February Meeting

February 12
Arlene Arnold
The Journey –Kentucky to California 1864
In 1864, Lucretia Epperson, Arlene’s great, great grand-mother embarked on
a journey of a lifetime with her husband and son to California in their covered
wagon. Hear excerpts from Lucretia’s diary while seeing quilts made from
1820 to 1870 which illustrates her words. Arlene’s first exposure to showing her
antique quilts was a Civil War reenactment held in her hometown of
Colusa. She did a bed turning of 30 quilts for 900 school children the first
day and the following two days were spent showing the quilts to the pubic
along with watching the battles fought not 50 feet from her tent!
Arlene is the owner of Heritage Oaks Quilts in Colusa and specializes in antique and heritage quilts. She lectures on antique quilts and has developed
patterns based on them, so it’s sure to be a fascinating evening.

Julia Fikse has 25 years of experience in the textile industry as a designer,
garment maker, textile creator, graphic artist, entrepreneur, clothing and accessory manufacturer, and business leader. Julia has a B.S. Degree in Design from the University of California at Davis, with a minor in Textiles and Clothing. She has trained and worked as a trend forecaster, designer, colorist and dye coordinator at Levi Strauss and Co., Gymboree, and Adidas. She has owned and operated her own clothing company for over 14 years.
Julia is an AQS Certified quilt appraiser based in Los Angeles, and currently holds memberships in a variety of quilt-related organizations including American Quilter Society, Modern Quilt
Guild, Valley Modern Quilters, San Fernando Valley Quilter’s Association,
PAAQT and American Quilter’s Society. Her January presentation will be “Quilt Appraisal, Repair & Trunk Show” This one hour interactive, fun, and informative lecture will teach you the
value of appraisals and answer the question, “Should I get my quilt appraised?” Included in this lecture is information about how to care for and repair quilts. Then, enjoy looking at quilts through the ages with Julia’s collection of quilts from 1860 to the present with an interactive discussion about fabric dating, condition and caring for your quilt and the historical significance of quilting past and present.

Come to the January meeting early (6:40). Julia will be doing a bed-turning of some quilts brought in by our members. You can be right there as she analyzes quilts and talks about what an appraiser specifically looks at when she/he evaluates the value of a quilt.
These will not be formal, i.e. paid-for, appraisals. You will be able to ask questions as you and Julia get up-close-and-personal with each quilt. Time is limited, so call Lynn Slosson if you want to bring a quilt for the bed-turning.

Holiday Party
For those who are new to us this year, each December we celebrate with friends old and new. We get together for a pot-luck dinner with the alphabet
dividing us into food groups. A round white tablecloth will be provided for
each table. Typically, small social groups (also known as mini-groups) will
decorate their table for fine dining and provide a centerpiece to be raffled off to
some lucky winner. Some examples of centerpieces that have been donated in the past:
Wine baskets, sewing baskets, cooking making, Movie / Game night, entire
quilts, Christmas trees with handmade ornaments, Fabric & gift certificates,
Spa packages, Italian Night, etc. Barbara Jones is making/donating a
a centerpiece for those currently not participating in a social group. If you
wish to contact her for information or to be included, please find her number
and email in our roster. What to remember:
We begin at 6:30
Your pot-luck dish
Non-perishable food to be donated to

Care & Share
Toys, clothing, toiletries, etc. to be
donated to local charities
We accept Credit Cards, Checks, Cash

As an avid sewer all her life, Linda has taken her
skills from dressmaking to creating and teaching wonderful traditional quilt patterns using today’s faster techniques and tools. She believes there’s always something for everyone when it comes to quilting, and that quilters have a strong bond unlike anything else. Linda was a quilt shop owner in Redding, closing the shop after six years and pursuing teaching throughout the world both on land and sea. Linda is known for self-publishing her patterns and for her quilting retreats. She has been featured in a variety of quilting magazines over the years with her quilts, her patterns, and as ‘ad’ quilts for a specific line of fabrics. She’s also had the privilege of being on Simply Quilts for two different seasons. Linda writes about her talk: “People ask me ‘what do I look for when I’m writing a new quilt pattern’? ‘How do I know what components to make’? ‘Can I make it easier than what my eye sees’? This program will show you how I look at quilts, what I can do to simplify the construction, and what techniques can I share with my quilters. The audience is encouraged to participate throughout the program while I’m sharing quilts both on-screen and in person. When you see what I have to share, you’ll see why people think some of my quilts are hard when in fact they’re pretty darn easy. Come prepared to
Discover the Possibilities!”

