Stitchin' Post in Sisters

Meet Lawry Thorn and Highlights of Carpenter's Square

By popular demand we are bringing back our employee bios, this will give you an opportunity to know us for who we really are, and how we came to The Stitchin' Post.  I hope you enjoy, this week we have our office manager Lawry, I'll let her tell you the story...

 

"My family and I moved to Sisters from Eugene 32 years ago. After teaching first grade for 12 years -- first in Oakland, Oregon for 2 years, then at Veneta (just outside of Eugene OR) for 10 years, it seemed like a good time to take a big step and see what comes next.
There was this very cute quilt shop located in the now “saloon” of Bronco Billy’s and when I had free time (we were building our house ourselves) I would wander in. Having wanted to make a quilt for many years -- I had already picked a maple leaf block I liked clear back in high school, this would encourage me. Besides the cute little girl dresses on display, there were quilt fabrics. The most exciting thing, Jean asked me to make a dress to display -- and Mindi, my daughter, would get to wear the dress to kindergarten later on.
A year or so later, I made my first quilt, a dress or two, and the shop moved to a new location. It was one summer afternoon I wandered in and Jean mentioned she would like to have a free afternoon or two during the week to do something with her kids. It took me till the next day to say -- I think I could help out if you would like. I felt I was somewhat familiar with the how to cut fabric, see where things go, and whatever else might happen during an afternoon at The Stitchin' Post. That first afternoon lead to a day or two a week after school started (I was also subbing at the Elementary school and the library), and then realized my favorite place to substitute was The Stitchin’ Post, that was 29 years ago.  My job has changed from working on the floor and helping customers to being here full time, I now work at my desk, doing all the “dailies”, the accounting, payroll, incoming mail, and whatever else the “office manager’s” job entails. I also do pattern instructions -- which go along with the mystery classes I teach. Plus I do all the registrations for Quilter’s Affair. This brings me to the most important and my favorite, contact with customers and all of you, and that is the time I spend teaching classes. Absolutely Beginning Quilting is always fun and so rewarding. I have added Beyond Beginning to my repertoire -- and it gives me a chance to take the graduates of Absolutely Beginning to the next level in their quilting. You will also find me as the teacher of the Basic Machine Quilting class, plus of course, the mystery classes (they are really fun, try one sometime if you haven’t already).
When I am not here at the store, you can see a little picture of my companion and quilting helper, Juno, I also enjoy spending as much time as I can with my daughter Mindi, her husband Ben their 4 goats, 2 dogs, and a cat.  I love to knit and spend outdoors, whatever that might bring."

 

Here is an inside peek at Lawry's most recent class "Carpenter's Square" from our Modern Classic Pattern Collection

     

 

        

Looks like they had way too much fun! This is a gorgeous quilt be sure to check out the pattern on our website!  Until next time, happy projects, stay warm and healthy!

Lawry, Carolyn, and everyone here at The Stitchin' Post

Jean & Carolyn's Excellent Adventure!

Every year Jean and I make a trek to Portland, we stock up on a few fresh things for Twigs and Stitchin' Post and at the same time make a few stops to inspire ideas.  Our mission is to find unexpected, unpredictable ideas that you may not think of. 

So our journey began and as we crossed the Santiam pass, the pass was dusted with snow and Jean and discussed how snow simplifies the landscape, but the unexpected that hit us was the orange, the orange trees popping through the landscape of white and evergreen.  I wish we had a photo but unfortunately we don't and you will have to use the picture in your head, it was so beautiful.

Our first stop, the wholesale florist, we found some great things for the shop and will share photos of the displays once their done, mission one almost accomplished...

 

 

as if this is not full enough, we then went to the fresh side of the market.  Here they sell fresh flowers, twigs, plants etc. As we walked through the market we couldn't help but marvel at nature itself, there were some beautiful flowers that we just don't see on this side of the mountains, here are a few just a few shots to inspire...

