More Photos from Nov Southern Fiber Artists' Meeting: Show and Tell

Sunflower by Marilyn Rose.

 by Jackie W.

by Jackie W., from the workshop 

lead by Rita W.

by Sue R., from the workshop

lead by Rita W.

by Myra C., also from the workshop

lead by Rita W.

by ? (need name)

by Debbie S.

by Julia G.

by Julia G.

by Cathy R.

by various guild members to say, "Thank you," 

to Julia G. for her service as 2015/2016 Facilitator

Southern Fiber Artist's November Meeting

Here are a few pictures taken during the Southern Fiber Artists meeting in November. We enjoyed viewing pieces from SAQA's Trunk F.

The challenge for this meeting was to use the color 'red' with the theme 'flower' in an 8"X11" portrait orientation.

Making a sunflower into 4 quiltlets was another challenge. We will mix them up and exchange 3 quiltlets to make some artsy sunflowers.

Southern Fiber Artist's Meeting, Nov. 12

SOUTHERN FIBER ARTISTS MEETING OF NOVEMBER 12, 2016

Rita Warnock welcomed everyone as she called our meeting to order.  We had many new attendees this time including Rosemary, Gloria, Beth, Vicki, Susan, Rose and Ethel.  We hope you will join us next time as well.

We had the routine drawing for the next 8” x 11” portrait orientation fabric art challenge due on February 11.  The next subject will be time and the color black.

Regarding our present challenge, Julia Graeber brought the mat boards, envelopes and a form to fill out regarding the artist’s statement.  She suggested that we take an extra form so we can have it filled out when we complete our art for the upcoming challenge.

Rita led us in a discussion as to what subjects we would want to explore during upcoming meetings.  Among the ideas were fabric dyeing (an outside activity), elements of design, a round table discussion on inspiration, basics of quilting, 3-D fiber techniques, embellishments, and photo to fabric art.  There was a suggestion that Rita contact Marilyn Dedeaux about her photo to fabric presentation previously given to Quilters by Heart’s Desire Guild.

It was decided that our next meeting, a round table discussion on inspiration, will be led by Martha Ginn.  Please let Martha know if you would like to be part of the panel.  In reality, all of us could share what inspires us.

The following meeting which will probably take place in May will be on dyeing fabric led by Marcus Weekley at Jackie Watkins’ home.

Regarding the photo to fabric art subject, Jackie Watkins announced that at the next Quilters by Heart’s Desire Guild meeting, the President’s Challenge of Photo to Fabric quilts will be unveiled.  All are invited to attend this meeting on November 21, 7:00 p.m., at St. Mark’s on Grants Ferry Road, Brandon, Mississippi.  This meeting is also a potluck holiday celebration, so if you decide to come to the meeting, you might want to bring a dish, but that is totally unnecessary.  There is always a lot more food than the guild members can possibly eat.  Please note that generally the November meeting starts at 6:30 because of the meal involved.  No mention of the time change has been made yet, but will probably come out in their newsletter that the meeting will start at 6:30.  Even if the meeting does not start at 6:30, people will be there by then, and you can mix and mingle with the members.  You should park in the back of the church.  You can walk up the right side of the building, and the first opening on your left will lead you to the meeting location, also on the left.

Many of us participated in this meeting’s challenge of making 4 quiltlets measuring five inches square or 6 inches square to make a total sunflower.  Each person will keep one of his/her quiltlets and trade the other three for three different quiltlets to make a whole fabric art quilt.  The varied techniques used by the makers are listed below:

Gloria Loughman’s Radiant Landscapes technique using tiles

Leaves extending beyond the borders

Crochet

Fused leaves and petals

Burlap

Ribbon

Finished and unfinished edges

Colored pencils

Nylon that crinkles

Paint

Beads applied by hand

Beads applied with glue

Pinking sheers for edges

Permanent pen in fall/orange colors

Eyelash trim

Plastic sunflower center

Orange fruit bag for texture in center

Silk sunflower cut into four pieces

Fusing on both sides for leaves

Three-D techniques

Thread painting

Ruching

Various trims

If you still want to participate in the swap, there is still time.   Swapping will take place at the February meeting.

