Christmas Quilting and Photography Helps

"Christmas Candy" made by Barb Frame,
quilted by Andrea Rennick, photographed by Craig Frame

The days are ticking by.. (am I the only one who has a slight panic attack when the calendar turns to December??)
Are you working on Christmas projects? gifts? perhaps a new Christmas quilt or wallhanging for yourself? One of our members has just finished a new Christmas quilt for her bed.. I hope we'll see it along with your Show and Tell items at our dinner on Dec.10.

Once a quilt is quilted and bound, there are two things you should do before you consider it totally "done."  One is add a label with pertinent information, such as name of quilt or design, who made it, where and when, and any other important info such as if it was made for a special person or occasion. Put as much info on the label as you can - future generations will thank you for the documentation.
The other thing to do is photograph the quilt. Following are two links to articles to help you with that, including a suggested list of shots to get and some great suggestions on lighting. Some of you may be familiar with Kathy Schwartz of Tamarack Shack, her blog is popular. Read her blog post on quilt photography here.  The other article comes from Emily Dennis of the Quiltylove blog, read it here.

And lastly, a Christmas riddle... Why are Christmas trees so bad at sewing?

They always drop their needles...

It's mid-November already!!

Time is flying by! We're well into Novembrrrrrr and it's beginning to feel like winter has arrived and is here to stay... a little too early for my taste. I guess I'll just have to begin my studio hibernation and get busy on Christmas sewing. Tuesday is meeting night - we'll have lots of sewing/gifting ideas for you! Have you purchased your ticket for our Christmas Social/Dinner yet?

We now have the photos from our Spring 2019 show added for your viewing pleasure- scroll down the sidebar and click on the photo to go to the album.

In case you missed it on our guild Facebook page, click here to see many of the winners from the International Quilt Festival in Houston a few weeks ago. What an incredible collection of  amazing quilts! Wouldn't this be a wonderful show to attend? Sigh... maybe someday.





Do you have any questions about batting?  Here is an excellent article on batting by Lori Kennedy - 
no doubt you will find your answers here!

Have you heard of Ian Berry? He is a very talented young British textile artist who works solely with denim. Check out his website here to view his incredible work.

That's all for now. See you Tuesday night!

Off to a Great Start!

We are off to an exciting start to our year - already two successful meetings, a workshop and a workday under our belt! We have some new members (welcome!) and there is lots of enthusiasm in our group. Quilting is alive and well!
We all share a love of sewing/quilting and we each take away something different from our projects, whether they be by hand or machine... I couldn't resist sharing this "poster" I saw on Facebook. Health benefits sounds good to me!!

Our November newsletter will be out in another few weeks so watch for it in your inbox/mailbox.


Coming Up.... the Embroiderers' Guild of Fredericton is holding a sale of new and gently used items tonight (Monday Oct. 28) at the Stepping Stone Centre, 15 Saunders St. Included will be even weave fabric, embroidery threads, patterns, books, kits, hoops, beads, etc. plus some general sewing supplies. The sale will be held from 6-8pm. All are welcome!

The Fredericton Guild of Fibre Artists and the Embroiderers' Guild of Fredericton are joining forces to present an exhibition of their work at Government House, 51 Woodstock Road, from Nov. 8 to Jan. 8. Hours are 10-4 Monday through Friday. Several of our own members belong to these talented groups and this show promises to be an amazing display of creative skills and talents. You won't want to miss a visit to Government House third floor gallery to see this show.











For those of you who like working with selvages, here's an idea for you... a new dress!!  Perhaps with your Christmas fabric selvages??!!  :)


For Sale: Pfaff Ambition 1.0 machine. Two years old but used VERY little - no more than ten hours at most. In perfect condition. Asking $800.00. Contact Sue at 457-2333.

One of our members has a new Pfaff Power Quilter 16 (sit down mid arm machine) and is looking to confer with others who have the same. If you own one, or know of someone in Fredericton who does, please leave a comment below.

Here We Go Again!

