Quilting on the Line members are giving back to the community. Each year, these ladies create a beautiful quilt donated to the Paul Smith Library of Southern York County. This amazing quilt was raffled off by the library to enhance community opportunities. A big thank you to Alice Steele, Susan Kern, Penny Swoyer, Juanita Hurley, Carole Walkden, Darlene Vocke and Barb Hoff for giving back to the Paul Smith Library of Southern York County.
As featured in Harford’s Heart.com Magazine, Oct-Nov 2023
Written by Mary Jane Roth
Mrs. Jeanne Kehl will be the featured quilter at this November’s “Autumn Ribbons Quilt Show.” The show will display the work of the members of Quilting on the Line Quilt Guild from the last four years. The guild, whose members draw from northern Harford and southern York Counties, selected to showcase the Jarrettsville resident’s quilts at this year’s show.
When speaking with Jeanne, it’s obvious why her fellow quilters chose to recognize her work. Although she has won ribbons at local fairs, public recognition is not important to her. It’s the personal connections she makes with her quilts and its recipients that brings the deepest satisfaction. Quilting for Kehl is a very personal experience.
Jeanne began quilting as an adult. After sewing clothing for her family for many years, she accumulated a lot of fabric. Thinking of other uses for the material, Kehl took up quilting. As she acquired more experience and networked within the quilting community, her reputation led to working on special quilts for other people. Kehl says her favorite quilts are those which she forms an emotional attachment. Finishing quilts started by deceased loved ones and memorial pieces are among those quilts with special meaning. Beyond typical quilts, more lighthearted projects also leave their marks. Kehl has fond memories of quilts made from T-shirts and a fun one she made for her niece with ribbons won at equestrian shows. Another dimension of her expertise is repairing vintage quilts. Regardless of the project, a piece of Jeanne is in each one.
Mrs. Kehl and some of her quilts will be present at Quilting on the Line’s Quilt Show at Jarrettsville Gardens, 3825 Federal Hill Rd., Jarrettsville, MD 21084. The show will run November 4, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM and November 5, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM. Admission is $10. Children 10 and under are free. The show will also feature a quilt raffle, vendors, silent auctions, knife and scissors sharpening, and a craft table. Refreshments are available for purchase from the fire company auxiliary. See www.quiltingontheline.com for additional information.
A Quilt Made by Jeanne for Her Niece From Equestrian Show Ribbons
The next time you have some small quilt scraps left over, don’t throw them away. Make a quilted heart and spread some cheer.
An organization called “I Found a Quilted Heart” encourages quilters and crafters to make small quilted hearts (about the size of an adult’s palm) and attach a tag to it that says:
I NEED A HOME!
www.ifaqh.com
#IFAQH
I Found A Quilted Heart
Then, leave them in random places that people will find them like walking trails, shopping carts, foyer of a public place, tourist attractions, bushes and fences near heavily trafficked areas, etc.
Many people who find them go to the website and log a picture of themselves holding their heart and story about finding the heart, or post and tag it on their social media with the hashtag. It’s heartwarming to see the excitement from people who find them.
Go to the website to learn more about it www.ifoundaquiltedheart.com. You will see pictures of all the happy, smiling faces of people delighted they found a heart! Make someone happy, make a quilted heart.
Peg Dougherty of Pylesville will be the featured quilter at Quilting on the Line Quilt Guild’s biennial quilt show Nov. 2 and 3, 2019.
The guild is a group that promotes fellowship for quilters of all ages and talents and members, who come from Harford and Southern York counties, will be exhibiting their traditional, contemporary and art quilting work from the last two years.
The guild will also present Challenge Quilts, Mystery Quilts, Quilts of Valor, and Row by Row Quilts.
The quilts will be displayed at the Jarrettsville Volunteer Fire Company’s Jarrettsville Gardens, 2835 Federal Hill Road, on Nov. 2 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Nov. 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A craft boutique, silent auction and vendors will be available.
Refreshments will be provided by the Jarrettsville Fire Company’s auxiliary. Admission is $10 for two days and includes a free ticket for the raffle quilt “Springtime Stars.”
For more information contact Quilting on the Line, 410-941-9399 or quiltingontheline.com.
