MVQU meets Tuesdays at 12:30pm in Hollin Hall Senior Center, 1500 Shenandoah Road, Alexandria, VA 22308. For more information click here.
MOUNT VERNON CHAPTER OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE-2011-2012
Co-Presidents— Ruth Morgan and Ro Coller
Vice President/Programs— Carol Kunkel
Secretary— Jim Melton
Treasurer—Mary Mazzuchi
Nominating Chair— Libby Dudley
Newsletter—Mary Downey
Co-Presidents' Message
Hi, Quilters, Wow! October just flew by. We had our business meeting with a wonderful show and tell. What imagination our members have. The summer challenges were great--and they will be hanging at the Quilt Show in June along with the upcoming "favorite holiday" challenges. Everyone will be able to see the talent Mt. Vernon contains. The regular show and tell was a real inspiration. It's one of the reasons I love coming to the business meetings. Five of us went to the big QU Fall Event--Susan Carlson's trunk show/lecture at NOVA's Ernst Cultural Center on Saturday evening, October 15. We served the refreshments and a good time was had by all. Bethany Reynolds came to Mt. Vernon on Tuesday, October 25 and gave a trunk show and lecture depicting her quilt journey as a quilter, teacher and author. I have it on good authority that the workshop on Wednesday was lots of fun. Thanks, Carol, for filling the workshop, and thanks to Gigi Corbin and Lynn Eccleston for signing up this national speaker for us a year in advance. We have all seen some of the Auction items. Andrea has been teasing us with glimpses of some of the items that will be available on Tuesday, November 1. We hope this major fund raiser will be a big success. Make time to come and support Mt. Vernon. Thanks to all who contributed already and thanks in advance to all who will come and contribute by participating in the live auction, the silent auction, the chance auction, the buy-it-now table, the white elephant table and the bake table. We have so many great items and Christmas is just around the corner....not to scare anybody, but time does seem to just disappear when you are not looking. See you on November 1--remember, we are serving lunch, so come, eat, shop and bid.----- Ro
Vice-President's Message
We started our program year in September with Newbie Richardson, Costume and Textile Specialist presenting very exciting and informative lecture This is the Way to Wash our Clothes: the Layman’s Guide to Textile Conservation. After the lecture, MVQU members and guests were invited to share their family heirlooms and treasures to share with Newbie and the group. Newbie was most gracious in talking about each item, sharing information about what the item was, what it was made of, the era it was made and lastly how to care for it. Please enjoy sharing our journey through the past with Newbie through the pictures that follow.
__“Overwhelming Success!! Wonderful Presentation! Fabulous!!” were some of the many comments received after Bethany Reynolds visit to MVQU on Oct 25 & 26. Bethany Reynolds of Hancock, ME presented her Stack-n-Whack®-ipedia lecture and trunk show for MVQU members and guests from other guilds, providing great insight into the makings of a Stack-n-Whack® quilt. Bethany’s lecture was particularly interesting because she did not just tell family stories about her creations, she actually pointed out the particular technical components of the techniques used in each quilt that she showed. Bethany pointed out how she added half square triangles prior to combining blocks so that they went together quickly and easily. She showed how her technique made a difficult looking block come together easily, often removing inner Y seams. In addition to her technical expertise, Bethany kept the audience entertained with her humorous comments throughout her presentation. The fifty plus audience members were captivated. Several said they wished they had signed up for the workshop. The Sampler workshop was held on Wednesday the 26th at the Fairfax South County Center. Attendee’s ranged from MVQU members to visitors South as far as Richmond, VA and all the way North to Silver Spring, MD. The class was full and motivated. This workshop was chosen so that