Christmas in July?

As quilters, we look for any excuse to employ our creative talents.  Nothing escapes our notice.  Be it a birthday, anniversary or some personal milestone.  The holidays are no exception.  With only 5 months until Christmas, YES, I SAID 5 MONTHS!,  quilters in my area will be busy thinking about their gift giving and decorating for the upcoming holiday season.  At our last show in 2012, they shared their holiday spirit with us.  I think by nature, creative people are generous people.  We take as much pleasure in the making as we do in the giving.  If you are looking for some great ideas to get inspired, you're sure to find them here.  Wall hangings, place mats, table runners and even a full size quilt to embraced the most magical season of all.  Be sure to double click on the images to see all the amazing details.

Santa and his Elves

If you love applique, this is the pattern for you.

Applique and Paper piecing

A warm welcome

The sampler format

In the example above, we see a great setting for a variety of appliqued and pieced blocks.  Not only a great way to use up scraps, but the variety in executing each block would be a welcome relief from the monotony often associated with traditional piecing. Perhaps this should be started now for Christmas 2014.

Guild workshops and kits are a great way to get started on a project.  Sometimes we need the companionship of others to keep us motivated.  Place mats and runners make terrific hostess gifts as well.  Especially for those who are not as handy with a needle as quilters.

Card Trick, an old pattern, is playfully converted here into a cluster of gifts.  A fantastic way to use up all those scraps from your previous Christmas projects.  Try exchanging charm squares of themed prints with other friends and guild members to increase your stash for this one.  Finish off each package with ribbon and bows to complete the look.

Traditional piecing

Christmas in July?  You betcha.  If you hope to get finished in time.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

I ran into a fellow guild member the other day and we got to talking about our summer break and our quilting projects.  It seems that even the most dedicated of quilters, in spite of good intensions, can get distracted by the needs of their gardens and the lure of outdoor living.  Our local museum has just finished a year long run of all things related to quilting, both old and new, and some of us are getting ready for the 100th anniversary of the Ontario Plowing Match and upcoming fall fair.  But, typical of country life, the garden does make its demands on our time and the latest heat wave did make it difficult to think about getting under a quilting frame.

Obviously for some of our members, they can appreciate the joys of summer and get inspiration for their work from mother nature.  Our grandmothers certainly did, with patterns like Grandmother's Flower Garden, Garden Path or any of the numerous rose and lily patterns that have come down to us over the century.

Beautiful Applique

Every technique conceivable demonstrated how varied the Piecemakers 2012 garden grew.  From the realism provided by applique through the romantic touch of embroidery.  Native plants and flowers competed with hybrid roses, exotic poppies, romantic bouquets and spring bulbs.

Embroidery 

Fussy Cut Focal Fabric

Fussy cutting a piece of yardage made for a beautiful quilt.  The intricate sashing and border demonstrated the artistic talent and skills of the maker.  One of my favorite quilts in our last show.

A Solute to our Theme Flower

Since our very first show, we have used the motif of the tulip as our logo.  (Be sure to look for it on our posters).  Sometimes it is executed in a paper pieced technique, at others, an appliqued technique.  The colours here are as fresh as a spring garden and remind us of the tulips welcome after a long cold winter in Southwestern Ontario.

Show Stopper & Prize

I'm just left speechless on this one!  A ribbon was well deserved for its maker.

An Interpretation to the Baltimore Quilts

The Baltimore Album Quilt of the mid 19th century has been interpreted here with native plants and a tribute to the Amish and Mennonite communities we enjoy sharing the surrounding counties with.

Stained Glass Technique

I am sure that in our 2014 show, our members will continue to delight us with their floral creations. Unfortunately, my garden is full of weeds, but perhaps that would make for an interesting quilt next year.  After all, one man's weed is another man's exotic plant.  Don't miss our 2014 garden!

