Big Day in Seattle

Up early for yogurt parfait at Portage Bay Cafe that's loaded with raisins, berries, and whole grains.

My husband had the hearty scramble with potatoes, eggs and spinach. Yum!

Off to one of my favorite quilt stores in Bellevue, Quiltworks Northwest.  They have a great selection of fabrics and patterns.  I went on a basic neutral fabric shopping spree. I have lots of novelty fabric and needed fabric to go with them.   O.k., I did sneak a piece of banana fabric in I couldn't help it.After a long day of shopping, we went to our favorite vegetarian Thai food called Araya's  for dinner. We ordered fresh spring rolls with tangy sweet sauce.My favorite is the Rad na with delicious wide rice noodles and veggies. You can choose the amount of heat in your dishes with a 1 thru 5 scale.  I chose 2 and it was just right for me.With the last grain of rice almost done, it's time to head back to hotel and rest up  for the next big day in Seattle.

Ulei the Hawaiian Rose Quilt

My unfinished project for this year is my Ulei Hawaiian quilt.  I started finishing this quilt well, let's just say many moons ago.  This quilt was always a ufo to me as I purchased the half-appliqued top at the thrift store, yes for a measly $3.00. 

I used wool batting in it to give that soft vintage look. My quilting lines are not drawn with pencil.  I like the idea of natural looking ocean waves washing over the applique design. I didn't know the pattern name but Lee Wild of the Hawaiian Quilt Research Project was nice enough to help me identify it as the ulei pattern.

This is Lee Wild  holding Meali'i Kalama's bombax quilt pattern. 

Here's a Meali'i Kalama breadfruit quilt I made after taking her quilt design class at the Kauai Museum.

Now I must finish the ocean wave quilting on my ulei quilt. 

I hope it's a high surf day!

Hawaiian Quilting on Aloha Friday

Since it's Aloha Friday another Hawaiian quilting post is in order. This excellent book Contemporary Hawaiian Quilting written by Linda Arthur, PhD is a great resource for those who would like add the flavor of the islands to their quilts. 
This is the Kalo Hanalei quilt I made that appears on page 10 of the book. Happy Aloha Friday!

Hawaiian Pineapple Quilt

At our local bank there is a great antique Hawaiian Pineapple quilt, so I stopped by to take a picture. Sorry for the glare they have it behind plexiglass and I couldn't ask the bank to turn off all their lights. Since I'm in the Hawaiian quilt mood, here's some Hawaiian quilt lore. The center of the quilt is called the piko.  Many quilters used this design element as their signature.  In the past some families destroyed the quilts when the maker died as person's soul was believed to be with the quilt. I'm very glad the bank displays this wonderful quilt so it can be enjoyed by the public everyday. 

Mahalo

Kauai Quilt Festival at the Kauai Museum

The Kauai Museum is having a Kauai Quilt Festival this year from May 23rd until October 1st. This festival is dedicated to the late Julie Yukimura, an inspiration to all Quilters!

Be sure to stop by and see the quilts.  If you can't make it, here is a picture of a Hawaiian quilt from Maui in my collection. Enjoy!

Home of the Brave Project

A step back in time helps soldiers of today.  This Sunday, I sewed a block for the Home of The Brave Quilt Project for Hawaii.  The pattern is the Civil War pattern signature block. Since my husband's great grandfather was a Civil War Veteran I was thinking of him too when I put together this block.

Soldiers of the past and present have dedicated much to this country, and I'm happy to help with this charity.

Grape Crochet... a Look Back

This women's sewing group is from Blaine, Idaho a town close to Moscow, Idaho. One of these ladies crocheted this grape cluster collar.   Do you see the large grapes on the wallpaper, did those inspire the crochet collar? If only walls could talk...In case your not sick of politics yet, this picture is also from Blaine, I find it interesting that this was taken in 1912 when Taft ran for president and women could still not vote yet.  I can't believe there was a time when what we had to say did not count. 

Up a Tree and a Quilt

I kind of felt "up a tree" when I was asked to do a baby quilt quickly as I could for a friend of a relative.  Sometimes you are torn in two directions, I would love to make a quilt for a sweet baby but do I have time?  Searching the blogs I found Lisa Boyer's Pua Keni Keni quilt pattern, it would be perfect for a little girl.The pattern was fun and I made 8" blocks with a 30's fabric for that retro feel. With the quilt almost done I can get out of that tree and enjoy a cup of tea! Photograph of women  "up a tree" is from our family archive taken in Moscow, Idaho early 1900's.

Aloha Friday

In Hawaii Friday is celebrated 52 weeks a year.  Aloha Friday is the end of the week and beginning of pau hana time (no work). This picture is from today's Honolulu Star Bulletin of the new Miss Aloha Hula.   Have a great Friday!

Many Hearts Quilt

Here's another great quilt our quilt group made, many hearts make many quilt blocks. The No Nene Quilters heart quilt is being donated to the Heart Association for their fundraiser.
Close up of bird house center block with silk ribbon embellishment made by Nancy Tipple.
Heart with embroidery accent.