Sorry To Be Leaving Blaine (Silver Creek, WA)

Since my last post, we have moved several times.  I hope to have another post soon of our other stops.  We settled in Silver Creek, WA on Saturday and have not had time to visit the surrounding area...yet.

In the meantime, I wanted to share more photos of the area around Blaine, WA.  We visited Lynden, WA several times.  It is a small town with Dutch influence showing up in the downtown area.

The buildings were quite interesting and this bakery....the best little pies ever!  I had a small blackberry pie that was overflowing with sweet berries.  Usually, the single helping pies have so much crust, I feel like I am playing hide-and-seek with the fruit.  No hunting for the fruit in this little pie!  I had to go back for another one before we left.

Below is a photo of a restaurant and hotel.  Just gorgeous!  And the hanging baskets of flowers were all along the street.  They were hugh!  They were so big that I (the vertically challenged) had to be careful not to walk into one and end up with a face full of flowers.

Love the welcome sign.  I should have got a better photo of that one.

I wish I had taken a photo of the Tangled Threads Quilt Shop.  Of course, the more interesting things to show were inside.  The displays were wonderful.  I ended up buying fabric I did not need, but I could not live without.  Hmm, I might have to make another "The Witch is in" wall hanging.

I found out that I missed another quilt shop called "Folktales".  You know what that means, right?  I'll have to go back!

Blackberries are in season and seem to be everywhere.  In the campgrounds, in the downtown areas, and even in a Blaine's city park which is where we were picking the ones below.  I was having a little bit of cereal with my blackberries every morning.  Yum!

We drove to Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.  So many breath-taking views!  Wouldn't some rocking chairs be perfect for this porch?  I could sit here for hours rocking and watching the clouds float by.  

I can see why they called this area Heather Meadows.  The Heathers were blooming all over the valley in pinks and whites.

If I understood the information ranger, we were not seeing Mt. Baker from Heather Meadows, we were seeing Mt. Shuksan.  I'm not sure this is the right peak in the photo.

We were expecting it to be a little cooler since we were at a higher elevation.  It turned out to be a very warm day.  People were sledding in shorts and t-shirts.  Wandering around the snow with flip-flops.  Definitely a warm day.

One more place we visited before leaving Blaine was Fairhaven's downtown historical district in Bellingham.  Wednesday is Farmer's Market day in Fairhaven's Village Green, so the downtown area was very busy.  It was worth it to find a parking spot and to be able to walk around viewing the old, not to mention, very interesting architect.

We had lunch at the Colophon Cafe which is in the building on the left side in the photo below.  We sat close to this door and were able to watch people come and go.  More good food!  I had a vegetarian Greek salad and Dan had the Mexi Black Bean burger.  Such good flavors.  I have to confess that I have put on quite a few pounds with all the good food we keep finding in this area.

Fantastic murals!  They really blend in with their surroundings.  The first time I walked by the mural above, I only caught the guy standing at the window from the corner of my eye making me think he was really standing there until I turned my head.

It's too bad we were full from our lunch.  Next time, maybe we can stop here for a drink and people watch.

I would not mind living in this building with its outdoor roof garden.  I bet they have a great view of sunsets and the Bellingham Bay nearby.

Speaking of water, we took a short trail through blackberry bushes to the Taylor Dock.  A very unusual dock as it has seats and what looks like parking spots for bikes/strollers as you walk down towards the water.  But wait!  The dock doesn't end there....

..it curves around and ends in another area near a park.  We did not walk the full length.  We were getting very hungry by then and decided to turn back.  I probably should have done the walk to burn a few more calories before eating!  Next time I will know better. 

Okay, I better stop.  This is turning into quite a long post.

On The Cutting Board
Just a quick look before you go of what I have been working on the last few weeks.

I finally finished binding my Asian Sand Crane quilt.  I need to come up with a better title for it.  I got the photos prepped for Etsy, but I have not listed the quilt just yet.

I started hand quilting the True Lover's Knot. 

I'm keeping the quilting simple with in-the-ditch and echoing stitching.

As fast as this stitching is going, I might have this quilt done before the other one gets listed.

Happy Quilting!

Wool 2 - Proper Gauge (Blaine, WA)

It took me awhile to finish the second book Wool 2, but not because of the story.  I was reading this book on my cell phone while waiting on whatever we were waiting for at the moment.   Yep, I now have Kindle on my cell phone.  Oh, I do enjoy my new toy!  Now, I am always happy when someone tells us there will be a wait.  I immediately pull out my phone...time to read...yes!

By the way, if this is the first time you are reading the Wool reviews - here is the first one.  There are six in this series and I plan to read them all.

Anyway, back to the book.  I loved it!  The second in the series of Wool had my full attention and I can't wait to start the next in the series.

