Club Update - May 3, 2020

Another week of social distancing and isolation has gone by.  I really miss seeing you all.

The governor has loosened some of the restrictions but we cannot meet yet.  If you read last week's recreation news you may have seen the diagram of how rooms may be set up for clubs in the near future.  The diagram showed chairs for only one person for each 6 foot table.  Since our room is usually set up for 12 tables, with only 8 along the walls close to outlets, this poses a challenge for us.  I am thinking about ways we can adapt but will not make any decisions until we are actually allowed to meet and I can talk to the rec center staff.

Several clubs have set up virtual meetings online using Zoom.  We could do a show and tell meeting this way if there is any interest.   Let me know what you think..

In the mean time, our fun can still continue.  Ellen Hein, Sue Cambell, Bev Minnerly and I have been working on enhancing pillowcases for the Sheriff's Youth Ranch summer camps.  I don't know whether these camps will be held this summer, but if not, the pillowcases will be used next year.   We have been using a variety of methods to decorate these, some with colorful cuffs, others with appliques, and some with both. I have 8 dozen completed in hand and 4 dozen more that are complete or nearly complete that I need to collect.

 

Lynn K. has sent photos of some very cute American doll furniture that she made for a friend's granddaughter.

 

Pat Pipa delivered 11 zipper bags to Skip Bryant for the new kids coming in to  the Sheriff's Youth Ranch in the fall.

Ellen Hein continues to make masks on request and I have been giving her fabric for her efforts.

I have also continued to give bags of fabric to Laura Tomich for her church group.  They are making masks for several assisted living facilities.

Lu Karatzas is also making masks for friends and family.

 

Deb Chapman has a charity quilt in progress.

 

I gave the latest box of 10" squares to Deb McCuiston and she is putting a quilt together with these.

Van Hathaway dropped me a note.  She is still dealing with the same health issues that have prevented her from joining out meetings over the past year, but let me know she is still following our emails. 

Mary Kahlow dropped a bag at my door containing some dog bed scraps and a bunch of fabric already cut into 5" squares, saving me that effort.  Thank you Mary.

I continue to spend most of my time sorting through the backlog of donated fabric.  The boxes of cut squares continues to grow, as do the boxes containing sturdier fabric for zipper bags, draw-string backpacks, and dog beds.  To break up the routine, I have lain out 2 charity quilts so far.   The first one is together and currently on my machine for quilting.  The 2nd is on my design wall, waiting for me to sew it together.

This week I have also quilted an honor flight quilt Ellen made and sewn together 29 pair of patriotic dryer sheet blocks.  Maybe next weekend I can lay these out and see if a quilt emerges.  In the mean time there are still several boxes of fabric to be sorted and cut.

 

Please continue to email me to let us know how you are doing and what you are working on. As always, if you need something to keep you busy during this time of isolation, let me know and I will drop a bag at your door.  Zipper bags, draw string backpacks, stuffed toys, quilts or anything else you think we can donate to our charities.  If you don't want to make something big, how about taking some 3.5" squares and making 9 patch blocks which can be put together in a quilt later.  Just choose a color family and I will deliver.

Club Update - April 26, 2020

It seems like we are all weathering this isolation successfully.  Although I haven't heard from everyone, between those who have emailed me and those who I am connected with on Facebook, most club members seem to be doing ok.  Thank you for following the rules of social distancing, wearing masks when you go out, and otherwise staying safe.  We would not want to lose any one of you.

The only person I heard from after my last email was Pat Pipa.  She is doing fine, video conferencing with her daughters and keeping company with her dog Mia.

I am also in regular contact with Ellen Hein, Laura Tomich, and Bev Minnerly, who are busy making masks.   Ellen, Bev, Sue Campbell and I have also been decorating the plain white pillowcases  for the Sheriff's Youth Ranch summer camps.   I believe we now have 9-10 dozen done.  This has been a very easy job, taking less than a half hour per pillowcase.    Ellen and I are working on the last 2 dozen so I hope to deliver them in a week or 2.

As I sort through the boxes of donated fabric I am dividing it by size into the following piles:

• WOF pieces large enough for pillowcase cuffs for the Sheriff's Youth Ranch summer camps
• Pieces large enough for masks (going to whoever asks first)
• Pieces large enough to cut into squares for future quilts
• Strips for dryer Sheet (or similar) blocks
• Heavier fabrics large enough for drawstring backpacks or dog beds
• Flannels
• Smaller sturdy pieces for zipper bags
• Scraps for doggy beds (this includes sheer and other types I can't think of a use for)

I do have a couple of large pieces of sheer fabric like what is used for scarves.  If anyone wants them, let me know.

Also, if any one wants to make zipper bags, I can supply fabric and zippers.

Since I can only do so much fabric cutting before going into a stupor, I have tried to break things up a little.  I've decided to spend Saturdays and Sundays doing something more creative.  This weekend I started a charity quilt top with some of the 5" blocks and made another set of the Matryoshka Nesting Doll zipper bags.  I have the patterns for 6 different designs of these nesting doll bags, so If I make one set a week I can have examples of all of them by the end of May.  I also have an honor flight quilt top that Ellen made that is sandwiched and waiting for me to quilt it.  I'll post photos when these are finished.

