Quilting Accomplishments

Last week we had a mtg of the Peace by Piece Quilters (at my church). We got a lot done, but the nice thing was that we had 4 quilts Blessed at our 10am Sunday service. (I never seem to get a chance to finish them in time to make it to the announcement part of the 7:30am service, and it's too bad because a lot of the ladies in the group go to that service. Anyways, I announced that we had one going out to a 2 yr old on Charlotte's Garden who's very sick, but that we had a few quilts with no particular homes to go to... yet. Well, a few people to come up to me right after the service and some (very shyly) asked if it would be okay to request one for someone they knew. Of course! That's what we do!!

As of Monday, this one went to the 2 yr old (Critters in the Grass- above and the quilting on the back is by one of our angels, Mary Johnson in MN),

This one went to a lady with MS who has been having a hard time with her illness AND the home health aides she's had ... she now has NEW aides and will be getting our quilt (Heart Echoes), too,

This one went to a man (co-worker of a parishioner) who has been dealing with several health issues. His family is dealing with it as much as he is, so ...off goes another quilt (quilted with 'Angel Wings")

Another went to a little 9-month old boy in town who has neurofibromytosis (Space Odyssey)

This also has the Angel Wings quilted into this. The quilting was done by one of the other of OUR angels, Laura McCarrick.

Another one, "Clifford" was given to the sister of a parishioner, a 44 yr old who just got diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Boy does it feel great for all of us to be able to bring peace to so many people who don't even know us... so peaceful.

157 Christmas Stockings for the Troops!

Fran B. in IL asked the quilting community for some Christmas stockings to be sent to her (Operation Care Package) to be filled with items for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Peace by Piece Quilters got busy and made 157.... !! I only thought we'd make 25-30... Boy did the girls surprise me!

Here are some of the great variety of stockings that were made...

I even made one from some selvedges...LOL

one of my favorites....

Summer Block Party!

I have a great idea for the Peace by Piece Quilters.... a Summer Block Party!

All those quilters out there have a WAAYYYY different mindset, so you all know where I'm going, don't you? It will be a heartstring or some other block (maybe both) 'block' that we'll be working on....

I'll have different 'houses' (tables) everyone can visit in the 'neighborhood' (our church hall). You can only 'visit' (work at) each house for a designated time limit (15 minutes), then you must 'visit' another neighbor and work at their house!!

I'll have a "Home of the Founding Fathers" (foundation blocks get cut here), a "Strip Club" (where you just cut strips- with your clothes on), the "Cafe" (I'll have everyone bring a snack and a bag lunch- I'll provide drinks & dessert-- actually, there is a woman who donates money to our group who'd like to make something for them to eat--I'll call her) and we'll hit there a couple of times all together, also maybe the "Iron workers" (where we iron--should I have them wear safety goggles and an apron?--LOL), and various houses where the machines are set up... "Designer's House" (only open when we have enough to put together as a top), "Massage Parlour" (for preparing backings)", "Sewer Dept", etc. I'll have to come up with a name for the 'handwork station' (my 80-yr old mom said that can be the "Bordello"-LOL-, but I think the church event needs a name like "The Garden Center" (where the cactus can prick your fingers) or "Retirement Home" or "Arthritis Center" (some peaceful name) .... I even can have a few people work at the "Delivery Service" or "Florist Delivery" (delivering strips to the Sewer Dept, blocks to the Iron Workers, etc-- and I'll have them in lovely baskets)

I'm sure I'll come up with some better names/ideas as I network this idea. I have a sweet dinner bell I can ring every 20 mins and I'll have an information sheet at each House so you know what to do there, but this way some of the new people to our group will learn something along the way. Hey, if you all have some ideas, let me know. I'm hoping to do this near the end of July/early Aug.

I'll have everyone sign up as to where they will start (or maybe I'll have papers in a basket and they can 'pick out' a paper that says where they start), then I'll let them know the itinerary... spending 15-20 mins at a time at each house, then move to the next one (since everyone will be starting at a different 'house'). I can have the "Designer's House" be closed until there is enough for someone to visit.

We won't be working on any quilts, per se, as we normally do, just doing blocks... finishing up to the top stage and picking out a backing. This is such a 'fun' idea.... I may end up with WAY more people than I plan, but I'll have to 'plan' for that too! See why I'll have everyone bring their own 'picnic' ?

If this goes really well for the Quilters, maybe I'll have them be the 'hosts' for the next one and invite the parishioners, so they can see what we do and how easy it is to participate! We have a crazy weather man on the local CBS station (Scot Haney) who is sooo crazy, he might like to publicize this!! LOLOL What a hoot THAT would be....

Peace by Piece Quilters First QOV quilt!

We finally finished our first QOV quilt!!

It's a Disappearing 9-Patch made from group blocks. Hopefully, we will get the second one (same pattern, but we'll combine the blocks to make a different effect) done and sent by Sept or Oct.

This is the backing for this one. We are sending this one to Alycia Carmin in CO who is trying for a goal of 400 QOV quilts for the year. We're helping Alycia!!

