Improvisational Round Robin

Last February, Linda and Sarah attended QuiltCon, in Austin, Texas. They both were lucky to be able to book a class by Sherri Lynn Wood of Daintytime. That's a story for another time!! The class was called Improv Round Robin.   They each brought a container of fabric, started off making a block, then passed it around the room. It was interesting to see how the other participants were changing  original creation.  They brought their end result to the CLEMod meeting, and the members wanted to take a stab at it.

Here are the results:

Cathy

Karen

 

Bev

 



 

Sarah

 

 

Joanne

 

Linda

 

 

Lis and Chani

Liza

 

Kathy

 

 

May, 21 2013 Meeting

Hi, Everyone!
  We started this month's meeting with Show and Tell- we saw Sew Mama Sew blocks from Rosanne, Jean and Barb. We also saw Linda's Solid Fabric Wedding Quilt and she also brought the latest Modern Quilt Magazine (she quilted Virginia Findlay Wolfe's featured quilt). Sarah brought her "Freedom Rings" quilt.
  This meeting, Linda made a presentation of her photos from the Modern Quilt Convention. We saw lots of inspiring and conversation starting pieces! We were very fortunate she was able to go and thank her very much for sharing her experiences with us!
  Shows/Exhibits in the area:

Quilt National at the Dairy Barn Arts Center: May 25- Sept. 2- Athens, OH

Nation Quilting Association Quilt Show- June 27-29 Columbus, OH

Kaleidoscope of Quilts- July 19-20 in Sylvania, OH

  The next meeting will be June 18, 2013, be sure to bring your summer projects for Show and Tell and for those participating, bring your Sew Mama Sew blocks!

Thanks!

March 19 Meeting Summary

Hi, Everyone!
This one's going to be short since I couldn't make it to the meeting this month!

A very special THANK YOU to Ellen for her presentation of her Modern Quilting Thesis at the last minute since Linda was unable to make the meeting for her presentation on Quilt Con.

If you are interested in reading Ellen's Thesis, copy the link below and paste it into your browser.

 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cehsdiss/142/

 
 The other news from the meeting is the creation of the first Art Quilt Guild in Cleveland by our very own Charlotte. The meetings will be held on the 4th Tuesday of every month, the first meeting to be held on April 23. No other information is available at this time, but if you do have questions, please call Anna's Sewing Center at 440-716-8884. With the creation of the Art Quilt Guild, we will be focusing on Modern Quilting.

The next meeting will be held on April 16, 2013; 7pm at Anna's Sewing Center in North Olmsted, Oh.

Sorry this is late- I have been VERY busy lately!

Thanks,
Judi

February 19, 2013 Meeting Summary

Hey, Everyone!
   We had a wonderful meeting on February 19, 2013, with a very special guest speaker- Melissa Stramel from Lilac Lane Patterns! We were very excited to have her contact us, asking to join our meeting and make a presentation. Too bad the weather was not very cooperative (which is very typical of Cleveland)!
   We started off with Show and Tell- Rosanne: a Pink, Orange and yellow baby quilt; Bev: sunset mini quilt and mini abstract green quilt; Paula- Fabric Notebook Cover with inside pockets; Joanne- Modern Cross Baby Quilt and Modern Strip Quilt called "Old School Library" from sewmamasew.com; Liza- Finished Solid Fabric Challenge Makeup Bag; Shirley- "Chocolate Covered Strawberries"; Sue- Zebra Pattern House wall hangings; Gabby- Melted Snowman Wall hanging and Quilted Zipper Bag; and finally Gaye- Bow Tie Tonga Treats Quilt.
   Once Show and Tell was over, we were treated to a presentation by Melissa (who was in town to tape 2 episodes of the PBS show "It's Sew Easy", airing in May and this fall), where she talked about learning to sew at an early age, her life in Kansas and how she turned her talents into publishing patterns and a book. She has been featured in the Moda Bake Shop and she is a selling designer on quiltwoman.com, as well as having been published in many quilting magazines. She featured her latest patterns for sale and presented samples of her work. 24 patterns are currently for sale; encompassing Cross Stitch, Girls Clothing (with matching American Girl doll patterns), handbags & totes, learn-to-sew patterns and Quilts. Her newest publication will be in the May issue of "Stitch" magazine.
   Her book, "A Year of Making Life Beautiful" features a pattern, recipe and other treats for each month of the year. With everything from forcing flowers to canning; scrap booking to flower arranging, there is something for everyone of all ages and talent level to be learned from her book. All the pictures in the book were her own photos of her children and family farm in Colby, Kansas.

   We were very fortunate for Melissa to present to us and thank her very much for the wonderful opportunity!

