February

February Show-and-Tell

 

***

 Sheila made this striking red quilt, even matching the stripes when possible.

 

***

 Cyndi made these two table runners. Very pretty!

 

 ***

Cyndi finished this top that she bought at our auction. It's just the right size for a card table.

 ***

This is the front of Cyndi's quilt that has the fish fabric on the back. It's a beautiful fall print.

 ***

Iris made this lovely table-runner. The blues and golds are a striking contrast.

**********

January 22nd, 2015

**********

This week we tried out a new Italian restaurant and were very impressed with the food and the service.  We enjoy checking out different restaurants, we add the really good ones to our rotation of lunch spots.  This one was added unanimously!

Cyndi finished this quilt top from an auction purchase, and she donated it for someone in need.

Sheila made this small quilt from a pack of  5" x 18" precuts.  Lovely jewel tones!

Sheila also finished this Jelly Roll Race quilt with beautiful borders that really set off the colors.

Cyndi used two fish prints to make a quilt backing.  This quilt will be reversible!

Sheila got a head start on next Christmas' decorating with this panel quilt.

Cyndi Made a lovely Alphabet quilt, in which each letter is made from a print that corresponds to it. It is also a matching game, since she used the same print in another block in the interior of the quilt.

Marcia put together this Disappearing Nine-Patch quilt with florals and solids. It is a couch throw size.

Marcia also made this Melon quilt as a gift for one of her grand-nieces. The melons are made of vintage fabrics from the 60's and 70's.

Keep those photos coming! We all love Show-and-Tell!

**********

New Year, New Directions

We had been having a monthly meeting at night because two of our members could not meet with us during the day, but both those members have resigned from our group and are starting a group of their own.  We wish them much success and many new friends!

There is now no reason to have a monthly nightime meeting, so we have dropped it.  This will make things easier for the rest of us, as we will not need to provide refreshments or prepare a program. Some of us are also reluctant to get out at night.

This blog will be kept open as a place for us to show our finished projects and share news.  In that spirit, Cyndi shares a photo of the doll quilts she made for Christmas gifts for some very lucky little girls!

We hope to keep photos like this coming! Please submit all photos via email, if possible. Thanks!

November meeting

 **********

The November meeting was held on the 13th at Marcia's house, with Sheila and Cyndi hosting.  In attendance were Cyndi, sheila, Mozelle, Debbie, Sylvia, Susan, Meg, and Marcia. Cyndi provided some yummy sausage and cheese dip with chips and brownies with molten caramel centers. Delicious!

Business:  The sign up sheet for next year was passed around.  Most months have just one hostess signed up, but I am sure most of us would appreciate a little help when the time comes, so don't be afraid to jump in to offer to co-host.
We also reviewed the plans for the Christmas luncheon, which will be held at Golden Corral on Dec. 11th at 1:00 pm. That's a Thursday.  There is no organized gift exchange or program--just a leisurely lunch to visit with friends.

Show and Tell:

Marcia showed three baby quilts she had made for future babies.  The pink one and the blue one are made of Jacob's Ladder blocks.

She calls this one "Bubblegum" because of the bubblegum pink fabric she used for the background.

Meg showed this small baby quilt with a musical theme made by her friend Carolyn Gaskill.

 And Meg made this one called "Stars and Strips." She's been working on this one during our Thursday group sew sessions.

Susan showed off some of her crafting skills.  She made this lovely card:

 She told us of a new product called Kraft-Tex that feels like paper but sews like fabric.  She made this little zippered case with it.

Plus she showed this lovely basket made from fabric strips filled with batting scraps.  She then used fabric stiffener to make it very sturdy.

Sheila showed this lovely quick called "Zipper." It's beautiful in batiks.

Cyndi has been finishing up UFO's, including this top she bought at one of our auctions:

and this table-runner which was one of her first quilt projects:

This graphic black and white quilt made us all envious!

We love the way the pattern of this one looks like it has curves, but doesn't.  Her fabric choices were perfect!

And this was another auction buy that she finished up. The centers are hand-embroidered blocks that Sylvia had made.

PROGRAM:
Sheila showed us how to use 2-8" circles to make a cute and easy Christmas ornament!  They would make lovely gift toppers as well.  We each made one in just a few minutes of sewing.  Thanks, Sheila!

Next month the "meeting" will be the Christmas Luncheon!

**********

October Meeting

**********

The October meeting was held October 9th at Marcia's house. Susan and Mozelle hosted.

In attendance were Meg, Marcia, Susan, Mozelle, Sylvia, and Cyndi (with her granddaughter.)

Mozelle and Susan provided yummy desserts: an Apple Dump Cake, a plate of Pumpkin Spice cupcakes, and vanilla ice cream.

BUSINESS:  We further discussed the Christmas lunch, to be held on December 11th at Golden Corral.  It had been posted on the blog that lunch would be at 11:00, but we decided to push it back to 1:00 to miss the lunchtime rush.

SHOW-AND-TELL: 

Susan showed one of her Dresden Sunflower blocks; very pretty, and labor-intensive!

