Art in progress — from Krista’s “Temperature Check” workshop in October.

The Alaskan cruise featuring the workshop is June 7–14, 2015 on the Celebrity Infinity.

I made a set of three patio pillows from old jeans (black ones in this case) mixed with homespun-style fabrics I had in my stash — I like them so much I’m making some as Christmas gifts. I’m also working on place mats with one set that needs to beat the mailing deadline for the UK. I’m at the stage where nothing seems to be progressing very quickly.

Laurel Hickey

I am planning to make aprons and pot holders with New York fabrics I had bought when there in the summer. I just decided yesterday to get into making a couple of really quick table runners for gifts, and here is the picture of those. The top one is the super quick one Carla talked about at the last meeting. I have made that pattern before and it couldn’t be quicker.

Anne Pelton

I am debating whether to cover the Flower Fairy panel with heavy clear vinyl pockets for toys, shoes etc in a baby’s room, to hang from a door, as it is skinny, or to flesh out the width and quilt it. I bought the panel from Carola at the quilt Show, as my mum (89) grew up loving Cecily Barker’s books, so as a result, so did I. The debate is to give it to my mum as a quilt, or my five month old granddaughter as an organizer in a small apartment.

Annette Wilson Blair

This past June, my husband and I were very fortunate to have spent 4 days in Boston – a fabulous city in which to be a tourist. There is so much history (great, guided walking tours along the Freedom Trail), the JFK Library, a vibrant waterfront, wonderful restaurants (having a lobster roll is an absolute ‘must’) and Duck Tours of the city and the Charles River. We had real excitement when our amphibious vehicle was rammed by a small sailboat taking part in a sailing lesson – the only injury was to the young sailor’s pride. This was a ‘first’ according to our very entertaining tour guide/driver.

The highlight for me happened quite by chance. While talking to the concierge in our hotel lobby, I noticed a display of tourist brochures and the word ‘Quilt’ jumped out at me. At the Boston Museum of Fine Arts was and exhibition entitled ‘Quilts and Color, the Pilgrim/Roy Collection’. The museum itself is one of the largest in the US and an amazing place to explore. The quilts were incredible, most of them dating from the mid to late 1800’s. According to the brochure, the show “…celebrates the vibrant color palettes and inventive quilts from the acclaimed Pilgrim/Roy Collection. Trained as artists, Paul Pilgrim and Gerald Roy built their collection by acquiring quilts with bold, eye-popping designs. The exhibition recognizes the artistic vision of quilt makers, and highlights artists who broke with conventional patterns and design.”

Apart from the sheer beauty of the quilts, I was struck by how contemporary many of them seemed. Even my husband was fascinated by the use of colour and the designs themselves – he lasted over 3 hours without complaint.

I am including a few photos which really don’t do justice to the quilts. For anyone who wants to know a bit more about this show, there is a YouTube video of Gerald Roy discussing the show.

Suzanne Patchell

From Melanie Dyke: Andrea and Melanie from the Langley Quilting Guild… we had such FUN! Thanks so much for allowing us to join you for this class.

From Gay Cluer: Liz Moser and I came down from Whistler to do the workshop and so enjoyed it. It was a lovely day and fun seeing all the different results and looks people achieved from their fabrics. Many members of our Guild are looking forward to coming to see your show next weekend.

My fabric was a Kauffman Japanese style fabric which I had had for many years. I think it was going to be a backing when I was making some Japanese style quilts. I loved the fabric and was very happy that I had just enough to use it for Stack-N-Whack – it was a close thing tho!

Liz had bought some brown striped curtain fabric which was not suitable really and so bought a pretty blue/green piece that the lady running the class had. We loved the piece of wood for ironing seams flat and are sending that hint to our Guild members.

The photos are of Liz – on the left – and me – with our blocks.

Gaye McCance had been a long time member of Lions Gate Quilters Guild when she took a fall in August 2013 and fractured her neck. She was taken to Vancouver General Hospital where she was treated for her injuries and other health issues. She has regained some movement in her hands and legs, but progress has not been as fast as she would have liked. Not long after she went into the hospital,several members of the guild and other friends made quilt blocks which resulted in two lovely quilts being made for her. She was presented with these quilts on her birthday in March by three of her friends. She has just recently been moved to the 4th floor at the Lions Gate Hospital. We all wish Gaye continued improvement and her lack of presence is noticed in several groups.

Thanks,
Marsha

This month, Debbie Barrett shares her inspiration in choosing the fabrics for her mystery quilt, a journey that took her from masculine to romantic. Share your own journey in quilting and what inspired you as you began the process of making a quilt. If you’ve ever felt the urge to say more about your quilt, here’s the place. Please send your photo(s) and story to the newsletter editor.

