NOVEMBER 2012 NEWSLETTER
Hello ladies!  Fall is here, the leaves in my yard have dropped along with the temperature.  But life goes on, and that is a good thing!  I like the sound of that.  So put on a coat, grab your gloves, and be happy!
OCTOBER MEETING had 17 members in attendance.  Our biggest topic was our quilt show.
FIBER ART EXHBIT "For the Love of Fiber' was a great success.  We received many positive comments, and some nice attendance numbers.  With every show we have, we learn something else that needs to be addressed.  Some of these things were discussed at the meeting, and if you can think of anything that would improve upcoming shows in any way, please feel free to let us know.  One thing is to have real live committee heads.  I know everyone cringes when they hear that request, never make eye contact, never make eye contact....  But for this to run smoothly, we need to get better organized.  Logo-wise, we are good, so no concerns there.  We will be "handing out" the entry forms early, and they will be turned in early so we have a decent idea of how many quilts will be submitted.  This will also allow us to type up a small blurb about what inspired each piece, and hang it along it's side.  Publicity was another concern.  We need to get that going much earlier, contacting newspapers, etc as early as July.  We also discussed having the artist's reception on Saturday rather than Sunday,...it was poorly attended on Sunday, so....  It was mentioned having a box with a slot for people to place cards with their info for future quilt show mailings.  There would be a note explaining that their info would not be used for any other purpose.  As to the banner, we are looking for new blocks to add, maybe a new banner, maybe 2 banners.  There are endless possibilities there!
HEAT AND BOND:  there was a discussion on heat and bond, but in this case a product called Vilene(?) was used.  It was suggested looking on Amazon under water soluble stabilizer.  While looking, pass a lot of info on Solvey, then there will be the Vilene.  And the reason this came up was due to some experimenting done by members after reading the Oct/Nov 2012 issue of Quilting Arts Magazine, specifically the article "The Vessel as Art", Turn Scraps into Unique Sculptureal Bowls by Julia Richardson (p. 18-21).  They used Vilene to turn scraps of just about anything you've got stashed into a heavily machine stitched piece.  It is then placed in water for 10 seconds, and will still be a little sticky.  I assume you then let it dry after draping it onto a form such as a bowl.  They were way cool, and worth checking out the article.  Even if you didn't want to make a bowl, it would make some way cool applique pieces for your work.
NEO-COLORS IN NOVEMBER!  Due to way too much talking, we have moved the hands on demo/workshop to our November meeting.  Please remember to bring pre-washed 5 to 10" squares of fabric to sample the neo-colors.  Also a brush or two would be helpful.  Mark it on your calendar to bring these things, or you'll show up empty handed, as I did, at the October meeting!  Doh!
DUPAGE TEXTILE ARTS GUILD meets at the Elmhurst Presbyterian Church, 367 Spring Road, Elmhurst, IL  60126.  Their meet and greet is at 9:30 a.m. and the program starts at 11:00 a.m., with a luncheon following their business meeting.  The dates are 11-12, 12-10, 1-14, 2-11, 3-11, 4-8 and 5-3,
with Weeks Ringle from Fun quilts being the November speaker.  If you are interested in their other speakers, please visit dupagetextileartsguild.com
THE NATURE ARTISTS GUILD OF THE MORTON ARBORETUM is having their annual holiday exhibit of natural history art.  The artist's reception is on November 9, 2012 from 5 to 9 pm, and the show is on Sat and Sun, November 10 and 11 from 11 am to 4 pm.  Thornhill Education Center of the Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle IL.  (NatureArtistsGuild.com)  Their featured artist this year is Nancy Thyfault.  Over 200 works of art, demos by guild members, and the Artisan Shop features handmade items created and donated by Guild members.  All proceeds support the Nature Artists' Guild and ARboretum programs.
OKAY, UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN:  Our next meeting will be on November 26th at 7 pm at the Naperville Art League UNLESS YOU HEAR DIFFERENTLY!  Address info in previous newsletters.  Feeling lazy!  The date may be different due to the art leagues annual holiday sale.  There will be no December meeting due to the holiday sale the art league has going on at that time.

Fiber Art Divas Gallery Show - 'For the Love of Fiber'

The annual Fiber Art Divas show will be held October 6th through the 13th at the Naperville Fine Art Center and Gallery, 508 North Center St., Naperville, IL. The show will feature one-of-a-kind art incorporating techniques such as art quilting, wool felting, knitting, mixed fiber, silk painting, and more. Items on display will include wall art, fiber sculpture, jewelry, and art-to wear. Several items will be available for purchase.

The show represents the work of the Fiber Art Divas, a local group of fiber art enthusiasts who meet monthly to share ideas and explore new techniques.  Several of the group’s members are award-winning or published artists.  Theme challenges from the past year will be featured along with other work by the artists.

An artists’ reception, open to the public, will be held Sunday, October 7 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.  Demonstrations of various fiber art methods will be held Saturday, October 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and during the Sunday reception.

