Bed Rugs and the President's ear

Did we get your attention with that headline? Good. 

The February guild meeting of the Choo Choo Quilters is February 15—Presidents' Day. So, Veronica invited the president. 

And he is coming.    To.    Our.    GUILD.    MEETING.   Do you believe that???

February meeting: Bed rugs and a demonstration on making quilts with felted wool.

Well, you should! Because it's happening [barring bad weather and any air travel complications].

The agenda for the February meeting will be jam-packed. Here's an overview: 

• a program about "Bed Rugs: felted wool quilts," with a demonstration, 
• the second installment of the 2016 Guild Challenge Mystery project, and 
• a short presentation by a special guest, the President of Blank Quilting Corp. and StudioE Fabrics, Scott Fortunoff. Scott will give a short talk followed by time for Q&A. 

What to bring to the meeting?

• Show and Tell for the President: Quilts, wall pieces, bags, wearables made with quilting cottons, 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional projects, contemporary or traditional, hand or machine, big, small and anything in between.
• If you've made projects with any fabrics from Blank Quilting or StudioE Fabrics, Scott will be especially thrilled to see them. 
• And, your burning questions or curiosities about quilting fabrics, fabric manufacturing or the fabric industry and any ideas and thoughts about what you as a quilter, sewer, long-armer or "fabric collector" would like from the fabric companies that support our local quilt shops.

Don't be shy. Scott will love seeing all the quilts and projects, and no question is off limits. You'll have his ear!

How to Get Over Your Bad Self and Enter a Quilt Show

Come join us for our next Choo Choo Quilters meeting on Monday, January 18 and learn TWO important things! Our program will be Entering a Juried Quilt Show For Fame and Fortune. We'll have a discussion of what information you need for the application, tips for photography, technical details for an online application, and additional details after your quilt is accepted into the show. Much like the Powerball lottery, you can't win a quilt show if you don't enter, so let's de-mystify the process.

Also at the January meeting will be the kickoff to our 2016 Mystery Quilt. We will have 6 months of instructions for our quilt pattern, then you will have the last half of the year to assemble and quilt your creation. You will want to stay current on this project and see what everyone does with the same parts but different fabrics.

Veronica will be taking photos for our Choo Choo Directory, so put on your lipstick and bring a quilt for the background of your photo. For those of us with troublesome memories, these photo directories are a wonderful thing!

Come join us for the first meeting of our new year!

2015 "Beyond the Panel" Challenge Reveal

What can you do with a pre-printed fabric panel? The Choo Choo Quilters pushed the envelope this year in the 2015 "Beyond the Panel" Guild Challenge. Earlier in the year, the requirements were issued for what to do to a 24" or 36" fabric panel [of their choice] and 11 creative responses to the Challenge were ushered in at the November guild meeting. In addition to designing a new, interesting composition with a fabric panel, the enterprising Challenge participants experimented with various techniques, products and construction methods to make their quilts. Take a look at these creatively executed and beautifully finished 2015 Challenge entries.

Kim used a stack-and-shuffle technique with a panel that had a Fall theme of pumpkins, gourds and Indian corn. Elements of the original panel can still be seen in this abstract composition.

By Kim Huston

Kim's original panel.

Using metallic thread, Sherry quilted her entry quilt with a spiderweb design in the borders to coincide with a Halloween themed panel. She experimented with fusible batting and discussed her experience working with this product.

By Sherry Baldwin

Sherry also embellished her piece with be-jeweled spiders.

Spiderweb quilting and spider embellishment (left) and
Sherry's original panel (right).

Betty sliced a "Love" panel into strips and re-assembled the pieces into this original layout. The quilt is called "Broken Hearted."

"Broken Hearted" by Betty Galbreth

Betty's original panel.

This folk art style panel was cleverly cut and re-pieced into this quilt by Dawn. Dawn explained how she strategically inserted the wave fabric that she had in her stash. It was a perfect complement to the color palette and playful design of her entry.

By Dawn Johnson

Dawn's original panel

Joanna created the illusion of a view through a garden gate. The original panel was cut both vertically and diagonally and a darker fabric was inserted between the cut pieces.

By Joanna Lienti

Joanna's original panel.

Theresa cut a large scale panel print of two flowers to create this modern style quilt. The blue accent fabric used in the inner border provides contrast to the warm red/yellow/orange color scheme.

By Theresa Kitchell

Theresa's original panel.

A steampunk, sewing themed panel was Pam's Challenge inspiration. Pam incorporated the spool quilt block in the border to frame the piece. The colorful spools of thread complement the sewing theme while the appliquéd paper dolls dance across the center.

By Pam Graham

Pam's original panel.
The row of paper dolls can be seen at the bottom of the panel.

Veronica created "The Juggler" from a Halloween themed panel. Upon close inspection, the panel's images can be seen in the reverse appliqué circles, the paper pieced spikes and triangles. Free-motion machine quilting in jeweled toned threads contrast with the black background. Felted wool circles were hand stitched to the surface after the quilting was completed.

"The Juggler" by Veronica Hofman-Ortega

Veronica's original panel.

A disappearing 9-patch technique worked well to showcase Martha's sailboat panel. The additional red, white and blue fabrics that she chose support the quilt's nautical theme.

By Martha Griffin

Martha's original panel.

A whimsical panel of hand drawn flowers and birds was the inspiration for Dawn's entry. The challenge in this piece was calculating and piecing different widths of sashing to preserve the visual continuity of the panel print across the rows of blocks. The baptist fan quilting design provides a lovely, graceful texture over the entire composition.

By Dawn Palmer

Dawn embellished this piece with hand embroidery and included a piped binding for extra detail.

Dawn's original panel. The piped binding can be seen here.

Becky had fun with an "Elf Story" book panel. The red/white candy stripe fabric and green borders set the tone for this holiday themed quilt.

By Becky Troxler

Becky's original panel.

Thank you to the Challenge Team members for coordinating this year's Guild Challenge, and to our local sponsors for their generous contributions to the participant awards: Chattanooga Quilts, Bernina Sew 'n Quilt Studio, Lana's Quilts and Sew Much More, Pins and Needles Quilt Shop, and fiber artist, Alexa Lett. Please support our local quilt shops and fiber artists.