Friday, November 1, 2013
Knit Purl Sow in Brooklyn, NY
Check out the information on this show now on display in Brooklyn (through January 22) at the Botanical Garden.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Hearstring Quilters Meeting September 2013
New Business
There is a new parking situation - Martha was just made aware, and she will find out further details, and will let us know, but the old tickets are no good anymore.
Website - Karoline has done extensive work on the website. More information will be coming as the group starts to use the functionality.
Show & Tell
Karoline told us her quilt project was unveiled in August – huge success!
Robin: bought a new machine -- a Brother Embroidery - right out of the box, she was able to work monograms onto napkins, and having a lot of fun. Robin also bought a new Oliso Iron with touch sensor capability that made her little dog nuts with sounds that it makes, but that stays hot. Robin wants to iron now!
Suzan -told of her amazement at the level of creativity around the world as shown on Pinterest. She is working on completing 20 - yr old UFO's, in which effort a lot of us identified. Her daughter is pregnant, due Dec. 1st. A baby boy quilt has been begun!
Susan–Owl commission in ultra suede materials was beautifully framed. An
Art Quilt Elements submission is inspired by a paper; 5" squares on top
of squares; circles topped by organza; surface stitching in perle
cotton bobbin thread; 35 squares make up the art quilt. AMAZING! Also,
after hearing Mary Stoudt speak, she loved the idea of seven layers of
fabric 12 x 12, where each participant had to have red in the middle as a
unifying element; each person cut as much as they wanted or embellished
as they wished as the piece was handed off to each participant.
Rose showed a quilt she recently completed; Rose, you are becoming prolific with your quilting efforts, YEA!
Joann–did a fused "thing" she thought of as a failure, but we thought it
was cute; from fish to butterfly incredible quilting. She also took on a
challenge using Ricki Tim's fabric, did a fish, and it was wonderful! (topic was "making friends")
Martha Klein - has packs of Forever Yours quilt cards to sell. Talk to her if interested.
Cindy - brought back yellow fabric from Botswana for those who had requested. Her daughter is getting married. Mazeltov, Cindy! Cindy also received an Atlanta Airport show invitation - Flight Patterns is the show theme;" Miles to Go" is her entry made in silk charmeuse. "Sporty Girls Rock" has also been completed. Linda Seward (in U.K.) is publishing a book next spring which features both Debbie and Cindy, describing their unique processes for creating quilts. Cindy also announced that Fiber Revolutions will have a show in Botswana in 2014.
Christina found out how to turn a plain pencil covered by "washi tape" into something wonderful; she purchased the tape at paper source but noted that Joann fabrics carries it too.
Debbie Schwartzman showed us a quilt she had made, 7 years ago showing a caladium, which she used to wrap a smaller art quilt she had mounted under museum glass. Great juxtaposition, and a lovely sharing.
Margo has also been cleaning out strips. Her leftover quilt strips are now skirts for her 8-yr old granddaughter from Kaffe Fasset fabrics. Her granddaughter is getting all sorts of kudos on her fashionable attire.
Lauren - did complete glass vases for tables at her daughter's wedding in blues, yellows, & greens. She adapted a pattern to make it her own for her daughter's wedding quilt. She took a class in Peter's Valley in northern NJ–deconstructed screen printing. Textures were incorporated to form an amazing quilt.
Terry made a quilt for a friend from work who would always have funny cocktail napkins on stressful days to share with Terry to lighten up. Terry created the napkins in fabric for a lovely parting gift. Well done, Terry! She was also commissioned to make a quilt for a person incorporating clothing from the person's Mom. This was definitely a "gift of the heart", since the fabrics themselves were not necessarily meaningful, except to the daughter. The quilt was very gratefully received!
Karoline won the raffle!
Respectfully submitted,
Marcy George
There is a new parking situation - Martha was just made aware, and she will find out further details, and will let us know, but the old tickets are no good anymore.
Website - Karoline has done extensive work on the website. More information will be coming as the group starts to use the functionality.
