Textile Artists of Greater Yellowstone

February 2012

2012-02-07T10:58:00.000-07:00

Jane was host of the February meeting. The program was making porcelain buttons. At right everyone is painting their creations, and below are the freshly painted buttons before being fired. Jane will fire the buttons in a kiln and bring them to the next meeting. More about porcelain in Wikipedia.

The March meeting will be held in Powell at Linda's place, and we will be snow dyeing. Bring pre-washed white fabric or muslin, or PFD fabric. A map and directions will be sent out before the meeting.

Most of the eleven members present brought in their thread bowls from last month's program. Below is a photo of the bowls made by Sue; Alice; Linda; Lili; Patty; Jeanne, and Barbara. Jeannette made four bowls but sent them off as gifts. Jan made a bowl for a gift and brought us a photo (below).

More Show & Tell
In addition to the thread bowls for Show & Tell, Sue showed us some thread-painted quilt blocks for a quilt in progress. Marybeth brought her hand quilted Asian quilt, and photos of frost printed on fabric. We will see more of this later as she plans to have fabric made from the beautiful photos. Lili showed colorful, hand-made molas she purchased on her vacation (photo). More on the mola art form here.

Barbara brought her Under-the-Sea quilt to give to Jeanne who has some of the others in her possession. In April we will ship all the Under-the-Sea quilts to the Mancuso show in Denver. Everyone is reminded to bring your Under-the-Sea quilt to the April meeting when we will pack them for shipment. Also please send Kathy a short bio and/or description of your piece to be displayed with the quilt. Kathy needs this info ASAP, email lichty@nemontel.net . See Kathy's new photography web site at: http://www.kathylichtendahl.com/

Jane brought the quilt she made from children's drawings. Her daughter is a teacher and her students colored on fabric. Jane pieced the blocks together and the quilt will be raffled as a fund raiser for the school. This is the second year Jane has made a school fund raiser quilt (photo).

A link to information about the 2012 TAGY challenge has been added to this blog, on the right.

January 2012

2012-01-10T10:40:00.001-07:00

TAGY met on January 9th to start off the new year. Present were: Jeanne; Lili; Linda; Sue; Ginger; Patty; Marybeth; Jeannette; Alice; and guest Jan Hoar.

Barbara gave a program on making bowls with threads and scraps and wash-away Solvy. Several members provided additional threads and Solvy as well, so we had lots of supplies to play with. Under Barbara's guidance, we all made bowl forms to take home and finish. We will bring them back next meeting for Show & Tell.

For more info, a video about using Solvy is available from Sulky http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETWkofhhyrM
Part II of the video starts off with thread bowls http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=QvQaDhR1zno

Below is a fabulous bowl that Barbara made as a demo.

Linda brought a package of the new Paper Solvy to the meeting. Part II of the video shows how to use it for paper-piecing. When you are done piecing the block, just rinse away the paper.

Our TAGY 2012 Book Challenge was discussed. Guidelines are available in the blog archive under December 2011.

Fabrics for Dyeing

2012-01-05T10:22:00.001-07:00

Kathy York has posted results for testing fabrics for dyeing on her blog: http://www.aquamoonartquilts.blogspot.com/
Her favorite is the broadcloth from Testfabrics.
If you need to order more fabric for dyeing, read her article first.

December 2011

2011-12-08T09:10:00.001-07:00

The Christmas exchange theme was a Haiku, poem or rhyme along with a hand-made item. This photo shows the diversity of our group's talents including: sewing, quilting, glass-work, weaving, wool-felting, and photography. The photo doesn't do justice to the expertise and quality of the gifts. They are amazing.

Members present for this year's party were: Jane; Elizabeth; Lili; Barbara; Linda; Pat L; Jeanne, Kathy; Sue; Carolyn; Patty, and Marybeth. Everyone brought food to share and we had a very enjoyable afternoon.
I feel fortunate to have such great friends.

Challenges for 2012 were discussed and it was decided the theme for next year's Christmas exchange will be "Go Green". You can interpret this any way you want.

Group Challenge: This year we will be doing a Book Challenge. It will premiere at the Yellowstone Quilt Fest in September, and it is anticipated the exhibit will travel, as have our previous challenges "Sky Lines" and "Under the Sea".

2012 Book Challenge Guidelines:
1) Choose one of your favorite books, and open to a page at random. Photocopy this page and keep it with your project.
2) Next, choose random words from that page and make a sentence or statement with those words (and only those words). Use a minimum of 3 words up to as many as you like. Your quilt project will be based on the words you choose.
3) Minimum size is 24 inches on one side and maximum size is 48 inches on one side. You can make your project any size within these parameters. Challenges will be due at the September TAGY meeting.
Have fun with this.

Lili brought her award winning Under-the-Sea piece and showed us new items she added to it since YQF. It is truly a beautiful work of art.
Kathy reminded us to bring the Under-the-Sea quilts to our April meeting to be boxed and mailed to the Mancusso Quilt Show in Denver. We are each responsible for a name tag on the back. In addition to identifying the owner, it will aid in hanging "front" side out on our double sided art quilts.

A calendar for next year's program leaders is shown at the right.

How to Critique

2011-11-19T09:26:00.001-07:00

FYI here is a link to Jane Dunnewold's article "Learning to Critique Effectively http://www.artclothstudios.com/userfiles/file/New%20Critique%20Essay.pdf

This can be used to self critique our own work. The phrase "we are our own worst critics" is all too true. Perhaps these guidelines will help us be less critical overall and pinpoint what did work, and what didn't work, so we can make adjustments on the next project.

November 2011

2011-11-08T12:34:00.000-07:00

Jeanne gave the program on making Christmas tree napkins (photo) - just in time for our Christmas giving. Everyone brought their own fabric choices, and no matter what the colors, they all came out beautifully. We had two guests, Alice Flyr and Ginger Dager of Cody, and about a dozen regular members in attendance.

