inhale...exhale...relax your shoulders...repeat as often as needed

Monday, January 12, 2015

tiny project, big possibilities


There's a lovely little shop in Burlington, VT called nido, filled with a nicely curated collection of fabrics, books and yarns. I do love to pop in once in a while when I am in the "big city". Last summer, Phiona, the effervescent owner of nido asked me if I would be interested in joining a few other folks in starting up a chapter of the Modern Quilt Guild. It's a bit of a drive for me, but I thought once a month might be just right, creating an opportunity to find some kindred spirits.  After several meetings, we all agreed to join the national group in the new year. As of January first we are now an officially sanctioned group. Look here for the sparkling new website, with our wonderful logo designed by a member. 

Meetings are a mix of guild business, show and tell, a demo and some social time. I do love show and tell best, these women know how to quilt! Many of them are younger than I, with energy, careers and families that remind me of the days when my days were over-full.  I look forward to some of the community outreach and education we are committed to doing.

Our "homework" for this past meeting was to create a name tag to wear at meetings. Folks who have been long time readers of sewandsowlife will see that I recycled one of my brooch ideas to create this name tag. I used my own shibori/indigo dyed cotton, a scrap of green linen, some old canvas and some bits of birchbark from a downed branch. I wrote out my name with a purple temporary marker and stitched it in embroidery floss. There's a giant safety pin stitched on to the back.

Other members did beautiful paper piecing and embroidery. It was fun to see how different folks "captured" themselves with their creations. Next month one of our members will talk about her participation in the Spoonflower design challenges

Hooray for new connections and inspiration!

4 comments:

  1. Your name tag is sew and sow you, Karen :>) It is beautiful.
    What a wonderful 'club' you have been able to join. I wish you lots of joy and inspiration.
    Blessings,

    Jeanneke.

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  2. Love your nametag. And what fun. I hope to see more quilts showing up on your blog this year!

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  3. Nice to have the enthusiasm and support of others who share your passions. Looks like a great spot to meet and just often enough.
    Even without your stitched identity, your name tag says Karen.Lovely. And congratulations on the quilting connection.

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  4. I belong to the Central Jersey Modern Quilt Guild. Our group seems to be equally divided between those women with very young children and those who are empty nesters. I love the new friends I've made, wishing for you an equally rewarding experience. Love your name tag!

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