Portland Expo, More Than Antiques

How strange it was to pull up to Expo and not be pulling a trailer.  To simply drive in, get out and walk around like I wasn’t on some kind of crazy mission… felt kind of odd, like I forgot something… And then the most bizarre part was inside… Rows and rows of quilts!

Some like this,

 

Some like these

 

Quilts made with batik fabric seem to be especially popular.

I love this color combination for fall.

I had lots of favorites, luckily I didn’t have to pick just one!

There were also lots of vendors selling all sorts of products that would appeal to quilters. 

I loved this booth, sadly I didn’t do it justice with my photographic skills…  

 

I sat down at a table where people were having lunch to change the lens on my camera.  Who should I be next to but Virginia Cole, the woman who’s booth I had totally loved!  Here is what she says about her art.

Here you will find miniature quilt collages created with antique buttons, fabric scraps, vintage papers and forgotten photographs.  Treasured pieces of the past mingle with newly sewn mini quilts and quotes that warm your heart (while large quilts warm the body!)  Tucked into old books, bottles and rescued frames, they are machine pieced and hand quilted.  Each piece is one of a kind, full of detail and lovingly made.

The reason for the name "Galloping Pony Studio", is based on a quilter's theory.  The galloping horse theory says if you can't see a mistake in a quilt from a galloping horse it really doesn't matter.

Here us a photo from her web site.

I hope you will take a minute and go here to see her beautiful work.

 

While we were in Portland, we also went here,

Now here is a place you can find a HUGE selection of donuts!

Maybe not where you want to take your grandma or your young child, but I had to laugh at their innovative concoctions… Certainly not like any bakery I ever worked at!

Naturally I was out looking for “stuff”

I love Portland, it always makes me feel like I am far, far away from home, even though it is less than 50 miles.   It is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen and talk about diverse… there is something there for everyone. 

Now it is time to get back in work mode and get the trailer packed and ready to go!  We are headed to Spokane for the June Bug Show tomorrow.  We are leaving Sam home with Grandma and Grandpa, he will keep them in line… actually Dusty will be here making sure!  It is a little more complicated now that school has started, figuring out who is going where and how they are going to get there.  We have plenty of vehicles, just a little short on drivers! 

Today is my dad’s 86th birthday, we will take time to celebrate that for sure!  I hope to do a post sometime on him, he has lead an incredibly “interesting” life, on second thought maybe that should be a book!