Lili announced her Under the Sea quilt won a first place ribbon at Quilting in the Tetons.. She also showed us examples of textured fabrics she learned to make at classes while in Jackson (photo).

Kathy announced she received an inquiry from Mary Clare Meyer about hanging our “Under The Sea” exhibit at the Mancuso Quilt Show in Denver next spring. Jeanne has some of the quilts at her house and the rest of us will have ours available to mail in April.

Our Christmas exchange will take place at the next meeting. If you bring a gift, you take one home. Gifts will be hand-made, and the theme is Haiku, a poem, or nursery rhyme. Bring a dish to share.

Kathy has an article published in the Fall 2011 issue of Quilting Quarterly, the NQA journal. It is illustrated by two of her quilts, and one of Linda's quilts. The title is "Are You Up to the Challenge?"
Carolyn announced her Bethesda quilt will be on display at the University of Nebraska conference. Linda announced her little Peacock (radial symmetry) quilt will be on the cover of the Magazine of the Pennsylvania Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Jeanne announced she will be in the member spotlight for the National Quilt Association (NQA) for June 2012. Linda will be in the July spotlight. Marybeth is the new director-at-large for the Wyoming State Quilt Guild, and she is also running for president of Paintbrush Piecers Quilt Guild for 2012. We have a very busy group!

October 2011

2011-10-04T10:47:00.000-06:00

Barbara Harrison gave a fun program on color rubbing on fabric. She brought crayons, dye sticks and rubbing templates, as well as her own hand dyed fabrics for us to use. At right is an example Barbara made with crayons in the background and stenciling on top.

Below Kathy, Jeanne, and our newest member Patty Mayfield, are hard at work creating new art.

At right Pat, Jane, Elizabeth, and Patty are also learning this new technique. Some of the supplies Barbara brought with her are visible on the table.

Kathy mentioned several possibilities for showing our Under-the-Sea exhibit next year. Jeanne is storing most of the quilts, and those who have them at home agreed to make them available on request. The quilts are two sided, but it will be up to the venue as to how they hang them (showing one side or both).

Jeanne suggested we bring our calendars to the November meeting to plan for next years programs. In December we will have our Christmas party and gift exchange. The gift exchange theme is a Haiku, poem, or nursery rhyme.

Jeannette will be unable to do the November program due to surgery (we all wish you a speedy recovery). Jeanne will take over the November program with a Christmas project. She will email us with a supplies list.

The final photo Barbara's example of coloring on batik fabric. Very inspiring.

September 2011

2011-09-29T17:54:00.001-06:00

Our September TAGY meeting was combined with the WAV meeting and held on Sunday, Sept 11th at the Yellowstone Quilt Fest (YQF) in Cody. We used fabric sent to us by Michael Miller Fabrics and had a "Quick Sew" contest. There were 7 or 8 entries, and we had a lot of fun.

Our "Under-The-Sea" exhibit was set up on the stage at YQF, and was a big success. It looked great. If someone has a better photo, or a better angle, please post it.

Other News
The Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Baker City, OR, is currently having a quilt display called "The Trail That Lay Before Them". They have taken photos of the quilts on display, and this can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFSkFVNY22A

The quilts shown include the Totem Pole Round Robin quilt of Linda MacDonald, and shows close-up photos of the Bear, made by Jeanne Knudsen, and Chief Washakie, made by Jane Neale. The quilt show has been so popular, they plan to make it a bi-annual event.

August 2011

2011-08-01T17:16:00.001-06:00

Lili Turnell gave the program on Marbling with starch and acrylic paints. She provided plastic tubs and supplies for everyone, and we had a lot of fun coloring fabric. See photos.

Carolyn Aichele from Lovell was a guest this month.
We discussed our "Under the Sea" challenge which is due before the Yellowstone Quilt Fest to be held Sept 9-11 at the Cody Auditorium. We will hang the 18" to 24" by 72" quilts in an exhibit on the stage so that you can walk through the quilts like you are underwater. Both the front and back will be decorated, and an internal sleeve is encouraged. We expect 12 or 13 quilts will be in the exhibit.

TAGY is giving a program at the Paintbrush Piecers' Quilt Guild meeting this month. We will bring art quilts to show and discuss.

There was a discussion about hanging our "torso" projects at either Northwest College, or Plaza Diane in Powell. Jeanne will look into this, and has the names of who to contact.

July 2011

2011-08-01T16:56:00.000-06:00

At the July meeting Jeanne Knudsen gave a program on thread painting. She brought her sewing machine and we all tried our hand at thread painting a rose. If someone had a camera, please send me a photo to post.
Jeanne brought her wild horse and wolf quilts which she thread painted.

Linda MacDonald brought in the DVD documentary "Stitched" and loaned it to Kathy L to view. She later shared it with her roommates at Quilt Wyoming. This DVD is available for other TAGY members. Let her know and she will pass it along to you at the next meeting.

July was a busy month with Quilt Wyoming and the Park County Fair. The entire Sky Lines exhibit was on display at Quilt Wyoming, which was held at Northwest College in Powell this year. Sharon Shamber and Vicki Pignatelli were the national teachers, as well as many local teaches and classes to choose from. Lectures were held in the evening and they were spectacular.

Six of the Sky Lines quilts were on display at the Park County Fair, as well as many other quilts by our TAGY members and local quilters. It was a nice display and received lots of positive comments. Plenty of ribbons were won by our quilting friends.

Sky Lines was on display at the Mancusso National Quilt Show in Denver, CO, and then the National Quilting Association Show in Columbus, OH. While at Denver, photos were taken and placed in the newsletter of Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson. See their web site "The Quilt Show", click on Features, then Newsletter, and Search for July 8. Or just click here: http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4d6a55314e44457a4f54593d0d0a&blogview=true&campaign=blog_playback_link
Our quilts are show set to music. Very nice.

