Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Ashland Meetups


With Diane Ericson

I just returned from a quick trip to Oregon.

I like Oregon!

The reason for the trip was to deliver DD1 and her "stuff" (which filled my van to the tippy top), to college. But I combined the trip with some fun. On the return drive, I spent two nights in Ashland, OR. The last time I was in Ashland, I was 20 years old and attending the summer Shakespeare festival. I am happy to report that the town of Ashland is just as cute and charming as it was over 30 years ago.

While in town, I had a couple meetups!

With Mary and Teresa. Ignore my closed eyes and blurry torso. :)

First, I met Mary, of Bibioblog and Teresa, of Camp Runamuck for shopping and lunch. Both of them drove no small distance to meet with me, which I really appreciate. We had planned to meet at the town square, but I arrived early and checked out all three of the quilting stores in Ashland. (Who ever heard of 3 quilting stores within a few blocks of each other?)

After visiting all three, I returned to my favorite, Fabric of Vision, which has a thoughtfully chosen selection of non-quilting fabrics and some very interesting trims and notions, at very reasonable prices. (The other two stores carry quilting fabrics exclusively.) I was making some very well considered choices, when who should wander in, also early, but Mary and Teresa!

We sewists are so darned predictable...

Mary shopping at Fabric of Vision

(Before I forget, if you are looking for the jumbo hook and eye tape that Marcy Tilton used in her recent short jacket pattern, Fabric of Vision carries it in both silver and brass (on black tape), and it's something like $7 or $8 a yard. She also sells other very interesting tape trims, gorgeous ribbons, Japanese double gauze, hand dyed wools, beautiful voiles... Heck, it's impossible to list everything, but she carries some very nice treasures. A small but well curated collection. I suspect they would be happy to take phone orders for the jumbo hook and eye tape...)

The treasures that came home with me. The fabric resembles shibori, but is not. It is highly textured like shibori. The label on the bolt, from the supplier, called it "Boucle" but it is not "A" boucle. It is very cool and when we returned from lunch (yes, our fabric shopping lasted so long we had to break for lunch) Teresa wanted to buy a piece of this but it had sold out in our absence. You can also see the two interesting tape trims that I bought. I already had the jumbo hook and eye tape.
Lunch in the courtyard at Dragonfly (highly recommended)
Myself, Mary, Teresa, and Sandy, owner of Fabric of Vision

After all three of us exhausted our checkbooks at Fabric of Vision, we wandered into various shops along Main Street (so many nice boutiques and shoe stores...), ending up at The Web*sters, a well known yarn store. I wanted a little knitting project and Mary and Teresa obliged my whim. I am very familiar with their online yarn store, but was surprised to discover that the brick and mortar also carries some high end boutique RTW clothing and jewelry. This distracted us for awhile and I could have easily gotten into trouble with all the beautiful art to wear pieces and jewelry. But I have to save my pennies for Taos, so I resisted.

(Before I forget, my other recommendations in Ashland are Zoey's Ice Cream and Great American Pizza Company. Yum.)

Diane Ericson also lives in Ashland and we planned to meet up at the Ashland Art Center where she has a studio. We managed to miss each other, so instead, we met at dusk for a walk in Lithia Park. Lithia Park, designed by the same guy who designed Golden Gate Park, is one of my favorite things about Ashland. I was so happy to have a chance to finally meet Diane in person and chat as we strolled around the gorgeous park on a warm summer's eve.

If possible, after talking to Diane, I am now more eager to get to Design Outside the Lines in Taos.

So that's it! Twenty hours of driving in four days and I'm back home, back to a grumpy cat who demanded food and then disappeared in a huff, and back to work.

Launched.
Note bed caddy. ;)

38 comments:

  1. Sounds like great fun! I'd been wondering all weekend what you were up to as I'm used to my weekend Shams blog fix. Hope you have a great time at DOL and we are all waiting for reports!

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    1. Hi Peg! I hadn't realized I was so regular! :D

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  2. Glad to hear you had such a wonderful time. Can't wait to see what you create with that fabric and trim. Your DD looks like she will be having a ball! Good to hear you made all your travels safely. Enjoy the DOL!

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  3. I'm so glad that you got to meet Diane and you're now jazzed for Taos. And spending the day with Mary and Theresa sounds awesome too! Finally congrats on getting DD1 settled at school! How many days to DOL now?

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  4. Nothing like launching your child! Congratulations!

