NeedleChasers Recent Meetings and Workshops
Phyllis Hatcher was our speaker at our November 2021 meeting. Phyllis has visited the outback of Australia four times over a three-year period where she became acquainted with authentic Aboriginal art and the cotton fabrics being printed with those designs. Aboriginals in central Australia have created art designs in sand for thousands of years. She shared many background stories and meanings behind current indigenous outback artists’ dot paintings that are now being transformed into fabric used by quilters everywhere. Phyllis is also a certified quilt appraiser with the American Quilters Society. She has been appraising quilts since 1999 in her home in Annapolis as well as at many local and national quilt shows. She currently serves on the Board of The Quilters Hall of Fame in Marion, Indiana.
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In October, 2021 Lew Geiger presented 'The Care and Feeding of your Sewing Machine'. After years spent working as a Bernina repairman, Lew has seen many of the reasons that sewing machines don't always work as well as expected, or even cease functioning altogether. Now serving as the Bernina repairman at G Street Fabrics, Lew shared his insights and recommendations for routine home maintenance of your machine and discussed trade-offs in choosing equipment. Below are images of Lew. To see his presentation go to resources in the members only section.
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Our September, 2021 meeting was our first in person meeting in over a year. It was a great opportunity to visit face mask to face mask. The newly renovated space at the church was put to good use. After the business portion of the meeting, once again we had a incredible show and tell. So many members have been very busy. Then onto the making of fabric post cards to be sent to members in times of joy and sadness. There were also members cutting fabric for community service pillow case projects. In the end all who attended had a great time and were very productive. Below are several pictures of the wonderful morning.
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Our August presenter was Christina Cameli. She is an enthusiastic quilting teacher and nurse-midwife from Portland, Oregon. After being introduced to quilting by her grandmother she learned free-motion quilting, and over the next decade she has taught classes and written books on quilting. She began her talk with exploration of the concepts she thinks about when deciding how to quilt a quilt top. Christina used photos of quilt tops submitted by guild members to offer visual and verbal suggestions for possible quilt designs.
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At our July Meeting Susie Monday, iPad artist and quilter extraordinaire, presented a myriad of ideas for using an iPad to create original works of art that can enhance our quilting projects. She shared several applications to help draw, use photos and color in designing and creating quilts. Needlechasers' members can find handouts with relevant links in the Members-Only section of this website.
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For our June, 2021, meeting, we went "behind the scenes at the world's greatest quilt museum." Our guide was Meg Cox, journalist, quilter, and member of the board of the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska. We were fascinated to hear the history of the museum and see photos of some of the 8000 quilts in its collection. NeedleChasers' members can find handouts with relevant links in the Members-Only section of this website.
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We were thrilled to hear from Hollis Chatelain via Zoom for our April, 2021, meeting. On the right below see her Cabbage Coral quilt, which she told us "changed her life," as it was the start of her making her living as an artist. See more of her work at hollisart.com. Thirty-three of her pieces will hang in a retrospective at the Quilters Hall of Fame in Marion, Indiana, from May 11-July24.
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During our March, 2021, meeting, three NeedleChasers members presented photos of their work. Each has taken a different yet fulfilling path in creating quilts and pursuing personal goals. Dianne Miller Wolman thinks of herself first an embroiderer and more generally as a quilt artist. View her presentation by clicking here. Sandra Smith took us through her process of creation, avoiding the too regular or predictable. Click here to see her presentation. Lynne Mackay-Atha often collaborates with other quilters she meets via the Internet. Read a blog post from Lynne that recaps her presentation here.
At our February, 2021, Zoom meeting we heard from Sylvia Schaefer, who spoke on designing with negative space. Many of us were so inspired by her work that we rushed to her website, https://flyingparrotquilts.com/, to buy her book, which she generously offered at a discount.
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In January, 2021, we kicked off the New Year with a Zoom showing of the quilts that had been entered in our 20/20 Vision challenge. Click here to see them all.
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Mary Fons was our December, 2020, speaker via Zoom. We heard about her journey through quilting, including her current passion as editor of Quiltfolk magazine.
In November 2020, we were delighted to learn from Penni Domikis of Cabin in the Woods Quilters. Via Zoom, she showed us all kinds of designs we could make from our scraps.
Our October 2020 meeting featured Dallas-area quilt artist Deborah Boschert via Zoom. Her lecture focused on ways to encourage creativity and how to develop a personal style.
In September, 2020, we met via Zoom to hear from innovative quilter Maria Shell, all the way from Anchorage, Alaska. Maria started out as a traditional quilter, but soon found herself making abstract pieced art quilts that look surprisingly modern. She shared her personal journey in and about the traditional, art, and modern quilt movements. We can be all three!
