November 2008 - Sunflower Piecemakers

Sunflower Piecemakers
Newsletter
Volume 19, Number Eleven
Ottawa, Kansas
November 2008
Big News!
www.sunflowerpiecemakers.com
Letter from the President
Well, it’s that time of year again – time to elect our
officers for another year. We had two positions come
open this year and luckily we have found two people
willing to fill those positions. Here is our slate of officers to be voted on at the November meeting.
President – Melanie Brungardt
Vice President – Celia Davis
Secretary – Gloria Musick
Treasurer – Terri Powers
Newsletter – Kathleen Leary
Historian – Mary Redeker
Next year we will have four positions that open up,
so be thinking about what position you might want to
volunteer for next year!
Speaking of volunteering, we were lucky to have
Kathy Dionne volunteer to be the 2010 opportunity
quilt committee chairperson. Thanks, Kathy – you’ll
do a great job! Thank you also to Joyce McKenzie for
donating a quilt in progress. If you would like to help
out with the embroidery work or be a member of the
committee, please contact Kathy.
See you at the November meeting,
Melanie Yes, we now have a website! There’s nothing on it yet,
but when it’s time for your January newsletter, that’s
where you’ll find it.
In addition to saving hundreds of dollars a year in
postage & printing, having a web site will enable us
to do several things: we can archive old newsletters,
you can see pictures from the meetings, there will be
a calendar of upcoming guild events plus the monthly
newsletter - in COLOR! (Whoo-hoo!). And I’m sure
we’ll find other things we’d like to include as time goes
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on. There are a few more details on page 4.
November Holiday
Dinner - 6:30
Our annual potluck dinner
will be held at this month’s
meeting - we always have
wonderful dishes to share &
enjoy! Bring an entree, side dish, salad or dessert (plus
serving utensil); the guild will provide drinks & tableware. This is always a plate-bending feast!
We’ll also have our 1-yard fabric swap. Bring 1 yard of
quilting fabric (whole or in assorted pieces), wrapped.
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It’s always a surprise to see what you get!
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“No one has ever become poor by giving.”
Anne Frank
Our November meeting will be held Monday, November 17th at
6:30 pm at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 13th & Maple, Ottawa
Wear Your Name Tag - There Will Be Prizes!
Minutes of the
Sunflower Piecemakers’ Meeting
October 20, 2008
President Brenda Weien called the meeting to order
at 7:00 p.m. Forty-nine members were present. Guests
included Maggie & Wyatt Brungardt.
Margaret Wilson moved and Liz Smith seconded to
accept the minutes as published in the newsletter. Motion carried.
Mary Schleicher won the drawing for wearing her
nametag .
Members with October birthdays were asked to name
their favorite holiday to quilt for. Those present were:
Frances Gordon, Shirley Hooper, Brenda Weien, and
Hank Wilson.
Treasurer’s Report—Terri Powers
Previous balance: $3,044.30
Deposits: $26.50
Expenses: $308.64
Ending Balance: $2,762.16
Vice President/Program Chair
Celia Davis announced that in November we will have
our annual holiday pot luck dinner at 6:30 p.m. The
guild will provide the beverage and table service. Members should plan to bring a covered dish. Members may
participate in the grab bag one-yard fabric exchange.
This may be fat quarters, eighths, ½ yards or any combination that totals one yard. Place your name and your
fabric inside a bag.
Next month’s block is an 8-inch unfinished (7 ½ inch
finished) friendship star block. The background may be
any shade of white/cream with a red or blue star. You
may make the center a different color than the star
points. You can use 3-inch Thangles to make the star
points. Refer to the following website: http://www.quiltpox.com/images/tn_friendship_star.jpg. Remember, the
more blocks you bring, the more chances you have to win
all the month’s blocks.
Announcements
Melanie received a thank-you note from the Wellsville
Friends of the Library. They were grateful for the use 2
of our quilt racks recently. Melanie will leave other
guild newsletters and show flyers on the sign-in table
each month.
Committee Reports
Mary Schleicher, quilt show chairman, has requested a
trunk show from the Hoffman Challenge.
Michele Altendorf reported that we have a space at
the holiday craft show. We will be located in the Ottawa Middle School library. Donated handmade items
for sale may be given to Michele prior to the show on
November 8. She will accept items that morning, too. A
work schedule was passed among the members.
Brenda Weien showed the completed 2008 opportunity quilt. It will be displayed and chances available at
the craft show. She suggested that members take chances and the quilt to their events.
New Business
Kathy Dionne volunteered to help with the 2010
opportunity quilt. She’s looking for another member to
help her. Joyce McKenzie has an appliqué quilt top to
donate, but it will need to be finished with embroidery.
