8/26/14

Oregon State Fair

My friend Sue and I met for lunch today, and then we headed down to the Oregon State Fair. We spent most of our time with the quilts, although we did wander around the animal pavilions for a little while too. Sue wanted to see the piglets. It doesn't seem possible to have a fair without piglets, but this one had none. Sue was terribly disappointed. We did see some fanciful critters, however. I'll say more about that in a bit. For now...on to the quilts.

Sue and I both liked this one really well. It is iconic images from our state capital of Salem, where the state fair is held. Sue lived in Salem for a while earlier in life, and so she recognized some of these images, while most were unfamiliar to me.


At the top is our state capitol building. Our state capitol building has a golden pioneer on top of its dome. Below that is the "old mill" as Sue put it. The details were wonderful in this quilt. In the image below is an osprey with a fish in its talons


and we liked the use of this doily on the church.


Would you believe this next one...approximately king sized...was hand cross-stitched and hand quilted?


Just so you know I'm not kidding, here is a close-up of one of the stars.


And what about this next one. Is this called a feathered star?


Beautiful quilting. It was machine quilted, but I thought it might have been done free hand.


This little owl was interesting...


with its 3-D tummy.


This next one was one of my favorites.


And who's old enough to remember the Purple People Eater? We happened to be standing next to a man about our age who was explaining the song to the younger woman (a daughter, perhaps?) with him. She hadn't ever heard of the Purple People Eater. Such a pity. The man and Sue and I sang a chorus for her.


Not old enough to remember the Purple People Eater? Shut up.

This next one is for you, Padsworth.



This next one was another of my favorites. Machine applique.


This next one is hand-applique and machine quilted.


Look at the details in the appliques.



And this next one is for you, Denise P., queen of cupcakes.


Cute quilting in the borders.


And look at those polka dot sprinkles.


Sue and I really loved the detail in this next one.



And if you can stand to see one more picture of my quilts, here you go. If not, just close your eyes, and keep scrolling.


It's so much fun to see my own quilts on display with the others. Winning some ribbons makes it taste even sweeter.

After that we wandered around a little bit. Of course, I had to take a picture of this counted cross-stitch cat.


The cakes always amaze me, but I often wonder if anyone would actually eat these cakes. And is there actually cake under all that frosting?


Here are some really cute cupcakes.



It's kind of hard not to reach in and grab one for a little snack, but we resisted.

After that, we wandered around the animal pavilions. When there were no piglets, we went and looked at the chickens. Some are so exotic. I'm thinking of this for my next hairstyle.


Sue was naughty and opened the door of this rabbit's cage. He was kind of a dalmatian rabbit, and he had the cutest black spots over both eyes.


Oh, and our day couldn't have been complete without the two of us acting like goof balls. It sort of made up for the sting of being old enough to remember the Purple People Eater.


Sue wanted to be Farmer of the Year.



So that was our day. It was fun! When we left the exposition center, a woman in a golf cart came by and offered us a ride to the parking lot, which was very much appreciated. It was a hot day, and we were tired.

I made a quick stop at the grocery store on the way home to get a few things for dinner. Tomorrow will be a longer trip. Also tomorrow, I'm meeting with the woman who will be my lead instructor when I join the other instructors at the Coffee Creek Quilters next month. Also today I was signed up for the Department of Corrections training held the first Thursday of each month. I won't go until October, but in the meantime, they were kind enough to provide me with a 90-page pdf manual and pre-test that I need to complete before the training. Oy. In my spare time, right? I'll take it along on the trip and make my way through it during down time.

So with that, things are about to get ugly as we make last minute preparations for our Sunday departure. I still have two rounds to go with the canner. Tomorrow I'll be making one last batch of salsa, and if the plums ever ripen, I'm hoping to get in a batch of plum chutney. There's also laundry to do, including taking our big king-sized bedspread down to the laundromat where they have some heavy-duty washers that can accommodate something that large. And then there's packing! So I'm hoping to keep up with blogging the next couple of days, but it might be slim pickings if all I do is work on getting ready. In any case, the August NewFO Challenge and Giveaway will go live on August 31st (Sunday). Are you ready?


And if I don't blog before we leave, just know I'll be taking lots of pictures and blogging along the way while we're traveling. I hope you'll come along with us on this year's trip to the Great Lakes region.

21 comments:

Junebug613 said...

