december 10 meeting

We gathered at Shannon’s Christmas-decorated home for our December meeting.

Show & Tell
Our first topic of conversation was Maurine. She’s still in rehab and expecting to be there until the middle of January. Each day she works hard to get stronger and is exhausted from her efforts.

Shannon told us about an altar table shawl she made for Bethany Church. It was grey cotton with camelias painted on one side and a bright green pattern with butterflies on the other. Shannon finished the shawl with shallow scalloped edges. It was presented for Bethany’s 10th anniversary.

Although she hasn’t started on it yet, Shannon showed us her collection of dot fabric for her YF quilt.

David and Christopher joined us for a few minutes. We chatted and shared our tiered plates of holiday cookies.

Miriam has been busy with Christmas kitchen doilies. She’s also started her YF scrap quilt. She got the dotted purpley background fabric from In The Beginning. Her selection of scraps include everything!—Christmas, golf balls, plaids—the beginning of a true Miriam signature piece.

Miriam helped an English policewoman get the quilting bug. Already her friend has made a nine-patch by hand! What an inspiration.

Diane has been MIA so we’re thrilled to see her back. Her wonderful piece was a cross-stitch pillow for her sister. All around the chicken are half-stitches which are twice as fast as a full stitch (easy math!). Throughout the meeting, Diane was hand stitching on another project. Always busy hands!

With the kids gone, Diane is getting ready to paint inside her home. Go Girl.

Janet and Kelly made a baby quilt together! Kelly helped pick out the fabric and pattern, and cut out the pieces. Janet stitched the quilt together—a gift for a work associate of Kelly’s.

Janet took 20 of her necklaces to a craft sale at work and sold 16! That was affirming. She is also making a fun “quote” quilt for a baby at her work.

Patricia showed us two projects that she’s finishing up for display in Fabric Crush to promote her Japanese fabric Trunk Show in early February. She also talked about an ambitious fundraising project she’s going to produce in 2011 for the La Conner Quilt Museum.

The evening ended with a look at Barry Kahn’s art in Shannon’s home and in a retrospective book. Barry, David’s dad, died when he was 42. He was a prolific artist who made very intense pieces. Our discussion brought him back to life for a few minutes.

november 10 meeting

We did a quick hostess shift today as Janet was not feeling well. At the last minute, the group was redirected to come to my house. Five of us gathered and Pris almost joined us.

Show and Tell

Susan came back after a departure of many months! In June she traveled to England and Wales on a Deb Robert's textile tour. The highlight of the trip was a remarkable exhibit at the Victoria & Albert Museum showing quilts from the 1700s to 2010. Susan brought the book to show us the full collection.

A pleasing part of the trip was traveling with appraisers, authors, collectors and conservators. Susan gained just as much from her companions as she did from the places they all visited.

At a Long Beach antique store Susan bought a delightful hand-stitched quilt. She'll be using it in her guest bedroom.

Shannon bumped into Pris when she first stopped at Janet's house. Pris handed off her Plymouth House of Healing quilt that she just finished with copious amounts of hand-stitching. Feeling overwhelmed, Pris headed home and skipped the meeting. Thank you Pris for finishing up your ambitious project.

With some superfun fabric she bought at Fabric Crush, Shannon made a sunny baby quilt. It will be for a lucky and modern Plymouth baby, once it gets a label.

Flora brought a huge red basket filled with giveaway fabrics. Some pieces got new homes and Harriet took home the basket. Flora also showed us some vintage fabric squares and quilt pieces she has recently received. The small squares of old fabric were heart-warming.

Harriet came empty-handed but told us about a quilt with horses and a bright Southwest theme that's on her wall. Flora saw it at a neighborhood dinner at Harriet and Robert's and reported it was fab. The quilt is being produced in three big pieces, quilt-as-you-go. It will be given to a relative.

Patricia showed a small quilt made with big chunks of yukata fabric. The top has four corner blocks made with curvy piecing. It will ultimately be a sample for a class she hopes to teach about simple pattern making.

advent banner painting

Thirteen Plymouth people, including Piece Makers Harriet, Flora and Patricia, participated with Kristen Gilje (the artist who created our Butterfly Banners) in painting 16 silk banners in four designs created by Kristen. The designs were inspired partly by two sessions of Plymouth members discussing this year’s Advent texts:

Nov. 28, Isaiah 2: They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

Dec. 5, Matthew 3: Even now the axe is lying at the root of the tree; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Dec. 12, Luke 1: The angel said to Mary: 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you...and the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God....and Mary said: “my soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

Dec. 19, Matthew 1: An angel of the Lord appeared in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David,do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus.’

october 10 meeting

Show & Tell

Harriet finished a wonderful quilt for a great nephew with lots of animals on it. She had photos of Alaskan quilts from her trip to the Great North this summer as well as a pile of delightful fabrics with Alaskan motifs. Harriet admitted she went on vacations to get more fabric!

Flora showed us a jacket with hand-painted silk appliques that a friend wants mended. No one is our group could conceive of how to fix the damage. Flora will see if Diane, the pro, can help. A pretty pinwheel top (for a foster child) and the Plymouth House of Healing top are in her queue for long-arm quilting, along with 15 or so other tops!

