Don't you just love getting to the meeting a little early and seeing what everyone has found over the last month? The first few minutes are full of chatter of projects under way and interesting things located on our travels.
Iowana had given Susie a bunch of her 30's fabrics and Susie has been on the look out for how to use them. She saw a quilt in a shop and was fortunate to find on e-bay the book for a good price. Amazon has some used ones starting at $9.41.
Then Deb had been out to California and found this little gem. So fun to thumb through the pages and pick up little hints as you went along. Now we know why some fusible interfacing's seem so stiff - we might possibly be holding the iron on them too long.
Vevia had her Bel Air with her to sew on and was using a magnet to measure her 1/4" seams. Susie mentioned the part that you can screw in and measure the distance - and Bless Shirley, she had her's with her so Vevia could see what it was. So be on the lookout for one of these please!
If you buy your garlic cloves three at a time in that nice little bag - look what you can do with the bag afterwards. It is a great "bra" for your bigger spools or for your serger spools. And -nope- they do not smell of garlic.
Deb was doing hand quilting and she had on a finger cot. Deb and Esther got to talking about the benefits of the cots and or the finger gloves. The tan item here is a finger glove. It has little nubbies on it and is great for putting on your index finger and grabbing hold of the needle and pulling it through. Speaking of needles.........Susie was introduced to a new brand at the Severy, KS. quilt shop. . . . Hiroshima applique needles #10, 6 needles for $8.50. They have a much bigger/longer eye than the John James needles that Susie has been using and they do not bend - or haven't yet anyway.
And as you can see, Susie is using the needles a lot. This is the Jacobean quilt that she is working on. Not much longer and she will have all the blocks completed and ready to start assembling.
Machelle brought in her table mat so Vevia could get a good close look at it before she starts putting her version together. If you are interested in giving the "biscuits" a try, click here for the pattern directions. After the initial making of the biscuits, the rest is great handwork and it would also make a wonderful showcase for some favorite buttons.
Susie brought in another "circle" of crazy quilting with the ribbon and regular embroidery. This one was embellished with beads and a piece of old lace that Susie made stand out with a little paint. Make sure you check her circles out and see what she is up to.
It takes a village to raise a child - ever heard that saying? Well it takes a group of friends to "raise up a pinned quilt". Bless everyone for all their help with Machelles quilt. Some helped her hold pieces while she ironed them - AGAIN. Your long armer's want you to iron everything before you bring it out, and then you have to fold it for transportation and .....ta dah! Look at all the wrinkles. Susie stated that she had gotten a steamer to help her release creases as and while she loaded her machine. She also suggested that we could get hangers from a cleaners maybe that are much wider and then we can hang stuff with less folds.
We have a great meeting place to lay out 4 tables and sandwich for basting. Machelle is going to quilt this on her home machine - You go Machelle!!!!!! It was a great time to take a good look at the inventive way that Machelle did her disappearing 9-patch. Some people are always coming up with great ways to make the old = new.
Some of us can stretch out better than others - you go Deb.
Everyone helped out some, and Esther and Deb stayed with Machelle till the process was done.
Look at these pins that Machelle used on some of the basting. Machelle had taken a class with Dee and learned about them - Basting Brights. They are very sharp and with the help of her basting tool, they go in so easy.
After lunch - before the Show 'n Tell started - Machelle took away her endorsement of OdoBan. The product may remove some odors - but do you want the new odor it leaves. Machelle's dryer is down stairs and when she put some OdoBan in her wash and then that wash in the dryer - yuck. The house reeked of OdoBan. A person can only stand so much of some things. Took Machelle's breath away. Thank you Machelle for keeping us up to date. We are still on the look out for something that you can use to remove the musty smell that some fabrics have.
Shirley had a good story with this snails trail quilt.
Look closer at the fabric - 70's - 80's ? It has been quite awhile in the making. Shirley finished it and then had to hunt around for something to bind it with. She picked a lovely polka dot fabric that went well with the blue in the quilt. Course after it was all done, she found more of the timeless paisley print.
