Fort Bragg Day 3

Ft Bragg quilt shop

After breakfast we made a trip into Fort Bragg to hit the local quilt shop, yarn shop, and African cloth import shop.  Let's just say that we helped support the local economy.  We will go back to all of these again, I'm sure.

A flower worth painting

The sun was actually out for about an hour this morning, and Olivia and I incorrectly assumed that it would be out later...how wrong we were, as the fog returned even before we left for town.  If it is clear at all tomorrow I am going to walk down to the beach and take a picture of the ocean with the sun out.

Susan demonstrating how the strips were put together

My finished 30's quilt

Robin knitting with Lucy, the small dog

Photo bomb by Olivia and Susan

Maggie and Susan consulting

Fort Bragg Day 2

Our home away from home

Driving over from Yuba City yesterday was interesting...Robin picked me up just after 7 AM, we then picked up Maggie and her three little dogs, and set out for Williams by way of Woodland!  If you're from here you will realize that you don't go to Williams by way of Woodland.  We were just so busy talking we weren't paying attention.  Got turned around the right way and made it to Williams on time to meet Gail at McDonalds.  We then set out on Hwy 20, where we met Carol, Olivia and Trudy from Woodland.  We stopped in Eureka for some retail therapy and lunch, then drove to Fort Bragg.  My first time in Fort Bragg.  The house we have rented is 7 miles north of Fort Bragg, just past MacKerricher State Park.  Nice house...unfortunately foggy.

Shore line near the house

Today was just as foggy as yesterday, except for about 37 seconds of sunshine.  We worked on various projects today, and Olivia and I went for a walk on the beach.  Hopefully tomorrow will be sunnier, although the fog is a nice change from the heat of the valley.

Foggy, grey day

Small grey birds

The view from my window

Olivia and Gail studying my one block wonder

PIQF Day 2

Drove back to the quilt show this morning, later, so it better driving, less rush, until I got to 101 ...accident way up the freeway, turned out a semi had gone over the center divider, but didn't find that out until later.  I exited right away and made it to the conference center on back roads.  Quilts shown were wonderful, with quilts from California as well as Australia, New Zealand, Israel, England, Germany, Japan and Korea.
As you can see, there were many beautiful quilts there.  My only objection is that so many quilts are what I consider over-quilted.  Great for a wall hanging, but it makes a quilt really stiff and unusable as a bed quilt.
Next post will be Sunday, when I'm off to Fort Bragg for a quilt retreat. :-)

Floral Fantasy, Vicki M David, Santa Rosa

Detail of Floral Fantasy

Morris Magic Pat Kilpatrick, Manteca

Detail

Cindy Seitz-Krug and Molly Hamilton-McNally, Tehachapi

Sorry, no name, but look at the detail

Hand-quilted!

Now these are large daffocils

Squared Illusion 6, Gloria Hansen

This is the back

and this is the front.

Dotty Roo, Denise Griffiths, Shellharbour Aus

Detail of Art Nouveau, Gea van Holst, Auckland NZ

Detail, Victoria, Sue Prins, Hermanus South Africa

Detail, Life, Yoshiko Katagiri, Japan  SILK

PIQF Day 1

Anna Hergert

Drove to San Jose yesterday to spend the night with my brother-in-law Art and his wife Deanna.  Traffic has certainly not gotten better...but remembering old times with Art, who went to the same high school as I, has gotten better.

More of Anna's work

Anna's wonderful kanta

Took over an hour to negotiate traffic this morning to get to the Santa Clara Convention Center.  I made it to my kanta cloth class with one minute to spare.  My teacher, Anna Hergert, is from Moose Jaw, Canada.  To quote her, kanta is "embellishing fabric with humble running stitches to achieve sensational textures."  This is what we did in the class, which lasted all day.  I made a fast run through the exhibits, but left the real viewing (and shopping) for tomorrow.

My practice piece

New 49er stadium

Did see the new stadium for the San Francisco 49'ers.  Didn't realize it was across the street from the conference center.

Tahoe Day 4

Karen(sic) and Shirley J, breakfast on the deck

About the extent of wildlife

After a visit to Tahoe Vision Center to have my eye checked (inflammation reduced, continue the steroid eye drops), Shirley and I went to Quilt Tahoe and Fabrics Unlimited, the two quilts shops in South Lake Tahoe.  After this we drove to Zephyr Point where the lady from Fabric Chicks (our fav shop from Nevada) had a shop at a quilting retreat at the Presbyterian Center on the lake shore.  Bought some few things and drove back to Meyers, where we quilted all day.  Doesn't sound exciting, unless you are a quilter.

Content Lucy

Shirley M and I consulting

Cathy seaming like crazy

Yours truly hard at work

The wonderful deck

Jan's completed top

Contemplative Claire

On the way home, the high Sierra...day 5, the end of this adventure

Tahoe Day 3

Jan and Lucy's quiche

Another day at the retreat.  After a great breakfast, off to work we went.

Patt's retreat "do"

Kingsbury grade on the way to Gardnerville

Inside Fabric Chicks

Today after piecing all morning some of us decided to drive over to Nevada and do a little shop hop of our own.  It was surprisingly close to Gardnerville and "The Quilt House."  What a nice shop, with nice ladies in the shop.  We spent almost an hour there, and then headed north to Minden and "Fabric Chicks Creative Oasis."  This shop is in an industrial area, and from the outside looks really small.  Oh what a mistake to judge by appearances!  The shop is huge, with a myriad of quilts hanging in a warehouse sized area.  And what fabrics were available!  I have a new shop to add to my list of favorite shops.

Pat, Shirley and Lucy, a favorite shop

Tahoe Day 2

Turns out the location of the house we are quilting in is really located in Meyers...still beautiful, but no bears so far this year.

Dark glasses with eyebrows

Woke up this morning with a weepy eye and extreme sensitivity to light, so bad I asked Shirley M to take me to Urgent Care.  After filling out forms I found out I have iritis in my left eye. Urgent Care doc sent me a Optometrist (more medical forms!) who did confirm the diagnosis and gave me steroid drops for my eye.  What a difference.  No more sensitivity to light, and my eye stopped weeping so much.  All this took about two hours, after which we went to quilt shops in South Lake Tahoe and over in Nevada.

Cathy's pumpkin

After getting back to the house I pieced all afternoon, ate great chili for supper with some good wine , and had a great time talking.

Shirley curing her cold

A nice wine