GVQC 2009 Fall Migration

To the left are the two "market bags" that I made during the day. I was hoping to get at least one more done. The bags are fun and I tried two different ways of putting them together and decided to go with the way that the authors intended! The "fabric" for the two totes was originally a quilt top made from all my discarded pieces of hand painted fabric from my early efforts. I cut them all up and made a lovely quilt top which was about the right size for a baby quilt -- but who wants a baby quilt made from hand painted fabrics that are a little rough and won't like to be washed and dried a million times. I held onto them for probably 8 years, decided I would use in a jacket and then discarded that idea because I just don't wear those colors! So, they are now very practical totes! This is a really nice pattern called "Market Bag" put out by Country Quilter. It is just the right size for going to the market. I am going to make some out of denim in hopes that the kids will use them. These two bags are lined with commercial fabrics (the pockets on the outside are also that fabric) and interfaced with a very heavy fusible interfacing but I may try a single layer of fabric only for "foldup-ability".

Once a year, Roz Smith and Janet Root have planned and hosted this Fall Migration day at a local party house where we just sew and hopefully meet a few new people. It has become so popular that last year they went to two separate days and this year as well. The second day this year was not as heavily attended so we will probably go back to one day again next year but let's hope not!

This was the pattern choice for this sewing day. It was a block originally designed by Katie Pasquini-Masopaust. It is called "Dancing Log Cabins". Katie gave Janet permission to use the pattern (afterall, Janet has a quilt in one of Katie's books!).


Part of the fun of the day is the custom of taking an object and passing it around the room. Each time you pass it, you pass it to a person you don't know or don't know well, you tell a little about yourself and find out a little more about the other person. This is Marcia Birken who just joined the club last May. She was very interesting and was doing a lovely log cabin. I found out that she had been a professor of math at RIT and was extremely interested in pattern in nature and that is how she came to quilting. Her first love was photography and now runs a small business marketing her nature photos which are awesome. Here is her website: http://www.mbirken.com/.

This is Laureen and Sue, a mother and daughter "team" who I met as part of the "get to know you activity". They are both relatively new members of the club as well. Laureen does environmental consulting when not quilting!

This is Betty Bufano's completed block for show! Can't wait to see the completed quilt!