Challenges

Covid Challenge

Love in the time of Covid

Paddy and Mary would like to issue a challenge to VQG members. We would like you to make:

A small quilt (18″ X24″) … Maximum size … can be smaller … if you wish.
Depicting what you loved during this stressful time of COVID: It can represent: a person or people whom you got (were forced) to spend time with in 2020, OR a favourite activity you found you had time to pursue (such as finishing off some UFO), OR maybe taking up sour-dough bread making, OR jig-saw puzzles, OR some other activity you were able to do while going through the past year.
It must contain a plant, flower, fruit or vegetable or some form of vegetation from at least ONE of the following: (a) your home province, (b) a place where you spent a lot of fabulous time, OR (c) your homeland ( if you were not born in Canada).
Finished Challenge pieces will be shown at the Dec. 2nd, 2021 meeting either in-person or via Zoom.
Prize-winners names will be drawn that night.

Good luck and we are anxious to see what LOVE IN THE TIME OF COVID looks like for you.
— Paddy M. and Mary B.

Fabric Exchange & Stretched Star Challenge

Fabric Exchange:
Join our fabric exchange and use and share your batik fabrics. By sharing fabrics you’ll be able to make a scrappy quilt with lots of variety. The exchange will be an outdoor event where you can drop off, and at a second date pick up, an equivalent number of pieces. Please see the June 2021 newsletter for further details.

Stretched Star Quilt:
These instructions make a lap size quilt 49.5” x 58.5.

Use fabrics from your own stash and those you get from the VQG fabric exchange to make a “Stretched Star” Quilt from half snowball blocks as follow:

Cut the 2½” strips into 2 ½” squares (light neutrals).
For each block pick one of your 5” dark or medium batik squares and 2 of the 2 ½” lights.
On the wrong side of each of the 2 ½” squares mark a diagonal line in your preferred method. For example, you can finger press across the diagonal or press with an iron. Or you can mark a line with a pencil or a marker such as a Hera marker or fabric pen. Some of you will be confident enough to eyeball the diagonal line.
(Note: Often the right and wrong-sides of batiks are indistinguishable in which case you do not need to pay attention to which is the right and which is the wrong side. For those batiks that do have a discernible right side you will need to take care to put right sides together.)
Place these marked squares on opposite corners of the 5” square, wrong sides together, and sew on the line you have marked.
Trim ¼” away from the sewn line and press towards centre (darker fabric). Your light/dark fabric placement will be the opposite of this illustration:
Make 99 of these 5” unfinished blocks.
Quilt Assembly: Arrange the blocks 9 across, 11 down all facing the same direction. When you are happy with the layout sew the rows matching the intersections.
Border: Add 5” cut (4.5” finished) borders.

Variations:
These blocks can be set in an X’s and O’s pattern by arranging the blocks in alternating directions.

For more variations see: Missouri Star Quilt TripX’s and O’s Projects with Jenny Doan

April 24, 2021 – “One Colour Challenge” Workshop

The “One Colour Challenge” Workshop is being offered on April 24, 2021 from 10 – 12 am. This is a two hour workshop that is suitable for everyone. There is a $20 fee. See the April newsletter for registration and payment details. A link will be sent to you to join the workshop on Zoom prior to the date.

There is some minimal preparation for the workshop, the supply list will be sent to you after you have registered. — Janet M.

Cheryl Arkison Bio

Back when I started quilting it was practically unheard of for a 23 year old to do so, but there I was. Now, over 20 years later I haven’t stopped. In addition to my own creative work, I love to teach, write books, spread the gospel of improv, and design quilts. Every now and then I make a garment, my Grade 8 Home Ec Teacher would be proud.

When it comes to making, I am happy to make what inspires. I am well known for my use of bold colour and the quiet whispers of low volume fabrics but I will use anything in between as well. Use what you love, make what makes you happy. Just get your butt in the seat and sew.

