Events for November 2014

Textile artist, Elin Noble, has transformed the third floor galleries into an installation using black and white silk panels featuring irregular horizontal and vertical geometrical shapes. The panels are hung in sets, allowing a play of overlapping shapes and moiré patterns. She has spent more than 30 years investigating the nuances of applying dye to cloth. In the last 10 years she has focused primarily on a historical clamp-dye resist process from Japan known as itajime, a process by which luminous and complex colors and patterns are dyed on cloth.
 

Learning to hand stitch at nine years old, Grace Hawley took to Hawaiian quilting naturally. Her first Hawaiian quilting class was in 1985. Hawaiian quilts have a tradition of being hand appliqued; often made with designs from nature. Many of her original designs include flowers and leaves. Grace’s quilts feature the traditional style of hand quilting so often seen in Hawaiian quilts. The quilting lines echo the applique design, both on and outside of the applique work.
 

Quilt & Fiber Arts Festival. On exhibit will be Best of Show and all the top entries in each category; plus the pieces that have been given an Award of Excellence. Whether your passion is traditional quilts, art quilts, wearable arts or fiber arts, there are many fine examples on display. This is your opportunity to really study the designs and techniques of talented contemporary artists.

Opening Reception - Friday October 31, 2014 at Maple Hall

Gail Noble-Sanderson will do a reading and signing of her debut novel "My House in Meuse"

Roderick Davidson will do a reading and signing of his book "Pallitine Rising"

Dianna F. Lee will be signing "Touching the Soul" as well as her latest book "Rustproof Relationships, A Guide to Healthy Relationships and Effective Coping Skills"

Restaurants around the area compete for the honor of "Best Chowder" Sample chowder from 10-12 vendors then vote for the best Chowder, get a bowl, beverage, and dessert. All to raise funds for the Kiwanis projects that help the children of La Conner.

Artists, live music, cheese tasting, fresh cider and cookies and a class on designing containers for winter interest fill the weekend at Christianson’s Nursery. (Some events are Saturday only.) Featured artists include Jewelry artist, Rochelle Anderson, Judy Sullivan (oil and water color paintings), Sally Chang (pottery) and Laura Campbell (wreaths). Live music by Laurel Bliss and John Clark, and tastings by Samish Bay Cheese are on Saturday. For a schedule, see www.christiansonsnursery.com or call 360-466-3821 or 800-585-8200.
 

Artist Bob Patterson will be autographing his postcards & animal prints.   

The Breadfruit is the traditional “first” pattern in Hawaiian quiltmaking. In this workshop, you will be using a pattern drafted by the instructor. Learn all aspects of Hawaiian quilting, including pattern marking, folding, basting, and hand applique. You will also receive a hands-on lesson on echo quilting, often seen in traditional Hawaiian quilts. Your work can be made into a pillow or wall-hanging. Cost includes kit with all fabrics. Beginner’s Level
 

Proceeds support the kids of La Conner!

Come join Cheryl Bonsen of Christianson's Nursery  and Andrew Pickens as they combine their talents to create winter interest table tops for the upcoming holidays. Fresh greens and cuttings from the garden will be transformed into bouquets for any gathering.

Conifers add so much variety and interest to our year-round gardens; join John Christianson on a casual tour to enjoy and learn about many great conifers in the nursery’s display gardens and at adjoining La Conner Flats. Dress for the weather and wear good shoes for muddy spots.

Saturday, November 8th, 2014 the Gail Harker Center for Creative Arts holds an Open House. Join our students as they share their work from Level 2 Studies in Design, Machine and Hand Stitch. View samples, sketchbooks and completed works of art. This is a great opportunity to see inspiring techniques and artistic explorations in a relaxed and open environment. Speak with the students about their work, their experiences and what they have planned next. These students have completed six 5-day sessions over the last year and a half. Open to all, the Open House will run from 1 ? 3 p.m. Participating Students: Gail Cowan, Chris Goldburn, Christina Fairley Erickson, Deborah Hickey-Tiernan, Donna Kaplan, Mary Martin, Marilyn Olsen, Ann Rogers, Nancy Scagliotti and Lexa Shaw.

