Club Notes, Aug 7, 2019

We were short on show and tell today but long on info being shared.

First, the Show and Tell:

Audrey Phillips  showed chenille trivets and a stack of pillowcases she finished.

 If you look closely you will see the 2 different chenille patterns she used on the trivets.

I made 2 pillowcases by adding a side piece to some fabric that was not quite wide enough 

and showed the row by row quilt I made for this year's theme "Taste the Experience".

I also made a charity quilt and finished one that B.J. Herter sewed together.

*********************

Diane Placek told us about here recent road trip.  She got to the Jimmy Carter museum and found a drawstring backpack for $4,  just like the ones we have the pattern for.

Carol Riggs reminded us of her sale this Friday at her house 7:30 AM - 11;30AM.  Her house is in Polo Ridge, address: 3171 Southern Trace.

Pat Pipa told us about her conversation with the Villages coordinator of the Poodles and Pooches rescue organization we have been talking about.   The web site is https://poodleandpoochrescue.org/ if you wish to donate.  There are 2 vets who are providing their services at cost and a groomer who is grooming the dogs for free, but more is needed.

Originally we offered our usual dog beds but they responded that the dogs they have just rescued are from a puppy farm and have never know life out of a crate.  The beds given to them must be washable because they have not been trained.  Instead of filling the beds for these dogs with fabric, they need to be filled with several layers of fluffy polyester batting, so they can be washed.  As luck would have it, we have several bags and one partial bolt of this that we haven't had a good use for before.  

Pat took home a case of dog bed sleeves and the bolt of batting and will make as many beds as she can.  Previously, we gave them 10 of our regular dog beds and Pat delivered another 10 with the batting inside.   I brought some more of this type batting home from storage today and will try to make some too.

Since I started this club, we have been collecting $10 from each person to join.  This money was used to purchase our cutting mats, rotary cutters, and other supplies, and the balance was set aside as a contingency in case we have to replace anything or buy anything else for the club.  We now have more than we probably need in the fund, so I suggested that we donate $100 to the Poodles and Pooches rescue to help them out.  This is less than half of our fund and amounts to about $1.50 of each member's contribution. Those at the meeting agreed, but I want to put this to all members.  If anyone objects, I will decrease the amount donated by their contribution amount.  Otherwise, I will make the donation tomorrow night.

************************On a final note, those stayed till the end of the meeting know that Pat Pipa took a fall on the way out this afternoon.  It was one of those things where she was moving fast trying to beat the rain and her shoe stuck when she stopped short.  Her tooth went through her lip in the fall so there was a bit of blood.   Pat was ok to drive, but she did go to urgent care. They gave her stitches and she is fine.  This is a reminder that we all need to take our time because we are not as agile as we used to be.  I need to learn this lesson as I'm sure most of us do.

*********************

Next week we will be making pillowcases.  Our box of pillowcase fabric is overflowing so we need to get it down a bit.  If you want to make your own, please bring your own fabric, a piece 27" long for the body and a piece 11" for the cuff for a standard size pillow.  Otherwise you can make some for the Sheriff's Youth Ranch, Ryan's Case for Smiles, or the Ocala Domestic Violence Center.  Where they go always depends on the fabric.

Hope to see you next week.

Club Notes - July 31, 2019

We had a fun time this afternoon and some great food.  Everything I tasted was fantastic.  I tried a new ice breaker quiz called "Never have I Ever"  to get to know each other a little better.  It may be because I took the basic questions and added my own, but it turned out no one had done more of the items on the list than I had.  Deb Chapman came closest with only one more item that she hadn't done.

We also had a multiple choice sewing pun quiz and almost everyone got 9 out of the 10 answers, but no one got all 10.  Shakespeare provided a trick question.Of course, we finished with Bingo and I gave away lots of prizes.

************************

Show and Tell:

Charlotte Cecilio made 8 red, white and blue dyer sheet blocks, perfectly coordinated so they can be put together in sets of 4 in a quilt.

Carol Riggs showed a bear and a wreath she made.  She also presented Eileen DiSanto with a card documenting a brick several friends contributed to in her husband's honor.

Marilyn Awkerman came as a guest this week and showed a table runner she made.

