Friday, January 31, 2014

Those Mesa Ladies/ January

 My favorite day of the month
a day to sew
with those wonderful
Mesa Ladies
Several in the group
were making projects from
Lori Holt's book
 Such a great book
that can be found 
 I know Lori would be pleased to see so many in our
group sewing her designs :)
 Christine is new to our group.
She brought the cutest little bag
that held her sewing supplies.
*Pattern: Sew Together Bag
by SewDemented
can be purchased on Craftsy
HERE
 The side handles are made from the zipper.
 And the inside was full of several little pockets
that helped organize her notions.
 It was Julie's month to provide lunch
and she put on the most beautiful
and delicious meal
 of chicken tortilla soup and avocado salad.
These ladies really spoil us!
 Stephanie brought her home made salsa
 And Peg, the dessert wizard,
created a new cookie recipe
that was probably the best cookie I have ever tasted.
Julie gave each one of us a Valentine,
and candy hearts.
I don't think I've received these in years,
and her gift brought back many childhood memories.
A day where we all felt very loved :)

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Gilbert Arizona Temple Open House

 We attended the Open House
for the 
yesterday
As members of 
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
we are so excited to live within a few miles
of this beautiful temple!
Construction began in 2010
and every time we have driven by the building site, 
we anticipated and looked forward to this day.
"At 85,000 square feet, the Gilbert Temple 
is the largest temple
the church has constructed in 17 years.
The temple's spire reaches 195 feet, 
making it the tallest building in Gilbert."
Temple Worship Focuses our Lives 
On Jesus Christ
The Open House runs through February 15th
Everyone is invited to attend
Each day about 20,000 people stand in line to view the interior.
The lines move fast, and were so well organized that we 
were only there
from beginning to end
 about an hour and a half.
Within the 5 week Open House event
they anticipate nearly half a million people will 
view this Temple.
 Camera's were not allowed inside, but
I was able to take a few exterior shots before entering.
Magnificent !
is the best word to describe.
Every inch was designed with great detail!
The Temple is the most sacred place 
on Earth
for members of our church
 The Angel Moroni sits on top of many of our temples.
What we learn in the temple gives
meaning and direction in our lives.
 The motif of the Agave plant,
native to Arizona
is used through out the temple
 "The Agave signifies the influence of one generation on another.
The agave's lower, older leaves create impressions on the upper leaves,
just as ancestors' legacies leave an impression on
the generation that follows."
We invited our friends The Hollands
to attend with us.
The weather was a perfect 75 degrees
with the Arizona sun shining brightly
in the midst of azure blue skies.
A very special day.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

The Long Winter Quilt

 Road To California 
added two new categories to their
Judged Quilt Show this year:
Negative Space In Modern Quilts
and
Modern Piecing
With being part of a Modern Quilt Guild myself
and 
one who loves Log Cabin quilts (especially unique ones)
I was quite taken with
The Long Winter
by Catherine Redford
Naperville, IL 
 She wrote:
"I made this quilt for the Naperville MQG Log Cabin Challenge
from just one charm pack
cut into 1 inch strips 
and pieced into blocks with a coordinating white fabric.
I set the blocks with more white squares for a 
deconstructed log cabin effect.
Dense straight line quilting adds visual interest
in the extensive negative space.
Log cabins emerge from a snowy background
bring to mind my very favorite
Little House On The Prairie book."
 Catherine took home a 1st place ribbon
in the Negative Space In Modern Quilts category
Impressive that she only used 1 charm pack in the construction, too.
This is a design I would love to make someday.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Celestial Splendor Quilt

 Where do Quilters find their inspiration?
Often by viewing the shapes and images around us.
Celestial Splendor
62" X 62"
by Rachel Wetzler
St. Charles, IL
won 2nd place in the
Innovative Wall Category
at
Road To California
 "Celestial Splendor is based on the ceiling in the crossing tower
of Canterbury Cathedral,
one of the oldest and most famous structures in England.
 Rachel shared:
Canterbury was an important spiritual center ever since Augustine,
but it became a major pilgrimage destination
after the martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket in 1170
 The tower and ceiling were designed by English Gothic
architect John Wastell"
Rachel's fabulous use of color
and precision 
makes this quilt a masterpiece
in it's own right.
The original ceiling at Canterbury

Monday, January 27, 2014

Basket Weave Quilt

 We drove home late last night from
Road To California 
What a wonderful experience.
So much to see and do!
I took a few moments here and there
away from our Vendor booth
to capture some of the beautiful quilts in the Show.
The bright colors and geometric designs of
Basket Weave II: See Saw
by Ann B. Feitelson 
Montague, MA
drew me in.
I am always curious of the process that goes on
in a quilters brain
as they develop a piece.
What visions and colors do they see in the creative process?
I appreciated how much Ann shared on her card
that accompanied this quilt.
 She wrote:
Five sequenced solids combine with five sequenced stripes or plaids
to make a group of 25.
The color groups are interwoven and
all of the baskets in a color group face one direction.
Directional shifts reveal the different color groups.
 Triangle shapes have reciprocal forces, pushing up and down,
like a See Saw, reversing and balancing.  
The title also refers to seeing and having seen,
the way vision shifts in every blink."
Category: Innovative Pieced
Design Basis: Makers Original Design
Based on Traditional Basket Block

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Perseus Saving Andromeda Quilt

 So many amazing quilts here at
Road To California
I don't know how the judges can possibly 
narrow selections down to "Best"
Perseus Saving Andromeda
Made and Quilted by Marilyn Belford
Chenango Forks, NY
is magnificent!
 Winner of Best Large Quilt
 Look at the details!
 Marilyn wrote:
"Cassiopeia, Andromeda's mother has offended Poseidon 
by stating that her daughter's beauty
was greater than the Nereids 
who attended Poseidon.
Andromeda had to be sacrificed to the water serpent
to appease Poseidon.  
Perseus sees her chained to some rocks and saves her."
 Design Basis: Maker's Original Design

Friday, January 24, 2014

Once Upon A Time Quilt

 Sharon Schamber 
has won
Best of Show
here at Road To California!
"Once Upon A Time"
Sharon is a fellow Arizonian
and taught several classes at our guild this last year.
I've written several posts about her
on this blog.
 She wrote
"I started making this quilt in 2000,
then put it aside for 10 years.
It features hand applique
and embroidery and was
quilted on my long arm."
 An interesting tidbit about Sharon:
Before she even starts sewing the quilt, 
she completely plans out how she will quilt the quilt.
 Another little tidbit:
Sharon is the only person to have won 
3 First Place Ribbons at Houston.
 The White Glove Lady
shares the back.
Congratulations Sharon!

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Phoenix Modern Quilt Guild January Meeting

 Saturday started a New Year
for the 
Phoenix Modern Quilt Guild
This is the first month for our 
New Board to lead for 2014
Sign ups for
Vitamin D Bee
and
Swaps
were announced.
Show and Tell is always my favorite.
Tracy brought her
Drunkard's Path
that she is still in the process of quilting.
Love the colors of this quilt!
Doesn't this look like Valentines Day?
 The corners will eventually be rounded.
A nice example of a low volume quilt.
 Alyssa made a quilt out of left over scraps
 for her daughter's bedroom.
 Cat applique
 Charm Squares were the foundation
for this batik quilt.
and a cute fussy cut
 Churn Dash 
pillow.
The Phoenix Modern Quilt Guild 
meets the 3rd Saturday of every month.
As we begin a new year,
this is the perfect time to join!