Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum

I drove to La Conner, WA last week. This small town with a population under 1,000 is situated in western Washington about one hour north of Seattle on the Swinomish Channel. It has a commanding view of Mount Baker, lovely restaurants and an excellent fiber arts museum.

The building itself makes a visit worth your time. Gaches (rhymes with “mashes”) Mansion was built in 1891 by George & Louisa Gashes, a prosperous mercantile family from England. The Gaches sold their home in 1905 to a local doctor who used it as a hospital, the first in Skagit County. The mansion saw many incarnations over the years. In 1974 concerned citizens purchased the mansion from the current owners and turned ownership of it over to the City of La Conner. In 1997 it became known as La Conner Quilt Museum. The Museum purchased the mansion back from the town in 2005 and undertook a restoration, returning the exterior and first floor to their original historic state in 2013. The name changed to Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum in January, 2017.

The Museum had 3 exhibits on view when I visited. I was most interested in Birds of a Fiber since my art quilt Peaches was in the exhibit.  Peaches was my peach-faced lovebird who kept me company for 14 years. Click on images for a larger view.

 

Peaches by Franki Kohler, 23″ x 22″

 

Birds of a Fiber is a celebration of all things ornithological and in collaboration with the La Conner Birding Festival. This years’ exhibit is the 6th anniversary for this annual exhibit. The first exhibition in 2018 presented 25 pieces from local artists. Since then, the exhibit has garnered the attention of artists from Canada, Australia, Japan, Israel, Belgium, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and all across America. This year’s exhibit had 165 entries, of which, 64 pieces were selected to be included. 

Peaches is in good company, indeed! Here are a few of the pieces that I lingered over. 

 

Winter Migration  by Kasey Meier, block print,  7″ x 5″

 

Wild Life: Green Heron by Martha Wolfe, 40″ x 40″

 

Wild Life: Comfort & Joy by Martha Wolfe, 36″ x 18″

 

Waiting by Mary Auld, 13″ x 10″

 

Waddle by Carol Bryer Falert-Gentry, 22″ x 42″

 

The Last Parrots by Carol Eckert, 15″ x 10″ x 3″

 

Spring Song by Pam Seaberg, 20″ x 17″

 

Small Seagull by Adeline Gildow, 17″ x 17″

 

Raven at Sunset by  Suzanne Uschold, 12″ x 10″

 

Motherhood by Pam Seaberg, 31″ x 36″

 

Don’t We All Need a Little Preening? by Jeri Stroud, 30″ x 23″

 

Bird Brain by Marion Eason, 32″ x 29″

La Conner and the surrounding Skagit Valley offers an authentic experience for birders. The farmlands, wetlands, prairies, forests and marine environment provide ideal habitats for a host of different species of birds, including those that migrate from Siberia and Alaska.

Along with the huge flocks of migrating Snow Geese and Trumpeter Swans, you can also see a large variety of raptor species, meadow and water birds such as Killdeer, American Kestrels, Northern Pintails, Red-tailed Hawks and of course, Bald Eagles. 

Our communities have so much to offer! I hope you are getting out and enjoying yours!

 

Mt. Baker, February 2024