September 2014
/September Program: Amy Walsh Is Coming!
Amy Walsh is a consummate teacher, having taught middle school for many years. Her take on color and its application to quilting is extraordinary. Her understanding of quilt construction along with her experience as a longarm quilter play into her ability to guide design choices.
As a junior high history teacher, Amy spent many evenings, weekends and summers sewing quilts together. Quilting professionally seemed like the natural next step when she left teaching to spend more time with her husband, a Chicago stagehand. She worked as a longarm quilter for two years before establishing Blue Underground Studios, Inc. with Janine.
Blue Underground Studios has been publishing quilt patterns since 2005. Their mission is to publish quilt patterns that are clear and innovative allowing all quilters, no matter their skill level, to make fantastic looking quilts. They have a wide variety of contemporary and traditional quilt patterns available. All of the patterns are designed with today's busy quilter in mind and include tips for efficient cutting, sewing and finishing your quilt.
Amy Walsh will teach a Saturday class on color at the Gorton Community Center in Lake Forest.
We need five additional attendees to hold the workshop. Please contact Ellen Granda (programs@villagequilters.org) immediately if you plan to take this terrific workshop. It is an opportunity to play with your favorite colors and learn who the percentage of those colors can change the entire look of your quilt.
Welcome to the New Newsletter
In order to get the newsletter into everyone's email inbox and to reduce the amount of volunteer time spent on boring things like wrestling with formatting in Microsoft Word, we decided to move the newsletter entirely online. We hope you like it and find it easier to use.
The newsletter will be delivered to your inbox and every issue will be available online. (We're still working out how to make the older issues available, so stay tuned!) If you would prefer to simply be notified by email each time a new issue is put on the web site (instead of having the entire issue in your inbox), let us know.
There may be a few glitches or oddities as we work out the details, so let us know if you have any trouble. Send feedback and requests to webmaster@villagequilters.org.
Quilt Show Update
Meetings
A comprehensive list of meetings will be sent to chairs shortly.
Thank You for Volunteering
The team is set. Our newest volunteers are:
Kearstie Grenier - Publicity Chair (print, signage, email)
Kathy Avellone and Dee Elliot - Raffle Ticket Sales Chair(s)
Leslie Bennett - Art Quilt Challenge
And a repeat thank you to the following who signed up along the way:
Service Sewing Chair – Filled by Kathy Sorkin and Cheryl Mercy
Raffle Quilt Road Sales Show Chair(s) – Filled by Amy Dryfoos
Staffing Chair(s) – Filled by Andrea Krier
Vendor Contracts – Filled by Ginny Flock
Vendor Hosts (new roles) – Filled by Ginny Flock
Scrapapolooza Chair/Committee – Filled by Gayle Springer and Co
Show Layout Chair – Filled by Kate Klein and Co
Cataloguing Chair – Filled by Enid Mattimiro and Kearstie Grenier
Boutique Chair – Filled by Judy Young
Adopt-An-Apron/Silent Auction Chair – Filled by Freida Roberts + ?
Quilt Appraisers Chair – Filled by Judy Hillebrand
Please contact Ellen Granda (ecgranda@comcast.net or 312-646-8265) if you are interested in helping out in a specific capacity or reach out to the respective chair. Your leadership will make all the difference to this event.
Raffle Quilt Work Days in September
Come to Ellen Granda’s home, September 9, 10, and 11 (Tuesday-Thursday) between 9 am and 3 pm to work on layout and piecing the blocks together. If we can piece the quilt by the end of the week, we can get the longarm quilting completed by the end of September. All are welcome!
The Book Nook
We’ve been absent for a little while, but hopefully we’ll get back in the swing of things after a busy summer. Our featured author this month is Karla Alexander.
Quilt designer and author, Karla Alexander lives in beautiful Salem Oregon, with her youngest son William, husband Don and family dog, Lucy the almost black lab. Her two older sons, Shane & Kelly, currently attend college. Karla Alexander is the author of Stack the Deck! Crazy Quilts in 4 Easy Steps!, Stack a New Deck!, New Cuts for New Quilts, Baby Wraps! and Color Shuffle.
In addition to her books, she has released her own line of patterns under the name Saginaw Street Quilt Company. She has been a featured teacher at many quilt retreats and has taught thousands of students how to quilt using a variety of methods including her own stack methods.
Karla's philosophy regarding quilting is to enjoy the process, learn from your experience and take what you learn from one project on to the next. As a teacher she enthusiastically inspires her students to discover and create their own individual style in their quilt making journeys. With all the many things to worry about, she believes quilting isn't one of them, but rather a time to experience the “creative flow” & enjoy!