June 2011

2011-06-07T16:46:00.003-06:00

We had a small group attend TAGY this month. The rest of you missed out on a really fun day.
Some of us met for lunch at Trisha Holliday's new Wild Horse Cafe (across from the rodeo grounds) before the meeting.

Lili hosted the meeting, and brought lots of needle felting supplies. She also brought some books with illustrations and ideas. We all took part and played. See photos.

Lili found snow near Meeteetsee and did some more snow-dyeing, which she brought for Show and Tell. Also she stopped by Lucy's Sheep Camp (between Thermopolis and Worland) and brought some beautiful wool roving for us to see and to use. Lili took part in a fabric exchange through Quilting Arts magazine, and pics of the beautiful hand-dyed fabrics are below.

Business:
Linda read some of the new categories from the Machine Quilting Expo catalog. The categories are catching up with technology. Now awards are for "Best Machine Quilting - Stand Up" (long arm, mid arm, etc. where the machine moves over the quilt); and "Best Machine Quilting - Sit Down" (domestic sewing machine, where the quilt must be moved through the machine).

Everyone was reminded to make a 12 1/2 inch square block for the Yellowstone Quilt Fest Block Challenge coming up in September. The YQF web site has been updated with June Jaeger's class info.

Quilt Wyoming has a quilt challenge coming up next month, and don't forget the Park County Fair needs quilts to show.

Our Sky-Lines quilt exhibit is being displayed at the National Quilt Association Show in Ohio, June 14-18. Kathy will be there and will take photos.

Our "Under-The-Sea" challenge quilts will have an internal sleeve. Instead of sewing the sleeve on the back, it will be sewn between the front and back of the quilt. This way, the quilt can be viewed from either side. Likewise, make your label blend in with the quilt. ie. Your name could go on a fish, or on a piece of coral, so it blends in with the quilt theme. Finished hanging length is 72 inches, including any fringe, etc. Width can be from 18" to 24" as desired.

A Walk In The Swamp Exhibit

2011-05-31T10:03:00.000-06:00

I thought this was interesting. Very similar idea to our Under-the-Sea project.

A Walk in the Swamp, a fiber art exhibit, will be on display at the
Louisiana State Arboretum, 1300 Sudie Lawton Lane, Ville Platte, LA, June 1-28,
2011. The art show, curated by Michael Young and featuring the work of
Contemporary Fiber Artists of Louisiana and friends consists of 24 pieces of
fiber art, each 14-16 inches wide, 6-7 feet tall, and two-sided. The artwork
depicts trees and other wildlife found in the Louisiana swamp. Visitors
will be able to walk around each piece as it hangs in the visitor center.
Opening reception is Saturday, June 4 from 3 - 5 pm, and is open to the
public. The Arboretum, located inside Chicot State Park, [Louisiana] is open from 9 am - 5
pm and admission is free.

May 2011

2011-05-05T10:16:00.000-06:00

Our Sky Lines exhibit was in Denver over the weekend (April 28 - May 1, 2011). A friend of Linda's attended and had this to say:

The show was lots of fun as usual. We went Friday morning and by noon was quite crowded but thinned out quickly. For starters there were not as many vendors which was a bit of a surprise. Also there were not as many quilts that were exhibited and judged. There were some really nice ones of course but not as many outstanding ones as usual. We always look forward to that part of the show and were disappointed. We didn't even vote for the viewer's best. Now for the quilts on display. This year there were more on display than were on the exhibition side. We really enjoyed them. Some of the quilts from your guild were many times better than those in the exhibition. Truly, you ladies in the guild did a great job and your quilts were very creative. No sugar coating!!! I like working with the wall hanging size myself. - Janis

Sky Lines will next be in the NQA Annual Show in Columbus, OH in mid June. It will then be on display in Powell at Quilt Wyoming in July.

This year's "Under The Sea" challenge was discussed. It was decided that a 4 inch sleeve should be sewn into the top seam for hanging. Kathy will provide more info to all the participants. Remember the size for Under The Sea is 18" to 24" wide and 72" long. It should be completed by the August meeting, and will be displayed at Yellowstone Quilt Fest in September.

Cheryl gave the program on fabric painting using Inktense pencils, and provided a handout. She made a beautiful small quilt using them. Unfortunately no-one remembered to bring a camera.

Next month Lili will do a program on Fantasy Landscapes. Bring hand needle felting tools and materials if you have them.

April 2011

2011-04-05T10:53:00.000-06:00

There are no notes or photos from the March meeting since I forgot my notebook and camera. Anyone who was present is encouraged to post. This blog is for all members to use. Jane Neale gave the program on making 3-D flowers.

At the April 4th meeting we started out with Show & Tell as we had a guest who needed to leave early. Rebecca showed a journal she made from a local Saturday class taught by Charlene Magargal of "ReBound". If interested in the Saturday classes, contact Rebecca randtrue@yahoo.com for more info.

Lili showed her prize winning quilt from the PPQG Brown Bag Challenge, and also a Word Challenge quilt she made for a challenge in QA magazine. It will be sent off soon. Good luck, Lili.

Kathy showed Japanese fabric from Kyoto. She was in Japan for a wedding and left 2 days before the earthquake/tsunami. Some of her family were still in Japan, and all are safe. Kathy announced she will be taking the photography courses at NW college. She is making cards from her photos using her kaleidoscope software and they are selling quite well. She has been asked to be on the Board for NQA or AQS(?). This will involve lots of traveling in the future, so less time for quilting. Kathy showed her Fast Friday entry for the dance/movement challenge.