Dougherty is a nationally and internationally recognized quilter whose work has toured the United States. She is a repeat blue-ribbon winner at the Harford County Farm Fair, the state fair and international competitions.
“Three of my quilts have traveled around America as part of the Hoffman Fabric Challenge. Hoffman also awarded one of my quilts first place for mixed technique,” Dougherty said.
A master of techniques, Dougherty tries to challenge herself with each new quilt, she said. The quilts are hand or machine quilted.
To make her unique designs, she uses various types of techniques including fabric piecing, appliqué, embroidery and embellishments such as beading.
For new quilters, Dougherty urges them to “try everything.
“Don’t get stuck with one style. A new quilt is an opportunity to attempt something different. Do not obsess over mistakes. Mistakes can become ‘design elements,’” she said.
Dougherty’s favorite quilt? “The next one,” she said.
Dougherty started her quilting journey at age 5, threading needles for mother. She completed her first quilt years later, a wedding gift for her daughter. After taking formal quilt classes at the Delta Senior Center in Delta, Pa., she purchased a special quilting machine and progressed from fabrication into design.
Her family and many organizations have benefited from her prolific work – each of her 26 family members has multiple quilts of her original design.
Dougherty has also donated many quilts to civic groups for fundraisers. She continues to foster her love of quilting through her membership in Quilting on the Line Quilt Guild.
Dougherty was a Harford County Public Schools teacher for 30 years. While on staff at Harford Technical High School and serving as coordinator of the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America, Dougherty and the VICA students provided catering for quilting shows.
Can anything be sadder than work left unfinished? Yes, work never begun. — Christina Rossetti, author, poet
Finishing all your projects. Don’t bother. The whole reason we begin new projects is to enjoy that satisfying blast of creativity that comes with starting something new. — Laura Wasilowski, quilter, instructor, designer, funny person
Before heading out for a 4-day retreat this past January, I neatened my sewing room, organized my holdings, and made a list – yes, pen to paper – of all the projects I have started cutting and sewing, as well as those that are fabric bundles in a basket. Well, they are also “started,” just in a different way.
Art Quilt
Made by Susan Stiles
It’s surprising how having such a list serves as inspiration for both new projects and old.
Looking at the works-in-progress brings me back to the way I felt when I began them – in love with certain fabrics, anticipated pride in getting it done, and the imagined joy of the person I intend to gift with my creation. Like you, I also have projects that don’t feel quite as inspiring and fun as they once did but are still much too nice to stay unfinished. And don’t we all sometimes feel that we’ve started things that turn out to be overly ambitious?
I’ve had that apprehension for a few months. It can be a nag. I really wanted to learn a new skill but wondered if I had gone overboard.
I kept at it. This past week, I was able to finish piecing an art quilt that I started last October in a workshop. In the beginning of the workshop, I had that “satisfying burst of creativity”…then the serious work began. At the time I left the workshop, my pattern, laboriously drawn and cut and tacked to a foam-core board, was only partially covered with a few dozen fabric pieces. The instructor had sent us packing with several rather challenging directives: don’t sew anything until ALL of the pieces are cut and pinned, and also, sewing it all together would be the easy part.
By the time I finally got all the fabric cut and started sewing one section (that had only 4 pieces), I discovered, to my amazement, that I was going to be able to do it, one section at a time. Not all the fabric choices are perfect, and there is a certain undulation in the background (I think it gives it a nice watery feel, don’t you?), and I still have to quilt it. I’ll be moving it to the long-arm shortly, getting my design wall back, and thinking about what I want to continue to work on next.
I think it will be both something old, and something new, and something I can cross of the list.
Happy spring!
Susan
Dear QOL,
Research shows that people tend to dwell more on mistakes, short-comings, and failures than on accomplishments and successes. There may be an evolutionary reason why that tends to be true, but the opposite is surprisingly beneficial. Accepting compliments has been shown to increase our actual well-being—even if the compliment comes from ourselves.
I’m sure we have all had this happen. We are admiring someone’s quilt, perhaps at Show & Tell. Several people are commenting on the design, construction, color, and quilting. Compliments abound. Then the quiltmaker herself says something like, “I really messed up THIS part!” and helpfully draws our attention to something she isn’t pleased with.
