I own and operate Artsavvy Studio. At any given time you may find me working there in multiple Medias which usually includes a lot of fabric and machines with thread and paint thrown in. My love for the arts and passing that love on is my mission in life.  My story is simple actually; I was born an artist, a painter and I have had full time careers while working as a mother and wife. I have gone through three careers, nursing, teacher and graphic designer. In the middle of this I spent way too much time on education and thought for a while I may be a professional student. After obtaining my Master’s in Fine Art I realized no more school for me.

I learned to sew at the age of seven and have sewn avidly since.  I started quilting 10 years ago with a crazy quilt project for my red hat chapter. Right after that two friends developed breast cancer and so two pink quilts were made.  By this time I am seeing the light so to speak. After a crash orientation in the quilt world I realized that my artist spirit could find solace in quilting.  Designing, teaching and total immersion in quilting is my day to day.

My teaching classes/workshops include:

• Creativity for the Masses
• Painting and Quilting Get Married
• Color Theory for the Quilter
• Free Motion and Taking Command
• Thread Painting
• Art Quilts and No Mysteries

Contact Info:
960 Turkey Foot Road
Forest VA 24551
434-942-8303
artsavvy@verizon.net

Starting in July, we are going to do SECRET QUILT PAL. If you would like to be part of this, please return your questionnaire  to me at the July meeting or email it back to me. This is a way of getting to know another member. You will draw another member’s questionnaire at the July meeting. (Do not tell them you have their questionnaire. It’s a secret!) Each month, bring a card or a little something costing less than $3, and in their birthday month not over $5.00. (You don’t need to spend any money if you don’t want to. We all have plenty in our stash we can share.) We will have a table which will be used as a Post Office each month. At the July 2016 meeting, reveal who you are to your Secret Quilt Pal. Any questions, please email me. — Ann Ware

Secret Pal Questionnaire

We will be playing around, making fabric beads.

(Sue, I will be bringing oil cloth table covers for your table)

Bring fabric scraps, enough to share would be fun.

The beads can be made in many different sizes, but we will start with using these size strips, in 3 different fabrics:

2″ x 6″, 1″ x 5″, 1/4″x 4″.

Fabric Scissors

Glue Stick

We will have some wire, beads, lace and other trimmings.  Feel free to bring some, too!  We’ll have dowels.

See you at Sue B’s at 7, Monday evening, April 27, 2015!

Lecture: “Photos and Quilts”

Ann Shaw discusses adapting photographs for pieced quilts, her approach to taking pictures to make into quilts, and the design choices affecting the look of her quilts. She is happy to take questions from the audience. Ann Shaw teaches internationally and has been personally endorsed by Ruth McDowell to teach her style of quilting.  Visit Ann Shaw’s site for more information on this talented artist.

Monday, May 4th, 2015 10 am
Jacksonville Center for the Arts
Guest admission $5
Free for members of The Quilting Party, River City Quilt Guild and Floyd Quilt Guild

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Workshop: Flowers of the Gorge

Tuesday, May 5^th, 2015 at 9:30am
Jacksonville Center for the Arts
220 Parkway Ln. S, Floyd, VA 24091

Ann Shaw 1-day design and piecing class based on the design and piecing techniques of Ruth McDowell.

Flowers have been an enduring source of inspiration for quilters with many traditional quilt blocks featuring flower patterns. Miniature wild flowers found in the Columbia River Gorge have inspired these patterns.  Ann Shaw’s designs will come alive with unexpected fabric choices. This workshop is suited to all levels including the confident beginner.

You will select one of several flower patterns, prepare a freezer paper template and then begin the process of selecting fabrics for your design. We will also discuss sewing methods and sewing order to complete your wall hanging.

Registration for members opens December 1^st, 2014, for non-members February 15^th 2015. $65 workshop fee per person for non-members

$55 for members of Floyd Quilt Guild.The Quilting Party, and River City Quilt Guild.

Pattern required (see supply list: approximately $8 – $18.00) More patterns to come!

For more information, please visit http://www.floydquiltguild.com/workshops.html to find registration forms and supply lists.

One of the new and exciting activities we are doing at the quilt show this year is a bed turning. You ask….Bed Turning…..What’s that? It is a visual way of telling the stories and history of quilts. If you would like to see one I have included a link of one that is on YouTube. This video is a bed turning that was done at the DesMoines, Iowa quilt show. Take a minute and you will soon see how one is handled.   www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6CR9D7oCoY We will be doing four presentations during our show this spring, two on Friday, May 1st and two on Saturday, May 2nd.

Since the theme of our quilt show this year is “Vintage to Modern” our bed turning will show the history of quilts. We are asking you to share your quilts with us. We are looking for quilts of all ages and styles from colonial times to modern. If you have a quilt(s) that you are willing to let us show please take a picture of it and write a brief description including:

Who made it (if known)
Date Made (if known)
Size
What fabric was used?
Was it machine or hand pieced?
Was it machine or hand quilted, tied?
Who did the quilting? (if known)
And any special information you may know (example: Made for great grandmother’s wedding, Made for 1932 quilt show, etc.)

