South African National Quilt Festival
"Alive with Colour"
Submitted by:
Joey Cordier
Friday July 22, 2011
After about a week and a half of working very hard I managed to get all my work up to date at the office. Now I can tell you something of our Quilt Festival.
We (Joey Cordier and Anne Joubert) had a wonderful time at the Festival! The train journey down to the Cape was quite an adventure. Even the bitter cold on the train, sleeping in very confined spaces could not dampen my enthusiasm and exitement. I loved every minute of it!
We stayed in a boy's hostel at one of the local schools. What an experience! The Exhibitions were at the neighbouring school and we got fit by walking up and down the road every day. The quilts on display were stunning and of a very high standard. Everybody that entered certainly kept the theme in mind and the entries were fantastic! Our Guild's quilt won a 1st prize as Best Group Quilt and another prize for Best Use of Color. We were so proud. It took me days to walk through all the displays and I was so proud to see my quilt hanging with the other entries. The Best of Show Quilt was a 3-dimensional flower quilt and absolutely took my breath away! I wish I could show you photos of all the quilts, wish you could all have been there with me. There were also a lot more entries that were hand quilted.
I'm posting a few of the quilts that I liked. I attended two courses, of which one was a needleturn appliqué. I enjoyed the class and certainly learned a lot. The stalls had lovely materials and I bought enough materials to start at least 4 new quilts. I even made the comment that I'd have to sell some of my clothes to get all my material back home!
Our next Festival is in 2 year's time in Bloemfontein and the theme will be "Kaleidoscopes". So if anyone has ideas please send them on.
My head is still spinning, just thinking about all those magnificent quilts on display! I'm sure they will have photos of all the entries on the South African Quilters Guild website soon. Please feel free to go have a look or e-mail me and I can send some photos on as well.
Happy Quilting!
Hugs.
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IFQ 7TH BIRTHDAY PARTY - CALL FOR ORIGINAL BLOCKS
BLOCK DESIGNS NEEDED BY END OF JULY
Submitted by:
Barbara Srivastava
Friday June 24, 2011
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IFQ WILL BE 7 YEARS OLD IN SEPTEMBER!!!
IT IS TIME TO CREATE AN ORIGINAL BLOCK FOR THE PARTY!!!
It is hard to believe that we have been meeting in our favorite quilting community for SEVEN YEARS, already!!!
James is in the process of collecting Birthday Party Blocks for IFQ’s 7th Birthday Party coming in September 2011. However, they are arriving very, very slowly. So if we want to have a successful party again this year, many members will need to help us out by submitting blocks as quickly as possible, okay?
Every year IFQ members celebrate the birth of this wonderful site by having a Global Birthday Party Chat for 24 hours here at IFQ. This is our way of THANKING JAMES and CELEBRATING ALL OUR INTERNATIONAL QUILTING FRIENDSHIPS, which are made possible through IFQ!!! All of our friends from around the world visit together, sharing new quilting techniques & tips, and catching up with ‘old and new friends’ alike, while enjoying ‘virtual treats’ offered by their two hosts during each hour of the party. James provides an original 12 ½ inch block to the hosts for each hour of the 24 hour party. These may be downloaded each time you visit during a different hour of the party. THESE 24 BLOCKS ARE DESIGNED BY OUR OWN IFQ MEMBERS [all of you are so very talented, we can hardly wait to see what you come up with this year] and offered as a gift to celebrate IFQs BIRTHDAY. Then after the party James opens a picture gallery for everyone to share the blocks and eventually their finished Birthday Quilt. So potentially you could receive up to 24 blocks. All members who sign up for hosting at least an hour are usually rewarded for their participation with a complete set of the 24 blocks, as a Thank You Gift from James. What a great incentive for being a hostess for the party – I personally would never miss this opportunity and we always have a blast!!! Don’t take my word for it, just ask your fellow IFQ friends about the great parties we have had over the past six years!!! Some members have actually stayed up all night long and attended the entire 24 hour party. James usually attends the first and last hours of the party, so it is a fantastic opportunity to chat with her and perhaps let her know what you think about IFQ, as well.
