RAISING AWARENESS FOR TNDC

Cindy Dawson, Development and Volunteer Partnerships

                             Antoinette Difelice, Intern


TNDC stands for The Next Door Chattanooga

The Next Door Chattanooga offers a unique program in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Corrections. Women served by The Next Door in the Chattanooga area are currently incarcerated and receive short-term transitional services that are rooted in evidence-based practices to address the needs of the women.

Within months of release from incarceration, women are transported from prison to The Next Door Chattanooga’s Correctional Release Center.  While at the Correctional Release Center, women work toward gaining job and life skills that will assist in a productive re-entry into society.  This Correctional Release Center is the first of its kind for the State of Tennessee and Department of Corrections, and is designed to equip these women for independent living, free from drug and alcohol abuse.
http://www.thenextdoor.org/locations/chattanooga/

I have had the opportunity to coordinate two events to raise awareness and funds for The Next Door Chattanooga this year.  This past week in celebration of AQS QuiltWeek Chattanooga we hung the Community Quilt Show: "A 4-Patch Celebration" at Hamilton Place Mall and hosted the VIP Block Party.

We had great sponsors for this event:

Wonderful quilters who shared their quilts with us for the whole month.

We had super food vendors for our tasting:  Chicken Salad Chick, Bar Louis, and Firebirds.  Tennessee Wineries furnished the wine.

The Viewer's Choice Award went to #13 "Sunrise Sunflower", an original design Art Quilt, made by Jackie Cory.

Left to right:  Sandi Suggs, Event Coordinator; Jackie Cory, Quilt Artist;  Linda Meck, Event Volunteer; and Catharine Wells, Hamilton Place Mall Marketing Director.

 Thanks to all of the wonderful quilters, their families, and friends of the quilting community for making it possible for us to raise

$3000 for The Next Door Chattanooga!!!

Left to right:  Sandi, Event Coordinator, presenting a check to  Becky Phelps,  Regional Director, East Tennessee; and Cindy Dawson, Development and Volunteer Partnerships , The Next Door Chattanooga.
                                         -sandi

FINDING MY VOICE, FINAL

AQS QuiltWeek Chattanooga, Finding My Voice Exhibit   

War Eagle

76" square

Design by Julie Herman

Quilted by Lauren Byrne

Every college freshman must have a "going-off'-to-college" quilt in school colors.  My grandson, Preston, asked me to make his a modern quilt.  I used Kona solids and the no border design from Jaybird Quilts, Julie Herman.

Crosses for Nick

55.5" x 62.5"

Design by Faith Jones

Quilted by Rhonda Fulghum

Using alternate gridwork to lay out the scrappy cross blocks with a white background made this quilt very modern.  This is a special quilt for a special grandson, Nick!

LilBit's Log Cabin

36" square

Original Design

This is an improv pieced wonky log cabin design with a fractured strata block in the center.  The alternate blocks are more strata blocks in neutral Batiks.  This little quilt belongs to my four pound Yorkie, named LilBit!

French Countryside

83" x 93"

Original Design

This quilt is a free piecing, improv piece that was assembled using Quilt As You Go method.  Extensive straight-line organic quilting was practiced in each block unit.

Carnival

Design by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr

AQS Mystery Quilt

This is a fun piece using asymmetry and pieced half circles with Courthouse Step blocks in improv style.  Using the grey background makes this quilt pop!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

-sandi

FINDING MY VOICE, FOUR

And we continue with Finding My Voice quilts. . .

Is It Modern?

68" x 89"

Original Design

Quilted by Jo McCluney

The new technique was the Dresden plate blocks started for a traditional quilt.  Two years later, I decided to try a modern traditionalism layout with asymmetry and expansive negative space.  Does it work???

And One Fell Off

52" x 58.5"

Original Design

Quilted by Sandi Suggs

Finally, a jump into modern quilt design.  A few de-structured blocks, some bold color, and expansive negative space created a design I love!  Yes, my quilts are talking!!  And, of course, you must have a sense of humor!

Opening the Door

36.5" x 36.5"

Design by Jacquie Gering and Katie Pedersen

Quilted by Sandi Suggs

Slice and Insert with improv piecing was leading me more into letting go of the rigidity of look-alike blocks.  Using a printed fabric for background made the batik units shine.  This wall hanging makes me smile!  Opening a door to many possibilities!

