February 2016 Newsletter

President's Letter

Happy New Year Guild!

I know we all did it. We changed out our 2015 quilt calendars and we now display our new 2016 quilt calendars. There must be an online quiz somewhere that tells us our quilting personalities based on the kind of quilt calendar we choose.

First question - what kind of calendar do you display? Sue Spargo? NQA? Quilts of the Amish? A Year of Applique Quilts? A Year of modern Quilts? other?

Next - Is it a full size wall calendar, an oversize wall calendar, a daily, weekly, monthly, or purse size calendar?

Next - Do you own a quilt block perpetual calendar that you keep out forever?

Next - Do you keep your old calendars or throw them away? Really? How can you throw all those pretty pictures away?

Next - Do you have more than one quilt calendar? If so, how many? 2, 3, 4, 5. or more?

I'm sure the answers to those questions reveal something. The most important thing revealed? We are quilters and like all different kinds of quilting and sewing. That is why we have a guild. That is how we share our favorite quilts and techniques and enjoy our sewing as a group.

Should we start a name cycle for quilting techniques for the years? Instead of the year of the chicken or the monkey, or the lion, this could be it the year of the applique... or something else.

Happy Quilting Year 2016! Just have fun quilting.

See you this month! 

Leslie O'Brien

Programs

 Kelly Meanix will be presenting a lecture and trunk show.  Kelly is an active member of Penn Oaks, Calico Cutters in West Chester and most recently, Modern Quilt Guild in Lancaster. She is a very creative quilter who shares her passion for, not just quilting but gardening, decorating, cooking and most of all, family through her blog,http://pinkadotquilts.blogspot.com/ Kelly will share her experiences and challenges that come with writing a blog and hopefully has a few items to show us that she hasn’'t given away yet (she is known for her generous spirit!) I’'m sure we all want to know how she does it all.

Membership
We had 37 members and 3 guests at the January meeting.
We also had one new member, Linda Kerschner!  Welcome!

February Birthdays

15 Robin McMillen
16 Kimberly Leadbetter
21 Ellen Lance
26 Angel Henderson

Hospitality
Snack list for February guild meeting is: J. Zwizanski, A. Barchi, D. Becker*, D. Blake, S. Borr, S. Braskey*, J. Brown, M.Campbell, M. Caporale; a star after your name means you should bring a drink for the group instead of a snack.  Please switch your responsibility with a friend if you cannot attend the meeting so we don't run short and let me know.  The snacks last month were awesome!!

4 Patch Swap

The aqua 4 patches are due at the February meeting, please remember to let me know if you will not be at the meeting. Remember we are swapping 12 blocks, please put your name inside the bag.
The color for March is green, any combinations you want to sew!
Kelly Meanix       kellymx@aol.com 610-873-7211

Silver Screen Challenge March 2016

Create a quilt inspired by a movie that is significant to you in some way.  It could be your favorite movie or it could be a movie you watched with your children or it could be the first movie you saw with your spouse.  There will be an award for both the best applique quilt and for the best pieced quilt.  Be creative when piecing, for example you could use the storm at sea block for The Poseidon Adventure or Titanic or corn and beans block for Field of Dreams. 

Here are a few other suggestions my Miranda and Charlotte came up with

• Finding Nemo - I spy Quilt
• Pretty in Pink - a pretty pink quilt
• A Native American Pattern for Last of the Mohicans
• Rear Window - Attic Window Block
• You get the idea

The Rules:

·         Perimeter must be less than 100 Inches 

·         Bring your quilt in an anonymous brown paper bag

·         Attach an explanation to your quilt including the title of the movie and an explanation of why you chose that film.  

    We will also, in addition to voting for favorites, have the membership guess the movies and there will be a small prize for the member that guesses the most correct matches of quilts to movies.  Please consider making a quilt for the challenge it would be great to see some newer members participate.  The more quilts, the more fun! Quilts are due at the March meeting.

-Kathy DeCarli and Robin McMillen

 Robin McMillen

(610)836-1363

(610)873-2950

Getaway

Last year I forgot a bunch of things for the getaway. Here is a list that might be helpful. 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_NnmpTjM1uxcHgxU1lpamR6UW8/edit


Member Profile - Jean Fox

How many years have you been quilting?

I was given a needle, thread, and fabric when I was three years old to sew pieces together. Sometimes,  I would stand on my grandmother's chair behind her back and leaned over her shoulder to watch her make either dress for me or quilt blocks.  My quilting was rather limited through the years until  about 1964 because I was sewing doll clothes as well as clothes for me.  I took some classes at a quilt shop at that time but really did not do a lot as I was working and in a couple of years from then had my son.  Again clothing for him and me were my primary sewing projects. In the late 90's I quit  working at my regular job.  I was offered a part time job in a quilt shop teaching guide  lessons on the Bernina sewing machine and teaching some quilting. The many techniques  of needlework have always been a very important craft for me also so because of this I was not getting as much quilting done as I would like. Now I do most of my quilting in the day time and spend the evenings doing needlework.

What is your favorite part of quilting?

My favorite part of quilting is the cutting and sewing together the blocks.  There have been times when I spent all day cutting with plans so sew it all together later.

What is your favorite color? 

