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Happy New Year, everyone!
We had our first meeting of the year on January 17 at the Sikh Union Clubhouse, a lovely new venue for us and one we look forward to using in coming months.
KQG Exhibition:
Charu Patel mounted a small wall hanging along with an example of a write up. She circulated a sheet for members to list their quilt entries for the upcoming KQG Exhibition to be held at Sarit Centre in April. Deadline for entries will be the March meeting, but in special cases this can be extended if necessary.
A 4” sleeve, label and flat rod will have to be organised for each quilt. Entry Fee: Shs. 200.00 per quilt. Quilts from the previous exhibition may be accepted if there are not enough new entries.
Jaswinder Phull invited members to submit high resolution quilt photos via email for consideration for printing on posters. Mike Gaudaur has volunteered to help design the posters.
Kundan Pattni is taking reservations for vendors. The stalls are 2m x 3m at the cost of Shs. 5000.00 total for the three days. Deposit: Shs. 1000.00. Bookings will be taken for five vendors only.
Deanna Gaudaur will circulate a list for members who wish to sell quilts in the Boutique Stall that are not in the exhibition. The Guild will take 10% commission. It was stressed that prices should be reasonable. Those wishing to take advantage of this stall must volunteer to serve in it at least 2 hours.
Sheryl Fowler explained how the finances will work. Kundan is the Treasurer and will keep the accounts. The cost of the hall will be divided between the Kenya Quilt Guild and the Kenya Embroiderers Guild as will be profits from vendors and the raffle. The expenses will also be divided between the two Guilds. The only exception will be the workshops, where each Guild will keep their own profits.
The Flying Geese blocks for the raffle quilt were collected and the quilt face will get underway as soon as all the geese are received. Permission for the raffle is yet to be obtained from the Betting and Licensing Control Board, but the work on it has been begun.
Show Slogan: This should be a short, catchy phrase and probably not contain the words ‘Quilt or Embroidery’. The members were broken into ‘brainstorming’ groups and came up with dozens of suggestions.
Sponsorship: Letters were available for members. We hope to get as many sponsors as possible this year to help cover the cost of the Sarit Centre Exhibition Hall.
Workshops: Cost Shs. 500.00 including kits. Sign up for these at the February meeting.
Constitution:
Dena Crain briefly explained the changes suggested to the current Constitution (available on the website). The new Constitution has been restructured, the corrections have been highlighted in red. If anyone has any further changes they must put them forward without delay as the motion to pass the Constitution will come up at the AGM.
Newsletter:
Thank you to Gill Rebelo and Margaret Atandi for a fabulous newsletter this month.
Blog:
The Blog is a place to journal, our presence online. We need a volunteer to submit interesting information onto the website for Dena Crain to include in our Blog. Dena explained WordPress and said that she would assist a member in learning how to post, write and edit.
Show and Tell:
Members shared their quilts with us; they speak for themselves:
Demonstration:
There was a powerpoint presentation by Sheryl Fowler on Tucks and Embellishments.
Meeting Venue:
It was decided to hold the monthly meetings at the Sikh Union up until and including June. This will give the Guild time to investigate other venues.
Our next meeting will be held on February 21st, starting sharply at 10:00 a.m. at the Sikh Union. It’s a little hard to find, in the general location of the large pink block in the map below, above the label for Forest Road. Approach from Westlands, cross Limuru Road and take the sliproad down to the left. Sikh Union is near Premier Academy.
Chairperson Neela Shah opened the meeting with acknowledgement of guests, visitors and new members. She and Vice-Chairperson Deanna Gaudaur showed a few Santa bags, encouraging members to sign up to make more of them for the upcoming holiday season in hopes that we might sell them to benefit our charities. Deanna had coordinated shapes ready for appliqué, and offered a prize for the most popular “people’s choice” from all the bags that would be made.
Neela Shah, Chairperson, with Santa bag
Gill Rebelo displayed a few crazy-pieced Christmas stockings. She will be offering a workshop teaching our members how to make these charming holiday novelty items on Thursday, November 15th, in the afternoon after our regular meeting at Shalom House on that day. Phillippa Yusuf will also be teaching some fun crochet items that afternoon. Those interested in participating should sign up with Phillippa Yusuf as Gill will be out of the country until much nearer that day.
A suitable venue is needed for our annual Christmas party this year. If any of our members can host our group, please volunteer by letting Neela Shah know. Deanna suggested that instead of giving gifts to each other, this year we might think to bring food donations for those less fortunate. Stay tuned as plans for the Christmas party are made; we will let you know full details in due course.
