Happy Galentines Day!!

Happy Galentines Day to you all! Never heard of it? It's today, the day before Valentines Day, a day for women to celebrate their female friendships. It's Valentines Day with your gal pals. Wishing you all a special day!! Bouquets to you all! It seems we're having lots of "days" recently.. Lots of Snow Days, or as we call them SEW days... 

The 2022 Winter Olympics.. more time to sew while watching/listening to the exciting events! Go CANADA! Speaking of the Olympics, have you noticed the bouquets presented to the medal winners? They are crocheted - each precious bloom and leaf by the hand of a volunteer. Each bouquet has taken a minimum of 32 hours, with a total of 1,251 bouquets needed to honour all the medal winners at the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics. This handmade arrangement of botanicals is known as "The Shanghai Bouquet" with cultural significance that dates back to the mid-19th century and includes six varieties - Lily of the Valley, Rugosa Rose, Hydrangea, Laurel, Sweet Osmanthus and an Olive branch, representing perseverance, happiness, unity, victory, bounty and peace. More than just a token handout.. what a beautiful keepsake! 

 Today is also Superbowl Sunday... another SEW day! What project(s) are you working on? Remember our February meeting is only two days away. Have you sent in your photos for Show and Tell? See you then!

Merry Christmas!

  Just a reminder, tomorrow evening is our Christmas Social. Your invitation is in your inbox, sent last Thursday, Dec. 9. Get your Bingo card made!!  7pm on Zoom.

How's the Christmas sewing coming along? I am still hard at it.. one more runner to go, and masks.. more masks...  will the mask-making ever end?  

Leaving you with this thought, seen on Facebook.

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Quilt Show and Tell

 November meeting is just two days away. Have you sent in your Show and Tell photos? We want to see!  Came across this poem today, thought you might enjoy it...

Quilt Show and Tell

by Rose Kelley

The first time I witnessed a quilt Show and Tell
I thought "Wow! These people can really sew well."

Sew "well" did I say, well that's just a joke!
Amazing the projects as done by these folk:
Artistic, dramatic, quite outside the line,
Stunning, outrageous, and gorgeous and fine!

They'd fall right out laughing at something of mine:

My uneven stitches, my lines all askew,
the fabrics I've chosen, the markings still blue,
my edges all wavy! The group would just stare
at corners not meeting, at points sort of square,
at obvious patches and fusing to mend
the hole that I made with the seam ripper end.

But then once I did show a project so odd
that no one could figure whatever would prod
a person to make such an ungainly thing
and then dare to show it to stitchers who bring
fine art work, great classics, and projects with zing!

And nobody snickered! And nobody joked
and no one raised one single finger to poke
fun at my fabrics, my choice of design,
and not once did anyone talk out of line!

In fact, they applauded, and smiles did appear.
Some even showed interest and seemed to lean near.

And that's when I realized the purpose of show 
was not just for bragging or chances to crow. 

The idea is to share inspiration and fun,
and love of the art, and look one by one
at each quilter's projects so dear to her heart
and with all the time, love and work they impart.

Each project deserves full regard and respect,

no matter how simple or small. Let's reflect

on the person who holds her ideas and work dear,
and cheer on the quilter who shows her work here. 

For Sale...

 FOR SALE: Creative fabric mid arm quilting machine, has Creative overhead light bar and stitch regulator, and Pfaff Quilt Expressions 4.0 machine.  $3250.00 with Pfaff, $3000.00 without Pfaff. Contact Marilyn Wynn in Sussex at 506-433-3928

Reminder...

Just a friendly reminder.. have you paid your membership dues yet?? They are now due.. we have a big year planned, you don't want to miss it... 

Mid- summer Hello!

 Hello everyone! How is your summer going? Can you believe it's already August! Wow, the summer days are flying by much too quickly. Why does winter seem sooo long and summer so short?  

For some reason, Blogger won't let me edit or update things on the sidebar right now (most frustrating!) so will list a few things here. First up, a Quilt Show (because aren't we ALL starved for a quilt show?!)

