Newsletter April 2007

I recently had a chance to take three days of classes with Yvonne Porcella through Darting Needles. It was a bit of a change to work quickly, spontaneously, and intuitively, and I wound up with a few little pieces I just love. Sometimes something just a little out of control is a great way to spark creativity and bring some balance back into life for me. Find some time for yourself to let a bit of creativity loose!
Katy

Recap of March Meeting (March 29, 2007)
Show and tell…Karen, the “queen of dimension,” brought back her fish quilt with a few enhancements as well as another piece she’d done years earlier. It’s amazing what you can do with an otherwise ghastly necklace! Check out the photos on the blog. Karen’s preferred batting is simply tablecloth padding, found on a bolt at Joann’s.

JoAnne brought her “Bohemian Rhapsody” which was a way to burn off some creativity that was just smoldering in her pocket! It’s packed with fun cheery fabrics, plus it has sequins! A photo is on the blog. Also, she showed us some gorgeous dyed silk, which had been done by her husband’s cousin’s late wife. She had used beeswax resists and Procion dyes. Look closely at the blog photo to see a piece of the silk in JoAnne’s hair!

Katy taught her sheer window appliqué technique. The handout is posted on the blog.

Reminders and Announcements
We’ll be in the Gegan Room (long conference table) in April. Note two schedule changes: We will move back our starting time to 6:30 each month. Folks are finding it harder and harder to arrive at 6:00. Second, in April we will view the Ricky Tims DVD “Grand Finale.” This video covers tons of machine techniques for quilting, binding, and finishing. Couching, originally scheduled for April, will be in July instead. Katy will share what she knows about machine couching and Karen will offer tips on hand couching, but mostly it will be a party for everyone to share ideas and projects.

At the March meeting, we talked about attendance. It’s very helpful for the leader each month to know how many she’s expecting, especially if there are handouts. If you know you won’t be able to make it, please make a courtesy call to either Katy or the leader for that month.

April Meeting (Thursday April 26, 2007) at the Menasha Public Library
Note the new start time—6:30. Remember the library does not mind if we bring our dinners down into the meeting room. We will view the DVD “Grand Finale” by Ricky Tims. Julie will be the hostess for the night (RSVP regrets to Julie or Katy). Michele will take notes, as Katy cannot make it this month. DVD topics include:

• innovative marking techniques
• creating your own quilting designs
• managing the quilt
• machine trapunto
• bobbin quilting
• bobbin trapunto
• bindings made completely by machine

Upcoming Events
April 26, 2007: April meeting, 6:30. Movie night.
May 31, 2007: May meeting, 6:30. Fabric Postcards; Mary will lead.
June 28, 2007: June meeting, 6:30. Paintsticks.
July 26, 2007: July meeting, 6:30. Couching. Katy and Karen will lead.
August 30, 2007: August meeting, 6:30. Chenilling. Gill will lead.

Conversations with Cloth meets the last Thursday of each month at 6:30 at the Menasha Public Library.