It’s laughter and socializing in December at the Village Quilters Guild meeting. Join us for a winter holiday party! We look forward to relaxing and enjoying the company of our fellow quilters during the hectic winter holiday season. There will be a sale of Boutique items left over from October's Quilt Show, a voluntary gift exchange, and a catered meal. Cost is $10 per member. Events start at 6:30. Don't be late, you won't want to miss any of the fun!

Have you always wanted to try making a wholecloth quilt? Join your fellow guild members for this special workshop. Pat Delaney will teach us to use machine quilting to quilt a darling “Mini” wholecloth quilt.

Plan out fresh ideas for machine quilting by stitching out a mini, premarked wholecloth quilt. The 16” x 16” size makes a doable project. Go beyond the usual and refresh your ideas for traditional or modern quilts. You will find many designs to use on your next quilt-mini or full size.

Quilt the Mini Supply List

Extra safety pins size small
Blue washout marker
Ruler
Basic sewing supplies
Best machine capable of lowered feed dogs, in good working order, and book
Free motion foot
New needles size #70 or #75 quilting, embroidery, topstitch, or microtex
Cotton thread preferably Aurifil, Mettler, Superior, Sulky, etc. 50 weight
Thread and bobbin, cream, tan and/or any color you’d like on cream fabric
Optional quilter's extension table if you have one
Quilter's gloves, fingertips or non-greasy hand cream (i.e. Neutrogena)
2  practice quilt sandwiches, muslin top and backing, cotton or wool batting, pinned or spray basted
Backing fabric of your choice 20” x 20”, choose something pale so there will be no “see through”
Pencil and paper
Slider Teflon mat (optional, but encouraged, I will bring some)

$17 Kit fee includes batting and pre-marked mini wholecloth quilt top 16” x 16”  

In November we focus on machine quilting from the specialist, Pat Delaney. Her lecture is called “Under the Bedclothes.” We layer up our quilts with piecing, batting, backing and quilting, but the last, not so obvious, layer is often the story. Sometimes we know exactly what the quilter was thinking, but other times it is helpful to know the story under the bedclothes. A little background on the quilter herself will often fill in some of the blanks.

This slide show presentation will show Pat Delaney’s quilts in the context of her journey to quilting and give a brief explanation of her inspirations and ideas. She loves to bring lots of her quilts for you to look at, too!

Pat Delaney began sewing when she was five years old, by creating doll clothes. A graduate of Massachusetts College of Art, she completed a rigorous program of study in fashion design, in addition to numerous courses in color theory and drawing. Currently, Pat focuses on creating quilts and teaching these skills to other quilters. Her quilts have been displayed in regional and national shows, and she has won numerous awards and recognition for her work, including First Place (Traditional Pieced) from IQF. Pat’s quilts have been shown on the Discovery Channel and published in the Boston Globe, Brockton Enterprise, and Abington Mariner. They have also appreared in Quilter’s Newletter Magazine, American Patchwork & Quilting, Quiltworks, Quilter, Quilt Art Calendar, and on the cover of American Quilter’s Society catalog of books and Quilting Foundation Piecing.

Join Jill Shaulis and Vicki Olsen of Yellow Creek Quilt Designs for a journey into the wonderful world of wool applique. Wool is a great fiber for applique with its unique textures, weaves, and depth of color. If it’s felted, it doesn’t ravel, which makes edge finishing really easy and fun! If you haven’t tried wool applique before, here’s your chance. If you have, you probably can't wait to do another wool project. Come join us in making this lovely table runner.

SUPPLY LIST--Kits will be available for $25.50 with similar fabrics
Table Runner approx. 17" X 36"
Blocks are approx. 7 1/2"
Fabric
1/3 yardBackground
1/3 yard Black (baskets)
3/8 yard Setting Triangles
1/3 yard Border
1/3 yard Binding (not needed for class)
5/8 yard Backing (not needed for class)
Wool
2 1/2" X 8" Red
2 1/2" X 8" Blue
4" X 8"  Gold (sunflower & red/blue centers)
2" X 6" Brown (sunflower center)
3" X 6" Green
 
Please Bring

Sewing Machine/Rotary Cutting Supplies/Basic Sewing Needs/Iron & Board
#24 Chenille Needle
1/3 yard Steam a Seam lite--we'll bring some to sell too
Pencil
Easy Angle Ruler (only if you have one--we'll supply some for use that day & will be offering an alternate method for making 1/2 square triangles should someone not care for the Easy Angle method)
Thread to match wools--we prefer Valdani & will bring some to sell

We welcome Jill Shaulis and Vicki Olsen from Yellow Creek Quilt Designs. They will present a Trunk Show of their beautiful traditional quilts.

