Thru the Eye of the Needle

March—2009

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Hello All,

March is upon us and with it comes a warming or should I say warning! Time is flying by! Where did January and February go? So many guild project deadlines over the next few months……….and I want to do them all! I am trying an experiment. I am quilting every day. I want to be disciplined and productive, but more than that, too. I want to be joyful in the process, to enjoy every step/stitch along the way, to stretch my creative side, to grow and learn. With that in mind I took one of the challenge brown bags. This is a HUGE stretch for me! I love patterns and piecing. It’s relaxing and for the most part mindless. The brown bag challenge is something I’ve never done with its beads, yarns, doodads………SCARY! I guess I’m sharing this whole story with you as encouragement. If you are like me, let’s take this journey together. Let’s step out of our comfort zone and JUMP into the world of art quilts. If you have already picked up a bag, open it and get started. If you haven’t picked one up yet, take a chance and try it with the rest of us novices.

I hope all of you enjoyed Cynthia England. We had a great turnout for our Trunk Show. Thanks to Betsy Jordan for getting the word out to the Journal and the local TV channel. We have more out of town talent scheduled in the coming months so stop by the Workshop table, sign up for a workshop, and don’t forget to thank Carolyn Milligan for planning these wonderful learning opportunities.

Our directories will be available at this month’s meetings. Please be patient as you sign in and pick-up yours. Producing the directory is a huge job, and in addition to membership, Carolyn McMullen is making sure our USPS mailed newsletters are going out! So give her a smile and offer to help. Happy Quilting and see you all soon! Joyce Thompson

DAY CHAPTER

The February program with Cynthia England was wonderful, don’t you think? I hope that you were able to be at either the program or the Trunk Show. What an entertaining speaker she was and her quilts were just gorgeous. If you did miss her, I hear she is planning to be a vendor at our 2010 Quilt Show.

Since moving our meetings to the Gulf Coast Christian Church location, we are trying different ways to handle our time and environment to make them the most serviceable to us all. Bear with us and be sure to give feedback to me or any other board member.. We will meet in the sanctuary for the March meeting. Those committees that need to be represented at the meeting will set up their tables in the sanctuary and will be responsible for taking them down and returning them. The free table will be located in the kitchen. The library will remain in the back left room in the reception area. Between the business part of the meeting and the program we will have a 30-minute break with beverages provided by the hospitality committee. But as visitors utilizing the carpeted sanctuary, absolutely no liquids will be allowed there.

Our March program will be a panel discussion from guild members who are long arm quilters. Not many of us actually know how to long arm quilt but as guild members who represent the quilting world to others, we should be knowledgeable about it. Thus, come on out and learn more about long arm quilting from the experts. Also, during our March meeting we will have a demonstration of “How to make the Souvenir Block” for the 2010 Quilt Show. There will be a new Favorite Block pattern and the third installment of the Mystery Quilt will be available. How are those 2009 Challenge Quilts coming along? I can’t wait to see them.

See you at the March meeting. Sheree Jimmerson

NIGHT CHAPTER

Thank you so much to Linda Siska for the fabric postcard program last month. I am looking forward to having some time to make them and her tips were wonderful.

We are having Susan Mixon come for the March program. She is one of the educators for Margie’s Shop in Crestview. She is going to be doing a program on color for us.

I hope everyone is hard at work on their “Circle” challenge. Kits are still available. I also hope everyone is hard at work on their souvenir blocks that were demonstrated last month. Please let us know if you have any questions about either of these projects.

Looking forward to seeing you all at the meeting. Deila Hiebert and Ingrid Whitcher

FRAME BASTING

We will frame-baste a top for Frances Asborjornsen after the day meeting on March 26. We will set up in the fellowship hall so either bring a lunch or plan to pick up something and bring it back. Remember, anyone interested in having something basted requires hours invested prior to having their own top sewn.

Questions? Please call Linda Richardson or Sandy Miller.

SOUVENIR BLOCKS FOR QUILT SHOW

We are off to a good start! Sorry for the confusion regarding block sizes. The strip blocks are 8 1/2” foundation and Pensacola Star measures 9 1/2”. Fabric themes from now until July are Christmas, black and white, 30’s, pastel and bright kids.

