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| photo credit Amy Friend |
Below please find the blog post that Judy wrote and submitted to the MQG as the blog post about our group's quilt!
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| photo credit Amy Friend |
Our guild set aside time at our September meeting to plan our QuiltCon charity quilt. Our planning and execution was truly a group effort with a large percentage of our members contributing ideas, time, materials, and skill. Our project manager, Judy Durant, led a lively discussion. The plan for the quilt design evolved quickly from Stephanie Harrison's suggestion of donating the finished quilt to “A Safe Place”, an emergency shelter for women and children in southeastern NH. Her suggestion was met with overwhelming approval, especially because she also contributed the idea of a quilt design involving houses, representing a place of warmth and security. Once this was decided, we were off and running. The color palette given to us by the MQG appeared challenging at first but as discussion proceeded it was decided that we would use all the solids in the palette with the addition of only one print. The deep turquoise (we used Kona Glacier) was chosen as the background. Each block was to include a house and one chartreuse star. We left that meeting with a plan settled and all tasks involved covered by volunteers.
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| photo credit Amy Friend |
Kali Zirkle volunteered to create a quilt layout diagram and from her design members were assigned a block size. The blocks were of varying sizes and shapes and because all used a common background color we were able to achieve an alternate grid work design of houses and stars scattered in the deep turquoise background. Peg Connolly secured fabric, made packets for each member, and shipped those packets to all who were making house blocks. And as if by magic, everyone appeared at our October meeting with a finished house block! It was such fun to see the variety of house styles everyone had created and the level of interest and enthusiasm was wonderful.
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| photo credit Jessica Benoit May (Mary Gregory's hands) |
The house blocks were assembled by Jessica Benoit May into a charming quilt top. She added some stars in areas of negative space and she pieced a wonderful improv strip of solid scraps to add design interest to the quilt back. Mary Gregory then burned the midnight oil quilting our creation with all sorts of free motion designs, including a cat in one of the house windows!
Some of the designs suggested tiles or shingles.
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| photo credit Jessica Benoit May |
By our November meeting the quilt was ready to hand off to Nancy Peach and Sue Trask for binding, sleeve, and label. Sue used her embroidery machine to create a very special label. Our finished product was much admired by all at our December meeting before it was shipped off to Texas where some of our members will be able to see it on display.
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| photo credit Amy Friend |
Our guild has decided to make and donate pillow cases to A Safe Place along with the quilt for the women and children who are sheltered there in their time of need.
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