GUILD GLIMMERS

by Reva Basch

            Velda Newman works big and bright. The slides she presented at our September meeting showed clearly how she draws inspiration from the natural world – fruits, flowers, seashells, fish – as well as elemental shapes such as those of native American baskets.  But it wasn’t until Velda began unfurling her actual quilts that we realized the scale of her efforts. One of them took four volunteers, two strategically positioned along the middle of the quilt and completely hidden by it, to hold it up for the gasping, admiring audience. This was a panorama of vivid California fruits and foliage on a dramatic dark blue background. It measured 65” high by a whopping 168” – that’s 14 feet, folks – long. Velda works on that grand scale not just for its undeniable dramatic effect, but because it allows her to experiment with surface detail and texture that add depth and richness to her quilts.

            In the weekend workshop that followed Velda’s lecture, 20-some participants learned how carefully-thought-out contour quilting or a shaded wash of acrylic paint can create the illusion of roundedness  – in an apple, a basket, a flower petal – on a flat scrap of fabric. We discovered how reverse appliqué using contrasting hand-dyes or solids can suggest the distinctive markings on sea shells. We made tiny tucks to suggest the folds and veins in petals and leaves, then daubed them with acrylics to add dimensionality. We quilted small scraps of yellow fabric to within a 16^th of an inch of their tiny lives to evoke the pebbly surface of a lemon. Perhaps the most intriguing experiment involved cheesecloth: After cutting off selvages, we pulled out a few threads, every inch or so, in both directions, then “distressed” the resulting loose weave by pulling it apart with our fingertips, until it lost its gridlike texture. This we laid over a melon shape cut from an appropriate color and backed with batting, then quilted small circles over the entire surface. The result was (for most of us) an amazingly accurate rendition of a canteloupe’s netted skin. Conventional quilting followed, to suggest the melon’s stem and segmented surface, and finally, a delicate acrylic wash to mellow out the quilting lines and make them seem more organic.  Barb McNulty’s terrific photos at www.pacificpiecemakers.org/velda.htm show, among other things, how the class used the Art Center’s foyer windows as a gigantic light box to trace lines for quilting.

             Velda’s website (www.veldanewman.com) features a full list of the Nevada City-based quilter’s prizes and other honors, as well as photos of her spectacular quilts. Her new book, A Workshop with Velda Newman: Adding dimension to your quilts, captures the essentials and is worth checking out if you, too, would like to enrich your work with a few easy and fun-to-play-with techniques.

NOVEMBER MEETING

            In November we will have demonstrations by guild members of new gadgets and techniques. We may also hold a fabric sale and swap if there is enough interest. If you have a nifty technique you’d like to share with other guild members and/or you want to participate in a fabric sale, please give our program committee a call.

QUILT STUDIO TOUR

The Program Committee is planning to hold a quilt studio tour either later this fall or next spring. Several guild members have already volunteered to open their studios to guild members. If you would like your studio to be on the tour, please call Laurie Mueller.

The Ghost Quilter…

By Paula Osborne

            My son Chris was cleaning out his father’s house recently, and retrieved a quilt made by his great, great grandmother around 1880.  He carted it home to Fairbanks, Alaska, and while unpacking and arranging it on his bed, he was punctured by a pin or needle concealed in the border.  It barely pierced his skin, but was clearly something he wanted to remove before using the quilt.  An immediate search revealed nothing, so he marked the location and set it aside until morning.  Returning next day to retrieve the pin he found no trace of it there or anywhere else.  Instead he was startled to find four tiny drops of long dried blood.  They were not his, as he had not been able to coax even one drop from his own finger.

            Doo-doo-doo-doo… (theme from “Twilight Zone”)

HOLIDAY PARTY

            Save the date — Friday, December 10th — for our annual holiday luncheon and party. This is a change from the second Friday of the month. It is our opportunity to relax and mingle with our compatriots-in-quilting, have fun and eat great food. Each person will be asked to bring a dish to the potluck and four fabric fat quarters. After a frenzy of exchanges that will confuse and delight, you will end up with four or more new fat quarters to take home. This year our theme will be STRIPES so next time you are out and about look for interesting, unusual and gorgeous striped fabric to bring and exchange. More details for the holiday party in the November newsletter.

SOUND THE RETREAT!

            The PPQG retreat at the beautiful Marconi Center in Marshall is set for  Jan. 31- Feb 3, 2005. There are 21 quilters signed up. We have started  a waiting list and will know by Dec. 31 whether we can accommodate more quilters. If you are interested email or phone Bette Covington, bcov@mcn.org, 785-2718.

2005 CHALLENGE

            The 11th Annual Pacific Piecemakers Quilt Guild Challenge was announced at  the September meeting. The theme is: "The Quilter Revealed: Portraits and Self-Portraits."The challenge is to create a quilt which addresses the question: "Who am I?" As a member  of PPQG, you have the opportunity to make a visual representation of  how you see yourself as a quilter, an artist, or a person. Quilts will  be delivered to Gualala Arts on June 9th. The opening reception is June 11th, 5-7 p.m. This is a wide open theme and we hope that all quilters will give it a go. Ladies, look deep within and show us who resides in your heart! See the challenge flyer for further details. Questions,  Jeri Taylor/Anita Kaplan.

OCTOBER

October 15

10:00—4:00

Gualala Arts

The Search For UFOs

            Do you have any UFOs (unfinished objects) hidden away that could use a little help?  For October’s Guild meeting, we will be combining our standard comfort quilt workshop with another UFO day.

            Polly reports that we have a good stock of comfort quilts but can always use more.  So you can use our workshop either to start or finish a comfort quilt, OR, if you have a quilt that you haven’t finished or are just plain stuck on, plan on bringing it to the October workshop.  We can arrange to have some fairy godmothers on hand to help you finish your project.

            We’ll have our regular business meeting at 1:00 p.m.

CALENDAR

OCTOBER 15:  Comfort Quilt Workshop

NOVEMBER 19: New Gadgets and Techniques

DECEMBER 10:  Holiday Luncheon

JANUARY 19-20:  Jeanette deNicolis Meyer workshop, “Layered Imagery.”

FEBRUARY 18:  Comfort Quilts

APRIL 11-14: Ruth McDowell workshop, “Designing from Nature.”

JUNE 18:  Judith Jones, “Fantastic Bags.”

JULY 13-14:  Jane Sassaman workshop, “Shape Shifting.”

SEPTEMBER 17-18:  Cara Gulati workshop, “Threads of Imagination.”

2005 WORKSHOPS

            The program committee gave a preview of the 2005 workshops at September’s Guild meeting.  Guild members have already started signing up, so be sure to send your check in soon to insure your place in classes you want to take.  We are again offering a member discount for guild members who sign up early for 2005 classes.  For more information about the teachers and their classes, check our website under 2005 events.

JEANETTE DENICOLIS MEYER: “Layered Imagery, January 19-20. Full cost $160; member discount, $140.25

RUTH MCDOWELL: “Designing from Nature,” April 11-14. Full cost $300; member discount $255.00.

JANE SASSAMAN: “Shape Shifting,” July 13-14. Full cost $170; member discount $144.50.

CARA GULATI: September 17-18. Full cost $170.00; member discount $144.50.

            You can send your checks to Laurie Mueller, P.O. Box 314, TSR, 95497.  Make checks payable to PPQG.

    HAPPY   BIRTHDAY

Chris Francis                 2

Mary Ellen Blohm         16

Iris Lorenz-Fife             16                 

Elizabeth Langdon      20

Miriam Littlejohn         21

Cathe Marshall             22

Ann Hines                      23

Pat Cairns                      24

Elizabeth Beckett        29