President
Jan Hackett
Queen Creek
Treasurer
Deb Scott
Sierra Vista
Secretary
Shirley Fogle
Hereford
Mary Lucille
Chandler
Jan Pederson
Globe
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Our Organizational Friends
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Arizona Quilt Study Group
Arizona Quilters Guild
CJ Quilts
Country Register
Gail Van Horsen
Hummingbird Stitchers Quilt Guild
Imma Quilter
Barbara Polston
Rim Country Quilt Roundup
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FEB 1-28
Tombstone Quilt Show
at the Tombstone Art Gallery
Mar 4-5
Hummingbird Stitchers Quilt Show at Buena HS, Sierra Vista
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Special Note: This is our first publication since September 2016 due to our editor's left wrist surgery and right elbow fracture! Typing and quilting are coming back slowly!
Please help us expand our readership by sharing with your quilting friends. Just click "Forward e-mail" at the bottom of the page!
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We are excited to welcome 2017 and celebrate The Arizona Quilters Hall of Fame 10th Anniversary! We hope all our Friends will help us celebrate with some great special events across the state. Watch for announcements in the coming months.
January means it is time to call for the 2017 Arizona Quilters Hall of Fame Nominations.
The 2017 forms are posted on our website.
Here are some important dates to remember:
May 4, 2017 - all nominations are due, either by mail or email.
May 15, 2017 - Ballots will be mailed to Friends
June 5, 2017 - Marked ballots must be returned
June 20, 2017 - 2017 Inductees will be announced
September 24, 2017 -The 2017 Arizona Quilters Hall of Fame Induction Luncheon will be held in Phoenix (Location will be announced at a later time.)
We encourage you to put on your memory hats and think about the people in your guild, in your community, and in Arizona, who have influenced your quilting. Perhaps it is a great teacher or an organizer. Maybe it is someone that has gained national recognition for their work. Maybe you know someone that has created or contributed lots of time, talents and energy towards any great quilting program such as Quilts of Valor, Quilts for a Cause, the Arizona Quilt Documentation Project, or any number of wonderful and worthy causes. We know there are special individuals throughout Arizona who deserve this recognition, but it is up to each of you to provide the nomination.
Remember that anyone can nominate, including the nominee, but you must be a FRIEND of the Arizona Quilters Hall of Fame, as of June 1, 2017 in order to vote for the nominees.
If you have any questions about the nomination process contact us at
[email protected]
. We will be happy to help you.
We wish everyone a wonderful New Year and look forward to celebrating this special year for the Hall of Fame.
Happy Quilting! Jan
Thanks to the 2016 AZQHOF Board (Standing, Ruth Martin, Beverley Shinkle, Deb Scott, Mary Lucille; seated, Pam Green, Shirley Fogle, Jan Hackett). This is the 2017 AZQHOF Opportunity Quilt!
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2016 AZQHOF Induction Highlights
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<<<Quilt Shop Spotlight will return in our next issue>>>
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Featured Quilter ~~
JoAnn Taylor Rice
from an interview with Pam Green
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Quilters all have one thing in common and that is their passion for quilting. JoAnn Taylor Rice is no exception to the rule. JoAnn started sewing at age 5 but had never made a quilt until she retired in 2011. She decided to take a class to explore quilting as a possible hobby. The first class she took was a free motion quilting class which began a wonderful journey.
"I love making all kinds of quilts because of the creative process. I especially enjoy designing pieced quilts using my EQ7 software. But I also love art quilts as a form of artistic expression. My undergraduate degree was in Textiles but my professional career included working in the computer and software industry for several decades.
Having the chance to become a quilter in retirement has made me so grateful to both of my grandmothers and my mother for inspiring me to develop my sewing skills. I was designing clothing in my teens and never lost my appreciation for textiles and surface embellishment. Quilting is the ultimate destination on my sewing journey. There is always something new to learn. Plus through my teaching, I enjoy inspiring other quilters. The teaching process is so much fun because the quilting community is comprised of the nicest people in the world."
Dense feather quilting & Feathered Star motif using machine embroidery
JoAnn is a member of Delightful Quilters and is also a traveling teacher for the Arizona Quilt Guils (AQG). She is always making charity quilts and does beautiful machine embroidery on many of her projects. In 2014, DQ made her Quilter of the Year for their chapter. JoAnn said "That was such an amazing and unexpected honor. I was on Cloud Nine for weeks."
ing.
