May 2021 Meeting Recap

Wow! What a great meeting we had. Lots of learning and plenty of giggles and smiles. It was so good to get together and talk about our hobby. 

President Sylvia began the meeting with a lovely opening greeting. Here are the main points from the business portion:

• The quilt for the 2022 Raffle is ready to go. Those of us who were there got to see it in all of its glory. It will be called, "The Mary Jane Quilt." It measures 96" by 96" and is considered queen-sized, although it could also be used on a king bed with no draping on the sides. Here is a sneak peek for you. The official photos will be taken soon.

  

  The Mary Jane Quilt - for our 2022 Guild Raffle
  

  
  
  
• Plans are underway for a Workshop/Mini-Retreat/Sit-n-Sew day at Jan's house. Nancy D. is going to do research on a block we could sew that day to use to create a charity quilt. Keep an eye out for more information on this.
• The program for our June meeting will be an orphan block exchange. Dig out your orphan blocks and bring them to the meeting. Any blocks left after the meeting will be used in charity quilts. 
• Mary announced that our August meeting will be held at the Lakeside Pavilion at Ives Run State Park. More details will be posted in advance of that meeting. 
• Our new agenda item for each meeting is called Tips, Tools, and Techniques. All members present are invited to share their favorites for the good of the order. Here is a list of this month's contributions:
• Sylvia said she just loves her EyeVac Hands Free Vacuum. She recommends using a rubber broom to get all of the dust and fuzzies in place for it. She also reports that her studio floor has never been so clean.
• Kathy recommended using Quilter's Select rulers. She loves that they don't slip and likes the yellow color. She said her 6.5 x 6.5" square is her favorite.
• Nancy D. shared that she has begun putting a weight on her ruler as she cuts. She saw this technique suggested by Donna Jordan and says it really works. You can see some tips and tricks from Jordan Fabrics in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfWBCSz_xiA
• Jan shared two tools she learned of from her husband, a mechanic. Buy a magnetic parts holderl and retrieval tool from your favorite auto parts store. They are much cheaper than the ones sold by quilt supply stores. 
• Ellen shared that she keeps a little bowl on her sewing table that she can place extra bobbins and machine feet in so they don't run off while she is using them.
• Rhonda suggested that when we are at the auto parts store for our magnetic tools, we also look for light bulbs for our sewing machines. They are cheaper there.
• Nikki reminded us that if we need to replace our garden hose, we should save a short section to use it when changing a light bulb in our machine. It protects your hands from a hot bulb and also keeps the oils from our fingers from contacting the bulbs. Just slip the bulb inside and use the hose to grip it.
• Pam was the lucky winner of the door prize and chose a wire quilt hanger.

We then moved on to the Show-and-Tell portion of the meeting.

"My Covid Quilt," by Grace. From a kit from Material Rewards.

 

Judy gave us all a treat by showing us her "Nickel Exchange in Fall Colors" quilt. Just beautiful!

Then it was Betty's turn. First, she presented two of our Guild charity quilts that she had done the binding on to Sylvia. She expressed how nice it is that the Guild members can work together to do these quilts and how happy she was that she can take part in it.

Then Betty showed us some place mats she had made using a "3 Square" method. We all want to know more about this pattern since they look like so much fun to make.

"Not Perfect, But Done," a jelly roll quilt by Betty. She encouraged us that done is more important than perfect.

Betty's "3 Guild Snowman Quilt" with blocks from exchanges. There are blocks by Betty, Sylvia, and Rhonda in this quilt.

Betty's first snowman quilt.

With a joyful heart, Kristin shared her quilt, "Scraps for Grandma's Table" with us. This is made with very tiny, 1-inch strips. It is just beautiful and will have a home on a table that once was her grandmother's.

Kathy shared her scrappy quilt, "It All Adds Up" with us. Every piece used was from her scrap pile so it reminds her of other quilts she has made.

Kathy is very fortunate to be neighbors with artist, Paul Bozzo. He liked her quilt so much he used a picture of it as the background for one of his pieces. She brought a print of it to show all of us.

Marge made this neat wall hanging from a kit. She was unsure how she would hang it if it wasn't a rectangle, so she added the 4-patch squares in the corners. We all agreed that it turned out just great.

Now this is the kind of leftovers we all enjoy. Marge had so much fabric left over from the kit she used that she was able to make this bonus wall hanging.

Then Marge blew us away with this hand-appliqued and hand-quilted piece. It is just amazing!

Nancy made a contribution to the charity quilt collection with this cute, school bus print quilt.

Then Nancy shared this trio of table runners with us. They all looked great.

Jan got in on the table runner showing as well. Her table runners have to come in pairs because she has two daughters to make them for. Can't have an excuses for sibling rivalry, can we?

Jan's "Jungle" table runner was just too cute!

This quilt is a true sister act. Rhonda did a wonderful job of piecing it and Sylvia did the quilting for her. Sylvia reported that as with many beginners, Rhonda's borders were pretty wavy. She explained that the best way to combat that while quilting it is to put in LOTS  of stitches and even hide some tucks in the quilting. The two of them sure did great work as a team.

The last quilt shown for Show-and-Tell was very special. It was not made by one of our Guild members, but was a gift to Rhonda from one of the patrons of the shop she works at. This patron loves to quilt, but her family has no interest in her quilts or in having any of her quilts. She shared this Log Cabin variation with Rhonda who is honored to have it.

We then moved on to our mini-program, "My Pattern Lied," or "How I Fixed This Quilt" by Sylvia. She purchased fabric that she just loved for her new camper. Following pattern instructions, she cut out all of the pieces and started to sew. This pattern had a "Block A" and "Block B" layout. Sylvia dutifully made a mock up of the second block, then sewed 28 of them as directed. She then started on the first block. Well, when she got her first Block A created, it did not match the size of Block B. Did I mention she was at a retreat when this happened? She took what seemed like the logical steps and double-checked that she had used a 1/4" seam. She had. So she took the block apart and resewed it with a scant 1/4" seam allowance. It STILL was too large. There she was, out of fabric and out of idea. She put the block aside and worked on other projects for the remainder of the retreat. The messed up quilt blocks were put in time out for a bit. 

Later, Sylvia came up with a solution to her dilemma and was able to complete not one, but TWO tops in the lovely colors and fabrics she had chosen. She revealed both tops to us at the end of her discussion. I think she triumphed. She said it reminded her of the saying, "Frustration leads to Innovation."

The completed quilt for Sylvia's camper bed.

The "Just Get It Done" After Quilt

Sylvia went on to tell us that she could see a difference in her piecing between when she started the quilt in 2016 and how she pieces today. She said two of the things she does differently are to use 50wt polyester thread and to take her time pressing her pieces. She encouraged us all to continue to grow in our quilting skills and to ask other Guild members for help when we run across a quilt that just has us beat. We have tentatively planned the July program to be a time when we can all bring in quilts that are getting the best of us and share them with the group who will give us suggestions on how to fix them.

With that, the meeting was adjourned. Next meeting, Monday, June 21st, 7:00 PM.