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GAAQG meeting springs ahead


Lots of news, tips, and fun at the Greater Ann Arbor Quilt Guild (GAAQG) bi-monthly meeting today!

Members of the General Henry Dearborn Quilting Society sold tickets for two quilts that will be raffled at their quilt show, "Piece by Piece" to be held April 25 and 26, 2014 at the Dearborn Historical Museum. They were also selling these adorable cupcake pincushions made from the ribbing of old sweaters. I couldn't resist picking one up! I found several Internet sites that show the construction process. Both of these look good: "Felt Cupcake Pincushions" at Tipjunkie and "How to make a no sew cupcake pincushion" at the brilliant UK site Red Ted Art.

During announcements, we got a hand-saving tip from a guild member who loves O'Keeffe's Working Hands hand cream, as recommended by her pharmacist.

We also got a recommendation for the Missouri Star Quilt Co. for its great collection of pre-cut fabrics, enormous Moda selection, and outstanding tutorials!


To top it off, members were treated to free mug rugs and fat quarters just for the fun of it. It occurred to me that doubling the size of my "Folded patchwork coasters" from May 2008 would make a nice mug rug.

Our guest speaker Carol Loessel presented a wonderful trunk show of her scrap quilts. I was intrigued by a symetrical design that she said was an example of a "four block quilt". Apparently this is an old-fashioned style quilt that I had never seen before. I also loved her playing-with-jacks quilt made with 2.5-inch squares. Loessel had this to say about her work, "When you work with scraps the results are not always predictable, but I guarantee the process is always enjoyable!" 

After the meeting, members could attend a short tutorial. This one by Liz showed us how to "Make a quilt from orphan blocks of different sizes". Liz used a quilt-as-you-go technique she learned at a workshop teaching the quilt-as-you-go pattern "World Music" by Sheila Murphy. You can download free instructions for "World Music" at http://www.quiltviews.com/free-world-music-pattern-by-sheila-murphy. Liz said she hopes to have her mini-workshop on orphan blocks posted to the GAAQG site soon.

July is a big! month for Ann Arbor area quilters!

The GAAQG guild will hold its third annual UFO Retreat during the week of July 11-17, 2014 at Creative Passions, LLC in Chesaning Michigan. The retreat is open to everyone, including non-GAAQG members. Retreaters may choose a three day weekend retreat for $130, a four day weekday retreat for $130, or a full week retreat for $260. To reserve a place, print out the online registration form and send with deposit to Sue Endreszi, 31506 Leona, Garden City, MI 48135. Email saendreszi@yahoo.com.

Lyric Kinard will lecture on the topic of "The Elements of Art" at the GAAQG meeting on July 19, 2014, and will hold two workshops: "Surface Design Sampler Platter" on July 18, and "Creative Collage & Collaboration" on July 19.

The GAAQG will host its biennial quilt show "Celebrating the Quilt" July 26 and 27, 2014 at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor.

Resources:
http://ghdquiltingsociety.org/quilt-show-14/
http://www.quiltviews.com/free-world-music-pattern-by-sheila-murphy
http://www.redtedart.com/2011/10/07/how-to-make-no-sew-cupcake-pin-cushion/
http://www.tipjunkie.com/post/felt-cup-cake-pincushions-tutorial/
http://okeeffescompany.com
https://www.missouriquiltco.com/
http://www.twomoreseconds.com/2011/03/mug-rug-madness-simple-mug-rugs.html
http://appletondance.blogspot.com/2008/05/folded-patchwork-coasters.html#.Uxu5JvldVbE
www.creativepassionsllc.com/
http://carolsscrapquilts.webs.com/
http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2005/06/playing-with-jacks.html
http://gaaqg.com/QuiltShow2012/QuiltShow2014_largeposter.pdf
http://lyrickinard.com/
http://www.quiltviews.com/free-world-music-pattern-by-sheila-murphy

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