Monthly Archives: November 2018

Leavenworth Quilt Company, WA

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In late October, I drove across the mountains to Eastern Washington to teach at the North Central Washington Quilt Guild in Wenatchee. I came home via Highway 2 through the picturesque town of Leavenworth, stopping on the east side of town at this delightful quilt store, (11007 Highway 2, Leavenworth). What a perfect combination – a quilt store and a local fresh fruit stand! There’s also a yarn shop. The Leavenworth Quilt Company is a small store, but they have utilized the space nicely and have a good selection of fabrics. There is no quilt store in Wenatchee, so the locals are very appreciative of this store which opened its doors just five years ago. The atmosphere is friendly and it feels cozy and inviting. I recommend a stop there if you are passing through. Here’s a pictorial tour.

 

 

Comical Sewing Band-Aids

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When I taught in Soldotna, AK at the Kenai Peninsula Quilters in July, one of my students who was a nurse passed out sewing band-aids for everyone. I always joke about having liability insurance but not wanting any blood in my classroom! I’m a stickler for checking that my students close their rotary cutter blades every time they put their cutters down, even if they are going to pick them up right away. I tell them that they get one warning and then if I catch them again, they will be fined $5 which will go to the Mongolian Quilting Center! They laugh, but seriously, we need to respect these wonderful sharp rotary cutters that save us so much time and cut so cleanly and accurately. Here’s the selection of sewing band-aids. These really amused me.

American Hero Quilts

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As we approach Veteran’s Day, it seems appropriate to remind you all of the opportunity to make patriotic quilts for wounded veterans or for family members of veterans killed in action. American Hero Quilts is one such group that does this. At our Bainbridge Island Quilt Fest in September, sponsored by the Bainbridge Island Modern Quilt Guild, there was a Sew In to make quilt blocks for a quilt to donate to this group.

Anyone could participate to sew simple 4-patch blocks, or string-pieced blocks to make a replica of this antique quilt using patriotic colors. The new blocks are much more vibrant in color, the antique quilt having faded with age. This project was coordinated by Marybeth O’Halloran and Barbara Kirk.

The American Hero Quilts organization was established in 2004 to provide recognition and appreciation to wounded service men and women who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Each quilt as a metaphoric hug and a way to express gratitude for their service to our country. There are now over 800 volunteers participating in the program, ranging from piecers, binders, quilters and other helpers, including generous contributors.  As of the first of the year in 2018, over 26,500 quilts had been provided to deserving men and women and their families. The quilts are sent to Madigan Hospital at Joint Base Lewis McCord, other Warrior Transition Centers in the US, and directly to bases in Afghanistan.