Reports on Dena Crain’s two-day workshop held in September, Goodbye to the Grid, were most positive. Everyone enjoyed the workshop and a few people brought their works in progress to show what they designed and made.
Neela Shah with her Goodbye to the Grid quilt top
Jasvinder Phull with her Goodbye to the Grid quilt top
This discussion led into show-and-tell.
Dena finished show-and-tell with a presentation of her African beaded quilt, a work in progress, as an introduction to the morning’s demonstrations. She and Charu Patel presented two different ways of beading with a hook instead of a needle.
Dena Crain’s African beaded quilt, a work in progress
Dena’s method uses a latch hook, something hard to find in Kenya but we hope Kundan Pattni will bring some back from her trip to the US for the International Quilt Festival and Market in Houston. Working with beads pre-strung on a thread that is still attached to the spool, Dena practices Kantan couture beading. She keeps the beads on the face of the work and the hook underneath it, making chain stitches on the underside of the quilt top that catch one or more beads on the surface of the work.
Instructional videos on YouTube:
Beading Supplies: Lacis Tools & Materials
Charu Patel works with the tiniest of crochet hooks. She keeps the thread underneath the fabric, draws it up with the crochet hook into a loop on the surface, drops the loop, picks up a bead with the hook, then picks up the loop again and passes the bead over the loop. Reinserting the hook into the fabric, she catches the thread again to complete the first stitch and begin the next one.
Dena’s method is fast but Charu’s method produces exquisite quality. Which method might suit you best is for you to decide, perhaps different methods for different projects, but it was certainly good to see both methods demonstrated side-by-side.
The Exhibition Committee will hold a meeting on October 19th at Jasvinder Phull’s house. It is still not too late to join the Exhibition Committee if you are interested. You will be most welcome to attend the meeting and lend a helping hand, especially as we are facing a very busy year in 2013. We are in contact with International Quilt Festival Houston and American Quilter’s Society about the possibility of showing our quilts after the London International Quilt Festival in Canada in the United States.
We are also negotiating with the FibreWorks artists from South Africa about having their Major Minors IV exhibition of some fifty 10-inch square quilts shipped up to Nairobi for exhibition here on its way to or from Canada where it will be included in our show there, along with work from Gabon (Paula Benjaminson), Zimbabwe (through Bev Rebelo) and possibly Tanzania. We hope to have about 200 quilts of our own on exhibition in London, Canada, so please–keep working on your African quilts!
Dena announced that Quarke, Quilt Artists of Kenya, had a couple of sales during their recent exhibition at Karen Country Club and that they will be holding another exhibition at Village Market over the weekend of November 23-26, open 10 am until 7 pm each day. Kenya Quilt Guild members are welcome to visit the show and to bring their family and friends along.
We had a brief discussion about acquiring retail selling space at one or more of the various craft fairs held throughout Nairobi in conjunction with holidays (Christmas or summer). Everyone agreed this is something we should do. Now all we need are members to be making things for sale and letting us know about upcoming events in time for us to apply for selling space in them. The Council will do the rest by making the applications for space, paying the fees, and calling for volunteers from amongst our members to be present to sell our goods. Money from this venture can go either to offset the expenses of workshops or exhibitions, or it may go to charity. Either way, everyone’s help will be much appreciated.
Next meeting: November 15th, Shalom House. Note on your calendar that there will be no regularly scheduled meeting in December. Details about our annual Christmas party will be forthcoming via email notification.
Deanna Gaudaur had invited KQG members to visit her home in Kijabe to see her long-arm quilting machine setup, so a large group of them arrived on August 2. Everyone had a great time, although the weather was chilly, and they enjoyed a wonderful pot luck lunch. Thanks, Deanna, for your hospitality!
Deanna also sends along her recipe for Cranberry/Orange Scones:
Kijabe Cranberry/Orange Scones
Combine in mixing bowl:
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar(Or 2 T sugar if you aren’t making icing)
Cut in to the flour in small pieces (size of peas):
- 1/4 cup shortening (Kimbo)
Add to the flour mixture:
- 1/4 cup glazed orange peel (beside the glazed cherries in Nakumatt)
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
Add and gently stir in
- 3/4 cup unsweetened lala (or sour milk or 1/2 plain yoghurt and 1/2 milk)
Knead a few times and pat into a 8″ circle. Cut into 6-8 wedges and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven (225 degrees celsius or 450 fahrenheit) for about 15 minutes, or golden brown. Drizzle while still warm with a combination of a couple tablespoons of orange juice and enough powdered sugar to make a thin icing.
