Happy June!!! It is a beautiful day here in Sisters, the sun is out it is going to be 80 today....can't wait to get into the garden.
This is the first day of Simply Made Summer a series of postings full of projects, recipes and ideas for a great summer!
My new skirt pattern Fina is a perfect summer skirt.....I made it out of the Cocoon Linen and I am in the process of making one out of the Cocoon Voile. I think it will be so soft and yummy as it gets into the heart of summer. For the Fina photo shoot I made skirts for all of the girls and we went out to the meadow. It was a cold spring day but they were awesome.
We had fun....
And the final cover photos is.....
Now once you have a beautiful skirt your going to need to reward yourself with something yummy.... how about some Sangria!!!! Download SummerRedSangria
The artwork formerly known as the Quilt for Two Rivers has a new name: Two Rivers Three Sisters. Here’s the latest about the completed 40-foot masterpiece which honors Sisters, Oregon’s Treasured Landscapes:
“THE QUILTER & THE CONSERVATIONIST”
When I tell people that I’m from Sisters, Oregon, their response is always, “Oh… do you quilt?”
I’m slightly ashamed to confess that I don’t quilt. I’ve resolved to take a beginner’s class at the Stitchin’ Post for years now, but I have never pieced together a block and I have only a vague notion what a bobbin is.
I’m part of the Two Rivers Three Sisters quilt project because I work for the National Forest Foundation (NFF), a nonprofit that brings people together to restore and enhance our National Forests.
NFF chose Sisters, more specifically Whychus Creek and the Metolius River, as a special site—a Treasured Landscape site—called the Tale of Two Rivers. In collaboration with many partners, NFF is working to restore our watersheds, bring back salmon and steelhead, and engage the community throughout the process.
The stunning Two Rivers Three Sisters quilts raise awareness for Whychus Creek. Half of the funds from the quilt will be given to NFF to go directly to local on-the-ground restoration efforts.
This may seem like a funny partnership: quilters and conservationists, together? It’s actually as natural as peanut butter and jelly.Quilters find inspiration in the forests and rivers that weave through our landscapes. They want to make sure that, just like a prized family quilt, this legacy of our National Forests, rivers, and wildlife is preserved for generations. The art of quilting and the affinity for National Forests are both part of our American identity. Have a look at our new video to see what I mean:
The act of quilting is piecing together different fabric to make a unified whole. A talented quilter focuses on each seam, each section, with the big picture in mind. This is also how we restore our watersheds. Piece by piece we work on the banks of the rivers, the trails winding through the forest, and the wildlife habitat—always with the health and unity of the whole in mind.
There is an important communal aspect to quilting. During the time they craft, quilters are able to connect with a community—they stitch and laugh in groups, get together for advice, and take classes and retreats with friends. The Two Rivers Three Sisters quilt is a project in which 20 quilters have collaborated and connected, creating over 40 feet of amazing art. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Restoration is also communal. Hundreds of volunteers and donors have made local conservation efforts possible. NFF could not do what it does without friends and partners: the U.S. Forest Service; Deschutes Land Trust; Upper Deschutes Watershed Council; Deschutes River Conservancy; Sisters Trails Alliance; and others.
The Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show has been an outstanding partner, helping connect NFF with a new audience and raise awareness of Whychus Creek through Two Rivers Three Sisters. NFF is also grateful to the quilters who have poured hours into this trendsetting project. The quilts go beyond words, they flow together and connect in balance, they are teeming with fish and forests—they represent everything our restoration efforts hope to create.
Please join us in honoring these amazing artists and see the completed Two Rivers Three Sisters quilt on exhibit at the Artists’ Reception, June 15, 5 to 7 p.m., Black Butte Ranch Main Lodge.
Fiber artists collaborating on the Quilt for Two Rivers are blogging about their quilt panels for the 40-foot masterpiece-in-progress which honors Sisters, Oregon’s Treasured Landscapes. Featured this week:
“DEEP IN THE WOODS”
After we moved from Illinois to Eugene in 1967, the first vacation we took away from the Willamette Valley was to Sisters, Oregon. Sisters, in general – and the Camp Sherman/Metolius River area, specifically – had been highly recommended to us by friends in Eugene who spoke of it in almost reverent terms.
It was easy to see why.
We in awe as the clear, cold headwaters of the Metolius River gushed from the ground to form a full-grown stream. Our hike along the shoreline toward the hatchery was an easy and enjoyable stroll. We marveled at the steady downhill flow of the stream with its layers of rock, ripples and occasional pools – abundant with rainbow and bull trout.
We enjoyed a picnic lunch in the shade of trees and paused to appreciate all we had seen and done. How blessed we felt to have visited an area that was easily accessible, but evoked a sense of remoteness – an area of preserved and protected natural beauty, yet open to all.
When I learned that the conservation network that our Quilt for Two Rivers group has partnered with seeks to restore Whychus Creek to its former glory, similar to that of the Metolius, my memory of that 1967 trip came to mind and I chose as the theme of my quilt, “Deep in the Woods.”
I hope it captures the simple beauty and serenity that will again be Whychus Creek.–Judy Johnson
Jean was recently teaching in California. While there, she had the pleasure of spending some time with Freddy Moran. Jean was very taken with Freddy's new "collage quilts".
Now Freddy will be joining us at the Stitchin' Post during Art Quilt Symposium week! Freddy will be teaching a three-day workshop called "Patchwork Collage~Freddy Moran Style!" Freddy begins with a patchwork of black & white large-scale prints and then builds her collage from the background toward the foreground in bright, bold color. Click here for more details about the workshop!