Lawn Chair Quilt

63.5" x 71"

Pattern by Moda Bake Shop

Quilted by Sandi Suggs

Welcome grey to my quilting palette.  I love how it sets off the print fabrics.

Roy G. Biv

24" x 35"

Original Design

This quilt was a "sketch" piece using the rainbow colors in an asymmetric setting with expansive negative space.  The organic straight line quilting adds another design element.

Just a Streak of Blue

25" x 20"

Original Design

Using quarter-square triangles and some improv design created this fun little "sketch" piece.  Love the organic straight-line quilting.

Springtime Gardens

44.5" x 39.5"

Inspired by Bonnie Hunter

My Grandmother's Flower Garden of hexagons turned into Springtime Gardens using bright colors.  It took three years to hand piece the table topper.  Another traditional pattern singing my tune!

My Texas Two Step

32 inches square

Design by Jean Ann Wright

This is a modern version of Courthouse Steps block using narrow and wide opposing strips.  The experiment in this quilt was using Kona solids in bright colors.

Still a few more quilts to come . . .

-sandi

FINDING MY VOICE, THREE

More quilts from Finding My Voice Exhibit at AQS QuiltWeek Chattanooga.

My Day of Sunshine

Needle Turn Applique

87.5" x 87.5"

Pattern by Jan Patek

Quilted by Jo McCluney

The featured technique is a combination of needle-turn applique and a little machine applique.  The entire quilt is done in Batiks.

Christmas Poinsettias

92" x 92"

Pattern by Bonnie Hunter

Quilted by Jo McCluney

The technique practiced in this mystery quilt pattern was working with the Easy Angle ruler to make half-square and quarter-square triangles.

First My Daughter, Now My Friend

64" x 80"

Pattern by Karen Combs

Quilted by Sandi Suggs

The design in this quilt was achieved with strong light/dark values in fabric.  This was the beginning of introducing some contemporary/modern designs to my quilts.

Pebbles and Stripes

37" x 37"

Pattern by Jacquie Gering and Katie Pedersen

Quilted by Sandi Suggs

With the discovery of the on-line Modern Quilt group, my interest shifted to a more modern approach to quilting.  Use of negative space, asymmetry in design, and straight-line quilting with some pebbles produced this piece.

Hear the Orcas Sing

89" x 97"

Pattern by Bonnie Hunter

Quilted by Jo McCluney

The use of black/white fabric for the background created a more interesting composition with the string blocks.  A new block in this quilt was Birds in the Air used in the border.

So, What's the Point?

Original Design by Sandi Suggs, Linda Smith, Sharon Joyner, and Karen Downer

Quilted by Sandi Suggs

This is a small modern improv piece done as a round robin with three friends.  One of my criteria was to "lose the points" on the stars.  It is straight-line quilted. 

Lemonade Stand

69" x 76.5"

Origin of pattern unknown

Quilted by Sandi Suggs

This is a fun two-color scrappy quilt using string piecing: stitch and flip corners; and strata blocks for the border.  The new technique was the stitch and flip corners tessellating to adjoining blocks..

-sandi

FINDING MY VOICE, TWO

As promised, I will show you the quilts from my exhibit, Finding My Voice, that was on display at QuiltWeek Chattanooga 2015.

Toile and 9-Patch

Original design

56" x 56"

Hand quilted with an original corner treatment

Dreaming of Home

Original Design

36" x 43"

A paper-pieced quilt that is a tribute to the memory of my childhood home and my hometown in Tennessee. It is hand quilted.

Easy Pinwheels

Original Design

45.5" x 45.5"

Machine Quilted by June Atkins

This was my first effort at making half-square triangles; pieced sashing with cornerstones; and piano-key borders.

Just a Bunch of Scraps

Original Design

62.5" x 62.5"

Machine Quilted by Jo McCluney

An experiment in design using leftover scraps from other projects produced this pinwheel/flying geese medallion quilt.  First time using black as a

background color.

Yule Time in the Cabin

Original Design

54.5" x 64"

Machine Quilted by Martha Steele

This quilt was a lesson in value and color.  Another technique learned was the insertion of a flange against the outer border.

Nifty Nine-Patch

Pattern by Glad Creations

87.5" x 99"

Machine Quilted by Jo McCluney

The blocks for creating this quilt are on-point 9-Patch and tessellating Courthouse Steps.  The use of the 4-Patch cornerstones kept the piano key border from being monotonous.

More to come . . . .

-sandi