 

 

 

Now lets see if Jean and I fit :)

Next we headed to a new area of Portland to explore, Missippi Avenue... We found some great new chairs for display and discovered some really fabulous shops.

Remember mission #2, inspiration can come in places that you least expect it...

 

 

 

This last store pictured with the logs, it's one of our favorite stops - Antropoligie in the Pearl.  You want to talk about unpredictable, their shop combines clothing,& homewares, but I must say they are the masters of creating interesting and capturing displays.  As you can see here with the combination of stacked wood and down comforters for the bed... think about how they relate, both things that create warmth and comfort... while it may grab your attention as "hmm thats an interesting combo." the display works, it tells a story.

So wherever your travels may take you, look for the unexpected, you will be surprised at the things that grab your attention or may become something later on in a different medium!

On another note Livy and Vi spent the night with their Mimi aka Jean, so we had a little photo shoot this morning in their adorable matching outfits, patterns by Modkid the "Sydney Euro Hoddie Top" and the "Sophie 3-way Pants" available in sizes 2T - 7.  Call the shop to order or for more information - so cute...

    

Happy Projects... if you have a chance get out and find some inspiration,it feels so good! Enjoy whatever the weekend finds you doing!

Carolyn, Jean and everyone here at The Stitchin' Post.

The Newest Arrivals

Wednesday, October 7th Ross & Valori welcomed to the world thier baby boy Teague Ashton Kennedy... 6lb, 15 oz, 20" long.  His big sisters Olivia & Violette are very proud... so are we, here at the shop!  Take a look for yourself, sweet baby...

 

 

Everyone is at home now and settling in, they are all doing very well.  The cute blanket that Teague is wrapped in is from Val's newest collection of flannels "Della", it's a great line and really works in with the "Urban Flannels".  "Della" will be available on our website in December!

As promised Jean has finished her quilt from the Rosalie Dace workshop, it's so eye catching!  It is now part of her stone series, so here is a before shot...

and wait for it.... here is the finished quilt Stone Series II...

Jean based it on this green background, it really makes the whole quilt sing, it gives a mood to the whole quilt. Her quilting mimics the rocks, some jagged, some rolling, and then some straight lines.  It reminds me of some of the scenery we are so fortunate to have here in Central Oregon. We would love to see more of the quilts from this workshop so feel free to email them to us.  Happy Friday everyone and we'll be touch!...

Carolyn

"Earth, Wind, and Fire"

The Stitchin' Post was so excited to have Rosalie Dace come from South Africa to share her perspective and techniques of art quilting, here is an inside view of just how much fun the students had...
The students mission:
Using nature as a starting point to study the magic of color, students discover the myriad varieties and ever-changing palettes of the natural world. Using nature as a source of inspiration, students will investigate the range and qualities of features like rich earth browns, cool air, water blues and greens, and blazing hot fire colors. 

Rosalie brought with her, her unique style of teaching;
"My classes are for class participants to enjoy the process of learning, and to go beyond where they thought possible. In a non-threatening and respectful environment, I guide students to work in the direction of their own interest so that each person produces individual work within the general theme of the class.  As an art educator, I encourage students to develop a thorough knowledge of the elements of design and learn to apply these to the medium of quilt making with confidence."

Jean had the opportunity to take the class, here are her comments:
"Students are still buzzing from Rosalie's class. She was one of the best
instructor's that I have ever taken a class from. The room looks so chaotic
with all of our stuff but the creative energy flowing in the room that week
was amazing.

There were some fabulous quilts emerging. Rosalie's background as
an art teacher sure came out. I could hardly wait to get home and
work on my quilt and I did finish piecing it. As soon as it is quilted, I
will share it."
Here are just a few of the quilt tops, sorry we just couldn't post them all but each one was individually unique and amazing, see for yourself...

Jean was so right the excitement and the creativity just oozed out the classroom right into the shop. And that brings me to this, we are excited to annouce that we were able to book Rosalie for another workshop in late August 2010. The details of her workshops will be available in our Spring flyer that comes out late January. Be sure to check out what is happening between now and then, we have some really exciting things coming up!
Carolyn and Jean

Jean's Quilted Footstool...