Jeanne showed photos of her new grand-baby, and the necklace that Kathy made for her with the baby picture.
Linda showed her Brown Bag Challenge quilt "Pearl-Friends", which won 2nd place. She also showed the Fast Friday entry for the dance/movement challenge for which she was the guest hostess. Three large bags of fabric scraps were brought for anyone willing to take them for scrappy projects

Problems with last year's quilt appraisals were discussed. Some of the appraisals which were paid for, have not been received, and the appraisal ladies will not respond to inquiries. This affects all of us who have "Sky Lines" quilts as this exhibit was appraised by them. Sky Lines was shown at the Big Sky Quilt Retreat last month, and will be sent to the Mancuso Denver National Quilt Festival this month. After that, they will go the Columbus, OH for display.

The April program was by Marybeth, who provided patterns and lots of fabric to make water bottle holders. We will all bring out water bottles with finished holders to the next meeting for photos.

February 2011

2011-02-12T17:45:00.000-07:00

The program was dyeing valentines by Kathy Lichtendahl. The photo shows valentines Kathy dyed. Later we all dyed with fabric and dyes she provided. Lots of fun.

Evelyn Browning attended the meeting and asked TAGY members to give a program to the Paintbrush Piecers' Quilt Guild (PPQG) in August. TAGY members are also invited to bring wall sized quilts to the Cody Country Art League for display along with PPQG the last two weeks of April.

Kathy announced the TAGY Sky-Lines quilt display will be shown in Quilt Wyoming 2011, the Mancuso Show in Denver, CO, and also will be going to Columbus, Ohio for the big quilt show there.

TAGY members are also working on their "Under The Sea" challenge which is due in August. These quilts will be 18" to 24" wide and 72" long. Because they will be hung so the back is visible, we are reminded to use appropriate fabric for the back as well.

Jeanette showed some lovely fabric pieces that she hand dyed.

January 2011

2011-01-06T09:43:00.002-07:00

Present at the January meeting were: Kathy; Jeanne; Linda; Jane; Marybeth; Lili; Rebecca; Jeannette; Cheryll; Karen; and two guests Kenle? from Meeteesee, and Pat Pratt from Alaska. Pat and her husband are moving to Powell. We hope to see both Kenle and Pat in future meetings.

The "Under the Sea" challenge was discussed. It was decided to make the pieces 18" to 24" wide, and 72" long. This challenge will be displayed at the Yellowstone Quilt Fest (YQF) in September, and will be set up so viewers can walk among the works (similar to the tree challenge done in Oregon last year).

Under Karen's direction, YQF activities will soon begin. The block challenge is "Spirit of the West". Submit your 12 1/2" unfinished blocks to Marybeth or Karen before September. The block challenge is People's Choice.

Kathy will be teaching "Beyond Basic Bindings" at Big Horn Quilts on Jan 29th. Class is limited to 14, so sign up early.

Photos: Jane showing her completed "torso challenge" for the WAV group. These will be shown at the Toucan Gallery, in Billings, in March.

Marybeth's "tie and buttons" art quilt.
Other Show & Tell items included some wonderful hand made gifts received for Christmas.

Linda did a program on snow dyeing fabric, and provided handouts to those present.

December Christmas Party - 2010

2010-12-13T09:27:00.001-07:00

The Christmas exchange was based on beads provided by Marybeth earlier in the year. It is amazing how we all started out with the same beads, yet our exchange gifts were so diverse. See photos. Next year's gift challenge will be based on a Haiku, Poem, or Nursery Rhyme.

Attending the Christmas party were: Kathy, Jeanne, Cheryll, Elizabeth, LiLi, Marybeth, Linda M, Jane, Barbara, and Jeannette.

Other:

The Sky-Lines art quilts will continue to travel in 2011. The display will remain at the Meeteese Museum thru Dec 31st. In March 2011 Sky-Lines will be on display at the Big Sky Quilt Show in Billings, MT. In May it will be at the Mancuso Show in Denver, CO, and in June will be on display at the NQA in Ohio. In July the quilts will come home and be displayed at Quilt Wyoming, which is to be held in Powell this year.

Members News:
Kathy will be the featured artist on NQA for March.
Linda M's quilt "Dances With Eagles" has been chosen for display at the National Quilt Museum in Paduca, KY. Linda was also contacted by the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Baker, OR, about displaying "Totem Pole" and "Buffalo Dance" next summer.

GIFT EXCHANGE

November Meeting 2010

2010-11-11T09:06:00.001-07:00

TAGY members displayed fabrics that were dyed at the "Weekend to Dye For" held in Clark. Different dyeing and painting techniques were used. Kathy showed procion dyed samples, Jeanne showed an example using bleeding tissue paper, and Jane had painted leaves.

Quilt Wyoming, the annual meeting of the Wyoming State Quilt Guild will be held July 14-17, 2011, at Northwest College in Powell.

TAGY members will make a special display for next year's Yellowstone Quilt Fest (YQF). The theme is "Under the Sea", and quilts will be 18" x 60" with a vertical orientation. They will be hung so that you can walk among the quilts, giving the feeling of being underwater. Completed entries are due at the August TAGY meeting.

Kathy gave her program on corners and facings, and provided handouts.

The last photo is an example of a TART kit (Textile Art) completed by Cindy Thomas. These kits can be purchased from In Good Company LLC of Hamilton, MT. Web: http://www.ingoodcohanddyes.com/textileartlessons.html

October Meeting

2010-10-05T11:16:00.000-06:00

The following members and guests were present for the October meeting: Kathy, Jeanne, Cindy, Jane, Linda, Jeanette, Barbara, Rebecca, Elizabeth, Cheryl, and Sandy.

Kathy reminded everyone that bios are needed for the Sky Lines appraisal. The Sky Lines quilt display is now at the Meeteese Museum. It will be going to the Big Sky Quilt Show in Billings, and the NQA in the future. Other venues were discussed.

