Celebrating 25 Years of Quilting!

Bluework Garden

Bluework Garden is the 2009 charity quilt the guild made to support the Southern Tier Food Bank and the Broome County SOS Shelter. The blocks were machine pieced, hand embroidered and hand quilted by many members of the guild. The overall design of the quilt was done by Louise A. Tiemann. Guild member, Vicki Wilson coordinated the construction and quilting, and she pieced together the quilt top and added the prairie point edging.

Twenty-four of the floral motifs are based on a series quilt pattern, Old English, published in the Woman's Magazine and Amusement Section of the Cleveland Plain Dealer in 1933-34. Margaret Techy adapted the designs from early Jacobean embroidered textiles she saw while visiting the Victoria & Albert Museum in 1931. While in London, Margaret saw a photograph of a patchwork velvet panel, dating back to the second half of the 16th century. She made a sketch of it and designed this quilt along similar lines. Each design is within a circular medallion adapted from old English embroideries of the 17th and 18th centuries.

The remaining six motifs were adapted by Louise from the book 'Embroidery and Design' by Joan H. Drew (1916). This book illustrates floral designs within circular medallions, very similar in style to the Margaret Techy designs.

The embroidered 'braiding design' on the borders were adapted from a vintage redwork quilt in the collection of Kris Driessen, shown during a presentation Kris gave to CTQG in 2006.

Photo taken by Carol Bunnell.

Common Threads ~ making uncommon quilts!

Common Threads Quilters Guild - History

Common Threads Quilters’ Guild (CTQG) began in the spring of 1984 as a small group of quilters meeting in each other’s homes. Their purpose was to share quilting in a sociable atmosphere. As interest grew and membership outgrew private homes, the meetings were moved to the Vestal Public Library. The purpose remains the same – the promotion of the art of quilt making through education, sharing skills and exchanging ideas, and companionship of other quilters, as well as community service.

The group was incorporated on December 11, 1996 and is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and furthering of the art and craft of quilting.Membership in CTQG runs from September through August and the annual dues are $25. Dues entitle members to newsletters; membership listing; membership card (which is good for discounts at some shops); access to the Guild library books; and preferred attendance for workshops, lectures and guild sponsored activities.

Meetings are held at the Vestal Public Library, located on the Vestal Parkway (east), on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month. We also meet on the 5th Thursday if there is one. Meetings begin at 10:00am, with time for socialization from 9-10 prior to the meeting. The library room is reserved from 9am to 5pm on Guild days.

Show and tell is the favorite activity of each meeting. Members and guests bring in works in progress or finished items to show and/or ask for suggestions. Quilt related ‘tells’ are also welcome (along with birth announcements of a new grandchild or cool vacation you just went on).

CTQG is also a member of the Quilters Consortium of New York State, Inc, a not-for-profit organization. The Consortium is a network of thousands of quilters and quilt-related businesses across New York State. Information can be found at: http://www.qcnys.org