Monday, October 31, 2016

Meet Jackie Clark

Creativity is a lifestyle.  I am so lucky and blessed to be doing what I love.  Got into sewing as an adult. No one in my family sewed. My first machine was a Singer 2010 in 1980. A computerized machine. Wow. So much fun to create. I now have about 13 machines, among them Singer featherweights, a hand crank antique machine and a Singer Treadle. 
I started learning how to make clothes from patterns and books. Next apprenticed myself to a costume shop and spent five years there working part time learning all I could about making costumes for catalog and costume events and Halloween. Then moved on to theatre where I worked behind the scenes as a Costumer for plays. I even tried my hand doing alterations. Yuk. Definitely not me.
Our move to Florida in 1989 propelled me into quilting. I thought this kind of sewing wouldn't require so much space. Joining OMQG really opened up the world of quilting to me and it was here I found the people who were actually like me and loved to quilt. 

Between quilting and painting, my other creative passion, Life is Good. Because, you see, these creative endeavors bring me together with the most wonderful group of people, many of who have become good friends.
Lately my focus has been an interest in Art Quilts and painting textiles. Where this will take me I have no idea but it is exciting to learn new things.

My granddaughter wants to learn to quilt from me and I've reached the stage where I need to give back and to share what I've learned with others so their lives will be richer through quilting. 
I still have more to learn, more quilts to make, and more new friends to meet.  Tomorrow is a new day.  What will we make tomorrow?

Thursday, October 6, 2016

October Meeting Minutes

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 MEETING MINUTES
Wednesday, October 5, 2016 – 10:00 am
Maitland, FL

President Alissa called the meeting to order; 51 members and 5 guests were present. She invited new members to introduce themselves, but there were no new members today. As an icebreaker, Alissa passed out paper and asked members to name icons that might be suitable for a guild banner, which Debra has volunteered to design.

TREASURER’S REPORT

Marge, former Treasurer filling in for Joan, reported on receipts and expenses resulting in a balance of over $13,000. As a separate account, the Quilts for Pulse project has received donations of over $6,600 and, after expenses such as purchasing backing and batting, there is a balance of approximately $1,500 for the Pulse project for ongoing expenses.

EDUCATION

Education Coordinator Ede reported that Christa Watson, who taught a class for the guild two weekends ago, donated a copy of her new book (The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting: Long-Arm and Sit-Down--Learn When, Where, Why, and How to Finish Your Quilts, co-authored with Angela Walter) to our guild library.
Our next class is a dying class from member Frank on January 7, 2017. She said it is a fantastic opportunity, because he is providing the fabric, dyes, other supplies, so it is a way to try dyeing without a huge investment. The class will cost $60, after the guild subsidizes some of the cost; it is limited to 12 students. Those attending will only need to bring some items such as rubber gloves. The class will be at Alissa’s house in Deland. Signup will be at the November meeting, so bring a check to lock in your spot if you want to sign up. There will be a lottery for places, if necessary, and, if there is enough demand, Frank might teach it a second time.
Next will be two days of classes from Jackie Gering March 17-18, 2017; Ede will request that she offer two different classes. Jackie will give a trunk show at The Sewing Studio on Sunday, March 19, 1:00 pm, at a small charge to members and a higher charge to others.
Ede encourages anyone interested in classes that are full to sign up on the wait list in case of cancellations; she says that often one or more on the wait list get in. Ede also reported that Shannon Brinkley will teach a class in May and Amanda Jean Nyberg will teach a class in September next year.

MANCUSO WORLD QUILT FLORIDA

The guild has accepted the invitation of the Mancuso Show to have a display of quilts at the World Quilt Florida show in Orlando again in January. Tanyia volunteered to be in charge of gathering quilts from members, which should be modern quilts. Those wishing to show a quilt there should contact Tanyia by email. There is no size requirement but all quilts need to have a hanging sleeve. Alissa mentioned the possibility of including a group of Pulse quilts as part of the guild’s display.