      Welcome back everyone to another new year! I believe this will be our 38th year "in business!" Wow! The time sure flies. Summer whizzed by, didn't it? I don't know about you, but I was almost too busy to enjoy much of the summer... and now fall is creeping up on us. I want a few more weeks of warm weather!! But with fall comes an energy for new beginnings, fresh starts, new projects!

Your executive has been hard at work since you last saw us and we have a great year lined up for you. Workshops are all planned and scheduled, we have a fantastic lineup of programs and a fun Guild Challenge idea for you. The first newsletter went out this past week - if you didn't receive it, get in touch with Lee M., our newsletter editor.

Did you attend any quilt shows this summer? There was a long list, almost one every weekend! Quilting is alive and well!! Check out the sidebar for this fall's list of shows and events. The ever popular KVQG show is this coming week- Thursday to Saturday, times are listed. If you read Saint John's Telegraph Journal, there was a great article in yesterday's issue (Saturday Sept. 14) about the KV guild and their show.


Couldn't resist sharing this with you - a screenshot I took from Facebook. I wonder if anyone will show up on Tuesday night wearing this flashy footwear??!! Aren't they snazzy? Available from shoesger.com if you're interested.

Former member Sandi MacMillan has completed the second piece in her series of quilts inspired by our beautiful city. You may remember her spectacular quilt of the Bill Thorpe walking bridge. This one depicts the spiral stairway in our Legislative Building on Queen Street. It was done for her Journeys through Art quilt group's challenge; "Spiral" was the theme. The eight challenge quilts were entered in the Grand Rapids, Michigan AQS show in August and won second place in the group category. You can see all eight here. And... Sandi's quilt was chosen for the cover of the AQS show program. Wow! Congrats! Her next Fredericton-inspired quilt is already in progress.





See you Tuesday night! Bring your membership renewal form and $30. fee if you haven't already joined for the year, wear your nametag, return any outstanding library books, pack up your summertime projects to share with us during Show and Tell, tuck a pen and notepad in your purse along with money for our wonderful Aurifil draw... have I forgotten anything?
Hold on... here we go!!!

What's Happenin'?

Even though today's weather is grey and wet (again!!) it seems we are finally into summer. Hurray! It's been a long time coming! Do you sew/quilt less in the summer? Are you busy with other things, like gardening? Or do you still spend time at your machine everyday? Regardless, here are a few things you might like to check out if you're looking for some inspiration...

Row By Row 2019 is underway. The theme this year is Taste the Experience: blocks/rows and fabrics are food related. Visit participating quilt shops for a free pattern, some may have kits as well. Collect at least eight different rows from 8 different shops and put together your own quilt design. If you are the first to return a finished row by row quilt (quilted, bound and labelled) to a participating shop, you will receive a bundle of 25 fat quarters. For more info and the complete list of rules, click here.
Click here for a list of participating shops. The Row By Row Experience continues until September 3.





Check out CQA's site to see winners from Quilt Canada's NJS (National Juried Show.) Click here to see all NJS entries and winners. You can click on each photo for a closer view. Congrats to Kathy Tidswell and Juliet Nowlan who are among the entrants.




Check out the sidebar for a long list of shows and events in our area this summer. If you hear of something which I do not have listed, please let me know so I can add it. If you're travelling this summer, check the list before you go, you wouldn't want to miss out on a good show.. or use a show or event as the reason to take a little trip.  :)

What A Show!

Whew! Our show is over. It was a lot of work, but so worth it. The comments were all very favourable, the most common being what a great variety there was. And it's true - we had a bit of everything. Traditional, contemporary, modern, machine quilted, hand quilted, longarm quilted, bed quilts, wall quilts, art quilts, piecing, appliqué....you name it, we had it! I am still editing photos but here's a sampling...   (Warning: Photo heavy post!!)

We had the animal kingdom covered.... from dragonflies

Dance of the Dragonflies by Gwenda Mattinson

to parrots...

Ruffled Feathers by Nancy Richards

to colourful cows

Abby-Gail by Gail Mitchell

and whales! (I've never seen an orange whale, have you?!