Show & Tell
 |
| Claudine Boyd - New member - new to quilting- started with squares in purples. Great first quilt. Be sure to keep it, Claudine! |
Karoline told us her quilt project was unveiled in August – huge success!
 |
| Marcy showed 2 charity quilts from her work with a challenge group. |
 |
Liz took a Karen Stone workshop at Paducah - applique and piecing of
clam shells - palette was amazing - a request for ogling by the room was
granted graciously granted. She also showed us a "rapids from Montana"
quilt remembrance.
|
 |
Joyce participated in a Love Apples Guild challenge using an 8
1/2 x 11 Japanese themed fabric. Lovely! She also showed a jelly roll
quilt in a lovely purple palette, which extended to the back of the
quilt. A third quilt was a foundation stripped quilt - red/white/black
pallet just pops!
|
 |
| Sandy showed us the quilted Owl Quilt for Elizabeth. It was fantastic! She treated each block as an individual quilt – she took the quilt to another guild as a show and tell, and asked if anyone could tell which one was made by a man, and they did choose Jim's block. Special touches like inking, eyes and binding yet to come! 377 threads were knotted and buried. |
 |
Judy F.: This past summer, she cleaned out scraps from 9
years of quilting. She began strip quilting in color blocks, saying:
the playing, the discovery is fun! She is hooked on Pinterest -thanks to
Suzan H. and has been doing improvisational blocks, uncovering the
artist within.
|
Robin: bought a new machine -- a Brother Embroidery - right out of the box, she was able to work monograms onto napkins, and having a lot of fun. Robin also bought a new Oliso Iron with touch sensor capability that made her little dog nuts with sounds that it makes, but that stays hot. Robin wants to iron now!
Suzan -told of her amazement at the level of creativity around the world as shown on Pinterest. She is working on completing 20 - yr old UFO's, in which effort a lot of us identified. Her daughter is pregnant, due Dec. 1st. A baby boy quilt has been begun!
 |
Soryl told of her 6-wk-old grandson; her daughter who is getting married in 5 weeks. Soryl made napkins, starting with a Marimeko store fabric, which became the back of the quilt, then made the front to incorporate the same color pallet; with leftover strips, she created matching pillows. |
 |
| Libby made a quilt inspired by the tragic death of her stepson. The quilt is a reflecting pool with her son and his girlfriend on opposite sides of the pool. There are 1200 triangles! Hopefully, it will be hung at the Hill school where her son attended school - what a beautiful tribute! |
 |
| Patti took a Sashiko set received at the holiday exchange (from Martha) and a book loaned by Joyce with ideas, and created a lovely project. Well done, Patti! |
 |
| Eleanor - produces quilting books and does trunk shows, etc; for a more traditional quilter; her "Quilt Blocks Go Wild" incorporates 9-patch designs, which she used to create project bags! Since she is downsizing, she brought copies of her books for everyone - nice gesture, thanks, Eleanor! |
 |
Ellen showed us charity quilts in combinations of red/black/ &white. She also had a bear
quilt in tow! |
 |
| Vernyce is participating in an Oct. 19th "Make It With Wool" contest. She has Genie Pants lined with Rayon in gray, a rust-colored sweater top (garter-stitched piece), a double-faced wool melton (one fabric) which she plans to edge in a whip-stitched black yarn. |
 |
Bernaime showed a hand-quilted silk wall hanging in luscious colors and quilting. |
 |
 |
 |
Martha Klein - has packs of Forever Yours quilt cards to sell. Talk to her if interested.
Cindy - brought back yellow fabric from Botswana for those who had requested. Her daughter is getting married. Mazeltov, Cindy! Cindy also received an Atlanta Airport show invitation - Flight Patterns is the show theme;" Miles to Go" is her entry made in silk charmeuse. "Sporty Girls Rock" has also been completed. Linda Seward (in U.K.) is publishing a book next spring which features both Debbie and Cindy, describing their unique processes for creating quilts. Cindy also announced that Fiber Revolutions will have a show in Botswana in 2014.
Christina found out how to turn a plain pencil covered by "washi tape" into something wonderful; she purchased the tape at paper source but noted that Joann fabrics carries it too.
Debbie Schwartzman showed us a quilt she had made, 7 years ago showing a caladium, which she used to wrap a smaller art quilt she had mounted under museum glass. Great juxtaposition, and a lovely sharing.
