Summer Picnic/Lawn Chair Party Reminders

Just a few reminders for our Saturday, March 2nd Summer Picnic which starts at 9:00am and goes to???
Please bring your ironing and cutting supplies.  Perhaps you can pair up with a friend on these items so you don't have to pack so much.  If we don't bring these items and you assume that you can use what someone else brings, we really get a big "traffic jam" going and it just slows down production....and we must not slow down production after all!  :o) 
Don't forget your potluck food.  Also, a Lawn Chair if you like?  Have fun, and be creative and get into the theme of the day....I know it's hard right now while we are still in the midst of winter, but think summer!  Fun days in the summer sun!  Boy doesn't that sound nice.
Also, if you haven't already, it might be nice to have your project cut out before you come for the day.  It would be nice to just be able to start sewing wouldn't it?  Perhaps you should bring along some extra fabric, just in case you make a sewing or cutting boo-boo.....
Looking forward to a fun day with my quilting friends, with some laughs, door prizes, great potluck, and a little summer fun!
Laurie

February Show and Tell

So many lovely quilts at Show and Tell at our February Meeting.  And a wonderful demo by Deb as well.  I hope you are all inspired by Deb's wonderful samples!  Just get right on that 5 Minute Block...it looks fast, fun and addictive.  It was so nice to see so many quilts come in and being donated to some of our various projects.

 

This 10 Minute Block quilt made by Joann will be given to a soldier.

 

 

Again, Joann will be donating this Mile A Minute quilt to a soldier.

 

Leah made this X Quilt which she is donating to the homeless of Oconto County.

 

Chris made this lovely Patriotic Quilt for a soldier as well.

 

 

Peg has made 2 quilts like this, using up some blue jean scraps.  She is giving them both to Oconto County homeless as well.  Deb also brought in 3 quilts for the homeless.   Such wonderful giving ladies! 

 

 

 

Chris shows a Stack and Wack in soft springtime colors.



Maggie has made a cheery crib quilt.

Janet brought in a very sweet bird house baby quilt.

A curvey table topper made by Chris.

Kathy shows a very cute wool Santa and Snowman. 

 

Laurie

 

Great Projects to Try

Sharon Holland Designs has a beautiful table runner made with the Orange Peel pattern.  I just love the look of this one, I can see it in all manner of fabric from Christmas to fall to 30's, etc.
She has many lovely free patterns.  The Birdie Pincushion is so sweet.  I liked the H-Block Baby quilt too.  She also has a Peppermint Twist runner, quilts of many sizes and smaller projects.  Sharon also sells patterns on Craftsy.
Sharon had a quilt featured in a magazine called Quilt-It Today.  They offer some projects for us too. This magazine costs $3.99 per issue.  This is pretty crazy after paying over $7 for most magazines anymore.  That seems a small price to check them out.
I really liked this scrappy block at the Blueberry Patch; it's called Crossed Strings Block.  She has an interesting blog with many projects going on.
Sewn into the Fabric...Pieces of our Lives, long title with great projects.  I think her website is really nice, I loved the revolving slideshow of her projects, they look really unusual and nice.  Her free projects are here.  Love the Independence Square block, also the Union Jack block for our UK friends. Take a look at her Autumn Bounty BOM, very nice.
Stay warm, maybe spring will come someday...Diana.

Quilts

Here are a few new ideas for quilting projects.  Christa Quilts has a nice quilt-a-long for a quilt called Sea of Squares.  She starts at the very beginning with a supply list to the quilting process at the end.  She uses her home machine to quilt and it looks like a very thorough set of instructions for this quilt.

Fresh Lemons has a nice and simple quilt called the Belle Wave Quilt.  She has many other quilts to try and also sells some terrific looking patterns.  I think I've mentioned her before but it was a long time ago, it's nice to visit good places again!

