Quadrille Quilters December 2010

REPORT BACK

· Grace welcomed all visitors and members.
· Thank you from choc for all our support throughout the year.
· Thank you also from the SPCA for all our cushions – we are currently supporting Randburg and Roodepoort.
· The Heathway exhibition was as always a good show case for our group. There seemed to be a growing interest in the purchase of completed articles – it was suggested to start collecting/making articles for sale next year. There was also an increase in interest in classes especially from African ladies.
· A letter of thanks was received from Erichka for her gift and all her support for her year as chair lady.
· QQ members were asked to please remember to wear their name tags – it does make communication easier between members.
· A list was sent re learning computer skills, should you have missed the list and be interested please speak to Grace. These classes will be offered free of charge!


Giving From the Heart

You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.
John Wooden

· Bronkhorstspruit Orphanage provides shelter for many children abandoned by their parents – and to provide some cheer and warmth the QQ committee has decided to make this their main charity for 2011. The aim is to make a bright cheerful Quilt for every child in the orphanage – a total of 35 quilts by June! Suzen will be the quilt block co-coordinator. Watch this space to see how this wonderful project will be organized.
· The SPCA is always in need of something soft to sleep on for their residents – so please continue to collect your scrap fabrics in old pillow cases.
· CHOC is helping on average 110 new children per day –so if you have spare time and enjoy knitting, please keep beanies, scarves and socks coming.
· Margaret Bowyer is still collecting egg boxes and other materials with which the children of St Vincent’s School for the Deaf use to make masterpieces.
· Should you have any old clothes or other unused items, please bring them to QQ to be given to Go Sizwe.

Shadow Applique and Shadow Embroidery
By Lesley Glover

Shadow appliqué is a form of appliqué that uses a sheer or transparent fabric to give a shadowy effect.
Shadow appliqué was used to repair worn clothing in days gone by. The stitching done by hand would be simple. The aim being to secure the layers together, with stitching such as back stitch, blanket stitch, stem stitch and running stitch. In Shadow Appliqué, you begin as with normal appliqué. A design is chosen and cut out of fabric. A better result is obtained by using good big images such as line drawings of butterflies or clear bif leaves. Appliqué the design onto the background fabric as normal and embellish with embroidery stitches.Then overlay with your voile (you could also use netting or any other see through fabric). Lesley adds her batting and backing at this stage as she finds it simplifies matters in the end. Now either hand stitch or machine stitch around each piece of the design.You could get really creative and bend the rules as Colleen Harris does. She sometimes adds more than one layer of different coloured voiles. Using free motion quilting patterns are put into work. Once complete, she burns the top layer in parts to create interest and expose the exciting parts underneath. Basically the shadow effect is created with a sheer fabric overlay. White fabric was traditionally used, which resulted in an opaque effect and subtle colours. But experimenting with other colours, can result in interesting effects, Lesley found that a darker voile allows one to see the background more clearly.
One also has to take the type of voile used into consideration –There is a soft cotton, very see through available, that lends itself to this type of work. Lesley found that synthetic voiles pucker easy and do not lie flat. By using a stabilizer, puckering an be avoided. The message is clear – use the best quality fabric you can afford for the best results. Even though voile curtaining is synthetic does seem to be of a better quality and does yield good results. With Shadow Embroidery the design is drawn onto the voile. The outline is back stitched and the design filled with a herring bone stitch. Only the underside of the voile is stitched to create a shadow effect on the top side.Although an old technique, it can be modernized to create new dimensions.

Membership fees

Ladies – a friendly reminder! Our year runs from 1 November to 30 October. This means it is time to pay your subs again! There has been an increase of 10%.
The amounts due are as follows:
o R150.00 per year
o R25.00 / visit – visitors are reminded that after 3 visits you are required to become a member.
o An extra R5.00 / meeting for the security guards.
· Existing members who are exempt will remain so.

History of the Month!

Kente Cloth

Kent Cloth is native to the Akan people of Ghana. It is a type of silk fabric made of inter woven cloth strips. Usually the pattern consists of bright multicoloured geometric shapes and bold designs.
The cloth is locally known as ‘nwentoma’ and is a sacred cloth worn only in times of extreme importance. Kente was the cloth of Kings! But over time it became more widespread but has retained its importance and is still held in high esteem in the Akan family and the whole of Ghana.
Kente Cloth is made by the Akan people, and is the best known of all African textiles. Kente comes from the word Kenten, which means basket –it is therefore referred to as Nwentoma or ‘woven cloth’. It is an icon of African cultural heritage around the world.
Kente cloth is chosen by the Asante for their names colors and pattern. The names are derived from various sources –e.g. proverbs, historical events, chiefs and plants. The colors also are chosen because of their meanings e.g.
· Black – maturation, intensified spiritual energy
· Blue peacefulness, harmony, love
· Green –vegetation, planting, harvesting, growth
· White - purification, sanctification rites, and festive occasions.
Patterns woven also have certain meanings e.g. Emaa Da symbolizes novel creativity and knowledge from experience.
Legend has it that Kente was first made by two friends who went hunting in a forest and found a spider making its web. The friends stood and watched the spider for two days and then returned home and implemented what they had seen, thus claiming the cloth to have originated independent of outside influence.