Back For Another Season

We had our first meeting of the season last night. There was a good turn out with 12 quilters, which is almost all our members. We discussed all things about the coming year. We have been shrinking the last few years and so a priority is new members. We are having an Open House October 5, 2013 from 10 -2 PM  at Montreal West United Church with quilters working and talking and kits for visitors to try their hand at quilting. We are hoping for some interest.

Barbara and Linda worked hard all summer setting up a program and dates are filled until April. All members will be in charge of an evening with a demonstration, workshop or a discussion about quilting.

We are going to our retreat this weekend at Ermitage St Croix and I for one can't wait.

Anna already had our year's challenge ready for us; so think "Triangles". You have time as it is not due until the closing dinner in June.

There were lots of show and tell items. People had been busy during the summer.

 France finished a quilt top started at a retreat three years ago with out enough fabric for the binding and so will show us half binding later in the year.

Sandra machine quilted our second Quilt for Valour.

Linda had almost finished her Sheila Wintle paper pieced Hearts! In green and upside down they become trees.

Mary finally finished her "Circles" from the Bethany Garner Workshop in 2011. 

 Triangles cut and flipped

More Sashiko

Allison was busy all summer doing many projects and techniques.  She also showed an impasto painting she made at a workshop.

Stenciling and painting on fabric
Bordered with suiting fabric

Jae learned paper piecing with Sandra during the summer and she is a great student! Beautiful daffodils all machine quilted and if that wasn't enough she also pieced and finished another quilt. Nice bright colours and some fabric she got from Rita.

France had another quilt top ready to practice machine quilting

France made a pair of hot pads Audrey will teach us how to make a similar but different one at our meeting October 15

Anna had her fabric Bingo card ready to play.

April 30th Meeting

Last night we had Cinzia one of the founding member of the Montreal Modern Quilt Guild come and talk to us about modern quilting. The first Modern Quilt Guild was founded in Los Angles in 2009 and there are now over 200 branches all over the world. The Montreal  guild is celebrating it's first anniversary and is growing. Cinzia talked about the idea of modern quilting and all the forms it takes. She had a presentation with pictures of quilts in all the modern quilt categories and then a trunk show of the many quilts she has made. She works mainly with bright colours, solids and white backgrounds which make for stunning graphic quilts. One of her quilts was exhibited at QuiltCon, the first show for the Modern Quilt Guild in Austin Texas and is now part of a touring show.

We had a Show and Tell with the beginnings of quilts from our Shelia Wintle workshop. We did paper piecing of Shelia's “Heart to Heart” quilt. Anna had her interpretation almost finished, using half a heart, circles and all the colour gradations from burgundy to bright pink on a grey background. It was another great example of Anna's out of the box thinking. Debbie, Julia, Linda, and Mary had made some progress. There were hearts and half a hearts in purple and gold, purple and cream, green and navy and turquoise and white. Rita as usual,had another top for a baby quilt all done. It was made of squares, bright colours and really cute animal prints. Rita is certainly prolific, making baby quilts for everyone she knows. Allison had two challenges she made for the Beaconsfield Guild, one using scraps from our raffle quilt. Julia had also finished her Halloween cathedral window piece, she used in her demonstration. We all welcomed back Coleen from her winter hibernation. 

You can only imagine the lovely works that were shown as I forgot to bring my camera! So, as no blog posting should be without pictures, I took these at home. This is my half a heart, so imagine this pattern in many different colours. Also, an appliqued maple leaf square that is a part of a group quilt to be raffled at our golf club cocktail party.  I hope to have a picture when it is all put together.

Next week, May 7th we have another meeting where we will be working on our quilts of valour. Then, one more meeting and our closing dinner, June 4th. 

Mary

BACK IN ACTION!!!

Hi Everyone:

I'm so glad to see that members picked up the slack while I was goofing off.  Well, not really goofing off, but let's say, 'otherwise occupied'.

Last week was another wonderful meeting, the highlight of
 which was Julia's mini-workshop on embroidery.
She had so many examples of amazing works she has
done - really beautiful!!!  We all got handouts of samples
of stitches and how to do them. It was a great lesson and
I am sure our next quilts will all have some embroidery on them!!













And...... one of us won a prize of floss and a pattern - ME!!!!!



Now these two beauties are
on their way to Scotland with Linda
for two really lucky young lads.
What could be more uplifting on a misty Scottish day!!







Mary T. and her musical themed quilt
for one of her grandchildren who's really
into music.  Boy, won't they get a
great kick out of this!!!







                                                     

And this is Mary S's result from last year's
workshop with Bethany Garner.  Now, this is
out-of-the-box.  But, I'm not going to make
any flippant crack about how long it took,
because,   




.....this is Sandra's "Autumn's Final Fling" which her
co-members saw her working on TWO retreats
ago.  Hey, better late than never!!!!  (And if truth
be known, I still haven't finished my Bethany
Garner!!!

Julia's bright and beautiful quilt (in the works)
for an ailing friend.  I'll bet this quilt perks
her up!!!








And finally, one of our quilts for the Quilts of Valour
made by guild members, but in the process of being
quilted by Mary S.