Here are more photos taken by Jean while visiting Freddy's House~
A self-portrait...?
A peek at Freddy's stash...
and scrap bins (remember...let nothing go to waste!)
What fun to sneak a peek into a working studio that isn't "airbrushed" for a studio magazine. I like to see where REAL women create!
(We'll stop there, as you DO NOT want to see where this real woman creates!) ~Tamra
Fiber artists collaborating on the Quilt for Two Rivers are blogging about their quilt panels for the 40-foot masterpiece-in-progress which honors Sisters, Oregon’s Treasured Landscapes. Featured this week:
"DEEPENING APPRECIATION FOR LOCAL RIVERS"
With Whychus Creek literally in our backyard, I have had an appreciation for this pretty little river. I love walking out there with my morning coffee, or watching with joy the pleasure it brings to our grandchildren who could spend the entire day throwing rocks and sticks on its banks.
But it wasn't until I was honored with the invitation to be one of 19 very talented quilters to participate in the Quilt for Two Rivers project that I now really have a great appreciation for this river and all the rivers around us.
It was so fun meeting at the Sisters City Hall that February morning and hearing Maret Pajutee of the U.S. Forest Service share with us all about this preservation and public awareness project.We caravaned together to a beautiful site only a few miles outside of Sisters and hiked a little-recognized river trail. All the raw, natural, untouched beauty so close to where we live was inspiring. We all took pictures and went home with greater awareness of the special qualities of Whychus.
As I imagined what my quilt would look like, I just started sketching. I sketched the trees along the river, dead ones, living ones, some erect, some leaning. And all the rocks --cliffs and those along the river's edge.
The only two "givens" for each of us quilters were the tiny entrance and exit marks on the papers we received (so that the 40 quilts had the continuity of the river running through all the quilts), and the "river" fabric that we were to incorporate as a common element.
And at the end I added fish in hopeful anticipation of their return to Whychus Creek!--Catherine MoenEnter the Name the Quilt Facebook contest! Visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/Quilt-for-Two-Rivers/132757123491016?sk=app_95936962634 to view current entries for the contest, with a grand prize of $100 cash and a discount lodging package at FivePine Lodge in Sisters, Oregon. Entries being accepted until May 18, when finalists will be chosen. Then Facebook fans will vote to select the winning name during the voting period May 22-25.
Fiber artists collaborating on the Quilt for Two Rivers are blogging about their quilt panels for the 40-foot masterpiece-in-progress which honors Sisters, Oregon’s Treasured Landscapes. Featured this week: “BLUE MOON PADDLE”
I’ve been sewing clothing since I was eight years old. Educated as a nurse, I’ve always like sewing and weaving blankets, imagining that my textiles are surrounding ones I love with love and comfort.
Maintaining bluebird trails in Sisters and Eugene, my two homes, is my favorite outdoor activity now. My favorite Oregon rivers include the Rogue, McKenzie, and Umpqua.
Hiking along the Metolius is magical – seeing the spring gush from the hillside is always a wondrous sight. And now Whychus Creek has become very special to me.
Watching the recent video of Whychus Creek flowing anew through Camp Polk meadow as part of the restoration work inspired hope. We’ve tried to control nature – often causing unfortunate outcomes for wildlife. Knowing salmon are back in Whychus is exciting.
Preliminary “cartoon” for Mary’s quilt
Finished panel for the Quilt for Two Rivers
Making nature quilts I look at wilderness through a new lens. What color is the McKenzie this spring? Gray green? What colors are the mountain trees? Blue green? Brown gray? What fabric in my stash would mimic what I see? How high is the flow? How would I create that log that floated down in a flood? How does the water flow around that rock? How do the branches of that pine differ from Douglas fir? What stitches would enhance the design?
As a result of this quilting project on Whychus and the Metolius, my husband and I joined the Deschutes Land Trust. We’ve supported the Oregon Nature Conservancy and the McKenzie River Trust for a few years. As boaters, my family wants wild and free-flowing waters. I dream of seeing our daughter, an extreme kayaker, paddle the Whychus and Metolius. She’s the inspiration for “Blue Moon Paddle.”
I am thrilled to participate in the Quilt for Two Rivers project. I love combining my love of nature and rivers with textiles. I’ve long thought there’s not a problem in the world a little sewing can’t make better. I’m glad Q2R is raising awareness and financial support for two rivers I love.
This new line of fabric from Moda just arrived and its cute as can be! There is a fabric panel for making a soft counting book for little ones. Inside the book there are panels made with "chalkboard" fabric for practicing how to write numbers! The finished book has a zippered pocket on the outside for holding necessary chalk and an eraser cloth. What a fun project!
Construction is made simple using Jellyroll strips and a fabric panel...
Thanks to all you "shop-hoppers" for making this weekend fun and lively~ the Stitchin' Post is pleased to announce our store winners for the Central Oregon Shop Hop Drawings!
$25 Stitchin' Post/Twigs Gift Certificate goes to Patty Lieuallen of Madras, OR
$50 Stitchin' Post/Twigs Gift Certificate goes to Janet Sehon of Bend, OR
The winner of our in-store drawing for Lawry's tablerunner made with this year's theme fabric "Soul Garden" by Carolyn Gavin is Gary Marr of Salem, OR
