Quilters' Guild Acadienne: March 2018

Friday, March 30, 2018

Where Did You Get That?

Such a fun Quilters' Guild Acadienne program that involved every member of the group. Each member brought a favorite item that had nothing to do with quilting and shared where they got it and how it was re-purposed to support their quilting habit:

Where Did You Get That Link for your reading pleasure and inspiration. Yep....thinking outside the box is a good thing!

A good thing as in quirky extension cords/plugins ~ how many extension cords does a quilter use? Let me count the ways we can plug in our sewing machine, iron, extra lights/lamps and don't forget that light box too!

And how about those department store clothes hangers? Together at last....all those quilt blocks hanging together for that one special project you'll finish one day. Hang the binding and extra fabric here too. Yes, waiting for me all hanging together.

Oh, and be sure to recycle those prescription bottles....they hold used needles and pins and the wide mouth ones will hold used rotary blades. No more pricks and cuts when emptying the trash.
Yeah, baby, now that's a really good thing!

***update edit to include the wide mouth rolling tool bag Amy uses to transport her sewing machine and sewing needs. Thanks Amy....now this blog post is a wrap.

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Quiltfolk is coming to Louisiana ~

Have you heard that Louisiana will be spotlighted in Quiltfolk . Yes, they are coming to Louisiana....and QGA Mod Squad here in Lafayette is on the state tour. The Quiltfolk team, including Editorial Director Mary Fons, has the Mod Squad group scheduled for pictures, videos and interviews and we are beyond excited.

Issue No. 1 features Oregon....
pioneering quilting spirit

Quiltfolk is not just a magazine: It is an advertisement-free coffee table look book that celebrates the lives and loves of quilters. Oregon, Iowa, Hawaii, Tennessee, Eastern Massachusetts and Arizona have been featured in the first six issues. The Quiltfolk team loves to travel and talk to the people who are dedicated to carry on the quilting tradition.

Issue No. 2 Iowa. Did you know that Iowa has more quilt shops per capital than any place on earth!

April, 2018 Issue No. 6 features Arizona with its vast landscape and beautiful quilting community

Quiltfolk - A picture perfect book that is refreshing and beautifully written.

Yes, we are beyond excited.

Saturday, March 24, 2018

Block of the Month (BOM) #3

Churn Dash also found under block names : Broken Plate, Double Monkey Wrench, Double T, Dragon's Head, Fisherman's Reel, Hens and Chickens, Hole in the Barn Door, Indian Hammer, Puss in the Corner.........Shoo Fly and more.

"Why so many names?", one might ask. There's always a story, and the churn dash has one.

Churn Dash

Picture credit: National Parks Service ~ Quilt Discovery Experience

The homesteader's life and their daily activities contributed names to many quilt blocks. Nineteenth century quilts reflect what women saw around them, and what was important in their lives, such as the churn, a common household item.

A quilt historian says that quilts had characteristics so localized that they could be classified geographically almost as easily as the Yankee twang or the southern drawl. But as the homesteaders traveled West, blending together on the trail and in the new territories, the patterns became intermingled and renamed.

The Churn Dash pattern, for example, has 21 different variations and names. But, whatever the name, one can be certain it was meaningful to the maker, for even the simplest quilt represented a considerable investment of time and energy. And when the cold winter winds blew snow through the chinked cracks of the log cabin, a quilt was a welcome cover, whatever its name.

The how-to-link PDF , including pictures of quilts using the churn dash block for design ideas as we lay out blocks for our own quilt top.

Enjoy.

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

And now for our regularly scheduled program ~

Quilters' Guild Acadienne will feature fiber artist and quilter Judy Holley as the guest programmer at March 22 meetings 9:30 a.m and 6 p.m. at Northwood Methodist Church. Judy, a well known quilt designer and Gulf States Quilt Association instructor, will share her knowledge and talent with us in her program 'Service Quilts With A Twist'. Judy has been featured in a Quilt Inspiration blog post: Treasures of the Gulf States and Folk Life in Louisiana.

