Westside Modern Quilt Club March 2017

 We had a fun night in March, starting with some very silly texting for seniors jokes from Geri. 

Catching up on news, the Clark County Quilt Show is this weekend! Go check it out at the fairgrounds in Ridgefield, WA April 6—8.

The Mid-Valley Quilt Guild is having their annual show April 20—22 at the Polk County Fairgrounds in Rickreall, OR.

Don't forget about our Aboriginality Challenge: bring in your quilt, garment, bag, etc, 40" wide or less, by April 15th. We'll display the works until June 15th. We'll have a viewer's choice winner too!

We're also thinking about our Transitions challenge for the Northwest Quilting Expo in September. Check previous blog posts for details, but basically, your modern quilt (any size) inspired by a family heirloom or otherwise inspirational older quilt is due by August 15th. We'll have our usual potluck and unveiling at Millennium Park. We'll pair the quilts with a poster of their inspiration. More details to come on the poster, but be thinking about having a photo that you can print out at COSTCO.

Lilly is coordinating an exhibit of our Tribal Winds challenge quilts at the Lake Oswego Library to celebrate their remodel. If you participated in tribal Winds and have not yet gotten your email info to Lilly, please call us at the shop to get connected.

For our main presentation, our own Kristin La Flamme led us through four steps to critiquing our quilts from an art point of view. Getting beyond "like" or "don't like" when we are analyzing our use of colors, scale, composition, or perhaps even intent, can help us grow as artists and makers. We learned to first Describe, then Analyze, then Interpret, and finally (if desired) Judge. Then we broke into four groups and practiced our investigative skills with a variety of Kristin's quilts. Moving around and discussing in small groups was a great change of pace.

Show and Tell was short but sweet, and our favorite part of the evening as always.

Cathy brought her flannel pinwheels which she had originally made as a class sample, and now it will be raffled at her church to support their Mission program.

Lorie and Lilly participated in our Quilt Till You Wilt pizza party. They used the "2 For One Best Friends" pattern which cleverly lets you cut once to make two quilts. These will be donated to the NW CARES program.

Mardi shared her Farmer's Wife quilt. The blocks all have meaning to her and many reflect specific likes such as fishing. Check out our Facebook page for another photo of this beauty!

Robin's Quilt As You Go "Family Album" is so fun and unique.

Theresa brought her pretty — and seasonally appropriate, "Road to Ireland." 

Westside Modern Quilt Club August 2016

Kristin here. Please accept my apologies for posting this so long after our August meeting and delicious pot luck. We've been busy at The Pine Needle getting ready for, and enjoying, our Open House, a visit from Mary Fons (just a few days away!), and Northwest Quilt Expo at the end of September! Phew, there's a lot going on!

Northwest Quilt Expo is a perfect segue into our August meeting wrap-up as the main focus of the meeting was the reveal of our Tribal Winds challenge quilts. Not everyone who has entered a quilt was present, and I did not get super photos, nor take good enough notes to credit each quilt accurately. So... I'll present an enticing peek at a handful of the challenge quilts, but encourage everyone who can to go to Expo on September 22, 23 or 24 to see ALL the Westside Modern Quilt Club's Tribal Winds challenge quilts in the cloth.

The quilts presented were exciting in their variety of subject matter and aesthetic. Everyone had a meaningful story behind their work, and there was a broad range of skill from first quilts or first time trying a technique, to old pros pushing their comfort zones. Several club members thanked Geri for challenging the group each year as it has really helped them (and all of us, really) to expand our horizons and to delve deeper into our quilt making. There is no doubt, the challenge quilts this year will be as wonderful and well received at Expo as the Pearl and Bridges exhibits of the last two years.

First, we needed sustenance for our quilt reveal. The pot luck spread was delicious!

Carol's abstract quilt is based on Tlingit baskets.

I think this one is by Janet. It represents canoes and Longhouses and many other little elements she remembers from visits to a reservation as a teen.

I don't have good notes for this one, but I think it's her first quilt! Or the first one she designed herself.

This quilt by Linda is inspired by petroglyphs in the Columbia River Gorge.

Lori's poignant inspiration was a not yet federally recognized tribe also from the Columbia River Gorge area.

Mallory's Raven and salmon quilt has interesting details like buttons and tiny symbols.

