M INNESOTA C ONTEMPORARY Q UILTERS
NEWS
M AY –J UNE 2013
WWW.MNCONTEMPORARYQUILTERS.NET M AY 20 MEETING — W HAT D OES M ODERN Q UILTING M EAN FOR Y OU ?
6:30 P . M . T EXTILE C ENTER
We've all heard about the modern quilt movement, which characteristically
uses bold colors and prints, high contrast and graphic areas of solid color, improvisational piecing, minimalism, expansive negative space, and alternate grid
work. But what does it mean for you? What makes a quilt modern? Where do
you fit in? Flaun Cline, president of the Minneapolis Modern Quilt Guild,
will discuss all things modern. See several creations by the guild’s members
and find out what they’re all about. See www.minneapolismqg.com/p/blogpost-series.html.
Right: White Wedding,
Flaun Cline
Left: The Mod Rhombus,
Annik Miller
J UNE 24 M EETING —Y OU ’ VE G OT A
F RIEND N AMED E LMER
6:30 P . M . T EXTILE C ENTER
Sue Heinz of Kismet Quilting will introduce you to her friend Elmer, the
best thing to come into a quilter’s life since the rotary cutter! Want to
improve your piecing instantly, with guaranteed seam and pattern matching? No problem! Want to have the freedom of layering fabric without
the need for fusible web? No problem! Want to be able to see exactly
what your seam will look like—even before it’s sewn—and be able to
sew without any fabric shifting? No problem! Sue’s friend Elmer can do
all those things, and so much more. See for yourself how fast, easy, and
addicting Elmering can be!
For more information on Sue and her work, visit her website:
www.kismetquilting.com.
See page 2 for more of Sue’s quilt photos and information on MCQ’s class
with her in January 2014.
Left: Untitled, modified pattern of unknown Australian designer
NEWS
P AGE 2
MCQ Board
CHAIR
Rose Allen
651-227-4708
[email protected]
VICE CHAIR
Lavonne Batalden
651-330-3035
[email protected]
PROGRAM
Peggy Wright
651-698-2760
[email protected]
EXHIBITS
Andrea Johnson
651-439-3544
[email protected]
Sally Mortenson
651-675-9836
[email protected]
MEMBERSHIP–
TREASURER
Leah Doherty
651-636-5723
[email protected]
WEBMASTER
Peg LaSota
612-824-9460
[email protected]
SPECIAL EVENTS
Janet Hovde
651-487-2744
[email protected]
Melissa Nellis
651-788-7609
[email protected]
NEWSLETTER EDITOR
Wanda Shelton
651-487-7197
[email protected]
HOSPITALITY– RETREATS
Nancy Condon
651-235-7820
[email protected]
Carol Schweickhardt
651-646-6670 [email protected]
F ROM THE MCQ C HAIR —R OSE A LLEN
Quilting is not a seasonal activity.
When I think about my annual quilting activities, it seems like there is no “down” time in the cycle
of the seasons. Winter and spring are times to get all those entries ready for the MCQ challenges.
Summer brings the Minnesota Quilter’s annual show – wouldn’t miss that. I also will be spending a
week at the Madeline Island School of the Arts taking a class from Gloria Loughman on creating
landscape quilts. Should be inspiring. Then comes fall with retreats, sewing days, a ton of guild
shows to attend, and lots of effort making holiday gifts.
MCQ doesn’t slow down either. We have a busy summer and fall of programming, the fall retreat,
a two-day in-town retreat, and who knows what other great activities and inspiration your busy
board will come up with. We hope all these opportunities to indulge in quilting will provide inspiration, a chance to learn new techniques, and a time and space to work on your fiber creations.
Continued on page 3
C LASS J ANUARY 11, 2014—S UE H EINZ , M ACHINE Q UILTING
T EXTILE C ENTER 9:00 A . M .—5:00 P . M .
