PROGRAM UPDATE  For the April 5, 2014 meeting, NILAG will host  Cheryl Sleboda,

Cheryl Sleboda, is a modern quilter  and fiber artist.  Cheryl will share her journey towards becoming an artistic quilter by creating small quilts with big detail.  Find out how working weekly and working small can help you define your artistic vision and make you a better quilter. You’ll be able see the quilts from small to “actual size.”

And, to help us stretch as artists, Cheryl will teach the basics of e-textiles and explain how easy it is to include cutting edge soft circuit technology in your quilts, as well as show you some of her amazing e-textile quilts  Be prepared to take notes. www.muppin.com  

Bring your completed Mini-Whole Cloth Skill Builders for show and tell. Anyone that brings their skill builder to the meeting will have the opportunity to select a door prize.

FEB 1, 2014 MEETING CANCELED

Due to the weather forecast, 8 inches of accumulated snow for the Wheaton area, the Feb 1st NILAG Meeting has been CANCELED.  We apologize if this causes anyone problems.  You can register your email to FOLLOW the news posted to this site. (See the link in the right border)  

2014 Program Schedule

CANCELED     CANCELED    CANCELED !!!!

February 1, 2014 - You be the Judge with local AQS Certified Quilt Appraiser - Chris Moline

As an AQS Certified Quilt Appraiser, Chris Moline will take you through what appraisers look for and what judges look for. With a special emphasis on the quilting, she will help you to identify ways where quilting, as well as other aspects of quilt making, can make or break a quilt. She will also explain when and how to quilt those antique blocks and tops and when to leave them alone. You get to participate in expressing your opinions too! Chris will be bringing her stash of beautiful quilts to emphasize her concepts.

Bring pen and paper to take notes. You will have all year to apply her concepts to your own quilts. In Dec, you can bring back your quilts (or someone else's quilts!) and Chris will provide feedback on what works and what you can improve on.

Skill Builder homework was to quilt the mini whole cloth started at the Dec 2013 meeting.

 

April 5, 2014 - PROGRAM CHANGE  Cheryl Sleboda  - Find out how working weekly and working small can help you define your artistic vision and make you a better quilter. Cheryl Sleboda, fiber artist and quilter (www.muppin.com) will share her journey towards becoming an artistic quilter by creating small quilts with big detail. You’ll be able see the quilts from small to “actual size.”

And, to help us stretch as artists, Cheryl will teach the basics of e-textiles and explain how easy it is to include cutting edge soft circuit technology in your quilts, as well as show you some of her amazing e-textile quilts!

June 7, 2014 - Chris Moline *****RESCHEDULED from Feb****

August 2, 2014 - TBD

October 4, 2014 - Cindy Roth - founder of Longarm University (program TBD) 

December 6, 2014 - Quilt Critique with local expert Judge - Chris Moline

Bring a quilt for a grand show and tell moderated by Chris Moline. Chris will provide a "critique" on areas that will help you identify what you are doing right and how you might improve. Don't worry, you can be anonymous if you like! But here is your chance to learn from your work and the work of others.

 

 

 

December 2013 meeting

We had a full house at the Dec 2013 meeting. We started with always great show and tell. At the previous meeting we were given a new Skill Building Assignment - TOOLS.  Members were asked to practice using one of the tools they purchased but had not used.  Show and tell included samples from the Gammill Workstation, Quilter's Rule Flower template, the curved side of Linda Taylor's Applique helper. Marla used Jamie Wallen's Mystical Ditcher, she drew her design onto water soluble stabilizer with  water soluble Crayola markers and stitched through the stabilizer. Then removed the stabilizer with water. The markers were okay on the black whole cloth but the ink transferred to the fabric on the white sample.

 

The program for the Dec meeting was a mini-whole cloth design assignment.  The guild provided "gridded flip-chart" paper for drawing.  The members brought rulers and  pencils.  There was a huge number  of  stencils, and longarm templates that were shared for creating the whole cloth designs.  Members folded their paper and worked on quadrants. The hope is that quilted minis will be shown at the February 2014 meeting.

To encourage participation in the skill building assignments, they board has decided  to obtain items that can be used for door prize drawings. Tools, thread, patterns, batting etc.  Any member that shows a quilted skill building mini, will have their name added to a basket for a door prize drawing.  So please bring your quilted skill builders to the February meeting.

REMINDER: The 2014 Membership fee of $25 is now due.  If you did not pay at the December meeting, please bring your renewal to the Feb meeting.  If you cannot make the Feb meeting, please mail your dues to the membership chair.

Oct 2013 program

For the October 2013 meeting, the guild gave us a fat-quarter challenge.  Find a batik fat quarter that "spoke" to you and quilt as desired.  You could do what every you wanted.  Some of the results were, quilting around the printed motifs, thread painting, one member used a stencil and fill stitches, and we had one mini whole cloth.  If you did not get your batik fat quarter finished for the October meeting, we would love to see it in December. 

 

 

 

August 2013 School House Demos

In August 2013, the guild presented a round of School House Demos.

There were 5 topics and each table had 15 minutes to make their presentation and answer questions

The topics covered were:

Pantographs - Brenda

Thread Painting - Carla

Final 45 degree binding connection without using any special tools or rulers - Debbie W

Fun with your Longarm - Kin

Thread Tension -   Donna

We split into 5 groups, it was a busy morning, but everyone was able to view all 5 of presentations.

Members can log into the Yahoo group to see photos of all of the days events and show and tell.

 

Same But Different Quilt Challenge

Back in 2010, NILAG gave the members a "same but different" quilting challenge.  Everyone who participated was to create the exact same wall hanging in the same fabrics, but it was up to the guild member to determine how to quilt it. 

A design was created using the State of Illinois block. (which has become the logo for the guild) Fabric packs were made available at a local quilt shop. Cutting directions were handed out. We were given 6 months to complete our wall hanging.  The results were stunning.  So many great ideas, all for the same quilt. 

The finished quilts were sent as a group to the Machine Quilters showcase in Overland Park, KS the following year. You can see the results of the challenge here:   CLICK for Same but Different album

 

 

More recently, NILAG offered a Zentangle workshop with Sue Jacobs, Certified Zentangle Instructor.  Although Sue is not a quilter, her Zentangle concept of doodling can easily be translated into quilting. 

 

We were each given two cardstock ornaments and a gell pen.  The doodling was very therapeutic and some amazine designs were born that day. To visit Sue's website click here: 

http://suejacobs.blogspot.com/