Bragging Rites 2007 – 2008 – 2009

(Latest at the bottom)

Check out the photo of Jeri Riggs’ quilt “Higher Flower Power” in the Sept. 2007 issue of The Quilter Magazine. Her quilt was exhibited at the New England Quilt Museum in connection with the 2007 Lowell (Mass.) Quilt Festival.

Our own Cary Lou Canfield was featured in this Journal News Article on May 4, 2007.

44 disadvantaged children attending Morry’s Camp in NY made pillows using the “Churn Dash” pattern thanks to Susan Wolman and her helper Rosalind Yong who precut and lined the pieces before giving lessons at the Camp.

Lucille, the Mermaid

created by VSQ member Cecelia Leiseroff for the Art Fest Challenge: to nurture the soul - a Bra-Purse challenge for

Breast Cancer support. This pocketbook was made from a pink bra and outfitted with a zipper and lining for auctioning to raise funds for Ta Da, a mobile clinic for women undergoing breast cancer to help nurture their soul while they undergo treatment.

The Silent Auction proceeds go to the The Breast Form Fund and TA DA ArtFest Mobile Units.

The work of longtime member and quilter Bernice Ward is presently on exhibit in the Kanner-Kurzon Museum at Beth El Synagogue in New Rochelle. Many of her quilts have been gifts to family and friends but they have been temporarily reclaimed for this special occurrence. On December 2 from 1 – 3 p.m. there will be a reception with Bernice in attendance. Please try to be there to congratulate her on twenty-some-odd years of quilting. The show is open daily through December 30. Beth El Synagogue is located on Northfield Road at the corner of North Avenue in New Rochelle.

Jeri Riggs has work on display at “Fiber Revolution: Textile Discoveries” hosted by The Chappaqua Public Library from March 8 until April 26. An artist’s reception for all exhibitors will be held on Saturday, March 8 from 2 – 4 p.m. in the Library at 192 South Greeley Avenue, Chappaqua.

Bedford Babies had its 15 minutes of fame when Cary Lou Canfield and yours truly were speakers at “Tuesdays at Dorrie’s -- Weekly Table Talk” on April 15. Cary Lou spoke to a very interested audience of approximately 15 attendees (including some VSQers) about the prison, its many excellent programs in parenting and the history of VSQ activities, as well as how our work fits into the institution’s goals. I did a show-and-tell using sample kits, backs and batts and described a typical day’s visit. Dorrie’s is a diner on Mamaroneck Avenue in White Plains and the group invites speakers regularly. If you would like to attend a meeting, Viola Lull is a regular. P.S. The food was excellent.

from Nancy McCarthy: May 13. Casa de Esperanza, opened in 1998, is a multi-service center run by the Sisters of Charity to serve new immigrants. Among the services Casa offers are ESL (English as a second language), citizenship and computer classes, job opportunities, medical and legal aid, and distribution of food and clothing. This year the directors introduced a fledgling “cottage Industry” to teach ladies sewing, and purchased the tools of the trade – three portable sewing machines, rotary cutters, mats and rulers. They asked me to help develop some easy projects. For the past several months the group has been “producing” cell phone and eyeglass cases and small totes (Burke bags multiplier effect!).

from Paula: The day after Karen Eckmeier’s delightful talk, 9 VSQ’ers gathered at the home of Bernice Ward for a Happy Villages workshop. We had brought our choice of ten fabrics and immediately went to work cutting in progressively smaller pieces, laying them out in what appeared to be random order, then adding roofs, windows, doors and steps. Lo and behold, the creations took on the look of a village (except mine, of course). And each one was unlike any other. She (Karen) was an excellent teacher, Bernice was a fine hostess and we all enjoyed the day. Bets are on that Mary Anne will be the first to finish.

L-R: Cary Lou Canfield, Karen Eckmeier (workshop teacher), Liz Wighton.

From Rosemary Jordan - Our big news for the summer was the REALLY surprise 50th wedding anniversary party given us by our family -- our six kids, the in-laws, and the oldest ones of the 16 grandchildren. Dick's brother Jim's widow, Mary Helen Jordan, actually had a copy of the toast that Jim had given at our wedding, and she read it at the party. The kids had put together a beautiful wedding book with written sentiments from each of them, had made a slide presentation with music of our life, and they even played our song, April Love, and had us dance to it. (We were married in April of 1958.) The song was part of a CD made especially for us. It was all such a thrill. I can't believe they actually pulled off the surprise, but we didn't have a clue. We were lured to a restaurant under the pretext of seeing an oak bar that our younger son said he'd built (he hadn't). Even when we walked in and saw balloons and set-up tables -- no clue. I said, "Oh look, someone's going to have a party later." Then everyone jumped out yelling surprise. Of course, we cried after we realized what was happening. What a treasured memory!

