Summer Show and Tell

What are you working on this summer? Do you have a project that will be given away, so that our members will not have a chance to see it at Show and Tell in the fall? If so, forward a good clear digital photo to Gail or Linda and we will do another post or two of "Summer Projects" through the summer. It's always fun to see what everyone's working on over the summer stretch...

Above is a lap quilt just completed by Sue Robertson. It's a gift going to Ottawa soon so we are lucky to see it now. It was machine quilted by Janet Spurrell in a pattern called Champagne Bubbles, which really complemented the circular quilt design..

Carole Christie has been busy too- she has just finished this top at left, made from a Bali Pop. Love those colors Carole! She says it was quick and easy and she still has fabric left! Now she'll have to get busy and think of something to do with the leftovers!

Donna Young has been working on this small piece below, to feature the red orchid fabric. (You can click on these photos for a larger view) Lovely Donna!

Remember we would like to feature Red and White quilted items for Canada Day, so send Gail M. a digital photo of your red and white project(s) asap, to be included in our July 1st feature. It doesn't have to be a new or recent piece...

Happy Summer Sewing!

Navigational Help....

We thought it might be helpful to some of our members/ readers who may not be too familiar with blogs and webpages, to offer you a few tips for "navigating". We hope you will find these useful, and if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to get in touch with Gail or I by leaving us a comment here, or phoning or emailing us. You know how to find us!!

You can usually get a larger view of our posted photos by placing your cursor on the photo and clicking once. Occasionally this doesn't work....( not our fault, just a quirk of Blogger) but most times this will give you a much better view of the subject.

At the bottom of most posts, you will see the word "labels" followed by one or more titles. This is just a way for us to "categorize" our posts. Did you know that if you click on the label title, it will bring up all the posts that have that label? For example if the post is labelled "Quilt Show", you will get ALL the posts that have the Quilt Show label.

We would LOVE for you to leave us a comment when you have enjoyed your visit with us. (We'd like to know who our visitors are!!) It is VERY easy to do. At the bottom of each post you will see "0 comments" or "2 comments" or whatever. Simply click on this once. It will take you to previously written comments if there are any, and below that a box. Simply type your comment in the box and if you like leave your name or initials - we'd like that! :) Then below the box, you'll see "Comment as". Hit the arrow button and choose from the options there- if you are not a blogger, you can just choose "anonymous" which is at the bottom of the list. Then hit the "post comment" button. It's as simple as that. Try it!! You can always use this comment box to contact Gail or I as well - with suggestions, questions or whatever, as these comments come to our email inboxes....

If you haven't visited here for a while and you are reading back through previous posts to "catch up", when you have scrolled down to the bottom, click on "Older Posts" to go back further. If you click on "Home" it will bring you back to the most current post.

You may find it interesting to watch how many hits this webpage is getting. Scroll down to the bottom of our right sidebar and you will see our two "counters". These count the number of visits.... One is new, counting visitors since June 2010, the one below it has been counting since we began last Fall.

We hope this is helpful for you. You can always leave a comment if you have a question!

Flying Geese, fast and easy

At the April meeting, I gave a quick demo on a speedy way to make the Flying Geese unit, with only one seam! This is a method I learned from Ricky Tims, who learned it from a quilter in England. Here are the quick and easy steps for a finished unit of 2.5" x 5".



1. From your "background" fabric, cut two 3" squares. From your "goose" fabric (the triangle) cut a rectangle 3" x 5.5". Of course if you were making a number of units, you could cut 3" strips, then sub-cut.

2. Now make your "sandwich": Lay one background 3" square right side up. Fold your rectangle in half, right sides out, and lay on top of the 3" square with the folded edge at the top and raw edges aligned at the bottom. You'll notice the folded edge will not line up with the square at the top, it will be about 1/4" short of the top edge. This is correct, don't worry. (see photo above) Lay your other 3" square on top to complete the "sandwich", right side down, with all edges carefully aligned.



3. Stitch a 1/4" seam on the right hand side of the sandwich.






4. Press seam to one side. Then open up the rectangle to form the "goose".













5. Press. You now have a Flying Geese unit which measures
3" by 5.5". When it is sewn into your project the finished dimensions will be 2.5" x 5".