More details will follow about the party once we receive the 24 blocks. However, James must receive the blocks very soon, so she will have time to prepare them for distribution during the party. This takes a tremendous amount of time for her, so the quicker we send our patterns to James, the sooner we will know that the IFQ 7th Birthday Party will be a success. Please contact me right now, while you are thinking about it and let me know that you will be making a Birthday Block.
WILL YOU HELP BY DESIGNING an IFQ 7TH BIRTHDAY PARTY BLOCK?
HERE ARE THE STEPS YOU NEED TO FOLLOW:
DESIGN ORIGINAL BLOCK: It can be about an IFQ event, represent something from your country, or just a fun idea you have wanted to make into a quilt block, etc.]
SIZE: 12 ½ inches
SEW BLOCK: To insure that your instructions are easy to follow and that each step for making the block is included [we have some new members who are newer at quilting, or perhaps have not used your technique before].
WRITE INSTRUCIONS – visualizing each step you took as you made your original design. Include a list of fabrics with sizes needed, and other supplies. Include anything that may help in making your block.
PHOTO: Send photo of your finished block with any diagrams [or appliqué patterns] needed for making the block, along with the written instructions to James.
NOTE: I have included three photos to give some inspiration for your own Block Design. 1) Surfing Sue - We had an IFQ event about Sue Surfing the Web on her computer. I made a block for one of our later events with Sue actually Surfing the Waves in the ocean, as a take off of the Surfing Web Sue. 2) To represent IFQ's Angel Missions - I created a block with two IFQ Angels on their mission delivering a quilt to an IFQ member. 3) The last angel is the first block I ever designed and it was for my first block exchange event as a new member of IFQ in fall 2005. I hope these photos help get your creative juices flowing.
Please send a message to me [Barb Srivastava] ASAP and let me know if you are planning to make a block and when you expect to have it ready to send to James. If you have any further questions about creating the block, please contact me, and I will be happy to assist. James will need to have this work done during July. So there is no time to waste. I will be very happy to hear from you right away and we at IFQ thank you in advance for creating a block for the upcoming IFQ Birthday Party. Your participation makes our jobs so much easier, too.
James and all of us at IFQ send a very SPECIAL "THANK YOU" TO MEMBERS WHO HAVE ALREADY SUBMITTED THEIR BLOCKS – THANK YOU, VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!!! |
I'm Back!
Moved into new house
Submitted by:
Dianne Turner
Thursday March 31, 2011
Hi Ladies,
It has been an anxious 6 months for me and my family. I have been homeless for that long and can safely say that NOW we are all in our own home we can live in forever. At Last!!
I would like to apologise to those of you who have been waiting for me to resign up for the Hexies and Mosaic swaps...I was just so overwhelmed with life looking for a new home that I could not concentrate on anything. So, I will be getting back into sewing the first week or so in April.
I would also like to apologise for the events I have signed up for, but have not been able to get onto because of this urgent situation. I will do my best to get them done using the WIPs forum and gallery. Hopefully, I will be caught up most of it by the end of the year..(with tongue in cheek )
Thankyou everyone for your well wishes, support and care. I appreciate every bit of it.
See you in the forums, galleries and chats
Your friend
Dianne |
REDWORK SEASHORE STITCHING BOM
SIGN -UPS BEGIN APRIL 16, 2011!!
Submitted by:
Lynne Gehm
Saturday April 09, 2011
The new Redwork Seashore Stitching BOM is coming soon!
If you have ever wanted to learn to embroider or you are well versed in the stitching techniques, this is the event for you! Simply click on the IFQ Events tab, choose the Ongoing Events tab and click Redwork-Seashore Stitching BOM for a full description. You'll be able to download a new design every month for a year! All IFQ members are welcome. Come join the fun Saturday, April 16, 2011.
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IFQ Easter Chick event
A fun pattern just in time for Easter!
Submitted by:
IFQ
Thursday March 31, 2011
Now that we're getting started again, our first new event will be a whimsical pattern just in time for Easter. This is a table runner that measures 37 1/2 X 10 1/2 inches. Since the designer on this project is Nathalie, you know it's special!!
You can see an image of the table runner by going to the event page, which you will find under the CURRENT EVENTS menu.
This event will open Saturday, April 2nd. |
IFQ Challenge: WIPs Away Month!
