Recap of January's meeting

What a creative and productive first meeting of 2014 GreatFul Threads had Thursday evening. There were 12 members present. Josie took pics and will get those on the blog within a few days.

Our 2014 challenge is a self portrait which is due in October. The rules are as follows:
1. At least 50% must be pieced or appligued. In other words it cannot be 100% painted on fabric.
2. It can be abstract, real or interpretive.
3. The dimensions must be 11 X 14.
4. It must have a sleeve on the back for hanging.

The group is excited about our service project with Children's Discovery Museum in conjunction with the AQS show in September. We will be working with  children at the museum making blocks for 2 quilts as well as a block for them to take home. The quilts will be hung in the museum along with our members quilts during the AQS show. The first quilt will be 64" X 40" in bright colors with rows of sailboats, houses, 4 patch, star-moon-planets, robots, dinosaurs, flowers, and sashing to divide the rows. The blocks will be fused except for the 4 patch ones. We will have the fabrics fused on one side, cut out and placed in individual zip bags. The children can arrange the shapes on the
8 1/2" fabric block. They will then be fused onto the fabric with an iron by one of the members. If buttons are part of the design the children can sew the button on also. The 4 patch blocks will be hand sewn by the older children.  The second quilt will be 36" X 36" and made up of  single 6" blocks that have a smaller contrasting batik hand sewn on top using pearl cotton.

We are on the calendar  Saturday April 12 and 19 as well as  May 3 and 10 to work with the children from 1:00 - 3:00.  We will have a work day to apply fusing to fabric and cut out shapes on 
Feb. 27, time 4:30 at Bernina Sew and Quilt Studio. This is the date of our next GreatFul Threads meeting, we will  simply arrive 1 1/2 hours early.

The group is asked to look over their stash and bring in fabric that would be suitable for the blocks. Example blocks were shown. Batiks will be needed as well as bright reds, blues, greens, white and greys, along with fabric that will be good to cut circles for flowers and to fussy cut dinosaurs. Small, fun buttons will be needed also.

If you have any questions or would like to send a snip of fabric to ask if it would be appropriate contact Delores, Jackie or myself. Ava will be our official photographer for the event.

Seperate from our quilt project at CDM (Children's Discovery Museum), GreatFul Thread members were asked to volunteer  Saturday February 15 and Sunday February 16 in a Make It Workshop at CDM. 4 volunteers are needed each day to assist children in sewing. Machines and fabric are supplied, we just need to show up. The time is form 12:00 to 4:00 each day. If you are interested please contact me  asap so that I can let the museum know. This would be a good time to get a feel for skill levels of  children that go to the museum and also how the system works

Show 'n Tell was fantastic as always. Our program for 2014 is going to be a big success. Each member pulls two art quilt techniques from a basket and chooses one. The following month you will bring in a block where you have used that technique and explain how you did it.  In the basket there are familiar tehniques as well as not so familiar ones.  There are 26 techniques in the basket and our year is only 10 months so that a good variety will be presented.

If you have any questions or comments about the meeting please contact me.

Every day take time to create,

Denise