Club Notes - May 4, 2022

 

Sample Cotton Rope Projects

When we started the meeting at 1PM I thought we were going to have only a few in attendance, so I didn't sell the 50/50 tickets.  As it turned out, several ladies came in a little late, so we did wind up with 16 ladies in the room. That includes a new member Jean Peters and 2 members who we haven't seen in a while.  Welcome back Marty Rhyne and Carol Riggs!

We didn't have any announcements this week, so we went right into show and tell.

Show and Tell:

Mic Pickard showed an apron and potholders she made for her daughter.

Pat Pipa showed 2 rope bowls she made, one with fabric wrapped rope nd the other plain but with decorative stitches instead of embroidery.  She also made 2 coasters with the same method, but using the ties from sweat shirts.

Ellen Hein showed 3 fleece blankets she made.

Mary Ellen showed a tote bag and the thread catcher she made from last week's demo.

Ceal Pedersen made some zipper bags and several tote bags she made in her wonderful unique style.

Audrey Phillips showed the quilt top she finished (with a little help from Donna Rissman), using blocks she found in our stash.

Donna showed a great quilt top she made from scraps but wouldn't let me take a picture.  

I showed the thread catcher I made with the needle tracker on the top pin cushion.

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Today's demo was on how to make a rope bowl.  Pat and I talked about the techniques and some of the variations you can do to decorate your bowl.  Pat and I brought a variety of samples to give everyone ideas.  Some of the decorating ideas are:  embroidery, specialty stitches available on your machine, variegated threads, applique fused to the rope or coated with Mod Podge, There are probably other ideas you can come up with, with a little imagination. 

Most of the ones we showed were made with 1/4 inch cotton rope.   I showed one bowl made with 4mm macrame rope and Pat showed coasters made with the draw strings from sweat shirts.  Donna showed how she starts with a bunch of 1.5 inch wide strips of fabric scraps sewn together.  She folds in one edge a 1/4 inch to make a finished edge and has that all prepared before starting to wrap the rope.

After the demo, a few ladies tried sewing the rope.  Marty finished a pretty little bowl on her very first attempt.

The rest of the group worked on various projects.  I brought my quilting pool noodles in for Ellen to pin her quilt.  Carol Thurston helped so it got done quickly.  Several ladies pitched in to tackle sorting our stash of 3.5 inch squares and transferring them out of the one big box into several smaller boxes for easier transport.  I cut fabric for one of my projects and Ellen helped me cut a bunch of leftover curtain fabric into dog bed sleeves.  

Next week Donna will show us how to make a folded fabric basket.   I will send out a separate email with the supply list once I get it.

See you next week.

Club Notes - April 27, 2022

 We had 4 visitors at today’s meeting and 3 of them joined our club by the end of the day.  It makes me very happy that we continue to attract new members to our group. Every new member brings something  to our little community.

I brought several sunshine cards for attendees to sign.  It’s been a tough year I think.  Mary Kalow’s husband has been ill for a long time and I heard he passed away a few days ago, so we send a sympathy card.  Linda Parr and Carole Lamb both have husbands with serious health issues, so we sent cards to both of them.  Lu Karatzas and Charlotte Cecilio have both been dealing with some health issues so we sent get well cards to both of them.

Ceal Pedersen talked to us about some scam calls she recently experienced.   If it sounds the least bit suspicious, don’t answer the call, return the call, or click on an email link.  Personally, I don’t answer any calls unless I know the caller or they clearly identify themselves on my caller id. Government agencies such as the Social Security Administration will never send an email with a link for you to click on.  You should always go directly to their web sites and logon to your account to verify any info.

Show and Tell:

Diane Placek and Mary Ellen Boutin both tried their hands at making zipper bags last week. We always keep zippers and some of the stronger fabrics in the closet  for anyone who wants to make some of these.

Diane

Mary Ellen

Deb Chapman showed a quilt top and a zip-bag tote she made.

A few weeks ago several of us attended a class on how to make bowls out of cotton clothesline rope. 

Eileen DiSanto showed a rope bowl she made.

Pat Pipa also showed a rope bowl and talked about some mistakes she made and how she turned them around.

Pat also showed the bunny she made from Donna’s demo a few weeks ago.

Ceal Pedersen showed a bunch of tote bags she made, two using blocks from our big block stash, and others from her inspiration, all hand appliqued.

Donna Rissman showed the chenille bunny she finished.

New member, Gisela DeValle showed the block she is working on:  

I wasn’t supposed to strain my back during the past few weeks so I spent the time working on some of my UFO’s (unfinished objects) and perfecting new skills.  

First I finished a Harry Potter quilt I started last year.  

Then I worked on rope bowls and rope coasters, all with embroidery enhancements, trying to find patterns that work best.

Flower Bowl

 

Drunk Elf Coasters

Give Thanks Coaster

Coffee Cup Coasters

Cocktail Coasters

Thanksgiving Gnomes

Coffee Anyone (reject design, too many stitches for rope.)

Patriotic Bowl

Give Thanks Bowl

Flatter Give Thanks bowl

Bowl with Flowers

For today’s demo I showed how to make a fabric scrap and thread catcher bag.  The pattern is attached for anyone who didn’t get one at the meeting.

