The August meeting will be at Millennium Park and we will share our challenge quilts. If you've made a challenge quilt, please download two copies of the entry form, one for Expo and one for our organizational purposes. There is no charge for your entry unless you want it judged or it needs special handling (rolled). At the July meeting we'll talk about getting posters printed at COSTCO of your inspirational quilt.
Kathy White passed on a request from the Metropolitan Patchwork Society. Ruth Ann Marquist is collecting flannel to be used in washable feminine hygiene kits for girls around the world. If you have flannel to donate please bring it to the July meeting and Kathy will collect it. Otherwise contact the MPS.
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.
Mary Ann spoke to us about the project last year and gave us an update which included well deserved growth in the program. A separate program pays for the fistula repair surgeries which helps many young women, and Beyond Fistula helps with after care in the form of counseling, scholarships, and job training. Mary Anne's part, Quilts for Empowerment, is part of 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. They are refining their one of a kind product line made from African fabric and personalized with hand stitching using embroidery floss. Products include table mats, table runners, aprons, as well as ornaments and decorative quilts that often tell a woman’s personal story through her stitching and choice of fabric.
They have recently added sturdy tote bags with a "story quilt" panel. The full time seamstresses receive a salary and enrollment in a Business and Savings Training course developed in Africa, which is culturally specific. All have the opportunity to go to school or vocational training as payment. Thank you Mary Ann for giving us insight into the lives of these young women and their efforts to overcome adversity.
Show and Tell:
This month's Show and Tell was short, but sweet.
Linda's quilt was a retirement gift for a friend. All the blocks represent things she hopes the friend will do in the next chapter of their life.
The second was a vintage quilt which she repaired and finished. It's old but has a very modern aesthetic.
Deslie shared a quilt she made using our Elements pattern. It's design perfectly showcased the fussy cut Alison Glass flying geese fabric. Deslie also shared a pro-tip: if your quilts are no larger than lap sized they don't take so long and you can make more of them!
Don't miss our July meeting meeting (last Wednesday of the month at 6:00 pm): Annette McFarlane from our local Studio Art Quilts Association chapter will bring a trunk show of 50 small art quilts for us to enjoy. There will be a huge range of aesthetics and techniques to study.