   The next meeting will be March 19, 2013, 7pm at Anna's Sewing Center in North Olmsted, OH and this one will have an exciting presentation from Linda Sekerak who was at Quilt Con this week.

Thanks,
Judi
Guild Secretary

February Meeting Reminder

Feb 12, 2013

Hi, Everyone!
Just a quick note to remind everyone that the next meeting is a week from today on February 19, 2013. You may not want to miss this one as we have a very special guest speaker- Melissa Stramel of Lilac Lane Patterns. Please join us at Anna's Sewing Center in North Olmsted, OH at 7pm for this extra special meeting. Hope to see you all there!

Thanks,
Judi- Guild Secretary

January 15, 2013 Meeting Summary

Hi, everyone!
   We really hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season. It was really nice to see everyone at the meeting this past Tuesday on January 15, 2013!
   We kicked the meeting off with some really exciting news! At our next meeting on February 19, 2013 we will be hosting Melissa Stramel, pattern designer, quilter and owner of Lilac Lane Patterns as guest speaker! Her patterns for doll and girl's clothing, quilting and cross stitch and more are available on her website at www.melissastramel.com. She has been featured in McCall's Quick Quilts ("Melissa's Maze" in October/November 2011 edition), DIY Magazine (June Edition) and American Quilter (May 2010 edition). Online, she has been featured on Moda Bakeshop, Ucreate, and Quilt Story, to name a few!
   We also learned that a few of our members have decided to branch out and start an Art Quilt Guild. We really want to encourage everyone to lend support and help to Charlotte as she works toward setting up Cleveland's very first Art Quilt Guild. We will be posting more information as it becomes available.
   Also mentioned is the Original Sewing and Quilt Expo will be March 21, 22, and 23, 2013. We hope to see you there!
   Another announcement was made for Lake Farm Park's Quilts 2013 Quilt Show. For more information, please visit the Lake Farm Park website at  http://lakemetroparks.com/programs/quilts2013.shtml#home.

   Show and Tell was next and we all got to see Ellen's Log Cabin Variation and Rail Fence quilts, Joyce's Tree Skirt and Angel Wallhanging, Paula showed us her nurse's mug rugs and Celtic handbag, Cathi brought her Mystery Solid Quilt and Modern Baby Quilt, Jean's slouch bag, Shirley's Chocolate Covered Cherry and Jungle Fever quilts, Marilyn's Curved Log Cabin, Bev's Fleece Quilts for the NICU, and lastly, Rosanne showed us "Val's Quilt" (which is available in kits at the store!).

  We discussed future challenges and starting a Modern Block of the Month where we all will make the same block for each month, then sew them all into our own quilts. You make it your own! We will most likely be starting at the March meeting (March 19, 2013) and participation is always optional. We also talked about a Fabric Swap Challenge maybe for this summer. More information will be coming on the Block of the Month Challenge.

   We hope to see everyone at the next meeting (especially since we will have a special guest!), which will be February 19th, 2013 at 7pm; located as always at Anna's Sewing Center in North Olmsted, OH 44070.

Thanks!
Judi
Guild Sectretary
  

January Meeting Reminder

Hi Everyone!
I hope everybody had a safe and Happy Holidays! Well, it's now 2013 and next Tuesday, January 15 is our very first meeting for the year! As always, we will meet at Anna's Sewing Center at 7pm. Don't forget to bring your Show and Tell pieces and we can't wait to see you there!

Thanks,
Judi

November 20, 2012 Meeting Summary

Hi, Everyone!
Thanks to everyone who attended this last meeting! We started things off with Show and Tell- we got a peek at Sue's Thanksgiving Table Runner, new member Ellen's Modern Paper-Pieced Wall Hanging, Paula's Mary Huey's Tessellated Christmas Quilt, Judi's finished "Ohio Stars and Stripes Forever" Throw Quilt, Joyce's Leaf Table Runner and Linda shared the wonderful news that she is published in the book "15 Minutes of Play" by Virginia Findlay Wolfe!

We also revealed our November Challenge pieces- the Solid Fabric Challenge. Photos are now up on Challenge #4 page.


Before wrapping up, just a quick reminder that we will be skipping December and will not have another meeting until January 15, 2013. Hope to see you there!

Thanks!
Judi

November Meeting Reminder

All,
Just a few quick lines to remind everyone that the next meeting is next Tuesday, November 20- this will be the last meeting of 2012!! We hope to see everyone and don't forget to bring your Solid Fabric Challenge Pieces! Remember, you must use all solid fabrics (or fabrics that read as solid), your piece must be functional and must conform to the definition of "Modern Quilting". For more on the challenge rules, click on the Challenge #4 link. As always, the meeting will start at 7pm at Anna's Sewing Center in North Olmsted, OH.