Deborah Hall from Dogs On Call - Happiness is a Warm Puppy will talk about the benefits therapy dogs - meet the handlers and their dogs!
Wine & appetizers will be served afterwards.

Discover the excitement and wonder of creating your own dyed silk scarf using the most basic and innocuous of art supplies. Just in time for holiday gifts, you'll amaze yourself and friends with new-found creativity. Subtle, soft and dreamy or bold and graphic . . . learn new techniques that can later be applied to a myriad of fiber projects for quick, easy and beautiful results. Cost includes materials to make one scarf (extra scarves available for purchase.) Beginner’s Level
 

You're invited to an entertaining evening featuring the talent, wit and charm of La Conner author Tom Robbins, actor/director Tom Skerritt, actor Kevin Tighe and poet Sam Green. This event will benefit a new library in La Conner! Limited to 100 tickets! Call to verify ticket availability at 360-466-3352.

Enjoy holiday drinks and appetizers while experiencing complimentary mini services and consultations. Stock up on holiday gifts with 20% off all retail in the gift boutique. Enter to win a spa day! 

Start your holiday shopping early! Join us at the La Conner Retirement Inn for a holiday craft show and bazaar. Jewelry, candles, baked goods, aprons, and other great items to choose from. Hot cocoa and cider will be served and there is an hourly door prize!

"Join us for our holiday kick off, door prizes and goodies!"

Take a springtime tour through gardens of France and Italy with Kathy Hirdler of Floribunda Designs. From Paris to Pompeii and back again, see what caught the eye of this seasoned gardener as she visits​ some of southern Europe's renowned gardens and off beat beauty spots. Enjoy intimate peeks into the back streets of Italian hill towns and  the grand public spectacles of the gardens of Versailles. Highlighted is a private tour of Claude Monet's garden on a misty morning in May.

Join wreath-making extraordinaire, Laura Campbell in this hands-on workshop to learn how to create a beautiful rose hip wreath for your holiday decorations. All materials are included in the class fee. Students need to bring pruners, gloves and enthusiasm. Be sure to wear warm clothes and long sleeves as the materials can be somewhat prickly.

Color, color and more color is the focus of this 5-day hands-on class. This course provides the sound basics of color theory, stripped to its essentials. A color reference sketchbook will be started in class that will provide you with new approaches to color, a lexicon of color schemes, and a valuable reference sourcebook for years to come. We will work with different color wheels and use various methods to create color studies. It could be an aid to the following people: quilters, embroiderers, weavers, dressmakers, knitters, floral arrangers, horticulturalists, woodworkers, designers and, in short, anyone who would like to look and work with color in a more informed way. No prior experience is necessary. Please note that this is not a drawing class. This course is a prerequisite for Level 3 Studies in Art and Design.

Internationally acclaimed author and ethnobotanist Gary Paul Nabhan comes to Mount Vernon to present the 2014 Harvest Seminar! Gary will take his audience on an enthralling voyage where they will meet fruit growers among the glaciers of the Pamir Mountains, see grains, trees and herbs farmed in complex intermixtures in Italy?s Po Valley, learn how Hopi Indians grow beans, melons and peanuts in the drylands of Arizona, and more. Gary has traveled to visit farming systems around the world, following in the footsteps of plant explorer Nikolai Vavilov, who set out from Russia in 1916 to create the first ever global collection of agricultural seeds. This talk will explore the compelling theme of agricultural biodiversity and its conservation, which inspired the now-famous collection of Nikolai Vavilov and which remains no less important today. This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments provided. The Harvest Seminar is organised by the graduate students of WSU Mount Vernon and generously co-sponsored by PCC Natural Foods.

You are invited to a vendor shopping event at the La Conner Country Inn. Explore a variety of vendors selling amazing items just in time for the holidays.
Free admission with the donation of 2 non-perishable goods - donations will be made to the La Conner Sunrise Food Bank.

