:: NEWSLETTER - SPRING 2009

Dear Fellow Quilter

Good Wishes for 2009, and a Happy Sewing Year.

HIDDEN TALENTS

Thank you to everyone who took up the challenge to produce a splendid total of 18 amazingly varied entries to the Challenge Competition. I understand this is a greater number of entries than some categories in national and international quilt competitions attract. Congratulations to the winners.

'The Best Revelation of a Talent or Talents in association with the Art and Skill of Quilting' was awarded to Ann Ross for her entrancing wren, 'Ready to Fly'. Runners up were 'Hidden in the Box' by Ella Lawrence and Celia More's 'Sheena Norquay's Squares'.

'The Most Intriguing Entry', 'Harvest Thanksgiving' came from Dorothy Johnston. The runners up were Sheila Jack's 'Robins' and Isobel McBay's 'Place Mats and Coasters'.

Norma Broomfield gave us 'The Biggest Surprise' with her 'Home from Home'.

By popular acclaim the 'Quilters' Choice' was 'Sea Scape' by Rhona Houston.

I would like to thank Ella Lawrence for her help behind the scenes and Jan Corbett for sharing the daunting task of judging the entries with me. The quality of the entries with weight given to their display with supporting accessories, written descriptions and appropriate or imaginative titles, as well as to artistic expression and quilting skill made judging as big a challenge as I set you in sharing your hidden talents with us all.

CHRISTMAS IN NOVEMBER

Our Christmas celebration, described in an email I received afterwards as 'just a grand day doing our own thing & having a fine blether with everyone', was a happy day for all 30 members who were able to attend. Talents and qualities of friendship, fun, kindness and support were certainly not hidden and I would particularly like to thank the committee members for all their hard work and enthusiasm. Particular mention should be made of the sportsmanship of Marshillie Campbell and Janet Maclennan, ably backed up by their teams.

WINTER INTO SPRING PROGRAMME

January's workshop on String Bags and String Quilts is an opportunity to use up lots of fabric scraps and make something out of practically nothing. The basic technique involves very simple sewing - anyone can do it and achieve very pleasing results. If you choose it can be very relaxed with no seams to match or points to line up. Yet expert piecers can construct bags or quilts which exhibit great intricacy and precision and art quilters can interpret string piecing as an effective medium for their pictures.

The January Skills Slots are Joyce MacDonald's 'Inserting Zips' and Marshillie Campbell's 'Assembling Jewelry'.

We much admired Ella Lawrence's Somerset Patchwork basket lid and have since seen similar skill in a box made by Helen Mackay. In February Ella is passing on the hand sewing skills needed to make Somerset Patchwork cards and lids.

February's Skills Slot is 'Edging Quilts'. If you have a favourite edging tip to share, please bring an example with you. So far we have Prairie Points, Buttonhole Edges and Mitred Corners on the list of examples.

AGM

March sees a return to evening meetings. The AGM begins early at 7pm.

Perhaps the most important part of the evening is the election of the Committee and Office Bearers for 2009-2010. According to our Constitution no office bearer may serve for more than 2 years in succession, so we have to elect a new Vice Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer as Celia More, Marshillie Campbell and Janet Maclennan complete their 2 years, Janet for the second time.

I would be very happy to stand down as Chairman if someone is willing to take my place. Please think about people to fill these positions, volunteering your own name or checking on nominees' willingness to serve before the meeting.

Please give Marshillie a note in writing of any item you would like placed on the agenda for the AGM.

The Show and Tell, 'Bags of Bags' which concludes the meeting is a chance to amass as many as possible of the bags which have been our theme for 2008-9.

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

The outgoing committee has the responsibility of setting up the programme for the first few months of the following year to ease the load for new committee members who take office just as the busiest time of the quilting calendar gets underway. This also enables us to book visiting speakers well in advance when they have vacancies in their teaching schedules.

We are looking for ideas for next year's programme. Suggestions so far include member led workshops on Patchwork Jackets (Janet Maclennan), Fabric Bead Necklaces (Celia More), Polymer Clay Jewelry and Embellishments (Part 2) (Marshillie Campbell) and Paint, Paper and Paste - Napkin Layers (Dorothy Johnston). People also seem to like the opportunity to Sew Their Own Thing on Saturday Sewing Days.

Please tell us what you'd like for Workshops and Skills Slots. Visiting Tutors are expensive but bring us ideas and techniques from the wider quilting world. Please tell us your thoughts about speakers and subjects.

Fund raising and charity quilting are two more things for you to think about.

With fund raising in mind, we are thinking of selling more ecobags at an event later in the year, so please keep sewing.

It is a while since we've had a day sewing quilts to give to those who would appreciate them. String Quilting might be a suitable technique but do you have a suggestion of who we'd be making the quilts for?

We've received a letter of thanks from the Crocus Group, the Child Bereavement Support Service, at Raigmore Hospital. I spoke recently to one of the hospital chaplains and more quilts are needed.

We've had a tentative approach to make a raffle quilt to raise funds for the Mod in Thurso in 2010. What are your thoughts about this?

LOOKING FORWARD TO SUMMER SEWING

There's nothing like chasing away the dark days of winter with some sunny summer sewing:

WEBSITE

Thanks to the hard work and talent of Davie Swanson our new website is now at www.caithnessquilters.co.uk.

Happy Sewing.

Kind regards,

 

 

 

Valerie Barker

---

End-of-Document