Save the date! Sue Heinz of Kismet Quilting will teach a class on free motion quilting, FillHarmonics. The class can hold up to 20 students and will cost about $65. Registration information
will be provided in the fall. This class focuses on learning to draw designs on paper so you know
how to move around in them when quilting on your machine. Rose Allen and Peggy Wright have
taken the class and highly recommend it for more proficiency in free motion quilting.
Class Description: Create a symphony of harmonious
background designs that group well together on any type
of quilt, or use just one for a dramatic textural effect.
Learn to draw organic, traditional, and contemporary
backgrounds while Sue demonstrates with step-by-step
illustrations and how-to hints. This class is for anyone—
beginner through advanced, sewing on any arm-length of
machine—who wants to learn how to sew beautiful backgrounds. Your quilts will shout, “Bravo!”
SECRETARY–SUNSHINE
Sharon Englund
612-822-1886
[email protected]
LIAISON TO TEXTILE CENTER
Tina Hughes
651-645-0945
[email protected]
Please send comments and submissions to
[email protected]
Next Board Meeting
June 19
Above: Fill-Harmonics class
sample
Left: Poppy, pattern by Carol Morrissey, constructed by
Sue Heinz using her glue
technique.
M AY –J UNE 2013
From the Chair (continued)
The board wants to update the MCQ web site. If you have
web design skills, please contact Peg Lasota.
Contact Lavonne Batalden to form or join a small quilt group.
MCQ has an active board and fun meetings. Several positions
will be open for the 2014 board. To volunteer for one of
them, contact Rose Allen. Help shape the future of MCQ—
it’s fulfilling work with creative, interesting people who love
quilting and quilters. If you wish, mentor with a current
board member before taking the plunge to join the board.
Contact information for board members is on page 2.
S EW -O FF S ATURDAY —SOS
M AY 18, 10:00 A . M .—6:00 P . M .
Jump-start your creativity by coming to the community room on
the first floor of The Oaks on Pleasant, 6600 Pleasant Avenue,
Richfield. Parking information is below.
Bring a one-quart size plastic bag of fabric, a one-quart size plastic
bag of embellishments, and food to share for the potluck lunch.
Each quilter will be randomly assigned to a group which will collaborate to create an art quilt no larger than 30” x 30” or any other quilt item. Batting and backing will be provided. Several quilters will bring their sewing machines, cutting mats, rulers or ironing boards.
P AGE 3
A BODE —2013 G UILD C HALLENGE
Creativity explodes again. We will have 36 Abode quilts on
exhibit at the Minnesota Quilters conference June 13 to 15.
After the conference the quilts will be exhibited in other locations until June, 2014. The titles are intriguing: No Cul de Sac
Here; Pre-assisted Living; Little Bird, Little Bird; The Ice is
Melting.
Abode quilts are due at the May meeting. Each quilt needs a
hanging sleeve and stick and must be labeled. Bring it in a fabric
pillow case or bag. Andrea Johnson and Sally Mortenson, MCQ
Exhibit Co-chairs, are collecting the quilts at the meeting.
Words of Wisdom quilts have been in Kansas (see page 6) and
should be picked up at the May meeting. If you are unable to
attend, contact Andrea Johnson to get your quilt from her in
Lake Elmo.
T HE T REE P ROJECT
The tree project quilts are due at the May meeting. Each
quilt needs a sleeve for hanging, a label for identification,
and a fabric bag for protection during transport. These
quilts do not need a hanging stick.
Wanda Shelton is collecting the Tree Project quilts. The
exhibit at the MQ show in Duluth is the only scheduled
showing. Quilts will be returned at the June meeting.
Potluck lunch follows, as does the movie “KART Across America
– a documentary.” Later, swim in the pool if you wish.
H ATS O FF
Registration is $5.00. Contact Melissa Nellis or Janet Hovde for
more details.
Debra Svedberg's quilt Peace sold at the Roseville
exhibit. Congratulations!
