The WestSide Modern Club is going strong on the last Wednesday of every month at The Pine Needle. Quilters young and old gather to hear about new trends in the quilting world and to share their projects.
We had a lively show and tell session in June and the quilts are featured in this slide show.
After the Show-and-Tell, Geri gave us a sneak peek at new fabrics coming in. New fabrics are made by our tried and true manufacturers. ("Kanvas" is a division of Benartex, "Dear Stella" is from Timeless Treasures.)
We learned more about our Portland Bridge Challenge - called "Portland Bridges Now". This will debut at Northwest Quilt Expo in 2014. We were encouraged to walk the bridges- both over and under and be open to what inspires us.
Lastly.... we were given some fabric and challenged to make a 12 1/2" block - "Don't Be Square - Be There"
Join us for our July Meeting on the 31st to see what blocks we have created.
In May, the International wholesale quilt market for store owners, pattern and fabric designers, and all industries quilt related came to Portland. Wow! What a fabulous show. We were so inspired by all the new colors, fabrics and designers. We took loads of pictures and decided that the best way to give you an inside look is to share them in a slide show. So here we go...
Here's what's coming.... Digital Fabric Printing A couple of fabric manufacturers have developed a new technique for printing fabric. Currently, fabric manufacturers can only run a maximum of 18 screens onto fabric. This limits the number of colors they can have. With digital fabric printing, virtually thousands of colors are available, AND the fabric prints the same each and every time. There will no longer be variations between dye lots. This will give us greater color consistency and fabric that looks like art prints. The only downside is that it will be a little bit more expensive.
Texture - Texture - Texture We saw lots of texture in fabric. Linen and linen-looks are hot. Stitching designs We saw lots of sashiko style stitching lines in fabric. Color Trends There's still a lot of bright and bold color. The solids are fabulous. They're still rich in color, but a little darker and more classic than the brights we've been seeing this spring.
New on our Bookshelf! There are loads of new books on their way! Here are some of our favorites.
This book from Tula Pink really excited us. You can read more about it and get a sneak peak inside on theTula Pink website. Look for a new class/series at The Pine Needle this Fall!!!
Modern baby quilts! Inspired by the modern quilt movement, these lovely small quilts will be
a warm hug for children of all ages. Book includes 6 patterns.
Features both modern and traditional designs, including rosettes,
diamonds, stars and freeform. Learn how to combine settings with other
blocks, as well as how to creatively quilt hexagons. Projects are varied
for any level of skill or time commitment - make a few hexagons, make a
few more, or make a few hundred!
Fall in Love Again with Liberty. A lovely array of quilts, family
apparel, and accessories for your home and wardrobe. Learn how to
combinethe popular Liberty Tana Lawn Lines with other fabrics. Full-size
templates are included, with graded tissue paper garment patterns.
Every day is dress-up day. Mix and match 4 basic patterns into hundreds
of adorable outfits. Complete instructions on all the basics -
finishingseams, gathering, topstitching, hemmin, shirring, and more.
Beginner friendly approach to sewing "boutique" clothingfor your girls.
Make it your own with your favorite fabrics and embellishments.
Modern Neutrals by Amy Ellis Best-selling author Amy Ellis has outdone herself with this amazing
collection of new blocks and quilts. With her spot on design sense, she
show3s how to use neutrals - including large scale prints, solids and
tonal fabrics in stunning quilts.
S is for Stitch by Kristyne Czepuryk Two sets of adorable alphabet-themed embroidery patterns for little
girls and boys. Projects include quilts, pillows, soft blocks, and wall
art for the nursery. Perfect for beginners - learn basic stitches and
tips for combining floss and fabrics.
Hopefully we have whet your appetite for what's coming. If you'd like even more information about Quilt Market, here is another blog that did an excellent job of covering Quilt Market: True Up
Last Friday, a group of volunteers from The Pine Needle Quilt Shop in Lake Oswego were invited to tour CARES Northwest in NE Portland. The staff treated us to lunch and a tour of their facility. We learned about the process that children go through and about the wonderful treatment they receive.
CARES (Child Abuse Response and Evaluation Services) is a collaborative, community-based medical program for the assessment and treatment of child abuse. They were founded 26 years ago by women who wanted a place where kids who have suffered physical or sexual abuse could receive all their care - medical and mental health services - in a safe and loving environment.
The symbol of CARES is the quilt. Quilts are filled with loving energy. They receive most of their quilts from The Pine Needle quilters, but also receive quilts from NW Quilters, Kaiser Permanente Quilters, First Christian Church Quilters, Project Linus, Tualatin Valley Quilters Guild, Valley Community Presbyterian Church, and Quilts for Kids - Bend.