Next meeting, April 16th and Allison will be showing us all about snow dyeing.  I don't know where the snow will come from, I sure hope the weather doesn't supply us.  I'm sure Allison will have it all figured out.  Should be great fun!!!  Hope to see you all then.  Remember, if you know of someone who might be interested in our little guild, bring them along!  The more - the merrier!!!  See you all on the 16th.

Sandra

March 5th Meeting

Our last meeting was small but productive. There were only five members in attendance but there was lots of show and tell, stitching and chat.

                
  Anna had gone well beyond the points and curves applique demonstration given by Julia last year and finished a wall hanging with borders and embroidery.

Anna was working on the finishing touches to her wonderful lap quilt, which we have watched progress over a couple of years. Jae added her valuable comments on bead colour and it's nearly done.  

             

   
 Pam brought in her Sashiko square from Allison's recent demonstration. She also finished appliqueing the maple leaf on one of the quilts of valour strips.

Jae surprised us again with another completed quilt top. Last meeting she showed a cathedral window quilt she made after Julia's demonstration and then this top was made in just two weeks! Jae is now putting us all to shame.

Here is a close up of all her perfect points and great colour combinations.

           
This is a table runner Mary made in a course at Quilt University. It wasn't quite finished for last Christmas and still has basting threads, while she decides if more quilting is needed.

After the Holidays

Even the January freeze did not keep our guild members from making it to our meeting, bringing with them some wonderful Show and Tell.

 

Barbara brought in a finished top for a quilt that was inspired by Japanese fabric and design.
 

 

Rita shared her quilt-in-a-day put together using a package of squares purchased online. The quilt has a home; it is a gift for her friend's new baby!







 
Allison brought in some of the challenges she has been working on for the Beaconfield's Quilt Guild. This one showcases the use of modern technology in an age-old art, blending digital printing on fabric. The Chinese symbol in the centre means "joy."

Jae completed the quilt she started in the fall following our visit to Courrepointe Claire. She mastered three different quilt patterns within the design, and found time to cross-stitch the corner blocks in the middle pattern of the quilt. She really is an inspiration!
 
Mary displayed the top for the Quilt of Valour that her group completed on our latest Saturday quilting bee. However, I am not going to show it just yet. You will just have to visit us later when all three quilts will be on display!

Later,

Debbie

 

 

SOOOO MANY QUILTS!!!!!

Hi Everyone:

This is my third try!!!  Sometimes this thing just won't co-operate!!  Debbie where are you!?!?!?!?!

Well, we've had a busy few weeks.  This is one of those few times when we have meetings back-to-back because there are 3 meetings in one month.  So there's a bit to cover.

First off, the 6-Border Challenge.  The Unveiling was held and some of our girls went to see all the entries.  Below are the ones entered by our members.

This is Mary's.  You've see some of this before at the Retreat, but this is now the finished version.  Absolutely beautiful!!!  Who can resist those COLOURS!!!  Great work Mary.

And here's Anna.  Again, you saw the beginning of this
at the Retreat, but here it is with all borders finished.
Once again, WOW.  Look at those colours!!!!  Some
people have no fear!!!  Good job Anna.

And here's Allison's!!!  And leave it to Allison to come up
with something completely off-the-wall!!!  WOW!!!  Wonder where she comes up with these ideas.  Looks like she's pretty happy with it too!!!  You never disappoint, Allison!!

The above three are the Show and Tell that meeting.
The one on the left is Allison's.  Unfortunately, the computer refuses to see this as an ocean scene!!  What it sees, I have no idea, but try to envision it on it's side.  It's beautiful and what you can't see is that the foam is all beaded.  In the middle (below) is Rita's sewing machine cover.  Never has a sewing machine been so well cared for.  The quilt on the right is also Rita's.  I think we have another over achiever here.


Our first overachiever is Jae.  If you remember, she bought a bunch of fabrics the evening we were at Claires' and I joked that we would see a finished quilt by next meeting.  Well, I wasn't far wrong.  Here are two pictures.  The first one was shown at our first meeting after Claires, pinned, and the second one is the next meeting (one week later) with the center all sewn and the borders all ready to be attached.  Wouldn't we all like to produce like that!!!!

And here's Julia giving us a workshop
on Cathedral Windows.  She recently spent some time out East and entertained us with
her stories, pictures, and teachings.  Great
job Julia!!!

And finally, for Show and Tell, Anna, (left) and yet ANOTHER quilt.  This one has 100% cotton batting which she hand quilted.  She won't do that again!!!  And on the right, Sandra and her new jacket with fabric she bought at the Vermont Quilt Show.  So, you can see every Guild has the "quickies" and the "slowpokes".  Oh well, as long as we're still quilting!!!!

Speaking of quilting, we will all be getting together this Saturday, Nov. 17th, at the Church, to continue our work on our Raffle Quilt and the Quilts of Valour.  We will start somewhere around 10am and probably finished about 3pm.  You don't have to come for the whole thing, but try to drop in and spend some time with us.  We'd love to see you!!!

Happy quilting!!!

Sandra