I do not really have a special color although I do lean toward blue.  I just like working with groups of color that look well together  depending on the subject of the project.

How many quilts have you made?

I couldn't begin to say how many "quilts" I have made.  I make mostly wall hangings and smaller things.  It depends on a design or item that I like. Many times what I make depends on who I am going to give it to which Is where most of my things go.  I have also been fortunate to sell a lot of things with a group who do this together in the fall at the Brandywine Museum Fall Market Place.

What is your next project?

I am seriously thinking about making  some things using men's ties. They will probably be mostly wall hangings  I have a very  large selection of ties and recently found a very good book with many designs made using ties.  I don't know how much I will get made because using this type of material makes it necessary to using a lightweight backing on all the fabric.  This makes it twice the amount of work than using regular cotton fabric.  Along with this I have a quilt started for  my newly wed (3 yrs. now) son which I hope to get finished some time this year.  So far I have only made smaller things for them.

Tell us something the member may want to know about you.

I have been a member of Penn Oaks from the beginning at which time I was the first president.  It is a very important  group of people in my life.  Other wise, my life consists mostly with being active  in the quilt guild, the embroiderer's guild, my church's women's board and trying to keep up with the house work and my husband.

Write as Desired……

BREAKING NEWS

I have declared the year 2016 to be the Year of the Stash.

I have declared this privately, to a few close friends and now to the world!

This is the Year of the Stash and I have already begun!

        With this declaration, I have decided to write about my experience in short articles that I hope will compile into a small book.  My goal in writing will not be to give stash busting patterns but rather to explore the art of the stash in defining who I am as a quilter.  I also hope that you are inspired to look more deeply at your own work and your stash with me.   You started building your stash because you wanted to make more quilts but did your stash get out of hand along the way?   Has your stash become more of a burden than a source of inspiration?   Do you have a love/hate relationship with your stash?

            I started quilting about 30 years ago.  My first quilt was made with 6 fabrics that I purchased from my teacher in her basement.  I did not know that quilt stores existed. When I did find a quilt store, I timidly bought 2 solid colors – a pink and a blue – to add to the 6 prints I had.   And then the fun began.  I started to build a stash. 

From that first king size sampler with the polyester sashing, I was hooked, but dare I say that I was hooked more on the fabric than the quilting.  Years went by when I did not have the time or energy to make a quilt but I kept on building that stash! Sure I used my stash when I made quilts but the stash burgeoned.   There was no stopping it.

And so last year, I had come to address the elephant in the room and hall and closet.  What was I going to do with this collection of what I call “rags”? Little pieces of fabric all stacked up.  Totally worthless if not sewn up, or woven or something.

I did not back off.  I did not put more containers in the basement.  I faced it head on.  And so 2016 is The Year of the Stash.

In exploring my stash, I am going to invite you to explore yours.  I am going to explore ideas such as

Listening to your stash

Friendships

Temptations

Supporting your local quilt shop while using your stash

Core Collections

The Compost Heap

Storage

And Stash’s sister Scraps!

I will try to keep you posted in this journey.  Some of you may be ahead of me in your journey and some of you may be behind but isn’t that the joy of it.  Using what we have in the best way we can, at our own pace, and discovering something about ourselves and our craft in the process.

Now I know I have another pink somewhere……..

Chris Harkins

Plexiglass Templates

At the January meeting, I showed two plexiglass templates that I use to rotary cut the custom dance skirts I make. I realized that plexiglass is perfect for a shape that we need to cut a zillion of for a project. I love my rotary cutter so anytime I can use it is a time saver. The possibilities are endless and it is an inexpensive way to save time which is precious in our busy lives. 

 C &R Glass 

5 Westtown Rd 

West Chester PA 19382

610-696-5611

( they are on the short section of Westtown Rd between Market and Gay street)

I provided them the paper pattern that I designed and the plexiglass is perfect thickness for the rotary cutter. The 4 skirt patterns (like I showed at mtg) which are about 12"X12" and piece 2 1/4"X 24  were $25.00

Allie Barchi

Pet Beds 
Patricia Sherman, and Dana O'Connor are taking fabric and batting scraps. They will be for dog and cat beds.  Debbie Becker will pass them along to Pat and Dana if they are not at the meeting.

Quilt Events

New Quilts by Kaffe FassettMichener Art Museum
November 14, 2015 - February 21, 2016
Doylestown, PA  18901
www.michenermuseum.org

2016 Nature's Prism: A Quilt Display
January 8, 2016 - February 7, 2016
Devon, PA
Jenkins Arboretum
www.jenkinsarboretum.org

FibreWorks Winter Retreat 
Workshops and Gathering
February 26 -28, 2016
Harrisburg-Hershey Sheraton Inn
Hershey, PA
www.gatheringofguilds.com

American Quilter's Society
March 16-19, 2016
Lancaster Convention Center
Lancaster, PA
www.americanquilter.com

Celebration of Quilts 2016
York Quilter's Guild
May 20-21, 2016
Grumbacher Sport & Fitness Center
York, PA
www.celebrationofquilts.com

Quilt Odyssey

July 23-26
Hershey Lodge and Convention Center
Hershey, PA
www.quiltodyssey.com