PTA DECEMBER SHOW & TELL

Holiday fun is full on here in the mountains with the various fiber groups I belong to.  PTA (Professional Textile Artists) consists of 14 talented and fun gals.  We all gathered yesterday for our annual Christmas party.

Because we are a very energetic group.... all talking at once.....someone needs to try to keep control of our activities.  Barbara was the keeper of 'the spoon'. We call that 'spoon speak'...supposedly if you want to speak to the entire group....you should be holding the spoon.  However, sometimes we need one moderator to control things.  We were even more out of control this time and it's a wonder she didn't break a glass as she had to bang and bang the spoon to get attention.

 We began with show and tell....and surprisingly for this time of the year we had a lot to share.

I especially loved Mary B's scrappy quilt.  It's the kind of old time comfy quilts I find so charming.

 Janice attended a water color class recently and created these two fabulous pieces.

 .....aren't they just great??

 Most of us are able to attend our annual PTA retreat....where apparently last year this piece began as a round robin.  Several of us...including me were dumbfounded when Leigh Anne showed it, because we hadn't known a thing about the quilt.  What did I say about this group all talking at once?  Perhaps that's why about half of us missed this whole thing!

 Member Connie Brown wears lots of hats....one is that of a bee keeper.  I think all of us are on the lookout for bee related items to pass along to Connie. This 'gift' of a Boo Boo bra for Connie had us all in hysterics.

 Georgia Bonesteel has been busy making (remaking) new items for her son's family to cherish.  They lost all their possessions (including their house) in a house fire....I can't imagine!!!  Georgia is now on a Mission to create new memories and treasures for them. 

 Georgia has also gotten the reputation locally for saving memories for family members by creating items from their loved one's ties.

 She also shared this pieced mountain scene which was a project for a retreat she holds out West every year.

 Linda Cantrell is on a real roll lately.....churning out stunning piece after stunning piece featuring vases.

 She claims she's just using up scraps and leftovers from previous quilts.....I wish my scraps would turn into something as eye catching as these!

Here's another piece Linda is starting....the figures have not been applied to the background yet....she's created the silhouettes and is in the process of deciding how best to use them.  The motion they depict is amazing.

Last, but not least....Connie is holding a quilt that our group will be donating to the retreat center where we hold our annual getaway.  I received the blocks at our Christmas White Elephant exchange last year.  (Mary B. had won them years ago at an Asheville Quilt Guild meeting.)  The group decided to make them into a quilt and this is how far we've gotten.  No...we don't work fast....if we'd put all our talking energy into the task....it'd be hanging at the retreat center by now!!

Tomorrow I'll share the silliness of this year's white elephant exchange....oh my.....