CHRISTMAS PARTY

At the meeting on December 9th we had a Christmas Party.  This year the evening was quite different from other years.   We invited the Singin' Singin' Seniors Choir to come and entertain.  They are a local choir made up of people who may have been in local church or community choirs.  They sing at seniors homes and community organizations in the Kemptville area.   Everyone enjoyed the performance and sang along to many of the Christmas carols.  After the concert the choir joined us for refreshments and conversation.   It was a great start to our holiday celebrations.



The Singin' Swingin' Seniors

 

Our fabulous refreshments after the entertainment.

 

Of course the Pot Luck Dinner was delicious as usual! 

We're great cooks too!

 

And presents for everyone! 

 

There was lots of opportunity to talk and share stories.

 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

 

ONE DAY RETREAT

On December 7th five eager members of the Guild met at the Ferguson Forestry Centre for a ONE DAY RETREAT.   Everyone had a project on the go, and happily sewed all day. 

 Many thanks to Colleen for making arrangements for us to use the space and to Theresa for bringing us some Christmas Cheer!  The hot mulled apple cider and pecan pralines were greatly appreciated.


Here's photos of our projects and hope to see the finished items at the January SEW & TELL!

Margaret's flannel  quilt for Family Services. 



Beth's reversible place mats. 

Pat's quilt for the Habitat for Humanity family.

 

Jean working on her Wonky Star quilt.

Beth and Margaret hard at work.

Jean and Sandra taking it easy!

 

 

We all had a great time, and will definitely be doing it again.  

Pat Lemire Trunk Show; "Quilter to Quilt Artist"

At the November meeting we were very fortunate to have Pat Lemire visit with her trunk show called `Quilter to Quilt Artist`.   As you will see from the pictures below, this was a journey that is very apparent through the works we saw.   Starting with traditional quilts,  artistic quilts,  Post Cards, Pat has moved on to clothing as art and wall hangings in unique shapes with unconventional themes and other artistic endeavours.   This trunk show was very inspiring and ended with some tips that made us chuckle.  

Pat Lemire speaking about her work.

A scarf made from tread !

Pat uses everything she has on had. These

are gromets from upholstery samples.

Reach for Stars

This year our theme is Reach for the Stars!  All year we'll be emphasizing stars in Workshops, Challenges and any other way we can.

This past Saturday four members got together to make the Wonky Star Quilt.  It was our first time in the Ferguson Forestry Centre, and the space was perfect for our little group.

I hope that I'll be able to show you the finished quilts very soon.  But in the meantime, here's a few pictures of the work in progress.

                             Here's Jean, Judy, Theresa and Carmen with their first completed blocks. 

                                              There's a lot of cutting before we started to sew. 
                                                  And lots of pieces to keep track of!

Lots of work to be done, so everyone is back at it with enthusiasm!

OUT OF AFRICA Quilt Exhibition

A few members of the KQG went to London Ontario for the OUT OF AFRICA  Quilt Exhibition the second week of June.  This was a unique opportunity to see over 150 items made by women in various African countries.   As a special addition to the exhibit, the TENT MAKERS OF CAIRO displayed 10 of their creations as well.  These items are made of cotton fabric appliqued onto canvas.

It`s hard to describe how fabulous this exhibit was.  Seeing items made half way around the world, reading the stories about what inspired the makers,  learning about cotton production and sales in Ghana, was a heady experience.   Great memories from this event;  well worth the long drive. 
Here`s a few pictures of some of the items.

                                               The Tent Makers of Cairo

This applique is called `The Tree of Life` and measures 93 x 99.  Look carefully and you will see a  large number of birds, some of which are standing in front of the tree on the ground. 

 

Mohsen, from the Al Farouk Shop created this applique.

It has a crenelated center, with Roman and Islamic multi color symbols. 

It measures 58 x 57 inches.

 

 

 

This item is 40 x 39 inches and features a Lotus Star and Lotus border all appliqued on Black.

 

 

This item from the Tent Makers of Cairo was also very large,  89 x 90 inches. and

featured multi colored representations of plants. 

 

These items were from various other African countries.

 

Jewels of Kenya. 

                                                                     Egyptian symbols

Enjoying the Serenity

All hand dyed fabric.

Urban Africa

 

Lizards

 

 

Samburu Zebras at Harvest Moon

This item features in stamps of various African animals.

"Maidens"   Beautifully embroidered clothes and jewelry on silhouettes of women.

This was my favourite item in the show!

These ginney foul are machine stitched onto a neutral background

with embellishment along the bottom.

 

Sew & Tell - June

Every month we have a time in the meeting called 'Sew & Tell'  when members can show items they have made in the recent past and perhaps tell a story about how they came to make the item.  We see bed quilts, clothing, bags and sometimes art work.  This is a very popular aspect of the meeting since it gives us all a chance to see what other people have been working on.   Here's a sample of the Sew & Tell from June.

These Aprons and Bags were part of the monthly challenge.

This is a proposed Block of the Month,  featuring blocks

that depict different aspects of  Canada.

 

This is an alternate proposed Block of the Month

with many possibilities for creativity.

 

Beth  finally completed this Picture Paper Piecing scene. 

Marjorie made this "I Spy" quilt for Children's Service, Kemptville.

 

And Karin made this sampler quilt for her son.

 

Wearable Art Group Visits KQG

Last night at our May meeting we had a visit from the Wearable Art Group Ottawa.  This is a group of woman who meet regularly to share ideas, have Challenges and generally explore the wonderful world of wearable art.   Their fashion show is an exciting view of creations from some very creative minds.   Beautiful jackets, skirts, coats, hats and bags,  in the most vibrant colors featuring every sewing technique and style since we started wearing clothes!   It was an extraordinary show, that left us amazed and awe struck.  Here's a few pictures,  I was too enthralled to take notes about the outfits,  now I wish that I had.