Judy is passionate about community service and was instrumental in founding Wasted Women, a quilting group that recycles fabric into community service quilts. Wasted refers to the use of donated fabrics often left over from other projects.

Judy specializes in the New York Beauty and Pineapple Quilts and will be leading workshops Friday and Saturday on constructing the Pineapple block. In this workshop, students will explore pineapple block possibilities.

Sunday, March 18, 2018

Let's Get Organized ~

From the September, 2016, Let's Get Organized Series at The Quilt Show Daily Blog.....well worth the read for those who more often than not find themselves at the computer or sewing machine table.

And a further search lead me way back to October, 2011....a post found at Wee Mindings about the blog author's breathing problems created by her poor posture. Do you get the picture!

Source: Wee Mindings - The Perils of Poor Posture

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Quilters' Guild Acadienne 2018 BOM

Block 2 of 2018 QGA BOM continues the theme "better today than yesterday" with Broken Dishes.

Saturday, March 10, 2018

Notes from Amy Aderman's Free Motion Quilting Program!

You remember Amy. She's the one who wowed Quilters' Guild Acadienne with her free motion quilting program and workshop.

Thank you Amy for giving us your notes as reminders and to look for inspiration. Reprinted here with your permission, of course.

Free Motion Quilting (FMQ) Schmetz Needles: *Microtex/Sharp     *Topstitch     *Embroidery     *Metallic     *Jeans Needles.    Experiment to find what works best for you! Change Needles often!

Use high quality thread
Practice

Pressing & Starching: Before quilt sandwich assembly: Make sure the quilt top and back are pressed and have no fold creases. Starching, especially the back, helps the quilt glide easily and reduces tucks and puckers.

Gravity is your enemy! Arrange your space so that your quilt cannot hang off the table.   The weight of your quilt will fight against you causing bad quilting and strain on your body.

Resources:
Leah Day - @ Free Motion Quilting great for beginners. Be sure to read Leah's 'advise to quilters' column on the blog sideboard.    Leah is the creator of The Free Motion Quilting Project blog with free tutorials for beginners and hundreds of videos on various quilting designs. Leah also has a shop @ leahday.com.

Angela Walters - Long arm quilter who also teaches FMQ. She has a great attitude to encourage beginners and helps take the fear out of quilting. Quilting Is My Therapy. Be sure to sign up for the free motion challenge quilting along that began February 7.

Angela's words of wisdom: Don't for machine quilters.....

Don't compare your worst with anothers' best. Comparison is the thief of joy.
Don't point out your mistakes
Don't forget the purpose of your quilt
Don't forget that a finished quilt is better than a perfect quilt top

Christa Watson - great teacher for beginners @ Christa Quilts. Good spray basting and wall basting tutorials.

Lori Kennedy - tutorials for simple to advanced quilting motifs @ The Inbox Jaunt

Amy Johnson - U-tube video tutorials and quilting with rulers @ Free Motion Quilting Adventures

Christina Cameli - @ A Few Scraps Click on free motion designs and free motion quilting

Karlee Porter - created graffiti quilting@ Karlee Porter Designs

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Gail Garber....teaching through the area

Gail Garber....her schedule is fast and furious. Check it out to see if there are openings in classes near you.

"Almost Modern" is Gail's take on the value of negative space in quilting. Pieced by Afton Warrick and quilted by Kris Vierra and was published in January, 2017, American Quilter (pattern included).
This is just a sampling. You'll want to check out her gallery to get the full value of her designs. But don't be intimidated.....it's said that what appears difficult is made quite easily with Gail's hands on instructions.

Tuesday, April 17 - River City Guild, Baton Rouge, LA

Scrumptious Star Stitchery workshop ~ 10 spots remaining

Contact: Elena Acosta

email: emarap@eatel.net

phone: (225) 313-0402

Tuesday, April 17 - Remember Me, Baton Rouge, LA

A History Lesson Lecture

Contact: Lori Steib

mail: lori.steib@att.net

phone: (225) 252-5030

Wednesday, April 18 - Remember Me, Baton Rouge, LA

Sensational Stars Workshop ~ 10 spots remaining