I’m back from Seaside and getting ready to go back to work tomorrow. I had such a nice week off! On Wednesday morning I got up and did lots of little errands in and out of the house, then drove to Cool Cottons fabric store on my way out of town. Okay – it is actually WAY out of my way in the opposite direction, but I just got paid and I wasn’t on any kind of a schedule, so….
It takes a lot of thinking to pack up everything I’ll need for a long weekend of sewing. It’s such a pain if I forget something. Sammy decided to make herself at home in this basket of scraps and refused to budge!
When I got to the coast I bought myself some sushi and a bottle of wine and settled into the beach cottage, making it my temporary sewing/design studio, and started adding rows to the half hexagon quilt top. The next morning I went to Center Diamond fabric store in Cannon Beach (about 7 miles south of Seaside). I bought a few light colored fabrics that I need for my Color Play project, then somehow ended up buying a couple of packets containing 50 different squares each of Kaffe Fassett fabrics and the book, Material Obsession – finally!. I drove back to Seaside feeling very happy with myself, grabbed some Thai food for lunch, and went back to sit in the sun on the deck and read Material Obsession. After enjoying the sun and the beach all day, I was ready to work on my half hexagon quilt all evening.
This is Center Diamond, which has a wonderful array of fabrics and one of the best selections of quilting books I've ever seen.
My husband joined me Friday evening, and I managed to finish sewing all my half hexagon rows together just before he arrived. Now it just awaits a border or two, which I will let my daughter, Molly, help choose. I won’t bore you with any more pictures until I get the border on. On Saturday, Steve and I enjoyed the funny little hometown Independence Day celebrations in Seaside. First was the annual parade, which we were pleased and amused to see some of our Seaside neighbors participating in. Here they are enjoying the spirit of the moment.
We then went to the historical society for a community BBQ, where we enjoyed BBQ pork sandwiches with coleslaw and a piece of pie by the women of one of the local churches while we listened to live music. Steve and I walked on the promenade (aka The Prom) along the beach to watch the preparations, stopped to visit some friends, and then went "home" to enjoy a quiet afternoon on the deck when some friends called on their way over to Seaside. We ended up inviting them to dinner and fireworks on the beach. I grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, served with a green salad and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. We built a bonfire on the beach around 9:00. Now the community fireworks don’t start until dark – around 10:00 p.m., but before and after there are constant fireworks going off all along the beach. The kind of fireworks that are actually illegal in this state but readily available in Washington, which is only a short drive north. At any rate, the fireworks are going off nonstop, so close you are seriously in danger if someone isn’t careful, and when the community fireworks start, it is almost anticlimactic. We stayed at the beach enjoying the bonfire and the fireworks until almost 12:30 in the morning. The perfect ending to my week off!
With wishes, true and kind -- Joan
I just adore Center Diamond. It's been a favorite for years. Did you make it into Manzanita? I hear they have a new quilt shop there. We just love staying in Manzanita when we visit the coast. Does Sammy have blue eyes?
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like the perfevt weekend to me. You are going to have to get MO 2, it's more fabulous!
ReplyDeleteAhhh, sounds blissful! And, yes, MO 1 is good, but MO 2 is great. :-)
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