Wool 2 - Proper Gauge tells us more about the community living in the silo.  How they manage to survive for a couple of centuries.  So if I understand knitting and gauging:  in order to have proper gauge, you need to knit a sample to make sure you have the correct needle size and tension.  If you don't do a sampler, your finished project may not come out correctly.  It might be too big or too small or too tense.  So, like knitting, a Mayor should know the proper gauge of her community, but does she?

I like the way the author Hugh Howey introduces the reader to the community by following Mayor Jahns and Deputy Marnes down the spiral stairs to the deep down depths of 144 floors to the mechanical floor.  Their mission is to interview and hire a new sheriff.  Along the way, they make stops on different floors to visit people and to conduct business.  Each level plays a key part in the community.  There is a floor for growing produce, raising animals, living quarters, and even one floor for Intel security or as many of us think of them - "Big Brother".

Hugh's imagination is out of this world or is it under this world?  Well, I loved it and I don't want to say too much if you are interested in reading the Wool series.

On The Cutting Board
I finished marking and cutting out all the pieces for my True Lover's Knot quilt blocks.  All by hand.  It took quite a few days, but it is so much more relaxing to sit in a chair and cut each piece out with scissors.  I don't know about you, but after an hour or two of cutting with a rotary cutter, my shoulders are in knots.  Maybe it is because of the height of my counter.  I don't know.   I do know that I am more relaxed when I am doing everything by hand.

Do you remember my Bunny wall hanging coming in this cute box?  Well, I just could not get rid of it so I put all my extra needles in it along with some thimbles.  

Maybe I will stop losing them now.  I can only hope.  I'm still looking for a few things that I have squirreled away and I have no idea where I put them.  I should make an inventory list with location of all my sewing items......okay, that just wore me out just thinking about it.

And that is as far as I got in the last couple of days.  The sun has been out so I am spending more time outdoors soaking it up.  Of course, the cats are quite pleased with the extra time outdoors.

Calendar Girls

Chris:  "The flowers of Yorkshire are like the women of Yorkshire. Every stage of their growth has its own beauty, but the last phase is always the most glorious. Then very quickly they all go to seed." 

Happy Quilting!

Walks in the Rain (Concrete, WA)

We finally got a break in the rainy weather.  Not that it kept us from going outside, but we did not do much sightseeing since the clouds were hanging very low around us.

We dusted off our raincoats that we rarely wear in the south and went for a couple of walks around the RV park.  Walking in the rain is rather relaxing as long as it is a gentle rain, of course.  We did go through a couple of pairs of pants and shoes.  I think the soggy pants and shoes were worth the extra hassle of washing and cleaning.  It is so quiet here except for the wind in the trees and the rain on our roof.

The clouds started to lift yesterday and the sun finally peaked out.

We took advantage of the nice weather and spent some time driving around the surrounding areas.  We visited Baker Lake with low hanging clouds, but no rain.  By the second day, the sky was blue.  So we drove the mountain loop around Mt. Baker.

Baker Lake

Mt. Baker with clear skies

The best is yet to come!  The blackberries are getting nice and plump.  I can't wait to pick ripe berries from the bushes!  Yum!  I'm already enjoying fresh cherries and raspberries from the markets...delicious!

On The Cutting Board

I basted the bunny wall hanging so it is ready to quilt.  I'm trying to decide if I want to quilt it by hand or just do it on the machine.  Tough decision...well, I'll get back to that one.

Oh, and I prefer the lighter fusible webbing: Steam-A-Seam.  I did not have as much trouble getting the needle through the layers.  It still makes the fabric stiff, but it does not make my needle as sticky as the Steam-A-Seam2 does.

During our rain break, I also pulled out one of my tubs filled with fabrics.  I found just what I needed to add 16 more blocks to the True Lover's Knot quilt.

 I'm about halfway through the materials, but my templates are starting to show wear and tear.  The corners are starting to look rounded and the paper is pealing from the plastic template.  Next time, I will make two sets of templates.  I still need to make the off-white pieces as well.

Oh! and the little brass wheel - that is a 1/4 inch seam maker.  I stick my pencil in the hole and roll the wheel around the outside of the template.  This gives me a line to cut on without having to guess at my 1/4 inch seam.  Nice and neat!

Happy Quilting!

Textures of the North Cascades (Concrete, WA)

North Cascades

I feel like I have come home.  I spent a good part of my childhood growing up in the Pacific NW despite all of my Dad's Navy assignments.  Somehow, he always managed to get back to Washington State.

Stepping outside to feel the cool moist air that is filled with rich earthy smells of soil and trees brings back memories of camping with my parents and with Dan during our early years of marriage.
  
