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Tuesday, August 27, 2013

IQBS Update by Guest Blogger Stephanie B: The Red, White and Blue Edition! (International Quilt Block Swap)



Wooooo Hooooooo, proud to be introducing another blog post by one of my closest quilting friends, Stephanie B!  Stephanie will certainly be persuaded by all of us to create a quilting blog too one day.  Just not sure where she will find the time, I imagine she is flying / running / sometimes stumbling around in a quilted cape to get all of the things done that she does in a day!  I am certain she is sneaking a few extra hours into her day...hehe!  So here it goes, I hope everyone enjoys learning more about our groups!  =) 

Hugs & Smiles, Tiffiny ~ Smilie Mommy 
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International Quilt Block Swap
Quilts of Valor IQBS

Stephanie Buscemi
Administrator
IQBS Update: The Red, White and Blue Edition

It is so good to be back with Tiffiny and all of you following Smilie Mommy Quilts!  If you happened to miss our last blog post about The International Quilt Block Swap: IQBS, here is a little info about our group. The IQBS is a group of quilters from around the world sharing our love of quilting.  Members of our group come from Australia, Indonesia, India, Sweden, Spain, America, just to name a few. It’s an exciting project for us and I feel fortunate to be the administrator of such a diverse, talented and genuine group of quilters. It’s wonderful to see the different fabrics and techniques that are used in other countries.

The month of August is under-way and our “Star Quilters” for the month are beginning to receive their blocks from the group! This month Carol Cricenti and Beth Blevins are our Star quilters. Carol requested that we send her red, white and blue blocks so she can create a Quilt of Valor with them. The Quilt of Valor Foundation is a wonderful organization. They present quilts to members of the Armed Services who have been touched by war. Here is a link to their website: http://www.qovf.org If you’d like to check it out, volunteer, or just take a peek at the gorgeous quilts made for their mission. The quilts, lovingly created by volunteers, are absolutely beautiful; and, knowing they’re destined to comfort or soothe one of our wounded service members, it just makes them a bit more beautiful, I think. Carol has received blocks from all over the world from our IQBS members to help create her Quilt of Valor. 

 She has included circles in this block! You know and I know how difficult little circles are to work with!

 We’ve been happy to learn a little about Tenerife from Luciana.  It is of one the islands of the seven Canary Islands archipelago.  Five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the most of any Canary Islands. I can see why, it is absolutely gorgeous. Its beauty is enchanting and I plan on visiting Luciana in Tenerife, one day. It’s too pretty to resist! Here are a few pictures that Luciana has shared with us:
 




 Picturesque and peaceful, Tenerife, Spain seems dreamy, romantic and peaceful.  Lucianca sews on her Terrace, with a beautiful view and a few cats to keep her company while she stitches. Sounds like a vacation, every day, to me! (click to see more beautiful pics!) =)

Carol also received this block from Ana Srihadiana from Bekasi, Indonesia.

Located in West Java, Indonesia, Bekasi is on the eastern border of Jakarta. It is a bustling suburban community with a large population; it is the fourth largest city in Indonesia. 



Indonesia may be far from Austin, Texas, yet Ana and I can share blocks and ideas through our Face book group page, as if we lived next door. She’s very talented. I love the “Indonesian” flavor that she gives to the “American” blocks that I have done!  For instance, Ana took my Amish block and recreated it in embossed batiks. Such a lovely combination! I wouldn’t have thought to do an Amish block in batiks but I will now!

Charlotte Cronkhite of Dallas, Texas
sent this beautiful block to Carol:

Qurrat Thakur from Austin, TX sent Carol this red, white and blue beauty (click to see even more beautiful pics!)







 More sparkling stars from IQBS members:
Design by Rachel Spiteri
Design by Merrill Hogan








Design by Linda Hashimoto
With over twenty-four members in IQBS, Carol will have plenty of gorgeous blocks from all over the world to make one of her beautiful Quilts of Valor!  It is touching to see the blocks from places not directly affected by the recent wars offered to Carol for such a worthy service project. Hugs and Smiles to everyone in our group helping with this project!

As you can see, IQBS is humming along with the quilters enjoying being a part of an international group of talented quilters. You would think this would be satisfying enough but you know quilters, there is never enough!! From our IQBS group grew our own Quilts of Valor Group on Face book, which then grew into two groups, Quilt of Valor IQBS teams 1 and 2. Though, these two groups were formed just a few months ago, they have become very popular and very successful! We thought why not join together to make a quilt every few months? That is just what we did. Our first two Quilts of Valor are presently under-construction. Each member simply makes one star block in red, white and blue for the quilt. Someone volunteered to do the construction, another the quilting, another the binding! By sharing the work, we’ll be able to donate two quilts, every few months! It has been especially rewarding to work with these two groups of quilters. Some are members of the International Swap but not all of them. I’d like to share some of the star blocks we’ve received and the progress we are making on the quilts, as well, in my guest blog posts. You’ll receive two updates for the price of one sit and read!

Quilts of Valor IQBS, Teams1 and 2 are sending in some of the prettiest star blocks that I have ever seen! It is so intriguing to see the intricate designs created in the blocks and the fabric choices that make the blocks sing! There are a few I’d like to share with you.

Linette Ivanovich- Green sent this sparkling star:
 
Design by Grayson Murray- Nelson:









Design by Angie Boyd














 

As the administrator of Team 1, I am the lucky one who gets to receive all of these gorgeous stars in the mail!! They will make a very pretty creation together. Carol, our Star-Quilter of the month in IQBS, is the administrator and recipient of the Team 2 stars. It is a genuine group effort. Here’s a picture of the stars that I’ve received so far just thrown together:

It’s taking shape! Once all of the twenty-four stars have arrived, I’ll sash and piece them together. I’m really excited to see our individual stars make one beautiful quilt! Hopefully, by the end of October, it will be complete and ready to donate to the Quilts of Valor Foundation thanks to the generous time and talents of The International Quilt Block Swap, Quilt of Valor Team 1 and Quilt of Valor Team 2!  If you’d like to find us and join our Quilt of Valor effort, you can find us at our group page on FaceBook by Searching for Quilts of Valor IQBS.

Thank you for allowing me to share our groups’ progress and inspirations. Tiffiny, a big thank you goes out to you for allowing us to share our experiences with the blogosphere. I’m sure I will be back soon to share more of our progress and successes. I hope so! Once our quilts are together for Quilts of Valor, I promise to post pictures here in Tiffiny's aka Smilie Mommy’s blog! They promise to be wonderful!

One last thing, before I go back to the sewing machine to continue making stars. A beloved member of IQBS, Qurrat Thakur, was accepted to show at the 2013 AQS Des Moines Quilt Week Contest. Her wall-hanging of Batiks, “Spring Flowers,” will be on display at Quilt Week! Isn’t it gorgeous? The Binding is made from her mother’s wedding saris. Is that just so sweet?!? We are rooting for you, Q! Good luck but you don’t need luck, you have talent!
Designed by Qurrat Thakur

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