Strawberry Fields Forever

Happy Valentine's Day!  Hearts are all over today and isn't it an interesting shape?  I hope you get to play a bit with your sewing (it would do your heart good) and use the heart shape in something.  I think I'd like to try that heart shaped wristlet that was in a previous entry.

Spring fever has hit me bad and I've been buying strawberries and dreaming of those wonderful June berries that are so smushy and juicy, not those hard nuggets in the store at this time but a little sugar helps most things.  I saw this shopping bag and it was just the most clever.  It starts out as a bag and pulls itself into a little strawberry shape!  It ends up being very tiny, just the right size for a purse.  This Craft Passion website has a lot of projects and you might end up spending much time there. Here is a whole bunch of Valentine projects from Craft Passion.  If you go down the page a bit, they have a link to each of the twenty projects, pillows to cute little girl twirly skirts..  Have a good one.   Diana

Spread the Love

You still have time to sew up some "hearty" items before Valentine's Day.  Sew Mama Sew had a great tutorial on a heart wristlet.  Very sweet indeed.  What a great way to use up some of those small pieces that we just can't throw away.
This is not heart related but I love it.  Nana Company has some great little tutorials, this needlebook is really nice, and fast, that's important sometimes. This Sweet Dreams pillowcase is inspiring .  She also has some other nice patterns that you should take a look at.
Take a look at this Dresden.  The Tilted Quilt has a daring take on this block, love her choice of fabrics.
Diana

Weekend Fun

I thought these pillows were just the cutest and they look so much fun to sew.  Between the Lines has some other great ideas if you check out tutorials, I love her recycled jeans bags too.

Circles are a wonderful thing and this quilt from Make It a Wonderful Life fulfills the need to make circles.  The colors are so pretty and everybody has an old cd to use as a pattern.

This is a pattern for a Bento Box from The Craft Mummy.  Now I might not use it for lunch but wouldn't this be cute for other projects to carry about?

JMD Designs has a simple but very graphic quilt to try.  I also love, love, love her Gathered Valentine Bowls! Wouldn't these be nice to put jewelry in, sewing projects, etc.

Have a great weekend and take some time to make something fun, especially with Valentine's Day coming upon us. Diana

Some Lovely Ideas

Bijour Lovely Designs has just the cutest sewing partner, you can see his cute little face with her sewing machine.  I was also admiring her collection of X Blocks and she has some nice tutorials like the Kaleidoscope quilt and the Bejeweled Block and much more.

Fiberofallsorts is a member of the Daisy Jane Bee Block blog hop and has a block tutorial for that.

The Dining Room Empire is also participating in the Bee Block Blog Hop and has a block.  I also loved her tutorial on ChopSticks on the sidebar.

If you like selveges, you'll have fun looking at Around The Block Designs projects with them.  Very cute

Will the cold weather never leave?  I was told it's supposed to get warmer after today.  Stay warm and keep stitching.  Diana

The "X" Quilt Demo

Here are a few pictures of my demonstration on the "X" Quilt this past Monday.  If you plan to do this quilt, perhaps the pictures will help you out.  I also found a free pattern at McCall's Quilting called Scrappity-do-dah, which is very similar to the quilt I demonstrated.  Check it out, as they offer instructions and fabric requirements for a 63" x 81" quilt.  While you are at McCall's Quilting site, look under "Bonuses" on the top bar, and you will see the tons of free patterns they offer.  So many wonderful quilts!

This quilt was made from an assortment of fat quarters.

                                    

 

Diana made this scrappy one by using up some of her stash and making squares.

 

Squares...cut diagonally...strip piece together....

 

If colors are planned, you can play with the layout of the blocks.  Many of the Log Cabin type layouts will work.

 

This one is like the "Streak of Lightening".  This one will be given as a soldier quilt.

 

These two table runners are made from charm pack sized squares.

 



 

And a little Valentine candle mat made from four blocks.

Hope you were all inspired by the demonstration to give this fast, fun, easy quilt a try!

Laurie