Quilting FUN with the Clark County Quilters

This past weekend, I flew into Portland Airport to lecture and teach for the Clark County Quilters, who meet in Vancouver, WA. My wonderful host, Sharleen, met me at the airport and planned a fun afternoon touring some of the local Vancouver sights, starting with lunch at Fort Vancouver, a National Historic Site. After lunch, we stopped by the Visitor Center to check out the exhibits. There were two quotes on the walls that caught my attention:

• "These are the people's PARKS owned by young and old." -Harry S. Truman (top right)
• "What a country chooses to save is what a COUNTRY chooses to say about itself." -Mollie Beattie (bottom left)

Fort Vancouver Displays

While I did not pack my National Parks' Passport, I was able to get several stamps to add to it when I returned home.

Adding to My Stamp Collection

Sharleen suggested I go check out the restroom, where I was delighted to find Ceramic themed decor complete with a mural on the ceiling and tiles in each stall to commemorate artifacts found on site.

Blue Ceramic Bathroom

Of course, I had to visit each stall and take a photograph.  Luckily, no one else was in the bathroom at the time.  I must admit, I really wanted to check out the Men's restroom to see if there were different tile decor inside but resisted the temptation.

Tilework

It was a beautiful day out, so we went for a hike along Salmon Creek/Cougar Creek Watershed.  We were treated to some beautiful sights including an osprey perched up on a tree, red tailed hawk flying overhead, and blue heron in the middle of the creek.

Washington Watershed Walk About

Here are a few of the sights captured along our walk about...

Creekside Beauties

We arrived extra early for the guild meeting, allowing ample time to set up and explore.  The church parking lot was surrrounded with lots of Azaleas, many of which were in full bloom.

Walk Blooming with Hope and Color

There was so much humor, laughter and fun at their guild meeting.  Dennis was a pro when it came to setting up the AV and hooking up my powerpoint presentation. He expertly switched over to a handheld camera to project the trunk show portion so everyone had a front row seat!!

The fun continued into the next day with a sold out Slice of Improv workshop...

Sold out Slice of Improv

As I walked around the workshop space, I spotted a few fun finds...

• ViewTainers--a handy storage system for pens/pencils, rotary cutter, small rulers, and other small notions!!
• 12" Squares cut from a flannel-backed table cloth used for organizing and transporting block units (brilliant!!)

Ingenius Quilting Tools and Tricks

While I encouraged participants to walk around to see all the different projects, there was one table in particular that received quite a bit of traffic.  Not only did it contain a large bag o'scraps available to participants, but it also included a variety of chocolate treats and a special message for the day.

Workshop Walkabout

As I walked around the workshop, I noticed lots of big ole smiles on everyone's faces. Could it be all the trips to the table of scraps & chocolate, or were they embracing how Slice of Improv is freeing, forgiving, and FUN!?!

Slicing and Smiling

More Slicing and Smiling...

Collections of Blocks & Smiles

Growing Collection of Blocks & FUN!!

At the end of the day, everyone showed off their favorite block (or two or three), and we conducted a few experiments with compositions.

Slice of Improv Show & Tell

And here we are, still smiling, even at the end of the workshop!!

Slice of FUN with the Clark County Quilters

Later that evening, a small group of us went out for dinner along the Vancouver Waterfront.  We worked up a good appetite with a short stroll along the waterfront and took in the beautiful views.

Vancouver Waterfront Views

And they took this Beach out to a Beaches Restaurant, where we had some lively conversation and delicious food.

Mel Beach at Beaches

The next day was a sold out Walking Foot WOW!  Everyone, myself included, was so focused on adding beautiful, modern texture to their samplers, that I did not take as many pictures.  Here are a few snapshots of everyone stitching away on their samplers...

Snapshots of Stitching on Samplers

After each unit, I laid out all my samples for participants to photograph.  Here is a fun picture of the Paparazzi in action...

Paparazzi

By the end of the day, everyone made great progress on their stitched samplers, with 2 participants completing all 9 squares!!

Walking Foot Wonders!!

My visit with the Clark County Quilters included several thoughtful gifts that I will treasure:

• One Slice of Improv participant returned the next day with a bag full of Paula Nadelstern scraps, including some yardage of a gorgeous stripe that I had admired the day before and a hand written note.
• Another Slice of Improv participant brought a strip of a special fabric that we played with the day before during the compositional exercises. 
• A Clark County Quilters pin presented to me at the conclusion of my Challenge Yourself! lecture/trunk show

Compliments of the Clark County Quilters

Many thanks to Sharleen for being an absolutely amazing and well-organized host, and to all the Clark County Quilters for the extra warm welcome into their quilting community.

Photo of Poppies Outside the Workshop Venue