WeeklyUpdate - April 18, 2015

Hi Fabric Fun Ladies here and there... many of you are already back in your other half of the year homes, some of you are getting ready to come in for your stays here a while, and then there's the rest of us... full time residents who are able to enjoy each and every weekly meeting... as time allows - it's The Villages and I know that our time is well spoken for especially with so many activities and relatives/friends visiting, etc., etc.

Anyway - this is how we stay connected with our weekly updates, show and tell and the wonderful BlogSpot that Lois Rose maintains for the club.

Speaking of Lois, many thanks for the wonderful Fractured Art Demo last Saturday and especially the follow-up handout with pictures!  Lois loves her camera and is very good at taking the pictures - all of us know that!!  We've heard back from several of you about how helpful Lois' handout is, so when  you get a chance check out the pictures on BlogSpot of projects as they appear from this demo.  Good fun technique... following the steps to create. 

Drop-Ins:   This week we had a couple drop-ins from ladies who could not attend the whole meeting but yet they wanted to turn in their charitable works - you all are so special like that!! 

Helen Lawrie's husband Jim came in before the meeting to turn in 3 pieces that Helen made with a sweet note from her, too.  Jim looks good and says that Helen's doing well from her eye surgery, but still is troubled with the allergy conditions of the skin.  Helen, we've got you in our thoughts and prayers and want you well and back with us ASAP!!  Kathy Jones, our Sunshine Lady, passed around a "get well card" for everyone to sign and mailed that off on behalf of the club.  Check out pictures of 3 wonderful pieces - of course, one is a doggie bed (Helen loves making the doggies comfy) and 2 fidget quilts that are very unique - one a 3-D fruit tree!!  Helen wrote, "I'm thinking of you lovely ladies while making them."  And she signed, "see you soon", so we're holding you to that, Helen.


 

Sue Campbell - made it to the meeting about 3/4 way thru in order to turn in a beautiful fidget quilt, another 3-D embellished one - this one includes teacup with attached teabag, and couple other great ideas including napkin!  Sue is still hobbling along with her knee situation - bone spurs and baker's cyst - that the doctors have not been able to help her with for almost a year now and next step is surgery.  Good luck, Sue, as you finish up this round of shots that may make the knee better.  You're in our thoughts and prayers as you seek a second opinion before surgery. 

FYI:  Thread & Needles - as sewing crafters we depend on the quality of products we use and right up there at the top of our list is thread and needles - whether handwork or machine sewing - both the size of needle and size of thread is very important to your project's success and beauty.  For thread, the larger the number the smaller the thread size.  For needles, the larger the number the bigger the needle (hole going into your fabric).  Generally, you choose the needle for the type of fabric/project you are working on, and then you choose your thread accordingly to needle size.  For instance, if you are doing patchwork piecing, you want a needle that does not make a big hole as you are sewing the two pieces of fabric together and you want a good size thread but not one that will add "bulk" to the sewn seam.  It is recommended to use a 70 or 80 size needle and a 50 or 60 weight cotton thread, 40 weight is acceptable with 80 needle but that is adding more bulk into the seam, especially if you are working on a piece with lots of seams that equals lots of added bulk to the finished top.  There's a terrific handout provided by Superior Threads CEO Bob Purcell which is the know-where-with-all-of-all things threads and needles.  Sulky's website is another excellent resource for thread and needle guidelines.  Then you get into cotton vs. polyester, nylon, rayon and then go on into specialty threads - variegated, twisted, blendables. etc.  Lots to choose from and lots of fun with each!  One additional point, some sewing machines prefer certain thread brands better than others.  It has something to do with the way your particular sewing machine brand is calibrated.  And yes, that means everything about the tension - upper tension and bobbin tension.  If you find that a certain spool of thread does not do well in your machine where another one seems to sew the same stitch beautifully, it is all about the calibration.  My Bernina 730 will not sew well with Gutterman and Robinson Anton Threads, but sews beautiful stitches with Mettler, Sulky, Superior and Aurfil threads.   My Viking Sapphire 875 must have prewound Sulky bobbins.  As far as top thread, it has been hit or miss and depends on if I've got the top tension right "auto" button pushed, i.e., heavy fabric, vs. medium, vs. light, etc.  Both machines like the threads I purchased from Connecting Threads, too.  I tried both cottons and polyesters and they perform well.   But my Viking will not sew pretty stitches with any thread without breakage and lots of frustration unless I've got a Sulky pre-wound bobbin in.  Needless to say, I keep a stash of those on hand!!

Show & Tell:  Funny story... Lu Karatzas didn't want to be 1st in line this week... but she was first to sign in again... so instead of putting her name at top of list, she went half-way down to write her name on... wouldn't you know, ladies in behind her followed suit and wrote their names in under Lu's until couple ladies figured it out and thankfully & boldly put their names on the upper portion of the show & tell list!!  Keep it fun!!