Sample of quilt with machine embroidered blocks
While we were chatting, JoAnn told me an interesting story about a Japanese textile artist whose exhibit she saw in Washington D.C. during 1995-96. "The artist was
Itchiku Kubota. He spent 25 years making a series of over 40 landscape kimonos representing the four seasons of the year. The artist had a vision of recreating a complex decorative technique that he had seen in a museum at age 20. He was 60 years old before he was able to achieve the results he wanted through a complex process of using dyes, resists and hand painting to produce silk fabric that he would then sew and embellish to construct a series of kimonos that take the viewer through the subtle color changes of the Japanese landscape through the seasons. The exhibit was so magnificent and was the first time the Smithsonian exhibited the work of a living artist. Kubota died in 2003 before he was able to complete all 80 of his planned kimonos. However, his son and daughter are committed to continuing his art. There are probably only a few textile exhibits that have had such a profound effect on me. It is hard to imagine spending 25 years working on a project but the results he achieved were worth it."
Raw Edge Applique and top stitching on gingko leaves plus trapunto
When asked about her goals, she responded "I just want to quilt forever. There has to be a quilting Heaven since that is where I want to go & expect to meet Itchiku Kubota. Meanwhile, I want to enjoy every single day knowing that I am part of the quilting community in Arizona.
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Arizona Quilt Documentation Project
from Lenna DeMarco
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Catching Up with the Tucson QDP Activities!
OCTOBER ----
At the October documentation meeting, the team welcomed guests from Globe, Jan Pederson and Maria Melendez. Peggy and Sue reviewed highlights from the recent American Quilt Study Seminar in Tempe. Attendees were highly pleased with the seminar offerings and site. Peggy did a poster session on the Migrant Quilt Project and was involved in curating a number of exhibits. Sue was responsible for a Quilt Turning that included eight different turnings as well as Sue's collection of toy sewing machines. Sue also told the team about a special Goldie Tracy Richmond quilt exhibit currently showing at the Arizona History Museum. (This display ended on November 5th)
Continuing education, presented by Sue, was the color orange. Did you know 36,000 years ago, the oldest known natural dyed fibers, in the Georgia Republic date to this time? Also, in 1817, John Mercer discovered antimony orange dye and lastly, in the 1920s, a colorfast dye was discovered. If you are an orange lover, you likely are an extrovert.
 
Stars all Around-Jan Pederson
Floppy Eared Rabbits
Quilts documented include the following: (1) The 2017 Arizona Quilters' Hall of Fame raffle quilt, Comfort and Joy, (shown above) designed by Jean Biddick, quilted by Suzanne Irving, and bound by Sally Hatfield; (2) Stars all Around by guest, Jan Pederson; (3) Chili Daze by Kate Clark; (4) For Use on Chili Nights by Kate Clark; (5) Mod Chain by Peggy Hazard; (6) Aloha! by Peggy Hazard; (7) Floppy Eared Rabbits (above); a vintage quilt owned by Sue Franklin.
Kate Clark's Chili Daze and Chili Nights
Peggy Hazard's Mod Chains and Aloha!
At the DECEMBER documentation meeting, the team welcomed Shellie Whitman to the team. Shellie recently moved to Tucson from Payson where she had been involved with quilt documentation.
Bea Kabler and Linda Laird presented the continuing education for the team. They reviewed a recent workshop they attended at the International Quilt Study and Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. They learned about the Turkey red process (it isn't a color); also that the Museum's holdings include 5000 quilts, many from other countries. They had more information to share than time allowed so Linda programmed it and placed it on the computer. Now each team member can access it for a limited time. They also were fortunate in getting a behind the scenes tour of the facility. In addition, Bea shared information on Mountain Mist.
Bea Kable and her Blue Redwork
Quilts documented include the following: Bea shared a delightful quilt that she titled Blue Redwork. As you might expect, the quilt was comprised of varied whimsical blocks, beautifully embroidered in blue. Another quilt that provided a bit of nostalgia was Linda's Parasol Girl quilt. This kit quilt, began in 1991, was finished in 2005. How many of us can identify with that? I can. Now it will be a lovely wedding gift for Linda's granddaughter.
Victory Star Laced with Churn Dash, belongs to Sue Franklin. This quilt, too, was accomplished over a period of several years. But for Sue, the end result was worth it. She got a first place ribbon in Quilt Fiesta when it was shown.
 
Terry brought one of her collector quilts, a circa 1950 blue and white Drunkard's Path. That is a timeless favorite. The final quilt documented was a small Dresden Plate wall hanging made by Sue for a quilt club challenge a number of years ago. After the large size of her previous quilt, the team was pleased to see this one.
Could your New Year's Resolution be to Join QDP???!!!
