edVentures 2013

Summer will soon be here and it's time to think about how you're going to fill your summer days. Have you considered an edVentures class?  Kathy Tidswell is offering a 2 day class in Thread Painting on July 13 and 14. She is also welcoming any previous students who would like to work on their own projects while having access to her supervision. (What a great opportunity if you have a UFO from one of Kathy's classes!) There is a 15% discount for anyone registering before May 31st.
Registration is by calling 1 888 850 1333 or at www.edVentures.ca.  For more information see www.kathytidswell.com or contact Kathy at kathy@kathytidswell.com.

If you have not yet been to the Charlotte Street Arts Centre (732 Charlotte St.) to see Kathy's pieces in the show Avian Moments, you only have a few more weeks to make your way there. The show is open until April 15th.  See March 8th post below for more info on Avian Moments..

March program on Precuts.

What a great program we had at our March meeting! We learned all about precuts- how they started and what we can do with them, not to mention a "whole new language". Who knew- candy and honeybuns, layer cakes and jelly rolls, dessert rolls and turnovers - they're NOT just found in bakeries anymore!! There are some copies left of the Precuts handout which was given out to all in attendance, extra copies will be available at the next meeting for those who missed it in March.
Here are a few tips that were passed on during the program:



 1. Some precuts (like charm packs) have pinked edges. Your 1/4" seam should be measured from the outer tips of the pinked edge. If it bothers you, it can be trimmed off to give a straight edge, but then you will be working with a slightly smaller piece, of course. If adding a piece with a pinked edge to a piece with a straight edge, the tips of the pinked edge should align with the straight edge.  2. It is always suggested that precuts should not be washed before use. This may distort the size and shape of the piece. If you are worried about bleeding, toss a Color Catcher or two in with the quilt the first time it is washed. This should take care of any color/dye that is released.  3. Bali Pops by Hoffman are not laser cut (as most precuts are) but hand-cut in Bali. Therefore there are slight variations in the 2.5" width of the strips. Click here for a  great tip for dealing with this variance.

We enjoyed some "extra Show and Tell" (always
the best part!!) during the program too -  lots of quilts made with jelly rolls, layer cakes and charm packs. The photos on this post are just some of the lovely examples we saw. Thanks again to all who participated and brought in quilts for the program!!
Here are a few tips that were passed on. Some precuts (like charm packs) have pinked edges. You 1/4" seam should be measured fromteh tips of thepinked edge. If it bothers you , it can be trimmed off to give a straight edge

A few reminders, resulting from the meeting: First, a big Thank You to all who took patterns and backings to do one or more adult bibs and co-ordinating placemats for our commitment to White Rapids Nursing Home. These must be returned at the April meeting so if you cannot be there, please get your bib and placemat to someone else who can return it for you! Placemats should be approx. 12" x 16". The rubber bib backings should be color side OUT on the back, and please add velcro at the top for closure..
Our "Sister Guild" - Sussex Vale QG has invited us to visit them on Tuesday April 23 - this is the Tuesday following our April meeting. There is no limit on how many may attend as their venue (church hall) is large. We must tell them by Mon. noon  April 8th how many will be attending so check your calendars and give this some thought. At the last Gathering of the Guilds (2012) all the guilds in NB were "paired up" with a "sister guild" and encouraged to get together to foster sharing and communication between the guilds, so this is our first get-together; we will reciprocate by hosting them next October. Plans are currently underway for that event. If you would like to join the planning committee, let us know!
Lastly, if you are renewing your CQA/ACC membership this month, or planning to join as a new member, please remember to add our Guild name at the bottom of the form. This puts our Guild into a draw for a $50.00 donation from CQA to our Guild library. This offer is just for March so you've only got a few days left...

Meeting Reminder...

Our March meeting is tomorrow night, March 19th. Hope to see you there! We have put together a great program for you on Precuts. Come prepared to learn lots of new terms and useful things plus many great ideas for using precuts in your quilting projects. We will have lots of quilts to show  made from precuts, particularly Jelly Rolls. If you think Jelly Rolls, Honey Buns, Layer Cakes and Turnovers are only found in the kitchen, you will learn a lot from this program!

Our weather forecast is telling us we'll have snow tomorrow, but I'm hoping it will NOT interfere with our meeting. Our roads are bare right now, and the snow is not supposed to start until evening so I'm hoping you will come out and join us for a great meeting. If it does start earlier, check here for an update re. cancellation....

Synthrapol to the Rescue!

At last month's meeting, Sue R. suggested that we all should have Synthrapol in our laundry room supplies. Synthrapol is known as a "surfactant" or a concentrated "wetting agent". It is used by those who hand-dye fabric to remove any excess dye after the dyeing process. Quilters also use it to remove color (dye) that has bled into an adjacent fabric in a quilt.
Sue showed us this small red and white quilt that she made a number of years ago and now uses as a table runner. The red fabric had been washed before the quilt was made. Recently, after adding water to a vase of flowers that sat on the runner, she later noticed a small area that was damp and the red color had bled into the white. After washing with synthrapol the "bleed" was gone. Yay! Synthrapol to the rescue! It DOES work! It is very concentrated, so you use a very small amount. Follow the directions on the bottle carefully.
Another product we should all have on hand is Retayne. It is a color fixative and many quilters use it to pre-wash all their fabric. It is also very concentrated and you use a small amount. Read and follow the directions carefully. Most quilt shops carry these two products. Country Crafts and Curtains on York St. is trying to bring it in- I will let you know when it is in stock.