Mary Pat's quilt is inspired by a basket weaving design which represents eagles in flight -- a fine metaphor for the native american spirit.

Susan actually made two beautiful quilts. I particularly liked the graphic simplicity of this one which so plainly represents an elk tooth dress.

Again, we encourage everyone to come see the entirely of this special exhibit at Northwest Quilt Expo, along with all of the other spectacular quilts which will be on display. Be sure to stop by The Pine Needle's booths and say hi too -- we've got half the team at the notions booth and half at the fabric one so you know there's going to be some healthy competition going on between the two! See you there.

Westside Modern Quilt Club July 2016

Despite hot weather and a potentially warm meeting room, we had a nice turnout (and with fans, a comfortable temperature). Geri let us know about upcoming classes, and new fabrics. We have a fun floral in stock by Kathy Deggendorfer who might be recognizable from her posters for the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. We might even like the supporting fabrics better than the main floral! Geri also showed off a test copy of Quiltfolk, a magazine we hope to see soon from Michael McCormick (who spoke about his Gabby Quilts books last year).

One word for this month's joke: "Ew!"

We had our last challenge update. The reveal party will be August 31st at Millennium Park at 6:00. That means no Westside Modern meeting at The Pine Needle in August, but meet us at the park to see the quilts so many of you have been working on. Also, there will be no meeting in September as Geri and team will be working on and at the NW Quilting Expo. 

If you have a quilt for the Tribal Winds challenge, bring it on the 31st (bound and with a hanging sleeve) along with the entry form found on NW Quilting Expo's exhibit entry page. Please write "Westside Modern: Tribal Winds" in the notes section. You do not need to pay the $20 entry fee unless you wish for your quilt to also be judged as part of the larger quilt show. Please also bring a 75-ish word synopsis of the inspiration and concept for your quilt. If you can't make it to the August 31st reveal party, please turn in your quilt and paperwork to The Pine Needle before that.

On to Show and Tell, what fun!

Cathy showed off her hexagon quilt top. She's been working out a unique way to assemble her quilt without any hand sewing!

Darlene shared the cozy wool quilt she made for her brother. She quilted the feathers herself on her home machine.

Deslie showed off two lovely quilts she made from scarves she no longer wears. Simple and sublime. Of course, there was also a matching bag.

Elisa C shared the Gravity quilt she made in Pam's class. It has a gorgeous mix of computer and hand guided quilting. There will be a Gravity quilt special exhibit at Expo, so be sure to check it out.

Judith calls this her "Which Side is the Front?" quilt. One side is Storm at Sea and the other is an artful variation of the same blocks but with a somewhat different layout.

Marlene shared her Lone Star quilt with fun fabric choices. There's blueberry fabric in there which she had purchased in Maine (of course). Marlene also talked about working with her long arm quilter on choosing just the right computer-guided design, scaled to look like custom work, for the perfect mix of special and affordable.

Oops, I forgot to get the name of this lady who shared her lovely Log Cabin with a modern layout.

Our July Speaker was Mary Ann McCammon. She's a local art quilter who has traveled several times to Eldoret, Kenya to help the Beyond Fistula program there. Obstetrical fistula is a medical condition resulting from difficult childbirth. Women who become pregnant at a young age or who are small statured because of poor nutrition are at higher risk for fistula, and this condition is primarily seen in Africa and South Asia. Mary Ann shared with us some of the stories of the program in Kenya and the young women helped by it. A separate program pays for the surgeries which can help many, and Beyond Fistula helps with after care in the form of counseling, scholarships, and job training. Mary Anne's part, Quilts for Empowerment, is a vocational training program sponsored by Beyond Fistula. The quilting program provides obstetric fistula survivors with an opportunity to learn a new skill, gain self-confidence and earn income by making quilts. All of the quilts are one of a kind products made from African fabric and personalized with hand stitching using embroidery floss. Products include table mats, table runners, aprons, as well as decorative quilts that often tell a woman’s personal story through her stitching and choice of fabric. Mary Ann told us amusing stories of her time in Eldoret, and shared some of the stories of the young women she worked with, as well as photos of them and their charming quilts. She also brought a selection of little quilts for purchase. There will be a Fundraiser on November 20th at which guests can meet Christine Fox, the program director (and "den mother") for Beyond Fistula in Kenya. They hope to raise $12,000 for supplies through the sale of hand made quilted products and a silent auction. The Fundraiser will be held at the Wine Country Barn in Newberg, OR. 