Margo has also been cleaning out strips. Her leftover quilt strips are now skirts for her 8-yr old granddaughter from Kaffe Fasset fabrics. Her granddaughter is getting all sorts of kudos on her fashionable attire.
Lauren - did complete glass vases for tables at her daughter's wedding in blues, yellows, & greens. She adapted a pattern to make it her own for her daughter's wedding quilt. She took a class in Peter's Valley in northern NJ–deconstructed screen printing. Textures were incorporated to form an amazing quilt.
Terry made a quilt for a friend from work who would always have funny cocktail napkins on stressful days to share with Terry to lighten up. Terry created the napkins in fabric for a lovely parting gift. Well done, Terry! She was also commissioned to make a quilt for a person incorporating clothing from the person's Mom. This was definitely a "gift of the heart", since the fabrics themselves were not necessarily meaningful, except to the daughter. The quilt was very gratefully received!
Karoline won the raffle!
Respectfully submitted,
Marcy George
Monday, September 16, 2013
Thoughts on Creativity
This essay from the NY Times may just be telling us something we already know!
It's Not Mess, It's Creativity
It's Not Mess, It's Creativity
Friday, September 13, 2013
As you know, an independent quilt teacher/book producer has to constantly hawk her
wares and talents (altho in my case, I get to proudly hawk other people's talents as well) to
bring a wide variety of inspiration to my presentations. Self promotion is
hard for anyone, especially someone shy like me (OK, not me).
For those Heartstringers who feel comfortable, please consider one of
the following--
1-- Write a nice little review on Amazon for Unforgettable Tote Bags or one of my other books (Quilt Blocks Go Wild!, Skinny Quilts & Table Runners, Skinny Quilts & Table Runners II). To do that, here's what you do: Go to www.amazon.com, search for the book by name, click on the title, click on Reviews-to the right of the stars, then click on the box that says CREATE A REVIEW.
2--Go to my blog,
http://www.eleanorlevie.com/quilting-blog/ and if you like it, please consider hitting the
subscribe button (last rectangular button in the right column). Blogs are generally added monthly; you will not be inundated. Comments are always welcome.
3--Look over my website, http://www.eleanorlevie.com/, and tell me if you are in touch with quilt guilds that may respond well to an offer to come do a trunk show/workshop.
Thank for your friendship and support!--Eleanor Levie
wares and talents (altho in my case, I get to proudly hawk other people's talents as well) to
bring a wide variety of inspiration to my presentations. Self promotion is
hard for anyone, especially someone shy like me (OK, not me).
For those Heartstringers who feel comfortable, please consider one of
the following--
1-- Write a nice little review on Amazon for Unforgettable Tote Bags or one of my other books (Quilt Blocks Go Wild!, Skinny Quilts & Table Runners, Skinny Quilts & Table Runners II). To do that, here's what you do: Go to www.amazon.com, search for the book by name, click on the title, click on Reviews-to the right of the stars, then click on the box that says CREATE A REVIEW.
2--Go to my blog,
http://www.eleanorlevie.com/quilting-blog/ and if you like it, please consider hitting the
subscribe button (last rectangular button in the right column). Blogs are generally added monthly; you will not be inundated. Comments are always welcome.
3--Look over my website, http://www.eleanorlevie.com/, and tell me if you are in touch with quilt guilds that may respond well to an offer to come do a trunk show/workshop.
Thank for your friendship and support!--Eleanor Levie
Monday, August 26, 2013
September Newsletter
June Potluck & Meeting Minutes
Thanks to Bonnie Atwood for hosting this June's Heartstring Quilter's potluck. The weather almost put a damper on our plans, but the rain that arrived was not enough to deter people from attending a great party. As always, the food was amazing - you'll find recipes below (from this and other potlucks: if you have one to share, please let me know). And no gathering is complete without Show & Tell. Here are a few photos.
In Other News....
There is a new show on Create: "Quilting Arts," 6 and noon, on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Susan–squares and the circles that she showed last year was selected for the quilt show in Herndon this year. Yay!
Karoline is willing to do another "zhuzhing."
Sandy: Using Kate Themel's process (one of our recent speakers), Sandy is preparing a workshop. Margo mentioned that we still need to find a venue, so anyone with ideas should email Margo.