The Kenya Quilt Guild held its April meeting as its Annual General Meeting for 2012. Chair Neela Shah welcomed a rather limited turn-out of members (29 with one guest) for the AGM. Apparently, some schools are not yet back in session, so some of our members were still on holiday. After a brief introduction, Neela held the Election of Officers for 2012. These were elected as follows:
Chair: Neela Shah
Vice-Chair: Deanna Gaudaur
Secretary: April Webb
Treasurer: Loise Gitagia
Members-at-Large: Brij Datta and Jasbir Sokhi
Dena Crain, author of the current KQG Constitution, explained the functions of the Subcommittees which support the Executive Council in six areas of the Guild’s work: Membership, Education, Exhibitions, Community Outreach and Charitable Works, Advertising and Promotions, and Newsletter Publication. Dena exhorted members to be involved in this “painless” way! Membership of a Standing Committee is not onerous and only one person from each one is required to attend Executive Council meetings once a month. A sign-up sheet was passed around and a good number of members pitched in as follows:
Membership
Kundan Patti
Education
Gill Rebelo
Philippa Yusuf
Rashmika Patel
Raji Syan (Librarian)
Exhibitions
Brij Datta
Jasvinder Phull
Jasbir Sokhi
Raji Syan
Poley Bhamra
Neela Shah
Community Outreach and Charitable Works
Patty Arensen
Gretchen Mwaura
Christine Kibuka
Mercy Mungai
Margaret Karanja
Elizabeth Cheserem
Advertising and Promotions
Rajminder Kalsey
Dena Crain (IT only)
Newsletter Publication
Margaret Atandi
Jane MacAskill
Gill Rebelo
Rowena Buxton
With Election of Officers and structuring of the Subcommittees out of the way, the Guild voted on the proposed amendments to the Constitution of the Kenya Quilt Guild. One of these was that Snippets, the KQG newsletter, would be discontinued unless a volunteer editor was found at the AGM; this was obviated by Margaret Atandi and Jane MacAskill who have proffered their skills to maintain the newsletter. Snippets survives!
The second proposed amendment to the Constitution was to change the date of the AGM to the April meeting date. Sheryl Fowler proposed (seconded by Gretchen Mwaura) a change to the amendment: the AGM shall take place on or before the third Thursday in May of each year. Two thirds of those members present at the meeting needed to approve the change by a show of hands in order for it to be adopted. There was a unanimous vote in favour of the change to the amendment. The acceptance of the amended proposal was also unanimously supported.
Gill Rebelo reminded members of the exciting programme of workshops on offer in the near future and encouraged those interested to sign up and pay a deposit or in full as soon as possible in order to ensure a place:
- Mon 7th May a.m. or p.m.: Bev Rebelo, Hand quilting, KSh500 per half day at the Rebelo residence in Loresho
- Tues 8th May: Bev Rebelo, Machine quilting, KSh1500 full day at Shalom House
- Tues 15th May: Sarah Brewin, Dancing Ladies, KSh2,800, full day including kit at Shalom House
- Fri 18th May: Magie Relph, Broken Windows, KSh 1500, full day at Shalom House
- Mon 21st May: Magie Relph, African Jazz,* KSh 1500, full day at Shalom House
- Wed 23rd May: Magie Relph, Extreme appliqué*, KSh 1500, full day at Shalom House
- Thurs 24th May a.m.: Magie Relph, Adinkra Stamping, KSh 800, half day at Shalom House
- Thurs 24th May p.m.: Magie Relph, Creative Strip Cloth, KSh 1200 incl fabric, half day at Shalom House
*Please note change of dates for these 2 classes.
Plans for the upcoming Exhibition at Village Market on 11th, 12th and 13th May are well in order. Dena designed and had printed 30 copies of a colourful poster advertising the exhibition. She encouraged members to sign up and take copies to display in public places. Those who have to pay to display may claim the cost from the Guild if they keep and present their receipts.
Neela suggested that posters should only go up a week to ten days before the exhibition. Members were also encouraged to sign a roster to volunteer their services in various roles at the exhibition. This really is a joint effort, and both posters and the duty roster can be found at The Woman Shop until 5th May. Stop in and collect a poster for displaying at your church, school or other high-traffic public place. Sign up for a two-hour stint as a welcoming hostess, raffle table worker, membership recruiter or white glove lady. Your help will be much appreciated!
Jasbir and Jasvinder were collecting entry forms and fees for quilts which members wish to show or sell at the exhibition. Members were reminded that any forms submitted after 19th April would attract a penalty fee of KSh300. All quilts need to be delivered to The Woman Shop or to Neela or Gill by 5th May. Neela explained that members may submit two quilts each for exhibition but extras will be accepted and may be displayed, depending on the space available. The entrant will be reimbursed their entry fee if the quilt is not included in the show.
