July 13 Guild Meeting – MJ KINMAN – Diamond Divas and Drama Queens – Colored Gemstones as Design Inspiration
When people ask MJ what she does, she tells them she make the biggest diamonds in the world. But instead of working with the hardest substances on earth, she works with the softest…cloth. The idea to create giant gem portraits emerged 20 years ago and has grown into a passion that has enriched her life. Her lecture will feature her diamond quilts and how she selects gems that qualify as “divas and drama queens,” and what they teach us about how to add sparkle to any art quilt. She will also talk about about the techniques she uses to create and assemble her exquisite quilts.
July 14 – WORKSHOP – Bite-Size Gem Quilts: Creating a Small Faceted Quilt
Skill Level: Confident Beginner to Advanced
Subject: Pattern-Making using Freezer Paper Piecing Techniques
Using the design and piecing techniques MJ relies on to create the diamond portraits, students will create their own singularly beautiful work of faceted light. After choosing from one of several pre-selected images based on their skill level, students will learn how to code each piece for color, location, and adjacency; position template pieces onto hand-painted fabric to achieve the desired light effects; and ultimately create their own unique study in faceted color. Students will leave the class with a small top that can later be hand- or machine-quilted at home.
QGOA – Be My Neighbor Quilt (Along).docx
NOTICE: The Bob Duncan Center has reopened, so we have resumed having most meetings in person. The meeting room is large enough to accommodate the membership and still maintain physical distancing. Masks are no longer required. Please join us!
If you are unable to meet in person, meetings are also available on ZOOM.
The Quilters’ Guild of Arlington meets on the second Tuesday of each month at:
Bob Duncan Community Center (in Vandergriff Park)
2800 South Center Street,
Arlington, TX 76014
Social time begins at 6:30 pm with the business meeting and program beginning at 7:00 pm. Most meetings include a short business meeting, guest speakers with lectures, trunk shows or demonstrations, show and tell, challenges, and door prizes. Guests are always welcome.
Go to the Programs page for information on our programs, speakers and workshops. Go to the Community page for information on our other activities and Community Outreach, including Stitch Groups, all of which welcome new members.
Many speakers lead workshops on the Wednesday following the Tuesday General Meeting from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Our NEW workshop location is Traders Village RV Park Recreation Center, 2602 Mayfield Road, Grand Prairie, TX 75052. Click here for map. The Recreation Center is beside the Convenience Store.
2021 Executive Board
QGOA History
In the early 1980s, Shirley Brix and Becky Zook gathered 75 students and began holding classes at the Fielder Museum to encourage quilters to form a guild and talk about opening a quilt shop. In August of 1984, the first meeting of the Guild was held at the First Christian Church, forming the Quilters’ Guild of Arlington, with 35 charter members.
The guild was organized as a 501(c)3 charitable organization to:
- preserve and encourage the art of quilting,
- provide instruction for Guild members,
- educate the public,
- and to promote a gathering of people with this common interest.