Charity Quilts to be Donated

I was overwhelmed by the amount of ladies at our last mtg. Seventeen! I think I have to get my mtgs organized so I don't feel as though I'm pulled in 17 directions! Yikes! We did get the 4 quilts that we got back from Mary, finished. They are even labeled! Thanks Mary!!

This one I call "Chocolate-covered Blueberries". It's going to someone in our church to bring to her relative with brain cancer. You're in our prayers, Jim....

This one is called "Wild Limes". It was made by Pat B, but I got to add the borders. I love Lime and Royal blue combo....Kinda hope I get sick or injured so it can go to ME! (Ok, not really-- sick, I mean).

This one was done with Breast Cancer material and Dot wanted to just add the thin blue border. It's smaller than the rest, but we can use it for someone in a wheelchair.

This is another of my favorites.... It was made with orphan pink blocks from the group. I call it "Pink Blinks", because it makes me think of an eyelid (dark at the corners, highlighted in the middle-over the lid). -- Okay maybe it's just me. LOL. I like it anyway.

And where are all the women who work at our mtgs???

Well, this is only a smattering (is that a word?) of the women, and we keep having new people show up all the time! Whoo Hoo! As much as I want to keep it informal, I guess I have to make it 'organized' so I don't spend so much time 'helping' with decisions. Deligate, I have to remember that...

Thank goodness for ladies who like to do handwork. ripping and snorting away...).

Three ladies working on Nick's quilt (unfortunately this quilt had 'ripples'... back to square (no pun intended) one.

Margaret busy sewing, while Judy and Beth are adding the binding on the last quilt to be finished.Yeah!

I hope to put together a Newcomer Packet, with guildelines for some of our basic techniques and also for some of our charities (their guidelines). We have different levels of sew-ers and quilters and hopefully, for all the things I keep learning about this craft, I can pass on tips and techniques that will save us time and keep from making any 'major' mistakes. (Aren't quilters supposed to make a 'minor' mistake in their quilts?) It's always difficult to only meet once a month for 2 1/2 hrs, especially when someone starts some part of the quilt and then can't make it the next month, then someone else takes over where they left off. You hope they can figure out what the last person was doing...

I try and give a quick mini-lesson on part of the contruction process (bindings, adding borders, squaring up blocks and quilts, etc... ) and instructions on a new block/technique (see the post below this one for a tutorial). The ladies seem to like it, and we all seem to benefit. It helps not to do a MAJOR backwards leap, when we have some quilts that already have a need when they get started! As long as I've been quilting (dare I admit to 1978?), I still learn something new and love passing it on. (Especially, if it's efficient!--I HATE WASTING TIME AND ENERGY!!) Anyway, it's all way too fun, and way too rewarding. (Can someone help me off my soapbox??)

Such accomplishments!!

Boy, did we have a great night at our Peace by Piece Quilters mtg, last night! We had two quilts brought in and finished, and many more worked on and gotten to close to final stages. Here "C" and Janet are holding our 'Clifford' quilt. Done!

This one needs a backing,

This one is laying on it's backing.... it will be sent to Mary at HeartsringsQuiltProject as a donation for all the work she does for us.

This is called Mints on your Pillow/Nightshades.

I'm posting a slideshow of last night's escapades... although it includes some of our early shots. My mom (age 80) made me take a photo of her 'getting up from the floor'- since I 'made her' work on the floor vs. a table... (I didn't)

(we really should have put more tables up to work on...) LOL. It was also nice to have Anna bring her grandson to 'help' with Nick's quilt.

He took right over and kept Janet working hard on her end- he liked 'designing the block placement'... (someone said another Ricky Timms in the making)..LOL

Enjoy!

Excited to see one of our quilts done!-almost

Here is one of the tops we sent to Mary to quilt.... Now to bind and send it off. Click on the title of this post to see the latest quilt to be done!

Sewing - YEA!

I finally got some sewing in!! Yes!

I finished 4 log cabin blocks to complete a top, using leftover blocks from a swap I dropped out of long ago.

Now we have enough to put together for a top... though I'm not sure which layout...?

I'll have to have the ladies at our church quilting group check these layouts and decided which one they like. Any preference?

I even got a lot done with my local quilt guild's newsletter! http://www.ghqg.org/

Should have it ready to go to the printers by the end of the week.

Well, I 've working diligently at the project our church group is going to be working on in a few weeks. Our first project is "cool ties" for the troops in Irag and Afghanistan. Mostly what I'm doing is making samples of them so the parishioners get to see what we're doing, but also so maybe they will donate fabric (not that I can't use my own stash, which was the original goal-thank you Stashbusters), thread, and also...(drumroll)... dare I say, MONEY?? Yeah, okay, I'm expending my $$ so far, but I'm such a fabricholic that I'm trying to stay OUT OF the fabric stores, because I inevitably find something for me. My new plan is to sell them (colorful ones of course, since the soldier's ones will be in camouflage prints) for $6.00 each. My DH doesn't look inside the sewing closet, and I suppose since it's all in boxes/tubs, he wouldn't know what's in what (thank God!), but when I die, the kids will know where their inheritance went. LOL... I've posted a picture of the 'ties' .

The next project will be pillowcases for the kids having chemo treatments, so they can take something colorful home. We make them with no raw edges showing and no stitches on the edge fabric (hidden).... for now, off to work!