Jill  and Vicki are sisters that grew up in the great little town of Pearl City.  For many years they traveled to the post office to pick up the mail in the building the was once the bank. Who knew this building would house the greatest quilt/gift shop in North Western Illinois! 

Opening in 1992 under the name Sew many Antiques they carried a nice supply of quality quilting fabrics, patterns, books and antiques of all kinds. Soon they outgrew the space and added to this historic building. The name was changed to Yellow Creek Quilt Designs in 2010. Although quilting supplies continued with great enthusiasm, the antiques faded away to make room for many wonderful gifts and a great selection of wool & Valdani threads. 

Yellow Creek Quilt Designs was a featured shop in Better Homes & Gardens Quilt Sampler magazine in 2011. Their patterns have been featured in several Primitive Quilts & Projects magazines. Their first book was published by Kansas City Star as is called Kindred Spirits. Jill will be designing fabrics for Windham Fabrics in 2015.  Jill & Vicki will be offering a club featuring their exclusive pattern designs in 2015.

Join us to learn John Flynn's tips and tricks for making one of his beautiful Storm at Sea quilts.

STORM AT SEA is an intermediate level workshop. Those straight line seams end up looking curved – it is an optical illusion which has fascinated quilters for a long time! Traditionally done in shades of blue, John has updated the look in different colorways and in scraps. A pre-cut Kit is available. For those wanting to use their own fabrics, there is a template fee of $12.

Download the supply list.

Early start time! In order to cover the latest quilt show preparations without affecting the speaker, we will start the meeting at 6:00 p.m.

In September we welcome John Flynn from Montana, who will present his lecture, “Confessions of a Non-Traditional Quilter”.

The Flynn Family has been quilting for 96 years; (oh, my gosh!) 36 for Brooke, 34 for John and 26 for Kate who entered her first quilt show at age 8. That's a lot of enjoyment and creativity along with frustration at times; broken needles, tangled thread, blocks or borders that don't work, but mostly just pure pleasure and relaxation at a time honored art.
Along the way, John Flynn started making a scroll hand quilting frame for family and friends. Many happy hours were spent hand quilting on that first scroll frame; a compact and easily stored beauty with cherrywood ends and pine rods.

As machine quilting became more and more popular, John, the engineer, was intrigued by the idea of making a no-baste scroll frame to use on a home sewing machine. Proto types came and went and, after many versions and hours spent trying the frame, success! The first Flynn Multi-Frame was introduced at Spring Quilt Market in Minneapolis in 1996 and was granted a U.S. Patent in 1999. Thousands and thousands have been sold; to quilters all over the world.

A true innovator and out-of- the-box thinker, John Flynn designs, reinvents, leads workshops all over the U.S., demonstrates the Flynn Multi-Frame at Quilt shows, and solves Sudoku puzzles in his spare time. See his beautiful quilts, kits, and frames at www.flynnquilt.com and on his blog.

Join Sharon Rotz for her workshop, String Piecing 101 and Beyond and learn how to use up those scraps in your stash! In hard times, quilters used every bit of their fabric. Today, we can use string piecing techniques to create a delightful mixture of color and pattern. Learn the basics and get creative.

Sewing machine required.

Download Supply List (pdf)

In August, we welcome Sharon Rotz from Mosinee, Wisconsin. She will present her lecture, “Diet Quilts”. Is your stash getting a bit too weighty? Are your shelves beginning to bow under the stress? Is it time to trim down and shape up? Try these fun quilts that reduce the load and eat up your scraps. Maybe we’re not talking “strip” steaks, “string” cheese or “three squares a day”, but , well...., who knows?

Sharon's passion is to share her love of fabric with othersthrough teaching skills, inspiring ideas, and encouraging appreciation of quilting as an art form. Specializing in creative use of color and design, she is ready to share her quilting world with you.

From childhood, learning embroidery stitches from her mother and making her first skirt in 4-H, Sharon felt a close connection to fabric. She pursued a degree in Home Economics Education, worked in the ready-made clothing industry, learned tailoring and dressmaking and spent many years making custom home decor. When Sharon entered the quilting world, she brought with her this varied background of skills and expertise.Sharon’s website is: www.bysher.net

We are hosting a work-day for members to finish their entries for the quilt show (maybe even make a label for the back and a pocket for hanging). Or you can work on silent auction items, boutique, aprons or QOV (Quilts of Valor) projects. We will be meeting at Faith Lutheran Church from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm. Feel free to come for as long or short as you want. Bring your sewing machine, if you need one. We will have fabric for members to work on for QOV quilts for those who have their entries completed.  It will be fun to all sew together, There is lots to do.

