On vacation in Bend, Oregon

 Handmade Dress Haven has been on vacation for a week in warm Bend, Oregon.  Being from the very cool coastal Pacific Northwest, Bend seems warm to me.  It was in the high 70s the whole time, which is cool for them.  The reason?  The whole west coast was covered by a huge rain storm!  Lucky us, we got out of it for a week.  The coastal rain showers kept temperatures low in Eastern Oregon.


At any rate, what did we do while we were there?  Well, we spent some time at the High Desert Museum.  My littlest had to wear her Delilah capris I made for her from Simplicity 2171.  Perfect for a warm play day!

The highlight of the visit was Tumbleweed, the 10 week old porcupine baby.  Here he is sucking away on his bottle.  Did you know that porcupines do not throw their quills at enemies?  Quills are just like hair.  They can only come out if you touch them.  I did not know that!  So, just don't touch a porcupine and you will be fine.

The High Desert Museum specializes in saving injured local birds.  Here are some eagles who were too injured to leave and will live out their lives in their very nice habitats.

Bald Eagle

Golden Eagle

80 degrees is warm for me so here I am, keeping cool with a head scarf.

While we were nearby, we took a drive up to the Cascade Lakes Loop and spent the day at Elk Lake.  Here is my oldest daughter.  That is Mount Bachelor in the background.

My nemesis, Cooper.  I have no idea why he hates me.  He is my mom's bird and he hates her, too!  He likes my dad and my brother.  Strange bird, that one.

The highlight of the trip? Making homemade pizza with my dad, Poppa John!  He makes the dough and sauce himself and then cooks it in his pizza oven.  Great stuff!

Now, of course, when you are a sewist who is working on her stash, you have to visit the local famous quilt shop!  I happen to love Valorie Wells' fabric and since we were only a half hour away from the quilt shop she owns with her mother, The Stitchin' Post, I had to make a trip to see it!  Located in very cute, but touristy, Sisters, Oregon, this shop is very nice.  I did not see Valori while there but all her patterns were at the store and she and her mother have accumulated a very nice and large selection of fabrics, including Valori's new Wrenly line.  My daughters helped me pick this selection which we are going to turn into skirts for them.  Yes, I am going to put a bird on it!    This is a rarity for me.  LOL!

Finally, Valori and her mother have an awesome selection of Kaffe Fasset at their store so I had to pick up a couple of yards.  So hard to choose!!!  Here is what I got.  Not sure what to do with it but it is sure lovely!

Now, since the storm is still hovering over the entire west coast, I will have lots of time to sew this week.