Creating a Japanese-inspired garden environment evokes feelings of serenity and peacefulness and requires a good understanding of core principles of Japanese garden aesthetics. Copying garden elements and basic layouts often lead to gardens that lack atmosphere and authenticity. Join Hans Wressnigg of NIWA Japanese-inspired Landscapes to gain an understanding of these principles and how to make them relevant in your garden environment.

Enjoy the Gaches Mansion dressed for a Victorian Christmas with quilts and textiles from our permanent collection. Explore all three floors decorated in the styles popular during the long reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). On display will be one of the oldest pieces in our collection, an 1840s Bethlehem Star. We will also feature 1850’s red & green applique quilts, 1860’s Civil War era quilts, 1880’s Crazy Quilts, and 1890’s geometric quilts. Enjoy a cup of hot cider on the weekends.
 

The museum will be magically transformed into a Skagit Christmas!
The museum's east wing gallery will be available for holiday celebrations.

Featuring handcrafted items from local artists.

Give a book a good home! Lots of book for only 25 cents...

Bella Hamerly is fighting Leukemia and is being treated at Children's Hospital in Seattle. Your support will help her family fight on!
 

Father Christmas will be in his red sleigh nestled among the trees in the South Greenhouse at Christianson?s Nursery. Come in your holiday finest and bring your cameras to take your own keepsake photos.

Deck the halls with ease by using wreath-making machines and getting the practical and inspiring help of designer Karen Harper. These are one-hour classes (starting at 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.). Greens are sold by the pound or feel free to bring your own. The cost of one wreath form is included in the class fee. Wear warm clothing and bring your own pruners and gardening gloves.

La Crema along w. Doc Holiday's Guns will be hosting a holiday open house showcasing artist Bob Patterson.
Bob will be signing from 10am - 2pm

Sign up early to share in a holiday tradition in Christianson’s 1888 Schoolhouse with tea, cider and assorted delicacies, a forest-theme décor, candlelight and the live music of autoharpist Bob Harper and violinist Dennis Burkhardt. Complimentary, but reservations required; call for one of the four seatings. Donations will benefit Friendship House in Mount Vernon.

Come enjoy delicious food and live music by Amanda Fitch at Anelia's Kitchen & Stage. The violin and spanish guitar duet performs romantic and adventurous originals

Beginning the Sunday after Thanksgiving, two wreath-making machines will be available for complimentary use every day. Wire rings and greenery are available for purchase, or you may bring your own. Invite your garden club, family and friends to enjoy a creative time together, spreading holiday cheer.

Rita Hupy, founder of the La Conner Quilt & Textile Museum, passed away on August 7, 2014. In honor of Rita, the Museum will be open on Sunday, November 30 free to the public. She, along with her husband Art, were key to founding what has become a significant art presence in La Conner through their work with both the Quilt & Textile Museum and the Museum of Northwest Art. Rita?s commitment to the restoration of the Gaches Mansion and later, her decision to base a Quilt Museum here, has had ? and will continue to have ? a lasting impact on our community. We invite you to visit the Quilt & Textile Museum on November 30th to share your memories of Rita with us, pay tribute to this remarkable woman, and experience her unique legacy.

Christmas Concert to benefit Skagit Habitat for Humanity Join us for a wonderful holiday concert featuring local musical talent including Cantabile, the Shelter Bay Chorus & La Conner Concert Choir, members of Skagit Symphony, noted local vocalists & performers and featuring Roupen Shakarian directing & Cheri Cook-Blodgett accompanying! Admission by donation benefitting Skagit Habitat for Humanity. Presented by La Conner Institute of Performing Arts and directed by Madeleine Roozen Cook. Stroll through the town of La Conner prior to the concert to experience Washington?s weekend get-away destination, with a great atmosphere of local businesses, friendly people and enjoy the cuisine and free admission at the La Conner Quilt & Textile Museum.