Monday, March 16, 2015

January 2015 WestSide Modern Quilt Club Meeting

The WestSide Modern ladies have a reason to feel proud!
Currently, there is $11 Million worth of artwork that is on display at the Portland International Airport, and they have chosen to feature selected quilts from our Bridges of Portland collection created for the Northwest Quilting Expo last fall.

On February 12, the creators of these quilts got to view their works of art "in situ" as they are currently displayed. Everyone had a great time and it was fun to see them all in one place. 

Portland: The Pearl

The topic for quilts for submission for the 2015 Quilting Expo is Portland: The Pearl.  Ideas for inspiration with sign-ups were featured and there is much excitement about our "Magazine" layout. Details about this project can be found HERE.

Pantone's Color of the Year: Marsala

"Much like the fortified wine that gives Marsala its name, this tasteful hue embodies the satisfying richness of a fulfilling meal while its grounding red-brown roots emanate a sophisticated, natural earthiness. This hearty, yet stylish tone is universally appealing and translates easily to fashion, beauty, industrial design, home furnishings and interiors."

Need some help choosing complimentary fabrics with this great color? Try using the 3-in-1 Color Tool which makes it easy to mix and match colors you may not have considered!

Show and Tell



Mallory Jarboe
Susan Dottarar
Quilting closeup
Noelle Evans
Kay Wagner
Dawn White
Jan Crow
Marjorie Elliott
Colleen Barnhardt


Elisa Corcoran
Joe Noble
Betsy Biller and Joyce Giezsler
Pam won a quilt!
Pam Raby
Molly Miles
Colleen fun with doodling
Colleen Barnhardt
Colleen's close-up
Guest Speaker: Joyce Geizsler

Joyce has been quilting for 25 years as well as designing quilts. She has been part of a "UFO" challenge every year and has gotten very good at determining what projects to finish, what projects to change up, and what projects should be abandoned.  She has come up with some handy acronyms to describe her projects.
WIP: Work in Progress
WIMM: Works in My Mind
PIGS: Projects in grocery sacks
PhD: Projects half done
TOAD: Trashed object abandoned in disgust

Joyce has to finish projects and she offered helpful hints at getting UFOs done:
Never put it out of sight
Make a list of your projects
Join Blog challenges
Out with the old before starting one new
Minute to Win it (work with a timer)
Big Bang Theory (oldest UFO- fling it or finish it)
Clean Sweep (clean sewing area, machine, etc. - good motivator)
Gold Rush (reward yourself when you finish)
Phone a Friend
Wipe Out (get rid of any you won't work on)
Calendar Girls (give yourself a deadline)
Soap Opera (sew on more than one at a time)
Dry Erase board next to sewing machine. List top 3 projects and cross out when done.

Sometimes it helps to redesign the project.  Make it into a doll quilt!  You don't have to finish where you started. 

If you aren't loving it, examine the parts. Little changes can make a big difference. Here is the same pattern with only slight changes. (Look closely to see if you can see the changes!)
Sometimes your quilt might just need a border. Or your old quilt blocks might need blending with newer fabrics that can revitalize the project. Use your fat quarter bundles!  Left over fabric? Make a small companion quilt!










Celebrate success! Pick your battles. Decide what to finish and what to fling. Gift bits of projects to others. Start small, one bite at a time. Be patient - you won't finish your projects overnight. 

Check out Joyce's 2nd book (coming soon): New Quilts from Old Stash!