Quilting at Stash

Stash quilters have been busy. Check out some of the artsy pieces that they've been making!

This is a fun summer quilt that incorporates TONS of funky fabric from Stash. Pattern, fabrics and quilting utensils are all available at Stash upon request.

To make this quilt, quilters made whirls of fabric from the same fabric pattern and arranged them geometrically to make the flowers. All materials used for this project are available at Stash. Sign up for Stash classes and learn the basics for quilts like this one!

Quilts aren't the only things that Stash quilters make. The possibilities are endless when the fabric is this amazing!

This Just In: New Arrivals at Stash

Check out these buttons! They sort of just beg to be attached to your sweater. Not just any sweater either, I'm talking about THAT sweater- the one that always finds its way into your suitcase, the one that you throw on as soon as you get home from work, the one that you've had for so long that you know which shoulder it will droop off of as soon as you pull it over your head. Such a special sweater deserves a little sprucing up every once in a while- why not give it some funky new buttons?

Have you ever set out to be artsy, gone to the art/bead/fabric store and bought all the supplies that you thought you could possibly ever need to be the next great painter/jewelry maker/fashion designer, sat down to your new artsy calling, and realized that you just surrounded yourself in your home with a daunting number of blank canvases/displays/runways to fill? Fear no more. Stash has solved this problem for you. Enter, project starter kits! With project essentials packed up and ready to go, you can take your projects one at a time- daunting feeling of embarking on a million new things at once conveniently omitted from starter kits.



When you hit the town, you'll find that seasonal now applies to more than just fruits and veggies. Now that it's summer, Stash has brought in fabrics that look like June wheatfield sunsets and July cotton candy at the fair.

Stash: More Fabric

There is something about this fabric that makes me think about my mom's rose garden at our old house. The garden itself was in the funniest spot, in a small corner of the yard where the house sort of bent inward out of the way of some giant spruce trees. The garden rested peacefully in full shade, even during the the parts of summer that yielded the fastest Popsicle-melting rates. The blues in this fabric are most indicative of the shadiness of this garden, and of the breezes that blew through the spruce needles and onto the shoulders of anyone sitting quietly in the garden's small space.

When I was much younger (for approximate age, please reference previous blog post, re: pigtail ribbons) I was an arts and crafts maven. Every single day I papered the dining room table with construction paper triangles, spilled tiny seed beads onto the shag carpet, and painted my clothing in addition to any canvas put in front of me (items 2 and 3 were usually much to my mom's chagrin). There was one arts and crafts phase in particular during which I was obsessed with making envelopes out of magazine pages and patterned scrapbook paper, and that phase is what immediately comes to mind when I look at this fabric. There is something slightly geometric about these patterns, a quality in a design that generally produced visually appealing envelopes. I can sort of sense that my 7-year old self would be very much taken with these patterns, and perhaps even hope to fold back and tape together the corners of these patterns to make some very unusual envelopes.

Stash: The Fabric

Admiring all of the fabrics at Stash, I can't help but notice that each grouping of prints begs to signify something to each customer and onlooker. Each print recalls a small detail from a story or memory: the leaves on the trees that hung just so; the pattern on the tablecloth that was used over and over again that summer; or the wallpaper that covered the room where you used to hide in hide-and-go-seek. The colors that make up the fabrics aren't from the typical spectrum of colors that comes to mind when "orange," "blue," or "yellow" are mentioned. Instead of orange, the color is the sheen on from the sun on stalks of wheat, crisping under the 2 o'clock sun. Instead of "blue," the color is the water in your swimming pool. Instead of "yellow," the color is just like the filling that is layered between two flaky, crust bookends when making key lime pie.

Of course when it comes to classifying the prints and colors of the fabrics at Stash into personal stories and recollections, I can only speak for myself when describing what exactly it is that each bolt of fabric brings to mind. I've listed my comments below, yours may be different- which would speak to the power inherent in the beauty of these fabrics, that they can remind everyone of such uniquely personal motifs.


This fabric group channels the tones found in the Walla Walla wheatfields. I have often tried to describe to friends and family what the quality of light is like in the wheatfields and why the colors there make it a place of calm energy. It's almost as if these fabric colors are filtered somehow to be basking in rural Washington sun and mixing in the same wind that ruffles the wheat to make it whisper.