Show and Tell

Jackie Watkins showed her two-fabric bargello quilt and the accidental art piece started in Rita Warnock’s presentation.

Myra Cook finished her accidental art as well.

Rosemary Taylor used Angelina Fibers in her Aspens in Colorado quilt.

Debbie Stringer has been working on her medallion quilt first started in a retreat with her sister.

Julia Graeber had a Name that Tune Quilt she called Silent Night.  It was a sweet manger scene just in time for Christmas.  She had also made a small poinsettia quilt test sample for her red and flower challenge quilt.

Cathy Reininger has run away with the confetti technique in her Oh Peter quilt.  This quilt won an Honorable Mention in the Pine Belt Quilt Show.

As we broke for lunch, we were invited to peruse SAQA’s Trunk F brought to us by Julia Graeber.

Marcus Weekley announced that the Ag Museum Quilt was in the Quilting Arts magazine.  Jackie Watkins mentioned that Marcus was also in the Quilters Newsletter’s final issue on page 16.  Congratulations to all of our published creators.

Cathy Reininger invited us to participate in the barn slice quilt project.  Each barn has been divided into three pieces.  To participate, take a slice for $3, create your slice, and bring it to the meeting in May.

Debbie Stringer had our hands-on program on creating cuffs or bottle wraps.

Our challenge this month was to create an 8” x 11” portrait orientation quilt using the color red and the subject matter of flower. 

Rita Warnock made a poinsettia with felt on the back and quilting around the design.

Cathy Reininger used her basket of scraps and fusing to create her poppy quilt.

Myra Cook made two quilts, both based on photos.  One of the quilts was from a photo she took in Greece of marble columns waiting to be reassembled in a field of red poppies, the flower being the resurrection symbol.

Jackie Watkins used her twisted branches and confetti techniques to create an oak tree in the woods seen along a path of red flowers.

Marcus Weekly had an interesting design using ice-dyed card stock cut into rectangles, and then held together with red and green tulle.  He then quilted the outline of his flower over that.

Julia Graeber had made a poinsettia quilt using the Gloria Loughman’s Radiant Landscapes technique of tiles.  Julia has really made this technique her own.

Marcus Weekley headed up a project of asking members to make a block.  He then took those blocks, sashed them, and sewed them together.  Rena quilted this beauty, and the quilt was presented to Julia Graeber as a thank you for being our first leader. 

Marcus Weekley also made a presentation of gift cards to previous speakers.

Regarding these gift cards, if anyone wishes to help offset the costs, please send a small donation to Marcus, or bring it to the next meeting.

Marcus Weekley had asked for volunteers to bring four fat quarters to be given away as door prizes.  Three sets were given away at this meeting, and there were enough so that three sets will be given away at the next meeting.

We then adjourned.

Birmingham Fiber Artists Enjoy SAQA's Trunk F

The Birmingham Fiber Artists met on Nov. 17 and enjoyed visiting with SAQA's Trunk F and other fiber art. It was interesting to hear what each person had to say about the artwork.