Ladies, we need hundreds of each theme. Please help. Thanks, Fran Moore

QUILT SHOW 2010

Hi, first I have an apology to make to all. I was going to have community quilt kit fabric at both the day and night meetings and was forgetful (day meeting) and pooped (night meeting). I had emergency Grandma duties that Monday with a three-year-old and a four-month-old for 10 hours and was too tired to move. I will have the fabric at both meetings in March and also the lapel pins. If you haven’t seen the pins, they are really pretty. If you have not picked up any tickets to buy or sell for the Opportunity Quilt, please do so. We will only do as well as what we sell.

Have you let Karen Williamson know that you are going to do a silent auction quilt? Are you working on your quilts? REMEMBER THAT REGISTRATION WILL BE AT THE END OF OCTOBER. You must at least have your quilt top to the stage where you can take a picture. Good luck, enjoy. Angie Madden

COMMUNITY QUILTS

The next Community Quilts workshop will be on Thursday, April 15, at 10 am at the home of Suzanne Wernick. Bring basic quilting items and a sewing machine if possible. Lunch will be provided. There is space for only 14, so sign up early.

Workshops for the year are scheduled for June 18, August 22 and October 22. Join your fellow quilters for a chance to contribute to a good cause and enjoy the fellowship. Suzanne Wernick

QUILTING TIP

Before making a quilt from a new-to-me pattern, always make a test block to determine whether you will want to make dozens more. You will find that sometimes you love sewing the block, other times it bores you silly or is just more complex than you would like. Regardless of the outcome, you can turn the single block into a pot holder or add some borders to make a small wall hanging or table topper. Or if you produce lots of quilts, set aside “tester” fabric and always use it or coordinating fabric for your test blocks. Before you know it you will have a sampler quilt!

WORKSHOPS

I will not be at the Day Meeting, so please see Linda Richardson to pay or sign up for classes. I will be at the night meeting. You must pay for Marilyn Rose’s class by March Meeting. I still have nine openings in Marilyn’s class, and I would hate to cancel it, so please sign up. I have heard that Marilyn is one of the best teachers and very funny. She teaches through GSQA. Cost of class to GSQA members is $20.00 and to non-members, $30.00.

Marilyn Rose, wwwgulfstatesquilting.org, “Wedges & Stripes, Working with Wedge Rulers” -Saturday, April 4, 9:30 am – 3:00 pm, GCCC.

Supplies: Two or more yards of any striped fabric-doesn’t matter if it comes from a quilt shop, Joann’s, WalMart or the bargain table. Wider stripes work better than skinny ones. More color makes it more fun. If you want to bring several striped fabrics, we can evaluate which would work best from your choices.

Also need standard cutting and sewing stuff: sewing machine, extension cord, rotary cutter, mat, (larger is better than smaller), thread, pins, scissors, seam ripper. No patterns or books to buy. If you have any Wedge Rulers, bring them; she will be glad to show you how to use them.

Flavin Glover,www.flavinglover.com—Flavin has visited our Guild before. She is from Northern Alabama, now living in Auburn, Check out her website for her honors, talents and volunteer work.

August 24, Program at Night Meeting. Topic will be ”The Care and Feeding of the Patchwork Design.”

August 25, Full-day workshop. The “Colorful and Creative Log Cabin Diamonds” class will cost $35.00.

August 25, Half-night workshop. The three-hour “Patchwork Houses and Buildings” class will cost $20.00. This will be a lecture/demonstration with design exercises on grids and diagrams. You can start signing up and paying for your classes now. Remember your space cannot be saved unless paid for. Carolyn Milligan, Workshop Chairperson

AT HOME IN THE GUILD

Monday, April 6, 9:30 am: Cutting and sewing circles: Barbara Doster

May (date TBA): Portrait painting: Angie Madden

Tuesday, June 9: Curvaceous curves log cabin: Kathy Bullard

The Techniques of Quilting class is going great. The ladies are having a wonderful time and learning so much. How do I know??? They told me so. !!!!! Barbara Meloy knows so much about fabric, how it is made, and all the little tips she gives are just wonderful. And they have three more classes to go. Keep checking the newsletter for more great classes. Barbara Doster

DATES TO REMEMBER

  • March 2009
    • Monday 16 AHITG Basket Quilt Techniques
    • Monday 23 AHITG Basket Quilt Techniques
    • Monday 23 Night Chapter Meeting
    • Thursday 26 Day Chapter Meeting
  • April 2009
    • Saturday 4 Marilyn Rose Class
    • Monday 6 AHITG Cutting/Sewing Circles