Show & Tell - January 24, 2015

Hi Fabric Fun Ladies especially to all our club's snowbirds and butterflies who'll be making their yearly visits to The Villages and spend some time with us "frogs" on Saturday afternoons at SeaBreeze doing some sewing crafting fun.  This club really thrives on all you ladies who come to visit, share your projects and ideas, and yes, the social crafting fun you bring to our meetings is great inspiration.    For a small club, we are able to get a lot of charitable projects and works done regularly because of the energy everyone brings.  Ladies visiting, please know that there are always parts to projects that do not require having your sewing machines here.  We have sorting, ironing, cutting, more sorting, adding embellishments, just moral support is an ever needed part to the efforts.  And this club shares the accolades freely with our members just like the recent picture sent in to The Mix North by Lois Rose giving kudos to the club for quilts donated to Samaritan Inn in Leesburg.  And this week we were able to send 12 fidget quilts to a memory care unit in Naples, FL, where one of our members, Kathy Fort works.  It's because you all have provided a substantial supply of these wonderful, soothing quilts we make for Alzheimer and all memory care patients.  This does bring attention to the fact that most of the memory care facilities are really unaware of these charitable donations that we give freely known as "Fidget Quilts".  Lois and I have made a small postcard size info card describing these quilts, that they can be customized, that they are available for institutions and private/home patients, etc.  Lois has sent letters offering fidget quilts to a lot of facilities and there was a good initial response.  But we need to continue our outreach because each and every single time quilts have been donated, the facilities are over-the-top thankful and just praise, praise, praise how beneficial to the patients they will be.  We have thank you letters from all the places that describe how important Fidget Quilts can/are to the patients and even some of the careworkers who use the quilts as therapy/discussion aids.  Kathy Fort mentioned the quilts to at the facility in Naples, FL, and they never heard of Fidget Q's.  Once she personally described them, the facility personnel were enthused and requested some.  Moral to this story is... please don't hesitate to make these outreaches to family, friends, neighbors, other groups, or as in Nancy's case, where she works.  Fidget Quilts are great fun to make and their show & tell times are some of the best this club has enjoyed.  Let's get these things going again, it's so good knowing these little beauties provide hours of comfort.  This opening paragraph got really long, but it is a passionate cause.

Lunch & Learn was delicious and fun to look at postcards - particularly the finishing edges with zig zag and satin stitches.  I've attached two articles from blogs that have been condensed down and put into pdf form.  And attached are "postcard back" pdf that has several fancier options for the "business side" of the postcard where you write message and address.  Traditionally, postcard backs are printed on muslin, i.e., if you are able to copy and print at home, you could open the Adobe pdf document, put the printable muslin (there are a lot of brands, I like all of them sold at JoAnns now) that you put in the paper tray just like plain bond.  Then the postcard back prints on the muslin, and you can continue on and use it just like the "prepared muslin backs" I had available on Saturday.  OR, you can just use a plain heavier type (like card stock) backing in place of the muslin back.  Same thing - you could print the postcard backs of pdf on the normal card stock paper, but and sew like it is a piece of muslin.

Next Saturday - Jan. 31st - we sewing up the "chair pockets" for Kandie Stedman's son's 1st grade class at Barringer Academic Center in Charlotte, NC.  These are lower income students, the desks do not offer storage for their books/belongings, and so these chair pockets will provide pride and convenience to these young learners.  We've got the instructions, Kandie has made several already, will provide demonstration, and with lots of helping hands and sewers, we will be able to make a classroom full on Saturday - no doubt!!  I say helping hands and sewers - sewing machines - because if you don't have a sewing machine, please don't let that stop you from coming and participating - we need sorters, ironers, cutters, moral support - and hey! I'm happy to share my sewing machine when I'm not able to be sitting and sewing at it.  That's the fun!  "We all bring something to the party (i.e., our sewing crafting social time)!"