GUILD LIBRARY           

Yanick brings books to meetings, which members have asked to check out. The book list is available at the website. Books may be checked out for a month at meetings and must be returned at the following month’s meeting. 

UFO LOG

In Kelly's absence, Alissa announced that members may list their UFOs in the guild’s UFO log and let Kelly E. know when each has been completed. Prizes are given at our December holiday party with one entry in the drawings per UFO finished. There will be a prize for the member who has completed the most UFOs and another for a random drawing winner.

HOLIDAY PARTY

The guild’s holiday party has previously been at the December Dr. Phillips Sew Day, which is December 17 this year. The Board is considering other options, will decide at its next meeting and announce the details in November.

QUILTCON CHARITY QUILT

Members returned the small brown bags of finished blocks for the guild’s QuiltCon 2017 charity quilt. Any that weren’t returned today can be given to Alissa at next Monday’s Maitland Sew Day or mailed to her. Nancy S. has volunteered to quilt it. It will be entered in a special exhibit of QuiltCon charity quilts at QuiltCon 2017 in Savannah, GA, in February, and returned to the guild afterwards for donation to a local nonprofit.

FESTIVAL OF TREES QUILT

Tanyia reported that the quilt top made of members’ blocks for donation to the Orlando Museum of Art’s Council of 101’s Festival of Trees, which were turned in last month, will be completed this weekend and quilted by Nancy S. by the end of October for this year’s Festival of Trees, November 12-20.

RAFFLE BASKET

Kathy, who won the Raffle Basket last month, returned it filled with items, including a cute tin full of fat quarters, special quilters’ soap, a needle threader, a quilting magazine and book, a bag pattern and other things. The basket was won by Rebecca.

GUILD T-SHIRTS

Alissa would like members to help design guild t-shirts that members can purchase, so please email her with any ideas for pictures, sayings, etc., to be printed on t-shirts along with our logo. The board will discuss it at their next meeting. She hopes to find an online site where members can purchase the style they want without the guild having to purchase and resell them. Many would like to have t-shirts in time for QuiltCon in February 2017.

QUILTS FOR PULSE  PROJECT

Alissa reported that the project is finally tapering off, although things are still trickling in. She thanks everyone and said how much she appreciates all the work that everyone has done. She pointed out Jodi and Leslie at the back of the room, where they were receiving finished quilts and giving out quilt kits for quilting and binding.

Alissa reported that the guild has been working on 450 quilts, assembling donated blocks into tops and quilting and binding tops both made and received, and she thanked everyone for all of their work completing those. The guild has received between1,300 and 1,400 finished quilts, and Alissa said that, when she had over 1,000 quilts in her house at one time, she posted a video of them on Instagram. She also thanked Paula, who is photographing each quilt.

She noted that 1,000 of the quilts have been spoken for, requested by the organizations representing those impacted by the Pulse shootings with which the committee of Alejandrina, Yannick, and Sarah have been in contact. Because we have more than enough quilts for current requests, finishing the rest can take until mid-November. We expect that other organizations and individuals we don’t yet know about will request quilts after the first distributions are done.

New member Nancy J. has taken 10 quilts to be displayed on a float in the Come Out with Pride Parade this Saturday, October 8, 4 pm, which goes around Lake Eola and Orange Avenue in downtown Orlando. Although the parade may be postponed due to Hurricane Matthew, it has not been yet and the quilts will be on the float on schedule or when the parade takes place if postponed.

Paula asked that volunteers sign up on a sheet she passed to help at photo shoots, unfolding and folding quilts and pinning on the care cards and ColorCatchers. When quilts are completed and have been photographed, they will be picked up at Paula’s studio by the groupsdistributing them to the organizations on our list. Paula said she photographs about 100 quilts per session and has photographed 649 so far. She plans to set up one session a week lasting 1-1/2 to 3 hours. Rene documents each quilt as it is photographed. Paula also mentioned how fun it is to see all of the quilts in each session, some with special letters and notes or labels attached.