Kaffe Fassett: A Life in Colour

Last week, while on vacation in London, England, I was fortunate enough to visit the current retrospective on the work of Kaffe Fassett.  "A Life in Colour: 50 Years of Textile Art."  Held at the Fashion and Textile Museum, I was unfamiliar with the venue and discovered a part on London I had never visited before. If you are familiar with the size of our own Textile Museum in Toronto, you will be able to identify with the size of this museum and the amount of space available for installations.  It is  small and intimate.  Perfect for viewing the works displayed.  It is a testament to the regard that fiber artists and the general public have for this man's work that the show was well attended for a Tuesday afternoon.

The sweater that started on a train.

The installation for the show began in the hallway leading into the gallery.  Early artwork and biographical information introduced the man to the public, with family photographs and art sketches from his days as a student at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and later the Art Students League in Manhattan.  From here, we entered into a two tiered exhibition space hung with 50 years of his work.  It was like walking into one of those middle eastern bazaars you only hear about.  

In 1964, Kaffe went to London and the trip changed his life.  His early experiments with textiles began with an interest in knitting.  While on a trip to Scotland to visit the family of friend British fashion designer Bill Gibb, he became inspired by the colours and textures of the rural landscape.  Further inspiration came when he visited a local woollen mill where he fell in love with the subtle artisanal shades and values of the hand dyed products.  Not being able to knit, he still didn't hesitate to purchase a pair of needles and while traveling back to London by train, he found a teacher in fellow passenger Alice Russell.

You might remember his early designs which were featured in Vogue Knitting.  A collaboration with Bill Gibb on a knitwear collection for the London couture house, Baccarat, would be a sensation.  Vogue editor, Judy Brittain, said that "his style was the shape of things to come."  Fassett's work would have a pronounced effect on the styles, colours and patterns of the 1970's and early '80's. The bohemian knits and peasant dressing that we all remember so well can be traced pack to his work.  It wouldn't be long before he was looking towards the home furnishings market for his next creative outlet and needlepoint would be the result.  In the 1980's every decorating shop displayed petit point or gros point cushions and the interest in the texture of tapestry could be found in every home in Europe and America.  A historical revival would result in the Victorian and French country styles of that decade.  More importantly, a resurgence in handicraft lead people back to their needles to produce their own cushions as well.  It was at this time that he published his first book on needlework designs.

One of the exhibition displays.

Fassett is best known for his use of bold and complex colour combinations.  His tapestry work has a painterly depth that demonstrates his artists training and this can be seen in the cabbage pillow above.  Early influences, such as medieval and Renaissance have evolved into the explosive and fiery palette of  south east Asia.

"India proved to me that colour is a vital ingredient in life"

It was in the 1990's that American quilter Liza Prior Lucy introduced Kaffe Fassett to the art form of patchwork quilting.  His departure from the small scale previously used by quilters was revolutionary and a turning point in contemporary quilting.  These influences continue after nearly 25 years! In response to the interest generated by his work, he began to design his own line of fabrics.  This has probably been his most successful endeavor along with publishing. Here, the quilt medium with its larger scale, provided Kaffe with a greater surface for design possibilities.  

By keeping his shapes simple, he allows the complexity of the design to develop through his use of pattern and colour.  The results are kaleidoscopic.  Full of movement and blending of colours. Their seems to be something primal in your response to these quilts.  You want to reach out and touch, even cuddle them.  They take you back to your childhood in a more sophisticated and adult way.  Perhaps we all have a "Linus" complex.

Kaffe Fassett continues to publish and influence the way that we look at textile design today.  He is arguably this generations answer to the great men and women of the 19th century Arts and Crafts movement.  Would your grandmother have approved?  Most certainly.  Imagine the joy they would have provided in the drab soddy of the prairies or the log cabin of a century earlier.

So, what has Kaffe Fassett to do with our Piecemaker's 2014 show?  Well, you'll just have to come out and see my tribute to this man and decide for yourself.

