Challenges For ALS

I think everyone has heard of the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS by now.  The Father of a good friend of mine died from ALS and she nominated me to do the ice bucket challenge in his honor and I accepted that challenge.  This is it.

For those of you that would like to do something that raises awareness and research money for ALS without pouring ice water on your head, you have options!

Kathy Thompson, the owner of Dream Cotton batting, started the "Hopes & Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS" and just finished it's fifth year of collecting quilts that are gifted in association with the ALS Association to "PALS" (patients with ALS) nationwide.  Select quilts are reserved to help raise awareness and research funds for ALS by being displayed, auctioned, raffled or sold.

So, here is the link to their site for more information.

Another option locally is the ALS Cliff Walk for ALS.  This year is the 18th Annual Cliff Walk and will be held on Sunday, September 7, 2014 along the beautiful, scenic Cape Cod Canal (at the Buzzards Bay Recreation Area).  It is a day long event featuring activities for the whole family.  Click here for more information.

So, join the fight to find a cure!!  

Melissa Averinos - Cotuit Center for the Arts

Summer is flying by!  So many things to do - so many things to see!  There's still time to go to the Cotuit Center for the Arts to see the current exhibit!  Melissa Averinos has curated an exhibit that includes modern quilts from a variety of people and also work by fiber artist Elizabeth Gurrier.

Melissa Averinos created this improvisational pixel-esque face and also a few other quilts in the exhibit!  

Judy Skwar made this quilt called Newport Crosses!  She machine pieced it and had Melissa Averinos long arm quilt it for her. Judy and Melissa are both members of the Bayberry Quilt Guild.

Ashley Newcomb made this quilt!

Elizabeth Gurrier has amazing white-on-white work in the show!  

She uses hand and machine stitching, along with quilting, trapunto, and stuffing to make fabulous sculptural pieces!  

The detail is amazing!  

Elizabeth's whimsical figures are wonderful!  

Really, you have to go see everything in person.  The show ends September 7 so make a plan to see it!!

Gypsy Rose Lee - Quilter

Not many people haven't heard of Gypsy Rose Lee, the best and most loved strip-tease artist in the world!  She performed in vaudeville and then burlesque, had a film career, and was also a best-selling writer, artist, political activist, and union leader.  She was a single mother by choice, very independent, and lived her life her way.

But did you know that Gypsy Rose Lee was a QUILTER!!!!  I was very surprised to learn that she made quilts and had friends over regularly to quilt!

I was in New York in May and while there went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see the Charles James : Beyond Fashion exhibit.  

Charles James made stunning sculptural dresses and ball gowns and Gypsy Rose Lee was one of his favorite clients.  His work is amazing!

Here's a photo of Gypsy in one of his dresses at a March of Dimes Fashion Show.

She wore this Charles James gown in a March of Dimes Fashion Show.

This red Charles James gown was one worn by Gypsy in a magazine editorial.

This burgundy cocktail dress was given to the Met in memory of Gypsy.

Erik Lee Preminger, Gypsy's son, gave this dress to the Met as a gift.

So, while I was there looking at amazing gowns, I picked up this book in the museum gift shop.  It is a book written by Gypsy's son Erik about his life growing up with his mother.  I loved the book and highly recommend it.  In the book he mentions her quilting and her quilting bees.  He even mentions her buying a bag a scraps while antiquing in Europe!  I was intrigued.  I knew that she made a lot of her costumes and wondered what a quilt made by Gypsy Rose Lee would look like.  So I contacted her son Erik Lee Preminger and asked him if he had any photos of her quilts and he was nice enough to share some with me.  You can purchase his book here.  

This is an article that appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on April 5, 1959.  Click on the images to see it better.  It shows Gypsy and her regular quilting bee members.  They are from the left, Gypsy and her sister, June Havoc, actress; Bonnie Cashin, fashion designer; Faye Emerson, actress; Hedda Hopper, movie columnist; Jane Ashley, interior decorator; and Celeste Holm, actress.  Other members who were out of town at the time are actresses Hermione Gingold and Georgia Sothern and comedienne Imogene Coca.  What an amazing group!!  

  

She made crazy quilts, her sister June preferred the regular geometrical patchwork quilts.  

 This article appeared in TV Guide!  Pictured are (from left to right) Faye Emerson, June Havoc,  Gypsy Rose Lee, and Hermione Gingold.  Can you imagine the scraps of silk, satin, lame, velvet,  lace, and whatever they could get from their dressmakers?  What fun!!

Erik Preminger sent me this picture he took of one of Gypsy's crazy quilts!!  Click on the picture to see it.  Her stitching is beautiful, I love the fans in the four corners!  Her choice of fabrics is personal - she was an avid reader and there's a few books,  a rolls royce - she owned one, some cards from a deck of cards, musical note fabric, a hand holding a coin, just beautiful!!  I wish I could have attended one of her quilting bees.  

Be sure to check out Erik's book and also Gypsy's books on his website - gypsyroselee.net.
Thank you Erik for sharing this with us!

More From Bayberry Quilt Show

Here are some of the quilts at the Bayberry Quilt Show that were made using batik fabrics!

First is Dancing Batiks"by Sue Hart.

Dans Stars and Diamonds by Margaret Sullivan

 Fall Colors by Joan Andrews

Offset Pineapple by Suzanne Whiteside and machine quilted by Melissa Averinos

Regal River by Laurie LaConte

Puzzling With The Stars by Marilyn Swensen

Bayberry Quilt Show

Another successful Bayberry Quilt Show is finished!  Now everyone can concentrate on starting new projects for next year's show!  The theme for the show this year was "Got Scraps" and there was quite a variety to see!

Betty Crowell machine pieced and quilted this one herself.

Mary Hamblin machine pieced and had Julie Lariviere machine quilt this one.

Mary Hamblin used fruit and vegetable fabrics she collected to make this pineapple quilt!  The pattern was in the "Positively Pineapple" book by Milligan & Smith.  Machine pieced and professionally machine quilted by Julie Lariviere.

Scrappy Stars was hand pieced and machine quilted by Kathryn Kacergis.

Jeanne Carey machine pieced and hand appliquéd, and had Julie Lariviere machine quilt this "Delicious Dresden'!  

She worked on this a lot during Open Sews at Tumbleweed so I have this better picture of it.

Jeanne is going to pass this done to one of her granddaughters.  

I loved the quilting Julie did on this one!  In the corner of every block is a butterfly, bee, or some other critter!  Jeanne's granddaughter is going to enjoy looking at them!

Betty Young enjoyed making her cathedral window quilt!  It measures 72 by 72.

Vi Olsen, however, calls her yo yo quilt "Too, Too, Too Many YoYos and does not want to see another one for awhile!  She worked on it on and off for three years! 

More from the show soon!!