I don't remember seeing Cottonwood seedlings floating in the woods when we went camping many years ago.  Here in the national park, they were everywhere.  Giving the illusions of tiny fairies floating and swirling around in a magical forest….
                 .....delightful….enchanting....
                                            tickling my nose....sneezing..........a lot!
.....despite the hay-fever, I am enjoying every new discovery. 
                                    

Oh!  You bet I took a lot of photos.  Between waterfalls, moss covered trees, and wildflowers...oh yea, I have a few to share.  I have loaded them into our Webshots albums into 2 separate folders.  One folder has most of my Macro shots.  Our first day was perfect with the sun shining through the treetops giving me plenty of different photos.  I spent more time taking Macro shots then walking.

  
I uploaded two new albums to our Webshots:  Textures and Colors  and Views of the North Cascades

There are so many textures and different shades of green with occasional pops of brilliant colors from wildflowers that I felt it needed a separate folder.

Hitch and I were driving each other crazy.  I wanted to take pictures and he actually wanted to walk.  Usually, I can get a couple of shots in before Hitch wants to move on, but not in the mountains.  He was on the move the whole time.  "Are we going for a walk or what?  I want to go explore this area...come on!"  I think all the other cats wore out their sniffers because they were sleeping in every morning.

The last couple of days were perfect for water shots with overcast weather and an occasional sprinkle of rain.  So exhilarating!  We drove back up the pass and stop several times to view waterfalls.  The rivers are running deep and swift from all the snow runoffs.  Gorgeous!  Wish you were here!

Newhalem is a company owned town.  The Seattle City Light built the small town of Newhalem and maintains the dams on the west side of the North Cascades.   The town is small, but beautiful as they tried to keep much of Mother Nature present with large green areas filled with trees and flowers.  There is a small grocery store and the company’s old housing looks well-maintained and spacious.

They even have a gazebo built from recycled parts from Diablo's switchyard.  I like the shadows it makes, but not much cover when it rains.

Temple of Power Gazebo

By the way, if you are active duty, now is a good time to get an annual pass from the National Park Service.  They are free with proper ID information.  Go to http://www.store.usgs.gov/pass/military.html.

Blog Changes 

I really enjoyed my week away from the internet.  I got some more quilting done along with lots of sightseeing in the mountains.  I'm cutting back on my blogging.  I made a decision to change my blog posts to every three days instead of every other day.   So, my next post will be on Thursday.

On The Cutting Board

I finished two more Lover's Knot blocks.  I have one more yellow block cut out and ready to sew.  

 Gosh, I am loving the way these three look that I am going to be digging through my stash for more Aunt Grace's Reproduction fabrics.  These are 10.5 inches, so another 16 blocks will make a nice size lap quilt.

What do you think?  40x50 inches large enough?

365Project

Oh! and I started my 365Project again.  I probably will not be as diligent with a daily photo this second time around.

Happy Quilting!

True Lover's Knot Block (Spokane, WA)

On The Cutting Board

A couple of years ago, I read Emilie Richards' Lover's Knot.  I became interested in the quilt pattern and did a little research.   When I looked up the True Lover's Knot I found two different patterns.   One used the Bow Tie block:

The other one used a variation of the Orange Peel pattern which is what Emilie described in her book:

I don't know why, but I am attracted to curved patterns.  I have made a few Drunkards Path blocks in the past.  I love sewing the curves by hand and this one wasn't going to be any different.  I made templates using paper pattern rubber-glued to quilter's template plastic.  I dug out my trusty add-a-quarter-inch-seam wheel and some 1930s fabrics.  I use 0.7 mechanics pencil to get a nice crisp line to mark the pieces.  Plus, the tip fits nicely into the wheel's center.

I find marking and cutting my  pieces by hand to be very relaxing.  Using the rotary cutter is fast, but can be hard on my back and shoulders.

To pin curved pieces, I crease both in the center...

 

and that is where the first pin goes.  I slowly pin and adjust all the way to one end before starting the other side.

I know it looks like a pin cushion, but it saves me from having to re-position them if they shift.

Pins and lines match up - looks good on both sides...

Time to sew using the running stitch...

Soon, I have my first block... Don't you think the Retro colors are perfect for a traditional block? 

Okay, my fingers are starting to itch...I need to get back to my quilt blocks...but first here are a couple of photos from this area.....

Spokane

Everywhere I look in Spokane, I see flowers.  Of course, most of them are in people's yards and I don't want to be standing in front of their house taking photographs.  Spring time here in Spokane is wonderful!  Not great for the allergies, but it is worth taking a pill to enjoy the beauty.  

I saw some Quail on my way to the dumpster, so I ran back to our motorhome for my camera.  I only got a couple of pictures.  This guy seemed to be the leader.  While the others moved away, he stayed behind to see what I was doing.  Once the others were safe, he took off.  

Happy Quilting!