Club Notes - September 24, 2025

There were 13 of us at El Santiago this afternoon.  I was surprised to be the first one to arrive, even though I thought I was late. 

 

This week I put out the 4.5” squares and the 5” squares, just to mix it up a little.  I also put out the larger fabric scraps for everyone to choose from.

Normally, we have 4 pot-luck parties each year – winter, spring, summer and fall.   This year my life got a bit crazy and I missed scheduling the spring and summer parties.   Now I hope to get back on schedule with a Halloween potluck on Oct. 29^th.   It will be a good time to take a break after the craft sale and Giving Showcase.  I hope many of you will be able to join the fun.  I will send reminders closer to the date.

Next week B.J. and Pat will be demonstrating a very different way to make a potholder.  I will send out the supply list in a separate email.

So, here is the list of important dates for October:

10/1  Potholder demo.

10/8 & 10/15 regular meetings, finalize items for craft sale.

10/18 Craft Sale at Savannah.  Volunteers still needed to help out.

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:

Ellen Hein started us out with a big pile of fleece blankets.

New member Eileen St. Clair brought a tote bag full of items she has made.

Ceal Pedersen showed the latest batch of completed stuffed toys.

Eileen DiSanto showed a zipper bag, 

a fleece blanket,

and some critters needing stuffing.

Donna Rissman showed a witch door hanging.  No photos of this because she hopes to make some to sell.

I showed 2 quilt tops I sewed.

The first one is from some of our 5" squares

and the second is a pattern from a 3 yard quilt pattern book.

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

 

Lois

Club Notes - September 17, 2025

There were 13 of us at El Santiago this afternoon, including one new member. We received another donation of fabric, mostly fat quarters, but some larger pieces.   I put out all the 5 inch squares, new fabric pieces, plus the rest of the fabric pieces we have in the closet.

Please keep Anne Knoff and Brenda Severa in your thoughts and prayers.  Both have been diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer.  As a survivor myself, I can attest to this being very beatable. This is a reminder that we need to have our mammograms and be aware of any changes in our bodies.  Brenda will be staying in Wisconsin for the next few months, and may not be returning to The Villages until December.

I put out the sign-up sheet for the Oct. 18^th Guild Craft sale and the Oct 25^th Giving Showcase again. Thanks to those who have signed up.  We could use a few more volunteers for each of these events.  If you can spare an hour or 2 for either event, just let me know.

Show and Tell: 

Carolyn Grasso made several 9-patch blocks and a pillow sham.

Louise Stem made 2 pillow cases and showed the process of making reusable menstrual pads for Operation Christmas Child.

Pat Pipa made 2 pillowcases.

Lenora Holze made 2 dinosaurs.

Bev Minnerly turned in 26 dolls to Dolls from the Heart last week and is now working on 3 more.

Diane Placek made some zipper bags for our charities and some pencil cases for her church and for Operation Christmas Child.

Ceal Pedersen turned in another bag of stuffed toys that she painted the faces on.

Donna Rissman made 2 black cat wall hangings 

and showed a quilt top she is working on for a friend of her grandson. 

She also showed some Chipmunk fabric that she plans to turn into
pillows for her grandson.

Eileen DiSanto made a pig and a bunch of dinosaurs, waiting to be stuffed.

New member Shirley Fiorentino showed a silk shirt, skirt and shorts set she made.

I made another project carrier for my never ending UFOs.

Lynn DelGado arrived a little late and brought a completed duffle bag for one of the Sheriffs Youth Ranch 2026 graduates.

For the rest of the afternoon we each worked on whatever we wanted and chatted   I was happy to see a lot of the fabric I brought today go out.  What was left fit nicely into the 2 bins of fabric we are keeping in the rec center.

I have received word that Mic Pickard and Ellen Hein may be back with us next week.  As we move into Autumn, we hope to see some of our snowbirds returning as well.  It’s always good to welcome friends back.

Hope to see you next week.