Some members and others have requested quilts for impacted individuals. Anyone who wants to do that, please email the information to Alissa, who is willing to mail them the quilt, and let Alejandrina know so they are included in the record of all quilts donated by the guild.

So far Alissa, with Patti documenting each package, has received 1,467 packages. Just lately she received 3 from Italy and we’ve received quilts from 23 countries and all 50 states. The Giving List of organizations to which we’re donating includes the surviving victims and loved ones of those who died (230 quilts that will be distributed by an arm of United Way created to help them), 2 hospitals, numerous law enforcement organizations including UCF police, 911 operators, EMTs, fire departments, and 3 rough donated quilts are going to the bomb-sniffing dogs in law enforcement canine units. Alissa mentioned that we do not yet have a contact for Pulse employees, and she is waiting to hear from someone she has attempted to contact to get a number of quilts to that group as well.

Debbe King needs a photo of the quilt proposed to go to Mayor Buddy Dyer, to send to her City Hall contact, and Paula will email it to her. That quilt has the Orlando skyline with 49 colorful hearts above it representing the 49 who were killed that morning. If the Mayor accepts it, his office may want a presentation in November. Debbie wondered if some of the quilts not yet distributed might be displayed as public art in City Hall and will inquire about it. As mentioned above, Alissa suggested some be displayed at World Quilt Florida in January.

Alissa has been in tough with the national Modern Quilt Guild. They plan a Quilts for Pulse event for QuiltCon 2018, but that seems too distant in time to thank the many donors who will be there, so she has requested from someone at the Modern Quilt Guild space and time for a Meet & Greet at QuiltCon 2017 in Savannah in February where people can meet us and we can thank them for their response.

Alexis has scanned all of the notes and letters that arrived with packages of donated quilts and blocks, which she is now editing to remove or cover personal information so that collection can be posted and probably donated to the Orange County Regional History Center, which is collecting public memorials to the victims.

Alissa plans to use the business cards sent with quilts to create a list of businesses the guild can use to try to do business with those who have donated to this project when we have the opportunity.

Alejandrina was working on dates for distribution to these groups, but she lives on the coast and is currently evacuating her home because of Hurricane Matthew, which may set things back a week. There is a firefighter event on October 12th, when the shift which was on duty at the time of the Pulse shootings will be present, but that is the only date we have so far.

OTHER CHARITY PROJECTS

Charity Coordinator Sharleen reported that our House Next Door annual charity project had a goal of 70 quilts due by the November meeting, when someone will be here to receive the quilts. She has now received 75, including those given to her at today’s meeting.

DEMONSTRATION

Alissa demonstrated ice dyeing. She put a rack in a plastic bin on which she put a rolled or twisted length of damp Kona white fabric (Tanyia did this with Kona ready-to-dye white fabric), poured ice over it (the more ice, the less coverage of dye later), then sprinkled on powdered teal Procion dye. Tanyia said Rit worked as well and any powdered dye works. You leave it 4-24 hours for the ice to melt slowly, wear rubber gloves to rinse (or your hands will be dyed), and rinse a lot, to create an interesting piece something like tie-dyed fabric. You can use Synthropol or other things, like salt or vinegar, to set the color. See Youtube.com videos for more information. Solid color dye will give you spots of various colors. [Mary So recommended using a mask when using any powdered dye.] 

LUNCH

The group meeting for lunch after the guild meeting was going to the Olive Garden across from Winter Park Village on 17-92.

BLOCK OF THE MONTH


This month’s Blocks of the Month were made from Kate’s pumpkin pattern and were won by Paula. Jodi presented next month’s Block of the Month. She will post a tutorial for this scrap-busting block on the blog.