Soryl is finishing her great-niece's quilt for her "big-girl" bed
Carol, a friend of Bonnie's from her Flower Club, showed us her Byzantine icons which she is learning to paint with a Russian teacher. She starts with the deepest colors; the luminosity of the products used (some are actually very dangerous chemicals) is amazing. Hopefully, she felt welcome in our fabric-oriented midst, and will return again to show her work.
Lauren's daughter Katie is getting married in August, so she is making glass centerpieces; "Summer and Water" are her daughter's favorite places to be; with very clean design and beautiful colors of glass, we look forward to seeing pictures of the finished quilt.
The guild thanked Bonnie for her hospitality.
Margo and Christina have already put together some great programs for next year–the guild acknowledges their great work! We're asking for volunteers to replace them!
Fund raising needs to be something that we're thinking about. Community-building opportunity. We have some ideas that have been generated over time. We're considering a holiday type sale of our efforts (November).
Raffle quilt?
Quilt consortium seems to be drifting.
Main Line is doing a lot more charity quilts (like for Habitat for Humanity)
but they are also more "modern."
Please email Lauren recipes from our potluck gatherings.
Handbook–Lauren is putting something together with all our important papers, etc.
Respectfully submitted,
Marcy George
Recording Secretary
Recipes:
SMOKY CASSEROLE
Marinara sauce
Sprinkle of uncooked rice
Shredded smoked pork
Kale (broad) leaves
Top: weird fried onion things
1. Layer first four ingredients, in order provided. Make 2 layers or more depending on how much you have.
2. Bake covered at 350 degrees until thoroughly heated.
-Libby
CHICKEN MARBELLA (Judy Fliegelman)
This recipe is one of those easily doubled, substitute ingredients, freezable party dishes. Marinates overnight. Serves 8 but adding 2-4 more pieces of chicken won’t hurt anything. I count 2 pieces per person but I have the large breasts cut in half.
(NOTE re chicken: for this dish I like to use bone-in chicken parts as it adds to the richness of the sauce. I also leave the skin on but trim the underlying fat very carefully, especially on the thighs. This is really very good with boneless skinless chicken pieces too. )
16 pieces bone-in chicken parts, any combination; breasts, wings thighs etc
6-8 cloves garlic, mashed
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 c. red wine vinegar or Balsamic Vinegar
1 c. pitted prunes (prunes are dried plums, I use Sunsweet in the blue and yellow can and I use the whole container of Prunes)
1/2 c. green olives, drained (can use chopped jarred olives w/ pimentos)
1-2 whole bay leaves
1 jar (3 oz.) Capers with juice
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white wine
parsley to garnish
In large bowl with cover, combine all ingredients except the wine and brown sugar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let marinate overnight in refrigerator. Move things around so that all chicken gets to be marinated.
To bake:
Lay out chicken in one or two large baking dishes in single layer and pour marinade and fruit over meat . Sprinkle with brown sugar and white wine. Bake in 350 oven for 50 to 60 min. Remove chicken to serving platter, spoon some sauce and fruit over and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve with lots of rice or couscous and plenty of the remaining sauce and fruit. Freezes beautifully.
Thanks to Bonnie Atwood for hosting this June's Heartstring Quilter's potluck. The weather almost put a damper on our plans, but the rain that arrived was not enough to deter people from attending a great party. As always, the food was amazing - you'll find recipes below (from this and other potlucks: if you have one to share, please let me know). And no gathering is complete without Show & Tell. Here are a few photos.
 | |
| L. Gwen Gatto Presented Elizabeth with her marriage "Owl Quilt" top–we all were so happy, and Elizabeth seemed so surprised and pleased! C. Vernyce modeled her $3 dress–directional fabric @ 75% off–glazed cotton (really lustrous); also "Art All Night" in Trenton, she has a quilt submitted for sale, and will wear her dress; willing to hire out to make a dress for someone buying from a thrift store. R. Rose showed us a Kaffe Fassett style batike quilt–love the color combinations, and the backing; first-time mitered corners and her own quilting. |
 | |||
| Christina has a new baby in the family, and did a panel with some special touches in quilting; she added her lovely colorful flying geese (below right). She has a new studio and went into Lonni's shop and took her new line "Facets" and did a "Narrow Quilt" for her kitchen, using fine placement (above left). Libby showed us a prototype of a few months ago that has taken a new path; beading; there is no back, so it's very transparent; very heavy; top and backing are organza; middle layer is scraps from other projects, but with the beading and the way in which the "trapped" layer was pinned and then hand-stitched, with backlighting, this is truly a gorgeous piece. |
 |
| L. Bonnie and Joann did a quilt top 27 years ago for Lower Merion Academy, but it was never finished. Now for their 200th year, 2 weeks before, Bonnie found the quilt and finished it. The quilt pattern was chosen after viewing all the "poseys" (Meandering Fox - Sarah) is the quilter with Bonnie. |
In Other News....