Show hours are Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday 1 to 4 p.m., Monday 7 to 9 p.m., closed Tuesday, Wednesday through Saturday noon to 4 p.m.  Admission is free.

October Newsletter:

Hello ladies!
Our September 27th meeting had 14 in attendance.
A nice size crowd with a very nice show and tell.
Thank you for that.

I have sent you all the quilt show info in a previous e-mail so we're good to go on that front.


CHALLENGE INFO:
The 12" botanical challenge was shown (partially) at the meeting.  The REAL deadline is Friday, October 5th, between 3 and 7 p.m. when we drop off our show entries.
Be sure they are marked as challenge quilts so they may be hung together.


CHRISTMAS BASKET DONATION DEADLINE:
We are looking for Christmassy donations for a gift basket that will be raffled off at...oh, I'm not sure.  The first I heard of this was at the meeting, having not attended since April!
It's either for a Naperville Art League anniversary, the city of Naperville anniversary...?  Sorry, I'm screwing this up  totally, but that is where my brain is these days.  Actually, if you DO happen to see my brain, could you send it to  me C.O.D?  I could really use it right about now.
Please bring the donations to the quilt show drop off on Friday, October 5th from 3 to 7 p.m.


UPCOMING DEMOS:
October 22:  Man, I am really screwing up here.
My notes read to bring any 5" to 10" pre-washed fabric to sample something.  Neo Color Two - wax crayolas that can be used wet or dry? I believe these are Caran D'Ache neocolor II.
Also, bring a brush or two to apply this.
If I am wrong on this one, please contact the group.
November 26?:  I think that's the date.  We will confirm this later.  This demo is on inking with rubber stamps onto fabric with fiber paints and inks.  Should be interesting.  I need a list of
what we need to bring.  I believe it's rubber stamps (surprise!), pre-washed fabrics (?).  Do we need to bring the ink or paints?
I don't know.


UPCOMING CHALLENGE:
There isn't one, but please to put on your thinking caps and come up with some wonderful ideas.  We will be looking for those at the next meeting.


PRAIRIE STAR QUILTERS GUILD SHOW IS COMING:
"Prairie Treasures Quilt Show 2012" will be at the DuPage County Fair Grounds, 2015 West Manchester Rd, Wheaton, IL  60187 (www.dupagecountyfair.org)
Friday, October 12 from 9 - 6.
Saturday, October 13 from 9 - 6 with a $7 admission.


Okay, that about wraps it up.  Our next meeting will be on Monday, October 22nd at the Naperville Art League, 508 North Center Street, Naperville.  We are still unsure of the November meeting date due to the art league's holiday sale.  And we do not meet in December.
See you soon.
xo,  Laurie

Fiber Art Divas mentioned in Naperville Sun article about NAL

We got a little press back in November about our association with Naperville Art League, who is celebrating 50 years!  We appreciate our connections with NAL, and wish them many congratulations on their special anniversary!

Click to read the article here!

January 2012 Newsletter

Happy New Years, ladies! It's a fine day to hunker down and write y'all about what has passed and what is yet to come. We're expecting 6" to 8" of snow today! Argh! But this is why God made snow blowers.

NOVEMBER 2011 MEETING: 17 of us met, and had a mighty fine gathering. Show and tell was nice, as always. The subject for the evening was:

FAVORITE TOOLS: Here is a list of favorites, the best to my note taking abilities. There are moments in life that just get passed me. I wanted to share these in case you missed the meeting, or just couldn't remember that one idea....

#1 MILLINER NEEDLE: sharp but straight (doesn't bulge at the eye) so it can do heavy French knots, etc, and you can pull the needle through easily.

RUBY BEHOLDERS, color evaluator 2: This has green in addition to the red plastic so you can get values on red fabrics!

HEAT GUN: To dry paints and inks.

RING SIZER: for marking circles. You know, like the jewelers use!

PRE CUT MATS OR FRAMES: to help choose fabric section for a project, and fussy cutting in a larger sense.

STILETTO: This favorite is actually made of purple plastic! And there was a 2nd stiletto choice mentioned: She sharpened a chop stick in a pencil sharpener! (I'm not sure, but I think she was trying to hurt a dinner guest during Chinese take out night and had a revelation!)

SILPAT: SILICONE BAKING SHEET: Found in the baking section at Bed Bath & Beyond in a variety of sizes and prices (the larger one being around $20 minus your 20% off coupon!). This is used to protect your ironing board. Plus the fabric doesn't shift which means your block won't stretch. Great for bias edges. Only problem is that your iron won't slide across the surface. Several women swore by this one, not at it!

PINEAPPLE SHEETS (paper piecing): Pre printed sheets by Jane Hall & Dixie Haywood. She also paper pieced 1/2 square triangles on a roll.

DENTAL PICK: Another stiletto!

HEMOSTAT: Because it's like a pliers with a lock, it's good to pull threads out of your machine, etc.

SNIPS: These thread snips are hard to describe. Instead of the standard scissors design, it's bendy metal, and from the side looks like an Egyptian eye. You press down on the top and bottom "eye lid", and this causes the small blades at the end to work like a normal scissors. Very odd looking, but they do the trick.