Perfect Time to Complete Past IFQ Projects
Submitted by:
Barbara Srivastava
Wednesday February 23, 2011
Recently Delyse opened a new forum page entitled “IFQ WIPs Away.” You may find it under Current Events Forums. Several fellow IFQ members have been busy little bees lately, finishing up their past IFQ Works in Progress (WIPs). Then they share their progress in this forum.
It has come to our attention recently that there will be a slight delay before IFQ Administrators will have the new 2011 IFQ Activities published for our enjoyment. Therefore, Delyse and I decided this will be the perfect time to invite all IFQ Members to join us in a New WIPs Challenge!!!
We invite each of you to look into your Quilt Studios and see how many IFQ WIPs you have not completed over the past year or so. Then we would like to see how many of you will be able to complete the most number of WIPs prior to the 2011 Publication of our New Years Activities. This will be a great opportunity for many of us to clean out WIPs and have a clean, fresh start for the New Year of IFQ Events. Just think how great you will feel knowing that you don’t have any past WIPs demanding your attention as you begin the new BOMs and new Redwork Projects 2011. Come on, Ladies, we are sure a few of you may like to join in on this Challenge with us and have a clean slate for the new IFQ Events you will surely want to sign up for, right?
All you have to do to join the Challenge is visit the IFQ WIPs Away Forum and tell us about the projects you will be working on right away. Then after you have completed a project, please use the Sew and Share Photo Gallery to post a photo of your finished project. Be sure to make note of that accomplishment in the Forum, too. How many WIPs do you think you can finish within say, the next month? We will be watching and working alongside you to make this Challenge a very successful event for everyone.
For those members who are all up-to-date on their WIPs, then we Challenge you to work on a project you may have in mind for completing soon, why not make some quick progress on it during our Challenge?! Your efficiency of sewing now, will free you up for more fun when our new activities arrive, don’t you agree?!
So please hurry to the “WIPs Away Forum” and let your hosts: Delyse and Barb, know which WIPs or projects you have plans to finish. We can hardly wait to hear from you and to assist in any way that we can to help you along in your projects. Remember to have fun while competing in our New Challenge. It is always more fun to sew together. |
" 2011 "
" IFQ Friendships "
Submitted by:
Kat Solomon
Monday January 03, 2011
Dear IFQ Friends,
First and foremost , I want to extend my appreciation to all of you!
It is a constant pleasure to learn new things from both my new and old friends. Each exchange proves as exciting as the first. I have learned new techniques,along with it a renewed vigor for quilting. The many color combinations proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that quilting is here to stay!!!!...So much life in colors!
Life is precious and at times a true trial of determination. I have just spent two months helping care for a dear friend, in Washington State, while he was recovering for (aorta )heart valve replacement surgery . One day all was fine and then before i knew it, I was answering a phone call asking for help. Well, after 6 long weeks of caring for my friend. All turned out fine. He is doing GREAT! But, during the ups and downs of caring for him...I found myself turning to IFQ to read the comments and looking at the photo gallery. It really did help me focus on things!
Quilting is theraputic. NO doubt about it.... Jerrie (the wife) has now bought fabric (with a little coaching from me :) and is learning to quilt. I have her starting on a ragtime quilt. She is having a blast with it. We started with making a lap size quilt for her hubby, and draped it on the his new recliner. Man, he was surprized! She is making a queen size for thier bed....
OK back to my point........ IFQ has once again.....helped me out! I can count on learning things by members in the chat room, and by the photo gallery , emails help as well.... There is so much to learn in quilting.... I have but one life to live...and i want to learn as much as i can with my IFQ buddies. Even if some of them are goofballs. It is all FANTASTIC.....
I welcome 2011 and all the exciting things to come in IFQ.....
Smiles,
Kat S. |
IFQ ANGELS - THANK YOU!
Your Good Wishes Meant So Very Much
Submitted by:
Debbie Holland
Wednesday October 13, 2010
View Pictures
I just wanted to say, “THANK YOU” to my IFQ Angel for the wonderful surprise package and the warmth of good wishes that arrived in the mail for me. When I saw the envelope I thought, "What's that?" and then as I opened it I kept thinking, “Who on earth is this?” As I held the gifts, I laughed with joy, and then I cried, and laughed, and cried. So ‘thank you’ is just not enough to really say how I felt when I received the surprise package in the mail.