each participant went away knowing seven Stack-n-Whack® techniques. The varieties of fabrics chosen by the workshop participants made for a wonderful adventure in watching Stack-in-Whack® come alive. It is absolutely fascinating how one piece of fabric can combine into so many fascinating block combinations. The fabric play took a great deal of time. Each participant seemed to gravitate to their particular favorite technique, talking excitedly of the quilt they were creating. Many mentioned that Bethany resolved questions they had about the technique, ultimately realizing that with all of her tips, the technique was quite easy after all. Several workshop members got far enough along to pull out their machines. Future MVQU Show n’ Tell’s will reveal some fabulous results from this workshop!!-------Carol
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MVQU and Programs Remaining in 2011-2012
*NOVEMBER 1, 2011--MVQU ANNUAL AUCTION
*NOVEMBER 15, 2011 BUSINESS MEETING
*NOVEMBER 29, 2011--5TH TUESDAY COMMUNITY SERVICE WORKSHOP
December 13, 2011 Holiday Luncheon
January 10, 2012-- Business meeting
January 24, 2012--Bunnie Jordan, Civil War Trunk Show
January 25, 2012-- Bunnie Jordan Workshop: Hit Parade of Quilting
January 31, 2012--Community service workshop
February 14, 2012-- Business Meeting
February 28, 2012--Jean Ann Wright, Quilts in my Suitcase; The Life of a Traveling Quilt Editor
February 29, 2012-- Jean Ann Wright Workshop: Circle of Nine Quilts
March 13, 2012-- Business meeting
March 27, 2012--Lorette Koserowski, Quilt Book Review
April 10, 2012--Business meeting
April 24, 2012--Program TBA
April 30- May 3 --Spring Retreat
May 8, 2012--Business meeting
May 22, 2012--Mike Ellingsen: Machine Quilting on a traditional machine
May 29, 2012--Community service workshop
June--Big QU Quilt Show Boutique
June 12, 2012-- Year End Luncheon
PLEASE NOTE SOME OF OUR MEETING DATES HAVE CHANGED FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER BECAUSE OF THE NOVEMBER ELECTION.
2011-2012 Committee Chairs
Auction: Andrea Gribble
Auction Storage: Ro Coller
Community Outreach: Libby Dudley
Community Service: Lynn Miller
December Luncheon: Tammy Mannarino and Anne Poulin
June Luncheon: Nancy Barkume and Carol Allen
Greeter & Door Prizes: Ann Marlin
Challenge/Mystery: Pat Alfredson and Mary Mazzuchi
New Member Kits: Dotty Eisenhouer
Quilt Collector: Lynne Fishburn and Angie Miller
Hospitality: Barbara Dove
Fall Bus Trip: Andrea Gribble
Quilt Retreat: Gail Franchi
2013 Quilt Raffle Design: Ro Coller and Pat Alfredson
QU Event(our job--run the boutique): OPEN, if interested see Ruth or Ro
Audit: Mary Downey
Senior Center Rep: Mary Stauss
Sunshine: Barbara Zygiel
Mt. Vernon Quilt/Fund Raiser/Quilt Auctions/Hand Made Items/Bake Sale/Luncheon
Don’t forget - Lunch is served!!! – and while you’re having a delicious home-cooked lunch on Tues., November 1, 2011 (12:30p.m. - 4:00 p.m.) at the Mt. Vernon Chapter’s Annual Fund Raiser, think about how much fun you’ll have at our Live Auction, our Silent Auction, our Chance Auction, our Buy It Now Boutique with handmade items from our members, our Bake Sale with goodies, jams, jellies, and Sack Suppers for 2-4 people to take home with you (who wants to cook dinner when you have had SO MUCH FUN!), and our White Elephant table. We won’t tell anyone how much you spend with us, and if your husband calls, we promise to tell him you have had those items for YEARS! We want your money – we’ll earn your trust!!!!! Our event will be held at the Hollin Hall Senior Center, at 1500 Shenandoah Rd., Alexandria, VA 22308. We’ll save you a seat! Contact Andrea Gribble at andreagribble@hotmail.com for additional information.
Message for Community Outreach from Libby
Thanks go to Lynn Eccleston for lending quilts on display at Sherwood Regional Library in October and at the Hollin Hall office in October/November. Take a turn showing some of your work – we display different quilts each month at these two sites. If you have small lap/wall quilts or table-toppers ranging in size from about 36x36 to about 47x55 that you’d like to share, please contact Libby Dudley. There is no one in line right now, so step right up!
