{this moment}

mixed bunch, originally uploaded by westcoastcreative.

inspired by soulemama.

her words: {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

i love nature...

staking claim, originally uploaded by westcoastcreative.

hope the photo of the dead seal doesn't offend you, but seriously, how awesome is that eagle? we happened upon this scene last weekend on the west coast of the island, and i managed to get remarkably close to the eagles (they were about 10 circling overhead and plotting their move) and their scavenged meal.

it was actually a nature-filled weekend, with river otters, sea lions, seals, eagles, grey whales and a humpback whale, a sea otter, and many other birds. not to mention tidal pools full of life. is it any wonder i love this place?

point holmes

it's finished. ...and i want to start on another, right away.

this first attempt at landscape quilting was a big experiment in every sense for me. i didn't buy any new fabric for the project, and large parts of it are recycled items such as denim from old jeans, cotton from an old sheet. the other parts are a mix of cotton, linen, wool and silk, all scraps from other projects; hemp and cotton yarn that i had on hand. okay, the quilt batting is new - i did buy that just for this. it's not really that i was specifically trying to make this without buying new items, but i do have a lot of random fabrics lying around and finding a use for them was definitely rewarding. i am always happy to be less of a consumer, and the rough, worn appearance of reused fabrics lend the perfect textural quality to a landscape recreating some of the rough, worn, west coast. the piece itself is only 2 feet by just under 3 feet, but i thought it was good to start small.



quilting all these different fabrics together does have its challenges though, which can be seen in the above pic with assorted puckering (especially in the water), and i have made some mental notes for next time. this piece was mainly machine stitched, but i would like to incorporate a lot more hand stitching next go round. only the small accents are hand stitched here - the barnacles, the feathers, and the sailboat, and my appreciation for those little bits reinforces my plans for more work by hand. as well, thanks to Caro's great tutorial as an addition to Heather Bailey's binding tutorial, I think I did my best hand-sewn quilt binding yet.

the name for this piece comes from beach close to my home, with beautiful views of the strait of georgia and the coast range mountains behind. while my quilt is not geographically correct, a view of what inspired me can be seen here. i am constantly inspired by my surroundings here on the island, but to translate it so literally into a piece is new, and i am excited to explore this more. this weekend i am headed out to the real "west coast" on the other side of the island, and i know i'll be taking lots of photos (what's new?) that may become ideas for new pieces.

building barnacles

building barnacles, originally uploaded by westcoastcreative.

another sneak peek at the progress on my landscape quilt. i have finished the background structure, as it were. mountains, water, rocks and sand. the fabrics are a pleasant tactile mix of denim, silk, linen, and a bit of corduroy and flannel. i'm just enjoying the process, without thinking about the final product too much. right now i am using some rough yarn and making french embroidery knots, in the hopes that they will resemble barnacles on the rocks.