Everything Is Coming Up Quilts: May 9th Gathering

It has been a couple of months since we have posted, but it is not for a lack of quilting. Last month, we had a Sew-Saturday instead of a regular meeting. Several members gathered in Weston to sew together all our charity quilt blocks from the past year. Here are two beauties bursting with color.  

Don't you love everyone's half-square triangle blocks? So many configurations can be created with this simple block.

These flying geese stay in formation with a beautiful coral color. Can you spot the geese that are following the beat of a different drummer? 

We tentatively scheduled our next sew-in for August. Keep an ear and eye out for the exact date. We agreed that nothing beats the gathering of creative minds for a good cause. 

So after admiring some charity quilts, we reconnected with quilting friends once again, and welcomed some new ones to the SCMQG mix.  A big welcome to Claire and Helena! If you didn't have a chance to meet them, make sure to say hello at the next meeting. As luck would have it, Helena also started off our show-and-tell. 

Helena's reversible bag started up a conversation on where to buy linen. The cool fabrics and linen combo made us wonder where the best places to buy linen would be.  Jo-Ann's received a thumbs-up. Maybeth also recommended an online fabric store. You can find different weight linens for various projects, and they have some beautiful colors as well. Where do you find your linen?  We'd love to know. 

Terrie created this quilt in memory of a friend's beloved son.  His story, and his love of music touched all our hearts. Such a beautiful tribute with quilted notes all over.

Sheri holds up another award winning quilt!  The 3/4" stripped paper piecing impressed the judges and us alike.

Can you see the lines of quilting as well? 

She also surprised us with a sneak peek of a pattern design she created for the CT and RI Shop Hop. The design above is for The Bolt in Monroe, CT. You receive the pattern for free only by visiting the shop.  

 Check out more of her patterns, like this one, at her Whole Circle Studio Website.

Parthena decided to bring in a quilt that she treasures immensely.  Her husband's great-grandmother handpieced and handquilted this beauty. She loves how every quilt has a "her-story".  

She created this quilt for a friend whose kids attend a summer family camp each year. 

Our quilt viewing took a different turn with Lori's presentation.  Curves come together beautifully in this baby quilt.

 The amazing half-square triangle strikes again. The Herringbone design really catches the eye. 

The adorable backing with the embroidered name is equally striking. 

Next,  Betsy wowed us with her six inch paper pieced blocks. 

 Look at all those intricate little blocks!

We were duly impressed with this hand-quilted gift made for her daughter a while back.  

Just imagine the time and love put into hand-quilting this large quilt!

Maybeth showed us the wonky crosses she is putting together.  Look at those color combinations!

Here Michelle presented her yellow and gray quilt made out of half-square triangles.  Again we saw the wonderful versatility of this block in a new design.

Michelle also shared some practice quilting done in a class taken with Leah Day.  She recommended that everyone take a class with her if they can. 

Lastly, she showed us a hexie quilt she is working on at the moment.  The trick to this quilt is to put the hexies together like tumbler blocks.  Good-bye Y seams! 

It was another productive and motivating meeting.  So many quilts to make, so little time! We look forward to seeing everyone on June 13th at the Weston Library at 10:00.  What fun things are you working on right now? Don't forget to bring them next month!

A Visit with Michele Muska

Our guild is always excited to have visitors, especially one of our own. Michele Muska lives in Connecticut where she works in crafts, needle arts, and of course, the quilting industry.  She has appeared in many magazines, books and on television. She also is on the board of several organizations such as the Quilter's Alliance.

Her latest amazing work is her book called "Quilting the New Classics: 20 Inspired Quilt Projects Tradional to Modern Designs.  

Now isn't that a gorgeous looking book! Just imagine what's inside...gorgeous quilts fill the pages. Lucky for us, we got an up close and personal look at all of them.

Our members excitedly awaited Michele and her technical editor Barbara Parsons Cartier.

Michele started off by reading  to us from her preface.  Lines such as "For most quilters, collecting fabric is in our makeup," and "Our stash is always waiting for us like a dear sweet friend," resonated for us all.

Michele reminded us that every quilt has a story. It is important to keep that story alive. Labeling quilts and documenting the inspiration, stories, and memories behind the quilts are a must. 

She shared many a quilt. This one she created for her husband in college. Embroidery played a big part in her quilts around that time. Hearing the stories behind the quilts makes the quilts that much more precious.

