Summer is almost over
We’ll be starting our 2023-2024 guild year in just about 3 weeks! I’m sure we’re all eager to see each other again and catch up on what everyone’s been working on or dreaming about.
An exciting program of demos, trunk shows, challenges, and workshops has been planned by a fabulous team of volunteers. You won’t want to miss any of these.
On Saturday, September 9th, we’ll meet at our usual location, Millarville Community church at 9:30 a.m. Join us to find out about the program for the year. There are a lot of exciting activities to look forward to.
A potluck is planned to follow the meeting so we can all catch up and visit over lunch. Please let us know you’re coming by emailing FNQGuild@gmail.com. This will help us know how many tables to set up.
Reminder: This year we are changing back to being an in-person guild. Zoom will no longer be available for regular guild meetings.
Membership dues are unchanged from last year. Get your membership fees to Mary Dyamond as soon as possible. Cash, cheques, and e-Transfer are accepted.
Quilting Community News
Ana Buzzalino, formerly a FNQG member and internationally renowned quilter and fibre artist, will be having a studio sale early in September. More info will be made available as details are firmed up. She will have a selection of items at the sale including:
- Fabric
- Rulers
- Threads
- Magazines
- Beads
- Quilts
- Decorative painting magazines
- Painted fabrics
- Original works, etc.
More information to follow.
Is it really Spring?
Dare I believe it? Can it be true? Is Spring truly and for real here? I sure hope so. The last few days have truly felt like Spring and we have crossed the threshold of meteorological Spring. So I’m going to believe. I choose to believe. 🙂
What does this have to do with quilting you ask. Well, a LOT!!!
You have until April 1 to submit your entry form to Heritage Park if you’re planning to enter a quilt into the May Festival of Quilts. And I hope that most of you are planning on doing this. Our guild challenges were set up so that for sure you should have at least 1 item to enter into the show.
Here’s a link to the Festival of Quilts registration site: https://www.heritagepark.ca/plan-your-visit/event-calendar/festival-of-quilts#:~:text=Quilt%20Registration
April Guild meeting
Reminder, it’s been moved up a week and we’re meeting on April 1. Come for the great presentation on Stained Glass quilts and stay to sew in the afternoon if you can. Bring your Show and Tell, and your quilting hacks (tips and tricks) that you’ve learned since we last met.
Second Time Around Sale – Also at the April meeting, remember to bring any notions, implements, rulers, fabric, that you don’t think you’ll ever use, or that you have duplicates of. All items will be displayed and be available for sale. This is a fundraiser for the guild. Funds to be used for program, workshops and other guild expense. Do a Spring assessment of your quilting room. Bring what you won’t use so you’re ready for new adventures.
Any day working with, or playing with fabric is a good day. Have yourself some wonderfully good days and see you in April.
October workshop details and other updates
Susan Madu, from Moder Belend Quilts, will guide us in creating a mini quilt. The intent with the mini quilt is for participants to learn the 4 different square in a square technique and to make a mini quilt. The 4 different techniques can then be used in the table runner after the workshop to make the table runner. Alternatively, participants can simply incorporate the workshop blocks in the small table runner from the pattern.
In addition to the pattern, participants can download a handout for the additional techniques as well as the slides from the workshop. The slides can be downloaded by participants after each session of the workshop. The handouts and slides will be in Dropbox and Susan has included the link to the folder in the welcome email you’ll get when you register.
Workshop dates: October 15 and 22nd – 3 hours each session.
Cost: $50 for FNQG members, $75 for non-members
Format: Zoom (virtual) sessions
Comfort/charitable donations quilts
The last list of dimensions for the various charities was missing some information. Please use this list as the updated and current list.
Have a great day.
You can fail at just about anything, so why not do something you love (paraphrased from a quote by Jim Carey). That is to say, touch your fabric, sew a seam, cut a shape, stitch a stich – do something you love! Don’t worry about failing. Do the best you can at what you love. Enjoy your hobbies and your life.
Guild has started for another glorious year!
There are so many exciting presentations, workshops, and challenges in our program this year that I can’t wait to get into it. In October Cheryl M. will be talking to us about Orphan blocks. Ideas of what you can do with them to make new projects or incorporate them into the project that they came from. There will also be an orphan block swap, so bring any orphan blocks you don’t know what to do with and see if you can find others that would go with it or give yours to someone who has a way to sue it.
Quick preview of program – updated colour version to come soon.