Next weekend, August 12-14, the Upper Miramichi Quilt Show and Sale will be held at the Boiestown United Church on highway 8 at the intersection of highway 625. Hours each day are 10-4. Entry is by freewill donation with proceeds going to charity. Door prizes from Candle in the Window of Boiestown and Memory Lane in Doaktown. 

Other local shows are listed on the sidebar - Akerley Area Guild in Cambridge Narrows this weekend, and St. Andrews next weekend. These offer the opportunity to get out and view some quilts, access a vendor or two and see some quilting friends!   :)

One of the items found on our sidebar is "Quilt Shops in Our Area". Shops or business must have  a website for me to add them to that listing- it's just the way Blogger has it set up. There are two that cannot be added because of this so I am listing the info here for your info.

Contact info for our local Bernina dealers, Pierre and Michelle at The Sewing Machine Den: 1019 Brookside Drive, Apt. 106, Fredericton, E3G 0E2. Phone (506) 259-7070 or email them at thesewingmachineden@gmail.com. Bernina sales and service - cleaning and repair. On Facebook.

If you are venturing upriver, you might want to check out Victoria Corner Sewing Machines between Woodstock and Hartland. Proprietor Charlotte Cook carries fabrics (including108" backings and some flannels), battings, notions, some books and patterns, and a great variety of threads. She sells Janome machines and repairs all machine makes and models. She tells me she has a good selection of Christmas fabrics in already (it's never too early to start Christmas projects!) Her shop is in her home and hours are 10-4 Monday to Friday; she is there 90% of the time, but it's always a good idea to call ahead to be sure, and if you cannot make it during her regular hours other arrangements can be made by contacting her.  Phone 506-375-4396 or 506-325-8926. Email cookgc@live.com  Address: 2282 Route 103, Victoria Corner, NB E7P 1E7. Take exit 172 off Trans Canada (route 2), right at stop sign and proceed several kms, passing the Upper River Valley Hospital and Day & Ross terminal. Turn right onto route 103 just before the Hugh John Flemming bridge. Proceed about 3 kms to 2282 on the left, a white house with green shutters. 

There are also three relatively new smaller quilt shops in NB. I have not visited any of them yet, so can only pass on basic info:

1. Edge Squared Quilt Shop, 745 North Barnaby Road, Barnaby NB  E1N 6E9 phone 1-506-623-8301  http://www.edgesquaredquilting.com/  email: beverleyhackett222@gmail.com   Closed Sunday and Monday. Open Tues.- Sat. 10-5. On Facebook.

2, Chloe's Quilting Cafe, 10635 rue Principale, Saint Louis de Kent, NB E4X 1G2   phone 506-335-3535   http://www.chloesquiltingcafe.ca/   email: chloesquiltingcafe@yahoo.com  Closed Sunday and Monday, open Tues. - Fri. 9-4, and Sat. 8:30-12 noon.   On Facebook. 

3. KP Quilting Studio, 1 Lake Road, Kingston NB E5N 1J8  phone 506-763-2560  https://kpquiltingstudio.com  email: kpquiltingstudio@gmail.com  Closed Mon. & Wed., Open Tues., Thurs., Fri. &Sat. 9-5, Sun. 12-5.  On Facebook. 

Perhaps if any of you have visited these shops, you could tell us about it in the comments. 

Congratulations are in order for several of our members - firstly to Jenny Adam for having her quilt "Playing with Fire" in the Abstract and Improvisational category of the National Juried Show at Quilt Canada 2021 earlier this summer. It was designed to call attention to global warming and the devastating wildfires around the world. Such a  striking quilt, Jenny!

Jenny was also one of 14 artists chosen by the Beaverbrook Art Gallery to be part of the  Isolated/Together project. This exhibition is now open at the Andrew and Laura McCain Art Gallery in Florenceville until August 21. Her piece "Dancing in the Rain" is based on Vivian Greene's quote: "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass... it's about learning to dance in the rain." You can see several more photos of Dancing in the Rain on this earlier post. 

Congratulations are also due to Darcy Stewart Hunter on receiving an Arts NB grant to create six large art quilts to share her love of the natural beauty of New Brunswick. We can't wait to see these works of art, Darcy. 

