Blast of Bubbles - day one is done!

We inspired a LOT of people today at the Blast of Bubbles quilt show! 

Local quilters are exhibiting well over 250 quilts at our show - so big it takes two buildings to hold it!  And we have lovely vendors, People's Choice voting, a boutique, and a bed turning! 

Before I go any farther, I want to say HOW MUCH WE APPRECIATE ALL THE ATTENDEES WHO CAME TO SEE OUR SHOW!!  In the first rush this morning were folks from Anacortes, San Juan Island, La Conner, and other places outside of Sedro-Woolley where they really had to brave some detour traffic to get to us.  So we are TRULY APPRECIATIVE of how much our regional neighbors are supporting Blast of Bubbles and we hope we can show each of them a great time!!

Speaking of that bed turning, it was a BIG HIT!!!  Held at noon and 2 p.m., Londa and her crew showed a growing crowd some breathtaking vintage quilts and told stories about each one.  And our bed turning has an added bonus!  Vintage quilts on a DOLL BED!!!  You heard it here - I think Sedro-Woolley is FIRST IN THE NATION with a big bed and a doll bed in our bed turning exhibit.  Aren't we?  We'll claim it!

 

Tomorrow we are planning another exciting day for you!  Additional bed turnings at 12 and 2, the last of the People's Choice voting (turn in your ballots by 1 p.m.!), drawing for the winner of our 2013 raffle quilt at 4 p.m., and a LOT of great quilts for your appreciation!

 

If that weren't enough...the Blast from the Past festival is in full swing.  There are 75 street vendors, including pony rides (in front of our 829 building!) and Thompson's Greenhouse in their usual spot at the intersection of Metcalf and Ferry.  

 

At noon, the annual contests for kids AND adults begin at Hammer Heritage Square (look for Sedro-Woolley's iconic clock tower) - these are old fashioned contests like pie eating, hula hooping, and jump roping!  Yes, tomorrow the Jump Rope Champion of the Adult Division will be crowned for 2013!  Will it be Kymbr Self again?  Or will the smackdown between David Bricka and Jason Miller reveal a new champ?  What about dark horse challengers?  The whole town is on tenterhooks about this.  

 

Today was the dress up contest day among the local businesses with 1963 as the theme.  I just loved the outfits featuring pink pillbox hats!  I remember when Jackie Kennedy made those pillbox hats popular.  I was too young to wear one then...but maybe now...

 

So your old friends, new friends, neighbors, and a lot of quilters are waiting for you in our home town downtown tomorrow.  All on Metcalf Street in Sedro-Woolley!!

 

    

 

 

Woolley Fiber Quilters present our first-ever "bed turning"!

An exciting new feature of our quilt show this year is a "bed turning"!!

We have set up a beautiful bed in the 817 Metcalf building and layered on some exquisite vintage quilts.  Our experts will reveal these quilts to you in a brief presentation at 12 noon and 2 p.m. every day of the show! 

Come on in and sit to watch - we have information about the traditional patterns and the histories of each quilt to share with you.  What a great way to learn about quilting and to enjoy the talents of those quilters who have come before us.  Then proceed on into the show and find out what your quilting neighbors and friends have been up to!!

Quilters love technology! Find our show with GPS!

You may think that quilting is all about old-fashioned sewing...it's really not!  But that story is for another day. 

Today, we want to share with you the GPS coordinates of one of the two buildings hosting the "Blast of Bubbles" quilt show!

The 829 Metcalf Street building is on the NE corner of the Metcalf and State intersection.  One of our tech experts has entered a waypoint called “Quilt Corner”.  It lives at:

N 48 degrees, 30.204’ lattitude

W 122 deg., 14.292’ longitude

Anyone entering these coordinates should land at the door of our quilt show!  The other venue is just a few doors north.  Yes, the Blast of Bubbles show is so big that it takes two locations to hold it all!!

Trivia:  Did you know that State Street is the original dividing line between the two towns of Sedro and Woolley?  You'll be standing on the corner of history!  For more great historic facts about our town, be sure to visit the Sedro-Woolley Museum during Blast from the Past.  There is so much happening in downtown Sedro-Woolley!

 

Set-up complete! Here are some images to tempt you!

Thanks to the MANY volunteers who came and spent a LONG day hanging our show!  The final number of quilts is coming, but we are north of 275 quilts for sure!  What an achievement - our local quilters have made us so proud of their wonderful work.  And you know there is a WIDE variety of styles represented.  Quilting seems to have something for everyone!

So here are some photos to tempt you into coming to see our show.  We open at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow morning!    There is so much going on this weekend and it's all close to home!  Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in downtown Sedro-Woolley!

Quilt Turn-In Day! Smooth and efficient!!!

 

Christina and Leilani have it all under control!

 

 Natalie comes by with quilts to turn in.  Londa is next!

Leilani triple-checks everything! 

Natalie is good with the forms!

 

Super-registrar Peggy is in charge of it all!

 

Thanks to our sponsors, vendors, friends, and supporters!

The Woolley Fiber Quilters had a pre-staging day today, to get the quilt stands in place and finalize our plan for the wholesale chaos tomorrow!  Quilt hanging day is the busiest day of the show! 

Doors open at 10:00 a.m. Friday for our HUGE show!  We'll have a final number of quilts tomorrow, but it looks like we are significantly over 250 quilts for the show! 

