Last weekend my local guild, Kitsap Quilters, held their annual show at the Kitsap Fairgrounds in Silverdale and I enjoyed helping to hang the quilts and working in the kitchen during the show. This was the 28th show and my 22nd with them. The theme this year was Quilts in Bloom. Our guild has around 200 members and embraces a wide range of quilting techniques and styles. In this blog I’ll share pictures of the work of our featured quilter, Gladys Schulz from Bainbridge Island.

Here is Gladys in her display area with her lovely iris quilt. The large scale one-block wonder quilt is vibrant. Gladys has been quilting for over fifty years, but seriously so for the last 25. She has a long-arm machine and is prolific in her own work as well as quilting for others. She is incredibly generous, donating many quilts every year to a variety of charities.

She made the attractive Feathered Star quilt to test my Radiant Feathered Star pattern before I published it. Gladys is an accurate piecer and I knew I could rely on her to pick up any glitches in my pattern and make useful suggestions for improvements. Recently, she has begun ice dyeing fabric. She made the background of the floral quilt using this technique. The detailed shot shows how she cut and appliqued flowers onto the hand-dyed background.

Gladys loves to try new quilting techniques and her machine quilting gets better and better. This magnificent quilt really show cases her quilting skills.  The simple four patch quilt with lattice is so pretty and a great use of the large-scale print.

I was fortunate to visit the Latimer Quilt & Textile Center near Tillamook when I went to teach at Ocean Waves Quilt Retreat on the OR coast. This is a gem of a place and a great quilting resource. Visiting should be a high priority if you are in the area.

The Center began as a school, built in 1900 on a parcel of land donated by James and Permelia Latimer in 1892. The current building dating from the 1930s, became a maintenance repair facility in 1959. Thirty years later the property reverted to the Latimer family who then donated it to the Tillamook County Pioneer Museum Foundation in memory of James and Permelia. Claire Fairfield, an employee of the Museum, saw the need for a textile center in the Pacific Northwest; a place for artisans to demonstrate, teach and produce their crafts. The Center has become this place and hosts many craft activities. There is a large room devoted to spinning and weaving.

A sizable area houses special visiting exhibits including quilts and other fiber arts. When we were there the Whidbey Island Surface Design Association had an eclectic show entitled Life on the Edge which included some facinating 3-d pieces. In another large room that can be used for workshops, antique quilts from the permanent collection are displayed on the walls. The lovely Lone Star (c.1930) was donated by Al Griffin and the Sunbonnet Sue (c.1935) donated by Jo Kincade.

Also in this room were wooden cabinets with display drawers containing all kinds of interesting quilt blocks, embroidery, beading, lace work, buttons and more.

The beautiful 2013 raffle quilt was on display. The “Oregon Quilt” was made by volunteers at the Latimer Center and machine quilted by Mary Torrey.

The Center also has an impressive research library with an extensive collection of books and patterns available for on-site research. Then there’s the store to help boost Museum funds with all kinds of hand crafted items and more.

If you have a group of six or more, you can go on an organized tour by appointment to see the climate-controlled repository for the permanent collection items not on display. More on this in my next blog.