New England is famous for its fall colors, but October 2016 in Boston is equally well known for the quilt scene. Here are six quilt destinations worth checking out this month.
Modern Quilts by Maritzia Soto in Somerville in October
Folk Grafika features quilts by Maritza Soto in Somerville. The opening reception is Saturday, October 8 but the Washington Street Gallery is open every Saturday in October.
In Lexington, the Rising Star Quilters will shine on October 14 and 15 with their fun filled destination quilt show. In addition to the display of member and benefit quilts, there’s a cafe, boutique, demonstrations and a scavenger hunt.
The 2016 RSQ raffle quilt could be yours!
3. On October 23 and 23 at the Campus Center of the Middlesex Community College, the Burlington Quilters’ Guild hosts their annual show.
Narrangansett Bay Quilter’s Association at New England Quilt Museum in Lowell. 5. The next weekend, October 29 – 30, the Hammersmith Quilt Guild celebrates its 35th birthday at the Saugus Senior Center.6. North of Boston, the
Our goal of 10 finished quilts to donate to the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild was surpassed! Fourteen quilts were sent out last week. The OMQG initiative hopes to give 300 quilts to survivors and family members suffering after the June Pulse night club tragedy.
A strong team of piecers, quilters, binders, label attachers made the work light. Thank you to each of you! Special thanks to Jane Barnett who kindly donated so much beautiful fabric from the recently closed Quilter’s Way shop
Summer brings long days – the perfect opportunity to get more done!
Summer brings hot evenings – the perfect opportunity to escape into air conditioning!
This July, reserve your Mini Studio Block on Wednesday and Thursdays evenings.
Tangle of Lights pattern from Leah Day’s Free Motion Quilting Project
That’s right! Three hours of air conditioned longarm quilting on Wednesday and Thursday nights throughout July. Begin your Mini Studio Block between 4 and 6 pm.
What are those weeknight Mini Studio Blocks?
July 6 and 7
July 13 and 14
July 20 and 21
July 27 and 28
Call Laurena’s Longarm Quilting at (781) 229- 0734 or email at info at burlingtonlongarm dot com to reserve your block now.
One of our lovely customers recently requested that we use Quilter’s Dream Cotton Supreme in her king size quilt… she won’t be cold this winter. With that roll now added to our batting wall, it means we currently have all four Quilter’s Dream Cotton Batting in stock.
The Supreme is a 100% cotton batting in a 93″ width and costs US$0.50 per inch ($18/yard). We sell all of our batting by the inch and cut them from the roll just for your quilt.
If you’re not sure which batting to choose and want a toasty, heavy quilt this winter, ask to feel the new Quilter’s Dream Supreme!
Leaf peeping is always a good reason to hit the road during the fall in New England. Frankly, the quilt show calendar is equally inspiring.
5 Don’t Miss New England Quilt Shows
Dear Jane Quilt at Bennington MuseumAll 5609 pieces of the amazing Dear Jane quilt go on exhibit each autumn. This year, it’s on display until through Columbus Day weekend in Bennington, VT.
Rising Star Quilt GuildOn October 2 and 3, 2015, Lexington’s St Brigid Church hosts the Guild’s annual show.
Tewksbury Quilt Show October 17 – 18 at the Tewksbury Senior Center. Their theme this year is “Silver Threads.”
Burlington Quilters Showis the following weekend (October 24 – 25) at the Middlesex Community College.
A Quilter’s Gathering in Manchester, NH from November 5 – 8 includes not just a show, but a wide range of classes and plenty of vendors.
Of course, be sure to stop by the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, where Carol Bryer Fallert’s quilts are on display through October 31. There’s also a great exhibit of Civil War Era quilts on exhibit, too!
Can you believe we’ve gone 10 days without a snowstorm? Only flurries and signs of melting snow. February went by in a flurry both figuratively and literally.
If you missed the Open House the Statler Stitcher Creative Studios classes, we were delighted that the snow held off. Thanks to all who came! It was a great turn out, a good way to stop shoveling and quilting to socialize. We enjoyed chatting with everyone, sharing a warm drink and a nibble (or two).
Jaws dropped when quilters walked into the new space (we’re wondering if “the Annex” nickname may be replaced by “the Blue Room”). Brian Tjelta shared tidbits from the latest software version for the Statler Stitcher.