Love the way that she did the outside border so that it adds so much to her design. And look at her quilting - another benefit.
Take a look on the internet and see all the ways that you can set these blocks together.
And you can even make cats or witches hats out of them.
Some people are just too good. Donnis (and Esther) are the first to bring in their finished 2014 BOM Project quilts. Love Donnis's and learned so much from her about hanging techniques.
Her back has this lovely label on it and taking a suggestion from Esther, Donnis had each of us present, sign her label.
Esther finished hers too - and got a second surprise pattern from it - a cross. Way to go Esther. Don't you love it when you get an extra bonus from your work.
Esther had one of her blocks on the back for a label and had everyone sign it. So remember, when you bring in your finished BOM quilt - bring in a pen for signing. Great way to capture all the friends that were involved with the making of this quilt.
Vevia had a charm pack start from Iowana from about 2010 when Barb taught us how to do a dimensional bow tie. Unfortunately all that work does not show up when you look at the quilt. There are 56 bow ties in this quilt - can you find them? They are all the colored blocks.
Vevia's label on the back was a pocket with two bow ties in different stages to remind her later how it was done.
BEWARE!!!! Bias is created with the bows and you have to be careful to keep them square and not to quilt down the "tie" or catch the folds. Susie is going to check with Barb to find out if she finished hers and what hints she has for us. Thank you everyone for your tips, making the bows out of the plain fabric to see if they showed up more might be a good way to go. The crazy quilting thread you see here is three different variegated threads of Iowana's and one of the borders and the binding is from Iowana's fabrics and the backing fabric is from Bonnie. The thread was a machine quilting thread and seemed a little thick.
Susie had this panel and what a cute quilt it made.
Susie also had gotten two new pantographs and used one on this quilt. Love the look of the back too.
This quilt was a top all put together that Susie "rescued". Someone that has a need down the road will be much blessed with this warm quilt. The leaves seem to be made from different patterns of upholstery type fabric.
Another new pantograph was used in the quilting. Sorry - not as good of a picture to show you.
Another "rescue" quilt that Susie got for $1 is out of this world. Drunkards Path is the name of the blocks and there are so many ways that you can lay these blocks out. As you can tell - it looks like someone was a little tipsy when they put this top together. The pattern goes along beautifully and then takes off in another directions. And no, Susie is not laying down - the quilt showed up better in this direction.
Susie has a lot of checkered fabric that she is using up - don't stare at it too long here in this picture or you might put yourself into a trance. Checks don't photograph clear. If you click on the picture to enlarge - you'll see.
We had gotten after Deb last time for not bringing in Buster, her Doxie-Bull, so she brought him in for us all to see how with a creative "twist" you can get an entirely different breed.
Esther asked how you put them together and Deb went right to work taking the front legs off to let us see.
Cloth covered florist wire threads all the yo yo's together and then a twist here and there - and voila! You have the cutest little guy. The others she had finished will go to the grandkid's this coming Sunday. Thank you Deb - we love Buster. He is so bright and cheery.
This is the project that Donnis is working on. Caught a picture just as she was packing up. Not sure how many more rows she has to go yet.
Check out the arrow - see the fabric it points to and that Deb is pointing out - that is a piece from Marcella. She had given the girls each a small piece and Donnis decided to use some here for a great memory statement. Lovely fabric.
Before the last of us left for the day - Machelle trimmed up the excess on her quilt for better handling when she takes it to the machine.
We had a great day - and Lorraine.......we had a great laugh with Vevia running out the door to wave at you in the little bus - only to find out it wasn't you. Ha hahahahaha We do miss everyone that can not make it. Judy will be back soon and perhaps Jan and Dee will get a chance to drop by before long. Barb and Bonnie - if you are in town on the first Wednesday of the month - drop by.
Till next time - have fun quilting.
