Friday, February 29, 2008

Cure for Cancer

Here is Wendy, our Utah Quilt Guild area representative, and Barbara, the Utah Quilt Guild President Elect showing us the fun pink fat quarters you can purchase for the Susan Komen Cure for Cancer Foundation. You can buy one of these fat quarters for $5.00, make any 12 1/2 inch unfinished quilt block using that fabric (and other fabric), turn it into Wendy or Barbara, have it magically be made into a quilt and then be raffled off. All the proceeds will go to Susan Komen's foundation.
Last year the Utah Quilt Guild had enough blocks to make 8 quilts and several miniature quilts. It is a fun, easy way to give and be a part of something big. The fat quarters will be available for purchase at the next few guild meetings.

Also, remember The Home and Garden Show March 6-9th at the South Town Expo Center. There will be fun quilts displayed, so go check it out.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Marilyn Toone

What is the best part about February? Valentines Day? The February thaw that occurs every year? Presidents Day? No, the best part about February is how short it is, that means we don't have to wait as long for our next quilt guild meeting!
Our next guild meeting, in only 2 weeks from today, is going to be a real treat. We have a guest coming. Her name is Marilyn Toone and she will be sharing her secrets of applique with us. She will be teaching a hands on class, so be looking in the newsletter for the materials you need to bring to participate.


Marilyn has been quilting for more than 40 years; she currently resides in Farmington, UT. She says there are two kinds of quilts; those that get worn out and those that become heirlooms.

She went to school at BYU, “I took sewing classes, but I didn’t like them. I took one econ class and ended up switching my major to history.” She was a history teacher for many years.

Marilyn made her first quilt after her second daughter was born. She and her mother worked on the quilt and quilting took over and became her passion.

She enjoys the stitching, which is why she quilts mostly by hand. “I do three things, I piece, I appliqué and I quilt. The quilting is my favorite.” She teaches classes at Threads of Time in Centerville, Utah and has won many awards and ribbons for her quilting in shows throughout the state.

To learn more about Marilyn, read the article published in the Deseret Morning News, January 25, 2008. This link should work:
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695246724,00.html

Hopefully all of you wonderful quilters are excited about the fun treat we have in store for us this next month at quilt guild meeting.
For all you friendship group and round robin exchangers, get busy! Two more weeks until we trade again!

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Fun classes available!



Just a little heads up for everyone, visit the Mormon Handicraft website for fun classes that are going on now. Some of the ones that are coming up are Beginning Machine Quilting, Hearts and Flowers Lap Quilt, fun bags, and Triple Play tablerunner. They also have a sale every month on fabric. February is 20% off red and pink fabric and March is 20% off green fabric. The website is www.mormonhandicraft.com. Just click on the very top of the page on the events/classes link. It shows you SLC, Orem, and St George class schedules, they are different so take a look!

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

February Queen Bee

Sweet Cindy Pennington is our February Queen Bee. Wait for the newsletter to read all about her, these are just some pictures of the fun quilts she brought to show us. She did say that quilting is therapeutic for her, she is amazing.


This quilt is one that her daughter made for Cindy during their church's celebratory year. Her daughter made a block a month and then put it all together, with each block having meaning to Cindy and her church.

Cute crazy pumpkins, I think they were called 'drunk pumpkins' at our meeting! So very cute.

This quilt was made when Cindy lived in Kansas. It is a quilt that portrays the state of Kansas. This quilt has special meaning to Cindy. She lost 2 teenage children while living in Kansas.

The top corner has 5 signature blocks with her 5 children's names in each one.


The bottom corner of the quilt has the Kansas state motto: Ad Astra per Aspera which is Latin and means to the stars through difficulty.



Love this row quilt. Cindy's color selections are wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing some of your treasures and talents with us Cindy!

Thursday, February 14, 2008

2008 Round Robin is Underway!

There are a bunch of lucky ladies that get to start the Round Robin Exchange this month. Those ladies brought a finished quilt block to be in the center of their quilts and that center block was given to someone else also participating in the exchange at our February meeting. Everyone received someone else's center block to take home and add a border. They should all come back in March with a border added and ready to pass on again.