Karen wasn't present to discuss possibilities for next year's YQF, but ideas were flowing, and they will be passed on to Karen for her thoughts. One thought includes a TAGY Special Exhibit. More on this later.

The Wyoming State Quilt Guild will be meeting in Powell in July 2011. Sharon Schamber and Vicki Pignatelli will be giving classes. Both are excellent teachers and their classes should be fun and exciting.

Lark Books is publishing a new book on Nature Quilts. Kathy and Jeanne's entries are on the "short list" being considered. There were over 2100 entries and only 85 "spots" available, so this is quite an honor. They won't know who makes the final cut until January. Kathy and Rebecca were accepted into the Public Lands fine arts display that will be held at Northwest College.

Kathy showed her quilt-in-progress for the Fast Friday Fabric Challenge on-line group (elk photo). Linda forgot her piece, but Jane had a photo of it on her camera and passed that around (quilted pottery photo). Rebecca said she would like to join the FFFC group too. This month's challenge was Chiaroscuro, or light and dark, as used in the old masters paintings.

There was no program this meeting. Next year, each member will be asked to sign-up to give a program so each month will be assigned. In November, Kathy will give her program on how to make square corners, and in December we will have a Christmas party and gift exchange. The gifts will be hand made using the beads that Marybeth provided earlier in the year.

It was announced that Friends & Company has 40% off on Misty Fuse, so some of us stopped by there on the way home. Submitted by Linda MacDonald

SEPTEMBER MEETING

2010-09-09T19:58:00.018-06:00

Using stamps to paint on fabric

The September TAGY meeting is combined with the WAV meeting and is held at the Yellowstone Quilt Fest in Cody.

Kathy H showed us how she makes stamps from foam and mylar sheets (below)

AUGUST MEETING TIME AND PLACE CHANGED.

2010-07-16T10:27:00.000-06:00

We will be hanging the "Skylines" at the Park County Library on Monday, August 2nd. The time will be from 9:00-12:00. We will meet in the large room behind the elevators (can't remember the name of that room) Bring with you, your "Skylines", the drape that you have sewn, black thread, and a large needle.
I took lots of pictures of the pieces we had at the July meeting, and WOW! This is going to be a wonderful show. If you have your piece done, and the drape sewn, but won't be able to make this meeting , just call me or Kathy and we will make sure that we get it in the show.
Also, bring show and tell if you have any. This will be the only notice sent out so if you know anyone that would like to help or just join our group, please let them know.

Our September meeting will be at Yellowstone Quilt Fest on Sunday at 1:00.
We will return to the Park County Court House for Oct, Nov and Dec. 2010 and I have us on the schedule for all of 2011 same place and time.
Hope to see all of you at the library,
Jeanne

"QUILTERS" is coming, and June Meeting

2010-06-28T15:36:00.000-06:00

Some of us made quilts for the play "Quilters". Below is the press release about the play.

PRESS RELEASE FOR "QUILTERS"
This summer the Buffalo Bill Historical Center will sponsor "Quilters", a play featuring the stories and the quilts of pioneer women during the late 19th century. Molly Newman and Barbara Damashek, the authors, wrote "Quilters" for the Denver Center in the early 1980's. When it debuted in New York City in 1984, it was one of the first plays to use real diaries, journals and oral histories as drama. The play features six actresses as they sing, dance and tell the stories against a backdrop of quilt-making. The production is produced and directed by Spontaneous Theater Productions’ Lynne Simpson, who won the Governor’s Arts Award in 2001 for her work throughout Wyoming in theater.

A quilt display will be hung in the lobby of the Coe Auditorium where the play will be performed. Kathy Lichtendahl, a Clark, Wyoming quilter, directed this portion of the special, summer project for the play. She traveled throughout the Big Horn Basin and the Billings area in search for the eight quilts which will be shown.

There will be 8 matinee performances, showing Tues., Wed., and Thurs., at 2:00 p.m.

Evening performances take place on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., starting on Saturday, July 17th. Tickets are on sale at the BBHC and the Cody Chamber of Commerce or at the door on the day/eve of the performance. For more information, call the BBHC at 307-587-4771 and ask for information about "Quilters".

JUNE MEETING
Jeanne K gave a program on portrait quilts, and showed us her "Skylines" quilt and also one she is working on for her son and his wife. The "Skyline" quilts are all due at the next TAGY meeting. Several members had theirs with them at this meeting and they were layed out side by side. Very impressive! It will be fun to see them all together next month. If you can't make the July 12th meeting, please give your completed quilts and drapes (see below) to someone else to bring. The display will be hung in the Cody branch library on August 1st or 2nd, for the month, then will be moved to the Yellowstone Quilt Fest. Other venues will follow.

Black drapery fabric was passed out to members present who are participating in the "Skyline" project, along with instructions on making the drape. A committee will attach each "Skyline" quilt to the drapes, prior to hanging. If you didn't receive your drapery fabric, contact Kathy L.

May 2010

2010-05-03T16:55:00.012-06:00

Fiber artist Pat Harris of Anchorage, AK, was a guest at the May TAGY meeting. She and her husband plan to retire in Cody in a couple of years. His mother was from Cody. Pat is also a member of the Fast Friday Fabric Challenge and was the guest host of this group in April with the "Under the Sea" challenge. Welcome Pat!

The program for the May meeting was given by Jeanne. She brought lots of scraps, magazines, threads, buttons, glue, etc. for making collage. Marybeth donated fiberboard backings even though she couldn't be here this month. (We had lots of fun Marybeth, sorry you missed it!)

The photo on the right are Barbara, Jeanne, and Lili working on their collage.
Below are some of the collages in their unfinished state. We will bring the finished ones next month.

April 2010 Meeting

2010-04-06T16:01:00.000-06:00

The April meeting began with a surprise singing telegram for our 1st year anniversary. Jeanne provided cupcakes and drinks and prizes which made for a very special meeting this month.