Parking is permitted in the oval drive at the front. Enter the
building through the main door. If no parking spaces are open,
unload your car at the front, and drive to the Allina ramp behind
the Oaks building. The entrance to the Allina ramp is the driveway just west of the Oaks driveway off 66th street. Park above
or below floors one and two at no charge. Walk across the way
on the sidewalk to the Oaks building and enter that door.
S EPTEMBER M EETING —M EMBERS ’ S ALE
Our September 23rd meeting will feature a members’ sale. Rent a table for $10. Sell fiber-related items, including fabric, embellishing materials, yarn, embroidery threads, beads, foil, threads, supplies for surface design, dyes, paints, books, tools, patterns, etc.
Please offer items that you would want to buy as a contemporary quilter.
To participate, please see Peggy Wright at a meeting and pay the table fee by August 23, or send the fee to her at 1438 Stanford Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55105, phone 651-698-2760, or email [email protected].
P AGE 4
H ATS O FF !
NEWS
MCQ M EMBER P ROFILE —J ENNY G ANTS -M OEN
When I was a young girl, I would get into my mom's sewing kit and look at
all the cool buttons. I really started to get interested in sewing about the middle of
high school, as I belonged to a reenactment group and needed costumes for the
events. That led to college and studying all things related to theater costuming and
studio arts. In the meanwhile my fabric stash just kept growing. The interest in
making quilts came out of receiving a beautiful patchwork quilt from my husband’s
grandmother for our wedding, and then finding out my sister was due with her first
child. Most of the first quilts I made were crib size, then full bed size.
After I started coming to MCQ, I began to try my hand at smaller formats
like the Quilt on a Stick at the State Fair. Since then I started challenging myself to
work smaller. That is a lot harder than it looks. I turned our second bedroom into a
work room when the quilting bug went full force, but I also have the good fortune to
be able to lay out really large projects at my work place. I started sewing on a basic
White home machine but have access to a classic Bernina and industrial Singer and
Pfaff machines. Most of the designs I do are original, and it is only recently that I
have tried my hand at reproducing a straight pattern out of a quilt publication.
I'm often inspired by nature, reflected surfaces and landscapes. This in particular has helped when hand-dying fabrics during
the nice weather. I find that working on smaller blocks that require handwork or embellishment is sometimes my favorite part of the
building of a quilt. I have been commissioned to make a number of larger pieces but have never won an award. A lot of the work I
have produced has been with pictorial or sampler designs. I've worked on a number of larger pieces with three different groups.
The funniest experiences have come from working on baby quilts for local actors or production staff, or when there is interest in
making a "show quilt" by a cast member of a current production—which brings me to some of my favorite times to work on a project. I will listen to an audio book or speaker, oftentimes not realizing that
what is being heard relates to how the overall design gets worked out. I've
made over two dozen quilts, and with any luck, I'll be making many more.
In the last year as a service project, I've been asked to teach others and make
baby quilts for baptisms at the church I attend. Most recently as part of that
group, we finished a Pastor’s retirement quilt. Boy, I learned a lot!
Above: Detail of Twelve
Center: Back of Twelve
Right: Detail of Letting Go, Jenny’s Words of Wisdom quilt
NEWS
P AGE 5
———————————————————————————————————————————————
As for the way my job and quilting go together, I've worked
in many types of theater, including regional, theme park,
and outdoor drama for a number of seasons. So that means I've been
around amazing fabrics, designers and loads of creative individuals.
But since moving to the Twin Cities in the mid 90's, I've been working backstage at many of the local theaters around town. I spend
most of my time at the Guthrie, and that is where one of the quilt
groups was started.
I innocently asked if anyone would be interested in working
on a quilt for the production 1776. This is a musical and chock full
of imagery. Little did I know there would be such an interest. Members of the wardrobe staff and cast members of some of
the different productions the theater had, produced three show related quilts (these hang on the second floor of the theater and can be
seen from the street as you enter the front of the building), many
baby quilts and some of their own projects once they got interested
in quilting.
Occasionally, there are lovely bits of fabric left at my station, and there is renewed company morale. I've had many people
relate to me the connection they feel when they see us working on
projects during break times. I never imagined my hobby would affect so many people in such a positive manner.
