Images from Kalispell, Montana 06-10-12

Today was the last day of Ruth McDowell's class at the Quilt Gallery.  I think all sixteen quilts being created are very good and I will try to edit the images and post them tomorrow.  Meanwhile here are some pictures I have taken in class and around the town.



Ruth McDowell showed her wonderful (and huge) quilt   "Bison at Mission Creek" - 2006
84" x 77"   Machine Pieced, Machine Quilted, Cotton Fabrics, Cotton Batting
  . For the design she used a photo she took at the Nat'l Bison Range quite a few years ago.  It so true to life and has so much depth that I am astonished every time I see a picture of it, and even more so seeing it in-the-fabric.

Sue Utt showed a quilt she made in a previous class.  Using straight line piecing for people and animals seems to give them more ... personality, maybe.

It isn't quite summertime here - the rain continues and (to me) it is quite cold!  One morning it was 30F at 6am and rain was promised, I feared snow, but it warmed up a bit before the rain began.  The sky does clear now and then, showing patches of blue sky above the clouds.  I saw this lovely blue iris growing next to a garage in an alley - the rain had weighed down the petals.

I shook some of the water off so the petals would stand up .  Gorgeous color.

While I was photographing iris I could hear  lovely bagpipe music, so I walked around the corner to find this yard sale to benefit the local pipe band.  There is the piper in the lower left corner and a full regalia on a stand to the right.

No matter how cold or rainy it is there are always people having ice cream when we pass this homemade ice cream store.  So, we stopped and tried the rhubarb and cream - we understand the attraction!

There is a little side room with benches and counters, apparently designed for children.  Notice that the little girl has her shoes on the wrong feet!  There was also a little boy wearing his on the opposite feet.  Is this a trend in Montana?

Off to one side is this magnetic alphabet board with an ice cream haiku.

I like to drive around and look at the houses and gardens.  I spotted this unusual decoration inside a front window.   Maybe they are letting it view the outside and not get wet.