The Challenges of the Trend-Tex Challenge

Are you busy working on your Trend-Tex Challenge?  We sure hope so!   Some have already arrived.
While I was encouraging members to complete their Trend-Tex quilt because that is the second component of the fundraiser, our Director at Large, Laine Canivet facebooked some of her dilemmas with this challenge.

While it is not nice to laugh at others, Laine has made it so entertaining that you simply can't help but chuckle.

The conversation started with me asking the Regional Representatives how they were making out with their Trend-Tex Challenge.  Then Laine joined in.

• 

  Laine Canivet 

Funny you should ask. I have had nothing but trouble. I have ended up having to

 paint all the white fabric to cover up the stain after trying bleach, unsuccessfully. Then I 

had to paint all the pink fabric to hide the bleach stains that seeped into it when I tried to

 fix the white. The last coat of paint is drying, as we speak.

January 9 at 6:52pm · Like

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• 

  Laine Canivet Mine will be the only one where the white isn't really white.

  January 9 at 7:05pm · Like
• Laine Canivet and the pink isn't really pink
• January 9 at 7:06pm · Like
• 
  
• Laine Canivet I agree. - and I hope you have better luck than me. I just put my finished 
• piece on the wall to admire it - when I realized I forgot to use the blue fabric. Maybe I'll 
• just paint a spot blue and call it a day!

You can see the line of white paint does not quite touch the pink fabric.

The pink paint on some of the pink fabric so it matches the well-painted pink fabric (not shown) that got inadvertently bleached. 

I  doubt there will be anyone who has quite as many issues as Laine did with her Trend-

Tex Challenge! So please, if you have bought the fabric, whip up a creation and enter it in 

the Challenge.  There are 10 kits left and would love to sell out, so if you need one, let me know.

Winter Wonders - Member Challenge

Are you stuck inside with snow piled up to your window sill and hoping the power doesn't go out?

If so, why not cozy up to your sewing machine and whip up a quick creation to enter into our current challenge?

 All you have to do is show us something wonderful about winter. Your entry will get published either on our blog or in the magazine. Send us a digital image of your quilt, any shape and size based on the theme ‘Winter Wonders’.  Deadline to send a photo of your entry is March 25, 2014. 

Full challenge details here.

Oh, and great prizes, too. This challenge is sponsored by Fabric Spot, an online fabric store with the largest inventory of organic fabric in Canada. Visit their website and their blog.

  First prize is Diamonds in the Sky Quilt Kit Featuring Tula Pink's Acacia Collection (retail value $140).

Second prize is a 'Pretty In Pink'  Kona Fat Quarter Bundle (retail value $50)

Third prize is a $25 gift card.

Judy Martin - Simply Amazing

When CQA/ACC member Judy Martin puts her mind to something, she follows through. Even if it takes 4 years and hundreds of volunteers, countless hours of dedication and the utmost of patience and perseverance.

Here is Judy's explanation of her wonderful creations of 4 quilts over 4 years:

This exhibition will highlight the amazing four year long Manitoulin Circle Project.  Every Thursday between October 2009 and August 2013, regular and drop-in stitchers met in the United Church hall in Little Current,  Manitoulin Island ON and worked  together all day at hand stitching.  In total, 144 participants.  

Four large meditation panels are the result.  The eventual location of these panels will be in the sanctuary of the Little Current United Church, Little Current, ON.

  

Earth Ark

Recycled linen damask, new silk and cotton, vintage handkerchiefs, hand and machine pieced by Judy Martin with community assistance, 2011, 90" x 90"

Earth Ark detail

I designed the panels, taught the techniques to the participants and enjoyed working with them to create these pieces.  Two of the panels are completely stitched together by hand.   The main fabric was donated recycled linen damask table cloths.  

Mended World

recycled linen damask, new silk and cotton, hand and machine pieced, hand quilted by Judy Martin with community assistance, 2012, 96" x 96"

Mended World detail

Precious Water
recycled linen damask, new silk, completely worked by hand.  Hand applique, hand piecing, hand quilted.
2013, 86" x 86"

Precious Water detail

Layers of Time

Re-purposed vintage wool blankets, vintage lace doilies, linen damask table linens, and new silk.  Completely worked by hand with hand embroidery, layering methods, and hand quilted.  2013, 92" x 92"

Layers of Time detail

The titles of the four panels refer to the nurturing of our environment and memory.  The vintage fabrics in all of the panels refer to domestic ritual.

The panels are intended to be hung in the sanctuary of the Little Current United Church in 2014.  They are united by the circle in square imagery and by the use of white, a celebratory liturgical colour.

Installed on the second floor of the gallery will be my monumental stitch journal that I kept during the same time as the Manitoulin Circle Project.  The art gallery has used this journal piece on the invitation.

As you can see Judy has once again stunned the quilting world with not only her dedication to this lengthy project, but to the beauty of the quilts she has created.   

The opening reception of the Mended World exhibition at the Art Gallery of Sudbury, ON January 18, 2014 at 2 pm. The exhibition will remain on view until March 2, 2014.

All photos done by Klaus Rossler.

Walk To Brock #4

I thought we would collect a HUGE number of inches in December while everyone hurried to finish gifts. Alas, I think we all slowed down and enjoyed the holidays.   Now let's add another resolution to stitch extra hard in January.

Considering it is the dead of winter and there isn’t much choice for travelers like us, leaving Inuvik and heading to Brock, we hopped on a plane and flew in a bee-line to Yellowknife.  Plus there is no road anyway.

In January the average high in Yellowknife is -20°C and the low is -27°C. 

Yellowknife, on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake and on the edge of the Arctic Circle, is famous for spectacular wilderness. We are enjoying the dark winter skies lit up by aurora borealis, dog sledding, cross-country skiing and backpacking. If that sounds too cold, let’s visit the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre. Look at the 'Online "Exhibit under 'Staff Picks', the 'Tremain Collection' with extraordinary embroidery and beading on clothing dating from the early 1900s.

I’m sure we will get a warm reception when we visit our member guild, the Yellowknife Quilters Guild, who contributed almost 18 thousand inches to help get us here.  

The Penticton Quilters Guild reported over 43 thousand inches this month, mostly from one quilter who stitched almost half a mile (I don’t think she sleeps).

And from the Timmins Guild when they sent me their inches: “at our last meeting, the sister of one of our members came as a guest. I was quite excited to see she brought a "show and tell" - a few more inches for our coffers! However, when I snuck out my measuring tape and mumbled "Walk to Brock" she was immediately on to my mission...and the inches were saved to be reported by her own guild in Thunder Bay. We enjoyed viewing her quilt nevertheless!”  

Now that's the competitive spirit=)

Looking forward to seeing how far we get next month.  Keep it up quilters!