Everyone gravitated around the Virtual Quilt Show. Nearly 100 photos were contributed by more than 36 people. Close ups, on the bed, held up by family, just off the frame or hung professionally, it was an inspiring sight to see.
On Monday, it was back to snow storms…..
While we’re still getting used to the extra space, we already appreciate not squeezing everything into the original room. More later, but for now, there’s quilting to be done!
In our email reminder and on our Facebook page we announced our hope to project images of quilts worked on at Laurena’s over the years. Whether it is a custom quilting job that Laurena did or a quilt done individually, we thought this would be a great way to celebrate the many tops that have become quilts since Laurena started the business.
Many, many, many thanks for everyone who contributed to the Virtual Quilt Show! Alanna’s putting the slide show together. If everything goes as planned, we’ll enjoy seeing a great many quilts at the Open House with no white gloves necessary 🙂
If you own a Gammill Statler Stitcher, perhaps you’ve been waiting with bated breath for January 20, 2015. Today’s the day! The Creative Studios version 6.0 upgrade is available.
Gammill released “teasers” of some of the new CS6 software updates over the last couple of months. If you own a Statler that currently runs on Version 5.0, you can download the new software today for free.
On February 6, 2015, Laurena’s Long is hosting Brian Tjelta and offering classes on CS6 and using Creative Studios software. The morning session focuses on understanding the Creative Studios software and how to upgrade your system. We’re limiting class size to 8 people, so sign up soon! All classes will take place at Laurena’s Longarm Quilting in Burlington.
The afternoon session takes us through the great new features of Creative Studios version 6.
Friday, February 6, 2015 from 9:30 to noon: Creative Studio Green Light
Make headway in your understanding of the software that controls Gammill’s Statler Stitcher. Gain experience installing and upgrading the Creative Studio program. We’ll cover setting up custom projects and using some of the great features in Creative Studio. Build confidence and understand the options so your journey from idea to a beautiful quilting is smooth.
Friday, February 6, 2015 from 1:00 – 3:30 New features in Gammill’s Creative Studios 6.0
Here’s your chance to experience the new features included in Creative Studio 6. From importing images from your cell phone to linking patterns together (concatenation), the possibilities for custom quilting on a computerized quilting machine are becoming nearly endless. The software upgrade is free for all registered Gammill users.
Learn more about the software that powers the Gammill Statler Stitcher
Homework for both classes: Sign up for the Gammill Quilting Forum at https://www.gammill.com/forum/register.php? If you already own a Statler Stitcher, be sure to list your controller number in your registration information.
Bring to class: Paper, pencil, a laptop or tablet with Creative Studio Stand Alone Mode (SAM) installed, your controller/red key number.
Looking forward to all of the quilting possibilities with Creative Studios 6.
Whoosh! Where did September go? Well, in Laurena’s case, it was spent at the longarm, quilting beautiful tops that will be on display at this fall’s quilt show season. Beautiful colors on trees and quilt shows around Boston guarantee great day trips. Ready to hit the road?
Quilt, Laurena quilt!
On Saturday October 18, Concord Piecemakers has their yard sale at St Matthews Church in Acton from 9am to 2pm. I hear the pickings are particularly good first thing in the morning (picture entire quilt backs at fabulous prices), but of course, one person’s rejects are another person’s treasure.
At 10 am on October 18, the New England Quilt Museum has a gallery talk and reception for their latest exhibit “Humorous Quilts: Keeping Us in Stitches.” Seems like you’d have to choose between the best bargains at the quilt show and the talk, unless you’re a speedy shopper!
The following weekend, kick off on Friday October 24, Rising Star Quilters Guild opens their show at St Brigid Church on Mass Ave in Lexington. Their show runs Friday and Saturday.
November 6 -9, A Quilter’s Gathering holds its yearly expo at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester. There may still be space in some of the classes, and the merchant mall is usually a great place to find those bits and bobs that your usual quilt store may not carry.
The Hammersmith Quilt Guild brings us through the fall with their show at the Saugus Senior Center during the weekend of November 15 -16, 2014.
Get your sewing done this weekend, while the quilt show schedules allow!
P.S. I didn’t even mention the International Quilt Festival, visiting the Dear Jane Quilt in Bennington, VT or the final days of the current exhibits at the Shelburne Museum in Vermont. Just in case you’ve got a case of quilt show wanderlust!
