Latimer - Part 3, Unique Quilts

Here are some interesting quilts I saw at the Latimer Quilt and Textile Center. There were no quilter's names on these items. (If anyone knows who made these, please let me know and I'll post the names.) Isn't this an amazing portrait quilt!

These flowers are three dimensional. I love the embellishments and the checkered background fabric too.

This landscape quilt shows a typical Oregon coast scene. Nice job.

This is one of many quilts displayed on racks, but the colors really made it stand out from the crowd.

Latimer Part 4, Items for Sale

This amazing bowl is made from felt! This is such a fun place for textile enthusiasts. The tag on it says "The Chocolate Sheep."

This is a basket of dolls. Kind of alien-like, but curiously cheerful in a basket by the window.

This closet of quilts captures the personality of the Latimer Quilt and Textile Center.

This pretty hooked rug is called "Three Rose Antique" from the collection of Jo Stoltenberg. I got to see a demonstration of rug hooking while I was there. I could really get into that!

Come back tomorrow to see the featured exhibit: art quilts by Anna Hergert from Moosejaw, SK, Canada.

Latimer Quilt and Textile Center

Have you been to the Latimer Quilt and Textile Center in Tillamook, Oregon? I visited it today and took some photos to show you. This building was built in the 1930's and used to be a school. Now it's a friendly place where quilters, weavers, knitters, rug-hookers, felters, and other textile artists meet to work on their projects, teach, and exhibit. There are many interesting textile items for sale too.

The flowers at the entrance were so pretty I had to include them here. I may have to change the name of this blog to "Selvage and Flower Blog."

There is a nice variety of quilts on display here. This one (above) caught my eye with it's soft colors and classic "twentieth century style."
I love the movement in this bright colored pickle dish (or orange peel?) quilt. Pretty applique adds a nice finishing touch.

To find out more, visit their website at: http://www.latimerquiltandtextile.com/.

Latimer - Part 2

One room is full of weaving looms, both big and small. You can see a demonstration of the weaving process there. Isn't that a nice painted floor? It looks like they spin wool now and then also. If I lived around here, I'd drop in often and learn how to spin.

They have a nice collection of feedsacks in a glass display case (below). I didn't know feedsacks were so pretty; I thought they said "Acme Feed Company" and stuff like that on them.

This pretty quilt is on display there, but there was no sign telling who the creative quilter was. Nice job on all these butterflies, don't you think?

Canon Beach Flowers

This is the view from our hotel room balcony in Canon Beach, Oregon. It has been cool and cloudy, but just perfect for walking on the beach. Only a few brave people have tried swimming. Every one I have seen has made it only half way in, then come out shrieking about the cold!

The flowers in town are gorgeous! Just look at the double white daisy above. The two flowers below are some I've never seen before, and I thought you'd like to see them too.

If you have emailed me recently, please be patient. While on vacation, my outgoing emails are not "going out;" they're just sitting in my Outbox. If I can't resolve this, they'll just have to wait until I get home.

Some Flowers for You

Isn't this a beautiful one? The center of Canon Beach, Oregon is full of the most beautiful flowers. I love the color of the dahlia below.

Blue flowers always catch my eye and there are about 5 different kinds here. These clusters are about 12 inches high.

I hope these sunny flowers will brighten your day (especially if it's winter where you live). Back to quilting tomorrow! We'll have a "field trip" to the Latimer Quilt and Textile Center.

GreenMare's Selvage Bag

GreenMare of Wisconson made her first selvage project, this pretty selvage bag that she says is her favorite. It goes with everything. She chose the dotted lining to go with the color window dots on the selvages. Nice job Mare! Check out her blog at: http://greenmare-maresnest.blogspot.com/.

Lori's Selvage Bag

Lori Draeger says: "My guild's challenge this year is to make a bag/purse/tote that followed a reduce, reuse, recycle theme. Here is my selvage bag." You can read more about Lori's project on her blog at: www.mngirltx.wordpress.com. Nice clean design and pretty water-blue selvage. Great job, Lori!

Which do you prefer?

Here are two photos of the same scene. I think I prefer the view looking through the arch. It adds an "old world" feel to the scene.

This is the Columbia River, between Oregon and Washington. Isn't it beautiful?

Cherries and Blueberries

We stopped to pick cherries in this orchard near Mt. Hood. The trees are only about 10 feet tall, and the cherries were so abundant and delicious and pretty, I had to take some photos to show you. Then we stopped for some blueberries. What a garden paradise!

Lavender Valley

This is Lavender Valley in Mt. Hood, Oregon. There are 10,000 lavender plants on 4 acres, representing 70 different varieties! The friendly and enthusiastic proprieters, the Harris family, process the lavender into essential oil in a lab right there where you can watch. They also offer a variety of products for sale: lotion, shampoo, soap, spray fragrance, sachets, plants, ribbon wands, watercolors, lavender tea and honey.

I bought some lavender tea and lavender honey. The tea has the wonderful fragrance of lavender but I thought the flavor was too intense. (I'm not too adventurous in my tea cloices.) The honey is yummy! I'm enjoying some in my black tea right now.

Visit their website at: http://lavendervalley.com/history.htm. This place is "top-notch."

News from the Fabric Square Shop: Laura has restocked her inventory of selvage strips. She says: "There are 100 strips per bag for $9.95. We do not have the free shipping promotion any longer but the bags are now priced lower and also not gallon size. They are located on the website in the What's New Category." Visit: http://www.fabricsquareshop.com/, or click on the ad in the sidebar.

Mt. Hood Close-Up and Multnomah Falls

I was astonished to come face-to-face with the peak of Mt. Hood just before landing in Portland, Oregon! I'm on vacation this week with my husband Jason and our two sons, Brian (25) and David (22). This is one of our old favorite places to visit. We like Portland, the Columbia River Gorge, and the coastal area of Cannon Beach, Oswalt West SP, Fort Stevens etc. My favorite part is that the four of us are together. At 22 and 25, we rarely spend this much time together.

We visited Multnomah Falls which is along the Colombia River (which seperates Oregon and Washington). There is a charming old restaurant at the base of the falls where he had dinner outside. The upper part falls about 250 feet, and the lower part falls 69 feet. It is just beautiful!

"Vanity Chair" by Cynde Clark

Cynde Clark of Alabama made this delightful selvage chair, and I love the name she gave it too: "Vanity Chair." Nice job, Cynde!

I would love to have a chair like this in my quilt studio. So of course, I'm going to make one. I wonder how many selvage chairs will be made around the world as a result of seeing this one. If you make one, be sure to send a photo.

Happy Birthday, USA!

Indian Textiles in Assam

While searching the world to bring you all the selvage news, I found this interesting headgear being worn by a man picking tea leaves in Assam, India. (This photo was in a magazine called "Tea," Spring 2009 Issue.) If you take a close look you can see the selvage edge. It reads: "NAKORA SOSO BLOCK PRINTS 394." The middle photo shows a good view of several printed textiles. Aren't they interesting?

The green fabric with the selvage is tied to his tea leaf basket behind him. I think the folded fabrics on his head are there to make it easier to carry the basket. The basket "handle" would slip off his bare head, but the folded fabric cushions the handle. The other workers had solid colored head fabrics, and a smaller pile too. Some had no headgear at all.

A Google search for the words on this selvage revealed no results.