It’s natural; no one wants to seem like a braggart. But what benefits are we giving away by discounting well-earned recognition? Dr. Teresa Amabile, a professor at Harvard Business School and co-author of “The Progress Principle,” has some answers. By disclaiming recognition, we lose out on major psychological benefits. Her research shows that accepting meaningful praise and recognition boosts our motivation, helps our performance, and even drives our brains to commit new skills to memory. Pretty solid stuff for a quilter!
Can we get better at accepting compliments?
Yes. Say, “Thank you, I appreciate your comment.” After all, a fellow quilter knows what she is talking about. You can also ask a follow-up question. It shows you value the comment-giver’s opinion. In fact, downplaying positive feedback can devalue the other person.
Can you give yourself the recog-ition you’ve earned? Again, yes. According to Dr. Amabile, people feel a sense of elation when they make progress in work that is meaningful to them. Keeping a journal of accomplishments is one way to affirm our progress. Jot down the work you did and give yourself some time to appreciate the effort and the out-come. Your quilt is beautiful. It really is.
And when you’re standing by the Show & Tell rack, and someone compliments you on your project, smile, say thank you, and own it. It is a gift we can give ourselves, and each other, as we head into a new year.
—Susan
To learn more about creativity and Dr. Amabile’s research, visit www.progressprinciple.com.
March 8-17, 2019- Quilts around the Bay Shop Hop
Various shops along the Eastern Shore
https://www.facebook.com/QuiltsAroundTheBay/
National Quilting Day, March 16, 2019
https://quiltalliance.org/nationalquiltingday/
Quilt Expo – Baltimore Heritage Quilters Guild, Mar. 23, 2019 – Mar. 24, 2019
https://www.visitmaryland.org/event/quilt-expo-baltimore-heritage-quilters-guild
AQS QuiltWeek, March 27-29, 2019, Lancaster County
Convention Center.
http://www.quiltweek.com/locations/lancaster-pa/
The Lancaster Quilt Show, March 27-30, 2019. Double Tree
Resort. https://www.lancasterquiltweek.com/
Second Annual Needlework Emporium, March 30, 2019.
Women’s Club of Bethesda, 5500 Sonoma Rd, Bethesda, MD
20817 https://www.facebook.com/needleworkemporium/
Homemaker’s Country Quilters, Blooms of Spring, April 5-6,
2019. Penn State Extension Building, Collegeville, PA
http://homemakerscountryquilters.org/2019-quilt-show/
Harvest Quilters, Sharing the Quilts XXXVI, April 6, 2019
Scotch Plains, NJ
http://www.harvestquilters.com/quiltshow.htm
Ocean Waves Quilt Guild, Bird’s’ Blooms and Butterflies Quilt
Show, April 26-27, 2019. Sussex Academy, Georgetown DE.
https://www.oceanwavesquiltguild.org/quilt-show
Penn Oaks Quilters, For the Love of Quilting X, May 3-4, 2019.
Griffith Hall, Ludwig’s Corner Fire House, Glenmoore, PA
http://www.pennoaksquilters.org/
Quiltfest Lancaster, May 9-11, 2019.
The Lancaster Resort & Conference Center (soon to be the Wyndham Lancaster)
2300 Lincoln Hwy E (Route 30) Lancaster, PA 17602
https://www.quiltfest.com/upcoming-shows-and-events/quiltfest-lancaster/
Three Rivers Quilters, May 9-11, 2019
The Meadows Racetrack & Casino in Washington, PA (near Pittsburgh)
http://www.threeriversquilters.org/quiltshow.html
Quilters Unlimited, Sea to Shining Sea, May 31- June 2, 2019.
www.quiltersunlimited.org/quilt-show
Quilts by the Bay, June 8-9, 2019
At Annapolis High School
Annapolis Quilt Guild
http://annapolisquiltguild.org/quilt-show/
Hershey Quilt Odyssey – July 25-28, 2019
Hershey Lodge, 325 University Drive, Hershey, PA
https://www.quiltodyssey.com/
Four County Quilters Guild, August 2-3, 2019
St. Michael Church, 1125 St. Michael’s Rd., Mt. Airy, Maryland
https://www.fourcountyquiltersguild.org/fcqg-2019-quilt-show.html
Quilting On The Line, November 2-3, 2019
Jarrettsville Gardens Banquet Hall at Jarrettsville Volunteer Fire Co.