RETREAT REPORT

Alissa reported that the board has cancelled the November 3-6 retreat, because the Kenilworth Lodge in Sebring was condemned by the Fire Department early in the summer and is not yet open. The owner is seeking an injunction allowing the hotel to open so it has income with which to make the repairs, but while anyone is free to go to the Kenilworth and sew together, of course, the guild does not any longer sanction an event there because of the safety issue. Alissa called other retreat sites but has not found another available until spring. Any members who have pre-paid for the retreat should email Joan, who will refund their money when she is back in Florida in several weeks.

WETTERLING FAMILY QUILTS

Kate has invited members to make blocks (or quilt tops or quilts) for her project of making at least 4 quilts for the family (parents and 3 siblings) of Jacob Wetterling. Kate said efforts of his family led to the first sex offender registration laws, after his disappearance in Minnesota in 1989. The family is coping with the new information that he was murdered as well as kidnapped, due to the recent confession by his killer and locating of his remains. Kate is posting instructions for the blocks or quilts requested at her site https://toughkittencrafts.wordpress.com/ She would like blue or white-beige-cream blocks in any design. She will also accept donations of yardage for backs. She is contact Colorado guilds for help as well, because Jacob’s brother (married to Kate’s cousin) lives there. She would like blocks at the December meeting, whole quilts in January. She thanked the guild for its warmth to her after she spoke about this situation last month, when she was showing this month’s Block of the Month. Jan gave her a red teddy bear at this meeting, which she made for her after hearing the story last month.

SHOW AND TELL

As part of Show and Tell, in addition to all of the wonderful quilts shown by members, the Lake County quilt guild showed 3 quilts it is donating for the Pulse project, and Alissa showed us the mermaid tail she made in a recent class.


NAME TAG CHALLENGE

Because of the many new members, Alissa asked at the last meeting that each member make a name tag and wear it to meetings as we get better acquainted. A number of members modeled their new name tags.

The meeting was adjourned at 11:25.

UPCOMING EVENTS

·      October10 – Sew Day at Maitland Public Library 10-4
·      October 15 – Sew Day at Dr. Phillips Public Library 10-4
·      November 2 – OMQG Guild Meeting – Sewing Studio 10 am
·      November 7 – OMQG Board Meeting – First Watch, 17-92, 9:30 am
·      November 7 – Sew Day at Maitland Public Library 10-4
·      November 19 – Sew Day at Dr. Phillips Public Library 10-4
·      November 30 – deadline for quilt entry for QuiltCon 2017
·      December 12 – Sew Day at Maitland Public Library 10-4
·      December 17 – Sew Day at Dr. Phillips Public Library 10-4
·      December 17 – Holiday Party (this date may change)
·      January 7, 2017 – Frank’s class on dying fabric
·      January 19-21 – Mancuso’s World Quilt Florida in Orlando
·      February 23-17, 2017 - QuiltCon East 2017, in Savannah, GA
·      March 17-19, 2017 – Jacquie Gering 2 days of classes and Sunday trunk show
·      May 6, 2017 – Shannon Brinkley’s class
·      September 30, 2017 – Amanda Jean Nyberg’s class

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

November Block of the Month...And the winner is.....

You asked for it, so you got it!!

This month we did a little poll on Facebook to see what kind of block would be preferred by the guild.  Votes were overwhelmingly in favor of scrap busting blocks.  So here is a little tutorial for how to bust through your mounds of scraps.  Don't deny it, we all know you have lots of scraps!

We are calling this the Haphazard Block because it is based on the Haphazard Quilt over on My Poppet Makes.

Let's begin!

Fabric:

1 - 6.5(ish) center block in either white or gray
4 - strips of bold, bright and highly saturated scraps measuring at least 3" x 13"





Next, sew strips all around the white center block in a log cabin fashion, one on each side of the block. 







Trim so that it is at least 11.5".  The white block doesn't need to be centered.  It will be fun to have some a little bit off center.  You will want to make sure there is at least two inches of colored fabric on each border of the white block.


