Monday, January 4, 2016

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, friends! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and are ready to jump back into a new year. Our program committee has been working hard to figure out interesting and fun programs for the upcoming year and we'll post them on the Calendar and Events page of our blog as soon as they are finalized for each month.

For now, please mark your calendars for our January meeting on Tuesday, January 26th at St. Gabriel's Church Ministry Center, Room D.

Our program will be all about paper piecing and will be led by Jessie Gettliffe and Kelleigh Bland. The program will be geared to all levels of paper piecing from those who are complete novices to those who know how to paper piece and are interested in taking a design and developing a pattern for paper piecing it.

We will have different stations set up for piecing learning and growing at different levels:

Option 1 - If you've never done it, think you already hate it, don't like the idea of wasting fabric
This group will use colored paper and a stapler to try the technique. If you are interested in this option, bring paper cutting scissors and paper scraps (colored paper, leftover Christmas paper, etc.) and a stapler, if you have one.

Option 2 - If you already have the concept and need to learn how to prevent mistakes
A simple design, already drawn on foundation will be provided. We'll also have fabric scraps and needles and thread. You are also welcome to bring your own fabric scraps, scissors, needle and thread.

Option 3 - If you already know the basic concept and already have a pattern you want to do.
Bring an existing pattern and get help working out what order to add the pieces and how to avoid mistakes.

Option 4 - If you already know how, like paper piecing, and are ready to move beyond someone else's design.
Bring whatever image you want to paper piece and have the group help your figure out the design (or whether it's time to learn to applique instead : )

If you are interested in Option 4 and would like to send your image ahead of time, our program presenters will play around with the image ahead of time and try and figure it out. Email your image to cltmqg@gmail.com

Our swap team has also been working on upcoming swaps for the months ahead. For January, if you'd like to participate, you will have the opportunity to sign up for the Secret Sister Swap. This as always been a fun swap and a way to get to know another guild member better.

Our other swap for January is "Out with the Old, Start Something New"
Bring any UFO or orphan block you're tired of looking at and know you will never finish. At the meeting, you will have the opportunity to select from another guild member's "cast off" project that calls out to you and inspires your creativity. You will bring the completed project back to the February meeting so we can all see your creative re-imagining of someone else's UFO. We've done this swap before and there are always lots of ooohs and ahs as we see the direction these projects take.

Finally, do you have any New Year's sewing/quilting resolutions? Projects you want to complete in the year ahead? New techniques you want to try? Feel free to chime in in the comments section on the blog or the facebook page and we'll share some of these at the January meeting.

Til then, happy sewing and quilting!

Friday, January 1, 2016

Placemats delivered

After our December meeting, guild member, Liz Harris, graciously offered to deliver the 29 placemats that were sewn by our guild. Volunteers at Friendship Trays were so grateful to receive them and loved all the creativity and beauty in these simple placemats
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We hope these placemats will brighten the day of each recipients that receives a meal with a lovely placemat included!