If anyone want to play with some precut blocks, let me know and I will drop off whatever you want at your door.  I even have some of them sorted by color family.

8 inch blocks

10 inch blocks

6.5 inch blocks

6.5 inch blocks

5 inch blocks

5 inch blocks

4.5 inch blocks

4.5 inch blocks

3.5 inch blocks

3.5 inch blocks

I heard that the regional rec centers are opening in May, but El Santiago is a neighborhood rec center so we have to wait a bit longer.   Hope we will be able to get together again soon.

Club Update - April 20 2020

I received notes from several more members this week, telling me they are safe and well. Here are some update:

Lynn K:

I have been sewing masks and mailing them to friends and family in Ohio. I have done 145 so far. I am using Jenny Doan's pattern with ties and getting good feedback on the fit. I am not charging anything for the mask because I am using up my random fabrics. I still have plenty to use, but I am starting to see a dent in my scrap trays! I am asking that they reimburse the postage. They are ok with that. Before I started the masks I made 6 Cornerstone Quilts and I have put together three UFO quilt tops and have the blocks to a fourth on my design wall. Glad you are getting a chance to sort many of the donations that were stacking up.

Kiki Mitrakos and her son and daughter-in-law Michelle & Tommy:

We are doing fine over here. Kiki was making masks for neighbors. I inquired with CERT (hubby and I are members) about local donations and was told by our Commander that our hospitals are not overwhelmed so to hold off.

Mic Pickard:

Hey Lois it seems we're all making face masks like crazy--that's all I've been doing so far this month!!!  The good news is I'm making BIG dents in my fabric scraps!!!

Right now, I'm out of elastic and waiting on an order to arrive sometime this week to finish the ones my family have requested.  If I get all those finished, I'll let you know so I can help on this request. Thanks for keeping us all connected through this amazing time.

B.J. Herter:

I finished a baby girl quilt and decided it needed a toy to go with it so I made a pink check dinosaur to go with it and now making a blue quilt with a blue check dinosaur.  Still working on my granddaughter ️ goat collage for Christmas 🥰 I'm waiting for elastic to come in so I can make more masks. Stay safe and healthy.

Brenda Severa:

We are still doing good but getting very antsy.  We hope to leave for WI on May 2 so wont get to see you before leaving.  We eill quarantine for 2 weeks but they are Safer at Home until May 26.  We want to be clear by that time as we still have a cottage also to take care of.  I am still getting old projects done.  Didn't realize how out of control my ufos are.  I'm sure you saw my 1999 quilt on Facebook.  I attached photo if you want to share with group.  Stay healthy. (photo on the blog)

Mary Kahlow:

Les and I are doing fine.  Working together, we finished that Starry Night Santa wall hanging.

This has 32 tiles with an average of 30k stitches each. Some Allamanda and MEQ gals are making them, so it has been fun to compare notes.

In between, I've made and mailed masks.  My house is clean, the closets are seeing daylight, the shrubs are replanted and I've done far too much cooking and baking.  That pattern Laura found looks better than the pleated variety.

Laura Tomich:

I am working with my church group to make masks for some assisted living facilities.  They requested 300! (Laura was the first to respond to my offer of fabric for masks, so I gave her the pile I sorted out of yesterday's fabric donation box,  I have more boxes to go through, so will offer the next ones I find to others who have shown an interest.)

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I have also heard from Ellen Hein and Bev Minnerly.  They are also making masks and waiting for more of the elusive elastic.

I have decided to spend as much time as I can stand sorting through the multitude of fabric donations that have accumulated.  I am making progress, but have a long way to go.  I did take time to make 2 quilts before I started this task.  I had stitched out a set of blocks with a set of train patterns over the past 6 months in order to make a quilt for my husband.  This quarantine gave me the chance to put them together and finish the quilt.  

 

The second quilt I worked on is for me.  Last year I went on a shop hop that offered an owl block pattern at each shop.  I put them together with some other owls I found and completed that quilt. 

That's all I have for this week.  Stay safe and keep in touch.

Making Masks? Need Fabric?

For the past week I have been going through boxes and bags of donated fabric scraps - ironing, sorting and cutting scraps into squares for future charity quilts  There are a lot of pieces that are large enough to make one or more face masks.  If you are still making masks and are running out fabric, please let me know and I will give you some.  I can drop a bag off by your front door or, if you let me know when you are coming, I can leave a bag by my front door with your name on it. (I don't have any elastic or I'd make some myself))

I have accumulated a large number of cut blocks - 3.5" 4", 4.5", 5", 6.5", 8" and 10".  I truly believe, without exaggeration, that we have enough to make a hundred quilts, and I still have more boxes to go through.  I have been sorting everything by type of fabric and size.  In addition to the fabric I am cutting into quilt squares, I have put aside sturdier fabrics for dog bed sleeves, draw-string backpacks, and zipper bags, and wide WOF cottons for cuffs on the pillowcases for summer camp.  With the flimsy fabrics and scraps from cutting, I have already filled 5 dog beds. Having to stay home has given me a great opportunity to catch up, even though I am still finding anonymous  bags of donated fabric by my front door.

As before, I'd like to hear what you have been up to and to know you are safe and well.  If you haven't already, drop me a note directly to let me know you are OK.

Lois Rose, Sewing N More Club Leader