 

Lois

Club Notes - September 10, 2025

 There were 13 of us at El Santiago this afternoon.  I put out all the 5 inch squares, fabric pieces, and Big/orphan blocks for everyone to choose from.

We heard news that the Leesburg hospital is closing their OB/GYN department and referring those patients to other area hospitals.  Since we have been donating floor play quilts, receiving blankets and burp pads to them, I asked Mic to check what this means when she gets back. The nurse we have been giving these items to lives near Mic, so she has the best contact. 

I put out a sign-up sheet for the Oct. 18^th Guild Craft sale and the Oct 25^th Giving Showcase. We could use a few volunteers for each of these events.  If you can spare an hour or 2 for either event, just let me know.

 

Show and Tell:

Last week I gave Donna Rissman the individual pages for a soft book.  She came back this week with a finished quilt top.

B.J. Herter and Pat Pipa participated in a potholder class at Allamanda yesterday and showed the finished potholders today.  They promised a demo in a few weeks.

Louise Stem is working on pillowcases for the Sheriffs Youth Ranch graduates.  She showed one for a girl and one for a boy.  Louise said she has enough to make pillowcases for all 6 girls and will be looking for appropriate fabric for the boys.

Ceal Pedersen came a little late, but did bring a bags full of stuffed toys, which are now ready for distribution.

For the rest of the afternoon we each worked on whatever we wanted and chatted.   Two of our new ladies continued making 9 patch blocks and handed in another stack.  Now I only need time to put some of these together.   I am currently working on a quilt made from blue 9-patch squares and hope to be able to hand it over to Ellen soon.

 

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

 

Lois

Club Notes - September 3, 2025

There were 16 of us at El Santiago this afternoon, including 2 new members. I added a few more pieces, leftover from backings, to the fabric bin. We also put out all the 5 inch and 3.5 inch squares for everyone to choose from.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers for my husband.  He is getting better and we hope to get him home soon.  A meeting has been scheduled for Thursday afternoon to discuss the discharge date.

I have received an email from the Friends of the Sheriffs Youth Ranch confirming that there are 15 kids, 9 boys and 6 girls, who are in the 2026 graduating class.  That is one of the largest classes we have seen.  For the past few years we have given each graduate a large duffle bag, a twin size quilt, 2 pillowcases, and 2 zipper bags.   When Mic returns from her trip, she and I will inventory the quilts we have in storage to see if we have enough.  We have commitments from members to make zipper bags and pillow cases.  Ellen Hein and Lynn DelGado have been making the duffels, but with this number they can probably use some help.  Ellen is traveling , but if anyone is able to help with some of the duffels, please talk to her when she returns on the 24^th.  All the items for the graduates must be finished by April.

We will have 2 tables and the Guild Craft sale on October 18^th in Savannah rec center.  Please consider helping out for an hour or 2.  Setup is 8am.  The sale is open from 9AM to 2PM.  We then need help packing up whatever is left. I will put out a sign-up sheet starting next week.

The following week, October24th, we have a table at the Giving Showcase in the Everglades rec center. We could use a few volunteers for this as well. This is an easy day, no selling, just answering questions from people who want to learn what our club does.

 

Show and Tell: 

Lenora Holze made 2 dinosaurs

Darlene Nudy made 11 9-patch blocks.

Diane Placek showed the patriotic quilt top she made.

Pat Pipa made 2 pillowcases.

Ceal Pedersen painted the faces on 3 bags full of stuffed toys, which are now ready for distribution.

I showed a crocheted, reversible baby blanket that I finished.  I started it over 10 years ago, and just pulled it out again to occupy my time sitting with my husband at Rehab.

For the rest of the afternoon we each worked on whatever we wanted and chatted. .  Some of our new ladies are enjoying making 9 patch blocks, so we now have enough in the blue-purple range for a quilt top, and a good start on a red-green one.  There were also some delicious cookies to munch on.

 

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