Club Notes - October 29, 2025

There were 20 of us enjoying our Halloween pot-luck party today.  The food was plentiful and scrumptious. A few of us were brave enough to come in costume, but it was not required.

I talked briefly about the Giving Expo that we participated in last Saturday.  We connected with a couple of charities that we can add to our list.  Up until now we had been giving dog beds to 3 shelters – Marion County Animal Services, Marian County Humane Society, and Humane Society of Lake County.  We will now be adding Leesburg Humane Society to our delivery schedule.

We had suspended donations to Project S.O.S. (Support our Soldiers) at their request, but after a conversation with their Executive Director on Saturday, we will resume giving them quilts, pillowcases, drawstring backpacks, and possibly some small duffle bags.

We received an inquiry from a ministry called Hope127, which brings needed items to poor communities in Liberia.  They asked if we could provide some small toys for the children.  I contacted the CEO and she said she will be going again in January, and could use 40 toys to give to the local elementary school.   I think this will be easy to accomplish, so I am challenging you to make more dinos, cats, pigs, or other small toys between now and mid December.

I also spoke to Friends of SOZO kids.  Previously I thought they were getting enough from other groups, but they told me they can always use quilts, pillowcases, drawstring backpacks, and possibly some small duffle bags too.  I think, if we give them quilts, they should be made without batting.

Here is the schedule for the next few weeks:

11/5 Regular meeting. I will bring the 8.5” squares again.  We will also bring in all the items leftover from the craft sale so we can decide what to do with them.  This is also a chance to  decide which charities to donate money to this year.  I propose that we give $200 each to Project S.O.S. and The Christian Care Center.  I would like to suggest the 3^rd $200 gift go to Hands of Mercy Everywhere. They usually don’t need the things we sew, but are more in need of money to support the work they do with teen mothers and girls at risk of sex trafficking.

11/12  Project day – Sew a fabric cornucopia.  Pick fabric from our stash or bring your own.  We have muslin and batting scraps to complete the needed supplies. I’m hoping everyone who can will bring their sewing machine on that day so we can make these during the meeting.  If you don’t want it for yourself we will donate them to a local assisted living facility.

Show and Tell: 

Mic Pickard showed a hanging zipper bag she made using 5” squares.

Ceal Pedersen showed the latest batch of stuffed toys she made.  

Diane Placek made Autumn themed coasters for some guests and showed us the last two that were left.

Louise Stem showed a couple more final sets for the  girl’s sanitary supplies for project Christmas Child.  This includes 2 sizes panties, several washable pads, bag to carry spares, and a device to hang them to dry.

The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to fun and games.  I gave out a Halloween trivia quiz and next we played Halloween bingo.  Everyone had fun playing and nibbling on the food.

That’s all for today. . Hope to see you next week.

 

Lois

Club Notes - October 22, 2025

There were 16 of us at El Santiago this afternoon, including one prospective new member who I met at the craft sale last Saturday.

This week I put out the 3.5”, 4.5”, and 8.5” squares.  I also put out the box of orphan big blocks and large fabric pieces.  Mic couldn’t jpin us this week but she sent a large bag of fiber-fill for us.

Here us the schedule for the next few weeks:

10/25 Giving Expo, Everglades rec center, 10AM -2PM.  This is a good opportunity to see some of the charitable groups working in The Villages.   If you can spare a little time to sit at our table and help me talk to people about Sewing N More, let me know.

10/29 Halloween potluck party, costumes optional.  Bring a dish to share if you can, but don’t worry if you can’t.  There is always plenty to go around.  Bring your own drink and 25 pennies, buttons, or anything else that will serve to mark your bingo cards.

11/5 Regular meeting

11/12  Project day – Sew a fabric cornucopia.  Pick fabric from our stash or bring your own.  If you don’t want it for yourself we will donate them to a local assisted living facility.

 

Show and Tell:

Louise Stem showed the final items in the girl’s sanitary supplies for project Christmas Child.  

This includes 2 sizes panties, several washable pads, bag to carry spares, and a device to hang them to dry.

Ceal Pedersen showed some stuffed toys she made.

 Last week Rita Massa brought in a bunch of hand basted blocks, paper pieced on newspaper from 1928.  Ceal took them home, pulled out the newspaper, and resewed 15 of the blocks into a quilt top!  It came home with me for quilting.

There was another quilt top in the pile Rita got from an estate and she handed that in for me to quilt as well.

Eileen DiSanto made a couple of critters waiting for stuffing 

and showed 2 Halloween crafts she made years ago.

Carolyn Grasso showed some Angels she made.  

Ceal took the dolls Carolyn showed last week and painted faces on them.

Prospective new member, Nancy Miller, gave us several pillowcases.

 Ellen brought the latest batch of quilts  that she finished the binding on.  I have tried to identify the person who made each quilt top, but there are a few I can't remember.  If you made one that I haven't identified, let me know and I will update this entry.

Diane Placek made this quilt for Honor Flight.

i

Ellen made this one, with Betty Boop fabric.

The next 3 came from Khaki Quilters.