Above: Detail of quilt made by the cast and crew of the
Guthrie show The Master Butcher Singing Club. Several of
the blocks were done by first time quilters.
Left: Commissioned log-cabin quilt made from the recipient’s grandfather’s flannel shirts.
Time to Renew
May
Sharon Baker
Joan Carver
Maureen Dollase
Nancy Eha
Rosemary Kessler
Susan Martin
Joann Nordin
Brooke Strassburg
Wendie Zekowski
June
Donna Jorgensen
Karen Knoll
Wendi Seminari
MCQ’ S 20 TH B IRTHDAY Q UILT
We expect to show the finished quilt at the May meeting. It will hang with
our Abode and Tree Project exhibits in Duluth at the MQ show! Thank you
to each member who made a block and thank you to Jan Schmidt who quilted it. Members who attended the snowy April meeting were treated to a
view before the binding was added.
Happy Birthday to MCQ!
Dues and details on
the back page.
Don’t miss out on
the fun of even one
meeting or event!
Minnesota Contemporary
Quilters Newsletter
May - June 2013
M INNESOTA C ONTEMPORARY Q UILTERS
N EWS
T EXTILE C ENTER , B OX 8
3000 U NIVERSITY AVENUE SE
M INNEAPOLIS , MN 55414
The 2012 MCQ challenge exhibit Words of Wisdom will be shown at
the 17th annual Machine Quilters Showcase Convention,
Wichita, Kansas, May 15 to 18.
The MCQ 2013 challenge exhibit, Abode, debuts at the DECC in Duluth, MN
at the Minnesota Quilters Quilt Show and Conference, June 13 to 15.
A special MCQ exhibit, The Tree Project, will hang at the DECC in Duluth, MN
at the Minnesota Quilters Show and Conference, June 13 t o 15.
E VENTS & D EADLINES
May 18 Sew-Off Saturday
May 20 MCQ meeting –a week
early due to Memorial Day
June 13-15 Minnesota Quilters
35th Annual Show, Duluth, MN,
MCQ Abode and The Tree Project exhibits debut.
Sept 6-9 MCQ Fall Retreat, Camp
Wapo, Amery, WI
November 9-10 MCQ Sew-In,
Four Seasons Quilt Shop, Plymouth, MN
January 11, 2014—MCQ class
with Sue Heinz
Textile Center Librarian
Hours
Quilts for exhibition can be dropped
off at the Textile Center Library only
when Nancy Mambi is there:
Monday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Tuesday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Thursday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Upcoming Meeting
Programs
MCQ meetings are held the fourth Monday (3rd Monday
if fourth is a holiday) at 6:30 p.m. at the Textile Center,
3000 University Avenue SE, Minneapolis. No December
meeting.
June—Sue Heinz
July—Five by Five
August—Linda McShannock
September—Member sale
October—Jeannie Spears
November—Schoolhouse
December—no meeting
January—Janet Hovde
Membership information: Annual dues are $30, or $35 if
you receive the newsletter by postal mail. Renewals are
due on the anniversary of when you joined. Make checks
payable to Minnesota Contemporary Quilters and mail to
Leah Doherty, 2110 Rosewood Lane S, Roseville, MN
55113. Email [email protected] with address changes
or for membership assistance.
Meeting reminders—Please wear a fiber nametag to be eligible for a prize to be
given when the spirit strikes. Bring show-and-tell items., including works in progress. Bring a quilting friend or neighbor to visit the guild and join the fun.
Volunteer opportunities—MCQ is your guild—what is your role in it? Volunteer work is rewarding and fun! Be a board member and help steer the guild. To
volunteer at the library, contact Nancy Mambi at the Textile Center to schedule
training. Have an idea for a project or group? Contact any board member to discuss it.
Free table—Unclaimed items you bring for the Free Table are still yours. Don’t
force cleanup on the Textile Center or the members who leave last.