Out-of-the Blue Quilt Backs

By Camie Roper Are you entering your first quilt in a quilt show or your hundred-and-first? Did you know that you can get double exposure by adding an alluring back? Think about it and get stitching! Consider the back of your quilt a blank canvas for even more creativity. Use extra blocks from the front, […]

Planning for a Different Kind of Perfection

By Camie Roper The expert quilters of Gee’s Bend, Alabama are remarkable. Their sense of dignity is palpable and their unusual quilts are not what many expect. They are quite self-sufficient, raise their own food and enjoy a tight-knit community. Their quilts reflect their spirituality, resourcefulness, pride and grace. Maris Curran’s brief online video about […]

Taming Your Textiles

By Camie Roper   “I made the quilt on my bed with paper I got from the craft store! It was a breeze to cut and the pieces went together perfectly,” said no quilter ever. That first wash would be a doozie! Bias edges and even cross-grain edges can stretch out of shape. How do […]

Being Choosy with Color

By Camie Roper For a long time, I used too many colors in my quilts. I just loved color and wanted to use as much as possible. Then I learned about the value of a color scheme. How did I learn this? I viewed thousands of quilts: from friends, lecturers, online, in books, magazines and […]

Deciding on a Design

By Camie Roper If our eyes are the window to our soul, our quilts must be nearly as revealing. Are we traditional souls? Innovative? Playful? Quirky? Artsy/craftsy? Do we wish to put our viewer at ease, or do we aim to challenge? Maybe we even want to shock. Perhaps we want our viewer to begin […]

First Time Entering a Quilt in a GAAQG Show? Jump in!

By Camie Roper Although I’ve been a guild member since 1997, I don’t remember when I entered my first quilt into a show. I was intimidated by the gifted quilters in the guild whose corners all matched and color schemes were impossibly radiant. Why would I hang a creation of mine alongside these works of […]

GAAQG Online Quilt Sale Benefits SafeHouse Center

GAAQG Online Quilt Sale Benefits SafeHouse Center Purchase a Quilt in October for Domestic Violence Awareness Month    UPDATE:  SALE ENDED DECEMBER 15. Greater Ann Arbor Quilt Guild and SafeHouse Center team up to offer the 2021 SafeHouse Quilt Sale during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The public can view and purchase the quilts in an online […]

QAAQG Quilt Along Week 11 – Quilting

  How are you? Are we done yet? Well, almost, right? What do you do with your quilt top? Do you use a longarmer and quilt by credit card? Do you put your Aviatrix on top the big pile of “I need to quilt these one day”? Do you hand quilt? Machine? And how do […]

QAAQG Quilt Along Week 10 – Assembly

  How are you? Assembly. How does that sound? Does it sound like accomplishment and satisfaction? We know, right? It’s this bright grin on your face. But don’t get carried away, let’s finish this nicely.     This week’s task The rows get quite long and skinny. In case you really could resist to attach […]

QAAQG Quilt Along Week 9 – Butterflies

“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.”                                                                                        […]