Quilter's Guild of IndianapolisBits & Pieces

quiltguildindy.net qginewsletter@yahoo.com March 2014PO Box 50345, Indianapolis IN 46250 Volume 37 Issue 3

Dianne HireFiber Artist, Quiltmaker,Innovative Designer and

Colorist

Dianne S. Hire is the author of CurvaceousPiecing and Quilters Playtime , Games for

Quiltmakers and editor of Oxymoron ,acollection of absurdly logical quilts, as well as

an international award winning fiber artist.Joining us from Belfast, Maine, Dianne will

present her Oxymoron lecture at our Thursdaynight gathering on March 13. Both the Friday

workshop, ‘come PLAY with me,’ and theSaturday workshop, ‘Vivacious Curvy Squares,’will be at St Luke’s. These workshops are sureto fill up, so register early to ensure your spot!!

Check out her website and details at: http://dhquiltsandclasses.blogspot.com

An Interview with Dianne Hire

Q: Was there one quilt pattern or design that inspired you to begin your quiltmaking journey?A: Journey began when my grandmother (mammy, is what I called her), was dying in Tennessee and I went to help mom clean out house, do funeral, and all those things daughters/granddaughters do. Well. Mammy heard that her eldest g-daughter was coming from Maine and durn...she got better. “Her suitcase was packed,” she told her pastor, “but not yet. Not yet.”

I had a non-refundable airline ticket, so it was a 2-wk. stint in TN. In January. And it’s cold and yucky there as well as here. As she recovered, she sat in a little rocking chair and asked for her cigar box full of fabric squares, rectangles, triangles. As she began to form blocks, you could see that the quilt was in her mind...then, she would put the little fabric pieces back into the cigar box. Mammy had always pieced, saying, “I never cared for quilting.”

After she did this several times, I thought: I could sit there on the floor and sew her imagined blocks together. It would certainly entertain her and since I’m bored out of my mind, it will give me something to do. That’s how it all began. No, not any real inspiration. I only did this to entertain my grandmother. That was in 1985.

I believe that event was the send-off onto an incredible fabric journey. One that I could never imagined, not even in my wildest dreams. BTW: I don’t like the quilting too much either.

Q. Where do you find your artistic inspiration today?A. Sometimes it in only in my mind. Often it takes a while to emerge, as it did for the quilt, Adagio...that one was over 17 years, in fact. Adagio, BTW, is being created as a block-of-the-month by AQS. FYI: right this very

minute it is in the creative stage. Stay tuned for more later as to when you can sign up!!Other times, the designs flow so fast I can hardly get them down (as in books: App is for Appliqué and

Vivacious Curvy Squares).Then, there are times when a fabric jump start is needed. Take a little scrap and allow your hands to

take you wherever. That’s the premise of the books, Quilters PLAYTIME, a book that emerged from a workshop: “come PLAY with me!”, one that is being taught at our QGI get together.

Q. What advice would you offer the beginning quilter in regard to tools, fabric, and inspiration?A. Don’t be overwhelmed...not by any of those things. It’s a huge quilt-world out there with much from which to choose. Find one thing, One pattern, one idea and pursue it.

If you discover you are a “serious” beginner and want to expand further, take that one idea and work it in every way possible. Do a series rather than going all-over-the-board. Oh, my, that is so very difficult when there are so many fabrics and so many options.

Keyword: focus, methinks.

Q. What brand/model of sewing machine do you use, and favorite thread/batting?A. I love my 20+year old Bernina 1010. Lady Bernie is great for machine embroidery and I keep her loaded and ready to go for such tasks. She also “wants” 40-wt. Sulky embroidery thread with plain ole Coats ‘n Clark cotton-covered poly in the bobbin. That bobbin thread, however, has been changed by C&C...she is extremely unhappy about that.

For piecing: Janome MemoryCraft 6600. Fave thread: neutral colored Mettler cotton embroidery thread, 50 wt. Use it for top and for bobbin. It is so thin, it lasts a very long time without running out. Nice for bobbins...very.

For quilting: same Janome. Fave thread: 30-wt. Midori “Sticku”, rayon...shows up nicely when color is important. Batting: usually Fairfield’s thin cotton blend.