Here are the cutting sizes for Flying Geese of other sizes:

Finished Size 1" x 2", cut squares 1.5" and rectangle 1.5" x 2.5".
Finished Size 2" x 4", cut squares 2.5" and rectangle 2.5" x 4.5".
Finished Size 3" x 6", cut squares 3.5" and rectangle 3.5" x 6.5".

If you would like to watch a video of Ricky Tims demonstrating this method, click here

The Quilt Show Quilt

While browsing blogs a few weeks ago, I came across the most incredible quilt and I knew right away I wanted to share it with all of you. It was made by Laura Peterson of Bigfork Montana. Bigfork is a small town on the eastern shore of Flathead Lake - I drove right by there a few summers ago... but I digress. I emailed Laura to ask if she would mind my sharing the photo and website with you and she was happy to oblige. Her quilt is 108" by 30" and is called "The Quilt Show". Here it is...

If you click here, you will be taken to the website she created to tell viewers all about the quilt- how the idea percolated in her mind after attending Quilt Shows and "people watching" or should that be "quilter watching"....??? You can view each individual quilt and read it's story... and read about how she created the "quilter people"... Amazing... Thank you Laura, for allowing me to share this with our members and other readers.

I kept thinking I would LOVE to see this quilt "in person"... well guess what? It is coming to Houlton Maine in August!! The Friends and Needles Guild in Houlton will be featuring it at their annual Show, August 20-22, 2010. This show is held at the Elks Club on Main Street, hours are 10a.m. to 4p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Admissioon is $5.00. I'll happily pay $5.00 just to see Laura Peterson's The Quilt Show quilt!! Will I see you there?

Let's get physical..Geophysical...

Are you ready for another armchair Quilt Show tour? I explained to you earlier that there were a number of Shows at Quilt Canada in Calgary, but I did not show you photographs from them all. Many had numerous signs posted throughout their displays about copyright and asking viewers to respect it, using any photos only for their personal use. I'm not sure if everyone would agree that a blog is "personal use" but I chose to not post photos of other artists' work when I could not give proper credit with names, titles, etc.

But today I can take you via a link to one of the Shows- Geophysical by FAN - Fibre Art Network which is a group of fibre artists from Western Canada. "Geophysical" pays tribute to Geology, and the scenic and economic riches it provides to western Canada. FAN members were challenged to interpret, in cloth and thread, "the earth and the forces that shape it". Click here to see all 46 pieces which made up this Show. If you click on each individual quilt, you will be able to read the artists' explanation. Other FAN exhibitions can be viewed by clicking on "Exhibitions" on the left sidebar. Be warned, you could spend a lot of time here a-lookin'... but what a great way to travel to a number of shows- all in the comfort of your own chair!! No airfare, no luggage, no hassle!!

The four photos I have included with this post were some of my favourites (in no particular order) and are just a sample to whet your appetite- do look at the entire show- it's well worth the visit. The uppermost photo (top left) is Sea Floor Spreading Centre by Gay Walker; the next photo (on the right) is The Pressures of Time by Vivian Kapusta, our CQA Secretary; the third photo (above left) is Eruption by Kathryn Botsford and the bottom photo (on right) is Layers of Creation by Judith Panson. (You can click on each of my 4 photos here and get a larger view).

Threadworks 2010 Show

A while back I promised to take you on some "armchair tours" of Shows that I have found on various blogs that I follow. Today I'll take you to the Wellington Co. Museum in Fergus Ontario (near Guelph) for the Threadworks Show. It showcases exceptional needlework, by both hand and machine, by artists across Canada. This show is a special project of ONN - the Ontario Network of Needleworkers and the theme this year was Trees. Threadworks is a juried exhibition that is mounted every three years, and then travels around Ontario to various galleries and museums. All pieces must be original, and must be "substantially worked" with a hand or machine needle. FQG member Kathy Tidswell has a piece in this show.
I found this "review" on a Blog I follow, called True Blue Canadian. You can see her photos and read her comments about the Show by clicking here and here. You can see all the show pieces by viewing the catalogue here. The Threadworks website can be viewed here.
So go get a cuppa, sit back and enjoy the show.... for free!