Testing Picasa 08-30-12

I'm trying to transfer anything from Picasa to my Blog.  Wonder if this will work.

"Late Autumn"  2006  17“W x 22”L   BCQG September Monthly Mini    Del Thomas

SCCQG July meeting about Newsletters 07-09-11

The Southern California Council of Quilt Guilds http://www.sccqg.org/ meets four times a year with a different theme for each of the meetings.  Today Linda Smith (Flying Geese Quilt Guild - Editor)
Patty Seebold (Beach Cities Quilters Guild - Editor) and I (Surfside Quilters Guild - Past Editor) did a presentation on many different aspects of creating guild newsletters.  The attendance was not announced, but I estimated there were about sixty people attending, some of those were there to provide the refreshments (which were fabulous) and some came to show and sell tickets on their guild's wonderful raffle quilts.   

Linda Smith is a whiz at learning the computer and does a great newsletter for Flying Geese QGuild. http://www.flyinggeese.net/  She put together a power point program for our presentation  based on the notes and photos that we all provided.

Patty Seebold does the newsletter for Beach Cities Quilters Guild http://www.beachcitiesquilters.org/ using modern graphics and all of her experience teaching computer skills at a local college.  At the same time we were meeting to prepare the program she has been helping plan a grandgirl's wedding and remodeling a house she and her spouse have recently move into. 

Both of these ladies are actually Superwomen disguised as quilters!  

"Nature's Friends" is from Friendship Square Quilters Guild, Whittier, CA., http://www.fsqg.org/ is hand appliqued and hand quilted.  Friendship Square does a raffle quilt every two years - the workwomanship is so fabulous it takes two years to complete such and outstanding quilt.  Bonnie Smith and Barbara Silva were attending.

A striding bright green frog must not like berries as he seems to have passed them up. 

Bluebirds usually nest in tree hollows or nesting boxes, but they have used a little artistic license to put this one in a vine wreath so we can see his beautiful blue feathers.

"Bountiful Baskets" raffle quilt from North Cities Quilters Guild in Placentia, CA., http://www.northcitiesquiltguild.org/  is hand embroidered and machine quilted.  It was attended by guild President Becky Sproal.

 

Peggy Carlsen crocheting in the back of the room.  Since my part of the presentation was about photography I am posting this image as an example of a candid shot - good color, background not too distracting, lovely zinnias and roses for a table centerpiece and she is an "active" subject with her busy hands.

 

Workshop with Sally Collins 05-12-10

I don't take a lot of workshops these days - usually just my annual two weeks at Empty Spools Seminars at Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, CA. But Sally Collins is in Orange County this week lecturing and teaching at both Surfside Quilters Guild and Beach Cities Quilters Guild and Sally is on my list of programs and workshops not to miss, no matter how many times I may have heard her. She is an amazing quiltmaker who does everything with great precision and is able to share her techniques in a way that I 'get it'. She is also a gracious and elegant lady. The workshop today was strictly no-sew and all paying attention and taking notes - it was terrific. Although I have all of her books there is something about hearing her explanations and seeing her little 'demos' on a felt board or white board and actual cutting of templates that makes it all register in my brain a little better. I highly recommend Sally's programs, her workshops, her books and her friendship!

Sally in her workshop talking about and demonstrating quarter square triangles.

"Circle of Stars" Approximately 10" square. The distortion in this image and the others below are due to the camera angles and the ineptitude of the photographer.

The following three quilts are the best pictures I took while her quilts were being held up on stage at the meeting yesterday. Unfortunately, I have no names or sizes on these. They are all among the largest she makes - maybe 36" to 46" - I will try to find further information about them to add here later.

She uses border prints to great advantage. She told us she only buys Jenny Beyer's designs because they are accurate in their repetition.

Although I saw this quilt in-the-fabric yesterday and today, I still have a hard time accepting that the tiny, on-point half-square triangles are only half an inch. And some even smaller.

