Bridget O’Flaherty, The Sustainable Quilter

Are you interested in knowing more about sustainability in the quilt world and looking for green options as a quilter, artist, or crafter? Bridget O’Flaherty, a passionate advocate for sustainability in quilting, will open the Twilight Quilters’ Guild new season and share an in depth look at the complicated story of the environmental impacts of the products we use. We will look at what sustainability means and how it is being addressed in the textile, quilting, and fibre industries.

From organic or recycled fabric, threads, natural fibres, and dyes, there are a lot of options when going green. Find out where to find them and what to look for when searching for sustainable products. We will learn how to reduce our environmental impact as fibre artists and how we can easily bring sustainability into our practice to be part of the change.

Explore how you can do your part to help save the planet, one stitch at a time. Monday September 11, at 7pm EDT, via zoom.

You can find out how to become a member on our Fees page. This year there is a Google form to fill out and then you will receive E-Transfer directions! It’s easy!

And you can send your Show and Tell photos anytime. Please email them to TwilightSimcoe@gmail.com before the meeting Sunday, 6 pm.

The New Year is about to Start!

Our Program Committee has finalized our meeting lineup for the next year and we have some great speakers coming!

September 11	Bridget O’Flaherty bridgetoflaherty.com “How to Be a Green Quilter: Making Our Passion More Eco- Friendly”
October 16	Sheila Frampton Cooper zoombaby.com “Spontaneous Creation & Inspiration”
October 21-22	In-Person Retreat: at Vittoria Community Centre
November 13	Kestrel Michaud kestrelmichaud.com “Designing for Realism”
November 18 & 25	Zoom Workshop: Diane Harris – Stash Bandit stashbandit.net “StarQuar Scrap Quilt” 10am-1pm, both days
December 11	Bonnie Blakely “Vintage Sewing Machines: Still Going Strong!”
January 8	Christina Cameli christinacameli.com “Five Skills of Free Motion Quilting”
January 22-21	Zoom Retreat: Vice President’s Retreat Weekend
February 12	Johanna Masko johannamasko.com “Modular Quilting: Making Big Quilts at Home”
March 11	Rose Parr healthyquilting.com “The Ergonomic Toolbox”
April 8	Tammy Silvers – Tamarinis tamarinis.com “Seeing Double”
April	Possible In-Person Retreat: at Vittoria Community Centre
May 13	Krista Moser kristamoser.com “Diamonds Are a Quilter’s Best Friend”
June 10	Kathy Doughty materialobsession.com.au “Get the Mix”

Zoom starts at 6:30pm – Meetings start at 7pm! All programs subject to Change

Check out twilightquiltguild.ca and Facebook.com/twilightquiltguild

Show & Tell and General Emails: twilightsimcoe@gmail.com

Financial Email: twilightquiltguild@gmail.com

Click here to download a clickable and printable PDF of our lineup. You can find out more about most of the speakers by following the links (blue, underlined text) in the PDF and enjoy the full experience!

Already almost half of our members have signed up for another year and we are happy to welcome at least 2 new members!

Our monthly meetings are all on Zoom. Meetings are held on the second Monday of the month, except for October, July and August. The October meeting is held on the Monday following Thanksgiving and no meetings are held in July and August. Virtual doors open at 6:30 pm, and meetings start at 7 pm.

Membership is $40 per year. Details are on our Fees tab. Fill out our Membership form here and then e-transfer your $40!

Special thanks go to our Program Committee, headed by Suzanna K, with Kathryn G, Mary M and Stephanie S.

Mark your calendar for our annual Fall Retreat in Vittoria on October 21/22. It’s a Saturday and Sunday this time! And watch your email for details about our new in-person sewing initiative!

Save your 2.5″ square scraps for our November workshop with Diane Harris. You won’t believe how many beautiful designs can be made from the humble StarQuar block.

The Vice President’s Retreat in January will be Virtual. No need to lug your machines in the snow!

We have had some requests to change our Sit and Sew afternoon to another day. Which day works best for you?

