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 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.

MS Pod - Southern Fiber Artists

Rita Warnock, our President, called our meeting to order and welcomed everyone. Volunteers accepted as leaders this year are as follows: Marilyn Dedeaux, Exhibit Chairperson; Cathy Reiniger, Group Art Project Facilitator; Julia Graber, SAQA Liaison; and Jackie Watkins, Secretary.

Rita led a discussion on a name for our group and the final consensus was Southern Fiber Artists. After a discussion of future meeting places, the artists decided that a central site seemed best since members are coming from Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Meetings will continue to be at the Electric Power Association in Ridgeland, MS when the space is available. You will be notified of a change. Other options will be Crafts Center or members homes.

Marcus Weekley reminded us of the call for entries about strong women and the things they have accomplished since obtaining the right to vote in the U.S. In 1920. Contact Marcus for more info.

Cathy announced that this years group project, Mississippi Ag Museum in Bloom, will be entered in the Old Man River Quiltfest and Pine Belt Quilt Shows in August and October.

Eight challenge quilts on the Yellow/Catastrophe theme were shown by seven members.

Our next challenge is Light bulb/Royal Blue. Create an 8 by 11 piece for our next meeting. 

Julia will take our challenge quilts on the road to the June and October meetings of MQA and to the Alabama SAQA pod meeting to show what Southern Fiber Artists are creating.

Julia announced a SAQA Call for Entries for a 12 x 12 donation quilt, a 10 x 7 for a trunk show that will travel, and a call Treasures Within and Treasures Without from SAQA AL/AR/LA/MS members for a show in Little Rock. See website for details.

Nancy Losure was our guest speaker on "Compounding Interest." She talked to us about adding interest to our quilts. How do we make quilts more interesting? Is interesting the same as beautiful? How do you increase interest in design? Think color, texture, movement, symmetry, flow, intricacy. Know when to stop! What makes a quilt worth a second look? Perhaps it is the makers hand, what the quilt does or does not do. Many examples were shown of quilts that had added interest. Southern Fiber Artists were good critics.

At Show and Tell, Cathy presented a wedding ring quilt of blue background with yellow and orange rings. It goes to her daughter. 

Martha Ginn showed her Challenge quilt from a selfish round Robbin where each participant made an 18x 24 center block and added borders. Shape Challenges called for redesign of each step. Quilt won Viewers Choice and 2nd place, after a tie-breaker, in a quilt show. She also showed a quilt made from Rhonda's surface design painting class, 

plus her Altered Book Project, where she made the cover and others supplied unique pages.

Sue Roundtree showed her Lily Quilt made in Julia's class.

Susan Manno shared her beads and cats, paper mache, challenge made in wool. She had a two color challenge of blue, orange and black, not a color. This was a backyard quilt with, of course, cats.

Marcus showed several quilts he will have for sale at a quilt show at the end of July in Gulfport to raise money for his anticipated move to New York, where he will be a successful screen writer and director. We will miss him here.

Debbie show us her loom and weaving project.

Our next meeting is August 6, 10:30 am at Electric Power Assn. building, 665 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland, MS.