Next month the guild members will be presented with
a slate of officer nominations. Members will vote for a
secretary and a historian.
Adjournment
The business meeting adjourned at 7:15 followed by a
short break, Show and Tell, block-of-the-month drawing, and our program. Denise Saubers won 44 Cotton
Reel blocks.
Show and Tell
Florence Milliman—Blue Friendship Star, Delores
Dyer—Boo, 9-patch, birds; Joyce McKenzie—Chickens,
Terri Powers—Boo, Carol Wills—Halloween
Program
Jennifer Dick presented her program on the
KC quilt block patterns she re-designed for
year’s newspaper. She displayed her variation
of the “Circuit Rider’s Quilt”, an album
quilt for a traveling minister of the
late 1800’s.
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News from Chris’ Corner
242-1922
Saturday, November 22
Melanie Brungardt will be teaching Seminole
Patchwork- this is a traditional piecing technique
that can be adapted to so many quilting projects.
What a great way to make sashings or borders,
shams to match your project or trim pillowcases
and clothing.
There is also a Beginner’s class, plus a Table Runner class scheduled - give us a call!
Someone special on your gift list would love a
Jim Shore Heartwood figurine - come in & see our
selection! We’ve also got lots of great fabrics for
Christmas, holiday & winter projects.
And don’t forget Brenda’s assortment of extrawide backing fabric - the perfect piece is ready to
complete your next quilt.
Chris
Check with Chris for class availability,
supply lists & additional class policies.
Block of
the Month
Drawing
Congratulations to Denise Saubers for her win of the
Cotton Reel blocks. November’s block will be a Friendship Star in red, white & blue. Make plenty - the more
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you make, the more chances you have to win!
New Member Name Badges
Mary Schleicher has name badges for new members
who don’t have one. Let her know if you need one
when you sign in at the November meeting.
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A Few Christmas
Superstitions
True? Untrue? Who knows they’re still fun!
• People born on Christmas are
considered either fortunate, as they
supposedly cannot be drowned or
hanged, or unfortunate, because they are more likely to be
able to see ghosts and spirits.
• Those who are born on Christmas Eve turn into ghosts
on that day every year while they sleep. If you were born
on Christmas Eve and don’t want this to happen to you, the
remedy is to count the holes in a sieve from 11 o’clock on
Christmas Eve until morning.
• If you carry in your pocket a scale from a fish eaten at
Christmas, your purse will be full all year. Other things
that bring good luck on Christmas Day include wishing
someone a Merry Christmas before putting on your socks
and shoes, sneezing, eating breakfast by candlelight & kissing the oldest person in the house.
Cookie Sale - Faith Lutheran Church
2009 will be the 25th anniversary for this sale
- that’s a lot of cookies!
Roberta Ochs invites everyone to the sale,
which starts at 8:00 am on December 6th. The
church is located at 1320 W 15th St. in Ottawa.
Stop in & start your Christmas baking (wink,
wink) the easy way!
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• Unlucky things on Christmas Day include picking up
nuts or fruit from the ground, leaving the dinner table
before everyone has finished, sending carolers away without giving them any money, being the first one home from
church, stepping on cotton thread or letting the candles or
the fire go out. If you eat nuts without honey on Christmas Day, you will lose your teeth. On Christmas Eve it is
unlucky to spin or sew, to grind grain, or to leave the dishes
unwashed. (Uh-oh . . . I’m always trying to finish projects at
the last minute, which include sewing, stepping on thread
& definitely NOT washing dishes!) X
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“Things to Bring” List
November Birthdays
Celia Davis November 19
Kathy Dionne November 20
Fran Hastings - November 22
Mary Hughes - November 25
Saundra Peterson - November 11
Terri Powers - November 19
Several members have mentioned they
appreciate having these lists - it’s good to know
other people’s memories are as bad as mine!
Hot Dish / Salad / Dessert
Serving Utensil
Fabric for swap
Block of the Month
December Birthdays
Library Books (that should be returned)
Melinda Clark - December 5
James Delaney - December 19
Delores Dyer - December 31
Virginia Lancaster - December 25
Kathleen Leary - December 7
Sandy Lovegren - December 29
Carol Wills - December 6
A Few Odds &
Ends of
Technical Stuff
“ I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my
mother took me to see him in a department store,
and he asked for my autograph.”
Shirley Temple
Sunflower Piecemakers
Ottawa, Kansas - Est. 1985
Melanie Brungardt
Celia Davis
Mary Schleicher
Terri Powers
Kathleen Leary
Michelle Altendorf
Ginger Bealmer
Sunflower Piecemakers meet at 7 pm on the third
Monday of each month (there is no December
meeting). Meetings are held in Roberts Hall at
Westminster Presbyterian Church, 13th & Maple,
Ottawa, KS. Memberships are $15 & renewable every January. Guests are always welcome. For more
information, write: Sunflower Piecemakers, P.O.