Neela announced that formal approval for the raffle of Guild quilts has been received from the Betting Control and Licensing Board. However there has not been time to get the tickets printed for the AGM and members were asked to collect ticket booklets from The Woman Shop and to ensure they bring money, stubs and unsold tickets to the exhibition.
Pauline Mang’ana displayed the cup which will be awarded to the “People’s choice” for the best quilt in the show. The second prize will be a kanga.
For Show-and-Tell, Indu Shah showed the progress she has made on a quilt for a young girl. She has embroidered the pieces most attractively. Brij displayed a delightful quilt made of Amish fabrics she acquired on the Guild’s trip to Canada. Bria Gaudaur showed two quilts – one an image containing the letters LOVE was well received and the second, designed for a toddler, was most suitable for the Kenyan environment as appliquéd cars attempted to climb rick-rack hills! Deanna showed a quilt with appliquéd letters of the alphabet and a fun image to go with each one. This is the “first grand-child quilt” although she may have to wait a while before she can give it away! Deanna Gaudaur, Bria’s mum, then showed us a masterpiece of machine quilting. A New York Beauty design, the quilt had not been pieced but squares and complex designs were traced onto the fabric and then coloured with machine stitched free motion quilting. It was absolutely stunning!
Dena Crain then gave a masterly talk on the subject of how to care for our quilts. She listed the factors that damage quilts, such as
- light which can fade colours and cause fibre disintegration, moisture which can encourage the growth of moulds and other decomposers,
- staining by sugar solutions, wine, chocolate or tea or the sebum from finger tips which can all cause permanent marks,
- physical damage can be caused by insects, rodents, dogs and cats and their body fluids can also cause permanent staining,
- dirt from dusty environments causes discolouration,
- abrasion – friction can damage fibres and result in holes in fabric, and
- temperature extremes have similar effects.
In order to avoid the factors listed above and the permanent creasing caused by folding, quilts should be stored face down in stacks on a flat surface such as a mattress protected by a cotton (100%) sheet. The stacks should be evenly distributed so that there is no lumpiness to warp the quilts. A white cotton sheet should cover the stacks and the curtains of the room can be kept drawn.
Alternatively, the quilts can be rolled, with rod in place. The rolling should begin from the top end, ensuring the edges do not catch and crease, and with the top side of the quilt on the outside of the roll. This expands the top fabric a little so that any creases form on the underside of the quilt. The presence of the rod stops the roll collapsing inwards, again introducing creases into the fabric. Rolling from the top downwards ensures that loose curling is at the bottom end of the quilt and this will fall out when the quilt is hung from the rod again.
The rolled quilts can be stored individually in cotton drawstring bags, which are longer than the quilt is wide, thus closure of the bag can be more effective. Plastic bags are not good for quilt storage.
A sleeve is attached to the top of the underside of the quilt to contain the rod. The sleeve should be pleated in such a way that there is more fabric on the outer surface of the sleeve than in the portion of the fabric attached to the back of the quilt. The sleeve then accommodates the rod so that the quilt lies flat and does not curl around the rod when hung. A double hanger sleeve means the quilt can be hung from the centre of the rod as well as by the two ends. If a rectangular bar of wood is used for hanging the quilt (rather than a round one) then the screw eyes should be attached on the two ends of the bar closer to the top edge. This ensures the quilt is not tipped forward as it hangs.
Exhibitors were also reminded that the rod from which the quilt is suspended for display must be one inch shorter than the width of the quilt. It is useful to write the name of the quilt on the rod in felt tip pen as well as the dimensions of the rod. This makes it easier to locate appropriate rods from your collection.
When carrying a quilt as hand luggage, Dena has designed a canvas belted bag that contains the rolled quilt wrapped in a white cotton sheet. When transporting larger numbers of quilted pieces, Dena advises hard-sided luggage. However, aeroplane weight restrictions have forced many quilters to resort to soft-sided luggage. Dena protects the quilts from damage in such a bag by packing (bundling) them in a very specific way. She has cut a cardboard template that fits the base of the bag. She lays the quilts on a flat surface in an even stack so that the pieces all lie diagonally to one another. She then places the template on the top of the stack and folds the quilts around it so that each is folded on the bias. This means the folds are softer and the creasing less pronounced. The folded packet can then be placed neatly in the bag. Dena advises that the items to be packed are laid out ready and only placed in the bag just prior to departure to minimise their time in the folded state. An overnight stop means the quilts get some relief too. They should be unpacked and laid out on a flat surface or draped over a spare bed or the back of a sofa, then re-packed immediately before departure.
After Dena’s fine presentation, the meeting was adjourned.