So let's take a minute and appreciate our members, volunteers, quilters, family members, friendly guilds, and late-night bloggers!  And these fine folks and organizations:

WOOLLEY FIBER QUILTERS GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGE THESE SUPPORTERS OF OUR QUILT SHOW!

 

SPONSORS:

COUNTRY MEADOW VILLAGE

CASCADE FABRICS

THREADMONGERS

MACHINE QUILTING EXPERIENCE

THE FAMILY OF DEAN GREGORY

 

VENDORS:

FABRIC FIX

MACHINE QUILTING EXPERIENCE

MR. SEW DANDY

QUILTER’S ROOST

THREADMONGERS

 

ADDITIONAL THANKS TO:

 

THE HOMETOWN CAFÉ

PAT FARRELL

SEDRO-WOOLLEY COMMUNITY FELLOWSHIP

SEDRO-WOOLLEY MINI STORAGE

THE CITY OF SEDRO-WOOLLEY

 

AND TO THE SEDRO-WOOLLEY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

FOR WELCOMING OUR SHOW TO THE “BLAST FROM THE PAST”

FAMILY OF EVENTS

 

CELEBRITY JUDGES:

 

ALLELUJAH BUSINESS SERVICES STAFF

OLIVER HAMMER STAFF

WELLS FARGO STAFF

 

THANKS TO THE MANY VOLUNTEERS, FRIENDS,

AND QUILT APPRECIATORS WHO HAVE ENABLED US

TO PUT TOGETHER SUCH A GREAT SHOW!

 

THANKS IN ADVANCE  TO OUR ATTENDEES FOR TRAVELING TO SEDRO-WOOLLEY!

PR and access to Sedro-Woolley for Blast of Bubbles Quilt Show!

We had an incident last night that no one could have predicted - the Interstate-5 bridge over the Skagit River collapsed, making a catastrophic break in the major traffic artery for Skagit County.  The WA State Department of Transportation and a host of other agencies are looking for ways to reroute the 71,000 cars that typically pass through Skagit County on I-5 during any average day.  So how can you get to the quilt show?

Coming from the north, everything is the same!  Just take Exit 232 off I-5 and go east to Sedro-Woolley.  During Blast from the Past the three blocks along our main street, Metcalf, will be blocked off for the street fair - the quilt show is at the south end of the three-block area.  There is lots of parking in the municipal lots so just find one and settle in!

Coming from the south - take any of the recommended detours off I-5 that route you over to State Route 9.  SR 9 comes to Sedro-Woolley!!  When you reach West State Street (there's a traffic light) turn right and go east until you see the quilt show!  About 6 blocks - roughly.  You'll go over railroad tracks.  One of our locations is kitty-corner from Wells Fargo Bank.  Easy!

With traffic being so fierce as we try to get used to the "new normal" (and until we get a new bridge), a quick trip to Sedro-Woolley for the Blast of Bubbles Quilt Show and Blast from the Past festival is just what you need!  Lots of home town fun, close to you and full of friendly local people.

MANY thanks to Allelujah Business Center for once again allowing us to hang our quilt show banner right in front of their store entry!  We are so lucky to have a great copy center, mailbox rental, and shipping services right in our own downtown!

BLAST OF BUBBLES QUILT SHOW! ONLY A FEW DAYS AWAY!

The frenzy begins!  Last-minute preparations and details are taking place for the Woolley Fiber Quilters' biggest quilt show ever!

The quilt registration deadline was May 17th, but we can still accept a few entries.  Are you a little behind?  Like the rest of us?  If so, just get your forms in to Cascade Fabrics ASAP and join the fun!

Our theme is "Blast of Bubbles" so any quilt featuring circles qualifies for the "theme" category. All other quilts will fit nicely in other categories. Our "youth" category is for quilts made by young people under 19 years of age - if you're older than that but young at heart..choose a standard category!

Did you notice that we have revealed the second location for the show?  We'll be in BOTH 817 Metcalf (the old Oliver Hammer storefront, now S-W Community Fellowship) and 829 Metcalf (the old JC Penney storefront - most recently Save-On Furniture)!!  This gives us all the ROOM WE NEED TO DISPLAY SO MANY QUILTS!  And using these storefronts allows us to be in the downtown core with Blast From The Past weekend!

We'll have more than 200 quilts on display, as well as demonstrations, a member "boutique", vendors, our 2013 and 2014 raffle quilts, and our first-ever bed-turning! 

Right outside the doors of our show is the Blast from the Past Street Fair with craft and food vendors.  Sunday is the vintage car show and also on Sunday the Eagles will have their famous breakfast!

Blast from the Past features old-fashioned kids' contests on Saturday, including pie eating and hula hooping.  And if you're from this area, you know that the adult division of the jump rope contest is usually a smackdown between some very dedicated competitors!  Perhaps there will be a dark horse contestant this year - come and see!

This is a true community quilt show open to all and intended to represent the MANY quilters in the Sedro-Woolley and Skagit County area. Even if you're from out of our immediate area, you're welcome to enter, volunteer, and attend!

There's so much going on during Blast From the Past weekend - one of our town's favorite festivals. All in downtown Sedro-Woolley!

S-W Art Walk Winner! One of our own!

This just in - the People's Choice Winner in the May 2013 Sedro-Woolley Arts Council's first ever Art Walk is Woolley Fiber Quilter Linda Downing!  For her art piece:  Starry Night over Sedro-Woolley.  Here's a photo from the 2012 WFQ Quilt Show, where this fun piece debuted:

 

Congrats to Linda for being the People's Choice!!