Isabel Becker, fiber artist, recently participated in the Larchmont Arts Festival.

The Alliance for American Quilts has chosen a quilt by Cecilia Leiseroff to be auctioned on eBay. Her quilt was a winner in a competition celebrating the AAQ’s 15-year mission to document, preserve and share our great quilt heritage. For details, check out www.allianceforamericanquilts.org/myquilts/index.php.

The “quilt cottage” in Mamaroneck is offering two classes taught by Susan Wolman. “Birdie Sling,” an Amy Butler carry-all bag, and “Retro Aprons”.

Benedicte Caniell and Jeri Riggs are presently exhibiting works in “Fiber for the Imagination” on display at the University of Connecticut, Stamford, from Sept. 1-Oct. 30.

Cecilia Leiseroff and Carolyn Spiegel have quilts in an on-line auction that were donated to the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA). They can be seen now at www.saqa.com and will be auctioned off November 10th and 11th. The Web site lists the details.

Northern Star Quilters selected Pat Waill as their featured quilter for the month of October.

Carole Hoffman was accepted into the Mamaroneck Artists’ Guild.

Isabel Becker has received first place in the mixed media category for her "The Subject is Roses" fabric picture. She photographed and printed on fabric all of the fabric used for the picture. The event at the Scarsdale Art Association's annual awards exhibit was held at the Scarsdale Library in November.

Carolyn Spiegel has a quilt in Jane Dávila & Elin Waterston‘s new book “Art Quilts at Play” due out in January or February.

The art quilters group that meets monthly at the Country Quilter is having a show at the Mahopac Library in March. Opening reception is March 8 from 2 - 4 p.m. Carole Hoffman, Cecelia Leiseroff, Carolyn Spiegel and Kendell Storm will be among the exhibiting artists.

Come and support VSQ members Carole Hoffman, Cecelia Leiseroff, Carolyn Spiegel and Kendell Storm at the opening reception of Fiber + Thread = Art on Sunday, March 8 from 2 – 4 p.m. at the Mahopac Public Library. Their work will be on display along with the work of 27 other quilters in this exhibit which runs from

March 2 – April 3. Opening reception on March 8 from 2 – 4 p.m., Mahopac Library,

668 Route 6, Mahopac, NY 845-628-2009.

Stamping/Painting Workshop led by Rosalind Yong and Cecelia Leiseroff. Face/Embellishment Workshop (taken from the NQA Quilting Quarterly) led by Pat Julian were held during the Summer 2009.

A Very Special Quilt Show: Don’t forget Mary Anne Ciccotelli’s exhibition of five decades of quilting, “A Quinquagenarian’s Quilt Quest” being held in the church at 111 North Avenue (between Main Street & Pelham Road), New Rochelle on Sunday, June 13, from 1-5 p.m.

Congratulations to Mary Anne Ciccotelli for “Generations Unite” and “Grandma’s Hexagarden” and to Tamar Drucker for “Is it Digital?” and “Tel- Aviv: A View to the Past, A Window to the Future” for having been juried in to the Quilt Festival in Houston in October! Congratulations Mary Anne and Tamar, we wish you well as you make this.

Teri Lucas will have an article on machine quilting in Quilt Scene, a special edition of Quilting Arts magazine for Houston. By the time this newsletter is published, Teri will have traveled to Ohio to tape a segment on machine quilting for Quilting Arts TV (locally on WLIW, on-air channel 21, Friday afternoons at 3 p.m.) sometime in the fall 2009.

Anne Frascarelli’s and Teri Lucas’s quilt “Eclipse” was accepted into the traveling exhibit for the Hoffman Challenge for 2009/2010. Congratulations!

· “MADE IN NEW YORK: City Quilting” will be an exhibition that celebrates the best in New York metropolitan area quilting with 63 quilts on display for 7 weeks. VSQ’s Carolyn Spiegel had her quilt, “Complicated Spirit” chosen for display during this exhibition.

and Ellen Highsmith Silver of "the quilt cottage" in Mamaroneck will also have a quilt in the exhibition titled “Wildlife.”