“Kids come into CARES to lay down their burdens and are given a quilt to cuddle in and take home.”
The CARES staff see 1400 kids a year and each child is given a quilt. That’s a lot of quilts. Some children may be coming directly with the police, so the quilt might be their only possession. CARES staff report that many of these kids hold onto these quilts for years, and even take them to college.
Here’s a Quilt Story that was shared with us.
"A couple months ago, we saw a teenager at CARES Northwest for acute sexual assault. She was not happy about being here. The girl had been seen at CARES Northwest when she was much younger for concerns of sexual abuse by a sibling. She did not remember being at CARES Northwest before until the team brought her into our conference room to pick out a quilt.
When she saw the quilts, her whole demeanor changed. She warmly expressed that she thought she had gotten a quilt at CARES Northwest more than 10 years ago. The quilt is her "prized" possession and she still has it."
On our tour, we saw treatment rooms where quilts are prominently displayed. The walls and halls are all painted with whimsical animal scenes. This does not feel like your typical institution. It is cheerful, warm, and inviting. They have created a space where healing can begin.
This is the mother lode of quilts room- also known as a Conference Room. Kids can spread the quilts onto the conference table and take their time choosing the one that appeals most to them. Wow!
At the end our our tour, we were given the ceramic tiles with words of appreciation directly from the kids. (They are pictured in the column on the top left.) We feel very privileged for having some small part in this wonderful work and hope you will consider joining us in providing even more quilts for this amazing organization.
How to help!
We need quilts! lots of quilts! and fabric!
TIPS:
The quilts don't need to be complicated - look at how simple the one on the right is!
The kids love soft fabric.
They see more girls than boys and tend to receive more quilts for girls than boys.
Most kids are elementary school age.
They would love some quilts in neutral colors for teen boys and super-heroes for little boys.
We meet monthly at The Pine Needle. Please call for our next meeting time (503)635-1353.
We sew and we sort fabric into “kits” for volunteers to take home. If you cannot join us during the day, please donate a quilt or fabric. If you have time but no fabric, come pick up a starter kit from our store.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Portland's Bridges...
A Modern Interpretation
WestSide Modern met last Wednesday at The Pine Needle for a big announcement.
We have been challenged to design and create
a modern quilt inspired by one of the bridges
over the Willamette River.
“Portland’s Bridges – A Modern Interpretation”
will be showcased at the NW Quilting Expo
in September of 2014.
We have over a year to make our quilt.
Portland is a very special place … known for great food, roses, beer and coffee enthusiasm, “Keep Portland Weird”, home of Grimm … and sits at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. Portland is known as “Bridgetown” due to the number of bridges that cross its two rivers. There are eight bridges entering downtown and the immediate areas.
We each cross bridges, but how often do we we really look at them and appreciate them? Each bridge has its own personality. Bridges are metaphors for life. Bridges connect us, one to another. Like quilts, bridges are made up of many parts, the support structure, the span, and the foundation. Without one part, the others would not stand. The bridges of Portland connect us to make a whole community, just as quilters connect fabrics to make a quilt. Bridges take us places. Bridges allow us to communicate. Bridges keep us from being isolated. We cross bridges when we face new challenges in our lives.
Sharon Wood Wortman was our guest speaker for the evening. Sharon, locally known as “the bridge lady” has a devoted passion for bridges. She has led bridge walks for 20 years for more than 20,000 people of all ages - for school groups and Portland Parks and Rec.
She and her husband Ed Wortman authored The Portland Bridge Book, first published in 1989 and currently in its 3rd edition published in 2006. She is working on The Big and Awesome Bridges of Portland and Vancouver, a 150-page, full color, hardbound book. Copies will be donated to Portland Public Schools and to Vancouver elementary school libraries.
For those participating in the Portland's Bridges Challenge, we will arrange a tour with Sharon!
Sharon shared lots of fun and interesting facts about bridges and invited us to listen to what inspires us about bridges. It could be the structure, a gear, a support, or even the elevations of what is under the bridges.
Did you know that there are Peregrine falcons on 11 bridges in the Portland Metro area? There is much to learn about bridges. We invite you to not be afraid of this quilt challenge, but to embrace the challenge of being taken to a new place in your quilting.
The fear of bridges is called “Gephyrophobia.” Do not succumb to gephyrophobia!
Pam shared these bridge book resources:
"The Portland Bridge Book, 3rd ed." by Sharon Wood Wortman
We thought we'd give you an inside peak into one of our classes. This is a Block of the Month class taught by Pam Raby at The Pine Needle. Pam is doing an amazing job of blogging about this class and the quilters' progress at: Quilts and Paws Blog
We're just going to show you the hi-lites here... Here's the pattern: "Sample This" by A Quilters Dream