When greens turn to yellows and oranges and a swift crackle is heard underfoot when tromping outdoors, it's autumn in Walla Walla. All of the colors in these fabrics remind me of this time of year. The landscape is comandeered by fiery oranges and wafts of woodsmoke, both of which lie in contrast to the clear and cool-hued sky over the tips of the Blues.


I can't help but think of when I was very little and wore ribbons in my pigtails. There was a drawer in the bathroom that overflowed with satin ribbons in every possible color for every possible day and occasion. The colors in these fabrics are those of some of the ribbons that had most frequent use, and the patterns are those of some of the skirts and shorts that I wore to threads as accompaniment to those most-loved pigtail ribbons.

The People of Stash: Sherri, Kathy, and Kristen

For Sherri, Kathy, and Kristen, Stash is all about the fabric. To describe Stash fabric concisely proves nearly impossible because of the variety of unique and fresh designs available. There truly is a little bit of everything, and it's all spunky.

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Here Sherri shows off her favorite fabric in the store. The colors are cool, but the design is zippy. This fabric is definitely reminiscent of a spring day in Walla Walla when the season's colors are just starting to turn from wintry to sunny and happy spring noises fill the breezes.

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Rather than having just one favorite fabric, Kathy loves the entire fabric group called "Farmers Market" by Michael Miller. These fabrics contain all of the colors that crop up at the Walla Walla Farmers Market- yellows and greens of the flowers in giant buckets waiting to be sold, the oranges of newly-picked carrots and sun-ripening tomatoes, and the blues woven into colorful tablecloths under the arms of picnic-ers looking for a spot to plop down.

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Kristen's favorite fabric is a Patty Young design of pineapples and funky filigree. This design is just hip enough that it could easily end up in skirt form, worn by a college student bicycling through Walla Walla's buzzing downtown streets or as part of a fun and funky quilt.

The People of Stash: Suzanne

Suzanne is, in some ways, the reason why there is a Stash. When

Kathy decided to take quilting classes, Suzanne was her instructor.
Now, the passion for quilting shared by Kristen, Kathy and Sherri
is such an infectious passion, that it must have incredible roots
somewhere, in something, or in someone. Probably there are in
fact several sources to which this passion for quilting can be
traced, but one of the obvious sources is Suzanne.

Suzanne has not quilted for her entire life, it's not even something

that she began pouring herself into while she was growing up.

Suzanne arrived at quilting somewhat later in her life, however

this late brush with fat quarters, flying geese, and lazy daisies had

no effect on Suzanne's desire to learn or her eventual tenacity to

her craft.

Around 1980, Suzanne was at the fairgrounds, meandering through

booths of crafts and funnel cakes. Walking past one of the many

craft booths, Suzanne spotted a beautiful quilt and was mesmerized.

The quilt, tactile, colorful, and comforting to the touch was a

functional piece of art.

Soon after visiting the fairgrounds, Suzanne began taking quilting

classes. She only took several classes- enough to work the basics of

quilting into her thoughts and hands. With this minimum of

knowledge and the delightful fervor that had washed over her on

her visit to the fairgrounds, Suzanne produced her first quilt in

approximately two weeks, having made every single stitch by hand.

Stash is now officially open! Here are a few photos that capture the event. More to come soon.

Stash owners pose after placing the "open" sign in the front window. From left to right: Sherri Woolever, Kristen McVane, and Kathy Hamada.

One of the display windows in the storefront.

Some celebratory flowers for the event.

Stash is opening its doors on Thursday, June 4th at 9:30am!
Please join us at 43 South Palouse for a celebration of quilting and the opening of our business.

About Stash
Not long ago, three friends joined a quilting class, aspiring as a group to learn a new craft. The three friends quickly realized that quilting was much more than a process- it's a social, self-expressive and quickly-learned way to create. The opening of Stash in downtown Walla Walla not only further solidifies the creative bond between these three friends, it's a way for these friends to share what they have discovered in quilting with the community.

Stash offers new and seasoned quilters alike with an array of fabric to spark any creative spirit, including fabrics by Moda, Michael Miller, In the Beginning Fabrics, and many more. Stop in and take a peek!