MESSAGE FROM OUR CHALLENGE/BOM.MYSTERY COMMITTEE: Pat and Mary
Nickel Fabric Exchange: We had 25 lovely fabrics turned in for the October exchange; thank you ladies! Join our next nickel block exchange in November. For those who want to participate we will have a sign-up sheet at our business meeting November 15 when the number of blocks needed will be announced. The exchange blocks should be turned in at or before the luncheon in December. November's theme is Black and White; fabrics should be either black or white solids or fabrics that read like a solid, or black and white prints either black background with white print or white background with black print. If you won't be at the November 15 meeting but want to participate contact either Pat Alfredson, 703 416 2718, pat.alfredson@verizon.net or Mary Mazzuchi, 703 960 0569 mazzuchimw@aol.com before November 15 to sign up in advance.
2013 Quilter's Unlimited Raffle Quilt Committee Update
Thanks to everyone who made and handed in the Bull’s Eye blocs for the 2013 QU Raffle Quilt. We have 195 blocks right now toward our goal of 260. Please keep them coming!
The block instructions are on the blog under BOM. If you have trouble downloading these, let Pat Alfredson know and she will print them out for you. Any washed batiks are all right -- the more variety the better. You can give them to any member of the quilt committee and they will be added to our quilt. The deadline is the Holiday Luncheon in December, but the sooner the better...................From the 2013 Raffle Quilt Committee.
We have talent on display--just in case you missed seeing these wonderful quilts--check out these beauties.
Kudoos to our members
-------------T. Carter for her two quilts at the Philadelphia Quilt Show:
"Tasunke" is an original creation. T. created "Tasunke"(the word for horse in the Lakota language) to honor native American people and celebrate horse culture. The Tasunke(horses) are ready for war, as their tails are tied and adorned with feather of the eagle or red-tailed hawk. The beautiful shades painted by nature's paint brush during sunrise and sunset inspired her color selections. This star quilt reminds me to be thankful for a new day.
"Grandma's House" is also an original design. She designed this quilt to preserve her humble heritage and honor the elders of her family hoping to evoke memories and joy. Her grandpa immigrated to Mt. Lake, Minnesota, a small town on the prairie--from Dreispitz, Russia and built this homestead in 1901. She recreated it as historically accurate as possible drawing from photos and living memory. All that remains today--the last physical witness of the Schriock Homestead--is a stump of the big Cottonwood tree. Both quilts were machine pieced, machine appliqued, and machine quilted.
-------------Barbara Dove, Dotty Eisenhour, Lynne Fishburn and Trish Nicholson for their quilts that were on display at the St. Francis Episcopal Church Quilt Show "Threads of Color" October 1, 2011. All the quilts in the show were gorgeous.
Barbara's "Tranquil Transitions" is an original design and was inspired by a photo taken on a visit to Germany. It shows the season changing from Fall to Winter on the shores of a mountain lake. Techniques include fusible applique and machine quilting.
Dotty's "Chinese Coins and Log Cabin" is a pattern from the book "Westminster" by Kaffe Fassett. The quilt is machine pieced and hand quilted.
Lynne's "A Mt. Vernon Thank You" quilt was given to her as a thank you for being President of Mt. Vernon QU from 2010-2011. The Scrappy X blocks were made by the members. The quilt was pieced by Lynn Eccleston and Gigi Corbin and quilted by Angie Miller with a design Feather Meander.
"Columbines" was machine appliqued and machine quilted by Trish. She appliqued a two foot square top in preparation for a free-motion quilting class with Ann Fahl. The blossoms were enlarged from "A Captivating Columbine" pattern by Bee Creative Studio but were rearranged for the square format because the pattern was rectangular. She used Stuart Gill paints to highlight the inner petals and (later, after quilting) perle cotton to hand-embroider the stamens. Her fills included ferns, leaves, flowers, hearts and a dragonfly.
-------------and Kathy Edwards and Kris Bishop for their entries in the "Power Suit Challenge" displayed at Artisan Artifacts, 4350 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, Va. This show is still on going--so stop by and see these wonderful quilts.