Jane took photos of some of the Show and Tell items done by our Crazy-Q members, Karen and Marybeth. Other items will be displayed later, so will not be shown yet.

Kathy announced a Yellowstone Quilt Fest 2-day class by John Marshall who will be driving through our area at that time, as well as a 1-day class by Karen Farr, who will also vend at the quilt show. More info will be posted to the YQF web site http://yellowstonequiltfest.info/

Jeanne gave a program on being creative and recommended several books and magazines, including The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, and Fear of Art. She suggested writing down ideas in a journal. Kathy added that an Idea Jar could be used, and listed several ways to inspire ourselves.

On April 26th we are to bring 2 bed quilts to the Cody Library Grizzly Room from 4 to 5pm for possible entry to the BBHC display.

At our next TAGY meeting, bring wall quilts that could be used during the BBHC luncheon on May 11th. Attach your name, quilt name, and year made. These wall quilts will also be used for the TAGY exhibit at the PaintBrush Piecer's Quilt Guild anniversary meeting on May 24th.

Remember to give Kathy your dimensions for the Skylines project ASAP.

If I left out anything, all members can add data to this list . I will be out of state till the end of the month.

March Meeting

2010-03-24T15:20:00.000-06:00

Starting with the April 5th meeting, TAGY will meet in the Barling Room, in the basement of the Court House annex building in Cody. We will continue to meet at 1pm on the first Monday of each month.

Everyone is encouraged to join the Super Quilter Competition at the Yellowstone Quilt Fest on Sunday September 12th, 2010, from 11 am to 3 pm. Those participating will make small quilts between 12" to 36" per side, amid cheers from those attending the quilt show. For more info, contact Kathy L or Jeanne K. Also, information will be posted on the YQF web site in the near future. http://www.yellowstonequiltfest.info/

Photos were handed out to those participating in Linda Jackson's "picture quilt". Due in June.

A reminder that the Skyline Challenge quilts will be needed by July 1st (latest). A grant was received from the State Quilt Guild to be used for the black drape fabric and for shipping the display around to various venues. Kathy L needs our dimensions as soon as we have them. Height and width, and how many inches down from the top the horizon will be on each side of our quilt. She needs this info to prepare the black drapes for hanging the quilts, so they will all line up at the horizon.

Legacy Quilt blocks were submitted to Kathy L for the play to be held in Cody this summer.

This year the Capitol Christmas Tree will be from the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming, and 75 smaller trees will also be provided to Washington DC offices. Five-thousand outdoor ornaments will be needed for the Capitol tree and another 1000 ornaments for the indoor trees. Various groups around the state will provide the ornaments (including our local quilt guild). For more info see http://www.capitolchristmastree2010.org/

Kathy L provided the program on using "knife edge" facings on quilts (instead of a binding). Handouts were provided.

February Meeting

2010-02-08T09:38:00.002-07:00

Jane Neale provided the program for the February meeting, and showed how to make designs on pieces of dried gourds. These can then be made into ear rings, buttons, or decorative pieces for our art quilts. Left are some of the designs made by our members. Below, Barbara working on her gourd pieces, and Kathy showing "500 Quilts" which was just published.

2010-01-31T16:00:00.000-07:00

We did Zentangle at the January meeting. It was a huge amount of fun and I personally am working on a quilt project using this idea. Thanks Linda for the program.

My sincere apologies for not putting more pics and sooner. I really do have some excuses for this. Just so you know.

See you all tomorrow at 1:00. Jane will be doing the program and asks that we bring permanant markers and paintbrushes. Wonder what she has in mind?? Hope to see all of you there. Jeanne

A thing call Zentangle

2009-12-13T15:32:00.001-07:00

I have been seeing this word pop up more and more in the blogs I visit. In one of the first places I saw it the blogger described the process as taking a long tread and letting it drop on a plain piece of paper (suitable for pen, ink, pencil) and using those lines as the basic pattern. Then you fill in the spaces with shapes, shades, letters, words..... just doodle.....use various densities of shading in the doodles. I went to this website - most of the philosophy part is a little beyond my needs (did the meditation part when I was a hippy), but reading through the site I got a little better idea about zentangles

http://www.zentangle.com/about-what-is--1.php

My thought is that I might just get a fantastic "abstract" wallhanging out of one. You search zentangle on your home page and come up several other sites about the process. Might be fun - who knows.... Marybeth PS the following design was one done by the gal whose blog I visited http://marbledmusings.blogspot.com/

December Christmas Party

2009-12-08T14:14:00.000-07:00

In spite of sub-zero temperatures, about 10 members participated in the Christmas party and gift exchange. Some very creative items were exchanged and also shown for Show & Tell. Since no one remembered to bring a camera to the meeting we are not able to share the fun with those who missed this meeting. A variety of delicious food was shared, including chocolate mousse made with Bailey's Irish Cream - yum!

Artist/ Naturalist

2009-10-25T09:57:00.002-06:00

This one is on my favorites as well, and since we have talked occasionally about Adam Goldsworth art, thought some of you might enjoy seeing his work.
http://www.morning-earth.org/index.html
Go to the Artist/naturist, when you get there click on his picture, some of his art will come up. But do not miss out on the others, and check out the page for kids as well, lots of good stuff on this site, and I think very inspiring.

Free Motion Quilting 365 days of the year?

2009-10-22T09:48:00.002-06:00

I wanted to share this blog address with all of you. I think you will find it fun to check in every now and then. Enjoy!
http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com

TAGY October Meeting

2009-10-21T14:31:00.004-06:00

Our October meeting was attended by several and I think enjoyed by all.