Q. Is there a dream quilt you woulde like to be commissioned to make?A. No, never. No commissions, please. Why? They make me too, too crazy. And, actually in my quilt-journey, Ihad that dream commission...and, still, I don’t want any others. If you like my quilts, there are several for sale. Let’s leave it at that.

Q. Aside from your sewing machine, what are your three most indespensible quilting tools?A. Scissors. 6”x18” Omnigrid ruler. Fabric. How simple is that? (Oh, yes, mustn’t forget a few needles, thread, and pins.)

From this, can you tell: I’m really not much of a gadget person?

Q. In your opinion, what do you think will be the next “hot trend” in quiltmaking?A. Two things that have already arrived.

a. We’ll return to those simple quilts as now preferred by the modern quilters. b. A turn toward more of those precut fabric units ready to go into a quilt. All you need do is sew the

quilt together.

Q. What website or pattern resource do you think every quilter should check out or know about?A. Oh, my, now you will find out that Dianne is a dinosaur! I try very hard to not go on-line for much of anything. Go ahead and say it: Dianne is a dinosaur! (and she doesn’t even have a smart phone and has never-ever texted!)Hey: I’d rather be quilting than on the computer, so why am I here answering this questionnaire? Let’s go quilt. NOW!

Submitted with many smiles, giggles, and snickers...hope you, too, are smiling.

President’s CornerBy Julie Grausam

We honor our QGI Past Presidents in February at the General meeting. This recognition is so important to our Guild and a reminder to thank those who have put in two to three years of volunteer hours to make our Guild flourish and thrive.

During March, 2014, I’d like to recognize and honorALL 2014 volunteers, starting with the wonderful members who said “YES” when asked to fill a QGI Board or Committee position. Most are a year commitment, but Show Chair and Treasurer are 2 year positions and Vice President, President and Member at Large are part of a 3 year position. There are also many members who have said “YES”when asked to help at our North and OTLB meetings.

Give the members listed below a “pat-on-the-back” and a “Thank You” when you see them in March at North, General and OTLB meeting.

President Julie Grausam Charity Quilts Irmalou Schmucker Preemie Quilts Hannah Sharkey Quilts of Valor Kathryn Wooldridge Knit Hats Nancy Jo Clapp Helmet Liners Pat CrosslandVice President Chris Hurley Spring Retreat Diane Olson Fall Retreat Diane Olson Beekeeper Wanda HanelineSecretary Dawn Torkelson Block of the Rhonda Bieda Month Hospitality Maureen Weflen Maggie Carr

Becky MathisonLogo/Pins Betty Jo DouglasTreasurer Jennifer Swinehart

Member at Large Mary Strinka NQA/AQS Anita Harden Liason Show and Tell Katerina Fulton State Museum Mary Jane Liason Teeters-Eichacker Publicity Margaret Duke Newsletter Cathy Civis Advertising Website Barbara Triscari Facebook Maureen SciamePrograms Shari Harrison

Lynn ThomasQuilt Show Mary Ellen StraughnQGIN Chair Cathy FranksOTLB Chair LeanneAnderson

Weather Related QGI Meeting Closings

WTHR Channel 13 TV or www.wthr.com/closingsLook for: Quilters Guild of Indianapolis for all 3 MeetingsAlso: Second Presbyterian Church (or www.secondchurch.org) for General Meeting

Getting To Know YouQuestions asked by Julie GrausamAnswered by QGI Members

What new projects have you started??