Kathy tells us: "I immediately thought of a deck of cards when I heard the word 'Suit.' It might have been because of the number of card games I was playing with my grandson while school was out this summer. I've always thought the Ace of Spades was the most powerful card in the deck, but since I didn't wear a suit, I selected the King of Spades to depict a Power Suit. Pieced shirt background, collaged suit fabric pieces for clothes, hand-drawn face and hands on suit fabric, bead embellishments, and tie for binding.
Kris Bishop's entry stated: "He can leave the board room and go directly to the back room to a poker game and still be a 'winner' in both places wearing his 'power suit.' He is the winner with a 'royal flush.' My quilt is very streamlined and reserved, just like the impressions you get from the wonderful suiting fabrics. I used the suiting fabrics with cotton. It is machine pieced and quilted."
2012 Raffle Quilt
The 2011-12 raffle quilt is named “Virginia Beauty.” The Vienna Raffle Quilt Team will be in contact with each QU chapter to bring the raffle quilt to their chapter meeting to sell tickets. Once the professional photographs are completed, our website will be updated to picture this quilt along with ticket sales information. Karla Vernon designed “Virginia Beauty” using EQ7 software with an outer border block named “Jamestown Square” to reflect the Virginians who made this quilt. Appliquéd vines, leaves, and flowers, and a paper-pieced center star reveal different quilting techniques. The Vienna members who worked on the quilt are: Judy Beach, Tommie Curtis, Delores Hanger, Bunnie Jordan, Lorraine Heady, Betty Ladd, Julie Riggles, Mary Ellen Simmons and Karla Vernon.
Christy Dillon’s spectacular machine quilting is showcased in the abundant free space in the quilt. She used two different thread colors. This quilt is queen sized at 90” x 90”. The drawing for the quilt is on June 3 at 2:30, during our quilt show. Tickets will be sold at the quilt show all four days. Tickets are 6 for $5.00 or $1.00 apiece
UPCOMING CALENDAR EVENTS AT MVQU
- November 1, 2011--MVQU Annual Auction
- November 8, 2011--(Election Day) Bee 12:30pm
- NOVEMBER 15, 2011 BUSINESS MEETING
- November 22, 2011 Bee 12:30PM
- NOVEMBER 29, 2011--5TH TUESDAY COMMUNITY SERVICE WORKSHOP
- December 13, 2011 Holiday Luncheon
Upcoming Area Shows, Exhibits and More
Permanent Exhibit at the Virginia Quilt Museum in Harrisonburg, Va. The Women Who Stayed Behind: Stories of Civil War Quilts and Their Makers The Virginia Quilt Museum will feature an exhibit of quilts from the 1860s to honor the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. The wives, mothers and daughters who watched their men leave to fight stayed at home to carry on daily life. In addition, they sewed for the army, cared for the wounded and protected property and family. Surviving Civil War quilts made in Virginia are rare and very unusual.
The Civil War era quilts in this exhibit are part of the collection preserved by the Virginia Quilt Museum. The Virginia Quilt Museum is located in the home built in 1856 by Edward T. H. Warren for his wife, Virginia Magruder Warren. During the war the house was used as a hospital. Mrs Warren lost her husband, father and three brothers to the Southern cause. Two other brothers were severely wounded. Through all of this she stayed behind and did her part caring for her children and others. The Women Who Stayed Behind, Stories of Civil War Quilts and Their Makers, is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Virginia Commission for the Arts and James McHone. The Museum is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm at 301 South Main Street, Harrisonburg, VA. Parking in the municipal lot behind the museum is free. Phone 540-433-3818 for more information and for group tours.
Virginia Quilt Museum Christmas Ornaments Update
A huge thank you to all the quilters who made and mailed Christmas ornaments to the Quilt Museum! Your generosity and creativity is greatly appreciated. We received over 150 ornaments for the Christmas in July Contest. They were all sizes, up to 6 inches, some embellished with beads and buttons, all very unique.
The ornaments were displayed in the lower level of the Museum until October 15 when the votes made by visitors were counted. The ornament made by Jan Hood of Woodstock, VA, had the highest number of votes and won first place. She won a $25 gift certificate to be redeemed in the Museum Gift Shop. The creations of Patricia Bender from Shipman, VA and Loreen Ellis from Herndon VA tied for second place. They each received a $15 gift certificate. Third place and a $10 gift certificate went to Betty Marshall of Barboursville, VA.