October Workshop – Square-in-a-square
***TIME SENSTIVE information***
Susan Madu, from Calgary, AB, will be hosting a workshop in October 15 and 22. This 2 Saturday workshop is about 3 hours for each session. The theme is Square within a square. Susan has some fascinating tips and tricks for easily and successful creating this quilt block. She also has some cool variations of this block to give you a variety of looks and end products. For the class you will need to buy the Square in a square ruler by Studio 180. Susan teaches the technique to the ruler so it is a must for the class. The 2-day class is only $50 for FNQG members and $75 for non-members. Send you money to Mary ASAP. Once we get a list of who will be attending further supply lists and details will be sent out. This workshop will be held over Zoom.
Susan has a very relaxed and friendly teaching style and includes many general tips for quilting along with the workshop material. I’ve also used the Studio 180 rulers for other projects, and they are awesome! They really help any quilter, from novice to expert, create precision blocks.
HURRY and let us know if you want to attend! Time is getting short.
Comfort quilts and Charitable donations
Many of us have more quilts than we know what to do with. For others, the reason they quilt is so they can bless others by gifting or donating a quilt where some love or care is needed. Many of our guild members are associated with various organizations and have shared information about how you too can make a difference with a quilt.
If you know the contact person within our guild for any of these organizations or groups, please let us know and we’ll get this updated with the right contact information.
Alberta Quilt Study
The Alberta Quilt Study Society is excited to be holding their first documentation in three years.
If you would like to have your quilt documented, or to find out more about the Alberta Quilt Study Society, please go to www.abqss.com.
We don’t have any other documentation days scheduled right now, but we will let you know when they are planned.
Love your stash
Quilting has come a long way over the centuries. According to Wikipedia it can be traced back as far as the 34th century BC. It spans the globe with every continent having some form or type of quilting in its culture. Originally as a form of protecting one from the cold through clothing, wraps, and covers. While many useful projects are still quilted, it now has evolved into both a classical and modern art form.
I’ve been thinking lately, quite a lot, about the guilt we tend to put on ourselves for our fabric stashes. We “justify” why we’re buying fabric. Is it a “need” or a “want”? We talk about not buying any more fabric for a year and seeing how far we can get with our quilting projects.
While it’s prudent to use what we have, I believe that there’s’ no reason we must flagellate ourselves just because wee have more fabric in our cupboards, closets, or sewing rooms than we need for the current project we’re working on.
Have you ever seen a woodworker with a bare woodshed? An artistic painter with only the paint colours they need for the painting they’re currently working on? No! They have an array of materials, colours, and mediums available and at the ready so that as inspiration hits, they can move forward and create!
This need to create and make beautiful things, whether complex or simple, is a God-given gift that is given to each and every human being. Not everyone has found their passion yet. For those of us who have found it and found it in quilting – let’s embrace it! Glory in it! Stop telling yourself that you must feel guilty because you have the means to start a project. Enjoy your fabric, tools, and threads. Use the bits in Snippet rolls or scrap projects. Use the precuts (charm packs, jelly rolls, and layer cakes) and lengths for more planned pieces. Create! Be who you were meant to be. Stop feeling guilty. Enjoy an occasional trip to the quilt shop. Do what makes you happy and feel fulfilled. Let’s enjoy our stashes for what they are, gateways to hours of creativity and enjoyment. Let’s go quilt! (Shirley Chandler Teichroeb)
Guild meeting on Saturday May 14
Check your email this week for more details and the Zoom link for the meeting. This month’s meeting will be both on Zoom and in-person. Choose the option that works best for you.
Show and Tell
Don’t for get to send your show and tell photos to Be as soon as you can. We’d love to see what you’ve been working on. For those attending in-person on May 14th, feel free to bring your project to show it at the meeting. Remember to bring your Tips and Tricks to share as well.
Spring is here!
FNQG is excited to be back to in-person meting starting April 9, 2022.Come join us for the guild meeting and stay to sew in the afternoon. Zoom link will still be available for those out of town or that aren’t quite ready yet to come in person. Check your email in the next day or 2 for the link.
This month we are excited to have Cheryl Arkison (Sunday Morning Quilts) will be coming totalk about Scrap vs Scrappy.
Fibre Arts Networks
News and Inspiration published an article by Linda MacKay (FNQG member)
Talk Story of Coping with the Cold – Equine Dreams and Memories. Check out Linda’s website to see the variety of mediums she uses and examples of the beautiful work she does. Linda MacKay Artist
Heritage Park Quilt Show
HERITAGE PARK FESTIVAL OF QUILTS UPDATE
Hello Quilters!
We’re looking forward to seeing your quilts hanging all over Heritage Park on May 28 and 29th, 2022! The committee has been planning for months to make this a great show. Check out the Festival of Quilts website to see what we have up our sleeves. There’s just a few things that we need YOU to do…
SIGN UP FOR WORKSHOPS!
