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June Workshop Gathering: Growth
June 1-2, 2007
Hinds Community College Pearl, Mississippi
More than 190
attended the June Gathering at Hinds Community College campus in
Pearl on the first weekend of June! Those in attendance for the Friday
festivities enjoyed the vendors and the display of “first and last”
quilts of several of our members. MQA President Broach Winsley welcomed
all and introduced the various quilts and who made them. She also asked
us to introduce ourselves to the quilters at the next table and get to
know some of our neighbors. Then several of the participants came to the
mike and told us of their new quilting “friends.” It was a fun
activity, and we continued to get to know more quilters at each break on
Friday.
Fall Gathering Announcements
Broach
announced that the Fall Gathering will take place in Oxford on October
26-27, 2007. She added several motels to the ones listed in the hand-out
given to each of the members. In addition to the Holiday Inn Express,
The Inn at Ole Miss, and the Hampton Inn, there are blocks of rooms at
the Days Inn and Super 8 Motel. Also, there are still a few places left
in Ann Fahl’s workshop to be held August 20,21 in Starkville, August
22,23 in Brandon, August 24,25 in Hattiesburg. Call Mary Nell if you
want to attend: 601 876 2095.
After we
stuffed ourselves on catfish, chicken and the fixings, the members had
show and tell. As always, we are amazed at all the talent that is
prevalent in our group and what a favorite part of the Gathering it is.
Rhonda
Blasingame then gave us much information and even more laughs when she
brought a dozen samples of works she had done using beads and
embellishments of all kind, even pieces of sewing patterns, scorched
iron fabric, and many, many treasures from the Dollar Store! Her
imagination and creativity are fantastic, as well as her humor.
Next, Marilyn
Rose showed us about 25 journal quilts she had made, explained their
significance and told us how we could go to www. quiltart.com and become
a member of the journal quilt e-mail group. She said most anything that
is 8 1/2 x 11” with 3 layers can be a journal quilt; it can tell a
story, capture a memory, be a brainstorming exercise, etc. What a
wonderful way to get those creative juices flowing. Marilyn was
inspiring and fun.
Joan Alliston,
Marilyn Rose and Judy Spiers then served as panelists for “Ask the Quilt
Doctor”, answering quilt questions the members submitted.
Saturday
morning started off with an announcement from Shirley Wiltshire,
co-chair of the Gala honoring Martha Skelton. She thanked all who
helped to make it such a success with only 3 ½ months planning. Over
300 people attended, and over $23,000 was raised, which brought a large
round of applause from the group! They will still welcome monetary
contributions, and several of the Mississippi Quilts pictures are still
for sale, starting at $100. Hopefully, Martha Skelton’s book will be
out by the June Gathering of 2008.
Right on
schedule, everyone left for their class taught by our talented members.
We certainly appreciate the following for teaching a wide range of
classes, which included: Beginner Hand Appliqué – Ella Lucas; Borders,
Sashing – Ollie Jean Lane; Hand quilting – Betty Lewis; Hawaiian
appliqué – Leslie Kiger; Beading and Embellishment – Rhonda Blasingame;
Creating Shadows – Judy Spiers; Quilting for Beginners – Anne Fox; The
Northwind Block – Dorinda Evans; Whirlwind x 2 – Fran Cummins; Heirloom
Machine Quilting – Pamela McRae and Small Landscape Quilts – Marilyn
Rose, and Sit and Sew.
After
a lunch break with more shopping (what else!!) and a return to the
class, we ended the afternoon by seeing all the wonderful creativity by
the students in each class. As usual, all attendees went home and
reported how much fun we had and how much we learned. This is certainly
a highlight of our MQA year!
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Photos from June
Click on any photo to enlarge
Betty Zehnder practices
Machine Quilting
Whirlwind class attendees
show their stuff!
This Martha Skelton quilt was
auctioned for $4,100 at the Gala
Dorinda and her Northwind
class achievers
Judy Spiers shares her
award-winning design skills
Connie Anderson and ___ in
Machine Quilting Class
Leslie Kiger's Hawaiian
Appliqué class |