The photo at left is a work in progress of the Sackville Waterfowl Park. Beautiful, Darcy!

Last but not least, Congratulations to Kathy Tidswell whose wall quilt "Bank Machine Blues" was selected by Martha Sielman for inclusion in her book about fibre artists inspired by birds.  Martha is the executive director of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA). The book is not a SAQA endeavour, but will be published by Schiffer Publishing. "Bank Machine Blues" was made for the 2005 Grand National Quilt Exhibition: Airborne, held at the Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery in Kitchener Ontario.

  

Grand National 2021: CROSSROADS

 Have you been to the UNB Art Centre (otherwise known as Memorial Hall) to view the Grand National exhibition yet? It is WELL worth a visit. Visits are limited to Sunday afternoons, noon - 5pm, thanks to Covid, and must be pre-booked. This is easily done online at  www.unb.ca/cel/artcentre . Bookings are taken for groups of four so get three friends together and book an appointment! (Of course you can book a time slot to attend by yourself as well.) Twenty minutes is hardly enough time to really take it all in, so plan to visit more than once. (If you are coming from out of town, you could book several appointments in a row, each under a different name of someone in your group.) 

You will be sorry if you don't see this amazing exhibition of quilts and fibre art pieces. There is much variety and so much talent, skill and creativity! It always amazes me how a theme can be interpreted in so many different ways. You will, no doubt, want a catalogue so that you can read the artist statement for each piece. Catalogues are $10.00 each and are available from Kathy Tidswell. You can contact Kathy at kathy@kathytidswell.com or 363-3560. (Sadly they are not available at the Art Centre.)

The exhibit is made up of 48 pieces of fibre art works by 43 Canadian artists. How nice it is to see three from New Brunswick - our own Lee McLean of New Maryland, Juliet Nowlan of Quispamsis, and Charline Collette of Campbellton. Congrats to all the artists on an inspiring exhibition. 

This exhibit runs at the UNB Art Centre until June 27.

Colours of Nature exhibit

A solo exhibit of works by Kathy Tidswell opens at the Andrew and Laura McCain Art Gallery in Florenceville-Bristol on May 15. There will be both thread paintings and wall quilts on exhibit and for sale. The gallery is found at 8 McCain Street, Unit 1, Florenceville-Bristol. 

Hours are Tuesdays by appointment (call ahead- 506-392-6769), Wed., Fri., Sat. 10:30-5pm, Thurs. noon- 8pm.  Of course Covid protocols are in place- please wear your mask when visiting the gallery. The exhibit runs until June 19.

The Grand National Exhibition: Crossroads

UPDATE: The Gallery will be open on Sundays, starting May 9 from noon-5:00 until June 27. Appointments to view the exhibit can be booked at  https://www.unb.ca/cel/enrichment/art-centre/

The virtual exhibition and talks with the artists (including our own Lee McLean) can now be viewed online at  http://www.unb.ca/cel/enrichment/art-centre/index.html

The Grand National Virtual Opening and Awards Ceremony will take place this Saturday May 8 at 4;00 pm local time. FQG members will have received an email invitation to the Zoom ceremony. Check your inboxes!

 Crossroads: Grand National Fibre Exhibition 2021 will be on view at the UNB Art Centre from May 2 until June 27, 2021. While the office at the Art Centre is currently closed, the galleries will be open on Sundays from noon until 5 pm by appointment at www.unb.ca/cel/artcentre. 

This year's exhibit presents 48 works by 43 outstanding artists in a juried selection on the theme of Crossroads. Fibre artists have been challenged with visualizing a decisive moment when a path diverges, and a resolution is made. Visit the online galleries to hear a number of the artists talk about their inspiration and their process and to view the artist's biographies.

The Grand National Exhibition has been showcasing quilt and fibre artists across Canada in a biennial exhibit since 2003. However Crossroads is the organization's first touring exhibit and makes its first stop at the UNB Art Centre. The tour wraps up at the end of 2022 and brings the show to the Thunder Bay Museum, ON; Woodstock Art Gallery, ON; Victoria Arts Council, B.C.; Weyburn Arts Council, SK; and the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba, MB.