A pair of pants from her high school days. Crafty genes! (pun intended)

Michele's book juxtaposes the traditional and the modern.  Each chapter displays a traditional block interpretation and a modern one.  It goes to show that the possibilities for self-expression are endless. 

Above, we glimpsed a traditional double wedding ring quilt. Michele explained that these quilts were popular during the Great Depression. Different demographics used different color palettes back then. Usually done in pastels, people who were having an especially hard time would use bold and dark fabrics.  The sky is the limit these days. Below, you see a modern interpretation. 

Two hours of bliss spent looking at beautiful quilts, and hearing some funny stories behind them.  You will have to hear Michele present to get in on those.

A modern crazy quilt

A tradional crazy quilt

A traditional bear paw

A modern bear paw

An antique quilt made from velvet and silks-very cool!

We loved the historical commentary.  In the olden days, yo-yos were laid on a solid background.  If she hadn't told us her quilt was traditional, I think we all would have placed it in the modern category.  

Of course, Michele presented a ton more quilts, but we don't want to spoil the book for you. If you want to see the rest, you can go here to get a copy. 

Unfortunately, the fun did come to an end as all great events do.  Before she left, Michele told us about the Quilt Alliance and the animal inspired quilt contest they are holding.

A quilt for a special little girl in her life

She also signed our books and gave us a treat: acrylic mini tools from e-z quilting. We will work with Michele to come up with a challenge using those tools.

Thank you Michele for your wonderful presentation and can't wait for your next visit! We look forward to making yo-yos with you. 

February Gathering Part II: Sewcations and Quilts

Welcome to the second installment of our February meeting! We had so many quilts and WIPs (works-in-progress) to share, all thanks to the wonderful ice and snow.  These snow-induced sewcations created many quilting opportunities as you see below.

Peg charmed us with three quilts/tops.

Those colorful triangles really pop

Batiks in a fun formation

Terrie made this quilt for one of her closest friends. 

Jessica has been creating a very special quilt for her baby boy.  Look at that fox,

and squirrel, 

and itty-bitty raccoon too! So cute!

Susan shared some fun curved piecing. Makes us all want to give it a try. 

Maybeth created pretty dresses out of her granddaughter's clothes. What a great keepsake!

Of course, we always want to take a closer look, and ask questions.

How lucky is the girl who is getting these?

Suzanne made a quilt full of a lot of heart. She is going to be a grandma. She made this quilt for the other woman who will be sharing this honor with her. So very sweet!

It says to Grandma's House We Go. The smoke from the house even has little hearts coming out of it. 

Many of us signed up for this 12 month paper pieced block-of-the-month.  Not sure how many of us got through them all (or even started them) but Lori did.  We are impressed!

Look at those colors and seams!

Last year our guild had a fun day learning to put together this Meadow's Quilt with Lizzy House. 

 Here is Lori's version.  

A close-up of the Meadows Quilt

Lisa is our resident guru of online swaps. Here she is showing us her current swaps. 

Our own Sheri has been truly "buzzy". She announced that she has launched her website, Whole Circle Studio, and blog of the same name. Look out for paper pieced patterns, quilt patterns and more.  All the best on this endeavor! 

Oh yeah, and when she isn't quilting, she is winning awards , like this one at QuiltCon.

Check out her quilt, What's the Frequency, Love? 

Sheri asked for suggestions for quilting the bees, and shared some photography inspired quilts.

Betsy shared with us her cool colors quilt. She is also a fountain of information. Want to know how to starch your fabric, or organize your threads?  Betsy is the woman to ask. 

Here's a fun organizational tidbit from Betsy. Want to organize your threads and bobbins? Don't need to buy Bobbinis (although they are pretty cool,colorful and  clever). Just use your extra golf tees to keep that same colored bobbin and thread together.  

Michelle is quilting a future pillow. 

Admiring the quilting

She also shared the blocks that put together the quilt below.

Jennifer shared her process for her mod strips quilt.

Happy Quilting! Next meeting will take place Saturday, March 14th at 10:00 a.m. at the Weston Library.  We will be welcoming Michele Muska to the group. She will have a trunk show and will show us how she makes her yo-yos. She is also selling her new book Quilting the New Classics for $22.  To learn more about Michele, visit her website www.lolarae.com