Sunday Stash - The Haul from QuiltCon

I was too tired when I made it home last Sunday to do a stash report, but there was quite a haul from QuiltCon. Between the giveaways and the prizes, plus what I actually bought, my car was loaded down a lot more on the way back to Atlanta.

First there were the giveaways. So many vendors were giving away fat quarters and charm packs, and paint chips. Trading pins is totally a thing, and I racked up! 

The best, though, was when I picked up my registration and was handed this awesome tote bag filled with goodies just for being one of the first one thousand people to register.

Then there were the games. Several booths had wheels you could spin or hats to draw out of. I think the moment I am most proud of is the puzzle challenge at the Aurifil booth. 

I won my round, and received a large spool of thread. Before you are too impressed, I was almost twice as slow as the best time posted so far - just over three minutes! My biggest prize was the fat quarter bundle of Art Gallery Fabrics.

And then, of course, there was the shopping. I had to buy a t-shirt. Handmade Rebellion has so many cute ones that it was tough to decide, but I finally settled on this one. I panic bought a pair of Kai scissors fifteen minutes before my embroidery class started because I couldn't find mine. Mostly I searched through the bins at Villa Rosa Designs, narrowing my choices down to two fat quarter rolls and two one yard cuts of fabric.

Finally, I made what I believe is the last large purchase needed to complete my studio space. Luckily this doesn't count towards my stash, but will help my back and shoulders. This saddle stool by Oakworks is so comfortable and a major upgrade from my wooden desk chair. 

The folks at this booth (ABM/Innova) were so fun and friendly. I have to give a shout out to Michael, who took customer service to a whole new level by carrying this heavy box to my car for me.

As for usage, the only thing I managed to finish were two pillowcases for Ryan's Case for Smiles to bring to Monday's guild meeting.

• Fabric Used this Week: 2.5 yards
• Fabric Used year to Date: 7.5 yards
• Fabric Added this Week: 14 yards
• Fabric Added Year to Date: 23.5 yards
• Net Fabric for 2017: -16 yards used
• Used for Charity Year to Date: 2.5 yards
• Percentage Used for Charity: 33%

Quilts of Valor - Presentation Bags

I know it's been months since I got the Quilts of Valor from our guild challenge, and I've only presented two of them.  Like many of my projects, I got bogged down by the details.  Since we decided to donate these quilts locally instead of shipping them off to QOV, I got stuck on the part about finding the vets to give them to.

As with most of the best things in my life, there was serendipity.  I had registered the two quilts donated to Donn and Mark with QOV, so my email address got put on a list somewhere.   Susan Gordon, the recently appointed regional coordinator, contacted me to find out more about our guild and the quilts we made.  She had some great information, including a contact at the Veteran's Hospital in Augusta, Georgia. 

I also realized (after Donn and Mark got their quilts) that they were all supposed to be in a presentation bag/pillowcase.  I was going to just whip up a few out of the many patriotic fabrics in my stash until I found this:

How perfect is that?  I was in JoAnn's to buy my favorite white marking pen while it was 40% off (marking the Bear's quilt took almost a whole one!) and noticed a display of July 4th type fabric marked half off.  I planned to just walk on by since, as I mentioned, I have PLENTY, when I saw these little houses.  There were 8 yards left, about enough to make ten pillowcases from this awesome easy pattern*, so I took it all.

Now they are ready to go to their new homes as soon as I can get them to Augusta! Maybe next week when everyone's back in school. That ought to keep me busy instead of missing them.

*The only things I do differently on this pattern are that a) I left off the accent strip, b) I didn't trim the selvedges before sewing the cuff on; I just trimmed the whole pillowcase after this step,  and c) I sew the side and bottom seams all at the same time, just pivoting around the corner instead of making it 2 separate steps.   Faster/lazier.  It's a fine line.


Tweet

Going to Guild - Ditty Bags for The Drake House

This month's meeting was our guild's annual work meeting for charity.  In recent years we've been making pillowcases for ConKerr Cancer.  This year we have been collecting a different item each month for The Drake House, a crisis center for homeless women and children.  Items include sewing kits, small travel umbrellas, manicure sets, compact mirrors, etc.

Monday night we made bags for the items to go in. The Ditty Bag is based on the same pattern as the magic pillowcase, but the body is a bit shorter and the top has a casing and drawstring.

Jodi models the ditty bag

These went together in no time, partially because so many of us have made the pillowcases before and partly because we had an excellent turnout of hard workers willing to do any chore from pinning to ironing to threading the ribbon through the casing.

Guild members making up kits from donated fabric

It's not easy to get fifty people to show up for a "work only" meeting in August.  Way to go Stars!

Henry Ford has nothing on these ladies!

Gracie came along with me and brought her sewing machine.  She was really getting that quarter inch down nicely when I came along with 3/4" and 5/8" for this project!   

Can I just say how much I love that she has to sew barefooted like her Mama?

Digging the bare feet and the black crackle nail polish. 

In the end, we finished a bundle of ditty bags for The Drake House, plus a few pillowcases for ConKerr.

It's a little sad that this is Gracie's last guild meeting for the year.  Once school starts, 9:30 or 10 on a Monday night can wreck the whole week.  It was, however, a great way to spend our last summer Monday together before school starts next week.



Tweet

Going to Guild - Holiday Party

Our guild's annual holiday party is an event to remember.  Ben organizes a smorgasbord of delicious food, while Suzanne plans the entertainment.  There are games, trivia, mixers, and it all culminates in our auction.

