july 11 meeting

This month's three of us gathered over herb tea and raspberry squares.

Show & Tell
Susan is truly our quilt expert as an appreciator, historian and collector, as well as a maker. She was in New York at the end of March for the incredible exhibit "Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts." Staged at the Armory, the five-day exhibit was funded by Joanna S. Rose. It was an eightieth birthday gift from Joanna’s husband—the opportunity to see her whole collection, 650 quilts, at one time. It was also a gift to New York as admission was free to the public.

The weekend before Susan traveled down to Portland for the summer meeting of the Columbia Willamette Quilt Study Group. Read about the meeting and TImeless Quilts exhibit at the Oregon History Museum at cwqsg.blogspot.com.

Sally Wagner, an original Piece Makers member, joined us for the evening. She attended a workshop at Grunewald Guild this summer. In the last 20 years, she had taken one workshop a summer there, with only a few years off. See www.grunewaldguild.com for more on the Guild.

Patricia reported that her sewing space has become more transformed. Before she used to sew in her dining room. These days, you can dine in her sewing room.

Diane Roubal sent three bins of quality quilting fabric to the meeting in Patricia's car. Sally took one home to give to a friend on welfare who loves to make quilts. One looks like it has Miriam's name on it and the other has Flora's.

june 11 meeting

We celebrated another great year and the completion of the YF quilts at Harriet’s lovely log home in Brier. Our evening started with a potluck dinner—with great rolled sandwiches, side salads and a fluffy lemon dessert with cookies. Yum.

Show and Tell
Harriet showed us two ambitious quilts she made for two great nieces.

Patricia had two unfinished projects in her bag—a baby quilt for a co-worker and Finn Ostrem’s YF quilt (yes, it is late!!!).

Maurine reported on how much the kids love their YF quilts. They really do appreciate them more than we think. Emma, the recipient of Maurine’s quilt this year, is planning to take hers to Germany for her one-year exchange program.

Flora included a card in both her YF quilts. Jasmine wrote back with a lovely note that included a photo. That meant a lot to Flora. Both Flora and Jasmine intend to stay in touch.

Also, Flora boldly donated a table shawl she made to the Duwamish Tribe Gala. It earned $250 for the cause and validated Flora’s northwest native artwork.

Diane has been busy working on her home. She commented that she loves the YF kids and makes the YF quilts out of her heart—in response to an idea of finding out what the students would like.

Susan has been busy. She is getting her downstairs floor finished and prepping a craft room for herself. Earlier in the spring she sold a family home on the Oregon coast in the tsunami zone. Good work!

Miriam brought back an Amish-style quilt that needed binding. Now finished, it will be given to June for a baby or home-bound parishioner.

Shannon recently finished a pillow for a friend who helped her with her garden. Currently she is fostering two adorable kittens that will be ready for adoption in mid-July.

a great day

On June 5, the graduating high school seniors were wrapped with quilts made by the Piece Makers. Of the fourteen names on the list, seven were actually there that Sunday. It was a colorful and high-energy time.

a note from Liz Twiss

Pris was kind enough to give a lovely baby quilt to Liz when she moved east to be with her daughter and granddaughter. Here is a thank-you note from Liz:

Dear Plymouth Quilt-makers,

Shamefully belated but most sincere thanks for the beautiful quilt. It is absolutely gorgeous and a very welcome reminder (not that we need one—we think of and miss Plymouth constantly) of what we will always think of as our foundational church. The quilt arrived just before our Australian grandchildren arrived for a prolonged visit, and it was a wonderful base for the two older children (4 and 6) to play with the baby: when on the quilt they had to observe the special baby rules.

The church I'm attending here (founded in 1661) has hanging in the sanctuary a quilt its quilt-makers made for a departing minister in the 1950s, returned by the minister’s children following the death of his widow. I like the sense of connection you provide with “my” [not really—I’m still a Plymouth member] new church and Plymouth.

Fondly,
Liz Twiss

may 11 meeting

We did it! We made 14 quilts for graduating YF seniors and had two extra for companions at Plymouth House of Healing.

Although Ingrid and Patricia were at the May meeting, they are not shown in the above photos. And the photo of Shannon and her quilt was taken when she delivered her quilt at a later date.