In the past decade I’ve published three books: Sunday Morning Quilts (co-authored with Amanda Jean Nyberg), A Month of Sundays, and You Inspire Me to Quilt. I’ve also travelled the world to teach quilting. In between I am raising 3 active kids and running a business with my husband. Sometimes, I sleep.
http://www.cherylarkison.com/

Works in Progress 2020 Program

Open those bins, go through those piles, and search your closets.
Pull out all of your unfinished works.
Either donate them to the free table, or join us for the 2020 WIP Program which is now underway.

You must show your completed item(s) at a Show and Tell during the year (2020) to be eligible for the draw in December. Full details are in the February newsletter.

Loretta R.

2019/20 Charity Quilt Challenge

OUR SEVENTH ANNUAL! Wow … this is lucky number seven! The rules are same as before, with one addition – The PANEL CHALLENGE COMPONENT. This does NOT mean that you have to use a panel – it just adds a bit more variety and challenges our creativity. As before, all VQG MEMBERS are invited to participate in this Challenge – Regular portion or Panel portion. The purpose of the Challenge is two-fold: (1) to encourage our members to make a quilt for Charity, and (2) to have fun while doing just that. Each Charity quilt shown at a VQG meeting entitles its maker to a ticket for some prizes which will be drawn at the June 2020 meeting. Here are the rules:

Your Charity quilt must be completed and turned in by the June 2020 meeting – so please plan to bring your quilt to that meeting.
Give your name and number of Charity quilts you have completed and pick up ticket(s) for the draw from our “tally counter”.
YES, Charity quilts shown and already turned in at an earlier VQG meeting are eligible for the draw – again just give the info to our “tally counter”.
SIZE: YOU DETERMINE THE SIZE AND TYPE OF QUILT YOU WISH TO MAKE: BABY; CRIB; TEEN; ADULT; SENIOR; WHEELCHAIR; LAP or any other size/type.
Your Charity quilt will be distributed to various organizations, some of which in the past have included: Quilts of Valor; Sunny Hill Hospital; Wilson Heights United Church; Central City Lodge; Atira House (women’s shelter); Children’s Hospital ICU & Oncology; ST. Paul’s Neo-natal Unit; Union Gospel Mission men’s quarters; Brock Farnhi (Veteran’s unit) Hospital; Ronald McDonald and Union Gospel Mission Sanctuary (new mothers & babies).
If you wish to have your quilt go to a specific location … no problem … JUST SAFETY-PIN A NOTE TO YOUR QUILT STATING JUST THAT. We will see that it gets to where you want it to go.

As I have stated with each one of the last six Challenges: All of us, who have made a quilt to be passed on to a stranger-in-need, knows the special feeling of joy you have when you make a quilt for someone you will probably never meet. However, you know that you have touched their lives, and you know that you have done a really nice thing.

Mary B.

2018 Quilt Show Challenge – Singin’ (and Quiltin’) in the Rain

I usually have a song playing in my head as I go about my day. Right now as I write this in late November, the song is Singing in the Rain. (I wish it was Blue Skies Smilin’ At Me). Some members of my family love the rain and call themselves children of the rain forest. I just want to go back to bed and pull a quilt over my head. Oh well, it’s Vancouver where we say “at least we don’t have to shovel it” and “we don’t tan, we rust!”. Our Guild challenge for 2018 is our Quilt Show Challenge and it’s about rain.

SINGIN’ (AND QUILTIN’) IN THE RAIN: Choose a song about rain. It must have the word “rain” (or rainy, raining, etc.) in the title. I found 205 songs about rain on my computer in 5 minutes. (Here’s a list of just a few.) Even if we all did Purple Rain, each of us would make an original and interesting piece. Make a small quilt that represents your interpretation of the song or just the title. The outside perimeter or circumference cannot exceed 120” but it can be any shape. You must use at least one embellishment and the colour yellow has to appear somewhere on your piece. We need that glimmer of bright colour to brighten up the dark days.

Andrea G.