    What great meetups you had. You are so lucky.

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    1. Thanks, Bunny. And I am so lucky! I hope to meet you in the flesh some day!

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  5. Omigosh, we have really good friends living in Ashland, and I have stayed there!!! Awesome! Your daughter looks happy and settled, and the bed caddy looks super cool :)

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    1. Very cool, Carolyn! It's such a pretty area.

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  6. It sounds like a nearly perfect trip! Successful daughter launch, meeting old friends for the first time, frabjous fabric-related finds, good food, and a successfully returning home to predictable feline behavior.

    Welcome home! :)

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  7. You and your fun meet ups! You know everyone, I swear!

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    1. Not even close, Amy, but I really enjoy meeting sewists, especially people I have come to know through forums and blogs. It's one of my favorite things about blogging!

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  8. Your trip couldn't be more perfect. Launching your daughter, meeting new friends, fabric shopping. Fun!! I can't wait to see what you do with your trims.

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    1. Thanks, Shelly! I have no idea what I will do with them. Hopefully something will strike me.

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  9. Yay. More places to put on my list to visit next time we're state side.

    I'm glad you all had a wonderful day together.

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    1. Thanks, velosewer! If you ever come to SF, please let me know!

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  10. I had a wonderful time with you Sharon. What a kick to walk into FOV and see you there-I thought I was being so clever by going there early to drop off the donations. Meeting you was like seeing an old friend after time away. We must do this more often and preferably have more than 4 hours. I'm washing all the fabric I bought and oh, my credit card co emailed me. Thanks again for checking my receipt.

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    1. Mary, it was so much fun! I would love to do it again. And you are so gorgeous! I am not surprised you were featured in that spread. Shoot, I just went looking for it and can't find it. Anyway, thanks again for coming all that way to hang with me!

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  11. Me too! Great to meet you but it's kill me wondering if you did finally find something yarn wise. So many choices at the Webster's. FOV is great isn't it?
    I'm so lucky to have that as my LFS. My checkbook, not so much!

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    1. Oops, Theresa, I misspelled your name! I will have to fix that. It was so much fun to meet you, too! You are a hoot, especially when enabling! I did buy a project, and sat down in the store and started to knit it, but the gauge was off, so I have to rip it out and start again. It's the variegated blue yarn that you and Mary approved and the scarf pattern that I showed you. Hopefully I have the right sized needle in my cupboard. :)

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  12. Sounds like a wonderful, wonderful week-end.

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  13. What a way to send a child off to college! You made it a true adventure.

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    1. I am not hugely fond of road trips, but fun outings makes it tolerable! :)

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  14. What a jet-setting super star you are!! Sounds like you had a lovely trip. My daughter is at home still and commutes to college and I'm not sure how I'll feel when she goes.

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    1. Well, if you are like me, you will miss her. Even though she'd been living on her own the last year, she was still local. Shoot, this process of raising them into interesting people and then sending them off for other people to enjoy has its downside.

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  15. Sounds like it was worth it, I mean the big drive. Gorgeous fabric. I take it that it's woven? I am always looking for interesting textures in fabric and this one is definitely interesting.

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    1. Yes, Nancy, it is woven. I agree, I love texture!

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  16. What a cool visit to Ashland! I'm glad you got to meet Diane before DOL. And spend so much time with Mary and Theresa. You have the greatest meetups. Let me know if you ever come to Boston!

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  17. Great job, mommy! This occasion warrants some celebration w/ fabric and yarn.

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  18. Hi there - just wanted to say how much I enjoy your blog - I have been to a few DOLs and have met some very fun and interesting people. Thanks for sharing your adventures with those of us who tend to lurk and read. I am inspired by your sewing efforts; just need to work on my focus. Best wishes, Sheila R

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  19. looked like you girls had lots of fun - I love the meetups I have had, so can imagine only too well how you all got on.

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  20. Hope the daughter loves the great state of Oregon. (Pronounced Orygun or Oragun....just so she knows.)

    Can't wait for your posts from DOL!

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  21. Sounds like so much fun. Looking forward to your posts after the DOL. By the way - for some reason your blog is not showing up in my blog reader until about 24 hours have passed - strange delay every time. Mystery.

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  22. Sharon, I enjoyed this post so much for your zest for life was much in evidence. Glad you had such a wonderful trip. Btw, your daughter is truly beautiful.

    karendee

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  23. What a fun trip! Can't wait to read about your upcoming Taos adventure!

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