Hospice quilt almost completed

Here’s a quilt that has been in my to do list for AWHILE. I got it done on Saturday of our hospice work days

Quilted linens

This is not my quilt, but a friend’s that I quilted for her.  She had a BUNCH of old linens & hankerchiefs from both her and her husband’s family. She made 3 quilts for her 3 grandchildren showcasing the family heirlooms. This is the last one.  If I remember correctly, each quilt had a special, large linen near the middle of it.  They all had the same color scheme - yellow, gray and black - though they all had different sashing fabric and backing.

Dolly and Mary K show hospice quilts made by Mary C

New member Joan Fulton shows her dye-painted, word-stitched art quilt representing her childhood landscape in Saskatchewan

 Carmen behind her stamped piece from Dye Days

Mary K showing a deconstructed screen print from dye Days

 

September 2023 LAQ meeting notes

 We had 15 attendees at our meeting. And we gained three new members! Welcome Sarah Lee, Joan Fulton, and Rocio Gomez!

1. (Un)Common Threads debrief

Publicity: Judy and Kathleen submitted a written report on their publicity efforts, with recommendations for the future. They think that social media and word-of-mouth were the most effective methods of attracting visitors to the show.

Reception: Ronda reported that the food and beverages meant for the Friday afternoon reception actually lasted for the full three days of the show, and seemed to enhance visitors’ experience of the show.

Sales: Brett reported that we had $1,955 in sales. Although not all the bills have been paid, we now have a balance of $1,244 in our bank account.

Overall assessment: Almost 200 people attended, sales were strong (17 pieces out of almost 70), and we had excellent feedback from visitors. People seemed to spend a lot of time looking at the art and asking questions about our techniques.

Moving forward: We agreed in principle to host the show again in 2025 with the same title and (hopefully) the same venue. One significant change would be for LAQ to collect commissions on sales and/or charge non-LAQ members an entry fee to offset the costs involved. (Andrea pointed out that the Laramie Fiber Guild had contributed $50 to cover advertising costs.)

Sharon Cumbie, our curator, declined to be paid, but she expressed a strong interest in one of Mary K’s mandala pieces. We voted to purchase the piece from Mary to give to Sharon.

2. Question of the day: what inspiration did you get from the show?

This question elicited a wide array of positive responses from both those who participated in the show and those who visited it. People commented on the range of techniques and colors on display, the ability to get up close and see the details in the work, the overall sense of joy in the show, the stories in the artwork, the power of creativity in community, the satisfaction of recognition for our work, and the welcoming atmosphere in the gallery.

3. Planning

Our meeting on October 21 will be focused on planning our schedule for 2024. Ronda offered to give a demo on rattail binding for the November meeting.

Informal brainstorming for next year’s programs included lots of ideas:

making name tags

using stabilizers

how to plan and organize a project from the beginning

bead-weaving - Wendi and Judy

using 3D in a piece -- Mary K and Jodie

reviving challenges

designating some meetings as work days for individual projects

Michaella will lead a book study, using Intuitive Color & Design by Jean Wells and will also coordinate another free motion quilting course.

4. Hospice

Mary C will lead hospice work zoom sessions either October 6 & 7 or 27 & 28. Mary K will compile a list of people interested. Dolly suggested that we also schedule some pinning days after people get their tops assembled. Kathleen reported that we have donated 50 quilts to hospice over the past five years.

5. Other business

Joan Fulton told us about a 5-day workshop with Hollis Chatelain scheduled for March 2024 in Loveland, sponsored by the League of Northern Colorado Quilters The cost is $575 which includes some supplies Registration opens October 2 for non-members of LNCQ. Barbara will send information about the workshop in an email to members.

Andrea Graham invited LAQ members to attend the Laramie Fiber Guild meetings on the second Tuesdays of the month at 6:30 at the EppsonSenior Center.

6. Show & Tell

Members showed results of their Dye Days work; photos are posted on the LAQ blog.

NEXT MEETING

October 21 2023

9:00 socializing, 9:30 meeting

Extension room at the Albany County Fairgrounds

Pix from (Un)Comon Threads August 2023

 What a great show we had! Sharon and Stephanie did a stellar job of hanging our work.  We

had more than 150 visitors over the three days we were open.  Best of all, several of us sold some of our work!  Thanks to everyone who showed their work, helped with logistics, and attended the show.

getting ready for (Un)Common Threads - August 2, 2023

 We had a great time laying out all our work for Sharon Cumbie and her crew to see.  We are all so excited about the show!

Lydia's results from Dye Days

Here is some of what I got: Silk cloth is Avacado and Bronze ice dyed. Silk just eats up the colors wonderfully. 

Pulled prints did not lose color this year. But break down of design was very uneven. Phoenix and fireflies: