Tulip Festival

Last Friday my friend Pauline and I drove up to the Skagit Valley area to view the beautiful tulips.  Each year in April Skagit Valley plays host to fields and fields of colorful tulips.  After walking through the tulips we headed over to La Conner for lunch and then visited the La Conner Quilt and Textile Museum.  On display was an exhibit entitled "Hardware" that really stretched my views on what a quilt is and can be.  Some quilters used unique materials ranging from wire to plastic bread caps.  If you are in the area I encourage you to check both of these events out.  The tulip festival runs every day through the end of April and the "Hardware" exhibit is on display through June 27th.  Enjoy!

Book Review: Winter Garden

My mom suggested I read this lovely book, Winter Garden, so we could discuss during on our upcoming trip to Oklahoma City.  We've wanted to start a little book club ever since I moved to the Pacific Northwest from Colorado.  This is our first book we've tried, it only took three years!

Kristin Hannah's writing is captivating and flows easily from the page.  I was able to finish the book in just a few days.  She is able to paint beautiful images of place, unique and relatable characters, and dynamic and truthful relationships.  Winter Garden is a story of a mother and her grown daughters learning to understand each other and themselves.

One quote that really stuck me from this book was when Meredith, the eldest daughter, speaks of her deteriorating relationship with her husband to her mother.  

"I don't know what's going to happen," Meredith said a last. "I think love can just... dissolve."
"No, it does not," her mother said.
"So how do --"
"You hang on," her mother said. "Until your hands are bleeding, and still you do not let go."

Something about that image of hanging on until your hands are bleeding, that you never, ever give up on love was very powerful for me.  So often we are quick to give up on things, circumstances, people because the challenges seem to hard to face.  But love is different, its worth all the pain and struggle to hang on to.

Trial Fabrics

My sister suggested finding a fabric with a bird print for the borders of my quilt.  I've been on the hunt every since, scanning through bolt after bolt of fabric in several different quilt shops.  Below are a few prints I found on online shops.  What do you think?  The last one is my favorite.  Have any of you ever bought fabric online?

Alexander Henry's Starling

Michael Miller, Woodcut Garden

Michael Miller, Bird Swing in Black

Aviary Toile in Blue

Update:  I decided to go with the Aviary Toile in Blue which I purchased online from Alewives Fabrics.  They shipped the fabric quickly and it was wrapped in beautiful paper.  Such nice, sweet touches make for a happy customer!