Quilt by Barbara Johnston
Blanca Sanchez
There is so much to share I’m not sure where to begin. So, I’ll begin with March’s activities in our group meetings. Our March speaker was Gina Perkes, the owner of The Copper Needle quilt store in Payson, Aruz. and an inspirational, national award-winning quilter. Her trunk show was filled with award winning quilts and she even let us handle them with not a care in the world. Some of the things in her talk gave us some awesome tips and wonderful inspiration such as:
Marking your quilts with a light box before quilting, use threads that blend and are lightweight for example 50 wt. thread, sometimes use heavier thread on the bobbin than on top, stitch in the ditch with monofil clear thread. What a Gem of a speaker!
Onward, let’s brag a bit about some of our very own quilt group who received awards at the AQG annual show this year, which was held at the Martin Auto Museum in the West Valley.
* Barbara Johnston received 1st place for exemplary domestic machine quilting in the mixed technique category.
* Pam Elliot received 2nd place in the small duo kit category.
* Karen Pitts received 2nd place in the large pieced solo category.
* Millie Burgheimer received 3rd place in the pictorial medium category.
* Jackie McGrath received 3rd in the large pieced solo category.
* And last but not least was Denise Farnworth’s granddaughter receiving her first ribbon for her first time entry in the youth category.
Our Speaker in April was Merci Apodaca, sharing her personal journey with her amazing and beautiful quilts while incorporating her heritage into her quilting projects naming her quilts such as: Mariachi Serenade and Salsa Fresca. Her story reflects a path familiar to many of us, beginning with sewing clothing and naturally progressing to the world of quilting. Merci was very inspiring and motivating and shared an unforgettable trunk show and story.
Our Community Service group has donated 64 quilts and 90 plus bags this year. And our fun UFO challenge just ended with one of our quilters, Pam Matassarin finishing seven of her UFO projects and taking home the winnings. We begin our new UFO challenge with the quarter April ending in June.
We’d love for you to join us! Desert Threads is a welcoming, inclusive group. We meet on the second Wednesday of each month from 9 to 11:30 a.m. in the Cottonwood Computer Learning Center of Sun Lakes Country Club. 25630 South Brentwood Drive, Sun Lakes, AZ 85248
Visit our website to learn all about us at desertthreads.org.