Our Charity Work

Our Crazy Quilt

The members of our guild are very generous with their time and talent.  Every year they produce numerous quilts for a variety of charities as gifts or for fund raising purposes.  This year I asked them to participate in the creation of a crazy quilt.  The finished piece will be used to help with the fund raising efforts for "The International Children's Theater Festival" that will be hosted by the city of Stratford, Ontario in June 2016.

Luckily for us, the fabrics and trimmings were provided by the Stratford Festival workshops.  These scraps represent every costume that was worn in their stage productions for their 60th anniversary year. Members participated by purchasing a kit that consisted of a 10.5" muslin square foundation and a selection of fabric and trim.  They had up to four months to return the finished blocks. Forty two kits were sold and forty came back by the due date!  The finished piece will consist of 8 rows x 5 rows wide.  For some members, this provided an opportunity to try techniques which were new to them.

The challenge was well met and the resulting blocks are not only beautiful on their own, but are resulting in a balanced and attractive quilt. I have the task of assembling the blocks into a coherent arrangement and further embellishing the seams.  I thought that I would share some details with you and when the top is finally assembled I hope to display it at our show in April 2014.

Silk ribbon embroidery adds texture and detail

Some participants chose to show off their needlework skills

A grandmother's fan makes for an interesting block

Thanks to everyone who participated in this project.

Save the Date

If you are planning your own quilt show it is important to remember that the role of a publicity chair needs to be filled at least one year in advance of your show dates. Their is always much to do and today I will be meeting with the printer to discuss our "Save the Date" bookmarks.  Timing is always a tricky thing in the advertising game, but with the number of regional shows that take place throughout the spring and summer months, it is important to get the word out as soon as possible.  If you are like me, I never leave a quilt show, shop, or fall fair without a handful of flyers and book marks.  They immediately get recorded on my kitchen calendar when I get home and my life becomes planned around them.

 Save the Date:  

April, 24-26th, 2014. 

Look for our brightly coloured bookmarks at your upcoming shows.  They should be available by the middle of May, 2013.

Until then, enjoy the shows and some more images from our last Piecemakers 2012 show.

A Fabric Playground: Blocking A Quilt

A Fabric Playground: Blocking A Quilt: These snippets were first published in Machine Quilting Unlimited magazine's ask-the-expert column 'Ask Kimmy'. Copyrights held ...

A helpful tip as we prepare our own quilts for next years show.

One Year and Counting

About Us:  

This show is the cumulative efforts of the Huron-Perth Quilter's Guild and the Stonetowne Quilter's Guild of St. Mary's, Ontario.  Presented every other year, over 120 members come together to share their work with fellow quilters, fiber artists and the general public.  Our show, scheduled for April 24-26, 2014 at the Pyramid Center in the town of St. Mary's, Ontario, will be our 11th show and is already being eagerly anticipated.  On view, are examples of quilting in the Traditional & Contemporary categories, as well as, garments and wall hangings. Over the next year, I will be sharing  pieces with you from our past shows.  I hope that you can join us in 2014.  At $6.00 for an entrance ticket, it is truly a bargain!

All quilting techniques are covered by the examples in our shows including:  Traditional piecing, paper piecing, hand applique, machine applique and fusible applique.  Their are many Art pieces too.

A new twist on Tradition

Modern Quilting, a new trend

An extensive showing of Wall Hangings

I couldn't resist!  Your author and only male member in the two guilds.  I won my first ribbon ever!

Views Choice for Lap/Throw Category

Merchants from around Southwestern Ontario tempt you with the latest offerings of fabrics, finds and gadgets in our Merchants Mall.

Enjoying our Merchants Mall

Visitors and members alike are enjoying our many home made goodies and a light refreshment before continuing with the show.  Our members also offer unique gift items for sale in our boutique area.

Always something good to eat.

I hope to share more of our work with you over the next 12 months.  Any questions, please contact me here and I'll do my best to answer them.  Until then, Happy Quilting.