See you there!!

Judi

October 16, 2012 Meeting Summary

Hey everyone-
I'll get to the meeting summary in a few, but I just wanted to let everyone know how shocked and dismayed we were to hear that Bev's "Fixing a Hole" quilt that she painstakingly made for our Title Challenge (#3) was stolen from the Quilter's Legacy of Lakewood Quilt Show in Rocky River, OH on Saturday. Many of our members were at the show and we find it incredibly hard to believe that anyone could justify stealing someone else's artwork. We know it happens all the time, but it doesn't make it any better or any less shocking. We are all very sorry this had to happen to such a wonderful and talented person. We all hope whomever stole it has a conscience and turns it back in unharmed. We can all only imagine how upset Bev is.

We started out the October meeting with our show and tell- and a lot of it was worn in on our members! Cindy had on her Day of the Dead quilted sweatshirt jacket, Joanne had one her quilted vest and Charlotte had one her 174pc Fabric Collage vest, reversable and complete with piped edges! She also gave us a preview of her Quilt Show entries "Pussy Willows and Snap Dragons" and her 4 Elements Wallhanging. Cathy brought her blue-work quilt and I showed a block from my latest project- an Ohio Star Block. We even got to meet Harvey- Bev's Pumpkin Purse!

We decided to make this meeting a book review meeting where we passed around books meant to inspire us for our next challenge- the Solid Fabric Challenge. We looked at "Modern Quilt Blocks", "Block Party", Make it Modern", "Simple Contemporary Quilts", "Fresh, Fast and Fun Quilts", and "Create Your Free Form Quilts". I'm sure we all got good ideas and I certainly can't wait to see what we all create (since I haven't started yet, as usual!)

So, next meeting will be Nov 20, 2012 and the Solid Fabric Challenge pieces will be revealed at that meeting. Also, remember that there will not be a December meeting- we will resume January 15, 2013.

Thanks!
Judi

September 18, 2012 Meeting Notes

All,
Sorry it took me so long to get this finally posted- our house has been a factory of sickness for a week now!

Anyway, we had so much fun revealing the Challenge #3 pieces at the last meeting (pictures shown on the Challenge #3 page) and getting a glimpse of of what our favorite movies, songs and books are! From Cindy's "Monster Mash" to Bev's "Fixing a Hole" by the Beatles, and Charlotte's "Morning", the stories behind each piece were inspiring and humorous to hear.

We also attended to some actual business in the subject of Bylaws. We reviewed several other Guilds established Bylaws and we will be posting our own shortly.

Another subject that was discussed was the next challenge! This one will be a Solid Fabric Challenge in keeping with the Modern Quilt definition. The rules are posted on the Challenge #4 Page and will be emailed to each Guild member. This Challenge will be due at the November Meeting on Nov 20, 2012.

We also agreed that there will not be a meeting in December due to it being so close to Christmas. The next meeting after the November Meeting will be on January 15, 2013.

Until next time, thanks everyone!

Judi
Guild Secretary

August 21, 2012 Fabric Painting Workshop

All,
Thank you to everyone who attended our very first workshop on Fabric Painting! Also, an extra special THANK YOU to Bev for volunteering to teach the rest of us her techniques and secrets to creating her breathtaking fabrics! We all had lots of fun, as evidenced by the pictures below! It was almost like being back in Art Class in school!

We did have a very short Show and Tell; we got to see Painted Fabric Landscapes, Halloween Wall Hangings and a Pickle Dish quilt.

Before posting the pictures, just a reminder that the next meeting is Sept. 18, 2012 and this will be a Challenge Meeting. Challenge #3 is due, and for anyone that forgot, the Challenge is to make a Quilted Piece (it can be anything) inspired by a Song, Book, Movie or piece of Art. There are no rules on shape or size. We look forward to see what everyone creates!

See everyone on Sept 18!!

Thanks,
Judi

See Pics Below:

June 19, 2012 Meeting Summary

All,
   Thanks to everyone who came to the June 19, 2012 meeting- including 4 new members! We started things off with Show and Tell: Gabriela brought her Cat quilt; Marilyn showed us her Australian Aborigine Fabric quilt; Cindy, Charlotte, Mary Ellen, Darlene, Bev, and Jenny all showed their art quilts from Quilter's Legacy "Emerald Path" Quilt Challenge (and they were ALL beautiful!!); Jean showed us her bucket bag and contemporary "Whack & Stack" quilt; Paula brought her Noriko Endo Class Quilt Project and her ribbon winners from the Amish Quilt Show; Elaine showed her Calla Lily Wall-Hanging; Mary Ellen brought her Batik Purse and her Apple Table Runner (and passed out patterns!); and finally, Rosanne showed us the Linen she is now carrying in the store!