Donna Rissman made this one from a soft book found in our donations.

Ellen made these 2.

Over the past year or so, club members made 9-patch blocks using blue and white 3.5" squares. I finally sewed them together and quilted it, and Ellen finished the binding.  This is an example of what we can do assembly line.

For the rest of the afternoon ladies selected fabric and chatted.   As always, I look forward to seeing the finished items that come back.   I brought the 9-patch squares using 3.5” squares,  that have been handed in so far. I laid them out and enlisted Ellen’s help to organize the variety of colors into a quilt top.  With some sashing, I will make it work.

That’s all for today. . Hope to see you next week at our pot-luck.

Lois

QGOTV Craft Sale

 We survived the craft sale today and sold quite a lot of our inventory.  Mic took the remaining items home with her so I can't say what is left yet.  We will inventory the leftovers the first chance we get and decide what can be donated. I can say that we made $294  Louise took the following photos:

Club Notes - October 15, 2025

There were 14 of us at El Santiago this afternoon. I brought out the 3.5” squares, 4.5” squares, and available larger fabric pieces.

Starting in November, we will have one week each month designated as a project day.  On this meeting day, everyone who can should bring their sewing machine.  If you have difficulty carrying or rolling it in, come into the meeting room and let me know.  We can arrange for someone to bring it in on one of the carts.  If you let me know before the meeting I can also bring a flat cart to assist.

Those who can’t bring their machine can assist by cutting or ironing.

I am tentatively scheduling these project days for the 2^nd Wednesday of each month.

 

10/18 QGOTV Craft Sale at Savannah.  Three members have signed up for the morning and I have a couple of volunteers from the Allamanda quilt chapter in the afternoon, If anyone else can spare an hour anytime between 9am-2pm, your help would be appreciated.  If not, at least try to come out and shop.

10/22 regular meeting, report on craft sale results

10/25 Giving Expo, Everglades rec center

10/29 Halloween potluck party, costumes optional

11/5 Regular meeting

11/12  Project day – Sew a fabric cornucopia.  Pick fabric from our stash or bring your own.  If you don’t want it for yourself we will donate them to a local assisted living facility.

 

Show and Tell: 

Carolyn Grasso showed some dolls she is working on. 

 Last year we found a Santa wall hanging kit and gave it to Carolyn.  She brought in the finished Santa for our sale.

Louise Stem made 2 pillowcases for the Sheriffs Youth Ranch graduates. 

She also showed her progress on the girl’s sanitary supplies for project Christmas Child..

Shirley Fiorentino showed a dress

 and a purse she made for a fashion show.

Lynn Delgado showed 3 Duffle bags she finished for the Sheriffs Youth Ranch graduates.

Ellen Hein showed some Christmas stockings she is working on, 

and a glasses case for her grandson.

Isabella O’Brien showed a “Bits & Bobs” mat for under her sewing machine 

and a little folded bag she made in several sizes.

Rita Massa was a little shy about showing the pillowcases she made, but I got a picture of them at the end anyway.😊

There was lots of activity for the rest of the afternoon, stuffing dog beds and selecting fabric.

That’s all for today. . Hope to see you next week.

 

Lois

Club Notes - October 8, 2025

There were 16 of us at El Santiago this afternoon, including 4 guests/new members.  On the announcements I reminded everyone of the events  for October, as follows:

Busy Hands/Happy Hearts is holding their fall sale Monday, 10/13 at Colony Cottage rec center, noon-2PM

10/15 regular meetings, finalize items for craft sale.

10/18 QGOTV Craft Sale at Savannah.  Three members have signed up for the morning and I have a couple of volunteers from the Allamanda quilt chapter in the afternoon, If anyone else can spare an hour anytime between 9am-2pm, your help would be appreciated.

10/22 regular meeting, report on craft sale results

10/25 Giving Expo, Everglades rec center

10/29 Halloween potluck party, costumes optional

 

Show and Tell: 

Bev Minnerly made 2 potholders using the pattern demoed last week.

Louise Stem made 2 pillowcases for the Sheriffs Youth Ranch graduates. She also showed the final elements for the girl’s sanitary supplies, the pouch for the wet pads.

Ceal Pedersen showed the latest batch of completed stuffed toys.

Carolyn Grasso was given some fabric by a woman who stopped at her craft table last weekend. The lady only asked for a doll back so Carolyn made her first attempt at doll making.  She is looking for help to learn how to make clothes for the doll.

Diane Placek showed a Scotty dog she made, using small squares. The corners linking the sides to the gusset were very difficult to sew., but the dog came out great.

Shirley Fiorentino showed some aprons she made as gifts for some friends.

Jean Peters made some clothing protectors.  She will be selling these at the Busy Hands sale on Monday.

I made 3 potholders using the pattern demoed last week 

and embroidered some black rowels with an embossed cat for Halloween. 

I also showed a mouse I made from a free pattern I found.  I’m attaching that pattern to my email in case anyone else wants to try it.

 

There was lots of activity for the rest of the afternoon, especially as the new members asked questions and learned a little of what we do.

I hope to see you next week.

 

Lois