Tuesday, July 30, 2013

"I Spy Quilt Blocks"

If any of you have "I Spy Quilt Blocks" that you have not turned in, I can still use them. I need 27 more to complete a lady veterans quilt. I already have 6 framed in yellow so if you are willing to make any additional, please use a different color to frame them.
Thank you and hope to see you at Friday/Saturday Sewing on August 9th & 10th or our regular meeting on August 13th. Carolyn Mills

Quilt Cruise info

There are 2 quilt cruises aboard Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Sea in March 2014.
 
SEW WHAT??? Cruise departs from Baltimore on March 18th for 10 days. Cruising to St. Thomas, St. Maartin, San Juan Puerto Rico and Haiti.
No instructors, no classes, no contests, just sewing WHATever you please. 
For more information contact: Christy Proost 779-3579 (home) or 314-4441 (cell).
 
Friendship Quilt Cruise departs on March 28th for 8 nights aboard ship, cruising to Port Canaveral, Nassau, Coco Cay and Key West. It includes quilting classes and instruction, precut projects kit and materials, prizes and giveaways.
For more information, e-mail Cyndi@MoonlightingQuilts.com or visit www.QuiltRetreatAtSea.com . 

 

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Arts and Old lace Exhibit info

Information from Carolyn Mills:

A group of the Piecemakers Quilters, that I (Carolyn Mills) meet with, at Lake Anna Rescue Squad went to the Quilt Show "Arts & Old Lace" in Orange.  We had a nice trip that included a book store stop as well as Yoder's Market followed by lunch and shopping in Madison at "That Little Quilt Shop".
 
You might be interested in the Queen Anne's Lace Art Quilt Workshop at The Art Center in Orange on August 19th 10am -1pm. Instructor:Shannon Shirley,  Registration Fee: $60, Supply Fee: $15 Additional Supply List available upon registration. For more information call The Art Center @ 540-672-7311 or Shannon Shirley @ 703-494-0082 or 571-331-1904.
 

Thursday, July 25, 2013

June Meeting Photos

I know it's a month late but I've finally remembered to post the photos from the June meeting. This is the meeting that was held at Sew Refreshing in Mechanicsville.



You can always find the CSQ meeting photos on our Flickr page.

VQM Volunteers Needed July 30 - August 4, 2013

I received the following email from Rob.  Maybe someone might be able to help the museum fill some of the vacant slots.

Elsa

First of all a message. We are no longer going to be using the yourvolunteers.com website for scheduling.  Very few people have been using it and it is confusing and not as user friendly as we had hoped.  The new VQM website should launch by the end of next week barring any further complications and the volunteer schedule will be included on the new website for all those who wish to use it.  I will still be making phone calls and sending email for all scheduling.  I will send out further info on the VQM volunteer page once it is completed and the new website is officially launched.
 
Now, on to next week’s schedule:
·         Tuesday
o   Paula Golden (all day)
o   Cathy Eckbreth (all day)
·         Wednesday
o   Morning
§  NEED VOLUNTEER
§  NEED VOLUNTEER
o   Afternoon
§  NEED VOLUNTEER
§  NEED VOLUNTEER
·         Thursday
o   Judy Randow (all day)
o   Janet Saulsbury (all day)
·         Friday
o   Morning
§  Lori Abbott-Herrick
§  NEED VOLUNTEER
o   Afternoon
§  Mary Carlton
§  Molly Toth
·         Saturday
o   Morning
§  Sarah Lobban
§  Ruth Ann Logue
o   Afternoon
§  Carol Rogers
§  NEED VOLUNTEER
 
If you are willing and able to volunteer for any of these shifts, or if you see you are scheduled to volunteer and you cannot, or it was a mistake please let me know as soon as possible by email at rob@vaquiltmuseum.org or calling me on my cell at (540) 810-1865.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

August Donation Block

We had a great response to the monthly donation block for last month. You can see them all in the Saturday and Sunday Sewing post. The block for the August meeting is just as simple.


This block comes from Karen A. and uses 30's repro fabrics. If you have a jelly roll of these fabrics then these blocks will take no time at all. I haven't used my 30's fabrics in a long time so it was fun to dig into the stash to make these. If you missed getting the instructions at the July meeting you can download them here.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Fabric Donation

by Becky

Susan, the owner of the Bernina store, The Bleu Crab Quilt Co., 3991 Deep Rock Rd., Richmond, VA 23233 gave us this bundle of fabric for making a quilt for a veteran. Georgie brought the fabric to our July meeting along with the background fabric that was a gift from her. Isn't this just the perfect fabric for a patriot quilt?