Here is the list of the students and the quilt makers:
Andrea Augustine-Diane Roubal
Emily Bristow-Ingrid Riley
Emily Buckner-Harriet Naf
Mahlon Dunnell-Janet Saulsbury
Lizzie Gore-Diane Roubal
Jasmine Isaacson-Flora Daglish
Emma LeValley-Maurine Noble
Kira Miller-Miriam Breidenstein
Finn Ostrem-Patricia Belyea
Kate Pattison-Shannon Kahn
Catherine Sandstrom-Sarah Stine
Henry Thomas-Flora Daglish
Julia Thompson-Pris Orr
Dan Zook-Harriet Naf

april 11 meeting

Believe it or not, Flora baked up confetti cupcakes for our quilt meeting. Thank you!

SHOW AND TELL
Miriam brought a slew of projects. She produced a pillow with the Colorado flag, a patchwork baseball cap and a finished lap quilt for June to give to a Plymouth member who’s infirm and needs comfort. Plus pot holders crafted from small finished blocks made by Maurine.

Pris told the story of working on a quilt top by hand during her California trip—made with hundreds of 2.5 inch squares. While there, she befriended a young girl and they went fabric shopping together. There will be more on that story later. Pris is also working on her YF quilt made with greens and purples, music and animals.

Shannon is balancing two big projects—the auction for Ingraham High School and her YF quilt. The auction will be over at the end of the month, then she can focus on her wonderful YF quilt filled with dotted fabric.

Janet’s health has been challenged with good days and bad days. She was kind enough to make a quilt for a co-worker who’s about to become a dad. The fancy-cut alphabet squares are surrounded by fresh yellow sashing.

Patricia has been to New Zealand and back since our last meeting. In early May she’s going to Salt Lake City for Spring Quilt Market—with two fabric collections in hand.

Non-stop Flora showed a heirloom quilt, made with the Around the World design, that a friend from Cincinnati sent her way. Then she displayed two remarkable memorial quilts, one made from a shirt and one from a t-shirt. And a carrier she made for her new specialty sewing feet.

march 11 meeting

PHOTOS FROM THE MEETING CAN BE VIEWED AT KODAK. CLICK HERE.

Flora was gracious enough to host the March 15th Piece Makers’ meeting at her home. She reported on Sewing Expo at the Puyallup Fair Grounds she attended last Sunday for 9 1/2 spell-bounding hours. The Expo filled the whole large exhibition hall and spilled over into another space. Flora conducted a tour of her vast basement studio that showcases her many artistic creations including a wall hanging shes still working on that depicts her journey through life.

Janet showered us with fabrics donated to her by one of her coworkers whose mother had passed away. She also shared several old pieced tops that were in the collection. One was an intricate hand-stitched top made entirely of plain red and white geometric pieces. Another was a “crazy quilt” constructed of luxurious velvets and satin-like fabrics hand-finished with elaborate decorative stitching. Janet completed another of her striking quilts made of men’s shirting fabric that will be given to a YF male. It was inspired by a Kaffe Fassett design of small squares inside of larger squares.

Mariam had a productive month and arrived with a large bag of her delightful creations. They included a completed YF quilt pieced in an “off cross” pattern on a luscious pale raspberry background. She gifted each attendee with a hot pad quilted from one of Maurine’s samples. (Don’t worry. Mariam has several hot pads in reserve for members who were unable to attend.) She plans to use the “quilt-as-you-go” method to construct a whole quilt with more of Maurine’s samples.

Harriet brought three finished quilts. Two of them were completed from tops brought to the last meeting. The third one was a YF quilt of turquoise, orange, and rust colors made also in the “quilt-as-you-go” method. She exhibited an African wall hanging—mostly of burgundy, white, blue, and lime green fabrics that were donated to the Piece Makers by Marilyn Bumpas. We discussed where it could be most usefully displayed. Suggestions included somewhere at Plymouth, Mary’s Place, and Plymouth Housing. Further discussion to follow.

Susan shared an intricately hand-stitched 1920-1930 era quilt she purchased from an antique shop. It was made from a kit and featured glorious orange poppies appliqued on a pure white background and a scalloped edge. Susan brought a book depicting the kit and many other quilts from the era.