The secret to the auction is that you can't use real money.  All year long we accumulate "Quilt Bucks" by donating charity quilts or pillowcases and participating in challenges.  This year, Kathy had plenty of "cash," but also won a prize for making the most pillowcases for ConKerr Cancer.  She made one a day for 2010 - turning in 366 pillowcases before the November meeting!  Here's the runner up and only slightly sore loser, Rena, giving Kathy her prize.

On the night of the party you can earn even more by being on time, bringing a dish to share, and dressing up for the theme.  This year's theme went with our challenge, Home is Where the Stars Are, so you got a Quilt Buck for every item you had on with a star on it.  Some of us take this further than others. 

It's all worth it, though, when you see all the loot that's been donated by our great local quilt shops. 

Some quilters are experts at spending every bit, but this little elf had some left over.

You can also win a batch of challenge blocks, like this year's stars on a black background. 

Lynn and Lene both managed to snag a batch.  We may be seeing these at bee for a long time to come!

I was quite happy with what I brought home.

How does your guild celebrate?

The Graduate

Tonight we went out to celebrate my 8th grader's graduation. As a surprise, I booked The Captain's Table at P.F. Chang's. It is a table behind the bar, practically in the kitchen, where you get to watch all of the action. It is one of B's favorite places, and he loves to cook, so it was a very cool experience. It was also very LOUD. I'm not sure I'd want to sit there every time since conversation was tricky, but it was fun to do at least once. This was our view:
After we ate far too many dumplings and everything else on the menu, it was present time. He was excited to get a trip to NYC this summer with one set of grandparents, and the lacrosse goal he'd been saving for from the other. Then it was time for the big box from Mom and Dad. I figured he knew what it was, since he had been in and out of my room while I worked on it a hundred times.

But no, when he saw the matching pillowcase on top he said, "You got me sheets?"

We don't call him Captain Oblivious for nothing, you know.
Finally the light bulb went on, and he was so appreciative of the quilt. He couldn't believe I had made it for him, and went right up to put it on his bed when we got home. It was a great night.
Here's what the finished product looked like:
I'll try to get the rest of the tutorial written and up soon. It was a super easy quilt to make and went together in no time. It only took 6 yards of fabric for the front, and would be great for shopping out of your stash.

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day!

Going to Guild - May

Monday was guild night and time once again for our Quilt Olympics. We divided into teams to make pillowcases for ConKerr Cancer. Everyone brought 1 1/8 yards of fabric to toss into the mix. Then we divided into teams - I was a "Swifty Seam Ripper" - and started stitching.

These pillowcases are so easy to whip up! They would make a great scout or Junior Beta project - perfect for any service hours needed or sewing class. If you want to make a few for yourself as well, I have to say they make for very "green" giftwrap.

I like to shop from my stash and find 1 1/8 yards of 3 fabrics that look cute together. Then cut each one into three pieces: 27", 10", and 3", all by the width of the fabric. Press the 3" pieces in half lengthwise. Mix and match!

Lay the 10" piece RIGHT SIDE UP on your workspace. Lay the 3" folded piece on top of that, matching raw edges. It should look like this.
Then lay the 27" piece RIGHT SIDE DOWN on top of that, again matching your raw edges. You can pin at this point if it makes you feel better. I usually do, but lots of my fellow Stars made fun of me.
Then you are going to roll up the 27" piece like a jelly roll to keep it out of the way of the pin line. It doesn't have to be perfect, just away from the pins.
Fold the 10" piece up and over the whole thing and match the raw edges. Now you have to pin for sure.
Stitch down this line with about a 1/2" seam allowance. Pull the tube inside out and VOILA!
Then clean up the side edges so they match up. If you have a serger, you can finish the pillowcase edges with that. I do a French seam. Sew the last two edges of the pillowcase with the RIGHT SIDES out using a 1/4" seam allowance. Flip inside out, press, and stitch again WRONG SIDES out using a 5/8" seam allowance. This method gives you a beautifully finished pillowcase with no raw edges. Super easy!

Carol was flipping for us and yelling and screaming and cheering us on, so I had to take her picture. She is our biggest cheerleader even though she claims not to be a quilter.
Our busy guild members made over 70 of these in less than 2 hours!
Aren't they beautiful? It is amazing how much one personal touch can mean to a person who is suffering. Going to guild these nights is always a decision - I have so much to do and it would be so easy to skip it. But I'm also always glad I went. Thinking about the people we are sewing for helps me put my little "to do" list in perspective and remember how blessed I truly am.

When I look around at how many other members showed up - more than some nights when we have a great speaker! - and I know they all are just as busy and made the same decision I made, I know that the world is full of caring people. I am so lucky to call a lot of them my friends.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Chance You'll Live to 100: 68%

100 is looking pretty likely for you right now. You've made your health a priority. So kick back, keep doing what you're doing, and enjoy the great life you've made for yourself. And you might get to see what the world is like 70, 80, or even 90 years from now.

Will You Live to 100?

We're having a lovely, lazy week. We met Piper and gave her the Circle of Love quilt. Andi loved it and was so appreciative. Monday was guild night, and we had our annual Quilt Olympics. Every year we sew for a charity, and this year we made pillowcases for ConKerr Cancer. By the end of the night the guild had 116 pillowcases, and many more of us brought home kits to finish. Gracie had a great time sewing with Mom and me, another generation of fabric fondlers on the way!


Today DH took the kids out shopping, so I have some quiet time to blog and sew. I'm hoping to get the border blocks cut for Kaleidoscope Dreams, but it will require some concentration and functioning brain cells! I'd love to get it to the longarmer and back in time for our guild show in September.

I hope you can squeeze in some sewing time this weekend.