Westside Modern Quilt Club May 2016

May's Westside Modern Quilt Club meeting kicked off with a full house and a funny palindrome joke from Geri, and continued in good spirits from there. 

Announcements:

• The Sunshine and Stitches Shop Hop starts on June 18th. The Pine Needle is participating this year with a simple Friendship Star as our free block, and a patriotic, summery, Stars and Stripes pillow as our project in which to use your stars. Come in and get your Hop passport any time.

• The Row by Row experience will start June 21st and we have a charming row designed for participants. Geri will show it off at our next meeting.

• The State Fair still needs volunteers for the Quilt Walk. Your 4 hour volunteer shift gets you free entrance to the fair and free parking -- a perfect way to enjoy the fair, help the community, and save a little money (so you can spend it on funnel cakes!). Call us for contact information.

• The Pine Needle is also working on a special event with a Quiltlebrity in September -- stay tuned for more details.

Tribal Winds is the final name for our annual challenge. • The 2016 Challenge will debut at Northwest Quilting Expo in September 22-24, 2016. Our reveal party pot luck will be at 6:00 on August 31st at Millennium Park in Lake Oswego.• The challenge is open to anyone wishing to honor the heritage of the Northwest Native Americans in a Modern Quilt format (please avoid decidedly pictorial solutions). • Your piece must measure either 32"x 44" or 48"x 66" and use some amount of the Benartex fabric Sevilla in gold or gold and white. Hopefully everyone wishing to participate is already well on their way creating their quilts!• It must also have a 4 inch sleeve attached to the back of the quilt for hanging. 


Focus on Native American culture seems to be heightened right now, as the Portland Art Museum just had their Edward Curtis exhibit, and are now preparing an exhibit of fashions by Native American designers (more textiles -- yay!). The Lake Oswego Library's summer read is also about Edward Curtis and his work with Native tribes. We are lucky enough that Carol Langer, a quilter and friend of The Pine Needle brought several items from her family's collection. Apparently her husband's cousin was a rural mail carrier who's route included the Rosebud Indian Reservation, where he was friendly with the inhabitants and collected many beautiful pieces. Carol brought us a buckskin dress from the Winnebago Tribe, a child's vest decorated with porcupine quills, several decorative pairs of shoes, a small Lone Star quilt, and a beaded and fringed purse. Most items were from the 20s or 30s, with the purse dating to 1870. Thank you Carol for sharing these beautiful items!

Show and Tell:

Robin shared Paris themed placemats (sorry, the photo was horrible, but the placemats were lovely!).

Kathy W shared a quilt she started in Pam's Studio 429 class. The idea was to choose a shape and then play with changing it's size, proportions, etc. Kathy chose a hexagon and made this striking quilt:

Carol W Shared this graphic and bold graduation gift she made for a niece who loves lime green.

Sue B brought the wedding quilt she's working on for her son. He requested something simple with blue and yellow. We think her solution is gorgeous.

Jan brought her twilight colored Sequoia quilt which she made as Pam was developing the pattern. It was quilted by Nancy Stoval and is a real stunner.

Deslee shared a quilt she made from a poppy fabric that she loved. She used up every last bit of the fabric in this quilt and a matching bag.

Virginia Hammond was our presenter for the evening. She is writing a book about the US money system and has chosen to illustrate it with quilts! She focused on one of those quilts for her presentation. It will be titled "Wheels of Commerce" and is based on the La Passacaglia quilt from the book Millefiori Quilts by Willyne Hammerstein.

Virginia talked about her techniques and favorite resources for making this labor-intensive, hand pieced, quilt. She basically blew all our minds with her fussy cutting and fabulous (and often humorous) fabric choices. Below, she is showing how choosing just the right bits for the fussy cutting makes swiss cheese out of her yardage.

Here's a close-up of one of the wheels, highlighting the carefully chosen motifs in each shape that makes up the larger "block."

Hopefully Virginia's entire collection of money quilts will be able to travel to various venues and be seen as a show as well as illustrations for her book. Good luck Virginia! We look forward to seeing this completed quilt and to seeing what will undoubtedly be a spectacular show.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in May. We look forward to seeing you all in June.