The fabric is:
Tribute by Pat Sloan for P&B with American Valor Fabrics,
Quilts of Valor Foundation
 
The wonderful assortment of fabric will make a very nice quilt using a star block with a coordinated-scrappy look. I'll try to get a sample made up and have the pattern and kits for our SEPTEMBER meeting. I was at the Bernina store today to get some fabric for our AUGUST blocks and thanked Susan again for giving the fabric to Georgie for our project.
 
I wanted everyone to see the fabric before it is all cut up into star kits.
 
Happy sewing!
 
 
 
 
 



Sunday, July 21, 2013

Mini Waste Basket

by Becky

I switched from powdered dishwashing detergent to the single packets. I'm happy using the packets because there is a noticeable difference in the shine of my glasses and they are more convenient to use. When I finished a container I didn't put it into my recycling bin; but instead, I put it in my sewing room by turning a perfectly good container into a little waste basket.

From this
 
To this:
 
It's about 7" tall and just a perfect size for sitting on the table next to the sewing machine or having at the ironing board for all those little strings and snippets that I always have.
 
It took no time at all to make. Here's what I did.
 
1. Remove the Cascade label from both sides. I did this with a hot hair dryer, just start at one corner and it peels away leaving a sticky surface.
 
2. Cut a piece of fabric slightly larger than the label and press it onto the sticky surface. I cut the fabric with my pinking rotary cutter, but that is not necessary.
 
3. Lift the edges and put a little glue under them.
 
4. Done!
 
I removed the hinged lid, but it could serve a good purpose, depending on what you keep in the container.
 
These clear containers would fit nicely on a shelf and be useful for storing things - with or without the lids. They are slightly rectangular so you could place them with the clear side facing out to better see the contents.
 
Place leave a comment with any other ideas.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 


Saturday, July 20, 2013

VQM Volunteers Needed July 23 - 27, 2013

I received this email from Rob, if you can help volunteer contact him at the email address or phone number listed below.

I will be going to the museum on Thursday, July 25th.  No volunteers are needed that day, but if you like to go and see the exhibits and explore Harrisonburg while I am working, just contact me at 804-883-6246 or send me an email.

Elsa

First of all, let me apologize for the late sending of this email. Here are the people I have down to volunteer this next week as well as the open shifts:
·         Tuesday
o   Morning
§  Carol Cunius
§  Need Volunteer
o   Afternoon
§  Beeper Coffman
§  Dianne Reasons
·         Wednesday
o   Morning
§  Donna Bensey
§  Need Volunteer
o   Afternoon
§  Celia Mitchell
§  Need Volunteer
·         Thursday
o   Charlottesville Quilt Guild
·         Friday
o   Shenandoah Needlework Guild
·         Saturday
o   Morning
§  Barbara Roadcap
§  Need Volunteer
o   Afternoon
§  Need Volunteer
§  Need Volunteer
If you are willing and able to cover any of these shifts or if you are scheduled to work and this is a mistake, please let me know as soon as possible by email or calling me on my cellphone at (540) 810-1865 or send an email to rob@vaquiltmuseum.org. You can also call the museum (540-383-6355)and leave a message for me if I’m not there.
Thanks!
Robb

Veteran's Mystery Quilt - Clue 3

Are you still with me? I know that Clue 2 was a bear but it will be worth it, I promise!

Now it’s time to use all of those HST blocks that you made in clue 2. But first we need to do a little cutting.

Cut 64 2.5” squares from Fabric 4

Here’s the block that we are making.

  
You can assemble it however you wish. You can assemble the 4 quadrants and then put them together in the block as a 4-patch. I assemble my block in rows and then sew the rows together onto a block.



Make 16 blocks. I pressed all of my seams open.



Here are the blocks for my 2 quilts.

Please share your blocks in our Flickr group:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/2170899@N25/

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Quilt Exhibit in Orange, VA

Carolyn Mills passed along this information about a quilt exhibit in Orange VA.