When we were at spring market the Mosaic quilt pattern from Aardvark Quilts was my very favorite so when I decided to do a quilted footstool cover I went to this design.  Pam Goecke is a fabulous designer and we love her patterns.

The first thing I did was measure the soft footstool (kind of like bean bag filling) that I had purchased from the West Elm catalogue. It was 24" square and 13" high. I decided on a 6" repeat block for the top and then the 6" for the sides but added panels of fabric to make it 13". It was necessary for me to make the block a little larger but the technique still worked. You slice off the end of the square at an angle and stitch another piece to it. It creates wonderful movement throughout the design.

The living room in my new house is soft grey tones with green and orange accents so I started digging in my fabrics and made some blocks. I really liked the movement in the striped and the multi colored leaf fabrics. They added some spice to the design. Here you can see the blocks arranged for the top and the sides pinned next to the edges.

Once I was satisfied with the block arrangement I stitched them together. For the sides you can see I used panels of fabric in places to fill in. I thought it would be way too busy to have all blocks on the sides.

I felt it would be sturdier, with grandkids lounging and playing on it, if I quilted it. I used a thin batting and no backing. With my free motion embroidery foot I stitched grain lines like you might see on trees. I did add grey piping around the top edge.

To finish it I stitched each side to the top edge starting and stopping 1/4" from the corner and back tacking. The side seams were easier than I thought. I began at the bottom and stitched the seams together ending where the sides meet the top and back tacked.

For the back I cut a square 26".  Then cut it into two pieces diagonally from corner to corner.

Place the two triangles right sides together and stitch in 1" on each end using a 1/2" seam allowance and back tack. Press the seam open including the unstitched seam allowances across the triangle. Place a zipper under the seam allowances and stitch the zipper tape to the folded fabric.

Open the zipper at least six inches.
Place the right side of the back fabric to the bottom edges of the sides and pin all around. Stitch the back to the sides. Put your hand through the zipper opening and unzip the zipper. Turn the cushion to the right side. Fill with the filling from the purchased cushion. Zip it back up.
This turned out to be a lot easier than I thought it would be. The quilting was time consuming but it looks good. You can see the footstool in my new living room.

Send me pictures when you tackle a project like this.

Jean

On a Roll.......

Hello everyone - we are busy here at the shop with all of the class sign ups. We had our preview party this weekend. And today is Wednesday so the Sit n' Knitters are bringing a buzz to the store. I love Wednesdays, you can hear laughter and chatter downstairs as the girls knit and hang out. It reminds me of The Friday Night Knitting Club novel. I love that book...I just started reading Knit Two the next novel in the series......Now onto other things....Carolyn and I have been working on taking photos for the web site - Stitchin' Post and Twigs.....here are a few new shots that we got over the past week. We are working on updating and revamping the Twigs web site.....bear with us.

The candle sticks are antique glass that we carry in Twigs....thought they would look cool out in the aspen trees.

This is the free pattern that I am doing for my new fabric collection "Del Hi". The quilt is called Del Hi Street.....the palette is High Desert - the other colorway, Mediterranean is being pieced as we speak. I will share when it is done.
In the last posting I shared a little about Carolyn - so this week I want to share a bit about my mom. Jean Wells - the founder of the shop and the Quilt Show. Here is what we have for her little bio.....
“I began my career as a home economics teacher right out of college, but my love for sewing started long before that, I discovered sewing at the age of nine. I made my first quilt 39 years ago when I was pregnant with my son Jason.  The beginning of a long passion that eventually led to my opening of The Stitchin’ Post in 1975.  That same year we had our very first Sisters Outdoor Quilt show, in which 12 quilts blanketed the outside of my shop, today we hang more than 1200 quilts from around the country.
 I love pattern, color, and piecing and most of all teaching. I love to see people learn and discover their own talents and be proud of themselves. That is the foundation of the store--education and inspiration.  I am not a quilter that has specialized in just one technique… I love it all. I have had the opportunity to write 27 books, number 28 comes out this July "Intuitive Color and Design - adventures in art quilting.”