Anyone is welcome to visit! We love guests. For questions about either quilt documentation or joining the team, please either call or email Tucson liaisons Sue Franklin, (520.490.4721;
[email protected]
) or Terry Gryzb-Wysocki, (520.749.9326;
[email protected]
). New members are welcome. Monthly training sessions are held from 9:30 until 12:30 at the Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center on Ruthrauff Road.
Information about quilt documentation teams throughout Arizona may be obtained from Lynn Miller at either 480.632.2819 or [email protected]. Lynn also needs people familiar with the computer to aid her with data entry for the Quilt Index. Lynn does distance training which takes about two hours.
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History Corner
by Lenna deMarco
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MOURNING PRINTS
Myths and stories abound in the quilt world about where a pattern or fabric got its name or why a certain construction technique is referred to by a certain term. Like the telephone game we played as children information gets confused and mixed up as it travels from one person or generation to the next. In some cases 19th century quilters wouldn't have the slightest idea what we in the 21st century are talking about and vice versa. Such is the case with the black and white prints we often refer to as "mourning prints".
The story goes that the melancholy label came about as a response by English and American women to show sympathy with Queen Victoria for the loss of her husband, Prince Albert. The women chose, as Victoria had, to wear black or black figured prints. It's a lovely tale but unfortunately not quite accurate. Prince Albert died in 1861 and "mourning prints" didn't show up until the 1890s, a full 30 years later! Additionally, though some women may have worn black out of sympathy for Queen Victoria, the vast majority did not. And a good thing, too, as everyone would have been, like the good queen, swathed in black until her death in 1901.
These black prints consist basically of a white ground with black lines or tiny black prints spaced so closely that the fabric appears to be gray or nearly black. Sometimes the ground is gray with a black print. These prints were part of a popular palette for quilts from circa 1890-1925.
One of the most recognizable color combinations it is made up of clarets, reds, white shirtings, indigos, cadet blue and "mourning prints". These were all sturdy, durable colors that wore well for both clothing, décor and quilts. The black prints were known by several names and it wasn't until catalogs like Sears, Montgomery Ward and Marshall Field referred to them as Mourning Prints that the term actually comes into use. In the mid 20th century quilt historian Florence Peto identifies them as "Shaker Grays" in spite of the fact that there is no evidence that the Shakers actually wore them.
The American Printing Company mill catalog calls them "Silver Grays". Today we use the convenient, if inaccurate, term "mourning print" - just so we're all on the same page! Whatever you choose to call these dark gems, they are a good clue that you are looking at a quilt that was made post 1890.
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Ask Luce Bobbins!
(Miss Stitcher has retired and Luce has her Own Column!)
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Dear Luce,
Who are the "quilt police"? Seriously, I've heard more than a few of my quilty friends mention this group, mostly in whispered tones. They're kidding, aren't they? Penny
Dear Penny,
Ah, me. There's been much written of late about this group, much of it on social media. Briefly, the "quilt police" refers to those quilters who disparage the work of other quilters, criticizing anything from technique to color selection to subject matter and everything in between. Mary Fons has a particularly great essay on exactly this topic on quiltsinc.com/thequiltscout/the-quilt-scout entitled Die, Quilt Police.
Give it a read, Penny, and then next time you hear someone bring them up, just roll your eyes and smile.
All the best,
Luce Bobbins
Dearest Quilters and Sewists,
Holiday crunch time is behind us. (Yes, I can hear the collective sighs of relief!) Sewing machine pedal to the metal, long days and longer nights a-flurry with batting, binding and batiks are so last year.
For many, the holidays seem to sneak up on us and we had oodles of projects and very little time left to complete them all. Yes, there were among us super-achievers who fondled their completed lap quilts, Christmas stockings, table runners and toppers and other gifts of thread and needle - this obviously does not apply to you.
Sew, for the rest of us, what are we to do? Well, brothers and sisters of needle, cloth and bobbin, take a deep breath. Maybe have a cup of tea, a latte with your fav Millennial or a glass of wine. Get out into the cooler temps and sunshine and refresh your spirit. "But no!" you say. "I have too much to do!" Let's be real - we all tend to have too much to do. But a mind full of cobwebs and a low spirit conspire against you. Be good to yourself.
Then prioritize! Give yourself permission to do a few things well. Review what's left and ask yourself if each feeds your soul, gives you joy or is just a lot of fun. Eliminate those that don't meet these criteria.
"Yeah, but..." Sorry, no "yabutts" allowed after the holidays. Surround yourself with those you love. Spend time with friends who share your passion. Be gentle with yourself. And, enjoy the post-holiday lull.
Wishing you peace, blessings and a wonderful, wonder-filled new year,
Luce Bobbins
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