Quilt Name Tag Ideas

With a group of around 200, we are asked to wear name tags to our Dixie Quilt Guild meetings.
Many of the members have made some of the most creative quilt name tags. Some show just their name. Others use their name tags as a showcase for their pin collections. Often the memorabilia attached carries significant memories.
All are creative, original and show the personality of the owner.
I would like to share with you what the name tags look like here in Southern Utah, and hope this might give you ideas for your own guild.

Candace said this small bag is all she takes into a quilt show. It holds her money, ID & credit cards, and frees her hands from carrying a purse.

Some friendship groups get together to make matching name tags. Each person brings their own fabrics to personalize the tag.

Pat said this pin is very special to her because it was a gift from Annie Unrein. When Annie was president of our guild she gave these as a thank you to all of her board members.

Donna and Nancy are part of a friendship group The Dixie Chicks. They all shared a pattern, but individualized each tag. Some used real chicken feathers for decoration.

(Sorry, I don't have the name for this pattern)

Our very own Pat Peters uses her tag to show part of her pin collection. I think I see her name in there? Pat said this weighs quite a bit, and is pretty heavy to wear around her neck.

I found this small purse at a quilt trade show and now use it as my name tag.

It represents my admiration of Mola reverse applique by the Kuna women of Panama and Columbia.

And this pin is special to me because it represents the beautiful city of St. George where I live and was given to me by Mayor Dan McArthur.

Dixie Quilt Guild Challenge

On Saturday the Dixie Quilt Guild met for the April Meeting. This month for our program we held our Annual Guild Challenge.

The rules for this Challenge were fairly simple. The Theme was "Play On Words". We could interpret the theme in any manner: a quilt, wall hanging, wearable, etc. There were no size or any other restrictions.

Wonderful prizes are awarded. Heather Purcell (Mother Superior) generously donated books and Scrap Apple Quilts donated a fat quarter for all 28 participants.

The top 3 winners took home cash prizes.

Coming up with a play on words was a lot of fun. The quilts were labeled with names like "It's a Jungle Out There!", "Great Balls of Fire", "Bear With Me", and "Stimulus Package" to name a few.

Annie Unrein has been working for months as Chairhead did a great job organizing the challenge.
Her friendship group The Binding Friends (Draza Esplin, Ginny Affleck and Joann Laub and Pati Beck) were very involved in planning and organizing, too.
From advertising, distributing ballot forms, to hanging the quilts, the Challenge was well organized and we had great participation from our guild members.

We all had an opportunity to vote for our favorite quilt.

After the voting came the big reveal. Each participant stood by their quilt and explained the reason behind the name or "Play On Words".

(Sorry I didn't get an up close picture of winner # 2 to Janey Argyle for "Fruit of the Loom. It's the quilt hanging directly behind Annie)

Prize winner # 3 "Flower Child" by Pati Beck. Pati is the mother of a large family, and grandmother to many. Each flower represents the love she feels for her posterity.
Pati bought a computer software program (Kaleidoscope Kreator) that enabled her to make flowers out of each of her grand children's and great grand children's photos. She included each of those as a flower on her quilt.

Winner #1 "Boot Camp" by Judie Weiss.

Judi said she found the inspiration for this quilt in a Tandy Leather Catalog.

Judie loves to do copper work in many of her quilts. She joked about how many sewing machines she has gone through after sewing with copper.

Beautiful 3-D flowers on the boots.

A very fun quilt day. Thank to Annie, the winners, and all those who participated for another great Challenge in our guild.

You can view more information on the Dixie Quilt Guild's web site.

Easter Joy and Peace

"Now let the heavens be joyful,
Let earth her song begin:
Let the round world keep triumph,
And all that is therein;
Invisible and visible,
Their notes let all things blend,
For Christ the Lord is risen
Our joy that hath no end."
-- John of Damascus

April Star Crazy BOM

Whoo hoo! I am so happy that by April 2nd I have finished this month's Star Crazy BOM.
Great way to start off the month. I really have my friend Jan to thank. We try and coordinate our schedules to work on our blocks together, and yesterday was the day we both could meet.

We had three blocks again this month.

I think it takes almost as much time to cut out the pieces as it does to sew them. Has anyone else experienced this too?

My goal every month is to have things all cut out before Jan comes over, so I can spend my time sewing. Usually when Jan arrives, I'm still selecting fabric, let alone have anything cut out.

What is up with April? Spring must be in the air. I actually had my pieces ready when she knocked on the door.

Jan works at a quilt store and has been putting in a lot of extra hours. She felt lucky just to have her papers printed off the computer, and spent time getting ready to sew.

Jan knows I love Kaffe Fasset fabrics. She brought me a present yesterday of 6 fat quarters. Thanks Jan!

One more Irish Chain block

Evening Star block

Have you noticed that the Rising Star Block has 1" half square triangles? Teeny tiny. Thank heavens for paper piecing that help stabilize all those bias edges.

More half square triangles that go in the bag for future use.

Designer Sue Garman mentioned in the instructions that we have now "traveled a third of the way along the journey".

Enjoy!

Stash Manicure Challenge

My friend Rae Ann has come up with the most wonderful idea! She has started a new blog called Stash Manicure Challenge, and we all are going to want to join. (I already have).
Rae Ann has the same problem we all have: we keep buying fabric and more fabric, and the closets are bursting.
Her solution: sponsor a challenge to use our stash.

Stash Manicure button

There are MONTHLY prizes involved, and trust me, you are going to LOVE Rae Ann's prizes.

This is just one of Rae Ann's closets, and the motivation to start this challenge.

We are all invited to be authors on the Stash Manicure blog (isn't that a great name!)

For the rules make sure to run over and see her first post.