Mozelle showed a finished block for her latest Hanging Gardens quilt. It's a pattern we all like, easy to do.

Marcia showed off her patio door cover, quilted by Meg. It looks like stained glass with the sun shining behind it!

**********

September Meeting

**********

The September meeting was held on 9/11 at Marcia's home, with Estela hosting. She supplied baked potatoes with all the fixings, and a delicious cinnamon crunch cake. In attendance were Cyndi, Sheila, Debbie, Susan, Estela, Meg, Sylvia, and Marcia.

BUSINESS:

1. The Christmas Party was scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 11 at 11:00 am.  After a discussion it was decided that Golden Corral would be a good place to meet, since everyone could have what they wanted. We will see if a private room can be reserved for that day.

2. Meg gave a financial report. She reported that the club treasury is healthy and that our auction last month netted us over $250.

3. Estela gave out needle information sheets she had located.

SHOW and TELL:

Meg showed three quilts she has completed.  The first she calls Garage Sale Granny--she put it together from garage sale blocks.

This Overall Bill (or Sam) was a kit that she found, she only had to applique the blocks and put it together. Even the border was a find--a dust ruffle from a thrift store!

This purple quilt was made as a gift for an undisclosed relative.  Lucky girl!

Susan showed this beautiful quilt of triangles that is so intricate that it is very hard to find the actual block.  It is not what it appears to be!

Sylvia showed this wonderful quilt she calls Whitecaps, for obvious reasons. It is absolutely beautiful, and very unique.

Marcia showed 2 quilts made from quilt blocks she bought in the auction.  Both are quilts for future babies, one is primarily pink, and the other primarily blue.

This quilt was a total rescue, and is a donation quilt.  Marcia bought the top at a garage sale for $1, but it was a total mess.  She took it apart, corrected the problems, and put it back together. We all agreed it turned out pretty well, for what was once thrown out as a lost cause.

PROGRAM:

Estela showed us all how to make an insulated pot handle cover, using InsulBright.  They are fast and easy, and would make a really useful gift for Christmas.  We thought they would be especially useful with cast iron skillets.  Here are our results:

 

We all provided three squares of fabric and Estela provided the batting, InsulBright, and the printed instructions.  Thanks, Estela!

*****

The next meeting will be October 9 at Marcia's house. Susan will host.

**********

August Meeting

**********

The Annual August Auction was held on the 14th at Marcia's house, hosted by Sylvia and Debbie. In attendance were Cyndi, Meg, Sheila, Susan, Sylvia, Debbie, and Marcia.  Guests were Vicky, Sylvia's sister; Alma, Susan's sister-in-law; Joyce, a former member and friend; and Michelle and Samantha, Debbie's sister and niece. It was great to have so many visitors at one time!

Debbie provided  homemade chicken salad and bread-and-butter pickles, and some interesting pickle flavored potato chips, as well as an Earthquake Cake.  It was surmised that the name came from the sound of our feet after we had eaten our fill!

BUSINESS: 

Meg gave a Treasurer's report, and a discussion ensued of whether a bank account should be opened for the treasury money.  Meg was tasked with setting this up.  (This account was opened the next day at Simmons Bank in Meg's name and with Marcia as co-signer.  No mention of the club was made to the bank.)

A motion was seconded and passed that Meg should be allowed to buy thread, needles, and other upkeep items for her sewing machines from the treasury, since we use her machines so often.

A motion was seconded and passed that we use money from the treasury to pay for a Christmas dinner at a local restaurant to be named later.  Discussion of the restaurant included Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Mary Maestri's, Outback, and other favorites.  It was decided that we would individually check into the use of our favorite for this purpose and report at the next meeting, when we will decide which restaurant to use, and a person will be chosen to make the reservations.

A motion was seconded and passed that from now on all evening club meetings will be held at Marcia's house.

SHOW AND TELL:

Meg passed around a newspaper clipping of Marcia when she was in high school.

Sheila showed several quilts:

 This Wild Animal quilt is for her grandson. We all loved her use of animal print fabrics.

 This bright and colorful quilt features more baby-friendly animals.

 This one is from the same pattern, but features aliens or monsters in the print panels.

This HUGE quilt is called "Joined At The Hip," and  used only one jelly roll, plus the background fabric. Great use of color!

Marcia showed this small quilt, "Tiny Pinwheels," that she made with pieces of fabric she bought at last year's auction. 

Cyndi showed her "Jelly Roll Race II" in teals and browns, held here by Sheila and Meg. It is also a LARGE quilt. Very pretty!

PROGRAM:

Instead of a program, we held our auction of good, but no-longer-wanted items. Lots of magazines and books were sold, some jelly rolls and fabric squares, and lots of other things, both sewing/craft related and not.

 Sylvia acted as auctioneer, and Debbie and Sheila were her assistants. They are all very good at getting people to buy stuff, and prices were kept low.

After the proceedings, we all paid our money to Meg, gathered our booty and went home happy. The auction is always one of the highlights of the year.

The September meeting will be held on the 11th at Marcia's house, and hosted by Estela.

**********