Hand techniques featured at this summer's guild meetings

Throughout the summer, the Choo Choo Quilters examined more quilting techniques done by hand. The July program was about embellishing quilts and wearables.

Delores discussed many options for embellishing quilts. 

Delores Dady showed myriad examples of surface embellishments she has done on her quilts including hand embroidery, couching with yarns and ribbons, attaching buttons, fabric tubes and found objects, and beading. 

Fabric beads and silk ties were re-purposed
to embellish this small wall hanging.

Guild member, Veronica Hofman-Ortega (left), had a beaded project published in this book, Creative Quilting with Beads. 

Delores Dady (right) showed examples of beaded embellishments on quilts.
She referenced "Creative Quilting with Beads," a book in which
fellow guild member, Veronica Hofman-Ortega (left), had a project.

This art quilt is embellished with re-purposed silk ties, tie labels, beaded buttons and eyelash yarn.

Embellished quilt with recycled materials.

Betty Galbreth talked about hand embroidery during the crazy quilting era.

Betty embroidered the Dresden motif on a pillow
to coordinated with the Dresden Plate quilt.

Hand embroidered crazy quilt blocks.

Other options for creative embellishment came during Show and Tell. Cristy Clark (left) used a fused foil technique to embellish a summer dress. Joanna Lienti (right) recycled and overdyed a shirt to extend its life.

Cristy Clark (left) with embellished dress.
Joanna Lienti up-cycled a man's shirt by overdoing it.

Appliqué was the focus at the August guild meeting. The program featured several techniques and tips for hand, raw edge, and fusible appliqué.

Ginny explained various appliqué techniques.

The August program provided examples and tips for appliqué.

Hand applique. 

Applique created from a drawing in a children's coloring book.

The buttonhole stitch is one option for covering raw edges.

Guild members used a fusible technique to appliqué fabric to the cover of a small notebook.

Fusible applique.

The Choo Choo Quilters always have an interesting and diverse Show and Tell at guild meetings:

Janet shows pieces from a workshop with Gwen Marston.

Melody's art quilts on painted box frames.

Betty's 4-patch kaleidoscope quilt.

Hand quilting on a Gee's Bend style quilt.

Hand quilted nine patch bed quilt.

Close-up of hand quilting. 

Modern style sailboat quilt.

Strippy Cuddle Quilt in a rainbow of colors.

Appliquéd holiday door hanging.

Improvisational piecing with gentle curves.

Four-patch kaleidoscope quilt.

Beautiful hand appliqué bed quilt featuring fruits.

As you can see, we're always having a good time at our meetings!

Hand embellishing quilts

Embellishments on a quilt.

Looking for ways to add a little zing and bling to your quilts? Consider embellishments.

At the July 21 Choo Choo Quilters Guild meeting, the program is about "Hand Embellishments." Come and see how thread, embroidery stitches, buttons, beads and other recycled ephemera can add texture, color and another layer of design to your quilted pieces.

To participate in the hands-on crazy quilt stitch sampler demonstration, bring the following supplies to the meeting:

• embroidery floss
• hand embroidery needle
• scissors

If you have finished hand piecing or hand quilting your Choo Choo mug rug (and even if you have not), bring it for Show and Tell. The meeting starts at 6:30 pm and refreshments will be provided.

Hand piecing and hand quilting a train mug rug.

Embroidery's rich cultural heritage carries on

Sherry shows embroidery samples from her textile collection.

Whether or not we learned to sew, embroider or quilt at a young age, many of us grew up surrounded by needlework of some kind—embroidered dish towels, cross stitched pillowcases, crewelwork pillows, dresser scarves, armchair doilies, or pieced and appliqued patchwork made from clothing, feed sacks or even men's old silk ties. Needlework pieces such as these can evoke memories of our family, our youth or our culture.

The program at the April Choo Choo Quilters guild meeting entitled "Embroidery on Quilts" featured time-honored embroidery techniques used throughout history and offered ideas and examples of how hand stitching can add detail and dimension to projects we're creating today.

A seminole pieced and crazy patch vest
that escaped donation to a charity.

Sherry Baldwin, the evening's presenter, grew up surrounded by needlework. Her presentation was peppered with beautiful and heartwarming examples from her extensive textile collection. Pieces included those made by and handed down from family members, pieces she created during various times of her stitch-filled life, or samples she collected during her travels. The evening's presentation was interwoven with guild members' Show and Tell—treasured embroidered examples that emerged from cedar chests, dresser drawers and closets—that added to the visual feast of hand stitched embellishment.

Sherry took the audience back into embroidery history, explaining how different cultures used the same core selection of embroidery stitches—chain, buttonhole, running, satin and cross stitches—and transformed them into beautiful and unique needle art reflective of that culture. She discussed the differences in yarns, threads and base fabrics that were used for different techniques. "Geography often played a part in the choice of materials people used [for embroidery]," she said. People used threads, yarn and fabrics made from the plants and animals that were indigenous and readily available in their part of the world.

References for various needlework techniques from different cultures.
Scandinavian and Hmong embroidery books.

Examples representing embroidery from various eras and cultures included:

Sashiko cloth and small bag.

Crazy patch made with silk ties.

Appliqued crazy patch.

Blue birds embroidered on a summer spread.
Can you find the "mis-pieced" blocks?

Bluework and Redwork.

Embroidery and hand coloring on a pillowcase.

Hand stitching on a painted quilt.

Stitch samplers come in a variety of styles and forms.

Stitch sampler detail.

Cross stitched flowers on a pillowcase.

Cross stitched feather wreath quilt. Hand quilted.

Cross stitched quilt top. 

Embroidery embellishes a Dresden Plate appliquéd quilt.

Hand embroidery adds texture and detail to a contemporary quilt.

Folk art style of embroidery combined with patchwork.
Hand coloring done with crayons.

Small hand stitched piece by Susan Shie.

Quilt embroidered with the long stitch.

Candlewicking on a tree skirt.

Crewel embroidery.

Wool applique embellished with embroidery stitches.

Attendees were treated to a machine stitched piece by Carol Bryer Fallert.
Left: front of work. Right: back, showing the label.

For centuries—dating as far back as 475 BC—people have embroidered cloth for religious and cultural reasons, as a symbol of status or wealth, as art, and as expressions of beauty for their households. Our female ancestors embellished linens, quilts and garments with hand stitching using laborious and time consuming techniques. They enhanced the functional beauty of the objects that clothed and protected their families and adorned their homes. The beauty of the embroidered stitch continues to inspire us today.

Show and Tell

Progress continues to be made on the 2013 Brown Bag Challenge quilts.

Betty made a companion quilt for her other grandson.

Cristy worked with her father-in-law to complete this scrappy string quilt.

Guild members finished quilt tops using the 4-patch kaleidoscope technique.

Dawn's fabric had a beach theme.

Pam's kaliedoscope quilt features a swatch from the original fabric.

Joanna's quilt uses the same fabric as Pam's (previous picture above).
Twin quilts by different mothers?

A hexagon embellished shirt was inspired by the guild's program on Hexagons.

Becky made this patchwork stole (left) and embellished a denim shirt
with hexagons.