We spent the rest of the afternoon sewing and socializing. I only brought 2 boxes of squares today and some fabric that was donated yesterday.  Thanks to Mary Ellen for separating the 5” squares out of a box that was falling apart and into 2 smaller, more manageable boxes.   I am trying to get all our squares into smaller boxes to make transporting them easier.

Thanks also for all the help  getting everything put away and loaded into my car.  You made it much easier for me.

There has been a lot of interest in the rope bowls shown today, so I am going to change next week’s program from a fabric block challenge week  to a demo of how to do this. This is good for me too, since I won’t have to bring as many boxes.

I will send out the supply list in a separate email.  See you next week.

Club Notes - April 20, 2022

Mic stopped by this afternoon to update me on yesterday's meeting.  Attendance was minimal, so the presentation that was planned has been rescheduled for May 25th. Instead, Mic led the attendees in cleaning out the ineffective scissors and other stuff on our shelves. Next week I hope to be back to show you how to make a fabric scrap & thread collector that sits by your sewing machine for easy access.  I always have one by my machines so I only have to empty them into a doggy bed when they get full. Although I don't have show and tell photos this week, I do have some photos to share.  Skip Bryan sent me some pictures of the curtains we made hanging in the ranch cabins, so I will share them on the blog tonight.  Cabin 101 is the boys' unit house and was the cabin we originally committed to.  This cabin is the largest with 15 windows.

 

This is what it looked like before = broken blinds

T  

Cabin 101

Before and after

They definitely appreciate our efforts.

I received an invitation to the Sheriff's Youth Ranch Annual Spring banquet and graduation ceremony as a thank you. Since it is held at Live Oaks at 6pm on May 9th, which is a 2 hour drive from here, I declined.   If anyone else is interested in going and representing our group, let me know.  

That's all I have for this week.  I'll send another note before next Wednesday to remind everyone of the project and required supplies.

Club Notes - April 13, 2022

Today’s meeting was a little more laid back than usual.  I am dealing with some arthritis in my spine, so I did not bring a lot of fabric for today’s meeting – only felt for today’s project.  Mic brought the bins of larger pieces, so there was still plenty for anyone who wanted to choose from.

Last week I managed a few deliveries.  I think I told you last week that the curtains for the Sheriffs Youth Ranch cabins  went to Skip and Carol Bryan on March 31^st.  April 2^nd I dropped off 3 patriotic quilts for Compassionate Care Hospice.  April 7^th I was able to bring 27 stuffed toys to the Villages Hospital.  On April 9^th Ray and I drove to Dade City and dropped off 38 quilts and 25 pillowcases to be sent to Ukraine.

Yesterday Mic Pickard brought 24 dog beds to Marion County Animal Services, I dropped off 4 Cornerstone Hospice Veteran’s quilts, and ended the day by giving the duffel bags for the ranch graduates to  a rep from the Sheriffs Youth Ranch.  Each of the duffels contained a twin size quilt, 2 pillowcases and 2 small zipper bags.  So it’s been a good couple of weeks. 

I also mentioned that I have 14 (16 after today) quilt tops that I need to get quilted.  I cut batting for most of them last week and finally got to the end of the bolt of batting I bought last November.  I looked for the best deal and ordered another 90” x 40 yd bolt this week, using money from our charity fund.  It should be here tomorrow.

Show and Tell:

 

Yesterday at the Allamanda Quilters meeting, there was a demo on how to make a rope bowl.  

 Pat Pipa and I showed the bowls we made, with an added touch of embroidery on the bottom.

This one is mine

Charlotte Cecilio made 2 stuffed toys and a tote with lobster fabric. 

 

 

Diane Placek handed in a quilt top made from our fabric blocks.

 

Ceal Pedersen made 2 large and a bunch of small totes, using fabric from our big blocks stash.

 

Donna Rissman started off by sharing some chocolate cake chicks(? 😉) with the group.  They were yummy.

She then showed a quilt she made from some blocks found in our incomplete project box.

 

Mary Ellen Boutin also turned in a quilt top made from our fabric stash.

 

Audrey Phillips showed some of her Easter creations – a mondo bag 

 

and some Easter place mats,

and a daily prayer ribbon.

 

 

 She also took some blocks from our incomplete project box and sewed them together in 4 sections.  Her next step will be to put the 4 sections together with sashing to make a quilt top.

Audrey’s daughter, Lynn Delgado, was able to join us today, and we were happy to welcome her back.  She showed an Easter Basket she decorated with odds and ends she found at the Dollar Store or had leftover from other projects.

 

 

 

For today’s fun, Donna Rissman showed how to make a cute bunny in a carrot out of felt.  I will send the pattern and directions in a separate email.

Next week Mic will be running the meeting while I take a week off to deal with my medical issues.  Ceal Pedersen will be giving a talk on how to take care of a quilt, including how to restore an old one.  This should be a great opportunity and I am sorry I will miss it.

For sewing opportunities, Mic will bring a couple of boxes out of the closet – walker bag kits and fabric set aside to make zipper bags.   Several charities look for these small bags to hold toiletries and other small items.  There is also a constant need for more walker bags.  If anyone wants to make their own, the plastic templates are also stored in the closet.

I think that’s everything for this week.   Have fun sewing and I’ll see you soon.