We have Karla’s books in our library, New Cuts for New Quilts and Stack a New Deck.
Art Quilt Challenge
This challenge is based on color. Choose one of the color palettes in the image: Orange, All Grays Welcome, Aqua/Green/Cream, and Fiesta. You can do one challenge, all four challenges, or just a few!
This challenge was inspired by 12 quilt artists who challenged each other to make quilts with specific restrictions (size, colors, etc.). Since each art quilt was 12 inches square, the group was know as “Twelve by Twelve, the International Art Challenge.” You can read more about it, and see the resulting quilts, at twelveby12.org.
Our art quilt challenge will follow similar rules and will be on display at our quilt show in October 2015. You may choose one, all, or just a few of the challenges.
Below is a description of the four challenges. More information can be found on the Art Quilt Challenge page.
The ORANGE Challenge
Use strong, saturated orange ranging anywhere from cheddar to flame. No peach, terra cotta or rust (too dull). You can add any colors you like with it. This challenge is about the color orange; you do not need to use each of the colors shown in the image.
This is the same orange challenge at the “twelve by twelve” group—you can find their pieces at www.twelveby12.org/orange/index.html.
The ALL GRAYS WELCOME challenge
Use any gray you choose such as Ash, Dove, Cinder to Granite and/or Charcoal. You can choose from the warm or cool side of grey. Feel free to add others colors but this piece should be predominately gray. Some grays are shown in the image; you do not need to use each of the colors shown in the image.
This is the same gray challenge at the “twelve by twelve” group—you can find their pieces at www.twelveby12.org/gray/index.html.
The AQUA/GREEN/CREAM challenge
This color palette consists of a light and dark aqua, a light and dark green and cream. You don’t need to use both shades of the green and aqua but your piece must have an aqua, a green and cream. This is a color combination challenge.
The FIESTA challenge
This is a color palette of warm fiesta colors consisting of hot pink, yellow, orange, dark red and eggplant. You can add a neutral color (white, grey, cream, or black) if you wish. The piece must highlight the fiesta colors. Please note that this description is slightly different from what was announced in August 2014; the revised version should be easier to match.
President’s Letter
Pepper Cory at Village Quilters, August 2014
I enjoyed Pepper Cory’s Drunkard’s Path workshop immensely. My goal was to learn to cut and sew curved pieces and I accomplished my goal. I made a very large frog. Frogs are one of my favorite things. In fact, based on an inspiration from a recent speaker who incorporates a butterfly into each of her quilts, I plan to incorporate a frog into each quilt label. I hope to have the frog quilt finished to show you soon.
I am mid-way through a Kafe Fassett diamond quilt. I modified it to calm it down a little by using solid sashing rather than patterned sashing as he suggests. In the process I have learned how to match corners on a diagonal setting. Quite a challenge. Soon the top will be finished and I will have to decide whether to attempt free motion quilting around each large flower or get it professionally quilted. I’ll let you know what I decide.
I didn’t hear from anyone who wants to be in a bee and can’t find one. Is there any such person? Please let me know.
A friend passed away recently. She did some quilting in addition to other handwork. Her husband gave me boxes of blocks in various stages of completion. I am sorting through the items and would welcome suggestions for good homes for them.
See you at the meeting.
—Linda
Membership
Welcome to new members, Jo Ann Compton and Marge Carhart!
The updated membership directory is now available on the website in the Members Only section. Please view the directory to verify the accuracy of your information. Send any corrections to membership@villagequilters.org.
—Kate Mayer Tekampe and Ginny Flock, Co-VPs Membership
Happy Birthday!
September Birthdays
Nancy Smith: September 5
Feather Schroeder: September 12
Lorraine Potts: September 15
Troy Yancey: September 16
Linda Spring: September 17
Maggie Schmude: September 18
Cheryl Kucera: September 20
Kitty Hynes: September 23
Laurie Waldron: September 24
Mary Dietz: September 26
October Birthdays
Jane Reents: October 9
Allison Ross: October 10
Myretta Taylor: October 16
Joni Baumli: October 23
Marge Rockenbach: October 23
Mirre Booth: October 24
Sue Ann Kuby: October 26
Scrapapalooza
Thanks to each and every one of you who have brought in scraps! Keep it up!
Have you shown your work in progress lately on Facebook? Jump on to the Village Quilters Facebook page to share and see what fellow guild members are up to. The FB page is only as awesome as you make it!