quilt shows – Amherst Quilters Guild

May 8, 2016

what’s in your locker?

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. We should all be recovered from our quilt show by now. So many lovely inspiring quilts. Will I live long enough to make all the quilts I’d like to try? I’m sure that for almost all of us, that answer is no! So which quilt project is next on your list? Although applique is for me almost a four letter word, I admired so many of the quilts which combined piecing with applique. Maybe that will be my next challenge to myself. But I digress. Have you ever tried locker hooking? I did quite a bit of it a few years back and then moved on to another hobby. I do really like the old fashioned look of mats and rugs made with this technique. I happened to get Ami Simms’ newsletter this week in which she gives a very nice tutorial on how to […]

April 17, 2016

use it or lose it part 2

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. In my last post I talked about using or losing your scraps. One of my strategies which kind of combines the two ideas was to clean out my scrap bins to give a bunch away. At our guild’s upcoming quilt show (Apr. 22-24) there will be a scrap pool to play in. (Pay a small fee, get a bag, jam as many scraps of your choice into the bag to take home!) I have some pictures following to show you my “success”. I have been keeping the two bins (one for darks and one for lights) somewhat under control by giving away my smaller scraps to Robi, our guild president, who will work with scraps smaller than I like. But nevertheless the lids and sides of the two bins are usually bulging. So I thought I’d put a big dent in that with a garbage […]

March 31, 2016

Use It or Lose It by Mary Ellen

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. Do you have lots of “stuff” in your sewing room or craft room that you haven’t used in ages? Me too. I saw a series of posts on a paper crafter’s web site. She is going through her stash a little bit at a time, and either using the trove of supplies or putting them aside for donation or the trash-losing them. In each of her posts she gives ideas for how she is using some of the supplies, and sometimes also explaining why she is losing some of the other supplies. She has challenged her readers to play along with her, and to share how they are using or losing the overflow in their own stashes. I thought this might be a fun thing for us quilters to try also. So here we go. The category for this week’s “use it or lose it” […]

March 4, 2016

Put it in neutral

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. Went to the car wash the other day. Can’t tell it from the looks of the car now. I’m always a bit nervous about getting the wheels of the car lined up with those tracks that pull the car through the “washing machine”. When “he” says to put it in neutral, that’s my signal that I’ve done it correctly. What else do neutrals have to do with anything? Well for us quilters they usually mean “lights” or “backgrounds”. Each year I set myself a quilting goal. Last year it was to use more orange in my projects. I think I succeeded pretty well on that, and was generally happy with the spark the orange gave to my projects. This year’s goal is to be more adventurous in my choices of backgrounds…to stay away from the whites, ecrus, and very pale fabrics. My first full size […]

February 28, 2016

Who quilts your quilt?

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. I’ve been working on several projects lately that all had deadlines. Because of the time crunch I decided I would quilt one myself that I would usually have sent to my favorite long arm quilter. The style of the quilt is somewhat modern, so I decided to try out some of the very dense quilting that one sees on so many of the Pinterest quilts. I did lots of wavy walking foot quilting and some free motion in opposite corners. The quilt measures about 48″ x 60″. I have a new appreciation for women who quilt bed size quilts on their domestic machines. Granted, my set up of my sewing room does not lend itself to positioning lots of tables around me to support the weight of the quilt. That’s my “fault” I guess you could say. I did put my ironing board next to […]

February 24, 2015

how dedicated are you?

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. Do you consider yourself to be a dedicated quilter? Every 2 years or so the organization Quilts in America funds a survey of quilters across the US to find what a dedicated quilter is about. I’m sure that manufacturers and retailers find this information useful in planning their focus. The amount of money spent on quilting is comparable to, (and I’ve heard but can’t find the citation for you) and has been at times more than, the money spent on golf! Have a look at this summary of the survey results to see where you fit. In many aspects, but not all, I fit the profile. My one concern about this, if you can call it that, is the average age of dedicated quilters. I won’t go into the math of averaging data, but it does tell us that we are an aging group. The […]

April 25, 2014

a quilt I will never make

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. Every now and then I run across a quilt that I know I would never ever make. And here’s a clip featuring one of them. I like the original name for it: Insanity! I know that many traditionalists will absolutely love this quilt; we have a separate category in our guild shows for quilts of this type. I appreciate the workmanship, the precision, the patience but as I said…Insanity! click here

April 16, 2014

Virtual visit to our quilt show

Hi everyone, well – WE DID IT! Show was wonderful, colorful, full of visitors, old and new friends, demos and shopping…well done Amherst Guild!! Special thanks go to our two show co-chairs – Kelly and Kit for all the hard work, as well as all and any committee chairs, volunteers and last minute, impromptu helpers – ALL together made yet another wonderful quilt show! I am almost sad that we need to wait for two years now! Ha, ha! Did you take lots of photos? If you want me to share them here, please, please email them to me and I will! Here are some of mine: we had our first participation of many members of new, WNY Modern Quilt Guild – thank you to all who entered their quilts! Our former president and friend Betty Lerner came to visit! Our hand-quilting experts at work: Cheryl’s quilt […]

March 31, 2014

Stars!

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. A while back I posted a link to a paper pieced star that got a few comments. It seems star blocks are pretty popular. I love them, and you probably know I love dresden blocks too. I think this star has a dresden feel to it, so of course it was a hit with me. It is another paper pieced one, which sadly doesn’t appeal to all quilters. In my book though, it’s a great technique for getting those points perfect. Here’s the link: click here. Got your things all set for the quilt show, ladies? Drop off days are just around the corner (this weekend). I finally finished putting the embellishments on the quilt I’m entering. That pesky hand sewing you know–not my favorite thing, but sometimes there is no way around it. What heaven must look like! click here.

March 23, 2014

Bonnie Hunter update

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. I think we have made a very good choice for this fall’s seminar teacher. I have probably received 25 or so inquiries from non-members who are interested in taking a class from Bonnie this fall. They are finding the contact information in Bonnie’s calendar at quiltville.com. A couple of them are planning road trips with friends from distances away (Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Canada). I hope you’ll be joining us too. Bonnie just finished up a teaching segment in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee at A Mountain Quiltfest. Here’s a link to a slide show she posted from her Boxy Stars class. (click here) The students look like they are having fun, and their blocks are great looking. Bonnie will be teaching the Boxy Stars class for us on Wednesday of seminar. Marija has just finished up rounding up our cadre of local teachers for the fall, and […]