Show & Tell - June 14, 2014

Hi and blessings to all on this Happy Father's Day! 

Ladies, please put June 25th on your calendar - that is date of next Guardian Flight taking 50 Veterans to Washington, DC, for the WWII Memorial Trip.  Our very own sweetheart, Kathy Nichols, is one of the chaperones on this flight.  That is no small feat and it is extremely giving and patriotic.  Kathy personally made the quilt for her veteran (each Veteran on every flight receives an Honor Flight quilt) and she shared it with us in Show & Tell - Kathy, this club applauds you and we are so very proud of you.  The festivities at American Legion on 466 and Rolling Acres kicks off at 9:30 pm on June 25th when rightfully so these Honor Flight Veterans receive the welcome back they truly have earned and deserved.  Next week, we'll have a "car pool" sign up sheet up front for ladies who want to go, but don't want to drive at night to American Legion.  We can join together, car pool, and be there to honor and share this patriotic moment.

Show & Tell yesterday was fantastic, then Pat Pipa presented her Redwork demonstration and pattern choices for lady's.   Pat is so terrific at organizing the information she is presenting, puts together project ideas and supplies.  Everyone, Pat gets a standing O!!  Another Standing O goes to BJ Herter who shared her beautiful memories photo album of the making and sending away of an American Treasure quilt that is now hanging in the George W Bush Library.  This quilt was made by BJ's quilting guild in Pennsylvania, depicts all the presidents, and is done in Redwork, applique and piecing.  Did I say it is stunning!  It is... huge over 110 feet square, and even the pattern's author was on hand to send the quilt away to Paducah where it hung before going to the library.  The photo album is a masterpiece in itself, so just imagine the quilt!!!

And we had two visitors who came in to bring us donations.  One was a man whose wife had been a quilter, especially enjoyed applique work, and so he donated some of her fabrics and books to us.  One book is particularly interesting because it has several block of the month projects in it, some are larger projects, quilts, and some are smaller projects that fit into our weekly/monthly meeting plans.  It's a big book and definitely worth looking through the ideas and inspirations.  And the other was a young woman whose mother just passed away and she was a knitter - big, big time!!  She delivered tubs of yarns and not the cheap kind - these are very good yarns and lots of skeins in each color.  If you have a desire to make an crochet blanket for the Lady Lake pantry I'm sure there is enough choices to yarns to choose from. 

And the yarns will be very useful for next week's meeting when we make the "yarn baskets".  Yes, next week, we'll finally be looking at the yarn baskets projects our frugal shopper Donna found for us at Tuesday's Mornings.  These are Clover product, very good instructions, two sizes - round or oval - and we should be able to easily finish a basket in an hour's time each. 

Handwork - Please keep in mind that the patterns, projects and other information for handwork stitches, cross stitch, Redwork, etc. will be available in a reference binder on our club's "library shelf".   I know that the storage area and especially reference shelf can be scarey spot to check out.  Right now you almost need a hard hat to enter because we have so must stored back there in our little corner.    But there is a ton of stuff on that one shelf in binders, years of information, projects, patterns, techniques shared and collected.  If you come to a meeting with nothing special in mind, just take one of the binders out and see what's there. 

Calendar Update:  Lois Rose will be leading the Midi Bag Project and since she is vacationing a lot of July, we are switching Midi Bag to August.  In July, we'll do a small project that uses texturized fabric - what's that?  Texturized Fabric is created when using a special interfacing that shrinks, just by stitching down a basic "grid", when steam is applied to fabric, it shrinks up 30% and makes for some pretty awesome fun to use.  Some of us made Christmas stockings a few years ago with Texture Magic.  This project is an eye glass case that is quite stylish and will be a fun gift idea.   So...

June 21st - Yarn Baskets

June 28th - Lunch & Learn - Ribbon Embroidery Video & Practice square

July - Texturized Fabric and Eye Glass Project.  Also in July, I'm going to show you some easy, fun, sometimes fast, sometimes tricky, ways to use strips and squares and blocks to do other stuff.  Attached is one of the "magic methods" I have to show you.  These are things that have just been accumulating in my "to do" pile and well, it's time to put them in some order.  Attached is a magic way to make  half-square triangles HST's with just 2 squares of fabric called "Magic 8 Method".  HST's are a staple of the quilting world because they are a form of patchwork that creates fun patterns and still keeps the all important straight-of-grain SOG on the outside of the block or patchwork piece your are making.  You all hear me mention - Quilting's Magic Numbers - 1/2", 7/8" and 1 1/4" - and by using the 7/8" needed for HST's, you can make these Magic 8's in any size you want to work with.  What do HST's create easily - swirls and stars - it's patriotic time of year! so this is very easy way to make a whole lot of red, white and blue Friendship Star blocks that would whip up to a patriotic quilt any size quickly!!

August - Midi Bag Project

Strip Cutter - Yesterday I had the strip cutter with me but did not get to it.  I'll try to do that this coming week.  The strip cutter is useful tool to make - strips!!  Why strips right now... in prep for Midi Bag project which uses - 2 1/2 strips - to sub-cut into - 2 1/2 squares.  So bring in your yardage - 1/4  yards, 1/2 yards, etc., and we'll use this valuable tool that makes life better and cut your pieces into 2 1/2 strips.  And... most of all... I'm going to have fun retelling the story of how I got to have this awesome cutter for myself (which in my mind meant that then the club would have this tool for our use for projects!! of course.)  It's a fun tale and definitely worth re-telling.    Because then I get to say thank you, again!

