White Gloves and Good Manners

Hello Everyone!

The Choo Choo Quilters June meeting will be this coming Monday, June 19th.  Team Two will be presenting the program called "White Gloves and Good Manners."  This program will include information from teachers and quilt show hosts about what makes these events most successful for attendees and teachers too.  By being better informed about quilting arts, we will be better able to appreciate what we see at these quilt shows.  This will be a fun and informative program, and hey, we will have prizes, so what's not to love?

We'll see everyone at Valleybrook Presbyterian Church starting at 6:30.  Bring your show and tell, bring your cuddle quilts, bring your own fun self.  Fancy hats and white gloves are optional.

Quilters Field Trip!

A departure from the normal meeting site at Valleybrook Presbyterian Church, guild members will enjoy a Quilter's Field Trip on Monday, April 16, to: 

Chattanooga Quilts

5711 Main St.

Ooltewah, TN 37363.  

The meeting will also begin earlier than usual at 6:00 pm.

Kim Thomas, the owner, has planned a special "Make and Take" project in addition to discount shopping and fabric fondling in the unique atmosphere of a local, historic building. 

All materials for painting a wooden 15" square, quilt-patterned plaque in your choice of colors will be included in the $20 fee, to be paid at the shop upon arrival.  Not to worry if you didn't sign up at previous meetings.  Kim will be prepared to accommodate everyone.

Guild members will also enjoy a discount on all purchases made during the visit on Monday night.  AND, refreshments will be served!  What's not to love?

Carpools can be organized individually.  Ginny Minninger will be in the Northgate Mall parking lot, across from the library at 5:10 to offer a ride to three additional people.  Please call her if you have questions.

The British are coming... to the Choo Choo Quilters!

...well, Ben Taphouse, the Sales Director from UK fabric company, Lewis & Irene is coming to Chattanooga, anyway... and he will be making a special appearance at the Choo Choo Quilters guild meeting on Monday, March 19. You don't want to miss this unique opportunity!

Ben Taphouse, from Lewis & Irene, a fresh, new fabric company in the United Kingdom, will be visiting the US—and Chattanooga—later this month. Ben is a second generation member of the Lewis & Irene family fabric business that was founded in 2013 by parents, Jackie and Bryan Taphouse. The company is named after two special people—parents and grandparents, Lewis and Irene—who threaded love through three generations of their family.

Lewis and Irene

The Lewis & Irene brand is making a huge splash in Europe and the fabric designs have quickly become fan favourites to quilting and sewing enthusiasts. Ben Taphouse leads the sales efforts for the company in the UK and his sister, Hannah, is the company's Creative Director and member of the in-house design team. In October of 2017, the company proudly expanded and launched Lewis & Irene USA, LLC to make their fabric collections available to US quilt shops and introduce their fabrics to American quilters and sewers.

In a presentation to the Choo Choo Quilters guild, Ben will be sharing the story of his family's fabric business and provide insight on the inspiration behind several of the fabric collections. "We are a small, devoted team, made up of extremely passionate individuals," says Ben, "and love nothing more than seeing our designs come to life!"

Are you curious about new quilting fabrics? Want to learn more about Lewis & Irene, a young, exciting fabric company making its way into the US markets? Want to hear about what inspires the designs of new Lewis & Irene fabric collections? Bring your curiosity, your passion for quilting fabrics and any questions to the March 19 guild meeting.

Let's give a warm, Choo Choo Quilters welcome to our visitor from across the ocean.

"From Field to Fabric" presentation

Ever wonder about the manufacturing process behind the lovely quilting cotton fabrics we find at our local quilt shops?

"From Field to Fabric" presentation by Veronica Hofman-Ortega

At the February guild meeting, our resident fabric representative, Veronica Hofman-Ortega [follow her on her blog at FiberAnticsbyVeronica.com], will give a presentation, "From Field to Fabric," which tells the story of how the cotton growing in the fields gets transformed into those colorful bolts of fabrics we fondle and drool over at our local quilt shops. Can you tell the difference between "quilt shop quality" fabrics and the other grades you may see at the big box stores? Veronica will touch on the points to look for and why there is a difference. 

Also at this meeting, the who/what/where/why of the 2018 Choo Choo Guild Challenge will be presented. Come join us on Monday, February 19 at 6:30 pm.

Cool tools solve construction conundrums

Got some cool tools?

Each year at the Choo Choo Quilters Guild Challenge Reveal, participants present and tell the story behind their Challenge quilts. Quite often, these discussions reveal creative ways in which the Challenge participants navigate and overcome construction conundrums that pop up along the way. Sometimes, we have to get quite inventive to meet those Challenge guidelines!

The 2017 Medallion Challenge was no different and seemed to have prompted the use of several tools, templates and rulers that helped participants make and fit pieced borders around a center motif. Let's all learn from each other's experiences, shall we?

Show and Share
For the January guild meeting, we'll have a Show and Share session. Please bring a favorite tool or a go-to gadget that motivates you or helps with the quiltmaking process—or something that's just too cool and too fun for words! For participants in last year's Challenge, bring a tool or share the technique that helped get your quilt across the finish line. If you please, a short demo is also appreciated.

A few other reminders:

• Dues of $20 for 2018 are now due.
• Photos will be taken at the January meeting for the membership directory (another reason you want your dues paid up).
• Program teams for 2018: Time will be allotted for planning and discussion with your teammates. Come with ideas!
• Last Call for completed Cuddle Quilts! We'll distribute them to Chambliss Center for Children in early February.

See you on January 15 at 6:30 pm.