Maureen Weflen - Is it “new” if I started to finish a UFO from 2002? I have backing fabric from my daughter Kari’s wedding 19 years ago that contains written words of advice from her and Tom's friends. Hope to combine the UFO with the wedding backing and get it quilted to present it to them on their 20th Anniversary in August 2014.Barbara Triscari - I am working on a few projects I'm excited about. I am working on a photograph andink art quilt, a rust and dyed circle quilt, and hoping to start a leather and mixed media quilt. Shari Harrison - Organizing a sewing room so my dining room stays clean :)Lynn Thomas - Alaska Quilt. "Christmas Craft" - every year a do a 'craft' for my friends. Every year the list grows. The first year I made and painted 6 wooden recipe cardholders. Then I made 7 quilted Christmas table runners. The next year I made 9 casserole carriers. This year, 16 Santa potholder/trivetsMary Ellen Straughn - I’m currently working on a hexagon hand project using the English paper piecing method and Asian fabrics. Not sure what it will turn into but it’s fun.Becky Mathison -Bridesmaids capes for my daughter's January wedding Wanda Haneline - Three nieces have gotten engaged...sounds like someprojects need to be startJennifer Swinehart - New projects - since I just won the latest Blocks of the Month, a Modern Christmas quilt Stephanie Waters - I am actually (here in December) working on an applique type, large Pink Flamingo, quilted place mat...never done anything like this so I'm excited and happy to do this for my youngest son's teachers' favorite animal and color!!Maureen Sciame - I am working on finishing up the blocks of the month and then the finishing kits for two projects from The Back Door, making a Purdue Quilt for my great nephew (he's nine but has his mind made up already) and finishing up the modern quilt I made for my niece living in Austin TX. There are other things that I have all the materials for but just haven't started.

Irmalou Schmucker - All my UFO's are new to me by the time I get around to finishing them. I did try pieced hexagons recently.Leanne Anderson - I am working on a quilt made with cat and dog fat quarters for one of my granddaughters and a space quilt kit that I bought at the Quilt Guild show for one of the grandsons.

Getting To Know You – Questions asked by Julie Answered by QGI Members!

What are your favorite quilt related blog sites??

What are your favorite quilt related websites??

Julie Grausam, QGI President:

I am so happy to introduce you to the QGI 2014 Newsletter Chair – Cathy Civis.

A little bit about me. I started quilting about 6 years ago. Sonia Brown taught me how to quilt. At thetime I started I didn't know anything about sewing or quilting. Currently I love machine quilting. Making a newsletter is a completely new thing for me. Let's hope my skills improve as the year goes on. I do love simple designs. Let's have fun and learn new things in 2014. Happy Quilting. CathyCivis

Dixon Rebecca Mar 3

Clark Connie Mar 6

Haussecker Betty Mar 7

Howard Sindy Mar 7

Johnston Phyllis Mar 7Weiger Connie Mar 7

Riggs Mary Sue Mar 8Bowman Elizabeth Mar 9Hartman Mary K. Mar 9Hubbell Sandy Mar 9Johnson Lillian Mar 9Welsh Patty Mar 9Cantwell Theresa Mar 11Dwenger Vicki Mar 11King Aileen Mar 11Bussell Patricia Mar 12Hyland Phyllis Mar 14Mathison Becky Mar 14DiSanto Judy Mar 15Kent Jean Mar 18Haneline Wanda Mar 19Wright Doris Mar 19Waters Stephanie Mar 21Baker Bonnie Mar 22

Gabehart Donna Mar 22

Kinney Dee Nina Mar 22Bullock Dawn Mar 26Cutshall Patricia Mar 27Sweet Ana Mar 27Dick Stephanie Mar 28Wagner Nela Mar 28Ratliff Betty Mar 29Strack Sheryl Mar 29Cooper Patty Mar 30

Coming in April

Julie LambertMachine Quilting

“And the survey says .” We heard loud and clear that many of you want more on machine …quilting, the basics and more. Julie Lambert will give you just that! With her machine quilting trunk show at the Thursday we’ll see what can be done withhome machine quilting. The Friday workshop at St Luke’s willfocus on the basics of machine quilting. Saturday, Julie will beteaching on the South side at Freidens United Church ofChrist. She’ll show us how to do beautiful borders and cablesbefore she heads to her home in the Cincinnati area.

Check out her website and details at:http://www.julieylambert.com

Workshop gift certificates are still available for any of your gift giving or receiving opportunities. Contact Lynn Thomas (lynnsthomas@att.net or 317/979-7430) for details.