Cut the trimmed block into fourths and rearrange so that the white pieces are at the four corners of the block.  You can put them in any order that you like. 



Your block should now measure 11 inches.  Trim if necessary.

Now go grab a pile of scraps and knock out several of these blocks!

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Meet Caroline Garnier-Janney

Bonjour à tous et à toutes,


I am the French lady with a somewhat British accent!
Very often I get the question: ‘where are you from?  Strangely enough ‘from Orlando’ does not seem to satisfy whoever’s asking.  So where am I from?  My passport says France, but considering that I have moved 13 times over the last 22 years, lived in 5 different countries, on 3 different continents, I am not quite sure anymore, but I can happily claim that I have quilty friends from all over the world, and we all know ‘Quilty friends are the best’.

Where did my crafty adventure start?  Probably at my parents’ kitchen table when I was around 7, trying to crochet a blanket for my doll - I did not know how to crochet a rectangular shape, and ended up with a trapezoidal shape, so I turned it into a skirt.
I have always been crafty: from knitting, to sewing my own garments, cross-stitching, but quilting came by accident.  When my last child was just few-month old and my 2 other kids were still very young and not going to school, I managed to get 2 hours of help per week and decided to enrol to any class I could find at my local community centre.   Thursday morning quilting class fit the bill, so I was to become a quilter.  I learnt to draft my own templates on cereal boxes, to sew a metric 0.75cm seams, I hand-quilted all my quilts.  But I also learnt the importance of friendship amongst quilters and more largely crafty people.  Those 2 hours a week preserved my sanity and started me on a world of international friends.


Fast forward 13 years later, when I arrived in Orlando, a bit more than 3 years ago, as I was registering to the Dr Philipps’ library, Sew Day was in full action next door.  I met Beth who convinced me to join the OrlandoMQG and I am so thankful for the push.  I love the monthly meeting, I wish I could participate to the Sew Days more often, and I am so grateful for all the classes I had the chance to attend.

When it comes to style, I think I am an accidental modern quilter.  Going through my stash, you will find fabric ranging from Civil War reproductions (I can see some of the more Modern quilters rolling their eyes), to Japanese fabric (anything from indigo to earthy tones and lots of texture), to the last fav (anybody else in love with LesFleurs or From Porto with Love from Cotton&Steel).
I never really ‘intellectualised’ the way I quilt.  As a consequence, I don’t really know where my inspiration comes from.  It seems that I follow a pretty simple rule:  if I like it, I make it.  I have a thing for scrappy quilts.  I recently finished a quilt for my cousin’s wedding (or more precisely her 10th anniversary – I am slow), and I love the concept of this quilt: put all your dark in one bag, all the light fabric in another one and pair one dark with one light without any other consideration.  I really like how all those ugly fabrics put together make a harmonious, interesting quilt.


Most recently, I have been branching out of my comfort zone and participated to the MQG Riley Black challenge.  It has been an interesting process from the original inspiration pictures (a subway station in London), to some kind of improve piecing and quilting, to the final product.




What I am working on at the moment?  Quilts for Pulse, like many others in our Guild.  I also have a couple of tops waiting to be quilted.  After last week’s class with Christa Watson, I hope I will feel more confident to tackle them.  Otherwise, I am sewing garments for my girls and samples for my first upcoming class at the Sewing Studio, but it is another story.

If you want to see more of what I do, you can always come and visit my blog, I love having visitors.
Now I have a question for you.  What are the tips, techniques, books you couldn’t do without?  Here are mine.
·       If you’re like me and have a hard time figuring out the math for buying backing fabric, here is a net tool http://www.multi-patch.com/html/fabric_calc.php.
·       the Board Basting method (thanks to Jodi for the demo), I would not say I now love basting, but it makes the process less painful: http://colormequilty.blogspot.com/2013/04/board-basting.html
·       and this book, Thread work unravelled by Sarah Ann Smith ‘Everything you need to know about thread and machine quilting’

See you at the next meeting!