Show & Tell:  

BJ Herter - showed off her Hole-In-One Shadow Box - beautiful memento for a monumental moment!

Carol Bling-bling Planck - shared a plate she etched, new cell phone case made with blingy poodle, her name tag - another poodle, and (this is super duper nice!) a name take Carol made for our Centurion Kay Flanagan with a blingy Peacock.  I tell you the expression of surprise and amazement on Kay's face was 100 times fun to see!!  Very thoughtful, Carol!

 Kathy Nichols - showed off her beautiful swirl table runner - made with the 60 degrees triangle and lovely leaves swirling through the "S" curve.  And Kathy completed her name tag and then shared the patriotic lap quilt made for the veteran she is chaperoning to Washington, DC on June 25th Honor Flight.  Please be sure to click link to our BlogSpot and check this one out!

Eileen DiSanto - shared her completed name tag!

Vicky Cochran - Audrey Philips's daughter visiting with us on Sat. - shared a witch hat pincushion she made and beautiful set of sizes of plastic canvas crosses.  These are made very similar to needlepoint done on cloth, just that the cloth is plastic form.  Vicky's sizes and technique of finishing is very nice!

Donna Pachy - shared a completed hand embroidery block - I think there's enough of these blocks done now to set in sashing a make a quilt as...

 Lois Rose - shared a quilt she made using hand embroidery blocks I had stitched up years ago, Lois set them in sashing, added borders and made a beautiful blanket quilt for donation to the Womens Pantry of Lady Lake.  Lois also finished her cross stitch project from last week and her own hand embroidery blocks - Noah's face is awesome in this block.  Lois gave out a dozen or so of these blocks to hand embroidery up and is calling for ladies to finish up
their squares they took to do and bringing them back in by end of July so she can set in sashing and finish up another quilt for the Pantry.  Her last item was her name tag for the Machine Embroidery Club, which she designed and stitched.

Judy Johnson - YEA! Judy so nice to see you !!  stuffed a doggie bed while she's been bedridden recuperating from foot surgery.  Judy told funny story of how she's in bed stuffing the doggie bed, her husband comes in the room and says... what happened... as Judy was head to toe in lint and scraps - she laughed and just said to her husband... "boy, I didn't see it coming..."

Linda Lynch - Linda sorry, I didn't see you share, must have been when one of the visitors came in... I'll definitely be looking at the BlogSpot now to see what I missed because you always bring in something great.  I saw you had your reverse circle applique rag quilt out again, too.  Don't forget we want to talk about a demo for this fun!!  Linda likes to dissect projects and ideas, too. 

Susan Morris - wow, I won't forget this lady again - because she finished her name tag and she finished her cross stitch project!!

 

I missed this lady's name - but she shared top and short out of Hawaiian print, cow tote - I  used to know a lady who came to our meetings who just loves Moo-Cow prints and projects - Sandy Pawlowski - remember her - this lady reminded me a lot like her.

Edie Cave - turned in several fidget quilts and a handwork block for the Noah's ark quilt - thanks and they are beautiful.

Joy Stanton - tried to get away without showing... but she finished her cross stitch scissor FOB project and it is actually attached to her pair of scissors!!! That deserves a WOW!

Ladies, there's a old saying that goes...

Yesterday is History,

Tomorrow is a Mystery,

Today is a Gift

That's why it's called the Present!

Life is special...

Make the most of Today!

(Although she didn't list it in her email, Micki began our meeting by showing her Redwork creation of this saying.)

From the fun, sharing and giving above... definitely we made good use of our time here in The Villages this week. 

FYI - I spent an enlightening Friday afternoon at Rock & Wash Laudromat and all the rag quilts are faux chenilled fluffy/raggy/softies and ready to deliver to Lady Lake Infants & Toddlers Pantry.  I plan to make arrangements for delivery, and write a little article and picture to submit to Daily Sun as well.  Kudos to all your efforts so far for this worthy cause.  BTW... this charity work for our club will continue on and be ongoing as are Fidget Quilts, Doggie Beds, Pillowcases, and Assisted Living Visits.  Whew!  You ladies are awesome to know!!  I'll share the article when it is written up and sent in to the paper.

There are a couple very easy patterns I did up way, way back when for baby quilts, both are 30" x 36" so crib size, and with just a little adding on can be made wider and longer to go toddler sizes as well.  I'm going to have those patterns copied and available on front table along with pieces of fabric to use for the tops.  Once tops are made, they can be added to flannel sheets and finished to make quite nice blankets/quilts for the pantry.  I'll make up couple of samples so you can see what I'm talking about.  These tops can easily be sewn together in one-two hours time - yes, right there during our meetings!!  Sorry I don't have these in pdf form right now or I would attach them.  And my current print/scan doesn't talk to my Dell Desktop for some reason... so I can scan & send. 

There is very good news from Alice Meunier who was given excellent test results, scans and doctor reports at Mayo Clinic last week.  Congratulations, Alice, we are all so happy. 

And Congratulations to Lu Karatzas and her New Hampshire Sweet Singing Voices for winning 1st Place in their Regional Competition singing their chorus theme of "Superheros of Harmony".  Awesome win ladies!!   Lu will be back with us earlier this year and for a little longer... so that's going to be great fun!!

As always, take care, be good and God bless everyone.

 ¸.·´¸.·*´¨) ¸.·*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·'      Micki MacCumbee

Club Leader, Fabric Fun Arts & Crafts