Month Speaker Date Location Lecture/Workshop Topic

March Dianne HireMarch 13 Second Pres Lecture - Oxymorons:Absurdly Logical QuiltsMarch 14 St Luke's UMC Workshop - come PLAY with meMarch 15 St Luke's UMC Workshop - Vivacious Curvy Squares

April Julie LambertApril 10 Second Pres Machine Quilting - Trunk ShowApril 11 St Luke's UMC Basic Free MotionApril 12 Freidens UCC Borders and Cables

May Carol TaylorMay 8 Second Pres Sew Many QuiltsMay 9 St Luke's UMC Going in CirclesMay 10 St Luke's UMC Senusous Lines and Curves

June Dan BurkeJune 12 Second Pres The History of Foundation PiecingJune 13 Freidens UCC Beginning Foundation PiecingJune 14 St Luke's UMC Earth Wind and Water

July Julie Grausam July 17 Second Pres TBD

August Karen LinduskaAugust 14 Second Pres My Fiber Art Journey -Painting with ThreadAugust 15 St Luke's UMC Painting with Thread

QGI North1st Friday, Monthly (except July) 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

PrimeLife Enrichment Center 1078 Third Avenue SW, Carmel, IN

Here is what is happening at QGIN for March. Kimberly Price of Rangeline Chiropractic will be showing us how to relieve shoulder and other pain that quilters may have. In April Caryl Schuetz will presenting a lecture called the quilt detective. May, Kathy Springer will be showing us how to use 60 degree triangle ruler.

QGIN February Minutes During the February 7th meeting:

Chair Cathy Franks welcomed 66 members by count of Hospitality's Maureen Weflen.

15 announcements were made.January and February birthdays were honored.Volunteers are NEEDED for QGIN: Door Prizes and Co-Chair!Diana Stuckey and Barb Hayes presented Block of the Month.Cathy Franks awarded 5 door prizes.

There was Show and Tell of 19 projects, 4 tells, and 2 sets of hand dyed fabrics from the Daren Redman workshop by 16 members.The program was Terri Gunn from Quilt Quarters on pursemaking: What is in Your Purse?Due to parking issues, a new venue is needed. If you have an idea for a new location please contact Cathy Franks!

Out to Lunch Bunch4th Thursday, Monthly 11:00 AM (except Nov & Dec)

Jonathan Byrd’s Cafeteria I-65 South, Exit #99, Greenwood, IN

The weather seems to be the biggest topic of conversation so far this year. When is it going to end. Hopefully by the time you read this, we will return to more normal winter weather. Our speakers for March will be Tess and Caroline from Fussy Cuts.Welcome to The Fussy Cut Quilt Shop! We are located in Beech Grove, Indiana! We carry quilting supplies, quilt fabrics, quilting notions and much more.The ladies will discuss the Dear Jane Quilt as well as other topics still under discussion. They are planning on bringing samples of some of the Dear Jane quilt squares. Please join us at our March meeting on March 27th at 11 am.At the January meeting, someone left without paying for heir meal. Jonathon Byrds’ asked that I remind everyone to please remember to pay for their meal before the business meeting starts. It is easy to forget. If anyone has anything that they would like to donate for the door prizes, please bring it to the next meeting. It will be appreciated.

OTLB January 23 Minutes

• Leanne Anderson opened the meeting with 53 members present.

• Chris Hurley welcomed 7 new members to the guild.

• Connie Weiger informed us that two workshops are planned for the south side this year. April 12 is Free Motion Quilting with Julie Lambert and June 13 is Foundation Piecing with Dan Burke.

• Kay Ahr is the BOM person for 2014. You can receive the Blocks of the Month instructions via e-mail if you contact her and let her know you want to do that. Send a one-time email to OTLB@gmail.com and she will put your email address on the list. You will receive the OTLB BOM delivered a few days before each meeting. The January snowflake blocks were won by Bobbie Mennel. Congratulations, Bobbie! The February BOM is a scrappy heart block with a white background and the scrappy heart done in scraps of red, orange, purple or pink.

• Door prizes were won by Dee Nina Kinney, Kay Ahr, Ann Buccieri and Carol Decker.

• Ten members shared wonderful Show and Tell with us.

• Heather Givens from Crimson Tate told us about some of the wonderful things she saw atMarket in Houston.

Roving ReporterCarol Victory

Pumpkinvine Quilting

Pumpkinvine Quilting is located in Middlebury, Indiana, just west of Shipshewanna. Dawn Briskie opened the shop in April 2012.

This young shop offers workshops, classes and longarm quilting and carries Janome and Babylock sewing machines. There are two in-house service techs.

Dawn offers a general selection of fabrics from Moda, Hoffman, R&R, Red Rooster, Northcott, Anthology, Stonehenge and more. Her favorites are batiks and brights. There is a good selection of books, patterns, notions and accessories.

