A Quilt Fix (Blaine, WA)

While we were in La Conner, I had to visit the La Conner Quilt & Textile Museum.  I'm not sure what I enjoy seeing again - the quilt exhibits or this grand old Victorian mansion built in 1891.

I was only allowed to take photos on the first floor which included the old kitchen and a gift/fabric shop.  So, here are a few photos that I was able to take.

The parlor was filled with a weaving exhibit.  Of course, I had to get a photo of the cat.

The rest of the first floor was filled with Colonial Revival Quilts.

Each quilt's story was told by its maker accompanied by a photo of an old quilt that inspired them.

The second and third floor were filled with fiber art and quilts from Japan by Sachiko Yoshida and students using silk from old kimonos.  The fabric does not look easy to work with, but the results are amazing.  Since I could not take a photo, I borrowed photo from Pinterest.  You can find more work by Sachiko Yoshida online.

from Pinterest

One more photo of the couple with a vision for this beautiful home we are still able to enjoy - Mr. and Mrs. Gaches.

Photos of the Gaches and their home

Across the street from the museum, there is a small butterfly garden open to the public.  I did a quick walk through since I had already spent quite a bit of time in the museum.

I am in love with the gardens in the northwest.  So lush and vibrant!  Interesting flower below.  Does anyone know the name of this one?

Walking down the stairs to the main street, I noticed the big cherries on this tree.  Not quite ripe for picking, but a great photo op for a colorful scenic view of La Conner.

On The Cutting Board

Sales have slowed down, so I am getting caught up on my UFOs.  Three more Happy Campers are ready for edging and layering.

I spent one beautiful day basting the Lover's Knot quilt.  It is now in the hoop and getting a little attention each evening.  So nice to be back to hand quilting in a hoop.
Happy Quilting!

The Maiden of Deception Pass (La Conner, WA)

One of our many favorite stops in this area is the Rosario Beach Park.  It is a small inlet close to Deception Pass Bridge with deep waters allowing boaters to come and go.  Most of the time it is a quiet area, but once in a while a naval jet fighter will fly over to remind us that we are not far from civilization.  I love coming here and walking along the beach area.

view from the pier

This is a Samish story pole called The Maiden of Deception Pass.  There's an interesting story about her printed on plaques surrounding her.  So I find myself watching people slowly circling her while they read her story.   I also found a page on the carving with pictures of the story pole here.

They say you can still see the Maiden's hair floating in the Deception Pass waters....

We spent some time watching the Swallows zip around us.  I did not even try to take their pictures since I'm sure I would either miss or get nothing but a blur of a black streak across the photo.  Then Dan noticed one sitting on a cross beam just below the pier.  When we looked a little closer, there were quite a few sitting on the the cross beams resting.

peeking at you, peeking at me

fluffed up and cooling off

At the Car Wash

This gorgeous Dahlia was growing outside the car wash's office.  I wonder how many people stop to take photos of it?

On The Cutting Board

Finished the top for the gift shop wall hanging.  I have plenty of leftover batting so I should be able to finish this one up soon.  

Well, right after I finish another wall hanging top that I just started.  I'll show it to you next time.

I'll leave you with this cute clip that SpartanBabe shared with me from the "Emperor's New Groove.   It's very funny!  Lots of Squeakers in this clip....

Happy Quilting

Over The Rainbow Bridge (La Conner, WA)

I'm having a hard time keeping up with myself and the internet.  Part of the problem is the slow internet, but the main problem comes from this area having so much to do.  We have visited Oak Harbor, Anacortes, and La Conner in this last week.  I won't bother listing all the parks we stopped at, as well. 

I have so many pictures to share and experiences to talk about, but at the same time, I'm having a hard time sitting in front of a computer waiting for it to upload the next page.  So, I think I will keep this post short and I will add photos to Webshots later.

We visited La Conner this week on a sunny day - surprise!  It is such an enchanting town and I have been under its spell since we visited here three years ago.  


We walked the main street and as usual, I took way too many pictures.  La Conner's quaint downtown area on the Swinomish Channel is filled with wonderful gift shops, galleries, and museums.  Oh!  Speaking of museums...there's a quilt museum here and I plan to visit them next week.   The Quilt & Textile Museum is up the hill in an an old Victorian home. I have been there before and really had a great time looking at quilts and wandering through the beautiful old mansion.