UPDATE – June 12: Year-End Sew & Social

Unfortunately, our vendor, The Quilted Boutique, has had to back out of attending our closing social. But, there will be lots to choose from at the TQG fundraiser table and inexpensive books from our library sale!

Once again, we are having our June Sew & Social meeting at the Port Dover Community Centre. All members and guests are welcome between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. Tables and chairs will be set up for socializing and hand sewing.

We will have a limited number of spaces for in-person machine sewing beginning at 10 a.m. If you want a table to do machine sewing, we ask that you register using our online form at https://forms.gle/eB5HSqDntmDDMJ827. Spaces are limited, so sign up soon!

The TQG Fundraiser table of donated stash items will raise funds for our guild. Anyone “shopping” from that table will be expected to donate an appropriate amount for their chosen items.

The TQG library books will be sold beginning at 4 p.m., and the silent auction for the newer books will end at 8 p.m.

Tables and tent cards will be available for our quilt display. We encourage you to bring a few quilts so others can see them up close and find you to ask about what you’ve made (or tell you how fantastic your quilt is)!

Please bring:

some cash in small denominations for our fundraising activities
no-longer-wanted quilting-related items to donate to the TQG Fundraiser table
quilts for display
your own drinks and snacks
your name tag

10 a.m. In-Person Sewing begins (register for a table if sewing by machine https://forms.gle/JuRzf1RK7e8GK97X8)

10 a.m. Quilt Display begins

10 a.m. Shopping from the TQG Fundraiser table begins

4 to 8 p.m. Book sale; the silent auction will close at 8 p.m.

8:30 TQG President Jill Jackson & Incoming President Vicki Monroe

9 p.m. See you in September!

June 12: Year-End Sew & Social

Beads by Jan Grincevicius, pattern from Jordan Fabrics

The TQG Fundraiser table of donated stash items will raise funds for our guild. Anyone “shopping” from that table will be expected to donate an appropriate amount for their chosen items.

The TQG library books will be sold beginning at 4 p.m., and the silent auction for the newer books will end at 8 p.m.

Unfortunately, our newest sponsor, The Quilted Boutique, has had to back out. They asked that we keep them in mind for next year.

Please bring:

some cash in small denominations for our fundraising activities
no-longer-wanted quilting-related items to donate to the TQG Fundraiser table
quilts for display
your own drinks and snacks
your name tag

10 a.m. In-Person Sewing begins (register for a table if sewing by machine https://forms.gle/JuRzf1RK7e8GK97X8)

10 a.m. Quilt Display begins

10 a.m. Shopping from the TQG Fundraiser table begins

4 to 7 p.m. Quilted Boutique

4 to 8 p.m. Book sale; the silent auction will close at 8 p.m.

8:30 TQG President Jill Jackson & Incoming President Vicki Monroe

9 p.m. See you in September!

Colourwerx Trunk Show with Linda Sullivan

Our May 8 meeting will be an explosion of colour! Linda and Carl Sullivan will take you on their colourful, crazy quilty journey that started some 22 years ago with the very first Linderella quilt designs to their current obsession for pure colour.

Always searching for a twist on traditional quiltmaking, Linda’s designs are well known for their contemporary, whimsical look, adventurous appliqué and fearless use of colour. Find out more on the Colourwerx website.

April 10: TQG Member Spotlight: Beyond Quilting

On April 10, two accomplished stitchers will share their journey “Beyond Quilting”. Members Jan Grincevicius and Melanie Douglas will show examples of where their sewing has taken them.

Melanie began making bags about 7 years ago after seeing a beautiful cork bag Sarah Yetman had made. A Necessary Clutch Wallet class at Heirloom Treasures in St. George started her on this path. This wallet was way above her skill level at the time and she couldn’t see continuing. However, with excellent guidance and resolve, she has become a bag maker, feeling confident in tackling most patterns. Melanie will show you her successes and an abject failure! Many members learned to make the Emmaline Retreat Bag with Melanie, at a virtual retreat. Melanie has found that the quilting skills of piecing and following directions mean that most quilters can also make bags.