It is always a delight to see everyones show and tell . Several of our group are also Fast Friday Fabric Challenge members, so we had a few "outer space" art quilts as well as hand quilting 1sts and lace cone bags. We also had "tell" Kathy has a photo in a special exhibit in Houston this year "Eye of the Quilter". Kathy will also have a quilt in the Lark book, a book of art quilts.

Barbara Harrison did the program, she and Kathy let us "practice" needle felting on their embellishing machines. We all finished a small practice piece.

breath-taking quilts

2009-10-17T09:28:00.001-06:00

Click on http://blog.leniwiener.com/ to see some breath-taking quilts displayed at Houston this year. These are incredible.

Linda Mac

Having Fun at TAGY

2009-09-30T15:36:00.002-06:00

I am posting this photo late. Fun at a TAGY meeting earlier this year.

Pictures from the US Bank Show

2009-09-29T13:00:00.003-06:00

Yellowstone Quilt Fest

2009-09-14T16:20:00.008-06:00

Last week we all attended the Yellowstone Quilt Fest in Cody. Also, this TAGY group combined meetings with the Montana based Women of Artistic Vision (WAV) group. Jane Neale and Linda MacDonald gave the program which was Pioneer Dolls, made from old sheeting and scraps of lace, ribbons, etc.

Everyone had fun with the scraps and the impromtu dolls are shown.

Many of the members of both groups won prizes on their entries at the quilt show. Entries were too numerous to show here, but it was a record breaking quilt show and the Cody Auditorium was full to the brim with gorgeous quilts.

Photos from the August meeting of TAGY were not posted earlier so here are a couple. Marybeth is demonstrating her program as Jeanne looks on. We all tried metalwork with materials Marybeth provided.

Good News

2009-09-04T09:20:00.002-06:00

Oh... I forgot my good news, I was invited to be part of Fast Friday Fabric Challenge!

2009-09-04T09:11:00.002-06:00

Ok, I realize Yellowstone Quilt Fest is upon us, especially those of us that are working to get it going but I also believe that we should all be posting our work.

So here is "After the Fires" I really do not like this piece, it is not my vision at all. I have had it pinned to my design wall for months and it has not gotten any better. So, my plan is to try it again with a different background. It may not be the background that is not working. My thoughts are that it is the red tulle I put behind the trees. I quilted it and then burnt it back. I am now thinking that I might like it better if I burnt it back and then quilted it. What do you think?

TAGY Members Participation & FFFC

2009-08-27T09:52:00.008-06:00

The TAGY blog is for all members. You are encouraged to post here. Tell us what you are working on, upload a photo of your latest project, or share an interesting quilting article you have come across. Here is a photo of my latest small project for the Fast Friday Fabric Challenge(FFFC). More about this below.

On August 6th, an invitation was sent out to all TAGY members who have not yet posted to this blog. You must reply to the invitation to get your name in the system so that you can post to the blog. Sign in with your current gmail account. If you don't have a gmail account, you can make one. If you don't want a gmail account, still reply to the invitation, then use the TAGY Admin account that I set up. The password was emailed to you. Try posting once and you will find it is much easier the next time. Email me for help at lov2quilt@gmail.com.

More about the Fast Friday challenge. This monthly challenge will be open for new guests for 2 weeks in September. If you are interested in having your name submitted to become a member, let me or Kathy L know. To view the FFFC blog click here http://fastfridayquilts.blogspot.com/ It is lots of fun, and it has given me the push I needed to get more creative and to improve my quilting. Also, I was asked to be one of the hosts for the coming year, so it would be fun to have our TAGY members join the fun.

New Links Feature

2009-08-14T15:27:00.003-06:00

Scroll down to the Links section on the right side of the page. Add your favorite textile or quilt art related links. Also, we are now connected to the Studio Art Quilt Association (SAQA) web ring, which means you can link to our page from the SAQA Members page.

TAGY July Meeting

2009-08-07T18:18:00.002-06:00

This is from our July meeting, our program was using paintstiks. I think everyone had fun. They sure look like they are busy.

Posting to this blog

2009-08-06T09:13:00.001-06:00

At the last meeting, some members said they had trouble posting to this blog. I have resent the blog invitations to members who have not been active. Please try to post again. Thanks.

Topic of Discussion

2009-07-28T15:43:00.004-06:00

One of the things introduced at the last TAGY meeting was a discussion on matters related to our art. The question posed was one of the most basic: What is an art quilt? We went around the table, giving each person a couple minutes to speak if they so desired and then opened up the floor for discussion. I really felt it was time well spent and I hope we can continue to discuss a new topic each month.
Below is a summary of points expressed by TAGY members, grouped by similar sentiments. The statements below do not indicate agreement by all members, just that the points were brought up and discussed.

An art quilt is:

- Original design; not a traditional design; expression of an original idea; may be an original spin on a traditional idea

- Contains three layers; is held together with stitches; may have other qualities of traditional quilts such as binding, borders, sashing

- Is a personal statement; self expression; is an expression of personal thoughts

- Should elicit emotion in the viewer; should say something to the viewer; should communicate an identifiable idea to the viewer

- May be or not be art in the eye of the beholder

- Should incorporate the basic elements and principles of design

I hope that readers of the blog will feel free to contribute to the discussion through comments to this site. What is an art quilt to you?

Possible topics for discussion at future meetings:
- The value (or not) of working in a series
- How important is it to have an identifiable "style"?
- Do art quilts have a place at traditional quilt shows?
- Design vs technique - Is one more important than the other?

Please feel free to add suggestions to the list!

Yellow and/or Stone challenge

2009-07-17T20:28:00.002-06:00

In the SAQA Digest #2138 (8a), Loreen Leedy says the following:

"My mother, sister and I drove a couple of hours on Wednesday to the Vero Beach Museum of Art to see the Rooted in Tradition show, very worthwhile. In addition to the wonderful exhibit space, the clipboards with small samples of various techniques (couching, felting, etc.) added another dimension to the experience for those viewers unfamiliar with the various techniques."