Tomorrow March 16th is International Quilting Day. I hope you are doing something special to celebrate such an important day!! Maybe you will start a new project! Or finish one! Maybe you are working on your "Out of the Box Challenge" piece (deadline of May meeting is getting closer!).. Or perhaps you'll treat yourself to some new fabric, or a new quilting book or magazine.. Whatever you do, celebrate the day!!




Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims, hosts of The Quilt Show, want quilters, sewers and crafters to help them celebrate  International Quilting Day by seeing what's going on in today's quilting world. They are opening up free access to over 140 of their shows from their www.thequiltshow.com websites beginning Friday March 15 through Sunday March 17. There will be lots of terrific prizes from companies like Bernina, Gammill, Superior Threads, C&T Publishing, and more!  You'd better hurry over and check it out...

"Avian Moments" Now Open

 “AVIAN MOMENTS” DRAWS A FLOCK TO THE CHARLOTTE GLENCROSS GALLERY

Fredericton, NB—The Charlotte Glencross Gallery will seem to come alive with the sounds of bird call when the group exhibition, Avian Moments, opens on Friday, March 8^th, 2013. This three-person show will feature two- and three-dimensional works, including thread paintings, woodcarvings and photographs all on the theme of our feathered friends, by New Brunswick artists Kathy Tidswell, Brian Dykeman and Roger Smith.

Kathy Tidswell is an artist, juried craftsperson and fibre arts teacher. Trained as a biologist, Tidswell changed careers after becoming a stay-at-home mother. Now an internationally recognized, award-winning quilter and artist, Tidswell says, “I strive to recreate nature’s beauty realistically in my work.” Her textile training has included courses from Canadian, American and British quilt artists, helping her to develop her own methods of painting on fabric and free motion machine embroidery.

Brian Dykeman grew up on a farm in rural New Brunswick, developing an early appreciation and love of the outdoors and wildlife. After completing a B.Sc., M.Sc. and PhD in agriculture and the plant sciences, he fulfilled a career in agricultural extension and research. Dykeman is now an award-winning wood sculptor with his works in collections worldwide, a juried member of the NB Craft Council and a founding member of the Fredericton Woodcarving Club.

Roger Smith obtained a B.Sc. in Biology and M.Sc. in Plant Pathology from UNB. While working on his M.Sc., he took photographs for the UNB Biology Dept, and realized that photography was a more interesting pursuit than his research on potato blight. Smith spent 35 years as the scientific photographer for the UNB Biology Department. Smith is a member of the SilverFish photo collective, Photo Fredericton camera club, and a juried member of the NB Crafts Council.

Avian Moments runs from March 8 – April 15, 2013. All are welcome to attend the opening reception, March 8 from 5:30-7pm.

The Charlotte Street Arts Centre is located in the heart of Fredericton, at 732 Charlotte Street.

Ricky's Tip of the Day

I hope you enjoyed visiting Tim Latimer's blog (see previous post). Isn't his quilting amazing? You may not have been familiar with that Tim, but I'm sure you'll have heard of this next "gentleman quilter".. Just found this great tip from Ricky Tims, and thought I'd pass it on to you. Do you get frustrated with all the little thread bits, fabric "strings" and other textile "flotsam and jetsam" that stick to your design wall? Well Ricky has the answer for you: Got my Fabricville flyer a day or two ago. What caught my eye was 25%off cutting mats and quilting notions... also 25% off Clover items... Good to know... Flyer sale valid March 11- April 2. Also did you know Fabricville has a website? (who doesn't these days? lol) Anyway, keep an eye out there for coupons.. I recently got a 50% off coupon (good for one item). Great thing to have if you are looking for a pricey item such as a new mat. It's simply fabricville.com Just hover over Advertising at the top and you'll see coupons in the drop down menu. And remember the first Wednesday each month is Senior's Day with 10% off your purchase for customers 60 and over...

Thanks for your measurements, Ladies...

Your quilt's measurements, that is. Thank you to all who have diligently measured the perimeters of their quilts brought to Show and Tell since September for the CQA/ACC Stitch Across Canada Challenge. We had a great Show and Tell at our February meeting- probably the largest yet this Guild year. Our Feb. total of 7,212 inches brought our final total to just under 40,000 inches for "the cause". Thank you all for participating. The grand total has now been posted on the CQA/ACC blog here and you will see that we made it to the Pacific coast with 87.5 inches to spare! How close is that!!

I want to offer special thanks to Marg W. who provided us a few laughs at our last meeting, when she measured not only the perimeter of her quilt, Ricrac Nines (104" square for a total perimeter of 416"), but also gave us a few more figures... The quilt contains 2,670 two inch squares, and 12,018 inches of seams. At 13 stitches per inch, that means the total stitch count is 156,234!!! These calculations were all done in good fun, but a moment's reflection makes one realize just how much work we put into our quilts. We're often asked "how long did that take?" And it's a difficult question to answer as most of us do not keep
track of time spent.... Most people who are not quilters have NO idea how much time and work go into a quilt... But certainly the time involved contributes greatly to the value of the quilt - in most cases likely more than the cost of all materials...
I recently discovered a new (to me) blog called timquilts.com  Tim Latimer lives in Lansing Michigan and is a certified florist, floral design instructor and avid gardener. He also collects vintage and antique quilt tops and finishes them, with the goal of preserving the fine art of hand quilting. I found one of his recent posts discussing the value or worth of hand quilting very interesting. It is well worth the read- you can find it here. I'm sure you all would enjoy seeing his fine hand quilting on his current project (a whole cloth quilt), and if you scroll down through earlier posts, you will see other quilting progress photos... WOW!!!  While you're there, another very worthwhile read is titled "Quilt Buyers Beware". You'll see it listed at the top of the sidebar. And don't miss the Quilt Gallery. His quilting is awesome!!!
Until next time.. keep those needles threaded!