Thursday, January 19, 2012

The Swirly Girls visit NYC

(The RMQG Board asked us to share our trip to New York on the blog and we took 200 pictures, so I'm going to split this post into two parts - Susan Emory)

Christine and I took the train from Richmond to Penn Station in NYC.  We love taking the train and would highly recommend it! We have stayed at the Affinia Manhattan Hotel during our last two trips to New York. It is right outside Penn Station, so you get off the train, walk across the street and check-in. It couldn't be more convenient!


Here are some pictures of our room. I really like the modern wallpaper.




Here is the view from our window:


After checking in at the hotel, we took a cab to Purl Soho (http://www.purlsoho.com/).
This store is fantastic and their website and blog are too.
I found several tutorials on their blog that I will be working on.




I keep resisting the urge to take up knitting and it's shops like this that are hard to resist.
The staff was super-friendly and the place was packed!

I put on the blinders to get through all of the yummy yarn and headed to the quilting section. I bought some fabric and Christine picked up some wool, a pattern and some silk thread.

Here are some more shots:




Next we cabbed up to Tinsel Trading Company (http://www.tinseltrading.com/).
This store has an amazing history - you should definitely check out their website.


Tinsel Trading inspired the book "Treasured Notions" by Kaari Meng from French General.


I don't even know if there are enough words to describe this bright, shiny, vintage, inspiring store -  so check out the pictures:


This place is a crafter's dream and we didn't leave empty handed...
I bought buttons (I need an intervention) and Christine scored some spools
of metallic thread and other goodies.

After the inspiration overload that afternoon, we went to Macy's and shopped before heading to dinner. We ate at Tir Na Nog, an Irish Pub, near our hotel (http://www.tirnanognyc.com/).  A woman on the train recommended this local favorite and she was right - it was delicious and a great atmosphere. It would have been perfect if the older couple sitting directly behind Christine hadn't been making out the entire time...

So there you have it, day one in NYC.  In my next post I will tell you about our day at Michael Miller Fabrics, as well as visiting The City Quilter and Times Square.

Have you been on any quilting-related trips lately? We would love to hear about it, and see pictures, of course!  Post any time on our Facebook page, or email richmondmqg@gmail.com.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Don't Look Now Applique Bee

The first meeting of the Don't Look Now applique bee was held on January 8th.  Everyone got right to work tracing and fusing their projects. Here they are:

Ann's Love Birds pattern. Love the fun, bright flowers:


Catherine's Little Monsters pattern. Naturally, Catherine will be adding scotty dogs, and not monsters, to her version. Can't wait to see it in black, white and red!


Cheryl is very ambitious!  This is her Meg's Garden pattern:


Debbie chose a pillow project. Here is her pattern, How Does Your Garden Grow?:


Here is the beginning of Debbie's pillow. She is using a creamy linen background and gorgeous dyed fabrics. She is inspiring all of us to make this pillow, too.


Shirley is doing a great quilt with flowers and cats. Her pattern is Rainbow Lollipops:


I chose a smaller project - just a pillow for me. Although, I won't be surprised if it turns into a wall hanging. My pattern is called Memories:


Here are my fused shapes. Can't wait until next time to start stitching them down!


Thanks to Shirley for sharing the photos!

Ask anyone who was there and I bet they will recommend starting or joining a bee - we are having the time of our lives!!

For more information, or to start a bee, contact the Bee Keeper, Becky Miller at radford83@comcast.net.

Have a wonderful weekend - Susan

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Fantastic January Program

Julia Pfaff is coming to Richmond Modern Quilt Guild
and you're invited!
 
Please join us for a presentation by local quilt educator and studio artist, Julia Pfaff. She will be giving her lecture "Making It Your Own" at our January meeting at Mount Pisgah Methodist Church, 1100 Mount Pisgah Drive, Midlothian on Friday, January 20th.  Meet and Greet begins at 6 p.m. and the meeting and presentation will start at 6:30 p.m.
 
Julia will explain how to incorporate Bedouin cross stitch embroidery, copper plate etching, Japanese Shibori and embroidery from India into your projects. This inspirational lecture will take you on a journey from the temples of Greece to a fabric printing studio at VCU. 
 
Julia will also be providing information on her "Drawing with your Sewing Machine" workshop on March 17th - you won't want to miss it.
 
Non-members are invited to attend one meeting, at no charge, before joining RMQG. Come and check us out!
 
For more information, please contact richmondmqg@gmail.com.

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