October Program
Our program this month will be in two parts – sad and happy. We will spend a
bit of time remembering Mary Brewer. Please bring quilts made in her classes to show as you share how much she meant as a teacher and friend for so many years.

Then the quilters’ version of Bingo co-created and led by our own Laurie Maas.
How would you like to have a jellyroll or a layer cake? How about some charm square packs? Nobody can have too many seam rippers or needle threaders!
These are just a few of the items you could win playing Quilt-O!
Cost to purchase a Quilt-O card is one fat quarter of quilt-quality Halloween themed fabric or color (orange, black, purple). Bring two fat quarters to purchase two cards. October is free guest month, so bring a friend and prepare to have a fun evening. Quilts ’n Force will have some Fat quarters for $2 each if you are fresh out of Halloween fabrics.

Having begun her art path painting oils, then watercolors,
Patt’s quilting art focuses largely on life images,
especially the simple ones. She says … the ones with heartwarming or powerful messages. Most of Patt’s work includes a being with a heartbeat. She says, “It seems to give life to the work.” This lecture includes slides and samples of Patt’s pathway into art quilting. Patt
addresses the application of traditional art media into quilting, new materials
developed for quilting, tips, and examples of machine quilting
techniques that support the message in the quilt top, and finally, some ways to
finish and hang quilts intended for wall display.

Valley Quiltmakers Guild (SF Valley day guild) is having Patt give her “Mixed
Media” workshop on Friday, September 13 at 9:00 am in Northridge. Enrollment can be done online through their website: valleyquiltmakersguild.com.

Latifah says, ”Everyone has their own unique style of designing. Most
Quilters fall within several popular design styles and design processes. Learn about these and how to start to ask the right questions, so you can identify and streamline your own personal design style. Then as a group, we’ll use what we’ve learned and design a quilt together.” Latifah Saafir is known for her bold and innovative modern quilts. Combining her training as an engineer with her lifelong passion for sewing, Latifah creates designs
that are graphic and contemporary, featuring challenging techniques
with meticulous attention to detail. A co-founder of both the Los Angeles
Modern Quilt Guild and the worldwide Modern Quilt Guild,
Latifah currently teaches workshops to guilds around the country.
Visit her website at:
https://www.latifahsaafirstudios.com

Challenge Reveal!!!

The quilt theme is a Day at the Beach~
Are you ready???
The Quilt Challenge reveal is at the May Guild meeting!!
I can’t wait to see all the entries!!

See you in May!

About her presentation, Quilters’ Magic Show – Lots of Tricks for Better Quilts, Helen says: Is perfect patchwork an illusion? Add these techniques for precise cutting, easier matching, and efficient pressing to your bag of tricks. Learn the secret behind ripple-free borders and great bindings. Get terrific ideas for improving your quilt and enjoy some magic tricks, too!
Helen Frost began quilting in 1972 and started teaching in 1974. She and her mother, Blanche Young, developed new, strip-pieced methods for making traditional designs including the Lone Star, Sunshine & Shadow, and Nine- Patch. Helen is the co-author of eleven books including Grand Endeavors: Vintage Arizona Quilts and Their Makers, the Arizona state quilt project publication. She has taught at guilds and conferences across the country and in Europe. Helen was inducted into the Arizona Quilter’s Hall of Fame in 2009. She continues to explore her favorite quilt designs and cannot begin to count how many Lone Star and Nine-Patch quilts
she has made!

Helen and her husband live in Tucson, Arizona and are the parents of four
grown children.