Box 822, Ottawa, KS 66067 or e-mail
[email protected].
Submit items for the newsletter to
[email protected] by the 4th of each month.
President
Vice-President
Secretary
Treasurer
Newsletter Editor
Historians
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www.sunflowerpiecemakers.com
(Not TOO technical . . . I have no idea what I’m doing,
frankly.)
Anyone with internet access can view our site.
It is not password-protected, so we will NOT be
adding our membership list with names, phone
numbers, etc.
The newsletter will be available as a pdf. file,
which you can view, download and/or print.
I will test it in Explorer, Firefox & Safari. If you
use a different browser (or a mobile device), it may
not look quite like it should. You may need to load
one of these browsers or update yours.
The newsletter will (hopefully!) be available the
same day you would receive it in the mail; i.e., the
Monday preceeding the meeting.
If you don’t have internet access, the Ottawa Library has computers you can use free (among other
places). Ask the nearest kid for help if you
get stuck!
This site will be an ongoing process - I’ll be making changes as time goes on. My hope is to make it
an easy-to-use resource that all our members will
Ed. X
enjoy.
Quilt Show and Guild Challenges
25th Anniversary
Several guild members have expressed an interest in having a special display of our guild challenges at our 25th
Annual Quilt Show. Mary Schleicher has looked through
the secretary’s minutes and has found the following information. If you have corrections or additional information,
please let her know. Also, if you had the guild “favorite”
that year, or still have your challenge project, please let
Mary know at the November meeting or e-mail her at
[email protected].
YEAR
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
GUILD CHALLENGE
Colors & Quilt Pattern to Match Your Initials
Ugly Fabric
It’s a Novel Idea
Food Inspiration
Our 20 Anniversary
Candy Bars
Round Robin
Heavenly Bodies
Two-Color Project
One Fat Quarter & Two Fat Eighths (provided)
Harassment Sisters (drew names)
Monochromatic Madness
Two Fat Quarters
Friendship Border Challenge
Friendship Bags continued from 1993
Friendship bags
A (Short) Timeline of American Quilts
1708 Oldest surviving wholly intact quilt dates to this year, done in a
broderie perse mosaic style.
1726 Oldest surviving American made quilt dates from this time.
c. 1795 Pieced Pinwheel block pattern developed. Patchwork blocks
and pieced borders begin to be incorporated in quilts , but the overall design still consists of a center medallion with one or more borders. Pieced
blocks are used in strips as border treatments, or as corner blocks for
other borders. Reverse applique is being used in medallion centers.
c. 1800 Beginning of the Pioneer Era. Nine-patch and Grandmother’s
Basket (basket with no handle) appear as block patterns. Cloth panels
specifically for making into quilt tops begin to be imported. Floral motifs
are cut out and appliqued in swags, wreaths, and bouquets to frame a
pre-printed center medallion panel.
1806 Irish Chain pattern known. May be first use of block pattern as
an overall design.
1810-1830 County Fairs begin to appear, offering prizes for needlework. Log Cabin patterns developed, first Barn Raising and then Courthouse Steps variations. The zig-zag Streak of Lightning pattern appears.
Quilting is done in flower, heart, and quatrefoil designs.
1815 Eight-pointed Star, Ohio Star, and Hourglass patterns are in use.
c. 1820 The quilting bee is “an established tradition”. Quilting is
introduced to Hawaii by missionaries. The pieced patterns Irish Chain,
Double Irish Chain, Clamshell, and Thousand Pyramids are known. X
Letter from
the Editor
I was standing in
front of a large rack
of quilting books the
other day, looking
over the titles. Some
were about specific
techniques, some were
about quilting’s historical aspect, but many were on the theme of making things quickly: “Quilt Quick”, “Make It Today”,
“Quilts in a Weekend”, “One-Block Wonders”. etc.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m as pressed for time as
anybody & fairly lazy, as well. There’s nothing I
like better than getting something completely
finished in a day or less. And sometimes that’s
exactly what’s needed. Babies seem to pop up like
mushrooms, somebody’s always retiring or leaving,
graduations (apparently) occur yearly, there are
anniversaries & commemorations of every conceivable event. A quilted gift is always just what is
needed, but maybe not six month’s work.
But once those projects are out of the way, what’s
left? I think it’s time to start THE BIG PROJECT.
Every year at our quilt show, there are a few of
these masterpieces, quilts that take untold hours of
work over many months’ (sometimes years’) time,
showing off the skills & patience of the maker.
The sum of all that work is awe-inspiring as well
as intimidating, frankly. Over & over I hear, “I
could never do that in a million years!” No - nobody has that much time. But you could do it in a
year. It’s all one piece, one stitch at a time.
