Raija's Convergence Quilt A quilt guild (Q.U.I.L.T. Guild of NW Arkansas) that I'm a member of held a Super Saturday class in February. It was the first Super Saturday event I was able to attend, and I loved it. Not only was the project that was being taught the one that I had been wanting to make for about a decade now (Ricky Tims' Convergence), but the teacher, Sheila Bayles, and all the other participants were super nice people! We enjoyed each other's company, and we got to visit with one another while stitching away with our fun quilting project!
Before the class I had researched other quilters works of art by the same technique. I ran into many beautiful quilts and some that were finished slightly differently. Those variations appealed to me, and I decided to go on that route. Unfortunately, that almost caused me to not get my quilt top finished in the class as I needed to utilize my sweet seam ripper a bit too much. Yet in the end, all worked out well and I had my convergence quilt top done. A few days later I had made up my mind on the quilting design, and used my longarm to do the quilting. For the binding I chose to go with 4 separate fabrics. If you take a close look at the quilt (by clicking it) you may see that each corner has a binding fabric matching the most dominating fabric in the border.
We had 21 participants in the class, and almost all finished their quilt top during our 6 hour class. And let me tell you - there were many beautiful quilt tops made that day!
I encourage all of you to join a quilt guild! Most areas have at least one guild, and some areas may have multiple guilds within a reasonable driving distance to choose from.. Many of the guilds welcome first time visitors with a complimentary visit. After the first visit you may need to join the guild in order to attend future meetings and to take full advantage of their offerings. All the guilds that I'm aware of have a very reasonable priced membership fee, so it shouldn't be a deterrent to become a member. There are multiple reasons to join a quilt guild. You will meet and get to know like-minded people who all are passionate about the craft that brings so much joy into our lives. Many of the guilds are involved in various charity organizations where quilts are being made for those in need, whether it is for kids in hospitals or in children's shelters, or veterans returning home after living through some horrific experiences in war zones. What else could give you such a meaningful, warm feeling than when you know that someone very special and well-deserving will get to have comfort from the quilt that you made!
Then there is the teaching aspect of belonging to a guild - quilters by nature are very willing to share their knowledge of quilting, and they enjoy helping others to become successful quilters. Many guilds are also able to bring some well-known quilters to teach a technique that they may have created themselves! And there is always show and tell - one of the favorites that I look forward to at the end of each meeting. This is where quilt members bring their quilts (made, bought, or even flea market finds) and tell briefly something about the quilt. There are always a lot of oohs and aahs in the room during the show and tell.
I look forward to writing more about quilting and different adventures I take to pursue my passion for longarming and making quilt patterns. A quilt top is not a quilt until it is quilted. Don't let UFOs (unfinished (quilting) objects) clutter your closets but let a professional longarmist make it into a beautiful piece of art
Before the class I had researched other quilters works of art by the same technique. I ran into many beautiful quilts and some that were finished slightly differently. Those variations appealed to me, and I decided to go on that route. Unfortunately, that almost caused me to not get my quilt top finished in the class as I needed to utilize my sweet seam ripper a bit too much. Yet in the end, all worked out well and I had my convergence quilt top done. A few days later I had made up my mind on the quilting design, and used my longarm to do the quilting. For the binding I chose to go with 4 separate fabrics. If you take a close look at the quilt (by clicking it) you may see that each corner has a binding fabric matching the most dominating fabric in the border.
We had 21 participants in the class, and almost all finished their quilt top during our 6 hour class. And let me tell you - there were many beautiful quilt tops made that day!
I encourage all of you to join a quilt guild! Most areas have at least one guild, and some areas may have multiple guilds within a reasonable driving distance to choose from.. Many of the guilds welcome first time visitors with a complimentary visit. After the first visit you may need to join the guild in order to attend future meetings and to take full advantage of their offerings. All the guilds that I'm aware of have a very reasonable priced membership fee, so it shouldn't be a deterrent to become a member. There are multiple reasons to join a quilt guild. You will meet and get to know like-minded people who all are passionate about the craft that brings so much joy into our lives. Many of the guilds are involved in various charity organizations where quilts are being made for those in need, whether it is for kids in hospitals or in children's shelters, or veterans returning home after living through some horrific experiences in war zones. What else could give you such a meaningful, warm feeling than when you know that someone very special and well-deserving will get to have comfort from the quilt that you made!
Then there is the teaching aspect of belonging to a guild - quilters by nature are very willing to share their knowledge of quilting, and they enjoy helping others to become successful quilters. Many guilds are also able to bring some well-known quilters to teach a technique that they may have created themselves! And there is always show and tell - one of the favorites that I look forward to at the end of each meeting. This is where quilt members bring their quilts (made, bought, or even flea market finds) and tell briefly something about the quilt. There are always a lot of oohs and aahs in the room during the show and tell.
I look forward to writing more about quilting and different adventures I take to pursue my passion for longarming and making quilt patterns. A quilt top is not a quilt until it is quilted. Don't let UFOs (unfinished (quilting) objects) clutter your closets but let a professional longarmist make it into a beautiful piece of art
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