Expo Excitement and More

We're less than a month away from the Northwest Quilting Expo so things are getting exciting! As the Pine Needle Quilt Shop is one of the drop off points for the quilts to be displayed at Expo our pile of entries grows daily. If you have registered a quilt to be displayed, hurry and bring it in to the shop any time before September 6th.

Check out our two workshops at the Expo as well:

This adorable Iron Caddy which is lined with heat resistant fabric so you can use it to carry your iron to classes and retreats and have your own personally ironing space as well (plus be able to pack up a still-warm iron when the day is done). Check out the Expo class listing for time and date and to sign up.

And, this sewing machine caddy organizer. The quilted pad includes handy pockets for thread snips, bobbins, marking pencils, etc. There's also a pin cushion so you always have a place to put you pins. Check out the Expo class listing for time and date and to sign up.

We had our Westside Modern Quilt Club reveal party Wednesday night. It was convivial as usual, and the quilts for our Transitions challenge are just spectacular. We can't wait for everyone else to see the exhibit at Expo. Club members were asked to reinterpret a vintage quilt (maybe a family heirloom) in a modern way. The variety both of starting points and interpretations is inspiring.

Our Fall catalog is just about ready to be mailed. We've got lots of new quilts and kits to entice our customers. Our new samples are already hanging in the shop and we're busily making kits to go with them.

Mark your calendars for Open House on September 15th and 16th! We'll have demos, our teachers will talk about their upcoming classes, and fabric designer Marcia Derse will be on hand Saturday to tell us about her fabulous new line of fabric, Treasure Hunt.

We can't wait to share a super September with everyone!

Seen At The Quilt Show (Part 4)

We almost forgot to share a last few quilts. There's a theme to these: trees!


"Ode To The Trees" by Sarah Sharp has none of the expected green, but sparkles in a classic blue and white color combo. It's fresh and modern, yet wholly traditional at the same time.




"De Beem (Trees)" by Lindsey Neil was part of the Best of QuiltCon exhibit and is sublime in it's simplicity. One thing that can get missed in viewing quilts like this online is the small or surprise details only seen up close, like the floral binding that perfectly finishes this lovely quilt.

"Mountain Scene" by Heather Black hits all the right design notes. Circles, triangles, and rectangles read easily as clouds, mountains, and water. Each area has it's own quilting design too. Beautiful.

It's been great fun seeing quilts from all over the country, and as always, we look forward to returning next year. Of course, we've got the Northwest Quilt Expo in September to look forward to as well, so there's always great quilt inspiration at hand!

Seen At The Quilt Show (Part 3)

Probably the best part of attending any quilt show is knowing that there will be wonderful colors, fabrics, patterns, and craftsmanship that will grab your attention and draw you in. The following are some of the beautiful quilts which simply begged us to stop and take notice.

Kristin liked the way "Annie's Birds" by Mary Reynolds showed off a special fabric. Mary had several quilts on display which used a focus fabric in the middle, flanked by strips that draw your eye inward:

"Eccentric Circles" by instructor Tonye B Phillips had it all! There's rich, sophisticated, colors; tiny bias strip appliqué, wool felt circles (don't they make an exuberant border?), and a mix of hand and machine quilting.

"Hang 10 Ombre Style" by Natalie Barnes of Beyond The Reef Patterns has a lot of visual texture. Ombre in many guises has been hot for a while and this is an exciting variation:

Pam Raby, a favorite at The Pine Needle, displayed "Crosscut Blues" in the Teacher's Tent. I hope we get to see more of this one! The limited color palette allows for a broad range of fabrics so it's really fun to look at up close:

Another familiar face, Pinecone Kristin had her quilt, "Me Plus Alison," in the Portland Modern Quilt Guild special exhibit. Kristin made this guild Row by Row challenge out of the last little bits of two fabric lines which she'd been collecting at the shop: 

One of the popular special exhibits was ab*strakt*ed featuring quilts by Maren Johnston, Patty Six, Lou Ann Smith, and Debra Blake. We particularly liked the scale and shapes in this one by Patty Six titled, "New Directions."

"Starfall" by Sally Rogers, quilted and submitted by Corni Quinlivan strikes a lovely balance between the traditional and modern aesthetics. The light but not too sweet colors are refreshing too:

In the more is more category, Sarah Fielke never disappoints. "Night Garden," seen in the Teacher's Tent, is richly scrappy. There were several floral themed quilts with twilight colored backgrounds -- a trend we can fully appreciate!

