Club Notes - May 26, 2021

This was a fun afternoon with more show and tell than sewing.   We had 14 of us attending and 12 had stuff to show.   Although we merged completed item show and tell with tools, I am going to split the info and photos between the 2 so we can appreciate all the tool hints we received.

At the start I talked about my email exchange with S.O.S. coordinator Gary Kadow.  As mentioned previously, they don't want regular quilts because bugs like to nest in batting.  However, they will accept fleece blankets, flannel rag quilts, and 2 layer cotton quilts without batting.   The Allamanda Quilters have committed to purchase 100 fleece blankets from Walmart when they are on sale for $2.50 each, so this is not something we need to address right now.  I will be delivering 2 knit blankets, 2 rag quilts, 6 drawstring backpacks, 9 tote bags and 30 stuffed toys to him this week.

Show and Tell:

Mic Pickard showed a quilt and pillow she made as one of this year's Christmas gifts.

Ceal Pedersen came with 2 bags full of stuffed animals and the patterns she made for the ones that are her own design.

Diane Placek finished her zip lock bag tote from last week's demo.

 

Pat Pipa made 2 drawstring backpacks,

 

Carolyn Grasso showed her completed zip lock bag tote with cute sewing machine fabric

and a pillowcase

 

 

Ellen Hein showed her completed zip lock bag tote

 and a Minnie Mouse shirt she made for her granddaughter.

 

 

We were happy to have Lu Karatzas back with us today.  She showed a quilt she made for her granddaughter 

 

and an ornament she made from last year's Christmas card.

 

 

 

Donna Rissman showed her stuffed Fuzzy Duck

 and a Total Eclipse runner she made.

Deb Chapman finished her zip bag tote

 and a walker bag for a friend.

 

Audrey Phillips showed her mini zip bag tote.

She made 2 patchwork totes

and a cute apron.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Donna Rissman did the binding on 3 of our assembly line quilts this week.  The first is another of the hand-pieced quilt tops we received.

This one came from the same woman's estate, but came as a stack of applique blocks.  I put them together with sashing to complete this quilt.

 The last one I put together using a stack of random dryer sheet blocks that were made at our club a while back and were just waiting to be used.

 

 

 

Tool Show and Tell:

 

Mic brought in a bodkin and a skinny walking foot.

Diane showed several sizes of bias tape makers.

 She mentioned a web site that lists the various sizes: whipstitch.com.

Pat showed how you can put a pipe-cleaner into a straw to make a brush to clean your bobbin case.

She also showed a wood seam pressing tool.

 

Next she talked about her favorite applique, E-Steam II She likes this because it is reposition-able until it is set with an iron.

Carolyn showed a complete set of bias tape makers

 

Ellen showed a spacer called Jean-a-Magic for working with the inseams of jeans.

 

Lu talked about several items.  First, she made a scissor cover from a toilet paper roll. Next she talked about her favorite applique, made by EQ.  

 

 

Lastly, she talked about the many uses of painter's tape. We hope she will document many of these uses and collect more from friends.

She also talked about the EQ Pinter fabric she uses to copy photos onto fabric. Once printed, the ink is permanently set by soaking in water. 

 

 

Donna Rissman talked about the difference between quilt shop fabric and Joannes fabric.  She showed 2 similar prints and you can see the difference in black color intensity and the feel.  She also told us how she reused small sample spray bottles by refilling them with starch.  Her favorite is Material Magic.  

Another favorite is a spray called Grippy, to keep rulers from sliding.  Finally, she mentioned that some cake decorating tips can also make bias tape (or was it the other way around?).

 

 

 

 

Audrey  told us that a pin could also be used to make bias tape - different size pins make different size tapes.

Bev Minnerly showed her seam pressing tool, and told us it is called a brayer, 

a paint brush she uses to clean her sewing machine, 

 

a tweezer that locks on, 

 

 

a bodkin with a pin attached to better hold the ribbon, 

 

 

 

and inexpensive clips that can be used instead of the specialized  clover clips.

 

 

Carol Riggs showed a  tweezer with a built-in light,

 

 a magnetic bowl to hold pins,

and a binding template she wants to learn how to use.

 

 

I talked about my Quick-Ripper seam ripper, 

 

my duckbill embroidery and applique scissors,  (shown here with a pair of double curve embroidery scissors)

 

and my drawstring threader.  (Amazon has this set of all different kinds of threaders.)

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Next week we will make some easy patriotic mug-rugs.  I will send out the supply list in a few days.

See you next week.

Club Notes - May 19, 2021

 

We had 15 ladies meeting this afternoon. Carolyn Grasso and Carol Thurston joined us for the first time in quite a while.  After show and tell, Ellen Hein gave a demonstration on how to make a zip-loc bag travel tote.  I'm guessing we will see a few of these in future weeks.

Show and Tell:

I am impressed with how many of the sunrise placemats came out finished this week.  

Audrey Philips, 

 

Bev Minnerly, 

 

Deb Chapman, 

 

and Pat Pipa

 

 

 

 

 

 

Donna Rissman showed hers last week, but I am putting the photo in again this week to show them all together. 

 

 I also showed the ones I finished.

 

 

 

Mic Pickard showed an applique quilt that was one of her UFOs and is now complete.

B.J. Herter showed a flannel baby's rag quilt she made.

 

Carolyn Grasso brought 2 stuffed bears she made.

Ceal Pedersen and Mic Pickard worked together on a patriotic dryer sheet quilt.  The back was cute too.

 

Ceal also brought a bag full of stuffed toys, some using our patterns and some that she made her own patterns for.

 

 

Donna Rissman made a couple of memory bears for a friend.

Ellen Hein made a doll blanket for her granddaughter and handed in a red quilt top.

Ellen also showed the latest completed quilts.   The first 4 are the finished versions of 4 large quilt tops we received from a local woman's estate.  The quilt tops were all hand pieced, I just added the batting and backing by machine and Ellen did the binding.

 

The last one is a patriotic quilt that Charlotte Cecillio handed in a few weeks ago.

 

 

I showed 4 drawstring backpacks that I made.

 

 

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The rest of the afternoon bustled with activity.  I couldn't keep track of everything that was going on, since I was preoccupied with putting together a large (99x111) quilt back for the last of the estate quilts.  Quilting that and a few others will keep me busy over the next week.

I have begun creating a project schedule like we used to have before COVID.  The following is what we have planned for the next month.  I am committing to do one demo each month, Weeks that are shown with no project are available for anyone who would like to demo something for the group.  If there is no demo it will be a free sew week. 

26-May-21
2-Jun-21	Mug Rugs-Patriotic	Lois Rose
9-Jun-21	Easy Binding Method	Donna Rissman
16-Jun-21	5TH Anniversary Party
23-Jun-21
30-Jun-21
7-Jul-21	Fractured Art	Lois Rose

We will always have supplies to make some of our charity projects, such as quilt tops, tote bags, zipper bags, backpacks, walker bags, pillowcases, and toys.  Maybe not everything every week, but I will bring whatever supplies are requested.

Next week is one of those free sew weeks, so let me know if there is something in particular you'd like to work with.

See you next week.