Many of these Christmas ornaments had “sold” tags on them before they were moved to the gift shop. Visitors are very excited about buying such beautiful handmade in the USA gifts and decorations. All the money from the sale of the ornaments will be used to support the Museum.
As you see ideas, fabric and notions on sale and make you own ornaments this year, set aside one or two for next year’s Christmas in July at the Virginia Quilt Museum! Visitors will be asking for them next year. -----------------Josephine Millett, Chairman of the Museum Shop Committee
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD QUILT
As part of the James Madison Museum's exhibit on the sesquicentennial anniversary of the Civil War, Ms. Jean Love has graciously loaned her recently made Underground Railroad Quilt. These quilts were used before and during the Civil War as secret codes that gave slaves directions for escaping to the North. These patterns were part of the Africans' tradition of recording their history by committing it to memory and passing it orally to subsequent generations. Come visit the museum and discover their story of escape! Also available in our gift shop are books by Tina Gravatt on miniature quilts, as well as books on other old world crafts. To contact the James Madison Museum please call 540-672-1776. We are located at 129 Caroline Street in the heart of downtown Orange VirginiaMeredith WoutersPrograms Coordinator for The James Madison Museum 129 Caroline St. Orange VA 22960540-672-1776540-672-0231 (fax)http://www.jamesmadisonmus.org
Birthdays
November 
11/1 Hedy Vann
11/7 Kathleen Shaw
11/09 Colleen Griffin
11/14 Lynn Eccleston
11/15 Barbara Zygiel
11/20 Dotty Eisenhour
11/23 Ann Steck
11/24 Tammy Mannarino
11/26 Beverly Krysa
December
12/4 Charlotte Read
12/8 Anne Poulin
12/17 Joyce Matherly
12/23 Barbara Jones
12/25 Mary Downey
Mt Vernon QU October 11, 2011 Business Meeting Minutes:
Ruth Morgan opened the meeting at 12:35PM
Approval of Minutes: The September meeting minutes were approved with the following correction each instance of "Hollin Hill" was corrected to read "Hollin Hall".
Officer Reports:
Vice-President Carol Kunkel reported that the Bethany Reynolds workshop was full and it would be held at the South Government Center at 8350 Richmond Hwy. There is free parking behind the building.
Ro Coller reminded us that Susan Carlson, an art quilter, is the speaker at big QU event this Saturday, 7PM at NOVA on Little River Turnpike and that MVQU was responsible for refreshments. Directions were handed out to those thinking of attending. Carpooling was suggested.
Membership and Treasurer: Gigi Corbin has stepped down and Mary Mazzuchi has graciously stepped in and will act as treasurer for the rest of the year. Mary reported that our guild's treasury stands at. $9045.46.
Ro announced that an ad hoc Fiscal Committee was established comprising Gail Franchi, Kathy Edwards, Lynne Fishburn, Beth Smith, Joyce Keating, Gigi Corbin and Marianne Urban.
Committee Reports:
Our Summer Challenge--"Walk on the Wild Side" and our Regular Show and Tell followed.(for pictures of the quilts and projects see our blog)
Announcements:
- Ruth reminded everyone that the auction was Novemeber 1 and that our business meeting would be November 15.
- Ruth mentioned the Kaleidoscope quilt exhibit at City Hall in Old Town Alexandria
- Ruth also mention that the Virginia quilt museum in Harrisonburg, Virginia had a showing of Civil War quilts as part of the 150th commemoration of that conflict.
- Kathy Edwards mentioned and invited everyone to see the "Power Suit" challenge at Artisan Artifacts.
- Pat Alfredson announced the next challenge would be a "Holiday challenge" and is due the first week of February, 2012.
The meeting adjourned at 2:50 PM
Respectfully submitted,
Jim Melton, Secretary
Please submit items to Mary Downey, MVQU Newsletter Editor, at mvqu.news@gmail.com The deadline for the December newsletter is November 23, 2011.