 

"Desert Bloom" by Sally Frey caught our eye for it's quirky colors and design simplicity with big impact:

And finally, "Rattled" by Tula Pink is just charming. Who knew Drunkard's Path blocks could be so cute? Tula did:

Seen At The Quilt Show (Part 2)

Of course, when we go to shows, in addition to spotting future trends, we're always looking to see what people are making with the fabrics and patterns we stock in our shop. 

We love the Australian fabrics in our shop, so we're always excited to see them in finished quilts. "Australian Clams" by Leilani Seidel organizes the fabrics (which can be a little chaotic), and ties them together with the consistence of cream colored pickle dish-style arcs in complimentary colors. 

A stunner from afar and up close.

"Aboriginal Orbs" by Christine Johnson caught our eye as well. She's chosen purple to unify her fabrics and uses a variety of traditional and "modern" batiks to coordinate with the Aussies.

A new addition to our shop is Twighlight, indigo and mud cloth inspired fabrics by Whistler Studios and Windham. We're inspired by Natalie Barnes from Beyond the Reef patterns' quilt, "Faith Hope & Love" which uses these fabrics beautifully. We've already added the pattern to our shopping list! Since the fabrics are on the heavier side, we're thinking of pillows using just four of these improvisational-looking blocks.

Finding fabrics to represent something in a quilt can be challenging. "Fresh Picked" by Hedda Wright was a beautiful reminded that when depicting something, the mere suggestion through fabric color, pattern, or shape, rather than strict pictorial adherence, is most effective. It's OK to get wild and use polka dots for grass, florals in faces, and stripes for sky as they all have the potential to make the quilt more exciting.

Check out the fun cabbage leaves in not-necessarily-cabbagy fabrics:

Customers will often ask us for help coordinating fabrics (we LOVE doing this!), and the collections are usually based around a desired color or a focus fabric. But what if a quilt were designed around a theme, and any fabric with that theme was fair game, regardless of color?! Kristin thought "Strawberry Sunday" by Marcia Aurdal was pretty fun, and an off-the-beaten-track way to coordinate a quilt. All the fabrics used have strawberries. Of course the red in the berries ties things together, but overall, it's pretty scrappy and free-spirited:

And, speaking of color, the pickle juice background color in "Morse Code" by Lynn Glidden kind of screamed "Geri would love this!" Up close, it also has the Me+You Indah batiks Kristin loves, plus a bunch of Kaffe Fasset favorites for good measure. 

Seen At The Quilt Show (Part 1)

It's been a busy week plus around here. We are blessed to get lots of visitors to our shop as quilters stop in on their way to and from the annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show and A Quilter's Affair classes. We're always looking for trends and listening to our customers to find out what's hot. Like last year, our Pinecone Kristin went to the show and brought back lots of ideas and inspiration to share.

Overall, the quilts were wonderfully varied, possibly leaning more towards the Modern and the innovative as opposed to strictly traditional designs. There was definitely something for everyone though.

Maybe it's just Kristin, but house themed quilts kept popping up, and what's not to like about that! Some favorites were this large version of Fierce Ladies by one of The Stitchin' Post's employees (that's a part of the iconic collection of employee quilts always displayed on the side of the store's building):

Another quilt on the side of the building was this one by Laura Simmons:

Kristin loved the whimsy of House Party Revival by Tonye B Phillips in the Teacher's Tent:

Also in the Teacher's Tent, and equally charming was Hunderwasser Takes a Walk by June Jaeger.

More bright houses on view in El Vecindario (The Neighborhood) by Hilde Morin:

Small Projects

It's the time of year when it's hard to image surrounding yourself with a big, warm, quilt. But summer time and travels mean visiting friends, exploring quilt shops, and still spending some time at the sewing machine. So, we suggest some smaller projects perfect for giving as gifts, for using those special fabrics you've picked up, and for sewing up something quick and satisfying.

We've got quite a few kits and patterns for a variety of fun projects. 

Brand new is this Sew Adorable Fabric Basket which Pam has kitted up in a variety of fabric combos.

We've also got a super cute Iron Caddy and pressing station. Perfect for taking along to sewing retreats or sew days with friends.

The Take Four Placemat pattern is a great way to use all those fat quarters you've been collecting, or pick up one of the Squared Up kits in which we've already coordinated some fabulous fabrics.

And... who can resist a Potato Chip Bag kit? This practical little purse is so cute and easy to make that you won't be able to stop with just one!

Fresh Fabrics For Spring

After a post-Puyallup Expo lull, new fabrics are arriving nearly daily!

