SAQA

For 2 days in a row, I have been lucky to see so much beautiful work from my quilting friends...PTA yesterday and SAQA today. This group which is a regional chapter of international SAQA has grown from 4 people (for a long time) to around 16 today. Show and Tell has become more and more fun and inspiring.

Susan showed us a lovely table runner she has been working on...

 I'm always impressed by beautiful and precise pieced work; the 9 patch blocks are the real deal.

Lynn showed us a piece she is making as a gift for someone in Oregon...one of my favorite states. This so depicts this beautiful state and her choice of fabrics are wonderful. Lynn did a wonderful job of value placement also, making this such an interesting and lovely quilt.

Julie is working on a commissioned piece for a couple who want some family quilts completed. I have a few of those myself and it's quite an undertaking but also nice to have a piece of family history.

This is a floating frame which you can purchase at a store like Dick Blick. They come in standard sizes as well as several finishes. Over the years I've had my pieces framed using a floating frame; it was worth the expense. The profressional framer who did them was fabulous but it is an investment. I'm willing to give it a try and do it myself.

Shirley used a prestretched canvas in the same size, covered it with her quilted piece and then inserted it into the frame. It's a lovely way to present your work. I have a tutorial on my blog to show how to cover a canvas. Check out Mounting a quilted piece on canvas under tutorials on my blog.

Agatha has done a lovely job on this new quilt

along with such a pretty back.

Lynda showed us a beautiful scarf she made out of crepe du Chine silk. She used a finished "blank" edges already finished and ready to be painted or dyed. Dharma Trading Co or Thai silk carry blanks in all sizes along with the paint. 

Lynda went on to say that she doesn't dye fabric but is very comfortable using paints. She used Dye-na-Flow. In my teaching days, I used a lot of these paints in my workshops; they are so user friendly, easy to set (a hot iron for a few seconds), washfast, colorfast and good for all fabrics - synthetic and natural.

I also love this new piece - last one in a series of 4 depicting the seasons. Lynda once again painted fabrics to use on the top portion of this piece.

I love her piecing and use of color and value distribution. The pops of color are wonderful.

This is a piece that Kathy made from scraps...took her a day to make..Wow!

Mary made the piece on the left on dealing with Americana. It's made from photos printed from her computer...fun to study up close.  On the right is another piece by Kathy B. I wish I had a better picture to show the beautiful work that she has done. Gauze was used to create the waterfall. A layer of silk organza was used on top; it was printed and altered to make the underneath fabric base more mysterious.

Tricia created this beautiful pair of wall hangings. The pop of orange really works so well.