   At this week's meeting, Charlotte presented a book review of Gloria Lohman's "Quilted Symphony". She noted the book contains great pictures of the author's quilts, patterns that focus on curves and a different method for curved piecing using Freezer Paper and Tear Away Stabilizer. The author also presents a variety of techniques on Quilting the quilts made from the patterns in the book. Charlotte notes the author was inspired by architecture and breaking down the lines.

   We also discussed hosting our very first workshop. Bev had a great idea to have a workshop on painting and inking custom fabrics. We decided to have it at the next meeting on August 21. Rosanne and Judi will price kits including 10 color paint pots and fat quarters. Once final costs are tabulated, we will email everyone and see who wants to participate and then order kits. Hope everyone attends!

   In closing, just another reminder that there will not be a meeting in July. We will see everyone on August 21.

Thanks!
Judi

June Meeting Reminder

All,
Just a little reminder that the June meeting is just a week away on June 19th, at 7pm. As always, we are located at Anna's Sewing Center in North Olmsted, Oh. There is no challenge due this month and I just wanted to remind everyone that there will not be a meeting in July. Don't forget to bring your latest project for Show and Tell!! We hope to see everyone on June 19!

Thanks,
Judi

May 17, 2012 Meeting Notes

All,
       Thanks to everyone that came to the May 17, 2012 meeting! We all showed off our individual name tags as part of the May Mini Challenge, from Cindy's Skull tag to Bev's attempt to "outshine" Rosanne, it was great fun to see what everyone came up with. Here's what happened:

• We decided that due to summer activities, we will skip the July meeting. So, the next meeting will be June 19, then August 21. Also, don't forget the next Challenge will be due September 18. For details, see the Challenge #3 page.
• Rosanne announced that to be an official guild, we need to establish By-Laws. So, at the next meeting, we will be voting on by-laws and rules and such. 
• Show and Tell was interesting as we got to see Charlotte's 'Ebb Tide" Tide Pool wall hanging (see pictures in the Quilt Gallery), Rosanne's finished Caramel Twist, Gabriela's selvage tote, Bev's and Suzanne's Round Robin rows, Gisela's "Steam Punk Crows" wall hanging (pictures also on Quilt Gallery Page) , and Mary Ellen's Cinco De Mayo seriously complicated quilt blocks!
• Liza presented a book review, "Quilting Line and Color" by Yoshiko Jinzenji ($28.95). The major points of the book are that all quilts have large areas of white negative space, geometric patterns and lots of different types of fabrics are used. Also, there are accompanying patterns located at the back of the book and all instructions are detailed with picture examples. This author also presents new techniques using different materials such as shear fabrics for shadow play, and states that she was inspired by Amish Quilts for the use of color, and that the negative spaces convey a sense of peacefulness.
• Bev also presented a book review, "Modern Blocks" by Various Quilt Artists ($24.95). She notes that blocks are simple and easy to make as they are largely geometric shapes and the book offers ideas on how to make a quilt using all modern blocks.
• The next book reviews will be by Linda ("Quilting Modern" by Jackie Gering) and Charlotte ("Quilted Symphony" by Gloria Loughman)

We hope to see you all at the next meeting, which will be June 19, 2012; 7pm at Anna's Sewing Center, North Olmsted, Oh.

       

May Meeting Reminder

Just a few lines reminding everyone that the next meeting will be Next Tuesday, May 15. Don't forget your May Mini Challenge piece- (Name Tags!) and your latest project for Show and Tell! Hope to see you there!!

Judi

April 17, 2012 Meeting Notes

All,
       Thanks again to everyone who attended the April 17, 2012 meeting! We kicked the meeting off with our Gee's Bend Inspired Challenge reveal, which certainly revealed a lot about all of our individual talents. We exchanged bags of fabric and had to use 5 different fabrics to create a quilted piece. The fabrics were everything from Upholstery Fabric to Whole Blue Jean pant legs. To view the results, just click on the Challenge #2 page, the pictures are listed in alphabetical order with each artist's name underneath.
     Please see below for other meeting highlights:

•         May Mini-Challenge- Name Tags! If you don't already have one made, or if you feel like making a new one, everyone is asked to make their own name tag to wear at each meeting. No rules for this one- individuality is almost a requirement!
•         Challenge #3 was also revealed- Song, Book or Movie Challenge. The purpose is to create a Quilted Piece (can be anything-handbag, jacket, wall hanging, etc.) inspired by your favorite Song, Book or Movie. The Challenge will be due at the September 18 meeting.
•        Monthly Book Review: each meeting will feature a book review by a different member of the guild. The May meeting book will be reviewed by Liza.

