Discussing Modern Quilting

Having been inspired by a visit from the Western New York  Modern Quilters at the Museum Quilt Guild meeting in April, the ArtCGirlz have decided to give that style a try for a while.  We each talked about some aspect of Modern quilting that appeals to us, or inspires us.  You can see a great selection of Modern quilts at Jacquie Gering's "Photo blog".
 We hope to have a selection of our own interpretation of "modern" quilts to hang in the guild's October show.

We also had our usual fun Show and Tell, of course.

Lori and her husband are attending the Ohio Bigfoot Conference this weekend.  Lori always makes items to be sold as fundraisers during the event.  

Chris has just returned from wintering in Key West.  She found this lovely fabric in a quilt shop while there.  We all agree it looks great on her!

This is a piece Chris showed in the last guild show, but she felt it fit the modern theme. She really likes pinwheel blocks.

Emmy has been making hexies, and decided to put a few together so she can decide how many of what colors she needs. 

Emmy made this quilt for her granddaughter as a graduation gift.

Below is the small version of the block she made to use as a label.

Susan was inspired by the demo Connie did using Virginia Findlay Wolfe's techniques to make this little table topper quilt.

Mary Ellen had other projects needing to be finished, but the pile of Kaffe Fassett scraps called to her and became this lovely quilt top!

Mary felted another very cute bunny!

Connie and her sister were playing with one of the many photo editing apps and Connie loved this one of her dog.  She had it printed on a metal tile at pictureitoncanvas.com

Martha turned an old challenge quilt into a duffel bag, using a pattern she found here.












I should have taken pictures of the blocks people shared as their favorites.  I can only remember a couple...

Kathi and Lori like the cross/  plus block





















 Mary Ellen liked the block on the cover of this book by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr














Martha likes the off center log cabins.

And Mary had this magazine picture of one she liked.

We decided there is something in Modern quilting for all of us.  It will be interesting to see the quilts!!

Just a sharing and chatting

The ArtCGirlz meetings have been more relaxed lately, with a smaller group in attendance.  Still, we're enjoying just sitting around the table, sharing our projects and each others' company.  And there's usually something to show and tell.




Last month, Mary Ellen had just started this beautiful knitted blanket for a baby due in May.

Here is a close up of the lace edging.
















Emmy brought a wool felt project she has had for a while. It will be appliqued to the pretty fabric she's holding up. Look close to see all the beading she has done, too.

 Emmy started working on this beaded ball at the last meeting.  Martha thinks it looks like a sea urchin.

Mary is working on Easter bunnies for next year already.  :-)   This is one from a kit- needle felted with real angora fur.  It's SO soft!

Cynda grabbed snow in the middle of the night to do some snow dyeing before it melted away.

Martha is having fun making the beaded balls Paula Nadelstern calls "Opulent Ornaments"

We're making plans to take our group on the road for the summer (since the room we use at the college is unavailable). Stay tuned. 

Revisiting our origins as artists

 Along with our usual chit chat and show and tell, members of the ArtCGirlz dug out old projects, representing our first "art" quilts.

Mary Ellen started things off with this baby quilt she's working on.  She wasn't sure about the grey, but we all liked it!






The baby is coming in May, so will need a sweater.  This one zips up the back.


















Back in the early 90's Mary Ellen started entering contests she saw in magazines.
This was her interpretation of "the Ugly Duckling" for a Danish cookie company.  It hung in Denmark for a time after she submitted it.  

The AQS issued a challenge (sorry, I've forgotten the theme).  Mary Ellen was inspired by historical events happening at the time, and made two pieces.  These both hung in the challenge collection at AQS for a time.

Mary couldn't find her oldest portrait quilt, but she did bring the little needle felted animals she has made lately.

Connie said she hasn't been making art quilts for long.  This paper pieced flower was one of the first things she thought fit.  I think she said she doesn't care for doing the pebbling.

Chris said her first foray into art quilting was at the "Iron Art Quilter" day we did at guild in 2010.  This piece was made using items Kathi had put into a bag.  (We all brought a certain list of items and then traded)

Chris made this for one of the guild challenges, using an old curtain for the texture on the beach.

This was supposed to be Chris' entry for this "architecture" challenge, but she didn't quite get it finished.

 Emmy brought some non- quilted art pieces she has made.



While recovering, she made a few of these book albums, which the recipient can customize with their own photos.

Everyone's favorite piece was "Bookhead Barbie"!!


(especially Kathi)

 Emmy made this dress form just to use as decoration.  It's a size four, made with duct tape and stuffed with plastic grocery bags.

 Susan doesn't have many of the older pieces she has made, except for this one which hangs in he house. 

So she brought photographs instead!  This one was made with the same technique.

This "Totem Toad" was made for her son

 Susan designed these two herself.

Lori Anderson  says her art quilting journey began with this group project, created by Kathi, and started at an ArtCGirlz meeting in 2011.

Lori's art quilt in progress- based on an image of a motorcyclist on a cross country road trip. 

 This was the first photograph Elaine could remember taking to turn into a quilt.

Another early piece got Elaine through a sleepless night.

Elaine made this fun piece to enter a Quilting Arts reader challenge.

Elaine's entry in the Guild's "black and white and.."  challenge from 2008.

It was a very fun meeting!