Going to quilt guild meeting 03-08-22

I haven't been blogging because I don't DO anything to blog about.  KoKo and I do our two walks each day, I toss Froggy for him, do some sewing, lots of reading, take naps, and generally just piddle around accomplishing nothing.  I understand this is considered Covid languishing.  Maybe so, or I am just old and worn out!!  But today I drove to San Clemente for the Surfside Quilters Guild meeting, the first  unmasked meeting in a long time.  Our speaker was Jenny Lyons, who, oddly enough, was the last in-person speaker we had in March 2020.  It was actually the week that the Covid "lockdown" happened and Jenny remarked that when she flew home to Northern California the airport was almost deserted.   It was good to see her again and her presentation about imperfection was excellent.  Her point was "don't worry about it" and she showed, with their permission, quilts by four or five well-known master quilters who recognize that their work seems perfect, but has small imperfections that only they know where they are located.  And now we do also!  

I am the "official" guild photographer and use my cell phone for that purpose.  I am ashamed to admit that when I was halfway to San Clemente I realized I had left my phone, and therefore, my camera, at home.  Jan Hirth came to my rescue and loaned me her phone for my photography duty.  After we got home we figured out how to transfer the entire album to my phone and I will do the editing tomorrow.  Here are a few images from a fun morning. 

Jenny Lyons in the front row waiting for her turn to present.  We had a good attendence, about 100, I think.  

We had a special Show & Tell of jackets and vests made by members.  

Nancy Ota in her 1999 silk vest made from silk neckties.  All pieced by hand and lined with large sections of ties pieced together.  

Odette Osantowski took Nancy Ota's Sashiko class some years ago and decided to make a jacket instead of a wall hanging.  

Jan Hirth used a pattern from Threads magazine to make this "chenille" jacket and went on to teach the technique to other guild members.  It is a lovely piece, but she says it is VERY heavy.  Not something that is wearable often in SCalifornia.  

There were several items made from antique/vintage quilts, including these two worn by Joann Bishop and Holly Betz.  

There was a lot of Show and Tell with some very large quilts.  I suspect these reflect the time on our hands during Covid.  If you read the SQG newsletter in early April there will be pictures of those quilts and MORE!

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White Camellias 09-20-18

Here is one of the quilts I was working on last week.  "White Camellias" was made for the September Surfside Quilters Guild Monthly Mini.  The flowers and leaves are cut from a printed fabric, fused, and machine stitched around the edges.  

White Camellias   Del Thomas 2018  21.25"W X 22.5"L

Cotton fabric, batting, thread.  Fused, machine appliqued, and quilted. 

Other than the quilting and the zig-zag edge finish everything is fused together. 

Every quilt I make has a bird in it somewhere - appliqued, cut from commercial fabric, quilted in, drawn with permanent fabric marker.  Somehow I squeeze one in somewhere.  

The full back of the quilt.  The sleeve is hard to see because I made it with netting, a technique I have been experimenting with. 

 Works good, but it requires more stitching than a cotton fabric sleeve. 

The top threads are mostly variegated but basically match the fabric, however the bobbin thread is always black.  

The quilt was raffled at the meeting and only made $50.  It was won by Joann Bishop. 

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Quilts at Surfside Quilter Guild meeting 04-10-18

The Surfside Quilters Guild meeting today in San Clemente, CA, featured speaker Jean Impey who spoke about CREATIVITY.  This is a new presentation she has originated and it was very educational.  She showed a Power Point program detailing many aspects of creating and also shared some of her diverse quilt creations.  

If your guild or women's group is looking for new, innovative speakers check out Jean's website:  www.SewJean.com

Here are a couple of the quilts she shared at our meeting.

A busy village with pink trees.   Jean Impey

Jean Impey   - Detail showing a bird in the window,  Any quilt with a bird is special to me!

Based on "Spider Web"   Jean Impey

We also had some very nice quilts in Show & Tell.  Here are a few:

"Applique Sampler"   Joann Bishop

"Bee Happy"  Janis Toman

"Busy Puzzle"  Donna Matukas

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Surfside Quilters Guild Special Day 05-08-12

Can it be the third "birthday" for Surfside Quilters Guild in San Clemente?  Hard to believe that it hasn't been longer considering all that we have accomplished.  But, on the other hand, where have those years gone?  Today our new President Jan Hirth conducted the meeting and there were two special presentations. 
Each year the members of the Guild make 6" blocks for the outgoing president, this year it is Joann Bishop, the blocks are assembled and hand quilted by members who volunteer.  This tradition has been ongoing with all the Orange County Guilds starting in 1982 with Orange County Quilters Guild and all the quilts have pretty much the same format.  Joann asked for cottage/house blocks in pastel colors - reflecting, in part, her years as a realtor before she retired, and the sense that each house connects in friendship to the home of a member. 

 
It is a charming quilt and I hope Joann will bring it back to a future meeting for better pictures.

 
The other presentation was a special quilt made for a member who has given a great deal to make the guild successful.  Mary Freedman deserves this recognition for all the hours, dollars, thoughtful gifts and devotion she has given to create a dynamic and active guild.  Members of the Board, past and present, were asked to contribute a star block of any size which were assembled into this quilt which is a nice cuddle size. 

I don't think we tell our friends and fellow guild members often enough how much we appreciate their contributions to our lives.  I thank each of you for your devotion and contribution to this guild and all the quilting activities that are available today.  You enrich my life.

SQG Changing of the Guard 04-12-11

Here are only 25 of the Surfside Quilters Guild officers and board members who are either leaving office or changing offices effective May 1st.  These are not all of the ladies who have contributed to this great guild in the last year - some of us hadn't made it to the stage yet.  But it is a representation of the woman power needed to keep a guild at peak performance.  Nancy Ota, founding president sits on the stage at right - behind her in blue is Joann Bishop, the incoming president.  Although everyone has a job to do it takes a strong and willing person to guide the guild for a year.  I congratulate both Nancy and Joann on their continuing involvement.

And congratulations also to this year's outgoing president, Sharon Whelan, seemingly bemused standing here beneath Joan Colvin's "Copper Tree" facing Diane Firth's "Red Wave".  Sharon is very involved not only in Surfside Quilters Guild, but in other guilds and quilting activities around the Southland.

I did the "anniversary" program today due to the illness of our scheduled speaker.  I had a couple weeks warning that I would be "on" in April instead of May, but was gone for ten days to visit Mary and attend Empty Spools and I felt the pressure of getting the TCQC quilts organized and "package" for transport to the meeting.  I tried to not show too many of the same quilts that were part of the inaugural program in May 2009, but a few are such favorites I had to include them.  I hope the someone who took pictures at the meeting will be willing to share so I can post some images in the future.  

Aqua therapy in the morning - I can hardly wait to get in that 91degree pool and work on some of my aches and pains.