Jean (mom) is an incredible lady both in business and in talent. In 2010 Jean will be inducted into the quilter's hall of fame in Indiana, a very well deserved honor.  Jean continues to grow as a quilter, she is never satisfied with one way, one style, she is constantly moving forward, this in my opinion, is what makes her so successful and makes the Stitchin’ Post the Mecca that it has become.  What Jean has given the town of Sisters goes un-numbered, every year for the last 34 years she turns our small old loggers town into a kaleidoscope of color and shares everyone’s talents.

Some of her most recent talents and quilts will come to you in this great book....should be out this Summer. Keep your eye out......
Have a  great day.....Happy quilting, sewing, knitting.......OH next week I will have new yarns to share.....yummy....
Valori

2009...starting the year with a new mission....

AAAHHH, it has been months since I have been here....way too long. I made a pact with myself that I would get our blog going and be more....well, here.
So, where to start.....The shop is a buzz with new fabric coming in and our class preview party getting ready to launch next week. I don't have the image of the flyer here by I do have the image that I shot for the cover....with my sweet Olivia.

We have all of our classes on line, you can even sign up on line if you would like.
I love how the classroom looks this time of year - it is filled with all of the samples for classes. The girls did such a great job putting it all up.
We have finally got the newest Valori Wells Designs pattern......Prudence and Henry. Again I have my great girl to "model" for me...now I did have to bribe her for this one....

These lovley little animals are travel pillows with a blankey.
I want to share our staff at the Stitchin' Post with you....we are starting to do it in our e-newsletter and I thought that it would be great to show them off here. We do have the best staff out there.....First I will start with Miss Carolyn....Carolyn writes the e-newsletter and this is what she wrote about herself....

"Here you go, me......I started at the Stitchin’ Post when I was 16, I began in a school to work program searching for what I was going to be when I grew up, and here I am almost 12 years later.....I never knew that this would turn into my career......I started in the Stitchin’ Post as a floor clerk, inspired by some beautiful fabrics that came from Holland I made my first quilt, with the help of my good friend that also worked here at the time. The quilt was a combination of 4” squares and four patches and now adorns the guest room bed at my moms house.  Then an opening came up in the gift department of the shop, to keep myself busy I rearranged some displays and lets just say it was a niche I never knew I had and Jean saw something more.  A few years went by and a position opened for a manager/buyer for Twigs (it was called The Wild Hare back then) I was 19 at the time, I applied and Jean while a little skeptical thought why not lets give it a try and the following years were history, I loved my job, I married my best friend, co-authored a book with one of my great friends, Valori, learned to knit, and had the light of my life, my son Maddox, arrive in 2007. Just when I thought things couldn’t get better my job description changed a little to include even more of my passion for learning, while I still manage and buy for Twigs I also co-manage the yarn department create displays through out the shop, write to all of you, work closely with Val on photo shoots, ads and the behind the scenes creative part that makes The Stitchin’ Post the shop that it is.  In my 12 years here at the store, I have met so many incredible people, made a ton of friends, and for those of you that have seen it first hand I have grown from an awkward teenager to what I consider a successful business woman - wow that is strange to write, let alone say - I anticipate the coming years and what they have to bring......."
Besides Carolyn being such an awesome asset to our business she is one of my BEST FRIENDS. I could never ask for someone more caring and wonderful to call my friend.....I love her!!!
Carolyn and I made a pact the other day that we would do a photoshot once a week to increase our photos to use..... Wel,l even in the snow this week we did a photoshot.....it was for an ad in our local paper, The Nugget.....

We also shot this......