Stacey Day (Canadian rock star designer) is bringing her enthusiasm, and two new patterns, to teach you some new quilting skills – check out the Heritage Park website for details, and register now…
BUY A TICKET FOR THE SATURDAY TRUNK SHOW!
Stacey will share her quilting journey, from early days to working with some of the top fabric designers in the world. What makes her patterns so great? Come and find out, while enjoying some liquid refreshments and desserts. Tickets are limited, get yours early at the Heritage Park website.
SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER!
We are also asking for your help to make the Festival a success, there are numerous volunteer opportunities and time commitments. You are no longer required to sign up as a regular Heritage Park volunteer, we have created our own Festival of Quilts Show Day Team! We are looking for a minimum of 4 hours of your time to help make the show great. When you volunteer you get into the park for free! Here is the link to the Show Day Team Registration. There is also a fillable form attached that you can fill out and return to calgaryfoq@gmail.com.
Thank you so much for your support – see you in May!
Festival of Quilts Committee
P.S. We also have a new Facebook page “Calgary Festival of Quilts at Heritage Park”! Give us a look, and a like, or a follow, or a share 😊
Christmas comes to FNQG
We’re coming up to our December meeting in a short while. We’ve consulted with Mrs. Claus (she’s the quilter at the North Pole) and we’ve come up with some fun activities we can do at our virtual (Zoom) party Saturday December 11, 2021 at 9:30. check your email for the Zoom link.
Come dressed for the event. Wear your favourite Christmas sweater, a Santa hat, or holiday earrings. Make it fun, be festive.
No party is complete without food. Get yourself a holiday beverage – hot chocolate, hot apple cider, eggnog, coffee with a twist, or whatever makes you feel happy.
Don’t forget to grab a yummy snack to enjoy as well.
Gift exchange
Please email us to let us know that you’d like to participate. Click on Reply on this email (NOT reply all),or just send it to Shirley C.
You’ll be magically matched up with another guild member to be their Quilting Christmas Elf.
As we can’t get together as a large group you have several options to exchange your gift.
- Mail it through Canada Post (if this option is chosen, please try to have it in the mail by Dec 16)
- Deliver it in person
- Send a virtual gift card/certificate (email)
- Have the shop or shipper deliver to the recipient instead of to you
Shortly after next week’s meting you’ll get an email to let you know whom you need to send your gift to.
Activities for the Zoom Guild Party
We have several activities planned that we think you’ll enjoy. A great time to laugh, have fun, and get to know each other better.
Check your email for what you’ll need to bring.
Show-and-Tell
send your photos to Barb as possible but no later than Thursday afternoon. Show us what you’re working on for Christmas (if you can) and anything else you’ve done over the past while. Or did you find something in your Christmas decorations you made years ago and haven’t shared yet? Show us how crafty you are (or have been). If you can’t show your project this month due to secrecy, be sure to take a phot before you gift it or send it away so we can see it next month.
October notes
Updated program available.
See new workshops and presenters for upcoming months.
Further updates will be shared as soon as details are finalized.
Message from Carla:
Being the sunshine lady, I would like to send happy messages as well as when things like illness and the passing of loved ones happen. So, please let me know when we have something to celebrate like grandmotherhood, accomplishments, retirements, and more happy moments in our lives. We need to acknowledge and celebrate our positive moments even more during this time. I will happily send thank you notes to our workshop presenters too.
Quilt Frame for sale
Little Buddy/Foot Frame by Handi Quilter. Comes with 3rd bar and Drawer. Please note the machine is not for sale with the frame. I am asking $1,400.00. Contact Kathi K if interested.
Details for the November Guild meeting will be sent by email.
New details for October Guild meeting
Hello everyone,
As discussed at our September meeting we had hope to continue the year with hybrid mattings – some people coming in-person and others on Zoom.
We’ve just had a last-minute consult with trusted leaders and have reviewed the guidelines once again. It appears that we need to go to all Zoom for the October meeting tomorrow (Oct 9). We’ll be keeping a close eye on this on a month-by-month basis. We will begin meeting in-person as soon as we can and restrictions allow us to.
Please check your email for the Zoom meeting link, mystery quilt instructions for parts 1 & 2, and the supply list todo your own Snippet Rolls and Scrolls with Ana tomorrow.
Reminder that our meeting starts at 9:30. Zoom link will be live at 9.
See you all tomorrow. Have a great day and take care of you.
Shirley and Barb
The Flying Needles Quilt Guild 