There is a new show on Create: "Quilting Arts," 6 and noon, on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Susan–squares and the circles that she showed last year was selected for the quilt show in Herndon this year. Yay!
Karoline is willing to do another "zhuzhing."
Sandy: Using Kate Themel's process (one of our recent speakers), Sandy is preparing a workshop. Margo mentioned that we still need to find a venue, so anyone with ideas should email Margo.
Soryl is finishing her great-niece's quilt for her "big-girl" bed
Carol, a friend of Bonnie's from her Flower Club, showed us her Byzantine icons which she is learning to paint with a Russian teacher. She starts with the deepest colors; the luminosity of the products used (some are actually very dangerous chemicals) is amazing. Hopefully, she felt welcome in our fabric-oriented midst, and will return again to show her work.
Lauren's daughter Katie is getting married in August, so she is making glass centerpieces; "Summer and Water" are her daughter's favorite places to be; with very clean design and beautiful colors of glass, we look forward to seeing pictures of the finished quilt.
The guild thanked Bonnie for her hospitality.
Margo and Christina have already put together some great programs for next year–the guild acknowledges their great work! We're asking for volunteers to replace them!
Fund raising needs to be something that we're thinking about. Community-building opportunity. We have some ideas that have been generated over time. We're considering a holiday type sale of our efforts (November).
Raffle quilt?
Quilt consortium seems to be drifting.
Main Line is doing a lot more charity quilts (like for Habitat for Humanity)
but they are also more "modern."
Please email Lauren recipes from our potluck gatherings.
Handbook–Lauren is putting something together with all our important papers, etc.
Respectfully submitted,
Marcy George
Recording Secretary
Recipes:
SMOKY CASSEROLE
Marinara sauce
Sprinkle of uncooked rice
Shredded smoked pork
Kale (broad) leaves
Top: weird fried onion things
1. Layer first four ingredients, in order provided. Make 2 layers or more depending on how much you have.
2. Bake covered at 350 degrees until thoroughly heated.
-Libby
CHICKEN MARBELLA (Judy Fliegelman)
This recipe is one of those easily doubled, substitute ingredients, freezable party dishes. Marinates overnight. Serves 8 but adding 2-4 more pieces of chicken won’t hurt anything. I count 2 pieces per person but I have the large breasts cut in half.
(NOTE re chicken: for this dish I like to use bone-in chicken parts as it adds to the richness of the sauce. I also leave the skin on but trim the underlying fat very carefully, especially on the thighs. This is really very good with boneless skinless chicken pieces too. )
16 pieces bone-in chicken parts, any combination; breasts, wings thighs etc
6-8 cloves garlic, mashed
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 c. red wine vinegar or Balsamic Vinegar
1 c. pitted prunes (prunes are dried plums, I use Sunsweet in the blue and yellow can and I use the whole container of Prunes)
1/2 c. green olives, drained (can use chopped jarred olives w/ pimentos)
1-2 whole bay leaves
1 jar (3 oz.) Capers with juice
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white wine
parsley to garnish
In large bowl with cover, combine all ingredients except the wine and brown sugar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let marinate overnight in refrigerator. Move things around so that all chicken gets to be marinated.
To bake:
Lay out chicken in one or two large baking dishes in single layer and pour marinade and fruit over meat . Sprinkle with brown sugar and white wine. Bake in 350 oven for 50 to 60 min. Remove chicken to serving platter, spoon some sauce and fruit over and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve with lots of rice or couscous and plenty of the remaining sauce and fruit. Freezes beautifully.
Video of the Month
Ted Talk: Julie Burstein: 4 lessons in creativity
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