Southern Fiber Artists Meeting

Minutes of the Southern Fiber Artists Meeting of August 6, 2016
Notes:   Next Meeting – November 12, 2016, 10:30 A.M., Electric Power Association Building
Next Challenge – Flower – Red
Group Challenge – Sunflower quiltlets
Rita Warnock called our meeting to order and welcomed our newcomers.  It was noted that since we do not have dues or a formal membership roster, we told our first-timers that they were now considered part of the Southern Fiber Artists.
Next, we presented our 8” x 11” challenge quilts, based on the color of royal blue and the subject of light bulb in the portrait orientation.  Those participating were Jackie Watkins, Nancy Losure, Susan Mano, Sue Rountree, Peggy Weir, Julia Graber and Kathy Reininger.
Julia Graber gave an update on SAQA events.  Julia will have a trunk show of 7” x 10” portrait orientation quilts from SAQA, and will have that available for our viewing pleasure at our next meeting on November 12.  She also has brochures and applications for joining SAQA if anyone is interested.  Julia mentioned that there is a call for entry by SAQA on the subject of layered voices and also on H2O.  You must be a member of SAQA to enter these shows.  Your quilts will travel for several years and will be in front of many audiences.  You have the option of having your quilts for sale.  Julia is arranging for some of our challenge quilts to be exhibited for three months in a gallery located in Little Rock, Arkansas.  She will decide on which quilts she believes will best represent the Southern Fiber Artists.
Marcus Wheatley told us of other calls for entry, one for the Pine Belt quilt show, deadline being August 15.  See their site for application, rules, fees, etc.  The other was for Pathfinders: New Territories by South Utah University, Cedar City, UT for an exhibit next year.  Look on line for the entry information at HTTPS://WWW.SUU.EDU/PVA/SUMA/EXHIBITS/PATHFINDERS.HTML  One may enter after November 1.  Another was for the Quilt National at the Dairy Barn Arts Center, Athens, Ohio.  September 1 is the deadline.  This is the site for that: http://dairybarn.org/exhibits/call-for-entries/
Julia Graber and Cathy Reininger discussed the Sacred threads call for entries coming up.
Rita Warnock reminded us that the Old Man River Quilt Fest will be held August 16 through 20.  Cathy said there will be 228 quilts displayed and many classes available.
Cathy Reininger is in charge of group projects, and she presented an interesting challenge for our group to participate in resulting in a finished 10” sunflower quilt.  The way the challenge will work is this.  We were given a picture and a pattern (attached is a copy).  We will each make four 5” faced or pillow case finished (no binding) sunflower quilt tiles.  As indicated by the pattern, each 5” quilt tile is one quarter of the quilt.  In other words, each of the four quilt tiles we make will comprise a 10” quilt if whip-stitched together.  However, each maker will keep one of the 5” quilt tiles that he/she makes, and then trade the other three for three different quilt tiles.  The idea will be to whip stitch the four different quilt tiles together to make an interesting whole sunflower art quilt finishing at 10”.  Notice that the background is comprised of leaves.  The petals of the sunflowers are meant to be guidelines, not a pattern. Do consider, though, that the diameter of the sunflower should remain true so all the quilt tiles when whip stitched together will make a beautiful piece of fabric art.  For tutorials on facings see Kathy Loomis’ tutorial
http://artwithaneedle.blogspot.com/2011/03/perfect-faced-quilts-tutorial.html
or Susan Brubaker Knapp’s tutorials
http://www.bluemoonriver.com/tutorials.html
Another project about which Cathy led the discussion was for a group barn quilt.  The idea is to have a finished 30” x 22” quilt, but this quilt will be comprised of four quiltlets made by four people each having made a 7-½” x 22” slice.  We voted on the top two barn pictures out of five choices that we would like to make in this project.  We will discuss more details at our next meeting.  Participating members will reimburse Cathy for the cost of patterns and copies.
Rita Warnock led us in our hands-on program to make an on-the-spot, spontaneous art quilt.  Rita has been working on a particular quilt kit that came with cutouts containing fusible on the back.  After Rita punched out the pieces that she needed, she was left with hundreds of stencil-like pieces of leftovers ready for recycling.  These leftovers became our palette.  Everyone left with a spectacular 12” x 12” creation.
Our next meeting will feature Debbie Stringer who will lead us in making strip pieced art.  These finished items can be utilized as mug insulators, cuffs, bookmarks or for whatever we can imagine.  Debbie will provide a materials list, but one can be thinking about assembling small strips of denim for a foundation, scrappy strips of fabric, buttons for closing, and embellishing items (beads, ricrac, trims).  Your sewing machine will be required.  It’s possible that you will be able to finish more than one of these.
Featured Artists
Peggy Weir showed us her pink flower which she had begun in a class
Myra Cook had challenged another guild to find something in their stash and complete it.  Myra completed her topper from leftover New York beauty blocks.  Some people tell her it looks like a stained glass window.
Sue Rountree had her quilt shop artwork.
Cathy Reininger has a new quilting studio complete with a longarm.  Her cats are the new owners of a beautifully quilted whole cloth masterpiece.
Julia Graber is getting ready for Sacred threads with her Weeping for Home quilt.  This quilt is faced and features double batting.
Rita Warnock is a member of the Craftsmen’s Guild, and as such is often asked to make quilts for the public.  This lady’s niece had passed away, and this lady had a “stash” of four wash baskets full of the niece’s meaningful clothing and such.  This loving aunt commissioned a quilt for her great nephew using the fabric to be cut from that stash.  Rita rose to the occasion making a beautiful cross quilt containing 5” squares, many, many of them pieced.
We then adjourned.

