Modern Quilt Guild Meet-up Weekend

I find the ferry culture in and around Seattle so intriguing. I'm sure it must get old for those folks who depend on it for getting places everyday, but as a tourist it really is quite wonderful, especially on a day like it was last Saturday morning: crisp, bright, the fog layered on the water. The bonus was that I got to spend a whole day quilting on Vashon Island at Island Quilters for the first ever PNW MQG Quilt Meet-up!

I hitched an early ride with Jen (aka bettycrockerass) and Amber, and even in my coffee-deprived state the buzz of the room when we arrived did wonders to motivate some serious sewing! It was fun to sew surrounded by quilts from the PMQG, which Island Quilters had displayed in their bright gallery space. It was also fun to hang out by 'Park Blocks' which hasn't been home since Sisters!

I met so many new people from Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. and really enjoyed 'sew'cializing with them. All together we made six quilt tops for charity. I really enjoyed working with Katie Pederson, the president of the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild and the author of the blog Sew Katie Did. We made 'stitch and flip triangles' from her book Quilting Modern. (And seriously, I am so sorry for stepping on your bare feet in my clunker Danskos... I owe you a drink for sure next time!)

Another group worked with Susan Beal the president of the Portland Modern Quilt Guild and author of the blog West Coast Crafty. They made four modern cross quilt tops from her book Modern Log Cabin Quilting. It was a treat to watch them go together on the design walls. (And I'll add that I also got to share a room with Susan, who is super kind and generous and I win the bad room mate award for waking her up at 6am. Sorry Susan!)

I also had the pleasure of hanging out with Holly from Holly's Red Bike. She is the president of the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild. The good news was that I didn't step on her toe or wake her up too early!
A group of us went to dinner that night. I can't get facebook or twitter or instagram on my phone right now so I got to watch everyone posting around the table. It was funny to feel so old fashioned, but I ended up having fun talking with the folks I was sitting next to who also weren't hooked up to the internet.
The next day was a shop hop and as much as I tried, it was just impossible to go home empty handed. I bought a few goodies at Drygoods Design that I couldn't resist. I'm stealing this photo of me hugging my fabrics from Monica's (aka Happy Zombie) instagram.

On the ride back to PDX we stopped at Patricia Belyea's home. She collects and sells Japanese Yukata Fabrics. Susan, Petra, Heather and I were absolutely smitten with the beautiful prints and rich colors of these fabrics and I'm certain you will see us sneak them into a project or two soon!
There are lots more photos over on the PNW MQG Meet-up Flickr page. I can't wait to do this again!