3825 Federal Hill Rd. Jarrettsville, MD 21084
https://quiltingontheline.com/quilt-show/
Looking for something fun and interesting to do this summer? Visit Fort Hunter Mansion in Harrisburg, PA for their Needle Art Exhibit which runs now through June 17. In fact, some works by our very own Kathleen Kellar are on display! For details, visit https://forthunter.org/events/needle-art-exhibit/
That age old question (pun intended) among quilters and sewists. Is it ok to use your old thread? Read the article here by Bluprint Is Your Old Spool of Thread Still Good to Use? about this very topic. Thank you to Sherry Burkins for submitting this article idea to repost here.
My Old Thread Collection
What do you do with your old thread? I don’t mean thread you bought 3 years ago for a class at the quilt show. I mean REALLY old thread. Thread that has a history. Like some of the thread shown in the picture at the top of this post in my 2 gallon ziplock old-thread collection, which is just a portion of my old-thread. So yeah, I hang onto it.
There is some thread in there that I don’t want to part with for sentimental reasons. There is thread in that bag that my grandmother gave me YEARS ago, and it was old then. I am thinking some of the spools are well over 50 years old. Some of it is from stores long since gone, like Woolworth’s or G.C. Murphy.
I have old spools in my collection that I can recall exactly which project I made with it, like that peach sundress I made to wear for my son’s first Easter (who is now 23, by the way). There are even a couple of spools from when I made projects to wear in the 4-H Fashion Revue when I was 11 years old! Seriously. And I am not going to say how long ago that was, but suffice it to say, it was a while ago.
Now for those of you wondering what’s the big deal and why wouldn’t you use it, I will point out a couple of points for consideration. Old thread is made of cotton, and the integrity of cotton degrades with time. Therefore, it’s not as strong as it once was and your stitches may give way. Also, the older the cotton, the more lint it’s going to cause in your machine and that’s not at all good for your machine. Still, as mentioned in the Craftsy article Is Your Old Spool of Thread Still Good to Use? above, it’s fine for certain applications. Don’t toss it, just become more discriminating with how you use it.
I don’t actually use my old thread anymore. It just sits there for posterity. Getting older.
As you can see from my new thread collection, I love thread. I mostly stick with the new stuff, but I love the old stuff too.
What do you do with your old thread? Post your comments below.
This coming year, 2019, we will have a Round Robin, that you will choose your own type of exchange!
Choice 1, Traditional Robin: You can do a block (no larger than 16 ½”) to exchange with group. The members will add a border (4 sides) each time the box is exchanged.
Choice 2, Row Robin: You will make a row ( 60” maximum width) The members will add a row each ex-change.
Choice 3, Two Quilt blocks (16 ½” is the maximum size): The mem-bers will make two blocks according to your specific directions.
Choice 4, Half Row Robin: You will make a block (16 ½ “ is maximum side). The members will add only borders. on 2 sides, these sides must touch.
Each Participant must include a JOURNAL This Journal must give rules and instructions to give guid-ance for the participants for each exchange. This is where you will state what you want!
Here are a few questions that you might want to include in your journal:
Each Participant must have a box with handle. This box should contain:
Measure, Measure, Measure and use a good ¼” seam and use your best sewing skills. Work on another person’s quilt, as you want her to work on your quilt!
If you find yourself at a loss for ideas, search on Pinterest for Row Quilt Ideas, or call a quilting friend for some inspiration! You can always give me or Terry a call if needed.
This should be a fun activity! Let your creativity sparkle!
Points of contact:
Jean Berk
Terry Ruby
Photo Credit:
Seasons quilt submitted by Bess Scheid. While the quilt is owned is by another quilter, Bess made the Christmas row, Jeanne Kehl made the daffodils row and Johanna Roll made one of the rows in this Row Robin.
Photo Credit:
This Row Robin quilt photo is submitted and owned by Johanna Roll. The rows in this Row Robin were made by members of Quilting On the Line Guild.