Preview of SAQA/CT's "Local Color"

Our group was over the moon when the acceptances of SAQA/CT's were released by the jurors for Local Color!  Eight of us received the 'fat envelope'!!

Gail Kotowski's Metropolis

I have images of four:  

My Town Green

Barb Adams' Winter Marsh

This group entry (Diane Wright, Gail Kotowski, Barb Adams, Linda Zimmerman, Yvette Howard and Robin Wolek) was especially fun for us.  We love working on group projects: Whoever can, participates.  We always know that life gets in the way for us all, so it's usually 6-8 members who are available at any one time.  This time it was 6.

Hartford's Colt Dome

We had decided that we wanted to find a 'ultra' iconic image.  After not hearing from the Colt Dome Trustees for permission to use their online image, I decided to do the Little Red Hen thing and do it myself.  Well, myself with my husband David, the designated photographer.  While I was the designated driver, and he the photographer, we picked a clear day and made many 'passes' on I91 to capture images of the Hartford skyline that included the Colt Dome.  It was at times like this that you wish you had a helicopter.

Carol Ludington, and Ruth Anne Olson  also had entries accepted.  What fun!

Busy Week

Robin Wolek with her two

Instead of our usual meeting, today a few of us decided to drive into New Haven to see our Indigo exhibit at 300 George Street.  The walls are a perfect fit for our collection.  The lighting is wonderful.  There is a lot of foot traffic. All in all a wonderful place to be.

Marie Shepherd admiring Janine Anderson-Bayes' Bunny Tales

Yvette Howard next to hers (and in front of Diane's)

This last photo is courtesy of Margaret Sheehan, the SAQA NH and VT co-rep.  Last Saturday we all came from all over New England to hear Martha Sielman's (second from L seated) very informative talk about the Masters 2 Art Quilt exhibition now on display at the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, MA.  'Sister' Barb Adams and I drove up (two seated on R) with Kate Themel (directly behind us).  What a wonderful day it was!

300 George Street, New Haven CT

Janine's, Diane's, Robin's and Evelyn's

We decided to install our Indigo pieces in the Art in the Hall exhibition space at 300 George Street.  It is a multi-use office space owned by Yale University.  There is always activity there.  Each time we have hung a fiber exhibit, we get many comments on how much they appreciate having art in general and quilt art in particular available to them.  In fact, we have sold pieces at this venue.

Barb's, RuthAnne's and Linda's

Martha's, Janine's, Yvette's and Diane's

Two of Robin's, Deb's and 'The Sisters'

Diane's, Carol's and Gail's

Stop by if you are in town

Hosting SAQA/CT

Our exhibit(s) Indigo and Postage Stamps at the Guilford Free Library was the venue for SAQA/CT's Regional Meeting.  It is always a pleasure to host this dynamic group...it gives us a chance to see our friends from across the state and show them what we have been up to.

I have randomly chosen photos of some of our work along with a couple of panoramas.  I'll let the photos speak for themselves.  For more check our my own blog.  Between the two you will get an idea of how much fun yesterday was!

AND several asked for our recipes when they tasted our "Soup's on for SAQA" lunch.  Little do they know that we have a cookbook in the works. Maybe next year we'll have something else to share with them.  :^)

Carol Ludington's

East Wall
Debbie Bento, Robin Wolek, Diane Wright, Evelyn Judson, Carol Ludington,
Janine Anderson-Bays (2), Martha Wolfe, Yvette Howard, Diane Wright and Liz Shore

Evelyn Judson

Martha Wolfe detail

West Wall
Ruth Anne Olson, Barb Adams, Robin Wolek, Gail Kotowski, Linda Zimmerman, Robin Wolek
Sisters Self-portraits, Postage Stamps, Diane Wright (2)

Yvette Howard

Barb Adams

Linda Zimmerman

Liz Shore

Indigo

Last Saturday, Diane and her hanging crew hung our latest collection of quilts at the Guilford Library http://www.guilfordfreelibrary.org/contact-us/about/hours-directions/.  They really look terrific.  It is amazing the variety we have within our group.  If you have a chance and are in the neighborhood drop in and take a look.