Views from the docks

and this view at the opposite end of the channel with the Rainbow Bridge

La Conner has so many shops to look through including a quilt shop called Fabric Déva (no website).   I actually did not buy a thing from the shop this time....only because I could not make up my mind, got frustrated, and decided I'll just have to go back again.

The Ginger Grater on 1st Street

There are a lot of nice restaurants and pubs along the waterfront with sitting areas on the dockside.  I love the looks of this one.  It has a waterfall coming off the dock and into the channel.  People are sitting nearby eating while enjoying the sunshine and listening to the water fall into the channel.

Even La Conner's bridge is enchanting.  This bridge has been a burnt orange since 1957.  After getting the first coat of primer, the town's people decided they liked the color and asked DOT not to add the typical green coat of paint.  It has been burnt orange ever since and is known as the Rainbow Bridge.

Rainbow Bridge

On The Cutting Board

Last winter, I decided to make a small sign for Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve's gift shop.  Actually, the shop is also the office area and when visitors look through the screen door, they did not see the items for sale inside.  We kept hearing the same comment a little too often - "oh, I did not realize this was a gift shop" even though we had t-shirts and hats hanging outside with a sign.

Sooo, I thought I would make a little sign to hang on the inside of the screen door with hopes of getting a little more business for the shop.

I thought about using one of the many birds sighted on the preserve, but then I worried about the correct color.  If I am off on the color, I'm sure I would hear about it from some of the die-hard birders!  Then I saw this cute clipart of a squirrel holding an acorn....Perfect!

I'm using the lighter fusible webbing for this project.  It should be easier on my hands while I am embroidering the edges and details.  Isn't he cute?

I will be wondering how a birder can sight birds if they miss this sign.  Okay, I'm ready to start some embroidery work. 

Today is Saturday - we are off to see the Farmer's Market and downtown Mount Vernon.  Catch you later!

Happy Quilting!

Not So Wordless Wednesday (La Conner, WA)

We saw our first juvenile Bald Eagle!  He was sitting in the tree on Lone Tree Beach.  A popular spot for Eagles hunting for fish.  Except for his feathers and beak, he looks full grown.

Caught plucking out his white feathers.

And like most typical teenagers, he is in a hurry to grow up and be an adult.  I watched him pluck quite a few of his white feathers out.

Practicing his Regal pose

And to prove he was an adult, he did several regal poses just to impress his viewers.

Lone Tree Beach

California Poppies

On The Cutting Board

Introducing Bear Lee an Angel

Bear Lee is not perfect as you can tell from his crooked halo and droopy wings tied on with twine,....

I used high quality muslin of 200 count

....but that doesn’t keep him from trying with all his heart to put a smile on everyone’s face.

His heart is filled with his favorites: berries and flowers.  A friend visiting Alaska told me about her experience of watching a black bear grazing on dandelion heads.  It had me wondering how many dandelion heads does it take to fill a black bear?

all hand-stitched embroidery

Of course, my flower doesn't look like a dandelion, but I would like to think that Bear Lee would enjoy a variety of flowers to munch.

I used coffee to stain the muslin

Twine is used to keep Bear Lee's wings on his back and his halo upright

Batik backing on the wings for a nice finished look

• Body ~ 16 inches long (doesn't include halo)
• Sitting ~ 12 inches tall  (doesn't include halo)
• Wing span ~ 14 inches
• Heart ~ 2 3/4 x 2 1/4 inches

Bear Lee's arms and legs have minimal movement.
He can stand or sit.

So, what do you think?  Would you pay $35 for him?  Too much?  Too little?  I plan to post Bear Lee in Etsy soon.  I need to work on his photos.  They are not the best.  My light box is too small for him.  Maybe an outdoor photo shoot would be better.

Once Bear Lee has sold I plan to make another one.  I think I'm going to try a different bear pattern.  In the meantime, I'm also thinking of creating some more crazy quilt items.  I had a lot of fun creating Bear Lee's wings and heart.

Happy Quilting!