I've nibbled on the chocolate and treasured every moment of it! The lovely purse has been put to use holding my DMC threads for whichever stitchery I am carrying around with me at the moment. The card is lovingly placed beside my bed, so when I close my eyes I’ll be thinking and feeling your warm thoughts; and wake up the next morning ‘feeling loved’. I am certain that all these ‘good wishes’ have helped me through the past couple of months. I can hardly believe the kindness of strangers - my new friends, and IFQ is just such a wonderful meeting place. IFQ really has kept me going recently and I cannot thank you enough for the Special Angel Mission I received. It has meant the world to me and truly brightened my days to know you care! |
My New Ganddaughter
Zhoe` Caitlin du Preez - October 7, 2010
Submitted by:
Joey Cordier
Tuesday October 12, 2010
View Pictures
My new granddaughter, Zhoé Caitlin du Preez, was born 7th October at 6:15am. Mom and baby are doing well. She is beautiful, does not even look like a newborn. It was such a memorable moment for me to see her being born and being able to help my daughter with the birth. Motherly instincts kicked in from the start and Melanie handled her new baby girl with ease. I am so proud of her! She's a good mommy. Even though it was a very difficult birth, our baby girl shows no sign of any stress and sleeps well.
The new mom's words:
"I never knew anything so small can bring so much love and joy into my life. She's my life!"
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New IFQ ongoing block exchange event!
The IFQ Framed Hexagon block exchange opens October 2nd
Submitted by:
IFQ
Saturday October 02, 2010
Sign ups have opened for the latest IFQ ongoing block exchange - the Framed Hexagon block. We'll show you a fun way of creating this block which we promise will become very addictive!
After you sign up, you can download the pattern for this fabulous block from the IFQ Framed Hexagon Block exchange event page. As soon as other members sign up, you will be assigned a partner and sent her postal information. Once you get this, you can send your block and wait to receive yours in the mail.
In this event, you can sign up as many times as you want so you can collect these blocks from around the world. However, you can only sign up one block at a time. Until your partner receives your block AND POSTS THIS in the IFQ Framed Hexagon Block forum, you will not be able to sign up again. However, once the hosts know your partner has received her block, then they will release your name and you will be free to sign up again!
The best part about this block pattern is that it's only a starting point. There are so many different things that you can do with this block that each time you make it will be a different experience! You can see why it's so addictive!
We can't wait to see what YOU do so be sure to post a photo of your work in the IFQ Framed Hexagon Block Exchange photo gallery! |
The IFQ Chatroom re-opens!
Come see the new IFQ Chatroom!
Submitted by:
IFQ
Tuesday February 16, 2010
The re-vamped IFQ Chat Room, the ol' Diamond Lounge, has re-opened. And it's a completely different experience! Let's just say it's visual and AURAL! Well, you'll see what we mean when you come visit.
On the IFQ home page, there is a chat status box at the bottom of the page. Here you can see how many people are in the IFQ chatroom and who they are! These boxes also appear at the top of the more recent event pages.
If there is no one in the chat room, why not go in anyway and sit for a while. You'll probably find that someone will come and join you soon!
We have some interesting topic/chats coming up. Our first will probably be on Silk Ribbon Embroidery, so be sure to check the IFQ TownCrier often for news on these chats! |
Thank You
A Valentine Treat
Submitted by:
Lynette Brumby
Friday February 12, 2010
I wish to say a big thank to IFQ and Betty for a lovely Valentine's Day FAP, my first ever Lynette Brumby |
Friendship.
My special friends . . .
Submitted by:
Joey Cordier
Monday December 14, 2009
I wish to say a big thank to IFQ and Betty for a lovely Valentine's Day FAP, my first ever Lynette Brumby |
Thank You
Submitted by:
Lynn Mouser
Monday November 30, 2009
I wish to say a big thank to IFQ and Betty for a lovely Valentine's Day FAP, my first ever Lynette Brumby |
IFQ Angels - Thank you
Heartfelt Thank You
Submitted by:
Sue Meadows
Tuesday October 27, 2009
I wish to say a big thank to IFQ and Betty for a lovely Valentine's Day FAP, my first ever Lynette Brumby |