Joyce Yarborough - welcome back! turned in dog beds - by the way, Joyce has fun group down south here in FL where she spends 1/2 time, and she's got those ladies now making doggie beds, too!!  Good stuff, lady!  And then she comes to our meeting and spends 3 hours stuffing more beds!! 

Lois Rose - created and styled a couple "small bags" at her hubby's request to carry to/from their small electronic devices, cords and chargers.  This is a high-tech couple who pass these things back and forth as each attends their clubs during the week.  Great idea - very organized idea!

Brenda Severa - Doggy bed - hey I love how all you ladies join in the charitable giving effortS!!  FYI, Brenda and a bunch of other ladies, led by Ruth Campbell sat and cut up scraps galore around the room's middle table... stuffing about 6 doggie bed forms - in fact, everybody was involved from time to time!!

Lu Karatzas - finally Lu's turn! - shared a very pretty tablerunner inspired by a piece of fabric that just was perfect for their dining room motif and furniture - Lu enhanced the beautiful center panel with equally perfect borders that "popped" the whole look.  She was over at Sharky's in Wildwood and found just the right fabric that worked this tablerunner. 




Sharky's owner, Al Lawson, is not only a very reputable businessman and totally terrific sewing machine man, he has an amazing eye for beauty and this is very obvious in his fabric choices for the store.  He's built up their inventory to 1900 bolts of fabulous lines and quality.  I remember just a few years ago (maybe even just 2 years) when he got in his first dozen bolts of fabric, his excellent pricing and every day customer service and reliability.  We're lucky to have this shop so close to our "hometown".   One more aspect to Lu's table runner is the lovely stitching embellishing she did in its "negative" space.  The center fabric panel of the runner had blocks of gold coloring and wording, and Lu used nice simple stitches in box form in the open (negative) spaces.  Want to have some fun looking at what new sewing crafters/quilters are doing, in Google Search type in "negative space use in quilts and projects".  Some artists seem to design their work around and for the negative spaces.  Anyway, Lu you took a beautiful fabric and made an even more beautiful project.  Great work - inspiring!!

Donna Rissman - shared a wallhanging she completed that will serve as a welcome panel and adorn other holiday fun occasions.  Of course, she made it with idea to have some fun with grandchildren - and for sure, it's going to do the trick!  Lovely work as always from Donna.

Jane Swafford - you always make my Saturday when you are on show and tell list - I make no joke about that - and so you shared yet another pillowcase you've made for our charitable efforts.  Jane, it's ladies like you who keep us going!! 

Saturday is Lunch & Learn - I previously advertised Cheesy (cloth) - and I'm hoping it still comes about, but might not be ready for Saturday yet - depends on my sewing room - so if not, you're in for another surprise - and cheesy cheesecloth will be next month. 

Looking to June and July - we're going to be running through quick, really quick projects - inspired by the handout left by Mary Kondrad and a couple recent show and tells - we'll call is "Christmas in July" because these will be the kind of things that can be made (a bunch) ahead of time and come in handy when "you just need something" to take along or embellish a gift box.  I'm starting this in June because one of our club members, Hilary Miles, who comes all the way from England for two weeks vacation here, has one of her awesome little stuffies to share with us that can be done in just a couple hours.  Specific information will be sent out in a separate email when we get closer to her arrival - but it's getting close!! Yea! Yea!  FYI, Hilary has several wonderful dolls and stuffies patterns that she sells in England and teaches at quilt shops in and around where she lives.  When you do dolls and animal and other stuffies, it's always the face and facial expressions that puts the project "over the top", and Hilary is especially artistic and talented with getting the face (in a word) perfect!

Last work is on Kay Flanagan, our centurion, who will turn 101 in May.  I visited Kay on Monday and plan to visit again on Friday.  Citrus Rehab and Health Center is very easy drive across 44 - straight shot - nice parking, wonderful facility - and Kay was smiling when I came in the room.  She commented that "she used to cry a lot, but doesn't cry anymore" which was how she told me that she likes where she is living now.  Kay has a nice roommate, and the facility seems to be staffed with plenty of helpers who appear happy in the jobs and careers.  All in all, a very nice drive, and more important, a chance for wonderful visit with one of the nicest ladies I've had the privilege to know and admire in my lifetime - Kay Flanagan.  One more thing, the door to their room has a big wreath hanging, and in the middle of the wreath is the name tag (I think Kathy Nichols made) made for Kay for her birthday party at our club meeting last May that says, "Fabric Fun Arts & Crafts, Kay Flanagan, Centurion".  When I pointed it out to one of the facility's workers when she came in the room, she was so surprised to hear about Kay's being over 100 and loved hearing about her participation in Fabric Fun - especially stuffing doggie beds! (what else!!)  Send your thoughts and prayers out to Kay to fill her days with lots of smiles.  Please remember Kay loves receiving notes and cards.

As always, I praise all of you and enjoy very much spending sewing crafting time with you.  Pray for our troops, our leaders and our great country as you go thru your lives each day in this great free land.

 God bless to all,

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(¸.·´ (¸.·'      Micki MacCumbee

Club Leader, Fabric Fun Arts & Crafts