What we Missed this Spring and Making it up with Online Learning

Since the pandemic started, we have missed out on some of the planned events Sue and I hoped to attend. First to be canceled was our Virginia Consortium of Quilters March meeting in Williamsburg.  As their program chair it was hard to swallow as a lot of work goes in to setting up a meeting.  Next to be crossed off the calendar was our VCQ biennial quilt retreat at Smith Mountain Lake, following was a class we were to teach at Artistic Artifacts, and then a new adventure at Red Thread Retreat in rural Maryland with Lesley Riley.  No Northern Virginia quilt show and the realization that we would also need to cancel our VCQ August retreat.  Lots of disappointment.  Plans to attend Threads of Success in Houston in late October are likely also squashed.

On the bright side, so many new opportunities have popped up.  Like many of you, we learned how to use Facebook Live and Zoom and found ourselves in Yoga class, Zentangle sessions with Marisela Rumberg, business inspirational/informational meetings as well as frequenting sewing and quilting professional and group pages which were offering lessons or advice online in a live format.  There was also time to learn new things from YouTube and Vimeo videos.  Like many industries with a history of providing service to customers, the crafters and makers of the world have stepped up to make masks to help protect from the spread of the virus while still keeping their creative inspiration active.  Craft and quilt teachers have adapted to the online platform and some may never return to in-person events again which involve a lot of travel, preparation, toting of supplies, etc.

This spring, we witnessed a vibrant and fun Sheep and Wool Festival as they went online in quick order to make a weekend of fun at the fairgrounds turn to fun online.  They even kept right on going when the server stopped working due to overload and rapidly found a fix to stay afloat and continue online still. Yea, to the fiber artists! Quilt shows like the Quilters Unlimited Show in Northern Virginia also went online, QuiltCon, the modern quilt guild show, announced that in Spring 2021 they will be virtual and with 10 months to plan, no doubt they will be able to put on a fantastic show.  Other Quilt conventions are also announcing plans to hold virtual shows and professional quilt and craft teachers are figuring out which type of platform suits them, some will be live, some may be taped.  All will help fill the void we creatives feel in our lives.  If you have an online opportunity you would like to share, feel free to put information about them in the blog comments.

Last Thursday, Elizabeth took a class on ombre dyeing from Cindy Lohbeck on a platform called liveonlinequiltclass  This class was offered as a four hour live class where the students followed along and dyed as Cindy demonstrated.  You could buy a kit and the class as a package or the class alone if you wanted to secure your own materials. Elizabeth opted for the kit since it included a rack which, she felt, was essential to the process.  Since she is also not in Virginia during the quarantine she needed the dyes and fabrics and other pieces of the kit.  It is nice to get it all in one package but also generous of Cindy to offer the course with use of your own supplies.  You booked and paid for the class on the liveonlinequiltingclass.com website; if you needed other supplies later, such as refill dyes, you can buy them on Cindy’s website handsonhanddyes


The morning of the day of the class you are sent a Zoom link and instructions for a phone or tablet app or a computer.  Half an hour before class you sign on so you can work out any tech issues that may arise.  The class was moderated by another teacher who went over the technology and how to use Zoom; such as how to pin the screen so you only saw Cindy and how to use the chat box.  If you had questions you typed them in the chat and the moderator read them so Cindy could answer. Everyone but Cindy and the moderator was on mute. It all went remarkably smooth.  Four hours was long and exhausting but also fun and invigorating to be involved in something creative lead by someone else.

During class we made two Ombres, one in golden yellow and one watermelon dye colors and one color to color piece where you picked two of your remaining dye packets which would be analogous on the color wheel and where one end is purely one color and the other end is purely the other color with blends in between.  It was very special to learn how to create this technique.  If you think it is something you would like, please get on the mailing list for both liveonlinequiltclass and Cindy Lohbeck at Handsonhanddyes.com   The technology was easy and you won’t be disappointed with all the tips, tricks and techniques you will learn.

Here is the work accomplished during class.  The kit included more supplies for four more to do on your own.

Golden Yellow Ombre

 Watermelon Ombre

 Grape to Kingfisher blue blend

More QU Quilts

As usual, there were too many favorite quilts at the QU show for one blog post.  Here are some others that we liked.