Please give the photos and documentation to Cathy Fandel at the February guild meeting or email it to her at cathy@blueridgequilting.com. Cathy will be editing the documentation so don’t feel like it has to be perfect.

If you do not have an easy way to take a picture to turn in with the documentation please bring your quilt to the February meeting and we will take the picture. The committee working on the bed turning will meet to select the quilts to use. Sorry we cannot use them all. However we are planning on doing this again so if we do not use your quilt this time we will work to make sure that eventually all the quilts will be used over the next couple of years. Don’t forget we are showing the history of quilts so we will need recent quilts as well as antique. Once we determine which quilts we will use this time we will let you know. We are asking that if your quilt is chosen please bring it to the civic center when you bring in your quilts to hang at the show.
— Pam Flory

I posted on the Facebook group Art Quilts asking for advice on starting a group.  Here are the responses I got.   The ellipses (…) are where I pruned.  Square brackets are my greatly shortened paraphrasing.

There’s lots of pearls in here; even one from a group which folded.  I was tempted to start commenting on them here; but I’ll save that for our first in person gathering so I don’t bias your musings.

—Susan Kraterfield

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Diana Van Hise: [wants to explore] painsticks, inktense pencils, etc.

Susan Fletcher King:…start small… start by doing some small challenges that would still be broad enough that each person could continue in their own style. In addition, you would be able to use this group for good honest critiques. Perhaps play days to try new techniques or things that each member is willing to share? …..

Diana Ferguson: [at our] art bee within the regular guild … We share techniques, info on shows, and do group projects…

Katie Winter:  I just started an art quilting bee as a subset of our guild. …my motive for starting an art quilting bee is rather selfish–I need motivation and focus to do the kind of fiber art work I want to do. …  I decided to just toss the whole endeavor to “fate,” and let the bee be whatever it was going to be–knowing that it will evolve and develop its own personality. And it turns out that everyone in my bee seems to have SOME special art training, knowledge or skills to share (and a few members are still new to quilt making–but filled with fresh ideas and eager to learn). Nobody had a body of art work to share that first night (because we’re just getting started), but I think it will be great fun to witness and celebrate everyone’s growth–especially (and selfishly) my own! …

Kathryn Jones Kaser-Nichols: We have a group called VisTA, for Visionary Textile Arts. … The only “rule” is kindness: be supportive, give gentle suggestions when asked for. …. We go around the table with show and tell, even if it is just about your latest trip. Every year we have a challenge to be completed by the local guild’s big show in March. One person takes notes, prints them up with the names/authors of books/mags brought, links to websites, etc. and emails them to the group so we don’t all have to take notes. Sometimes photos are included.

Brenda Wood: Reddy Arts Textile Group
This is the blog of our wonderful little group here in Brisbane. My advice – start the group small, you will find that some people have some wonderful talents that’s are hidden with traditional quilting. We are a sharing group, if we find a technique, then we have a play day, share the knowledge, have show and tell, do swaps and challenges etc. we share our books around, and sometimes just have a fat quarter swap, if you keep it small, it doesn’t get too full of “meeting” stuff, and the quality of your art work will increase for future exhibitions. You’ve given me an idea! I might even do a blog post about what challenges we have done!

Sally Spencer Neckvatal: I tried starting a small art quilt study group a few years ago when several people in my very traditional local guild said they would like to learn what I do. I found a wonderful book by Lorraine Torrence, Design Essentials, on quilt design where a small group has assignments that everyone participates in and then the group evaluates and offers constructive criticism as a vehicle for growth. It us an excellent book and lesson plan. Unfortunately everyone had a different idea on when and where to meet, and it fell apart. I had also asked that all participants, which I limited to 7, needed to commit to all the assignments in time. OK, that was expecting too much, perhaps, but only because I feel they were not fully committed.

Sandra Wagner: We have a group of 5 art quilters from the big group and it is wonderful and sooooo much fun. Did a mini-retreat this year – we had a great time.  Our group meets every other month at members homes and the hostess suggests a challenge that is something that we have not done or approached yet, if we get too involved in it we take a month off and discuss why this is happening. We share, are kind while we offer suggestions, in Feb we have hired a teacher in how to use the Japanese inks in our work. When we started we discussed what we wanted out of the group – it got bogged down after about a year and a half so we went back to what we wanted from this group.

Kathy Klaer Hammond: We of Artistic Vision
Our group has no real rules or leaders (but one quilter does contact people and keep the meetings on track). This group is so amazing that I do not mind the three and a half hour drive to get there. I don’t believe that artists respond to rules, but do work well and inspire each other when there is a lot of respect for each other and a general understanding of goals of the group. .