Whales Ahoy! by Susan Dobson

We covered the seasons too...
from glorious spring

Botanic Garden by Barb Toner

to hot summer days,

Summertime and The Living Is Easy by Sally Lunnie

then the fall harvest

Harvest Time by Cathy White

and the beauty of winter's snowfall.

Winter Wonderland by Gail Mitchell

There were soft colours

Darling Diamonds by Jane Gunn

and bold bright colours....

Bargello Heart by Lucy Bourque

There was every size, from miniature

Top to Bottom, Circle of Geese, Squared by Andrea Rennick,
Sam Elliott by Trudy Corey,  Raspberry Pie by Linda Hubbard,
and Canada Proud by Linda Hubbard.

to KING size.

New Beginnings by Sue Robertson

There were whimsical quilts

Snow Buddies- Throughout the Year by Joyce Humble

and quilts to make you chuckle.

Hanging Out by Jane Gunn

From contemporary

Tending the World by Lee McLean

 Split Decisions by Joyce Humble

to traditional, quilted by hand

Tennessee Waltz by Betty Nicholson

 or domestic machine...

 Half Log Cabin by Jean Ketch

and modern designs, quilted on a longarm machine.

 Shooting Stars by Andrea Rennick

You get the picture.. it was an awesome show! We have so much talent in our guild, and it's nice to see it all together in one room, for all to enjoy. Thanks to our members for sharing their works of art. All photos from the show will be together in an album on the sidebar, as soon as I finish editing.. stay tuned!

Viewer's Choice Winners!

Our Viewer's Choice winners were announced last night at our closing dinner. Congratulations to Gwenda Mattinson whose quilt Fire Island Hosta Queen received the most votes.

Photo Credit: Lee McLean

The other two winners were Trudy Corey's Walk in the Garden 

Photo Credit: Kathy Tidswell

And Gail Mitchell's Abby-Gail

Photo Credit: Linda Hubbard

Stay tuned for more photos of our show, coming soon!

May meeting and Dinner tonight!

Just a reminder, our May meeting and closing dinner is TONIGHT, not next week, at Gibson Memorial United Church on Gibson Street. Tickets needed to be purchased in advance, or your name put on the list so you could pay at the door. If you are unsure of your status contact Jeanne Kaye at 452-1875 or Margaret at 454-0547. Viewer's Choice winners from our show will be announced tonight! Remember to bring your membership renewal form and dues if you haven't already renewed for next year. See you tonight!

QUILT SHOW QUILT SHOW QUILT SHOW

Our quilt show is just a few days away now.. are you planning on attending? Looking for directions? If you're coming from out of town, you'll take exit 285 off the Trans Canada Highway.  Show location is the New Maryland Centre, 754 New Maryland Highway. Drive straight through New Maryland and just after passing Sts. John and Paul Church on your left, the highway goes down a small hill and takes a big swing to the left towards Nasonworth and Beaverdam. Stay straight as if going to Charters Settlement  and the centre is right there on your right, in behind the ball field. There will be signs. The show times are Friday May 10, from 10-6pm and Saturday May 11 from 10-4pm. We hope you'll come and bring some friends!

If you're a member, are your entries ready? Labelled, folded right side out, each entry in a separate clear plastic bag with a paper label inside stating your name, name of quilt and size width x height? Got your cookies baked?  I am still working away on my last entry, burning the midnight oil as they say... It's going to be a great show!! Please share info on the show with all your family, friends and neighbours.. we'd love a big crowd!

March is International Quilting Month

It’s that time again! March is International Quilting Month and this coming weekend is International Quilting Weekend. To celebrate, 19 shows on The Quilt Show with Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson are available for free viewing.  This is your chance to catch up on shows you may have missed. Visit thequiltshow.com for free shows, special sales and a great giveaway, March 15-17.
What’s under your needle this week?