You can find more information on their websitewww.pumpkinvinequilting.com as well as follow them on Facebook and

Pinterest.

2015 QUILT SHOW

I’m looking out at the snow-covered rooftops in my neighborhood and thinking the 2015 quilt show seems like a long way off. And yet, I’m already planning the quilts I’m going to make (or finish) in the next two years to put in the show, so it doesn’t seem like a very long time until I’ll be putting on sleeves and labels. The same can be said for the quilt show and there is no better time to start thinking about it than now. With that in mind we had our first quilt meeting on Sunday February 9th. I met with Theresa Cantwell, Maureen Weflen, Carol Victory, Sonia Brown, Julie Grausam and Anita Harden at a lovely spot provided by a non-profit group called Saving Orphans thru Health and Outreach.

Our first order of business was determining the theme of the show. Maureen suggested an idea she’s had for twenty years which we all liked instantly – “A Stitch in Time.” This made us of think of all the meanings time has for us – times past, time for quilting, never enough time, time of day, and how quilts themselves are kind of timeless. We also agreed on our challenge theme - “It’s About Time!” How many times have we said that? So all you creative types start thinking about what time means to you and how to express time in a quilt. We’ll look forward to seeing what you come up with for challenge quilts.

We discussed potential venues and decided we needed to research some alternate possibilities in case we decide to move the show from the Westfield Middle School. Wewill be looking at sites that can offer us a reasonable price, good parking, easy accessibility, food court facilities and enough room to display your fabulous quilts and our great array of vendors. We’d like to introduce some other events to coincide and augment the show, but that will depend on the show’s timing (!) and the facility space available.

It’s not too early to start thinking about the opportunity quilt, either. As you may know, every show year, our members construct a quilt and sell raffle tickets to raise money forthe guild. We begin this process shortly after the previous show, so that we can have it ready by January of the show year. If anyone has an interest about being involved in this, please contact me. Ideally, we would encourage a Bee to work on this since many hands make light work.

Our next meeting will be Sunday, April 6th from 2 pm to 4 pm at the same place. SOHO’s office is located at 8240 Naab Road, Suite 106. We’d love to have you join us whether you are new to the guild or a long-standing member. There’s no better way to bond with your fellow quilters than to get involved! Please call me at 317-945-8089 with questions or email me at mestraughn@gmail.com with “Quilt Show” in the subject title. See you then!

AQS/NQA Liaison ReportAQS has released The National Quilt Museum’s 2014 workshop schedule:

These three- or four-day workshops will be held at The National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY.

• Katie Pasquini Masopust: “From Watercolor to Quilt” May 29-31

• Sue Nickels: “Fabulous Feathers and Fillers: Design and Machine Quilting Techniques” July8-10

• Melinda Bula: “Fabulous Fusible Flowers” August 7-9

• Karen Kay Buckley: “Fiesta Mexico: Block Six – Hand Applique” September 18-20

• Gail Garber: “Flying Colors” October 23-25

NQA Chapter Membership Benefits:• Access to liability insurance for your Chapter's quilt show. Coverage is available for

the quilt entries and personal liability.

• Four issues of the Quilting Quarterly magazine each year for your guild library.

• Specialty award ribbons available for purchase for your Chapter's quilt show.

• Access to the Quilting Quarterly and NQA website to promote your Chapter's quilt show, activities, programs, and events.

• Monthly NQA Newsletter

• An official Chapter Charter and Seal

• Right to promote your Chapter’s quilt show on the NQA website in the “Calendar of Events” section.

• Right to receive “Past President” pin for your Chapter’s presidents – a pin worn with honor.

QGI would like to maintain its chapter membership in NQA. Our current membership expires in 2015. To be eligible for renewal, there must be at least five individual QGI members whose NQA memberships are current at the time of chapter renewal. For QGI, that will be June, 2015.

Therefore, Anita Harden needs to know who in our Guild are NQA members, your membership numbers and dates of expiration. As you join or renew your NQA membership, please email this information to Anita at hardena@sbcglobal.net. Thank you!!!

Two chances to celebrate National Quilting Day with QGI

This year, the official National Quilting Day is Saturday, March 15. Because the guild has both a retreat and workshops that same weekend, we will be marking the occasion TWICE – the week before and the week after the national day.