A group of Vienna chapter quilters did a challenge especially for the Just Piece It theme of the show.  They each created a portrait divided into 3 sections (top of head, eyes to nose, mouth to neck).  They then swapped the top and bottom sections, keeping their own eyes to nose section, and assembled the 3 parts into a harmonious quilt. Click on the photo to enlarge for a closer view.  Participants include (left to right, top to bottom):  Lorraine Heady, Karla Vernon, Willa Downes, Anna Willard, Trudi Sommerfield, Joni Seidenstein, and Polly Dombroski.

I Love Batik is by Bonnie Anderson of the Haymarket chapter.  The pattern is Shimmering Triangles by Jenny Bowker.  The top was pieced by Jo Cotter and Marty Bush of the Annandale chapter (Bonnie purchased the top at their auction) and quilted by Bonnie.  We'd say the pattern is aptly named!

Patricia Price of Burke made Amazing Love as a wedding gift for her nephew.  The pattern is by Laurie Shifrin.  Pat pieced the top and it was quilted by Beth Flores; the quilting pattern is Curved Maze by Geometric Longarm.  The interesting thing about this design is that the semicircles are only visible from a distance (or through the lens of a camera).

This is one of Linda Cooper's (Burke) original kinetic quilt designs - When Quilts Party.  The inset pieces feature photos of other quilts Linda has made which are attached with fishing lure swivels.  The back sides show the same quilts in black and white, hence, the party (color) side and non-party side (black & white).  The machine piecing and quilting are all done by Linda.

Sue's favorite was this  completely original quilt by Bonnie Rhoby of Reston, called Sewing Seeds of Hope.  Techniques include hand painting and applique, machine piecing and  quilting.  The workmanship on this is amazing.  Enlarge for a close-up look at the micro-quilting.  Below is a detail shot.

Beverly Pontius of the Springfield chapter made Brix, a pattern by Amy Walsh.  It is machine pieced and quilted.

Finally, Lollipop Trees is made by Ann Collins of Springfield.  The pattern is by Kim McLean and is machine pieced and hand appliqued by Ann.  The quilting is by Margaret Solomon Gunn.  Ann says she began this quilt in 2010, and though it took a few years to complete, was worth the time and effort.

We hope you've enjoyed this mini quilt show, especially if you weren't able to attend in person. 

Quilters Unlimited Show 2018

The annual QU quilt show was held this past weekend in Northern Virginia at the Dulles Expo Center.  Over 500 quilts were on display made by members of the 11 chapter guild, and over 70 vendors had their products available for purchase.  As always, it was an inspiring show with lots of great workmanship on display.  These are some of our favorites from the show.

Joseph's Coat is by Julia Rouse of the McLean chapter.  The pattern is by Kaffe Fassett and Liza Prior Lucy.  It is pieced and quilted by Julia.

Scrap Petal Garden is a pattern by Penni Domikis of Cabin in the Woods Quilters.  This version is made by Carol Conahan of the Mt. Vernon chapter and is machine pieced, appliqued and quilted by Carol.

The Bee Gazer is by Cecile Batchelor of the Reston chapter for a guild challenge.  The center is wool applique surrounded by Australian aboriginal fabrics.  It is hand appliqued, hand quilted and machine quilted by Cecile.

Above are 3 examples of a pattern by Jen Kingwell called Small World.  Top left is by Beverly Pontius of Springfield; top right is by Jill Warren of Springfield; bottom is by Chris Prestenbach of Springfield, all made for a chapter challenge.

She Can Dance is made by Puggy Beljan from a pattern by Frog Hollow Designs.  It is machine pieced and quilted from a collection of Kaffe Fassett polka dot fabrics.  It was quilted by Penny Bascastow of Pennyroyal Quilting.

Cracked Ice was made by Wanda Hlavka of Burke QU.  The pattern is by Connie Kaufman and is machine pieced and quilted by Wanda.  The quilting pattern is "Broken Glass" by Wasatch Quilting.

Debbie Bullock of the Burke chapter made Cactus Flower, a pattern by Renee L. Peterson.  It was made as a wedding gift for her daughter.  Debbie did the piecing; it was quilted by Beverly Burroughs, also of the Burke chapter.

Fifteen is by Joyce Carrier of the Haymarket chapter.  It is based on a photo taken at the Nashville zoo and is machine pieced, appliqued, and quilted, all by Joyce.

Stay turned for a few more quilts in our next post.

Elizabeth's Favorites at the QU Show

The Quilter’s Unlimited show in Chantilly VA is always an enjoyable weekend.  Close to home, it has nice vendors in addition to member quilts and usually a special exhibit.  This year was no exception with the super “Fly Me to the Moon” exhibit, curated by our friend Susanne Jones, and in which Sue has a quilt honoring a favorite song associated with the moon.  More about that later.

