You are currently browsing the monthly archive for January 2012.
The Kenya Quilt Guild’s Library Book Accession List is now available online. Find it on our Library page.
Download your preferred format, either pdf (non-sortable) or Excel (sortable by author, title or book identification number; also for iWorks Numbers on Mac). Then, use the list to help you source books by favorite authors or find out if we have a specific book you would like to read.
Our encounter with Selma Kenter, a Turkish Quilter, visiting Kenya this month was very exciting. Her brief on her quilting life and overcoming many obstacles was worth listening to as the old Chinese Proverb goes that ”... a conversation across the table is worth more than reading a dozen books …”
Selma’s dream of becoming a quilter was difficult during her early stages. However, doors opened after she met with one of the Turkish Textile Arts Association teachers who was a great source of encouragement to her.
Selma’s interaction with Kenya quilters gave a good platform for promoting our African theme quilts in Turkey. This was a continuation of what we heard separately from our Kenyan quilter and artist Dena Crain even as she was quoted recently in the Business Daily that “Our quilters are gradually gaining confidence with the African designs.
Selma has been able to get nuggets of wisdom from The International Quilt Study Center & Museum which is the home of the largest known public collection of quilts in the world.
Kenyan quilters are now wiser and ready to bring forth more designs as needle encounters fabric.
Beginning in January 2012, the Kenya Quilt Guild Library offers two options for Guild members to check out books:
- Pay KES 1,000/= in advance. Take out two books per month free of charge. Want a third book? Either wait until the next month or pay KES 100/= for every additional book. If you use the library a lot, this is the best option for you. At KES 1,000= per year for 20 books, each book rental costs only KES 50-=, and each book over 20 costs only KES 100/=.
- Pay nothing in advance. Then, pay KES 200/= per book. If you seldom or never use the library, this is the best option for you. You will pay KES 200/= for each book rental, but if you take out only 1 or 2 books per year, the total cost will be far lower than if you pay the subscription fee and then fail to check out books. If you check out 5 or more books within a year, the subscription fee will be better for you.
This policy has been implemented to reduce library management and paperwork as well as to encourage members to use the library more. And remember: All fees you pay help us acquire new books for your reading pleasure. Take advantage today!
Six members of the Kenya Quilt Guild are hard at work on their quilts for the Patchwork Promises Round-Robin Exhibition, part of the International Quilt Festival of Ireland to be held in June of this year. The quilts are under tight wrap as they are not intended to be viewed before the Exhibition. The quilt makers gave us a sneak peak late last year when the quilts were still in progress and no photos were permitted. We can only entice you to attend the International Quilt Festival of Ireland with our own Patchwork Promise–these quilts are FABULOUS!!
Find full details of the exhibition here.
Christmas seems to be much the same the whole world over. Here, Kenya Quilt Guild members gathered for a Christmas Lunch at that home of one of our group on December 8, 2011. Martine Chamorel, now relocated to Switzerland, was kind enough to post photos from our Christmas Lunch on the Kenya Quilt Guild’s Facebook Group. They say one picture is worth a thousand words, so we hope you will enjoy seeing how quilters in Kenya celebrate the holidays!
Paula Benjaminson did a very commendable job while she visited with us in October last year. Fresh images of her work that was quite inspirational still linger in our minds. We owe much appreciation to Paula for taking us to another level in the quilting world–the Doodle World! We all ought to practice more of what Paula taught.
We also need to expand our horizons in the doodle world as we learn more from Cara Gulati who designs and publishes quilt patterns for the Doodle Press. It is rewarding to look at what other students are also doing in the doodling world with Cara.
We note that once the mind discovers new things, it never goes back to its original dimension! On the same wavelength we should have a look at Zentangles which some may refer to as Zen doodles. This is a new drawing process that has made quilters very excited at the moment:
Let’s keep on doodling, folks!
Aurifil Threads has a great new quilt contest going on–and the good news is that you do not have to send in a quilt in order to win!
Check it out now on the Aurifil Threads Facebook page, and see the fantastic gifts they are about to award as prizes: Aurifil Thread packages!!
Here’s a tip: send in a close-up photo of your quilt that shows your thread-work off to best advantage.
Good luck!