What a fun day! Great quilts! And congratulations again on your ribbons! Oh, a Dalmatian bunny! (Thanks for spelling Dalmatian correctly!) I hope you get time to relax a little before your trip!

Tami C said...

I too like the quilt with the images from your state capital. The king sized cross-stitched quilt is amazing and loved the counted cross-stitch cat as well. You aren't the only one that remembers the Purple People Eater too! I hope you have a wonderful time on vacation!

Shannon Meyer said...

What fun to look through all the quilts!! I'll get my chance in a couple of weeks here in Kansas:) Congrats on your ribbons. I'm busy getting ready for this weekend's NewFo challenge:)

quiltzyx said...

One eyed, one horned, flying purple people eater.... Yep, I remember too! Wonderful quilts, as usual. And yes, that is a Feathered Star quilt. Somewhere around here I have a wall hanging flimsy of one I did in a guild workshop with Ann Turley.
I don't know - does fondant even taste good? The cakes are fun tho', edible or not! Especially those cupcakes. :D
I am glad that you are a carrot, and not a PWP. But since Sue was the Farmer of the Year, I'll let her slide....
I can hardly wait to go on this year's big trip! You're so good to drag us all along with you, wherever you go. Thanks!!

Vroomans' Quilts said...

I remember the Purple People Eater! Guess I join the ranks of 'old as dirt'. You deserve to have your photo with your quilts and be proud. And I stitched that kitty in the tree - looked just my old Bubby Cat and who slept (with one eye watching) in the trees just like that. Luck with all your canning and preps before your wonderful travels. I will be ready to wave across the lakes when you get there.

Donna said...

Lovely quilts! And yes, I too remember the purple people eater!

Lyndsey said...

Those quilts are amazing and no I not tired of seeing yours. I love the cross stitch cat and that chicken is a real cool dude. Can't wait to see your photos of your trip. The great lakes region is another area I'd love to visit.

dq said...

This is such a fun post to look at. I love the quilt with houses on it at the top. I also love the froggy one. I did a frog round robin years ago and someone made me that exact frog for my project. I need to get it finished and this quilt inspired me. I do love all the quilts though. Thanks for sharing Oregan with us.

gpc said...

What a fun day -- and so many beautiful quilts! Congrats again on your string of wins. I'm even more impressed now!

Nita said...

Oh, what fun! I grew up un Tacoma and every year we got a day off school and a free ticket to attend the Puyallup Fair. Those were the days!

Barb H said...

Congratulations! I'm so glad you're bringing home some ribbons! Compared with the other quilts you posted, I can see why your's were picked as winners! You may have to start building a trophy room. ;-)
No need to reply--I know you're busy getting ready for the big trip.

Diane Wild said...

Wow on all those quilts. And, yours are a standout. Congratulations. State Fair is going on now but can't get there. Darn. Safe travels.

Janarama said...

So cool you were able to get pictures of you standing with your beautiful quilts. ACK! You gave me an earworm. I'm going to be singing that song all day long. Can't wait to see you sporting your new hairdo. LOL Since we'll all be traveling with you, don't forget to pack enough undies for all of us. Enjoy your vacation and be safe.

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

'One eyed, one horned, flying purple people eater...' yes, I remember that song well. Too bad they didn't have a 'itsy bitsy teeny weenie yellow polka dot bikini' quilt, too.

Snoodles said...

You rock, my friend! Winning ribbons! Woot! You are my inspiration!
Love all the quilts, and Padsworth says he thinks they used him for a model on that froggie quilt. Take care...you will need the vacation to rest after the preparations.
Congratulations again!

Needled Mom said...

What a fun day you had. Loved seeing all of the fun fair entries. That Feathered Star has to be my favorite!!!

Have a fun and safe trip.

Dana Gaffney said...

Those quilts are amazing, I really don't do embellishment or 3D but they do add a lot to those quilts. I do remember Purple People Eater, they just don't make great songs like that anymore.
I'm looking forward to traveling along with you, stay safe.

Kate said...

Amazing quilts! Congrats again on your ribbons, that is so very cool.

Brown Family said...

looks like a fun time. It is always too hot for me to go to the fair, here!

Judy H. said...

"Mister Purple People Eater, what's your line? He said 'Eating purple people and it sure is fine …'"

Congrats on your wins!

Michele said...

Thanks for sharing all those great quilt photos. There are a few that really caught my attention too. And yes I'm old enough to remember the Purple People Eater.