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I am entering my 10^th year a quilter. My first tentative steps in buying cloth were rapidly succeeded by an online buying frenzy of must have fabric lines. Obviously time passed much quicker than my (1) ability to find the perfect pattern and (2) time needed to bust the growing stash, and although there are still some fabrics that I definitely like, I find that my tastes have changed the more I am exposed to other quilting styles and techniques. I was hoping find a project to use up some older fabrics and a few judiciously selected new ones. The mystery quilt through our guild was the perfect opportunity.

I had always wanted to do a “blue quilt”. I’m not naturally drawn to the colour, but started to accumulate a few pieces that I assumed would be some sort of masculine quilt. Unrelated to this, I had also bought yardage from the Anna Griffin Sigourney line few years ago. It was a gentle muted blue, almost grey with a romantic feel to it and a coordinating border print. The mystery quilt became a focus for using up some of the fabrics I had accumulated, because the yardage requirements were quite open to being done in a scrappy fashion and value seemed to be the most important element. I thought I could quell my anxiety about doing a mystery and not being pleased with the outcome, if I limited the fabric colours. I started with the blue romantic floral and easily chose some dark navy in 3 different pieces. The medium value was less easy, but I thought that the grey tones in the floral would be best matched with medium gray prints that had some geometric patterns. I had a few white scraps and added a few more ½ yards of white to maintain the scrappy feel. At this point the border print became too obviously “yellowed” and although I keep going back to it, it isn’t going to make the quilt top.

As I started to construct the blocks, I was a little disappointed as I sensed that the dark was “too dark”, but I persevered and by the time the layout instructions were sent, I was captivated by the result. I won’t spoil the outcome for you as I do plan to have the top finished for the June guild meeting, but suffice it to say, that I will change the final construction of the top in an effort to maintain the airy romantic feel. (The blue fabric for the men in my life has been repurposed!)

Debbie Barrett

 

In this new section of the newsletter, we’ll feature members and their projects at the start of the process of making a quilt. Share what inspired you – a change of season, a fabric you couldn’t walk away from, a workshop, a new baby in the family, a wedding, anything at all. The quilt needn’t be finished – there is always show and tell for that. If you’ve ever felt the urge to say more about your quilt, here’s the place. Please send your photo(s) and story to the newsletter editor.

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I’m drawn to brighter colours in the Spring, away from the taupes and muted homespun that I usually work with and find so deeply satisfying. While at Creative Edge looking for fabric for the Stack-N-Whack workshop in May, I found a fish print from the Kaffe Fassett Collective that I couldn’t put down. ‘Wild’ barely describes it. There wasn’t enough on the bolt for the class but I picked up three meters for my stash, plus some Kona fat quarters in slightly greyed colours to tame the very bright print. Once I got them home, I realized the solids went perfectly with a dotted fabric that’s been in my stash practically from when I started quilting a few years ago. I knew I wanted to work with brighter fabric after the long winter, the problem was deciding what pattern to use.

After thumbing through quite a few books, I found myself returning again and again to Denyse Schmidt’s “Modern Quilts Traditional Inspiration” and her Churn Dash pattern. I checked online and liked the modern versions with strong colours and free motion quilting to fill in the spaces, or more simply, straight lines. And besides, the name was irresistible. I didn’t get far into the cutting and making of sample blocks before I realized these weren’t going to be quilts that really spoke to me. Fun yes. I’ll enjoy making them – the twelve-inch bocks work up unbelievably fast – and I won’t have any trouble finding homes for them either. But I still wanted a ‘me’ quilt in that pattern.

There’s another quilt in Denyse Schmidt’s book that I love, but more for the play of light on the fabrics than for the design: Shoeman’s Puzzle. The large-scale block uses just two fabrics, a shot cotton and a Kona solid. It got me thinking – what about a relatively low contrast churn dash quilt that mixes a wide range of shot cottons instead of just one. I’ve a lovely selection of Kaffe Fassett shots and stripes, but the fabrics are so beautiful I’ve hesitated dipping into them. Plus, the skinny-quarter length shots were a birthday present and I wanted to use them together in something special. I pulled out some likely pairings of colours and ironed them, applying Mary Ellen’s Best Press at full strength to stabilize the loosely woven fabric. Blues and browns, rusts and greens, soft stripes… yes, this was what I wanted. I anticipate a quilt I’ll fall in love with again and again over the years, and in all seasons.

Laurel Hickey

Thanks, Krista, for hosting a fun filled day of sewing in which we created a Dresden Plate pillow cover with your guidance. I am hoping to see many of the pillow covers shared with the guild during ‘show and tell’ as they were all so bright and cheery.

Joan Herrin
Workshop Coordinator