June Meeting Recap

Our June meeting was held on Saturday, June 11 from 10 am - 12 noon.

Calendar

June 18 - 3 Habitat Home Dedications

June 20 - Last day to join MQG to get member pricing for QuiltCon

June 25 - QuiltCon registration opens for members

July 9 - Next ChattMQG meeting. 

July 22 - Michelle Wilkie Design Workshop

Our July 9 Program will be on Simplification in Modern Quilts.

Presenters will be Ann Hurley, Toni Faidley, Sharon Griffith, Vanessa King, Theresa Kitchell, Melissa Klingensmith, Vista Mahan, Pam McCallie and Charise Smith.

Announcements

1. QuiltCon Registration

QuiltCon East in Savannah is Wednesday, February 23 through Sunday, February 26.

Schedule of Events, Lectures and Classes is on http://www.quiltconeast.com.

A link to register will be emailed to you ahead of time, but registration will not open until 10AM Eastern Daylight Time on June 25. If you have problems getting logged in to the mqg website now, let's get those fixed before the registration day. Check at home and let us know.

Advice from previous attendees about the registration process:

Be at your computer with your credit card when registration opens. Have a list of the classes you want to take. Register and pay for one at a time. 

2.  AQS QuiltWeek Chattanooga

Kathleen McMullen is the volunteer coordinator. A few people are still needed for hanging and taking down quilts before and after the show. Volunteer sign-ups for classes and lectures are now open. Also, registration for workshops is open for members.

Committee Reports

Habitat Report

We have three quilts ready for the three homes that will be dedicated on June 18. Presenters will be Shirley Prince, Vanessa King and Karen Downer. Jean will send an email with directions and times. Please attend as many as you can and take photos.

 Here are slices of two of our Habitat Quilts:

Left: improv log cabin from donated fabrics; Right: knee socks from a pattern by Elizabeth Hartman

Photo Directory Update

Veronica has created a page with eight new members, and that has been emailed to you.

Thoroughly Modern Minis

Some of us who participated in the Tennessee Modern Quilt Guild swap are pictured holding the mini quilts we received. Not pictured are Janet and Denise. The quilt Denise received is pictured at right.

Upcoming Workshop with Michelle Wilkie

Michelle Wilkie will be here on Friday, July 22 for a workshop on design. If you would like to be on the waiting list please contact Mary Keasler.

Program: Abstract Quilts

Denise Ohlman, Sandi Suggs, Martha Griffin and Jackie Cory planned and presented ideas and methods for creating abstract quilts. They led us through two exercises to get us started designing our own work and they showed us small quilts they created while learning about abstract quilts.

They provided us with information that you can read on Quilting Daily: Photographic Inspiration for Abstract Art Quilts.

Sandi took this photo of a covered bridge and the group used it as inspiration for their designs.

They looked at the shapes. They looked at the colors. They used the parts of the photo they liked best.

Sandi was attracted to the triangle on the right side of the bridge that is actually the space created by the angular support. You can see it beside the sign. She made a small quilt that features the shape of that triangle. It is the one on the far left.

Martha has never tried making an abstract quilt. She liked the pentagonal shape of the structure. She worked with the principle of repeating shapes in odd numbers and designed three different pentagons. Her quilt is on the top right.

Denise abstracted the lines plus the shape of the exit. Hers is on the bottom right.

Sandi continued experimenting.

She sewed a stack of shapes from the design. That one got cut up, but she reconstructed a semblance of it (top left). In the original stack, Sandi sewed strata to make the yellow and gray parts.

Next, she boldly cut the stack into sixteen squares, rearranged them, and sewed them back together (bottom left).

Her triangle is here again. This time notice the strata of red fabrics and the drama added by the outline of black. The concentric quilting emphasizes both the red strata and the overall triangular shape.

For this series, Sandi and Jackie captured both the colors and the emotions of the inspiration photo. This time Sandi focused on the view from inside the bridge looking out. She used her hand-dyed fabrics to create the look of weathered wood and green trees. Notice how she successfully gives the illusion of sunshine and shadow (left photo). 

Jackie worked in a series of two (upper and lower right). In the upper one note how Jackie used blocks of green to suggest trees; she quilted a tree structure to define that even more. In the lower one, she has added ferny greenery, signs, and shadows across the road.

Thanks to all of you for a most informative and inspiring program!

Show and Tell

Shirley has a quilt in progress. Note the birds holding a little ring. Kelly has sewn and quilted a bag with leather handles, and also made a backpack!

See you next month on July 9!