Quilt Guilds

Stories about quilt guilds

Block of the Month Quilt

| Cindy Anderson

The modern quilt guild I belong to offers a monthly block of the month pattern to all interested members. The pattern and suggested fabric colors are chosen by one individual. Typically my schedule is jammed so full of activities that I seldom participate. On one rare occasion I found myself with time to spare. I used the lull in activity to assemble and submit an entry in the block of the month group activity.

Members of the guild can make as many blocks as they desire. The blocks are gathered once a month at the guild meeting. Names of the participants are placed in a hat. The person whose name is retrieved is the lucky recipient to take home the blocks. The winning seamstress assembles the fruit of her bounty in what ever manner she chooses. The blocks can be stitched together, untouched by a creative imagination, or they can be refashioned into a new design. The masterpieces that have evolved from a pile of donated quilt blocks into works of art have been absolutely amazing.

My oldest daughter is also a member of the same guild. She just happened to be the lucky winner the month I participated. Her finished product, as with so many other specimens, was a fine example of what can be created when a creative imagination and talent collide.

My daughter allows me to quilt about 80% of her projects. This block of the month quilt was one of them. She gave me the artistic license to quilt it as I saw fit. The freedom to quilt as I desired always makes me giggle inside.

My imagination instantly kicked into overdrive formulating a mental plan. This quilt was the culmination of many hands thus I felt it necessary to embellish it with a variety of stitch patterns as well as complimentary thread colors. The quilt itself was modest in size so from start to finish the amount of time spent quilting wasn’t long at all. My daughter is not particularly fond of applying bindings so I did that for her as well. I absolutely had a blast working with this project.IMG_7259

I hope you don’t mind but I had a very difficult time weeding out the myriad of photos I had in my media library. It was so difficult choosing which ones to share so I think I may have gone a bit overboard. Do you like it?

IMG_7187Vital Statistics:

  • Hours Quilting – 4.25
  • Quilt Stitch Patterns Used – Bubbles, Paisley, Geometric, Lines, Swirls, etc.
  • Number of Quilting Stitches Applied – 63,973
  • Thread Colors Used – Perma Core White, Blue, Red and Yellow

These Four Blocks Avoided the Rotary Cutter

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 A Closeup of Some of the Quilting Detail

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Thanks so much for visiting!

Cindy Anderson @ In A Stitch Quilting

A Special Button

| Cindy Anderson

I have belonged to a local quilt guild for several years. To give newcomers a chance to meet other newbies they offer an opportunity to participate in a day of sewing. The date, project and fee are all predetermined by the hostess. Even though everyone makes the same item the quilters choose their own fabrics. This freedom gives them the chance to personalize their project to suit their own taste.

It wasn’t until I was in the group for more than a year that I decided to go. Not knowing anyone from the guild I felt it would be an excellent opportunity to meet new people.

The hostess for the group was a vibrant, fun-loving lady with a heart as big as the universe. You know the kind of person that can put anyone at ease. Even though I had very little direct exposure to her I just knew she would turn the day into a wonderful experience.

So I made my reservations, purchased the pattern and supplies then waited for the time to arrive. IMG_0617_newThe project we worked on was the above tote bag. I blogged about it here.

Throughout the day the hostess circulated around the room making everyone feel welcome while offering her assistance. She just happened to stop by my table when I discovered I had made an error. With her wealth of knowledge and her experience, having previously made the tote, she helped me trouble shoot my options. In no time I was back on track and proceeding.

As a kind gesture the hostess brought with her a small gift for each of the students. Unfortunately she had miscounted and wound up one item short. I just happened to be the one person that did not receive a gift. Having missed out really didn’t make that much difference to me. I had a wonderful time and went home with a very pretty tote.

After returning home I never thought about missing out on a gift until one day I found a mysterious package in my mailbox. At first the name on the return address label didn’t ring a bell. Being curious about what might be inside I turned my attention to the package. I reached for my letter opener and carefully sliced through the upper crease of the envelope.

With the envelope now open I peered inside. There, in the darkness, was yet another envelope. This one was the size of a standard, everyday envelope; one you would use to mail a check. I tipped the envelope upside down to free the interior contents from its confines.

Out, into the palm of my hand, slid the small white envelope. On the outside of the envelope were written these words, “Sorry I left you out the other day.” I instantly knew exactly who the package was from.

imageA flood of emotions washed over me. Never, in my wildest imagination, had I ever expected this. I had all but forgotten about being left out.