One of my (many) favorite sayings is “The longest journey begins with a single step”; follow that
with “Well-begun is half done” & you can see how
these massive undertakings are accomplished. Plus
a lot of self-discipline & coffee.
This coming year I plan to start & finish THE
BIG PROJECT. I have one started that was so
complicated & huge I was overwhelmed & hid it in
a box. That will soon be seeing the light of day.
I also plan to make a large pieced & appliquéd quilt
for my nephew on the condition he never use it.
Maybe this is the time to start planning your own
BIG PROJECT. Make the time to show off your
skills. Make this the year to challenge yourself we’ll be waiting to see it! X
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The Beginnings of Kit Quilts
Kit quilts began to emerge on the quilt market in the early
twentieth century. They have often been derided as “paintby-number quilts.” They have endured, however & today are
usually just considered to be a product found in every quilt
shop, often purchased by new quilters unsure of their skills
in cutting, not confident in color choice or by more proficient quilters because it’s timesaving & many of the patterns
are quite beautiful.
In the 20s and 30s, kits came in several different types:
pre-cut pieces to stitch into blocks, basted appliqué blocks,
printed cross-stitched blocks or as finished quilts. Earlier
quilt kits were not pre-stamped, but consisted of a piece of
cloth, a perforated pattern & a paste or powder to create the
design. This technique has come full circle with the templates and pounding powder in use today to mark quilts.
It wasn’t long before the more commonly known “stamped
with blue lines” designs were devised. Die-cut patterns were
also sold in a variety of shapes. They followed the Colonial
Revival style of decorating fostered by a plethora of women’s
magazines. Because kit quilts were marketed in magazines,
catalogs and newspapers a certain homogeneity in pattern
styles developed that went beyond the regionalism sometimes seen in other quilts from that period.
Colors were usually solid color pastels. Motifs were often
floral, echoed by the scalloped edges that finished them. The
designs were stamped on fabrics or pre-cut in pieces carefully shaded to be appliquéd into realistic flowers. Additionally, embroidery was often used in combination with the
appliqué to provide more detail to the designs.
The Business of Making Quilt Kits
west to piece and quilt them.
The national competition sponsored by Sears at the
1933 Chicago World’s Fair resulted in at least four of the
top quilts being sold as kits. Anne Orr wrote a column for
Good Housekeeping magazine. She won at least two prizes
in the competition despite being one of the judges. Several
of her designs including “Autumn Leaf” and the “Lincoln
Quilt” were developed as patterns for sale by Orr Studio,
which she owned. “Autumn Leaf” was offered as a hot iron
transfer pattern with directions for cutting out and placing the meandering vines and leaves that were included.
A separate quilting pattern was also sold. The two patterns
together sold for seventy-five cents. She also offered a kit
that included plain and printed fabric stamped to cut for
$3.00. She also offered professionally-made quilts for those
women who could afford them. She became best known for
her cross-stitched quilts. Her kits were sold through “Good
Housekeeping” magazine & three of her kits were featured
in “House Beautiful” magazine.
Another firm, the Frederick Herrshner Company of Chicago sold a kit for a Double Wedding Ring quilt with die-cut
pieces, ready to stitch for $3.95 in 1932.
In 1940, Marian Cheever Whiteside Newton designed
and sold children’s quilt kits, patterns & completed quilts.
Her intricate appliqué quilt designs were geared toward
children and the company was named Story Book Quilts.
Quilt Kits Today
Kit quilts continue in popularity today; most quilt shops
have some available. In 1993 a kit quilt exhibit was sponsored by prominent antique dealers in Kansas City. The
exhibit included kits quilts by Bucilla, Lee Wards, Paragon,
Herrschner’s, Ladies Art Company, Marie Webster & the
Rainbow Company. The show was well-attended and the
beauty of these creations was admired.
Many well-known designers were responsible for developing mail order cottage businesses that included kit quilts.
Small home-based pattern companies sprang up as a response to women’s need to contribute to the family income,
especially during the Depression.
© 2007 Linda Laird
The Ladies Art Company offered quilts and blocks as
early as 1898 & by 1922 were providing stamped kits for
$5.00. This company started as a family business that even
included the children working to fill orders after school. It
later employed over 50 people designing, stamping, creating
pamphlets & filling orders.
Marie Webster founded The Practical Patchwork Company in 1921 with two friends. They marketed kits and finished quilts using Marie Webster’s well-known designs.
Her work was sold both nationally and internationally by
mail order & through department stores such as Chicago’s
prestigious Marshall Fields. Her finished quilts became
so popular that women were employed throughout the
Everyone have
a great
Thanksgiving,
Christmas
& New Year’s!