Friday, May 23, 2014

MAY, 2014



The earth is waking up slowly from its long winter of rest. Meanwhile, the Pueblo West Quilters have been active. Very active. Mari Pretzer’s Mystery Quilt Retreat produced over two dozen quilts in all stages of development. Check out the Sew N Share pictures for a limited group showing. Can you believe all the variations of the pattern?

Have you been reading the Minutes? Helen’s been challenging us monthly to read them by giving away a $100,000 bar. That’s right, a 100 Grand candy bar! Only one winner/month so read the minutes and the treasurer’s reports to keep yourself informed. CKQ whispered to me that she’s going to win next month. We’ll see…

CKQ thinks this is the year of the challenges. What do you think? I think this is the year of fun, fun, FUN!!!

Did you love the Relay for Life quilt? Or the Alzheimer’s quilts? Check them out in the pix. If you’re wanting to participate for a chance to win the Relay for Life quilt, get your tickets before  the midnight drawing on May 31st. Email pwquiltersguild@gmail.com for information.

(Warning: Time for a shower cause CKQ is on a soap-box… or is it time for an hour of unwinding in front of the TV?) Pueblo West Quilters are not just quilters. We’re active members of this community and beyond. Our quilt-making skills produce quilts for those in need, for comfort and love. Our quilts raise monies to further research and awareness. The quilts help pay salaries for the scientists and doctors who are tracking down and eradicating those atrocious cells. It’s not that all bad cells are bad, it’s that they carry a multiplying device in them that causes them to reproduce exponentially, crowding and suffocating the good cells. There’s a Great War going inside our bodies and we’re fighting until we win. Quilts have been a voice for millions of women throughout time and there’s plenty of Cactus Kilter Quilters in the Pueblo West Quilters Guild who aren’t afraid of raising up their needles. (This soap-box was brought to you by the ACME anvil company. Beep. Beep.)

May’s Program was “Gag, Gasp, Guffaw” quilt show where members brought their ugliest quilt or their first quilt to showcase how far we’ve come since those beginning learning curves. Let’s just say that the evening was sooo inspirational that the CKQ photographer was overwhelmed and stood in awe, several times before she realized photos were not taken. A case of you had to be there.
Giggles, gasps, and Oh Mys! echoed the room as CKQs pulled out their shades to hide their shocked, frozen faces.

In some cases, eyeballs were falling out of their sockets and bouncing out the door while the lips were hopping after them exclaiming, “My eyes! My eyes!”
Prizes? Oh yeah, a bunch of them. Gems one and all. But the truly amazing quilts received ribbons.
Best in Show: Lisa Mollenhauer’s ladies are sedately gliding over her quilt.
Ugly Winner: Donna Ford-Ferrell’s mauves and mint green quilt is presiding on her bed today.
Nice Try: Helen Cherry’s black and white quilt is twisting in knots. (Psst! Some of them are unravelling.)

The Block of the Month is the Four Patch Slice. 10.5” x 10.5” unfinished scrappy block. Four 5” squares and one 3” x 15” white or white-on-white strip. (Hint: at least 15”.)
http://www.inspiringcreationsblog.com/2013/11/4-patch-slice-free-quilt-pattern-and.html  Yes, PWQ did this block in the past but by popular demand, it’s back so whip up a few scrappy blocks for your chance to take home a quilt-in-the-making.

Becky Panariso gave us the last set of instructions for PWQ’s 2014 Mystery Quilt Challenge.
Take the large triangle rectangle and lay them at ninety degrees, creating a rotating pinwheel effect with the large triangles. Take two rectangle of Large Contrast Color 1 and lay them on opposite sides/diagonals of the whirling flying geese. Repeat with of Large Contrast Color 2. Sew rectangles together to create a large block.
Repeat these steps for the final blocks exactly. When you assemble your top, a secondary whirlwind pattern will be formed from the Large Contrast Color rectangles. See the photos at https://www.facebook.com/pueblowest.quilters?fref=ts or https://pueblowestquiltersguild.shutterfly.com/ for Becky’s examples. Make identical blocks to avoid the Vomit Comet Syndrome. Just saying…

Now, we’re all alone.
Alone to figure out which direction the blocks need to rotate.
Alone to select the borders.
Alone.
Alone.
Alone.
How are we ever going to take out the mystery and create quilts by November’s meeting? How?

Hah! Quilters are never alone! We talk to each other. We share our problems until viable solutions appear for the quilter.
Mystery? That’s history.
You need feedback or a sounding board? Cactus Kilter Quilters to the rescue. CKQs are always ready to help. You might be the CKQ another quilter needs so step up and help. You might be the CKQ in need of help, so step up and shout out your troubles. Together we’ll nibble away that daunting elephant quilt and stitch by stitch we’ll have a fabulous showing in November.
You saw what happened with Mari’s Mystery Quilts at the meeting. Imagine what’s going to happen over the next six months! CKQ can see it now … the place is packed. Grumblings because the Board needs to keep the members informed: 2015 Board announced, Holiday party final details, End-of-the-Year wrap-ups, etc… It’s got to be done. Sew N Share, drawings, final LUV quilts and pillowcases tallied to bring the count up, … Oh my. Will we ever get to the program?
And then it happens. The 2014 Pueblo West Quilters’ Quilt Challenge Program.
Quilt after quilt after quilt is shown and talked about. Oh the glorious colors!
“Did you see how she set those blocks together?”
“I would have never thought of that.”

“I should have brought my camera.”
 “Don’t you have one on your phone?”
“Crap. I forgot. I really need to learn how to use it.”

“Ohhhhh.” and “Ahhhhh.”
Applauses and encores.

Yep. It’s going to be … wait for it… legendary.
Whipping the Binding into Place & Labelling it done,
Cactus Kilter Quilter