Don't forget it is only two weeks before the deadline to enter quilts.  This will be a great place to photograph your quilt. We will have a stand with black drapes to help you out if you wish to use it.

Mary Fisher, a professional organizer, from Waunakee, Wisconsin, will use her expertise to help us organize our quilting studios, rooms, and/or spaces. Mary’s business, Sort N’ Release Organizing, LLC, specializes in organization techniques, including organizing sewing and crafting spaces. No matter if you have a quilt studio or sew on the dining room table, Mary’s tips will help to make better use of your sewing space.

Sort N’ Release Organizing LLC was established in April of 2007.

I (Mary Fisher) have always had an inclination to put things in order, but now I’ve learned to organize with design and function in mind.

Here is quote that sums it up for me:

Join us and use our usual workshop space and time to make aprons for the Quilt Show Boutique. This event will be coordinated by Frieda Roberts and will be held at Faith Lutheran Church in Lake Forest from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.

What to Bring?

• Apron Pattern (see the website for some links to free patterns you may want to use) 
• Fabric, thread, and any other materials needed for constructing your apron
• Sewing machine
• Other sewing supplies as needed (scissors, rotary cutter and mat, pins, etc.)

For lunch, you may bring your lunch, drive into town to get lunch at Sunset or another spot on Route 43, or go to the Lake Forest Hospital Cafeteria. In any case, come prepared for fun as we make aprons to raise funds for our guild!

Melissa Wraalstadt, the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, will treat us to a special showing of quilts from the museum’s collection that are seldom seen, in her lecture called “Treasures from the Vault.” Don’t miss this rare opportunity to view these special textiles!

The Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts is dedicated to educating the public about the artistic, cultural, historic, and social importance of quilts and fiber arts. They also seek to increase the awareness of historic structure preservation. Their repurposed 1850s farmstead is used to:

• Foster and inspire creativity by hosting exhibits of artists from traditional to contemporary techniques;
• Educate children and adults, from beginners to experienced fiber artists, in the time-honored crafts;
• Preserve quilts and other fiber arts items, maintaining our own collection and encouraging others to document their treasures.
• Maintain a library for researchers interested in exploring how quilts and other fiber arts have changed over time.

The museum’s roots extend back to 1988 when a group of quilters in southeastern Wisconsin founded the Wisconsin Quilt History Project, Inc., whose mission was to preserve the history and creativity expressed in quilts through documentation and research.  Since 1988, over 8,000 quilts and their stories have been captured.  These records provided the material for an award-winning book, Wisconsin Quilts:  History in the Stitches, (second edition, 2009).

The topic of Barb’s newest book, this hand appliqué, needle turn technique introduces students to the basics of back basting applique while adding curved accent border. In the 6 hour workshop students will begin a small project with a scalloped edge border and receive instruction in layered appliqué, making fine points, smooth curves and much more.

Download the supply list.

“A is for Applique”

This program is a trunk show of appliqué quilts and tops. Styles range and include Brodiere Perse, Hawaiian appliqué and traditional designs. See over 40 examples of hand and machine work and find out how Barb gave up all other appliqué techniques for back basting appliqué—the topic of her newest book.

Barb grew up in Willows, CA where she learned to sew at a young age in 4-H. She officially made her first quilt while in High School but didn’t begin to quilt seriously until after her marriage in 1984.

Married to a career army officer, quilting became her portable career as they moved around the country and to South Korea. Her classes at those military assignments were popular among both American and International students.

She has written four books, published by Martingale & Co, of which the newest one, Back Basting Appliqué Step by Step will release June 4, 2013.

Barb currently lives in Lansing, Kansas with her husband, Dale, (now retired from the army), and an ever changing entourage of family pets, currently two dogs and two cats. Her adult children live with many of her quilts in their own homes; Eric and his wife Brooke in Colorado and Sarah in Florida.

Still a farm girl at heart, Barb visits her family in Willows several times a year.

Barb Eikmeier is coming to us from Lansing, Kansas. She is known for her applique techniques. Her lecture is entitled “‘A’ Is For Applique.”