Jan Grincevicius has been drawn to quilt and fibre art because of the tactile nature of cloth, its texture and colour. Working with fibre, whether it be cotton, silk, wool or manmade, has always been a part of her life. She enjoys using many different fibres, including cotton, silk, velvet, wool, organza, netting, polyester, paper, yarn, embroidery thread, paint, dye, and other mixed media.

Jan often embellishes pieces with embroidery floss, beads, buttons, and wool yarns; and creates collages using fabric, paper and paint. While her work has mostly been two-dimensional, she has ventured into some three-dimensional pieces, such as vessels. Jan’s presentation will include four projects, all of which use fabric and collage techniques. Using photographs, Jan will demonstrate how each piece was made.

Do you have any Beyond Quilting photos for Show and Tell? Please send them by Sunday, 6 pm to TwilightSimcoe@gmail.com!

Exploring Transparency and Large Curves

Sign up for our VIRTUAL workshop with Karen Bolan on Saturday, March 25 & Sunday, March 26, from 1 to 4 p.m. EDT each day.

Members and non-members welcome.

The workshop fee is $70 CAD, plus the Cool as a Cactus PDF pattern purchase.

We’ll complete at least one block and one side panel of Karen’s Cool as a Cactus pattern in class. Registrants will get a link to a video about selecting fabrics for this beautiful quilt.

Berene Campbell – March 13

There has been a change and Berene Campbell of Happy Sew Lucky will be speaking to us on March 13. If you recognise that name, it is because Berene was behind the Mini Mod block swap we did a couple years ago!

Berene is a modern quilt designer, speaker and community project instigator. (Here is a great article about Berene’s community projects.) Her quilting and sewing patterns feature inspiring messages of positivity and hope, with the goal of making the world a kinder and more peaceful place. A “collective energy” enthusiast, Berene uses quilting to corral fellow creatives to work together for change. These projects include collaborative community installations, fundraisers for social justice causes, and the Handmade Collective Awards – a bursary fund set up for the maker community to fund awards for BIPOC and 2SLGBTQ+ students. In her talk Berene encourages leaning into discomfort and tells the story of how her work has evolved by embracing the emotional ride that the past few years have been for us all.

To quote Berene from her website:
“Quilts hold the spirit of their makers, and the secrets of their thoughts pondered while stitching. They are beautiful treasures that provide us with warmth & comfort, but they can do more for us if we so choose. Quilts can be posters for our ideas, messengers of our messages, and uniters of our communities. They hold great power.”

You can learn more about Berene on her blog, Instagram and YouTube! See you at 7 pm on Monday, March 13th. New members may join for the rest of the year (through June) for only $17.50.

Please remember you can send your Show and Tell photos anytime to TwilightSimcoe@gmail.com

Maria Shell: February 13, 2023

We are looking forward to hearing from Maria Shell at our February meeting. Maria will be sharing her presentation, Patchwork to Artwork: Journey of an Alaskan Quiltmaker.

If you’d like to join us but aren’t a member (yet), you can join us for the remainder of the year for half-price – $17.50.

Maria is an award-winning quiltmaker and teacher. She has become known for her vibrant, grid-based art.

Dance Party at Tamara’s House, Maria Shell

You can learn more about Maria on her website, Tales of a Teacher or in this Create Whimsy Interview.

Explore Transparency & Large Curves Workshop

We are excited to announce our virtual workshop with Karen Bolan!

Saturday, March 25 & Sunday, March 26
1 to 4 p.m. each day

$70 plus purchase of the PDF pattern

Registration is now closed.

Are you intimidated by curves but love precision piecing? Start the Cool as a Cactus quilt in class, featuring pieced curves, a unique border treatment, and a colour palette that features transparency.

The class will begin with an exercise in creating transparency effects; then, we will work from paper templates to accurately cut and piece large-diameter curves. Learn to cut and precisely piece large-diameter curves from templates, assemble a quilt top with pieced borders, and plan a colour palette that includes a transparency effect.

Students must purchase the digital pattern at https://www.karenbolan.com/shop/p/cool-as-a-cactus-quilt-pattern. Leave class with at least one block and border complete.