SIDE WINDER: to wind your bobbins with an additional spool of thread rather than un thread your machine every time. Available at JoAnn's, then take your 40% off coupon. (One just has to love coupons!)

FINGER COTS: These are actually used to protect your fingers when cut. It's a quilter's condom without the reservoir tip! Gross! But now you have the opportunity to practice safe quilting! Roll it partially down your pointer finger, and it helps by gripping the needle as you sew. Especially good if you have arthritis in your thumb! For every pound of pressure you put at the top of your thumb, it's 10 pounds at the base of your thumb. When you don't have to grip as hard, less pressure....you get the picture. These can be found in quilt shops, as well as drug stores near the bandage section.

NEEDLE GRIP-IT: Similar to the finger cot idea, these are flexible self-adhesive dots for easy needle handling. They are 7/16th" circles, stick to your finger or fingers, and away you go. There was a tell of actually doing dishes with them on when taking a sewing break! Magical! Even a band-aid won't do that!

BODKIN: Tweezer with teeth that grips and locks to pull things through the casing. Sounds great for small work.

FURRIER WAXED SKEIN: For hand sewing. The card read New Bedford Thread Co, Inc, New Bedford, Mass., Size A, 675 yards, and comes pre cut!

KANZSHA FLOWER MAKER (CLOVER): This gadget makes one petal at a time, comes in a variety of sizes. It's similar to their yoyo maker, only it's petals! Make as many as you need per flower. Way cute.

DOUBLE DIAMOND RULER: $21 at bright-quilting-notions.com. This allows you to cut diamonds that are 1.5" to 3.5".

FIBONACCI ... NUMBER SERIES: This is to help you make your designs to be visually pleasing by getting your dimensions to your best advantage. (Did I get that right?)

C&T PUBLISHING ULTIMATE 3 IN 1 COLOR TOOL: This is an updated 3rd addition and comes with red and green clear sheets. If I remember right, it was a booklet sort of thing with directions, etc.

JEAN WOFROM'S "MAGIC DESIGN RATION TOOL": again, to figure sizes.

Okay, that's all that I have notes on. So, if you missed the evening, you have an idea of what was shown. If you have more questions about any of these, hit reply all on the notice for this newsletter being ready, and ask away!

DEMO SCHEDULE: January 23: Snow dying! Providing we have snow on that evening. There are several sites on line showing how to do this, all a little different. Patty will be doing this for us. If no snow, then she'll be demonstrating how to use a thermofax thingy. (I think it's like a silk screening process.) Patty, you need to let us know what we should bring. Are we all snow dying, or watching you? Is there a charge? Thanks. March 26: Cheryl will have an LED light project for us to work on. More on the cost, and the supply list later. April 23: Linda will be giving a kaleidoscope quilt demo. Always fun. That's it for now: We are looking for more demo's, so if you have anything interesting, please let us know at the January meeting!

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SELL YOUR BOOKS? Never forget your Diva friends! But if you'd prefer not to sell them to us, you can go to Half Price Books store (they give store credit or cash). Frugal Muse gives store credit.

BLOOMINGDALE PARK DISTRICT MUSEUM 2012 EXHIBITION SCHEDULE: www.bloomingdaleparks.org/Facilities/BPD-museum/exhibitions.htm will give you all the info. There will be 8 exhibits ranging from student art to quilting. July 21 - August 25 (artist's reception July 29, 2-4pm) will be the Fiber Artists Coalition: "Conversations in Stitch on Nature". Interestingly enough, I just checked the site and it's got nothin'! Must be too soon, but mark your calendars. It's normally the likes of Laura Wasilowski, Freida Anderson, Emily Parson, Patt Kroth,...names like those, but not necessarily them.

GENTLER TIMES QUILT STORE: This is a new store! 476 S. Route 59, Suite 152, Naperville, IL 60540. 630-305-0102. M - F: 10 - 8, Sat: 10 - 6, Sun: zip! www.gentlertimesstitching.com This place is on Route 50 and Aurora, right near the John M. Smithe store. Look for a giant Bernina sign on the building, not Gentler Times. Nice, clean and bright. She was getting new fabrics in as I shopped! Definitely shows promise.

CraiLin Studios: Quilt Photography: This is owned by our member and her husband, Craig and Linda Vander Kolk. He did an excellent job on our quilt calendar a few years ago, and has his own business now! Yea! 630-527-8500. www.crailinstudios.com. Congratulations!

THE END! Okay, that's it. I've run out of words. I hope to see you all at our next meeting, Monday, January 23 at the Naperville Art League, check a past newsletter for the info at the end. I'm hungry and must go feed me! See you in a few weeks. xxxooo, Laurie

Early 2012 Meeting dates

January 23 - 7pm - Naperville Art League - snow dyeing/other if no snow!
February 27 - 7 pm - Naperville Art League - topic TBA
March 26 - 7 pm - Naperville Art League - LED/ Light up fabric Artist Trading Cards
April 23 - 7pm - Naperville Art League