After overcoming the shock of receiving the package my curiosity took over. What on earth could possibly be inside the envelope. Not wanting to waste anymore time I retrieved the letter opener and sliced through the uppermost fold. Not sure what was inside I carefully opened it. To my utmost surprise was a button

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and a small typed note. The note read:

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“The original hand crafted segmented lathe turned buttons were made by Ross Daniels. The woods have no dyes or stains. Most of the wood is milled in Wisconsin with some exotics mixed in. Do not wash or dry-clean.

Each limited edition button is given individual attention with gluing, sanding and finishing. It is a work of art, and we hope you will enjoy the hidden treasures of the beautiful wood grain that God has made!

Ross at: info@danielsstudios.com”

As I read the words, tears streamed down my face. This was no ordinary button and the lady that sent it was no ordinary lady. I was so overwhelmed by this one small gesture. The gift was so unexpected and so unnecessary. Yet I would never even think of surrendering it. In fact I can’t even imagine doing anything other than keeping it in a safe place where I can see it on a daily basis. This button will always have a very special place in my heart.

To this day every time I look at that button I fondly remember the lady that so thoughtfully sent it to me. If only she knew how deeply she touched my heart. By the way, although the note was signed by Ross, the remarkable lady that mailed me the button is Eileen Daniels.

Thank you Eileen Daniels for being such a special lady!

A Challenge It Is!

| Cindy Anderson

I belong to the national Modern Quilt Guild as well as the Madison Modern Quilt Guild. For the past three years the Modern Quilt Guild has held a members fabric challenge. This would be the first year I had the opportunity to participate. Fabrics for this year’s challenge were provided by Michael Miller. A bulk shipment of fabric was received by the local modern quilt guilds and then distributed to the members. How awesome to have the privilege to receive FREE fabric. I can’t think of any quilters that would want to turn it down.

The fabric line for this year was Petal Pinwheels. The rules of the challenge were pretty simple. Create anything you want, provided it is quilted, using all or some of the fabric pieces received. Solids from other manufacturers could be added to the project but no prints. Additional yardage of the Petal Pinwheels could be purchased at your own expense.

To be eligible for the prizes a photo(s) of your item had to be posted in the Modern Quilt Guild Forum. The deadline for posting your photo was July 25, 2014. Three lucky winners would be chosen by early August. To recognize their achievement each winner would receive a year of free fabric.

The Madison Modern Quilt Guild received and distributed six fat eights to its eligible members. I consider myself to be lucky to be one of those participating. The real challenge was deciding what to create. Originally I used the fabrics to make a simple but pretty table topper. Although I was pleased with the outcome I wasn’t quite sure it was putting my best foot forward. I set the project aside for a while to ponder its fate. After much contemplation I arrived at the conclusion that my project needed a bit of tweaking.

The best way I know to make improvements is to lay my project on my cutting table, grab my rotary cutter and begin zipping away. Some people wouldn’t have the heart, even though they might not like what they see, to subject something they had made to such drastic measures. Instead they might give it away or hide it in their UFO (unfinished objects) box. As far as I am concerned, if I don’t like my project’s current status I have nothing to lose by changing it. Zipping my rotary cutter through the fabrics and seams is the best way I know to accomplish an improved outcome. Besides, I tend to like free form quilting better anyway.

I labored at deconstructing my original creation until I was satisfied with the pieces. Then I set about re-assembling the various segments into a new design. The rehabilitation process was slow but fruitful. What eventually transpired was a brand new wall hanging.

Watching the flower, as I prefer to call it, unfold was pure joy. I was so totally pleased with its appearance and so very thankful that I had made the decision to press on towards perfection. I chose to surround my new blossom with a solid border fashioned from fabric I had on hand. Having fabric in my stash that complimented my project was a bonus.

After quilting my refashioned creation, on my long-arm quilt machine, adding binding and a label I declared my project finished. I paused a moment to step back and admire my wall hanging. A big smile washed over my face. This was one project I was proud to say I had made.

Not much time was wasted taking photos and uploading them to the Modern Quilt Guild website. There was no way I was going to miss out on the opportunity to gain recognition as well as compete for one of the three prizes. Although I certainly would love to win, in my heart I already consider myself triumphant. I have a brand new wall hanging to add to my collection.

Now the big reveal…..I present to you

F L O W E R S   I N   T H E   G A R D E N

An Original Design Sewn and Quilted by Cindy Anderson

Using Michael Miller Petal Pinwheels Fabric

July, 2014

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