ArtFiberFest Adventure

Packed to the gills...and ready to go!

Store window in Ashland..ready for Day of the Dead!

Castle in the Air in Berkeley...visit if you can!

Yarns at Websters in Ashland...

Autumn leaves in Ashland, OR

Great spot for breakfast in Portland...

Maxine's in Seattle...Maple leaf district...a very cool store.

Syd and daughter, LE at Snappy Dragon.

View from my window at Fort Worden....

Home Hookin' class at ArtFiberFest...

Pam Garrison tells the best stories and always makes me laugh.

Gail and Debbie take a break during our Fabric book class with Kristi. Great classmates and two of the nicest people you will ever meet.

" Edge to Edge" in Port Townsend....lovely vintage things and beautiful wool, great for hooking!

What a great road trip and wonderful experience we had at ArtFiberFest! Syd and I took off early on a Sunday morning with stops in Pleasanton for lunch and happened on an antique show that happens only twice a year. Visited a cool store called American Harvest that had Ulla's jewelry and lots of other fun stuff. Our next stop was at the Castle in the Air in Berkeley. WOW! I just loved this place...so many cool things that you can't find anywhere else! They even had a place where you could take "mermaid throne" photos for a nominal fee. Upstairs was the workshop area around a nice big table. Took a few photos of inside the shop. Lots of nice shops in the area, too...I need a return trip soon!

Then on to Red Bluff for the night and next stop, Ashland for our favorite breakfast spot, the Morning Glory..always delicious. Had to go visit the Websters...bought more roving and yarns, checked out a few more of our favorite stores and then on to Salem for the night. Portland was rainy but we found a fun little cafe for breakfast called the Byways Cafe filled with all kinds of vintage plates and doo-dads. Visited a great Gallery and paper store and press and on to Syd's friend's bookstore on Broadway where she now has several of her paintings for sale.

On to Washington to stay with LE and John in Seattle. Had to visit Maxine's and dinner at Snappy Dragon...always good.

Port Townsend was calling so off we went for our ferry ride and drive to PT. Plenty of time for a little shopping at Edge to Edge, Artisans on Taylor...new socks from the clothing store on the corner and a quick lunch at the Public House...yum!

On to the Fort....welcomed by Tiphoni and Trista and helped with our carful of luggage by Ben...always smiling and ever helpful...got to meet Teesha's mother, Darlene...a very cool mom, very friendly and fun to talk to...

After settling in to our dorm rooms with a view of the channel we met up with Pam Garrison, our next door neighbor. Pam can make me laugh like no one else I know...too bad we only link up once a year! We had our opening meeting with a great little quilt project from Teesha and met up with friends from last year and from art & soul just a few weeks ago. The Bellingham girls, Gail and Betsey were joined by Betsey's sister, Suzanne and Debbie from the SF Bay area. I love having them all in my rug hooking class along with lots of new friends and fellow artists.
We hope Sherri will be able to join us next year.

More thank you's to Nanci, Diane, Tammy, Pam, Linda, Pam G., Dawn, Carla and Lisa as well for making teaching such a fun and rewarding experience. I think the hit of the class was my new Townsend fabric stripper...we were greeted with cheers upon returning from Elevated Ice Cream by hookers waiting for their turn to strip their new wool before returning home. Anyway, I hope you all had as good a time as I did and I loved all the different "houses" that everyone created.

I enjoyed the classes I took with Traci Bautista and Kristi Steiner, leaning new techniques to incorporate into my art and to share with my workshop students here in Santa Barbara.

Vendor night was so much fun! so many beautiful hand made things...I got in a little shopping and trading before the doors opened. I want to thank everyone who stopped by our tables to say hello and buy stuff! I know that everything went to good homes...I am thinking of those hooked dolls and animals....and also the kozy kats and heart pins...Thank you so much! Of course I spent some of my vendor money on the way home for more fabric...there is a great little shop in Ashland that we missed on the way up and had to visit on the way back down...some cool stuff from Japan and lots of those fat quarters that add up but are hard to resist. Loved seeing Annie and Tara and Tracie and Marilyn and have to say that Teesha and Tracy did the most wonderful job putting everything together for us all! It is just the most nurturing, creative and fiberful event ...I am so happy to be a part of it and look forward to next year already.

After our fond farewells we took off for one more stop in Portland...23rd st. for lunch at Rose's cafe (good!) and a little shopping...Gilt, Wham, Hello Portland! and a few others....

Finally...home late Monday night and trying to get back in the swing of things...still unpacking and trying to get ready for Syd's Queen of Arts show in November. Happy to be home with Dennis and the boys...no more traveling until Artfest in April 08.

Thank you all for making ArtFiberFest such a great experience! And if you didn't make it this year, I hope you can join us next year...time and place to be decided!