Here are Elizabeth’s favorite member quilts from the show.

This quilt by Martha B. (apologies, the last name on the sign is blurry in our photos) appealed to Elizabeth not just because of the purple and green color theme, but the use of the large print mixed with the smaller squares.  The proportions were so pleasing to the eye.

A second quilt in the purple and green color theme was this one with stunning coneflowers placed on a gradated background of green squares. This quilt is called “In the Garden” by Ann Clare of Fairfax, made from a pattern by Barbara Persing and Mary Hummer.

“My Twitter Feed” by Preeti Harris was made by paper piecing all these fun birds.  You can read about it on her blog at:  http://sewpreetiquilts.blogspot.com/ She blogs about the show as well as the technique used in this quilt when she made the quilt in a post on February 28. http://sewpreetiquilts.blogspot.com/2017/02/he-tweeted-she-tweeted.html

This quilt, “Morning Has Broken” by Nancy Firestone of Annandale simply glowed from all the way across the room.The pattern was designed by Patches Quilt Shop of Mt. Airy, MD, for the 2015 Quilters Quest Shop Hop.  Quilting is by Kathleen Sihrir.

In Tahitian Journey by Jeanne Coglainese of Fairfax, the blue and orange colors complimented each other very well. 

Having once taken the workshop “Happy Villages” by Karen Eckmeier, this little quilt “Cinqua Terra Village” by Rosemary Ryan of Centreville was fun to see.  It is always interesting to note how someone else interprets the class.

I couldn’t resist liking this leaf quilt which is from a pattern designed by Quiltworx.com.  It is not crooked, that is just poor cell phone photography.  It is called “Cruisin’ Leaf” by Dena Brannen of Reston.  Made in a class while on a quilting cruise to Alaska, she bought all the fabric while on the trip.

This quilt, made from a tie collection, was part of a recycling challenge.  It was one of the nicest tie quilts I have even seen.  Called “Retired Ties” by Sharon Gookley of Vienna.

Near the end of the quilt show, I spotted this take on the Wizard of Oz called “My Sister” by Susan Smith.  Having only a sister, it did make me giggle.

While I missed going to the show with Sue, I am glad I got to go and being by myself meant that I saw the show and visited with the vendors at my own pace.  A nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Quilters Unlimited Annual Show

You may have noticed that we have not been blogging very much lately.  May was a difficult month for Sue with the passing of her father-in-law and both mother and mother-in-law first hospitalized and then in rehab.  Both still continue with recovery but are improving.  Now that summer is rapidly approaching we will try to get ourselves back on track to blog more consistently.

Last weekend was the annual Quilters Unlimited show in Northern Virginia.   Both of us were able to attend, but on separate days, so you will get our individual viewpoints on this show.  By far, Sue's favorite part of the event was the Fly Me to the Moon exhibit, but she'll save that for a separate post.  First, today's post covers the main part of the show, which consists of quilts made by members of this guild.  QU has 11 chapters and over 1,000 members; members are able to submit up to 4 quilts for the show.  This is a non-judged event.  As well, each chapter has their own small display area that can include group challenges.  Along with the show, vendors, demos, and classes round out the event. 

These are Sue's favorites from the main show.

"My Small World" is a Jen Kingwell pattern pieced by Kay Lettau and quilted by Beth Shafer.

 "Pastorale" is an original design by Jennifer Emry who both pieced and quilted it.

Above is another original improvisational quilt by Jennifer Emry, "Strip Tease". 

"Everyday Best" made by Ann Littleton added some bright, happy color.  It is a Piece O'Cake design and is quilted by Cindy Luby.

"License to Shop" by Zebra Patterns  was made by Cheryl Miller and quilted by Mary Tims.  What a great way to use those Row By Row license plates!

Judy Ballance created "Fade to Black".  Using a traditional block and techniques by Louise Smith in her book, New Twist on Strips and Curves, Judy created an original layout.  Quilting is by Lisa Marshall.

"Zinnias by Yim 3" is the creation of Linda Cooper.  Based on a photo, she used Susan Carlson's collage technique to create this original quilt.  Lovely!

Of course, these are just a few of the many quilts on display.  There are many exceptional quilters in Northern Virginia and it is always a show worth seeing.  Stay tuned to see what Elizabeth highlights from her visit.