Who's hungry for sushi? This fresh combo would make fun kitchen accessories like the French Flea Market Apron (which includes a kid size as well as an adult one), accents on towels, or maybe even some fun Pea Pod or other zip bags.

Maker Maker's graphically simple cats and dogs, and a collection of nubby linens from Lecien have a quiet, minimalist color palette perfect for totes and table runners.

Another lovely neutral collection is Destination Paris from Windham Fabrics. Are you dreaming of a European vacation yet?

Check out this purple and orange and blue from Robert Kaufman, Anthology, M&S (Australian), and P&B -- who knew they'd all look so rich and delicious together? Well, we kind of did.

We've refreshed our beachy blues and corals.

We've got a super cute collection of juvenile fabrics from Makower UK, mixed with some of our favorite basics, ready to be made into baby quilts and more!

And, Carrie Bloomston's Dreamer collection is finally here. We're making kits for our Hip To Dream and Lucy's Garden sample quilts, as well as having yardage for you to choose your own adventure!

Westside Modern Quilt Club January 2017

Happy New Year! After too many snow days in December and early January, we enjoyed seeing so many smiling faces at our January meeting.

To start the new year off on a convivial note, Geri had everyone wear name tags and then she called on each person to introduce themselves and tell us a bit about their quilting story.

Geri brought us up to speed on our "Transitions" challenge to be exhibited at the Northwest Quilt Expo in the fall. The challenge is to take a traditional quilt or block that means something to you and create a modern interpretation of it. We want to have a poster sized image of your inspiration to hang next to your finished piece, so keep that in mind as you take photos or collect inspiration.

Speaking of inspiration, our fabulous volunteers have organized a field trip to The Latimer Quilt and Textile Center in Tillamook:

Date: Saturday, February 11, 2017 Time: 1:00 pm (in Tillamook) Place: 2105 Wilson River Loop Road Tillamook, Oregon 97141 Admission Fee: $4.00 (payable at door)

We still have a few spots left in a carpooling van (fee is $15 which covers fuel and admission). Please call to see if there is room (503-635-1353). Those going in van will meet at The Pine Needle at 9:30 am - van leaves at 10:00 am! Otherwise, bring a friend and meet us in Tillamook for this special tour! Leave early and grab lunch at Tillamook Cheese Factory! PLEASE RSVP by phone (503-635-1353) so that we can let Latimer know how many people to expect! At the meeting, Geri also announced another challenge, Aboriginality! Our Pine Needle customers have been buying lots of the aboriginal design fabrics, and we want to see what you are making with it! Bring in your creations (anything made with 70% or more of the aboriginal fabrics, and up to 42" wide) by April 14th and we'll display them from April 15th until June 15th. We'll have prizes based on viewer's choice so bring in friends and family to vote on their favorite pieces. After filling us in on the challenges, we were treated to round robin style demonstrations of several clever log cabin and curved rulers, plus some fun coloring products. Of course, no Westside meeting would be complete without Show and Tell. Linda R started us off with one of her quilts made using the curved ruler she demonstrated. Check out that pop of green too -- it's pretty close to Pantone's color of the year, Greenery, which Geri introduced us to earlier in the meeting. Marlene brought the gorgeous quilt she made at last summer's retreat.  Alicia shared her cheery black and pink creation. Deslie designed this lap quilt herself which shows off the rich fall colors in her inspiration fabric. As always, she's incorporated her leftovers into a handsome tote bag! Michelle found these low volume squares at a great price so she sewed them together into this sweet little quilt and excellent showcase for her machine quilting. Marilyn showed off her Robert Burns inspired appliqué and embroidered Thistle quilt which she also designed herself.  Susan B wowed us with this baby quilt she made for her niece. She liked it so much, she decided not to give it away (don't worry, she made another quilt for her niece). Susan B also made this ebullient hexie medallion. Sisters Carol and Barbara brought a family heirloom made by their great grandmother. This lovingly preserved crazy quilt has been in their family for generations. Linda D brought a fun baby quilt too. Her's highlights colorful elephant artwork by her cousin. More green and black and white! Linda D designed this bold quilt, and... this one is the same design, just made up in completely different fabrics. It's amazing how much fabric choices change the look of a quilt and make each one unique to it's maker. Kathy W shared her happy quilt, made using our Illumination pattern, which she'll donate to CARES. She pieced the backing using a formula she found in Bernina's downloadable newsletter, Through the Needle. Thanks to everyone who came out for the meeting. We look forward to seeing you all on February 22nd, the last wednesday of the month, if we don't see you on the 11th for the Latimer field trip.