Q U I L T E R S

Come hear Linda's amazing story of what can happen when a bag of t-shirts and many willing hands work together to meet needs near and far. Discover the power of sewing when we lead with our hearts.

HollyAnne Knight is a 20-something wife, mama, maker, and teacher from the Atlanta area. Her quilting began with a tshirt quilt for her Mama. After a whirlwind of experiments and self-education on patchwork and free motion quilting, today she is passionate about providing workshops, tutorials, and patterns to help other quilters work with confidence rather than being afraid they will "mess up" their quilt. 

Regarding scrappy quilts, HollyAnne says, “Whether I'm a little short on yardage, trying to use up bits from my stash, or just wanting a little more excitement in my quilty life, my solution, almost every time, is to make a scrappy quilt!" HollyAnne has several guiding principles when choosing fabrics to include in a scrappy quilt. She'll break down her three secrets of scrappy quilt success!

It is fitting since the November meeting falls on Veteran’s Day this year that we welcome Jacquelyn McKinstry, the Alabama State Coordinator for Quilts of Valor Foundation. The mission of this national program is to “cover service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor.” For many years members of Birmingham Quilters Guild have supported this effort by making patriotic quilts to be donated to Alabama QOV. In June at QuiltFest 2019 we had a special exhibit of over 40 QOV quilts made by our members. 

Since 2012 Jacquelyn has served as Alabama QOV State Coordinator. She describes herself as a fiercely patriotic Army wife with a passion to show honor to our nation’s veterans. In the Quilts of Valor program, she has found a perfect way to combine service with passion! Jacquelyn will share her story and details about the QOVF in our state and beyond. Currently, QOV is in all fifty states and has awarded over 230,000 quilts. Check out the website at qovf.org.

At the meeting, we plan to give the BQG members’ Quilts of Valor to Jacquelyn for distribution throughout our state. Come celebrate our country, the people who have served it, and the art form that we all love.

Meeting will begin at 10:00.

Come sample yummy goodies prepared by our board members. Also, participate in the optional ornament swap-details to come.

To add to the fun we will welcome storyteller Deborah Strevy who will share a short program of holiday stories. Debi has been a storyteller since the second grade when her teacher asked her to tell stories to the class every day after lunch.  She has been a professional storyteller for 40 years, performing in schools, conferences, camps, meetings, banquets and other venues.  Her audiences include children of all ages and adults.  Her programs feature a variety of tales with most “tellings” filtered through her southern roots. Debi is a wife and the mother of two adult sons. She is also the proud grandmother of 11-year-old twin grandsons and an eight-year-old granddaughter who give her some of her best stories.

Ellen teaches us how to downsize a pattern in order to create miniatures or small blocks from any pattern.

Since the early 1990s, the Riley Center Quilters have been learning and perfecting the art of quilting. Now, some thirty years later, their reputation for creating Underground Railroad Quilts has spread as the quilts have been displayed in our community. These talented women have delved into the historical traditions of quilting in the African-American community and special meanings embedded in their quilting projects.

We are fortunate to welcome the founder, instructor, and mentor of the group, Mrs. Theresa Johnson, as our speaker this month. Mrs. Johnson is the Executive Director of the Riley Center and continues to lead the quilters group. She is a talented quilter in her own right having had one of her quilts displayed at the Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY. In fact, before her work became full-time, Theresa was a member of our guild. Her enthusiasm for the Riley Center Quilters will be evident as she shares their passion for history, service, and quilting.

Our guild is fortunate to have these appliqué masters in our midst. Both women joined the guild in approximately 2013. Jeanette has always been an artist – sculpting, painting, working in porcelain. It was only about seven years ago when Jeanette saw an intricately appliqued quilt and became obsessed with the idea of making one herself. Since that time she has entered her spectacular quilts in three QuiltFests and won “Best of Show” twice and an applique blue ribbon. Martha met Jeanette sewing at church in Clanton, saw her gorgeous work, and became determined to master the intricate art herself. With Jeanette’s mentorship, Martha has put in the work and is a master in her own right. 

After seeing Jeanette’s award-winning quilts and Martha’s pieces, you will immediately ask, “How do they do that?” This talented duo is ready to share their process, tips, and secrets with us. Come and learn about Prepared Needle Turn Applique. You will leave amazed and inspired…ready to try it yourself!

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This meeting will focus on all things appliqué. Show & Tell will include only appliqué quilts. Three or four methods of appliqué will be demonstrated by guild members Jeannette Glasscock, Martha Gothard, Serene Johnson, and Kit Hodge 

Due to concerns over COVID-19 and in keeping with recommendations by public health officials, we are sad to announce we must cancel Nancy Mahoney's visit and our April guild meeting.

​Due to concerns over COVID-19 and in keeping with recommendations by public health officials, we are sad to announce we must cancel Lisa Rigby's visit and our May guild meeting. We hope to be able to reschedule her for a future meeting.

​Due to continued concerns over COVID-19, we must cancel our June guild meeting. We plan to reschedule our panel challenge presentation for a future meeting.

And installation of next year's officers, too