Sunday, March 10, 2019

March Meeting Recap


Our heads were swirling with bold, colorful, and thought-provoking images 
this month as we looked at works from Quilt Con 2019.


Carolyn Friedlander's "Hunt Tangerine" quilt

Above and below are quilts by Sherri Lynn Wood.







Some quilts, such as "It's My Birthday!" (above) by Evie Jesperson of Durham, North Carolina riffed on well-known designs while others (below) by Maria Shell of Anchorage evoked a specific time and place (in this case, mud season in Alaska).

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Other quilts asked viewers to reflect on current events, such as transgender rights or the separation of children from their parents at the border.

Every state but Rhode Island was represented at the conference in Nashville, Tennessee. 

Besides the slide show about Quilt Con, we discussed the Sew Together Bag, which we'll be putting together at our April meeting (and possibly the May meeting as well). Here is a link to the pattern.

Several tutorials may be helpful if you have questions about the bag's construction:
Birdcage and Thread
Margaret Leuwen Quilting
Mister Domestic

We suggest coming to the April meeting with your pattern pieces cut out and interfaced. For those wondering which type of interfacing to get, we recommend Pellon SF101. Other useful tools include Wash Away Wonder Tape by Dritz (for zipper installation) and Clover Wonder Clips. ByAnnie's Soft and Stable is a good, thick interlining fabric.

The April meeting will be held at the Brentwood Public Library in Brentwood, N.H.

In other business, many people participated in the "Love Notes" block lottery




Directions were distributed for a voluntary "Round Robin" project. As shown in Sue's quilt below, this type of project involves making a quilt with partners. All of the group members have a hand in designing and sewing the quilts.


Events and Reminders:

The May meeting will be held in West Newbury, Mass. on May 18. 

* A trip to Alewives Fabric in Nobleboro, Maine is in the works, most likely for Saturday, June 8. 

* The Modern Quilt Guild is hosting a Riley Blake Challenge. Details are here.

Show And Tell:

We had a full slate of show-and-tell participants this month. The "Bright Birch Trees" blocks that we sewed for a member's daughter who experienced a fire have been transformed into a quilt top.



Rachel showed us a quilt top she made from a Michelle Collins "Boho Mod" pattern. Everyone oohed and aahed at the colors.


Marylee's "Word of the Year" banner features a clever use of a candle and feather.



Lou brought a small quilt she made as part of a "Paint Chip" challenge.


Kate displayed an extra large quilt she designed and sewed for her mother's guest bedroom. The back is a large-scale floral, and Kate discovered that she loves working with this fabric.


Barbara shared that she intends to make a bag out of cork and vinyl that she bought at Quilt Con. Because of her choice of materials, she won't need to line the bag.



Diane had several pieces, including an "X" block quilt that she made as part of a "Mighty Lucky" quilting club.


Another piece used blocks she made during a shibori dyeing workshop at the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell. Linens, polyesters, and upholstery fabrics are included in the quilt. 


A third quilt is a variation on the Log Cabin block. It looks like a pieced quilt but it's actually a single piece of fabric. The quilt's inspiration was a wonky lottery block Diane made.


Mary showed a log cabin wall hanging that includes applique. She used a "super easy" way of hanging the quilt (hint: it uses a ruler). 



Finally, Patty shared a Red Sox-themed quilt that she made to raise money for her daughter, a college student who is hoping to go on a medical mission trip to Peru. Patty used paper piecing to make the Citgo sign and the three players who are doing their victory dance. The custom quilting says "Go Sox". Patty will raffle off the quilt in the spring. (Here is a link if you are interested in more information.)



Because so much creative work went on this past month, I thought it would be fitting to end with Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose words were part of a presentation at Quilt Con:


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