Two Quilt Guilds

I belong to the Piecemakers Quilt Guild in Newark. This guild has a couple hundred members, monthly meeting, and often has featured speakers. They guild also has a wonderfulCommunity Quilts program. Kits are made up and given to members to make quilt blocks. When the blocks are returned at the meeting, they are grouped together with fabric for sashing and borders for a new kit. Completed tops are put together with backing, batting, and binding. Some are taken to be machine quilted by individuals. Others are tied at guild sponsored tie-ins. The quilts are donated to local non-profit and service organizations who distribute the quilts and put them to good use. I will be a featured artist and speaker at the Piecemakers Quilt Show in May.

I brought a kit home containing completed blocks and fabric to make sashing and borders with instructions to complete the top. I decided to put the blocks together “wrong”. While I was deciding which way to orient the blocks, I noticed some of the blocks were “wrong” also. My way of putting it together disguises the “wrong” blocks, and the quilt is more interesting than if had been put together “right”. I wonder if there will be traditional quilters who look at it and think, “What was she thinking?” I added the small yellow squares between the sashing and the large blue corner squares, just because. I hope this quilt will make someone smile.

I spent this morning in Santa Clara at CQFA which is my other quilt guild. It meets every other month, and is geared more towards art quilting and anyone interested in more innovative techniques. We’re a smaller group, and less structured. But it’s worth going just for show and tell and see what everyone else has been up to. We usually have a small informal workshop presented by one of our members, and occasionally have a guest speaker. Today one of our members, Debbie Wambaugh, shared a technique she calls “blooming chenille”. Examples of her work can be seen here:
http://www.mountainartcenter.org/Shows/fibers_of_america.htm
http://www.mountainartcenter.org/Shows/form_and_function2005.htm
Debbie has a great color sense, and her pieces are full of wonderful texture.

I am lucky to be spending two days at a retreat with some of the CQFA members at the end of the month. We don’t have any planned projects, just time away to work on projects and a chance to get to know each other better.