There is a fun quilting magazine out that is called Quilter's Home. In the Sept/Oct 2007 issue, it has a big article about a Round Robin the author participated in. It is a super article and has great pictures of each quilt as each border was added. There are also a few guidelines they used that are worth sharing here.
* When picking fabric to use on a border, try to keep the particular theme of the quilt going.
* Usually, but not always, it is better to start with a smaller first border and as the borders progress, the size of the border should progress in width too. This is just an aestheticaly pleasing guideline, not a hard and fast rule.
* Be sure to square up the borders as you go, try to pass on a square quilt to the next person.
* The Golden Rule, sew for others as you would have them sew for you!

Good Luck ladies! There are a bunch of past round robin pictures on the website, http://www.hebervalleyquilters.iwarp.com/ if you want to look at them for ideas. Go to the slideshow link.

By the way, the picture is one of Cat's Round Robin Quilts, I think this one is from 2006.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Design Challenge for February


Elements

HVQ Design Challenge 2008

Theme: Elements—Water, Air, Fire, Earth
1. In January, you drew an element from the basket. You are using this element of nature as inspiration for your challenge quilt. Your element of nature does not change with each month’s instructions.
2. Each month—January to April—you will receive new instructions. Bring back your Elements quilt each month—February to April—to receive a participation prize.
3. June 5 will be the HVQ Elements quilt show. Your quilt must contain all the elements of quilting and be completely finished—quilted, bound, labeled—to be eligible for the viewers choice award of $25 gift certificate to Season’s of Home.

February: Element of Quilting—appliqué.
1. The block with borders that you pieced in January is to become the background on which you are going to add elements of quilting. This month, you are adding appliqué to your quilt.
2. The appliqué should enhance your quilt and build on the element of nature. It should not be appliqué just to meet the requirement. Be creative. Think about your element of nature and how appliqué will work beautifully on your quilt.
3. You may use any method of appliqué—needle turn, freezer paper, hand or machine, etc. If you need help with appliqué, please feel free to call Shantelle or any of the appliqué mentors in the guild.
4. You MUST add appliqué in order to be eligible for the March participation prize and the June viewers choice award.
5. DO NOT add borders to your quilt. DO NOT increase the perimeter of your quilt in adding appliqué.


If you have any questions about the instructions, please don’t hesitate to call Shantelle.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Thanks Cat and Shantelle

A nice big THANK YOU to Cat and Shantelle for sharing their talents with us at guild meeting this month. Cat showed us the fine art of needle turn applique with a hands on activity so we could all catch the idea. Some of the tips she gave us were to stitch one stitch at a time and then readjust when appliqueing around curves, anchor stitch on the bottom of a v-shape to keep it in place before going up the next side, and use that windshield wiper action to get that seam allowance where it needs to be!

Jenny and Bethany were just a few of many that went up to get a good close look at Cat's expertise in action.


Shantelle taught us about quilt labels. Everything about labels. She showed many examples of her own quilt labels and the different ways she has made labels over the past few years. She taught us about different kinds of chemicals to use, photo fabrics, pigma pens, the goodness of freezer paper once again, designs, and a whole lot more. Shantelle's most important lesson of the evening was, "Don't be Anonymous, make a label!"


(this is one of KayeDawn's cute labels)

Thanks again Cat and Shantelle. We had a super guild night and had a few more join our ranks. We wish a welcome to Cathy, Toni, Mara, Wendy, and Stella. We hope you have a fabulous time with us this year!

Friday, February 8, 2008

February Show and Tell

Here are a few pictures from our favorite part of quilt guild meeting - Sew and Tell. Everyone enjoys seeing what everyone else has been up to over the past few months, what they have created, and projects in the works.

Barbara - Not sure what she calls it, Beautiful sure fits.


Kazuko - KING size Irish Chain variation that was inspired by our Christmas visit to Kim's house


Twila - I think she called it Grandma's Aprons. She got this pattern from a cute quilt store in Gunnison. Anyone heading south should check out White Hills Trading Company on Main Street.


Connie - Not sure what she named this one either, but the flannel and the quilting sure is delicious!


Christy - Cute Cute Cute, Who wants to get on that American Quilting project list?

Thanks everyone for sharing your creations. If only every quilt had a picture here... maybe next month.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Love is in the air!
See everyone at February's quilt guild meeting on the 7th at 7:00. Remember to come at 6:00 for KayeDawn's Lullaby applique lesson. We will meet at 55 South 500 East in the county building. Enter through the north doors and head to conference room 132.