Arts and Old Lace
The Arts Center in Orange
July 11 - 27

Information from the web site:
What do you think of when you hear, “Arts Old Lace?” A classic movie?  Your favorite fabric or trim?  Recreating classic art with an unexpected textile?  Or creating modern art with a vintage feel?  Does lace conjure images of weddings, baptisms, lingerie, table linens?  Using Arts Old Lace as your inspiration, create an art quilt that expresses your point of view.  This is what Virginia art quilters Cyndi Souder and Judy Gula asked of the 80 quilters who participated in Arts & Old Lace: An Art Quilt Challenge.  What they got in return was an amazing collection of 86 quilts addressing such topics as ancestors, weddings, flowers, lacemaking, famous artwork, and puns.  The Arts & Old Lace exhibit presents 86 quilts by artists from 10 states, the UK, and Canada.  More about the challenge at:www.artsandoldlace.com
 My Mom and I got to see this exhibit in Lancaster. It was really interesting and worth an afternoon to go see it.
The Arts Center is about an hour drive from Montpelier. Directions are here.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Friday & Saturday Sewing


by Becky

Each month on the second Friday & Saturday we sew together. Nancy's t-shirt says it all:

 

Julie often spoils us with her baking and brought us “Monster” cookies. They are Chris’ favorite cookie and she brought them to us – how special is that?
 
 
Those who came to sew: Estelle, Betsy, Julie, Nancy, Carol and Becky. Others, stopped by to visit, including Carolyn, Mary, Karen, Vicki, Kitty and Betty. I hope I didn’t forget someone! Sewing and visiting is always fun. Mark your calendar for August 9-10 to sew or visit.

Now let’s see some quilts:
Carol made this beautiful double wedding ring for her granddaughter and just got it back from the long-arm quilter. The quilting is white thread on top, black thread on white back with perfect tension. This will be a cherished quilt.
 
Our June pattern was an "I Spy" block and Carolyn is piecing a quilt for a female Veteran.
Here are the top 5 rows:
 
 
Carolyn and Carol sorted blocks and Carol had enough blocks for two child size quilts that will be given to the "Safe House" in Ashland.
 
 
and with the remaining blocks made this cute little baby quilt
 
 
I got the binding and label sewn onto another quilt for a veteran.
 
 
This 9-patch set with an hour glass was our May pattern of the month. The theme was "Hot Summer Garden" and each and every block looks so good! I used all the 6" blocks to make this 48" x 66" - a veteran quilt with not one block too few or too many! Thanks, everyone. Notice our flannel design wall - it is in constant use while we are sewing - easy to put up, comes in various sizes and I would highly recommend it for anyone. When we are done, the whole thing fits in a small bag.  
 
 
Betsy and Nancy left their sewing machines at home and stitched on their paper foundation hexagons.
Nancy is using civil war era reproduction fabrics - I don't know what size papers she's using but they are small. - see needle for scale.
 
 
Betsy really stepped up to our fabric challenge by hand-piecing this quilt, which will also be in our September quilt show at The Montpelier Center for the Arts. In a few days she will have completed the lower corners and have it machine quilted. She chose the blue challenge fabrics and the red really makes it come alive.
 
 
 
Vicki came by to visit and drop off these two quilts (another pattern of the month). We had enough blocks for two veteran quilts and after they were pieced last month, Vicki took them home to put them on "Willie" her long-arm quilting machine.
One quilt has an all-over curvy design and the other one has straight lines.

 
For two days, Julie kept her foot to the pedal and by late Saturday afternoon her beautiful quilt top was finished. Julie chose the gold/green fabrics for her challenge and made it for a veteran.
This will also be in our September Quilt Show.
Here's her fabric palette showing all the fabrics she considered when planning her quilt.
 
Julie's finished quilt top:
and a close-up
 
I'm still a bit nervous about posting - but with time, it will get easier.
 
I encourage others to post - it will be a great way to have a Show & Tell, ask a question, etc.
 
Enjoy your sewing and please come sew with us next month.
 
 
 
 



Thursday, July 11, 2013

VQM Volunteers Needed July 16 - 20, 2013


Below is an email I received from Rob.  If you can volunteer at the museum, please contact him at rob@vaquiltmuseum.org or call the museum at 1-540-433-3818.

Also, I just realized that the museum will be CLOSED on the fifth Saturday in August!  No volunteers are needed!  However, we still need volunteers for November 30, 2013.