February 7th kicks off with microwave bowls - these are fantastic and easy - newbies you are going to love, love, love 'em!  Lois Rose will lead our demo time and there are some non-newbies who have had lots of fun making and giving these great projects who will be on hand to help and inspire the fun.  There are a couple "new twists" we these fun handy items.

We'll be sending out patterns and instructions that include supply lists.  I'll have some copies on Saturday to start handing out for ladies who cannot print at home.

Speaking of February - I'm attaching a new quick tutorial that is an easy Valentine wreath (pillow or other ideas) to make using plain felt hearts and cotton fabric - felt needs no finishing edges, it's cheap to buy, and easy to cut out.  This one is really great project that can be made in an afternoon.

Show & Tell:

 

 

Lois Rose - pillow case - Lois is such a kindred spirit in sewing - she likes my favorite pillowcase pattern - thank you!   Several other ladies might have * asterisks next to their names - you got it - they like the Burrito pattern.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elaine Krise - made 10! cases for Case for Smiles - she even went to her own scraps and purchased some more kid motif fabrics - and she used my favorite pattern, too!!  FYI ladies, if you need sewing advice, seek out Elaine because this lady is jam-packed with sewing experience, easy how-to's, tips, even about machine know-how.  She's quiet and small, but she's got big ideas to share.

 

 

 

 

Brenda Severa - made a couple beautiful Valentine projects - small wallhanging and tablerunner - good for you, Brenda!  Thanks for sharing!!

 

*Lu Karatzas - pillowcases - some of you will remember the beautiful musical motif fabric Lu had preparing for the choral event (her group won!) last year.  Lu finished up some pretty pillowcases using up some of those beautiful scraps.  Ladies, that why we love our "fabric stashes" to have it on hand and for we want to have this kind of fun.  I know I love my fabric stash! and so does Lu!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marie Bray - This one was so much fun to see - apron that Marie created the pattern sewing instructions and cute cupcake motif - be sure to check the blog for Marie's pictures - you then see the biggest ooh aah of the day with the knitted tea cozy.  It's probably the most adorable tea pot and cozy I've ever seen.  Wow, wouldn't a cup of good English tea taste fabulous sitting at the table with Marie's cut combo!!

Tea Cozy Marie received as a gift

 

 

*Nancy Cartlidge - pillowcases and dryer sheet blocks - good job on all these projects this week - it's so much fun for ladies to see projects come back for show & tell from demos - terrific fun on your patchwork squares!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kathy Jones - shared the beautiful infinity scarf she has made for herself.  Again, here is another one of our very talented club members and she always completes her projects with a special twist. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nancy Motrinc - gets my Wow Award for the week - she shared pillowcases, dryer sheet blocks and square and round coasters - Nancy had a lot of sewing crafting fun last week!!  I'm jealous and want to get busy!!  (personal note - no * for Nancy - my kind of gal!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mary Naz... - has one of the biggest hearts I've ever met - continues to make and donate cat hammocks.  Ladies, we are still short of our club goal of making 200 cat hammocks for Marion County Rescue Shelter - and we have a bunch more "hammock form fabric" to cut up and sew and lots of the corner straps prepared.  Please if you can pick up fabric forms and corner straps to take home and sew up during the week (in your spare time).  We are just one of the clubs that Mary donates her time to and I just say that's inspiration to me each week.  Thank you!

 

 

 

 

 

*Alice M - pillowcases - Alice, I got to apologize because I did not write down how many pillowcases you made up - I think it was more than one -   I'll have to wait for Lois' picture to really complete this little paragraph...  (I got photos of 2)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always, please keep our men and women of the military and their families in your hearts and prayers, especially those deployed in our name for freedom around the world. 

To all our members, I send my thanks for your time, talents and interest in this simple, fun sewing crafting club here in The Villages.  It was very personally gratifying to me to see Laurie Link at our meeting last week.  Laurie was the very first phone call I got after the club's notice was posted in the Rec News, so I've always said that Laurie is our club's 1st member. 

 Take care for now, be good and God bless,  

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

 

Club Leader, Fabric Fun Arts & Crafts