Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Flaunt Your Finish: September 2015

The end of the month has snuck up on me this time, and somehow I'm left wondering where all of September has gone.  Maybe it felt that way for the rest of our members because we don't have many finishes to share, but the ones we do are wonderful.

If you found some time behind your machine this month we'd love for you to link up with us at the end of the post.

First up we have Ann with this spectacular modern quilt which she made for her boyfriend's birthday (lucky boyfriend)!  Ann says, "He loves orange and science, so I used those inspirations and my own aesthetic to come up with this quilt!"  It really works and definitely has a scienc-y vibe.  You can find more details on Ann's finish at her blog Sweet Marie Sewing.




Agnes has also been hard at work again this month.  First up we have her lovely feather bag.

I received a challenge block from Kata Fáskerti, head of our Modern Group in Budapest. It was a beautiful paper pieced pair of feathers, to celebrate their first, feather-themed group exhibit.
I made it into this bag, with fabric from Cotton and Steel and Kraf-Tex accents.




She also completed a baby quilt for a friend's grand baby from some fabrics from the Michael Miller "It's a Boy Thing" line.  Isn't it super sweet, and a matching drawstring bag too!!!
Finally, continuing my infatuation with batiks ( Ranette started it, with the luscious Big Pink quilt from last month) this little number - I probably have a square ifrom every piece of batik I could lay my hands on! ( Thank you Elizabeth!)

Thanks to Ann and Agnes for sharing their finishes with us, and now we hope you'll link up your finishes as well!


Monday, September 14, 2015

Meeting Recap: September 2015


We had a fun and creative weekend. If you missed our meeting, please see ANNOUNCEMENTS at the bottom of this page.

We had the great opportunity to bring Shannon Brinkley up from Austin, Texas this weekend for a workshop and trunk show. She is a fabric and pattern designer, the author of the book Scrappy Bits Applique and an absolute delight.
Shannon Brinkley

WORKSHOP:
Saturday's workshop was held at Oklahoma Quiltworks and Shannon taught class members her scrappy applique technique.

Shannon Brinkley Workshop
Using Shannon's method, no two projects will be the same. Participants loved the opportunity to creatively express their own individuality.
Shannon Brinkley Workshop

Shannon Brinkley Workshop
 You can get varying effects by changing the shape of your scraps.
Shannon Brinkley Workshop

Shannon Brinkley Workshop

TRUNK SHOW:
At Sunday's Trunk Show, Shannon shared the details of her scrappy applique method. Ellen made a collage of scraps inside the shape of a heart to illustrate the process.
Shannon Brinkley Trunk Show 
Shannon Brinkley Trunk Show

Shannon shared amazing examples of her technique. I love this tree and see one in my future!
Shannon Brinkley Trunk Show
She uses several tonal fabrics and then adds a pop of contrasting color.
Shannon Brinkley Trunk Show
Oh Deer and additional patterns are available on Shannon's website.
Shannon Brinkley Trunk Show 
This fabric for this tree was cut in shapes to hint at woodgrain.
Shannon Brinkley Trunk Show

Shannon Brinkley Trunk Show
Workshop participants began work on their own Around the World quilt. I love Shannon's use of warm and cool colors to reflect the warm or cool nature of the various parts of the world.
Shannon Brinkley Trunk Show
And, of course, using the same colors throughout the world is beautiful as well!
Shannon Brinkley Trunk Show
Our many thanks to Shannon! We appreciate you sharing your designs and inspiring us! We hope to see you again wish you continued success! And a special thanks to Elizabeth for coordinating this weekends events!




This month's Show & Share started off with this wool table topper by Kathy. I love projects with flowers, stems and leaves...and one day I'll venture into applique.

Karen also shared this paper-pieced project.

And....Kathy is going to a retreat and made each participant a purse with her initial on it. We'd all like to participate in that retreat!

This next quilt is a charity quilt that was started by Shana and completed and quilted by Agnes. As we start to prepare for the 2016 Winter Quilt Show (details below) this is an excellent example of texture in quilting. I just wanted to touch and squeeze it!

Cathy made this cute baby quilt. I love how she brought in the pink!

Ann made this vibrant footstool/tuffet. I love the unexpected added shapes.

You can't help but want to rhyme when you see a tuffet, but I'll refrain from doing so.

Becca took Shannon's workshop and whipped this up in a day. Seriously, I need one of these trees.

Becca also completed her Tall Pine Tree. What fun!



Baby quilts are so versatile. Phyllis made this one for a Pittsburgh Pirates fan. I love the texture on the baseball diamond.

This is a sweet idea. Diane made a quilt using baby t-shirts from the client. The fabric for the back includes the child's old receiving blankets.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
  • Next meeting is Tuesday, October 6th with Jen Eskridge. Check the sidebar for location details and our monthly newsletter.
  • Charity Christmas Stocking Sew Day is Saturday, October 10th at Newchurch. 10 am until we finish! We'll be making 125 Christmas stockings for Anna's House and need all hands on deck. We have some fabric, but if you have additional fabric to bring to add variety, we welcome it!
  • Call for quilts! The 2016 Winter Quilt Show is January 7-9 and we want to display an array of quilts using the 11 distinctions of Modern Quilting, which are: Alternate Gridwork, Asymmetry, Bright & Graphic, Exaggerated Scale, Improv Piecing, Low Volume, Minimalist, Modern Traditionalism, Negative Space, Pixelation and Texture in Quilting. Start planning now. A sign up will be on Facebook soon. For inspiration, view our Pinterest page.
  • Raffle Quilt blocks due at October Meeting. If you haven't signed up to make a block, there is still time. Simply access the sign up on Facebook. If you have already signed up... thank you, thank you!