I want to introduce you to LuLu - our manaquine - we use her a lot in photo shots. The clothes she is wearing.... the dress is out of my new Del Hi fabric - due in the shop in April, sometime - I made this dress for my Art Show opening  last night......The sweater is from some new yarn we just got into the shop from Rowan - Lenpur Linen - it is beautiful. Too bad I didn't have it last night would of looked great with my outfit.
I know it is a lot to give in a post - especially after SO long....but I just wanted to fill you in....
Live, Love, Inspire, Create!
Valori

Hello....finally!!!

Hello!!! Well, as you can see I am still working on the design of the blog. I have been having issues trying to get our logo at the top in the header position. But the folks here at typepad are so good at helping I am sure we will have it resolved soon. In the mean time I figured that I had better get on here.....especially since the last post was over a year ago!!!
Let's see what can I share with you today......we are enjoying a little cool down here in Sisters. It has been good for the fires.......the shop is a buzz with people coming in from all over - I love seeing everyone enjoying the quilts and the knitting.....AAHHH makes you smile!
So, I was out the other day to shot a new photo for an ad - I thought I would share along with some other images from around here....and there!!

I couldn't get the chair into the field by myself so I made this work. Still looks pretty cool. The quilt is Gracie and the fabric is Olive Rose.
Here are some photos of the shop and some new displays that Miss Carolyn did......


We are trying to create a "lifestyle" area in the front of the shop...showing how fabric can be more than just quilts. We are offering a bunch of "lifestyle" classes this year in our flyer.....speaking of our flyer if you haven't checked your mail or you are not on our mailing list check out our web site to see what classes we have.

I am just so excited about the classes we have to going this year as well as the events!! I will keep you posted on the events to come. It is hard to remember when everything is happening that is why I am here for you...besides it keeps me remembering......
To close for this posting I will share some of the photos of the flowers from the shop......



Take care and happy sewing.....
Valori
& the rest of the Stitchin' Post crew

After Quilt Show

A very fun, beautiful quilt show is now history in Sisters. It is hard to believe it was only a couple of weeks ago. Violette Grace, Val's new daughter arrived a week after the show (three weeks early). John and I took care of Olivia while everyone was at the hospital. Everyone is home now and settled in and doing well. Our class flyer went to the printer yesterday so I feel like a lot has happened in the past two weeks. If you are not on the mailing list you might want to sign up---the flyer is in full color and a brand new format. Diane is the one responsible for having the vision and making it all happen. We will have it online by the middle of August.

Now I can enjoy summer and boy do I love all the flowers around the store. All of the hard work in the spring has paid off in the eclectic garden with perennials as well as annuals grown from seeds with French beans and zucchini thrown in. I took several pictures to share with you. The garden reminds me of a quilt that Terri Kirchart made for us right before quilt show. She was inspired by the paisley print from Sole' and had taken a class from Marti Mitchell at market on Kaleidscope quilts. It is like a stack and wack the way you create the images. She choose the sunflower print from Sole' for the border. It is a very dramatic quilt.

Jean

Welcome.....

Welcome to the Stitchin' Post in Sisters...we couldn't be starting this at a busier time. We have 1500 people here taking classes prior to our 32nd annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show - which is this Saturday...... Everyone starting arriving for classes a couple of days ago....this morning at the High School - where we hold the classes - there was a excited, happy energy..... I had a teacher, who comes every year to teach, say that it was like a reunion with everyone - so much fun. The weather is cooperating - it is sunny and warm, not too warm - at least not yet!
My gardening efforts have paid off and flowers are blooming everywhere around the store. The quilts we have hanging from the shop are - Paprika, the quilt on the left - designed by Valori Wells is our Raffle quilt for this years show and we did a pattern and kit for it. The quilt to the right was made by Terri using some of Valori's new fabric Sole'. The last quilt hanging from the shop is a copy of last year's raffle quilt, Sisters Scape - it was also designed by Valori - and we did a kit and pattern for it.
As the week progresses we will be shooting lots of photos to share with you of our event!!! Here is a preview of what the shop looks like when you walk in - with my grand daughter - Olivia, isn't she cute in the little tent - made from her mother's fabric.....
Enjoy and come back as our look changes......
Jean