Saturday, March 8, we will have a Quilt In at Friedens United Church of Christ – 8300 S. Meridian St. http://www.friedensucc.org/StreetMap.php

Saturday, March 22, we will have a Quilt In at St Augustine Home (Little Sisters of the Poor) at 2345 West 86th Street, (at Township Line Rd). https://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-&ie=UTF-8&q=St+Augustine+Home+For+Aged

At both locations, we will start around 9:30 AM and work until about 3 PM. You are welcome to come for as long or short a time you are able. There will be a pitch-in lunchboth days, so if you plan to be around at lunchtime, please bring a dish to share.

You can bring a sewing machine if you like, or not. We’ll be sandwiching and assembling quilt tops with backing and batting, and we’ll also have supplies for tying quilts if you prefer that job. The completed quilts will go to one of the many worthy charities that the guild works with throughout the year. This is a great chance to spend time with other quilters, getting to know each other, and warming our needy neighbors with our good works

If you can’t get to either location on those days, all members are always welcome to assemble quilt tops for charity (using your own fabric or our donated charity stash) on your own time whenever you can. You can pick up a kit or a bundle at most meetings, or you can take home a stitched and turned quilt to tie at home.

Welcome to all QGI members!

I would like to thank all the members who have sent their membership renewals that have not been able to make it to the meetings because of the weather. We have several new members that have joined since the beginning of the year and they are from Kokomo, Shelbyville, Greenwood, Nashville and of course Indianapolis. Please search out these new members and make them feel welcome in our guild.Julie Grausam and I have also decided to extend the membership renewal one more month. Please take time to stop by the membership table and renew your membership so you can be included in the membership book for 2014.Thanks!Chris HurleyMembership Chair / Vice President

New Members (Jan – Feb)Sara Buchwald Franklin Laraine Simpson ShelbyvilleMary Jane Fochtmann Indianapolis Sandra Slone IndianapolisArianna Grazzianni Zionsville Jayne Stohler IndianapolisBarbara Murphy Kokomo Daren Redman NashvilleErin Tuohy Greenwood

This block uses 4 fabric colors; light, medium, medium light and darkDirections for 12 ½ inch unfinished block:Cutting:• From Light fabric cut one, 5 1/4 inch square; cut in quarters diagonally• From Medium fabric cut one, 5 1/4 inch square; cut in quarters diagonally• From Medium fabric cut four, 4 ½ inch squares for corner squares• From Medium Light fabric cut 1, 4 ½ inch square for center square• From Dark fabric cut two, 5 1/4 inch square; cut in quarters diagonallyPiecing:

• Using one fourth inch seams:• For Sewing the 4 Quarter Triangle Squares together (Each should be 4 ½ Square when complete):

o Sew a quarter Medium fabric to a quarter Dark Fabric, make four (now a half square triangle)o Sew a quarter Light fabric triangle to a quarter Dark fabric triangle, make four (now a half square

triangle)o Sew a Med/Dark Fabric HST* to the Light/Dark HST. ( Use block photo for direction of the

colors.)• Using the picture of the block above, sew squares in rows. Be careful of the direction of the Quarter

Triangle Squares.• After sewing each row, press each row in opposite directions in order to ease piecing rows together.

Directions for 6 ½ in unfinished block:Cutting:• From Light fabric cut one, 3 1/4 inch square; cut in quarters diagonally• From Medium fabric cut one, 3 1/4 inch square; cut in quarters diagonally• From Medium fabric cut four, 2 ½ inch squares for corner squares• From Medium Light fabric cut 1, 2 ½ inch square for center square• From Dark fabric cut two, 3 1/4 inch square; cut in quarters diagonallyPiecing:Same as for the 12 ½ inch block.

Questions:Contact: Rhonda Bieda, your 2014 BOM Chair.Thank You.

*HST = Half Square Triangle

April 2014 Block of the Month

Variable StarDirections for:

12 ½“ unfinished block6 ½“ unfinished block

Choose your own colors and final quilt piecing layout.Use all 12 inch blocks or all 6 inch blocks or a

combination. Your choice!

Bring in your block each month for BOM Show.Have Fun!!