This and That

We've survived January, and February is already a week gone. Are you surviving winter by keeping busy with lots of quilting projects? Are you looking for something new to do? If you are interested in an opportunity to join a sewing group and make some new friends, the Multicultural Association is looking for people to come and sew on Saturday afternoons with a group of newcomers to our city. The group is meeting at Christ Church Parish Church at 245 Westmorland St, in a basement room - entrance off Charlotte St. parking lot, from 1-5pm, beginning Feb. 9. What a great way to volunteer your time and talents!

If you like star quilts and are looking for inspiration or ideas, here are links to 90 free star quilt patterns of  various sizes. There are stars of every size shape and design imaginable -  Sawtooth stars, Ohio stars, LeMoyne stars, Lone stars, Feathered stars, Friendship stars, Mariners Compass stars and more. Available as PDFs, there are 30 free patterns on each of these links:  here, here and here.



If you're looking for a pattern featuring hearts for Valentines Day, here is a link to 30 free hearts patterns for quilts. table runners and pillows, each available as a free PDF download.




Karen Neary of Amherst showed a small red and white table centre she did this past week for Valentines Day here, the pattern is available in her book Quilting Beauties.



Speaking of Karen, our wonderful Aurifil supplier, here is an article worth reading. Lots of good info on threads and thread weights.

This coming Monday evening, Feb. 11 is a Friends and Family event at Fabricville. It begins at 7pm. If you don't have an invitation yet, stop in to Fabricville this weekend and pick one up. Who can pass up 50% off fabric, patterns, notions, etc.?

Happy New Year- happy new projects?

Happy New Year! Hope you enjoyed a restful and relaxing Christmas break, and feel refreshed and re-energized to tackle exciting new quilting projects this year. Just a reminder, registration for Quilt Canada 2019 in Ottawa is now open for CQA/ACC members. Click here for info on registration.

Are you participating in any Sew Alongs, Block of the Week or Month programs? CQA's Block of the Week starts next Tuesday, Jan. 15. More info here.






Darlene D'Eon of Nova Scotia has just released the instructions for her 5th Annual 52 Week Quilt Block Challenge. This year's block is the Jewel Box, great for using up scraps and leftovers; instructions are found here. The block is easy, using 2 four patches and 2 HST's, and finishes at 8". Darlene encourages everyone to share their finished blocks on Facebook or Instagram, using the hashtag #52weekquiltblockchallenge.




Sindy at Fat Cat Patterns has TWO new free BOM's underway. Both started this month and the January blocks are now available. For you gnome lovers, she is offering Gnome Grown with ten appliqué blocks, running until October (pictured at left). Yardage and cutting instructions, and the first month's block are available here.










The other is called Hen Party, also ten appliqué blocks running until October (seen at right). Block instructions are free for the month they are offered, after that there is a small fee per block.Yardage and cutting instructions,and the first block are available here.









Cindy at Quilt Doodle Doodles is offering a free BOM called Garden Sunshine. You can find the first month's block instructions here. For those of you who enjoy a variety of techniques, this might be fun as it combines piecing with either appliqué or embroidery- your choice!






Pat Sloan is offering a free Mystery BOM called Out of This World which is all patchwork and will run for 10 months, Jan. - Oct. As you might guess, it has a space theme.
Read all about it here.






Pat is also offering a free Block a Week Sew Along on Wednesdays, on a garden theme: A Flower Bouquet runs from Jan. - May. The blocks are traditional pieced blocks. Find all the info here.






EDIT Jan. 11... Here's another free BOM. For you fans of wool work and Buttermilk Basin, they are beginning a new Mystery BOM today called "Happy Holidays." I'd say it's a headstart on Christmas 2019! There will be  a new block offered on the second Friday of each month for 11 months. The centre will consist of 9 wool appliquéd blocks, followed by a wool appliqué section with borders that will finish into a quilt. As with most BOM's you must click and print off the pattern in the month it's offered BEFORE the next block is released. Click here for instructions and the first month's pattern.

I'm sure there are many other free BOM's and Quilt Alongs out there, please let me know if you are aware of, or participating in, others that I could add to this list. The more the merrier!

To finish with a chuckle, I bet many of us can identify with this...  (found on Facebook)