July 21, 2016 Minutes of the Central Alabama Art Quilters

Thursday July 28, 2016
Minutes of the Central Alabama Art Quilters
Julia Graber greeted the attendees and gave an update on the upcoming opportunities for SAQA members, and opportunities for all quilters in the coming months. Julia explained the difference in the 12” X 12” quilts that benefit SAQA, the educational and other opportunities of the organization.  She passed out brochures for membership for those that were interested.  Julia explained not all members needed to join, but there were a lot of resources to learn and participate within the organization. http://www.saqa.com
Julia explained the difference in our trunk show pieces of fifty (50) quilts sized 7”X 10” and the journey, as they will travel for three (3) years. The finished quilts “Royal Blue and Light Bulb” were shown at the meeting. We certainly have some innovative quilters! The MS., Pod meeting in Ridgeland has chosen an 8”X 10” size to be placed on black fiber board, with the name of the quilt, the date, and the challenge name on the back.  The “Royal Blue and Light Bulb” should have the following typed information for Julia to put on the fiber board backing from the Alabama Pod to complete the framing process. Please type them out and bring them to her at our next meeting.
For SAQA members only in our region, (AL/AR/LA/MS), you may participate in this regional only show. The show will be held in Little Rock, AR.  The theme is “Treasures Within and With Out”.  The deadline is August first (1) 2016.  You may have a completed a quilt that fits the criteria. See the SAQA website under regional shows. This call for this entry and other invitations can be found on the calendar website.
http://www.saqa.com/calendar-detail.php?ID=5077

Loretta stepped in as facilitator for the groups meetings. She agreed to take up the challenge of our little group. Anyone open to programs should call her. We do need to have a program chair.  Anyone knowing a fiber artist to do a work shop or showing in the area would we would be delighted to encourage them and to keep the group informed.
All agreed to bring water or light munchies.  Maybe we should have a hostess to coordinate? Please volunteer for these openings at our next meeting the third Thursday of September.
Many of us traveling enjoyed having lunch with Julia and will be meeting at the Diplomat Deli again before our next meeting in September at eleven-fifteen (11:15am) for lunch and getting to know our membership. It is a great time to get to know each other.
We discussed a name for the group and will continue the search for a guild name at the next meeting.  Please be at out next meeting in two months to contribute to the name of this pod. The perimeters were to name the area (Central Alabama), and include “art” quilting without excluding all forms of quilt art expressionism. Some of the suggestions’ are as follows and we all look forward to any other options at our next meeting.  We do plan to choose to name our pod in September.
• Central Alabama Fiber Art Quilt Guild
• Fabric Collage Artists
• Fabric Art Collage

Show and Tell:
The “Royal Blue and Light Bulb” challenge was shown by all. What exciting diversity! We continued with other “show and tell” pieces. The creativity continued with diverse elements shown; all were encouraged for their artistic ability.
 The Program was given by Loretta, explaining the “Treasures of Thrift Store Finds”. Her mermaid was a wonderful example of what one can find from your local thrift shop.
Pictures were taken and will be posted by Julia soon.
Our next meeting will on: The third Thursday of September (9/15/16) at 1:00 pm at the Saint Mark Presbyterian Church, 2901 Columbiana Road, Vestavia Hills, Al. 35216.  The church phone: 205-822-5980.
Meeting Minutes submitted by Anita Haddad ah1haddad@earthlink.net      

AL Pod Show and Tell

At our recent meeting in Birmingham, AL we enjoyed a lot of inspiration from these artists.

Here are just a few.

Vasha Rosenblum with her over achiever lady.

Margaret and her Mona Lisa Margaret.

Dottie West with her landscape of Ireland.

Murry Johnston collaborated with a weaver to make this sweater.

These pieces will be made into wearable art as well.

Four depictions of mobile homes by Laura Strouse.

Laura also made this mermaid from recycled fabric.

Linda Kocisek made this quilt with fibonacci in mind.