And the tiniest diamonds you have ever seen make up the eight-pointed stars in this quilt.

http://www.sallycollins.org/

Fabric excess 08-19-08

There is still lots of fabric stashed in unknown places around my house. As I mentioned before, I have been sewing and quilting for a lot of years and I am a saver (NOT a hoarder:>)))). Liz is tackling her own house and just cleared out her kitchen and had it painted, including cupboards inside and out. So, she is not here to crack the whip and I tend to do a lot of lolly gagging. So, it will take a lot more time to get everything reorganized. Right now I have so many boxes of stuff to dispose of that I need to do some disposing before I can pile up more boxes. I have five boxes of fabric suitable for children's quilts in the van to deliver to a guild philanthropic project. But still another ten file boxes I hope to contribute to the BCQG Xmas sale and auction. A little early, but maybe someone on the committee will be willing to store them for a few months. Then I can fill up more boxes to follow those boxes. Although this is all quality quilting fabric some of it is forty years old w/colors and prints that are currently out-of-style. I hope someone can use them.

Jane Sassaman @ BCQG 08-14-08

Jane Sassaman presented the program at Beach Cities Quilters Guild in San Juan Capistrano, CA, this evening. It was very hot, as it usually is in the summer. The meeting place is part of a school and they don't run the A/C when school is not in session. Whew! Strangely the last time I saw Jane was several years ago at North Cities QGuild in Placentia, CA , in July - she even mentioned it tonight as the hottest program she has ever given! Cute!

Jane is talking to one of the 200+ guild members after her presentation.

I couldn't get pictures of the quilts that were hanging, but she had stacks of beautiful, bright quilts spread out on the tables. You can see many of her quilts on her website www.janesassaman.com

You might enjoy her blog at http://sassaman.blogspot.com/

"Rose Garden" (55"W x 56"L) 2002 is the Jane Sassaman quilt in the TCQC. It is more colorful than this, but I am still having problems with photos getting darker when I transfer them to Blogger.

Fabric Addiction 06-16-08

Sometimes I think I am more of a fabric collector than a quilt maker. My friend Patty and I are both in the process of culling our collections, but I had to laugh at both of us buying more new fabric recently. I think she bought hers at a shop, but since I won't be up to Pacific Grove and my favorite shop "Back Porch Fabrics" for a few more months, I went online to www.eQuilter.com to look for just one bright striped fabric.

This is what I ended up with! Well, diagonal stripes are rare and always great for bindings, especially on quilts for children.

And who could resist this one called "Monster Teeth Stripes"?

As for my 'culled' fabrics, they will go to BCQG for the December sale, silent auction and auction. And some to the Philanthropic committee - they will probably enjoy the fabrics for children's quilts that I have never gotten around to. But I will still have a 'fabric room' with enough fabrics for two lifetimes. Yes, I am a fabric collector!

FFAC over & BCQG meeting 03-13-08

The FFAC Reverse Auction ended today and Virginia Spiegel is happy with the $8794.00 that was raised for the American Cancer Society. All but one of the pieces sold. I bought Terry Grant's "Judith's Garden" for the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection. And Karey Bresenhan bought my "Color Bowls - Two" for her personal collection. Needless to say I am pretty stoked about that! Check out the rest of the quilts and their purchasers at

http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/ReverseAuctionArtwork2008.html

This evening I went to the monthly meeting of Beach Cities Quilters Guild which meets in San Juan Capistrano. Although I am a long time member I don't go very often because it is almost 80 miles round trip. Tonight I went because a quorum was needed and although there are over 500 members, fewer than half are at any one meeting. So, I drove down to visit with friends and to be there for the voting. It is a wonderful group of ladies and they are always doing something interesting. This quilt is the opportunity quilt for the quilt show early in June - just as wonderful as all those of previous years. I will happily sell you a ticket! 1 for $1 or 6 for $5. Put a comment on this post or e-mail me at DELQLTS@aol.com