Material Conversations: Topeka

Ruth Powers, Bignonia

The Sabatini Gallery at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library

is hosting an exhibit until September 22. Two of our members have quilts in the show, Ruth and Janet.

"Material Conversations is a juried competition showcasing 19 works by 10 artists. This selection of contemporary explorations in fiber arts comes from the Kansas-based group, EDGE, an organization with regional to international membership consisting of fiber artists, art quilters, and mixed media artists."

http://tscpl.org/gallery/exhibitions/material-conversations-an-art-quilt-competition/

Janet L. Perkins

Twister Paths

Jo Fitsell, Challenges

Dora Agbas, Water

Louise Kent, Log Cabin detail, 1940

There's a separate small exhibit of quilt watercolors from

the 1940 Index of American Design, a WPA project.

They also had a workstation with a Community Quilt Project.

The results were colorful

and they are adding to it everyday.

August 19th & 20th: Deb Rowden, Improvised Quilts

Housetop by Deb Rowden

Improvised Quilts by our own Deb Rowden

Deb's quilt passion is working by improvisation. She's made improvised quilts, collected them, studied them and edited books on the topic for years.

Log Cabin by Deb Rowden

There is nothing new or modern about improvised quilts. They have been with us as long as there have been quilts, sometimes with other labels: rogue, maverick, utilitarian or thrift shop quilts.

Deb will talk about the definition of improvisation, the quilters of Gee’s Bend, Anna Williams, Lucille Young, and more. She will also explode a few popular myths about who makes improvised quilts. We’ll examine quilts from Deb’s wacky collection, along with historic samples of improvisation.

Feel free to bring along your own improvised quilts to show and tell.

Deb works from her home in Lawrence writing and editing quilt books for the Kansas City Star and C&T Publishing. She is in her 10th year working as a freelance quilt editor. In that time, she has written 5 quilt books and edited 75.

Log Cabin by Deb

Check out her blog Thrift Shop Quilts here:

 debrowden.blogspot.com

Suburban Wildlife BOM Finished

Suburban Wildlife

Our Block of the Month

from Linda Frost

It was fun!

Spotlight on Kathy P.

Dinosaur Land by Kathy

Our newsletter editors have been introducing us to members each month with Meet the Members interview feature. You might want to see their quilts too. Kathy had at least two at the April quilt show

She also did a demo on 3-D stars for us there: "Fabric Folding-Origami Style"

Bullfrog Boogie

Here's a little of the interview from the May newsletter:

"I LOVE building the quilt top….the actual sewing of all the pieces to create the top. When you asked when did I learn to sew, I laughed. I remember reading Kelly Cline’s spotlight last month and thinking she and I grew up in the same household (even though I didn’t meet her until joining guild). My mom taught me how to sew. She was always making matching outfits…especially at Christmas…and usually in paisley!

 My mom enrolled me in a sewing and etiquette class back in the late 60’s. I remember making a tennis outfit in that class. From there, I was hooked! I loved to sew. I made a lot of my clothes growing up. After college, I got in to doing craft shows with my parents. I usually made fabric items while my mother had long quit sewing, leaving that part to me, and she turned to her love of painting. I tried my hand at quilting in 1985 by enrolling in a local quilting class." 

Quilt Show Accounting

The last newsletter had some quilt show numbers:

49 Members entered 126 quilts

454 Admissions = $2,268

Boutique sales = $1,220

Opportunity Quilt sales = $350

105 Mini-Quilts raised = $2,388

The Mini-Quilt funds were rather evenly divided between these 7 charities

CASA: Court Appointed Special Advocates

DCAP: Douglas County Aids Project

GaDuGi Shelter

Habitat for Humanity

Humane Society

Spencer Museum of Art 

Social Service League

with a little for the guild's fund.

Start thinking mini-quilts for next year.

We want at least 106.

Jan's Crazy Quilt for Show & Tell

Jan M brought this vivid crazy quilt to the April meeting. She recently bought it from the family of the maker who was a teenager when she stitched it in the 1930s.

It's cotton satteen and quilted with a big stitch in Nile green Perle cotton.

Suburban Wildlife

Margaret & Jill Ann

Blocks from Linda Frost's Suburban Wildlife BOM at the April meeting.

Sheryl

Betty with 2

And Marilyn had them all so far

Quilt Show Pictures

Sue Thomsen

Forest Galorest

Ruth Powers

What's Up at the 4-H Fair

Bullfrog Boogie

Kathy Pribbenow

Marie Meyen

The Universe in Black & Blue According to Hunter

Ysleta Meek

Rasberry Soda

Jan Masenthin

Drive Carefully

Marj Loyd, Evelyn Loyd, Carolyn Andres, Lisa Meyer

Evelyn's 90th Birthday Quilt