Meetings on the 3rd Monday of the Month 6pm Family Life Center, N side

For guild pictures, go to https://claycenterpiotiquequilters.wordpress.com/ (copy and paste into your search area)

PROGRAM - Linda Wilson, fiber artist from Emporia

This months program was a double show.  The first up was Linda Wilson who does long arm quilting around Emporia.  She kept us in stitchs with stories she told on herself - like the time she thought she would be real smart and wash the batting first - oops - guess agitating isn't healthy as you can see by the picture below.

 Linda encouraged us to follow a few guidelines to get the maximum beauty out of our quilts. 
*When you take it to a longarmer - please be sure quilt backing as well as the front, are square and straight.
*Batting and backing should be at least 5" extra on all 4 sides.
*Remove all threads
*Salvages should be removed - as one of our members mentioned - there are so many projects now that use salvages, why waste them leaving them on your backing, besides which they shrink at a different percentage.
*Stabilize your outside edge, especially if no borders.  Whether you sew a scant 1/4" from the edge to make sure your piecing does not come undone, or you serge the edges - this makes your longarmers job easier.

*Embellishments are beautiful.  For your quilter - they are danger!  Wait untill your quilt is all quilted and then add on all the things that make it zing.

*Pressing - can make or break a prize winning quilt.  Linda showed us how to make sure that those areas that have several seams joining in one spot, can be flattened.  Pressing open is an option.  Linda likes the product Best Press also as it helps the quilt lay flat and neat without the added "gunk" that some some starches leave.

Linda finished her part of the program going over her way to put on a binding with steam a seam type products and how to join the ends of your binding.

For the second part of the program, Linda's sister Sue Holton and her friend Sandy Humphrey told about their experience of getting a book published.  They started with a Block of the Month at Prairie Pieces Quilt Shop in Emporia.  The idea of doing a block for history making women of Kansas was born sometime ago - but nothing came of it.  So Sandy pushed Sue into continuing with the idea and they started a BOM with Sandy doing the research.

Blocks were planned in EQ7, but trial and error accomplished the directions.  Sandy was teaching a block in the back of the shop, when Sue waited on a customer in the front.  The customer saw the finished example on the wall, asked about it and stated that the Kansas City Star would love to publish something like that - she knew they would as she was a biggie at the Star.  And before you knew it - "She Came From Kansas" was alive. 
 
The ladies could not bring any samples as they are at the publishers till the book is done.  But as you can see from one of the pictures shown above - this is going to be something to have.  They looked at the history of women in Kansas and came up with the first female dentist of Kansas (represented with a sawtooth block) and other influential women of our state that will be told about in the book along with directions to do the block that best represents them.
 
In June or July, be Asking for and Looking for book signings at quilt shops you visit.
 
"She Came From Kansas" 

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