Welcome!

Ninigret Quilters is an organization for quilters of all abilities in the Rhode Island and southeastern Connecticut area. We meet on the second Tuesday of every month at 7pm at the Westerly Senior Center, 39 State Street, Westerly, Rhode Island (Google Maps) to share our common passion of quilting. Guests and new members are always welcome!




Wednesday, March 9, 2016

March 2016 Meeting

Quilt Historian Sue Reich presented a lecture on "Crazy Quilting".  

Sue was involved in the "Connecticut Quilt Search Project" in the 1980's. Through this project of documenting antique quilts, Sue came to appreciate the artistry of crazy quilts.  She presented the history of Crazy Quilting, including newspaper articles from the 1880's. These quilts were crafted by women of all ages and economic levels as everyone had access to silks, velvets and satins. These fabrics were remnants of dressmaking, hat-making and upholstery ends along with pieces purchased from remnant tables in dry goods stores. There were fabric bundles offered for sale in newspaper ads, similar to our fat quarters of today. Some of Sue's offerings included newspaper articles referring to these quilts as a "poem in patches",  a "symphony in samples of silk and satin". This craze was likened to a 'mania', women spent 1000's of hours piecing and embroidering their masterpieces.



The Crazy Quilts came to popularity in the early to mid 1880's.


 Sue points out the Dimensional Flower pieced in the center of this quilt 
featuring Eastern Stars, the female branch of the Masons.


 This quilt features a lovely fan design with intricate embroidery in the corners of the patches.


This Crazy Quilt was composed of individual blocks. 


 Detail of the quilt above, showing some of the embroidery.


This lovely quilt was composed of individual embroidered blocks.


 This quilt originated in Portland and Middletown, CT. 
It is composed of intricate blocks with central focal pieces.


Judy examines some of the blocks Sue shared. 


 Detail of a basketry block featuring metallic embroidery thread.


 Detail of some of the embroidery stitches used to join the various Crazy pieces together.
Thank you for a wonderful and informative presentation, Sue!

We took a break for refreshments and socializing.

At least two dozen members participated in the third (and last) round of our
Shoo Fly Block Swap

Show & Tell

 Sharon D completed her Christmas Quilt using the Leaders and Enders technique. It took 2 years, but she views it as a bonus quilt, completed while working on other projects. A highlight (that may not be repeated by Sharon, at least) is the lovely pieced candy cane border.


Shirley N used all wool fabric to make a graduation quilt for her grandson.


 Tora S used background fabric and 16 patch blocks to make a stream to sky montage, rising from salmon in the stream to bears fishing for those salmon to white tail deer to wolves to eagles in the sky


 Tora also made a hand quilted runner.


 Pat E started a Block of the Month in 2014 featuring 'First Lady' blocks. 
She finished the top this past weekend.


Barbara C used fabrics from our Ways & Means table to make this lovely quilt.


Barbara C then turned her doodles into this interlocking chain pattern.


 Roberta B handquilted this UFO.


 Margaret S made these two quilts for her grandnephews 
using the same truck themed panel fabric.

 

Two of Margaret S's nieces are getting married. One quilt is out being quilted, 
here is the other made using a tool from Barbara C.


 Jane L uses random pieces from her scraps to make 
color themed blocks. This one features her purple stash.


Jane finished this quilt from the 2015 Getaway Project. Carol Z did the quilting.


 Sheila H calls this healing quilt "Overcomer". 
It chronicles her journey to health.


 Sheila worked on hexies during her recovery. 
Here is her first quilt featuring hexies.


Margaret T makes baby quilts for her grandchildren 
using four inch squares and one or two cats.


 Joyce made this quilt for her 14 year old grandson who is "not a Yankees fan".


 Molly O made this baby quilt inspired by a greeting card for her first child.
It used dinner plates as templates and hand quilting.


 and one for her second.


 Pat G saved this Antique YoYo quilt from the scrap heap
 and is looking to restore it to glory.

Thank you and Quilt On!!