A WEDDING QUILT

Last winter I had an idea for a wedding gift for a very special couple who I knew would cherish a quilt made from fabric sent to me by the entire guest list. I wanted to create a unique quilt with fabric chosen by family and friends that reminded them of the bride and groom. Early spring an email was sent out explaining my idea asking the wedding guests to send me some fabric. Here is a portion of the letter.

To help me create this gift, I'd like to ask you to send me a piece of fabric that you'd like to include in the quilt. Here are some parameters:

• It can be almost any kind of cotton, linen or wool.
• Unless it's a particularly sentimental piece, please don't send tulle, sequined fabric or silk, because these fabrics don't stand the test of time.
• The pieces of fabric can be as small as 6"x6" and as large as a half yard, from which I will use multiple cut pieces.
• If there is story behind the piece of fabric that you'd like to share with Erin and James, please include a note about that, as well.

The fabric can come from anything or anywhere. I've included some suggestions below, but I welcome others, too!

• clothing (shirts, pants, dresses, socks, etc.)
• a towel
• pieces from an old quilt that you're not using any longer
• a tablecloth
• cloth napkin
• a purchased piece of fabric in a color you love (ask for a "fat quarter," or 1/4 of a yard)
• lace doily
• t shirt
• curtains
• sheets
• if you live in another country, send a piece of fabric from that country
• You can also design a piece of fabric with paint, applique, embroidery or any other technique! (You can design and create anything you would like, about 6"x 6," just please make sure it is machine washable)

I stress almost any textile will do! The goal is to use fabric that you love, have used, created or that reminds you of Erin and James in any way.

I received all types of fabric with very sweet notes explaining why a specific piece of fabric was chosen. When I gave Erin and James the quilt I gave them the notes which they poured over and enjoyed! While I didn't get any sequins or tulle, the most challenging piece of fabric was the neoprene. It was too stiff to use in or as a square so I cut out little sea turtles and attached ...a very important memory to Erin and James.

The quilt includes pieces from memorable t-shirts, lyrics from love songs embroidered by the bride's mother, upholstery fabric from a chair once in the home of dear friend, many versions of blue as a connection to the oceans where hours were spent researching sea turtles, childhood memories embedded in small ways, some family photographs, a man's shirt, and a special piece of fabric used by the bride and her sisters to hide the torn ceiling in their very old, but very dear, car.  There is fabric from France, Canada, India and Japan. Each square was touched and admired... all with a big smile and a full heart!

Designed by Linda Zimmerman

Let's Pile Them High!

In response to eQuilter Luana Rubin's plea to donate 5000 quilts in the next three months to the victims of Hurricane Sandy, our group has been moved to action.  We are making...and looking through our stashes of already made (or partially made) bed quilts.  We are also offering to ship other area quilt donations along with our own.

Not long ago, Sister in Cloth member Vivika DeNegre (AKA Quilting Arts editor) donated several collections of manufacturer samples to our group.  My The Day the Circus Came to Town is one of those (with light blue and yellow added from my stash).  I made it before Sandy was even a tropical storm...but I think it has found a home in our collection bound for NYC.

The plea from eQuilter...and the need...is for bed sized quilts.  But I can't resist sending this crib sized one.  Somewhere there is a child who will be cheered and warmed by the Circus coming to town (instead of that darn storm).

If you live in our area and want to join us in sending your quilt (s) to Timeless Treasures, who has volunteered to warehouse the donations for eQuilter, contact one of the Sisters before Dec. 8, or comment on this blog.  We will coordinate packing and shipping.  And, don't forget to label your contribution!

Consider donating quilts or money to the effort:  details are on eQuilter's website at the bottom of the website, titled Hurricane Sandy.

The Day the Circus Came to Town

Crib Quilt detail

Crib Quilt back