What do you think of providing small samples of various techniques we use in our Yellow/Stone challenge for the YQF display? Comments requested.

Another pic of the show in Lovell

2009-06-25T16:38:00.000-06:00

Quilts from TAGY and WAV are in Lovell

2009-06-25T10:22:00.002-06:00

2009-06-16T17:51:00.003-06:00

Lovell guild has invited us to have a "art quilt" show. I have volunteered to put it together but I need your art quilts. Anything you have. Email me and I will arrange pick up. The show hangs on Wednesday, June 24th. I would need them at the latest on Tuesday the 23rd. They are waiving the entry fee for the art quilts from TAGY.

The show is an annual event with lots of traditional quilts, absolutely beautiful quilts and this is the 1st time for a showing of art quilts. Show is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the Armory and it is really worth the drive to Lovell to see it.
Jeanne

Inspiring quilts on-line

2009-06-13T09:50:00.006-06:00

I am so proud of my niece, Carol, and her amazing quilting, that I want to share it with you. See her quilts at: http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/quilt.php/quilts_id/1014352 . Copy and paste this line into the url at the top of your screen. I have invited Carol to join our website.

June 2009

2009-06-05T10:54:00.003-06:00

A few highlights of the meeting follow. Since there is no secretary, and I didn't take notes, please add to this with your own thoughts, and with things I forget to mention. This blog is meant to be interactive with everyone participating. The password was sent out by email. If you forgot the password, email me for it at lov2quilt@gmail.com.

Julie Owens gave the program on turning doodles into art. She brought a small quilt made by Carol Bryer Fallert and showed us a technique that Carol taught in her class. Carol's incredible website can be found at: http://www.bryerpatch.com.

Rebecca True showed a new quilting book she co-authored with Patricia Pepe called X-BLOCKS LAND. She told of promoting the book in Houston by wearing a tiara, aka "fairy godmother". Kathy L told about the Tiara Parade at the International Quilts Festival in Houston, and said to look for it on the web.

Jeanne Knudsen and Rebecca True showed their "Fibrations" entries. Photos of the quilts were due today. I brought my photos and entry info on a CD for Kathy, who is hosting Fibrations for SAQA.

There were other lovely items for show and tell, including a baby quilt, but I can't remember who showed what, so it is up to you to add info to this blog.

May 2009

2009-06-05T10:48:00.005-06:00

Jane Neale took notes and photos.
Present: Marybeth Richardson, Jane Neale, Julie Owens, Barbara Harrison, Carol Begeman, Rebecca True, Cyndy John-Thomas, Cheryl LaPay, Elizabeth Gould, Jeannette Brewster, Lili Turnell.

Lili gave the programs called "Think Outside the Box". Refer to "The Expanded Square" by Jane Dunnewold in QA June/July 2007 (p.55). Lili showed books of her grandfather's poems.

Show & Tell
Elizabeth Gould - "Chicken Little Going to Lunch - Original Fast Food"
Marybeth - Etsy beads & trim surprise packet
Cyney Thomas - felting sweater
Barbara - pincushion from QA magazine
Julie - "Tisket a Tasket What's in My Basket" quilt for fair challenge.

April 2009

2009-04-10T11:49:00.000-06:00

Show & Tell at our first meeting.

Kathy shows her pieced art-quilt.

Jeanne had several quilts to show with various techniques used.

Below: Jane holds up a photo of her church quilt she is making for the Powell Centennial celebration.

Lili used a layering method to create her piece.

Marybeth is holding up a work in progress. The background fabric was painted by a special needs group, and she is turning the painted fabric into art.

If you have a photo you would like to make into a quilt, you can enlarge it to poster size and print it out using the following free program: http://www.blockposters.com/

Scroll down to the 3 easy steps to: load your photo; size it; and print it.

It defaults to a large poster (4 pages across), so use the arrows and make it smaller, just 1 or 2 pages across. This is fun to play with. Use your printed image as your pattern for your art quilt.

Book

2009-04-09T13:11:00.000-06:00

At Monday's meeting I mentioned to several people that I was really enjoying reading Joshilyn Jackson's novel the girl who stopped swimming. The main character is an art quilter who is working her way through a new project as we work through the mystery. A little research told me that Ms Jackson is not a quilter herself but is a big fan of the art; in particular the work of Pamela Allen of Canada, who the author commissioned to make the quilt she describes in the book. Just for the record, the art quilt aspect is a very small part of the story and simply provides a way to round out the character of the protagonist.
Anyway, I want to report that I have finished the book and I thoroughly enjoyed the story all the way to the last page. I will be returning the copy I have to the Park County Library later today in case someone else wants to pick it up next time they are in Cody. If you are not familiar with the art work of Pamela Allen, I urge you to take a few minutes to look her up on-line. Her unique and enchanting style means her work is a delight to peruse.

2009-04-07T18:06:00.000-06:00

I am excited to see how we evolve and change. I know I have grown in this art so much being a member of WAV and I know that this group will be good for all of us. Remember, everyone is welcome, so if you know someone that might be interested do not hesitate to have them at our next meeting. Very special thank you to Linda Mac!! Looking wonderful!

April Meeting

2009-04-07T16:11:00.000-06:00

Textile Artists of Greater Yellowstone (TAGY) group's first meeting, April 6, 2009, at the Cody Library.

We chose our group name, established guidelines, and set up a calendar (see Dates to Remember) to the right of this page.

All members are encouraged to post to this blog.

More photos to be added soon. Linda Mac

The Beginning!

2009-04-07T10:56:00.000-06:00

I am so excited this idea has finally come to fruition! I look forward to seeing the creativity of all the members as we move forward. A special thank you to Linda MacD for setting up the blog!