•  Show and Tell:
• Renee: Rust Stained Improvisational Pieced Quilt and her Hand-Pieced Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt
• Paula: Mystery Quilt with Kona cotton Solids
• Mary Ellen: Pineapple Quilt from the book "Positively Pineapple"
• Bev: Table Runner and Bubble Face Quilt
• Gabriela: Japanese Geisha Panel Wall Hanging
• Linda: Heirloom quilt

                       
 Next meeting will be May 15- hope to see you there and don't forget your name tag!!

       

Meeting Reminder

I just wanted to take a moment and remind everyone that the next meeting is this coming Tuesday, April 17, 2012. Don't forget to bring your Gee's Bend Challenge piece and your latest project for Show and Tell!

Thanks,
Judi

All,
Thanks again to everyone who came to the March 20, 2012 meeting! We had a great time welcoming 2 new members and checking out all the projects brought for Show and Tell. Here's what everyone brought:
Suzanne: Batik and Eyelash Yarn scarf
Liza: Qwen Marston inspired series
Heidi: Trash Can scrap quilt, "Fresh Quilting" strip quilt and Kid's Quilt
Bev: Kaffe Fassett "Simple Shapes" stripe quilt and "up for grabs" fabrics
Paula: Quilted Book Covers, Schlep Bag and "Color Your Quilt" color pencil quilt block
Patricia: Crazy Curves Quilts: Bicycle Race and Tree Quilt with Broken Bargello trunks
Rosanne: "Caramel Twist" Quilt and Apronology book-zine.
Judi: Pineapple Charity Quilt and English Paper Pieced 6-petal Flowers

This week's surprise topic was a new way of quilting: Transparency Quilts. Transparency Quilting has an emphasis on color value and simple block setting to achieve a 3-D look in a 2-D medium. Using a Dark, Medium and Light color fabrics, you can manipulate the design to show depth and movement. There is a companion book that teaches all about this new design technique and should be available at Anna's Sewing Center soon. It was also mentioned that this may be an excellent Challenge Project...

Next week's meeting will be April 17, 2012 and the Gee's Bend Challenge will be due then. I will be emailing the rules to everyone, so please check your in boxes! I can't wait to see what everyone is going to make!

Thanks and See You Soon!

Judi

Feb 21, 2012 Meeting Notes

All,
Thank you to everyone who made it out to  Anna's Sewing Center in North Olmsted, Oh to the February 21, 2012 meeting. Fortunately, the weather wasn't conspiring to delay our meeting this month! We welcomed 3 new members this month- a very special Thank You to Renee, Kim and Paula for coming out! We hope to see you at the next meeting!

Since the last meeting was cancelled, we revealed our Zentangle Challenge pieces, and what an eye opener it was to see how individual we all are! I have posted pictures of the different pieces on the "Challenge Results" page- please make sure you stop by and see them! There was a discussion on what we should do with them, with an exhibit at the Bay Arts Campus and submission to the Cleveland Hopkins Airport for display among the ideas presented.

I also had everyone fill out contact cards with emergency contacts, so next time a meeting needs to be cancelled, we can better contact everyone and in case something should happen while you are at a meeting, we would have a relative to call (you never know what can happen!). If you were not attending last night's meeting, please be sure to see me at the next meeting, I will have more cards available.

The Gee's Bend Quilt Challenge is next on the agenda- this will be due at the April 17, 2012 meeting. We laid out the ground rules for this challenge and completed the fabric swap for the materials to use. Please see the new "Current Challenge" page for details and rules.

We followed up with the Show and Tell portion (which is usually first!) and there were some really gorgeous examples of modern quilts, from Paula's "Confluence" and Monochromatic Landscape Quilt, to  Heidi's Grommit Bag, Valentine's Day Beaded Wall Hanging, and her Qwen Marston abstract quilt. Also, be sure to see if you can find the November 2011 Quilt Mania Magazine, which features a quilt pattern spread designed by Lisa DeBee Schiller and quilted by our very own Linda Sekerak!

We are still very young, so if there are any suggestions, ideas, and comments anyone wants to make, please feel free to let us know!

Next Meeting: March 20, 2012- Please be sure to attend- Rosanne was really cryptic about the discussion topic!! The only hint she would give is that she wants to talk about a new Quilting Style! We will also be talking about labeling quilts and the various methods!

Thanks!!
Judi Workman
Guild Secretary