Flora got distracted one day by taking a 256-mile ride on a Harley Davidson with a fellow employee of WSDOT. It was a charity ride through three counties and the state capitol. Flora says it was great fun and the driver was a perfect gentleman.

From Pris, we oohed and aahed over a delightful pile of fabrics—from Beach Rocks to the Bed and Breakfast collection. She is finishing up her Plymouth House of Healing just in time for the requested deadline of mid-November.

Patricia brought tales of visiting New York and the Empire Quilters guild meeting. She displayed two quilts blocks made with yukata cottons and freezer paper patterns. Her trunk sale at QuiltWorks NW last month was a resounding success.

Janet revealed the contents of her magic box—silver jewelry made with detailed photos and topped with resin. Her work is charming and appealing to all.

sept 10 meeting

show and tell

This summer Harriet attended a silk painting workshop led by Kristen Gilje in Leavenworth. She showed us four gorgeous silk scarves that she painted with different techniques.

Harriet also related an amazing discovery when visiting the Kenai Penninsula in Alaska. She, Robert and travel companions were directed to drive 11 miles out of town to find a quilt shop. There Harriet found a picturesque log cabin on a lake packed with wonderful goodies.

Miriam brought an important report with her: 10 Good Reasons for Buying Fabric. She has copies for others for the next meeting. More exciting, Miriam delivered a gorgeous quilt for Plymouth Healing Communities. Check: Number One out of four completed!

Pris camped on the Columbia River with her family in August and attended the Cathlamet Fair. She learned that the quilts she saw on display will be given to EMTs and highway patrol for accident victims. In that vein, she brought a colorful top for a Plymouth Healing Communities quilt. The colorful scrappy creation is titled "All God's Children." Check: Number Two out of four in progress.

Another great story from Pris concerned the contribution of two sewing machines from Flora. They were shipped to adults in need in Romania. Yeah Flora and Pris!

Janet finished up the Gees Bend top she received at the last meeting. She must have worked non-stop to produce this quilt. It will be given to a companion at Plymouth Healing Communities. Check: Number Three out of four complete.

For the last four months Patricia has been hand stitching a small baby quilt. She doodled on the black and white fabric with neon pens to add some color. It will be gifted to an ex-employee's two-month old daughter.

janet’s dyeing workshop

For one gorgeous summer week, Janet was in Sequim for a dyeing workshop at Susan Nylander’s home. The experience started with wine and cheese on Sunday evening at Susan’s artistic home that she shares with her potter husband.

From Monday through Friday, the class of eight gathered each day for creative learning. The dyeing techniques included parfait, baggie, scrunch, discharge, resist, overdyeing, and stamping.

quilts for companions

left: Gees Bend top that Janet is finishing, right: Miriam’s bargello top

Plymouth House of Healing needs four twin-sized quilts by mid-November. Responding to the call, Pris instantly agreed to make one. Janet plans to finish a Gees Bend top that Maurine’s friend Martha made. Flora is going to finish a top made by Jeanne. And Miriam has already started on a top in the “bargello” style that Flora showed us last year.

august 10 meeting

Our group met at Flora’s home, outside on her patio for a warm summer night. Fruit, chips and homemade salsa awaited us.

We talked about the need of four tops for Plymouth House of Healing. Over the course of the evening, the Piece Makers answered the call. (See our blog.)

Show and Tell
Diane made a gorgeous jacket for Maureen which she presented at the beginning of the meeting. She also brought books and grids for whomever could use them.

Maurine is heading toward back surgery—titanium rods will be screwed to ten vertebrae to make her a bionic woman. So far she has lost 10 pounds to get ready. More on plans and dates later. Still busy making her fantastic batik tops, Maurine brought the one she’s making for a neighbor’s daughter in S. California who’s graduating from high school this coming year.

To cap her summer vacation, Janet attended a week-long dyeing workshop with Susan Nylander in Sequim. (See our blog for pictures of her projects.)

Patricia brought a little girl’s dress made with vintage Japanese yukata cottons. It’s a sample that will be used at QuiltWorks NW to promote her trunk show in late September. Sarah is talking to Patricia about scheduling a similar show at Fabric Crush this winter for those who don't want to cross the water.

Miriam entertained us with two whimsical stuffed cats. She has made so many patchwork golf caps for her male family members that she’s lost count. (See the photo of our group modeling the caps.) Visit our blog for the quilt top she is making for Plymouth House of Healing.

Diane brought a set of bibs that she's cross-stitching. This summer Diane went to N-Sid-Syn twice—once for Emily Hanson’s wedding and once for Family Camp. Other news: her oldest son Russ, a recent college graduate, is about to buy a home in N. Ballard.

Flora’s friend Celine shared a remarkable quilt made by her grandmother, culturally a Spokane Indian. The quilting on the rustic 95-year old blanket was made with many colored threads, expertly stitched together.

The previous night Flora stayed up until 4:30 to produce a dreamy composition entitled “The Great Red Road.” She also showed us a pinwheel top she started eight years ago, labyrinth quilts that made order out of chaos, and her organization of vintage 2"squares.