The Kenya Quilt Guild holds its Annual General Meeting on Thursday of this week at our usual meeting place, Shalom House off Ngong Road near The Junction and next door to L’Arena Pizzeria. The meeting will open at 10:00 a.m. We will have election of officers and calls for Subcommittee volunteers to establish a new Executive Council. Then we will debate two Constitutional amendments, one to change the AGM date to the April meeting, and the other to suspend publication of Snippets indefinitely. Anyone who is not a member in good standing may not vote for officers or amendments, so if you have not yet paid your dues for 2012, please come prepared to do so BEFORE the meeting begins.
The business portion of our meeting concluded, we will have a brief show-and-tell, followed by a presentation by Dena Crain on how to care for our quilts. Dena will discuss the enemies of textiles, how to travel with quilts and how to prepare quilts for long-term storage as well as how to hang and display our lovely quilts.
Don’t forget that before our next meeting in May, we will be holding an exhibition at the Village Market. That happens over the weekend of the 11th, 12th, and 13th of May, and the show will be open from 9:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. each of those days. Volunteers are needed to help work the show.
If you plan to exhibit one or more quilts in the show, bring your completed Call for Entry form and the appropriate amount of cash to pay the fees for showing your work to the AGM on Thursday. Any Call for Entry form submitted after Thursday will be charged an additional 300/-. Make certain you have completed the correct Call for Entry form; if it asks you whether you want the KQG to sell your quilt, that’s the right one!
Quilts for the show can be delivered to The Woman Shop, to Neela Shah or to Gill Rebelo any time up until the close of business on Saturday, May 5. Quilts received after that date will not be exhibited.
Anyone who is interested in patchwork quilting is invited to attend both our AGM and our Exhibition. Come to meet us, see what we do and how we do it, and to join in the fun and appreciation of patchwork quilting we share. Visitors are welcome, but there is an entry fee of 200/- payable at the door.
We have quite a few workshops coming up in May. Follow our Quilt Workshop Schedule for more information to be posted soon.
See you Thursday at Shalom House!
The Kenya Quilt Guild will be holding an exhibition at the Village Market on May 11, 12 and 13. It is time now for all our Guild members to put needle to fabric and finish off some wonderful new work to be displayed there.
Our Guild picks up new members every year, so every year the cry goes up–”How do I prepare my quilt for hanging it in the show?”
Start by following the instructions at Quilts, Inc. for how to make a hanger sleeve. This is a pdf download that gives full instructions for how to make and set a hanger sleeve on a quilt.
Quilt Hanger Sleeve
Notice that the sleeve has extra fullness on the back. That fullness accommodates the depth of the rod, so that the quilt top does not wrap around the rod from the front in an unsightly way. With this kind of hanger sleeve, the face of the quilt will remain flat all the way to the top.
Then, find or buy a rod or pole that is suitable for your quilt. For small quilts, a stick that is 1/4″ deep by 1 1/2″ wide will suffice. For a large bedcover, you may need a stick that is 1″ deep by 2″ wide. Make sure you buy a rod that is sturdy enough to carry the quilt’s weight without bowing. Rods or poles for quilt display should not be seen from the front of the quilt, so it’s best to cut their length to about 2″ narrower than the width of the quilt.
Screw eye placement for quilt display rod
Attach a screw eye to each end of the rod; again, size depends on the amount of weight that will be hanging from the rod. Screw in the eyes completely, leaving them in the correct position for hanging as shown above.
It’s a good idea to write on the rod with some permanent market the name of the quilt and your name. That way, if your rod gets separated from your quilt, they can always find their way back together!
Make and sew a label to the back of your quilt, usually placed in the lower right corner. The label should include your name, the date the quilt was completed, where the quilt was made, any special information about materials or processes, and laundry instructions if needed. You can also include details of any special occasion for which the quilt was made. Make your label entirely by hand, if you like, or print one using one of the computer printer fabric sheets. Embroidery, permanent marking pens, paint or other media that will last for as long as the quilt does are all acceptable supplies to use when making a lable.
With hanger sleeve and label attached and the rod with screw eyes inserted in the hanger sleeve, roll your quilt from the top downward, being careful not to fold the quilt top edge back on itself. Roll with the face side of the quilt outward, never inward. This ensures that the face of the quilt never acquires ugly and unnecessary wrinkles.
Make and slip your rolled quilt into a cotton muslin drawstring bag if you need to protect it from soiling or to store it for some time (remove the rod first). Then, deliver your quilt to the Exhibition organizers. Your attention to these final details about showing your work will be much appreciated and they will help ensure that your quilt and its rod are returned to you in good shape.