Pat Pipa made some teddy bears and showed the quilt top she put together from a set of squares I provided last week.

B.J. Herter also made a quilt top from a set of squares I provided last week.

Mic Pickard finished a colony of bunnies and a frog.

Eileen DiSanto showed a photo of the Cornerstone Hospice quilt her husband received and the accompanying certificates.

I showed a quilt I made from some of our donated fabric, and a Cornerstone Hospice quilt which Debbie Chapman turned in last week and I quilted.

Debbie also showed a bear she made.

**********************

I had a few announcements this week.  First, we heard Nita Hand and Ellen Hein are both back in The Villages and will be joining our club meetings again soon.

Brenda Severa's mother passed away this past week and we sent a condolence card from the club.

Carol Riggs is downsizing her sewing room in preparation for a move to a smaller home here in The Villages.  I will send a separate email about the sale she is having.

Nella Rose is moving out of The Villages to a smaller retirement community in Mount Dora.  She came today to say goodbye and give us some of her UFO's 

Ellen Hein forwarded a note to me about a major dog rescue underway by Poodles and Pooches Rescue.  I will send the info in a separate email for anyone interested in contributing.  I called the woman collecting items in The Villages, hoping we could help by giving them a bunch of dog beds.  At first she said she would come for them, but when I got home tonight she called and said the organization won't accept fabric filled dog beds.  They say dog beds go with the dogs to adopting families and must be washable.  They said fabric filled ones get too heavy when washed and don't dry well.    The groups we have given the dog beds to only use them in the cages, discard them when they get too worn and don't worry about washing them, so it's never a problem.  The lady collecting said she would check again and call me tomorrow to let me know whether or not they will take them.  If not, I will give them to the South Lake Animal League as I had originally planned.  I currently have 37 waiting to be delivered.

I now have in my possession 6 quilt tops waiting for batting, backing and quilting.  The more it rains, the more I will get done, but if there is a nice day, I am off for some outdoor time. 

Next week I will demonstrate how to make a border fabric table runner.  I will send a separate email with the supply list, but if you are looking at fabric before I get that out, look for a fabric that has a pattern at least 9"-12" from bottom to top.  The length of the repeat is not important.  Don't bother looking at Joann's, they don't carry border fabrics.  Look in actual quilt shops or online.

Hope to see you next Wednesday.

Club Notes - July 24, 2019

Hi everyone, I'm back. We had a fun time visiting Branson and stopping at every row-by-row quilt shop we could along the way. Now if I only had time to sew as much as I buy.

Today we had a visit from one of the Daily Sun reporters. He asked a bunch of questions about what we do and stayed through show and tell.

Show and Tell:

Bev Minnerly showed another stack of lovely doll clothes.

Deb Chapman sewed a great Hospice Veteran's quilt top.

Carol Thurston finished her chenille pot holders.

Carol Riggs made some chenille pot holders and has already given them as gifts.

Audrey Phillips embroidered a patriotic tote bag.

****************************

Today's project was to make some more stuffed toys and a bunch were turned in.  I also had 4 bags of sorted quilt blocks that I offered to anyone would would sew them together and 3 of them went home with club members.  There is no time deadline on these, but I greatly appreciate the help in making these charity quilt tops. We still have loads of cut squares and other donated fabric waiting to be cut into squares or used some other way.  

While everyone else was busy sewing, Carol Thurston helped me pin a charity quilt sandwich.  I hope to get that one done this week. 

I also went through the pillowcase fabric box and trimmed a stack of cuff fabrics to size.  With Audrey Philips' help we now have a pile of pillow case fabric sets matched up and ready to sew.

Next week we take a break from sewing for our quarterly pot-luck and games.  Bring a dish to share if you can and 25 pennies or buttons for bingo.  As always, I will supply the plates, plastic ware, napkins, and ice tea.

Hope to see you all for some fun next week.

Club Notes - July 17, 2019

Bev Minnerly - Draw-string back packs.

Deb Chapman - Chenille Pot Holder

  

Pat Pipa - Chenille Potholders and snap bags.

 Carol Thurston finished her scrap quilt.

Carol Riggs made a stack of microwave bowl cozies