Melissa Averinos Recap

We were so lucky to be able to host Melissa Averinos in October for a workshop and a lecture at our general meeting!



Participants learned about the ratios and structure of faces, sketching the first half of the workshop then getting to use fabric scraps to construct faces for the second half.



    

I'd say we all came a long way and were able to put together entirely unique and artistic faces. Melissa is a great teacher, and we all learned new ways to think about using fabric as color on a palette. If you get the chance to have Melissa as a teacher, do it!



Then at our monthly meeting, we had a special event with Melissa lecturing to us on her journey as an artist, including what it meant to her, what it has brought her through, and where it is leading her next.

It is good to be reminded that quilting is an art, and it can be deeply meaningful emotionally to us. Also Melissa reminded us to take time to throw caution to the wind, try new things, and take chances artistically and in technique.

Thank YOU for joining us, Melissa! I hope your journeys lead you back to us again soon!

September Finishes

School has started and we're all getting back into post-summer routines. Let's see what our members have to share! 

Agnes never disappoints. She started the first project as part of the (#GiucyGiuceBucketBagSewAlong on Instagram, but it wound up as a bolster pillow. Lovely!

And her friends around the world received these beautiful pin cushions. Lucky!

Jennifer finished this awesome Star Wars baby quilt, which required a lot of fussy cutting!  She used a modern star design (very cool integration!) and it was quilted by Diane Cerny.

She also made this precious band uniform for her grandson, who wanted to support his dad- the Mustang band director! Perfect!

Debbie sent in this beautiful bed runner and pillow set she made for her daughter, to go along with the whole cloth quilt and pillow shams she also made for her daughter! Beautiful pairing!

Bri finished three quilts in September- wow!

The two pug quilts are for her daughter, with fabric she got from Quiltcon 2015.

This beauty was inspired by a pattern on instagram and made with a charm pack and essex linen. It won 3rd place at the Shawnee Quilt Show! Congrats, Bri!

 

Beth made her first (of probably many) Halloween quilt! Inspired by fellow member Becca's quilt last year, Beth used this panel and made a spooooooky wall hanging and banner. Love it!

After making the same pattern of quilt for her niece a few months ago, Trina liked it so much she had to make this one for herself- gorgeous!

Great work this month, quilters! Can't wait to see what the holidays bring!

August Flaunt Your Finish

Summer winds down and routines come back into play as the school year starts again. With the Labor Day weekend, several members were able to finish projects to submit for this month's Flaunt Your Finish!

Robin couldn't resist this adorable pac man fabric to make a little hoodie for her son! The pattern is the Dragon Hoodie vest by Puperita, and the fabric is by Knitorious. So cute!



Trina made this beautiful Alice in Wonderland quilt for her best friend. The embroidery "sketches" on linen are beautiful! Quilted by Beth Furnish. Trina wanted to keep it, and we can't blame her!



Our honorary junior member, Evangeline (Jemellia's daughter), made this awesome mini for a swap with other kids across the country. Great work, Evangeline!



Agnes sent in these beautiful process and final product photos for her indigo experimentation-

August has come and gone, with vacation, rearranging the sewing room, and other busy work. It has also been time for experimenting with indigo dyeing. A fascinating natural dyeing process, it can yield exceptional results if paired with Japanese shibori techniques.
To showcase these, I made an improv quilt, with instant appliquéing on the long-arming machine. It is the ultimate quilt-as-you-go technique, you mount three layers as usual on the frame, and lay over the indigo fabric as you quilt. 

Another interesting pattern can be achieved by partially dyeing a whole cloth panel with various shibori patterns and then quilting it to showcase the dye lines. Workshop anyone?

We would be lucky to have a workshop with Agnes!

  

Keep sewing, everybody!

August Meeting Show and Share

Our August meeting was full of excellent work, including a month's worth of inspiring finishes.

Maria brought in the finished top for our #quiltsforpulse, and Beth will be quilting it.


Emily finished up a long time WIP that she completed as a round robin with a sewing group.



We got to see the long-awaited Arcadia Avenue quilts from member Dana and her mom and cousin. They did the  pattern together over the course of a year, choosing fabrics that suited their own tastes, and all of them are beautiful and unique!









Karen finished this beautiful double-gauze quilt. Very snuggly, but she suggests cutting double-gauze binding extra thick!



Vicki brought in this beautiful "Quilt of Honor" her group made for a local VA. Traditional yet modern!



Shirlene is working on a swap- NFL themed of course!



Now that it's time for school to start and for many people to get back in the swing of the things, we look forward to seeing what everyone brings next month.

Results of the Indigo Challenge

The time has come, and our members have turned in their pieces for the indigo fabric challenge issued to us by our sister guild in Budapest, Hungary!

The challenge was modern bohemian, and our members did an amazing job with their unique and creative designs. I don't know how anyone could choose between them!

The ladies of the Budapest guild received photos of all of the submissions, and voted on the top 6 to be sent to Hungary and shown.

Here are six quilts chosen to make the journey across the Atlantic!

Thank you to our friends in Hungary for this wonderful challenge, thank you to Agnes for doing all of the legwork to make it happen, and thank you to our members who participated!

----

Diane C



Vicki M



Laura Y



Ellen M



Karen M



Jennifer M



Alternative went to Bri P and Elizabeth R-






The rest of the entries were also breathtaking-

Georgann



Regina



Stacie



Karen



Cameron P


Ann S



Beth F



Paula F




Becca


Debbie W



Cathy



Shirlene



Ellen M



Chanda B



Trina K