Elsa
 
Here are the volunteer shifts as I have them for next week:
 
·         Tuesday
 
o   Morning
 
§  Eloise Shull
§  Dorothy Peterson

o   Afternoon

§  Eloise Shull
§  NEED VOLUNTEER

·         Wednesday

o   Morning

§  Beeper Coffman
§  NEED VOLUNTEER

o   Afternoon
§  Susan Green
§  NEED VOLUNTEER

·         Thursday

o   Morning
§  Nita Lord
§  Polly Scott

o   Afternoon
§  Joan Leffel
§  Leslie Bulken

·         Friday

o   Morning

§  Lori Abbott-Herrick
§  NEED VOLUNTEER

o   Afternoon

§  NEED VOLUNTEER
§  NEED VOLUNTEER

·         Saturday

o   Morning

§  Maureen Minor
§  MJ Stephenson

o   Afternoon

§  Maureen Minor
§  MJ Stephenson
 
Please look over this schedule and let me know if you are willing and able to cover any of the open shifts.  Additionally, if you see you are scheduled and this is a mistake or you can’t make it, please let me know as soon as possible as well.

Friday, July 5, 2013

10 Questions - Betty Brabrand

This is the second installment of my series if interviews to help us get to know each other better. This month we are getting to know Betty Brabrand. Selecting Betty for July was not by accident as you will see in question #4. Quilt Bingo to benefit Relay for Life is July 12 at 7pm at the Montpelier Center.

Betty in her sewing room/sunroom. She has great lighting and a spectacular view.

1. If you live in Hanover (or the area), how many generations of your family have lived here and how did they come to settle here? If you moved here, where are you from and what brought you here?

My family has been here for four generations. I grew up here in Montpelier and I live next door to my childhood home.
 
 
2. When you were young what did you plan to be when you grew up and what happened with those plans?

After graduating from Longwood College, I taught Home Economics for 8 years. I taught in Powhatan County, where I met my husband, Andy(We celebrated our 44th anniversary this year.), and also in Henrico County. Later, I learned enough accounting to help with Andy's Tax and Accounting business.
 

3. What are your favorite things to do in the area?

Spending time with our 5 grandchildren is at the top of my list!
I enjoy going to Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens. It is a great place to take a relaxing walk. I also enjoy taking their classes in floral design.
 

4. What hobbies or activities do you do other than quilting? Where do you do them? How did you get involved with them?

For 13 years, Linda Mallory, my sister-in-law, and I have been co-captains of our Hopeful Church Relay for Life team. Our fundraising efforts benefit The American Cancer Society.Two of the five Bingo events at The Montpelier Center each year are fundraisers for Relay for Life. Quilt Bingo has been a great event, thanks to all the wonderful donations from our CSQ friends! The next Quilt Bingo is July 12, at 7pm at The Montpelier Center! The Longaberger Basket Bingo will be November 15.
I became involved because I am a breast cancer survivor and many friends and family members have had cancer. I hope we can help fund a cure!

Some of the great quilts that will be prizes for Quilt Bingo.

 
5. As a child what was your nickname and how did you get it? Do people still call you by that name?

My given name is Elizabeth May(from both grandmothers). As many children of the South, I grew up being called by both names Betty(nickname) and May(middle name). Lots of family and folks I grew up with still call me Betty May.

6. What saying best describes how you like to live your life?

What could be better than The Golden Rule? Do unto others as you would have them do unto you!

7. Show us a photo (or photos) of where you create.

I sew in our sunroom and store fabric and supplies in the basement.

8. Show us a photo of the quilt that’s on your bed right now.


This quilt is made from blocks in a "Second Sunday" series from Quilter's Corner.

9. What quilt is your least favorite quilt. Not necessarily the ugliest but the one that you liked the least or struggled with the most or just plain hated making. Why did you choose this one? Do you have a photo of it?

I don't have a least favorite...I think all quilts have merit!

10. What is your all time favorite quilt and why? Do you have a photo of it?



My favorite quilt was made by my paternal grandmother, Rosa. It is a utility "summer quilt"(no batting). I remember it being on the bed I slept in when I visited her home.

Thank you, Betty!

Thursday, July 4, 2013

VQM Needs Volunteers

I've received the following email from the museum.  If you can help volunteer, please contact Rob.  His contact information is at the end of the email.

Elsa

We have lots and lots of open shifts next week, so we need lots of help. Listed below is the schedule for next week as it stands with who I have listed to volunteer each day along with the spots we need help covering.
 
·         Tuesday 9th
o   Morning 10am-1pm
§  Marty Green
§  Jenny Miller
o   Afternoon 1pm-4pm
§  Marty Green
§  NEED VOLUNTEER
·         Wednesday 10th
o   Morning 10am-1pm
§  NEED VOLUNTEER
§  NEED VOLUNTEER
o   Afternoon 1pm-4pm
§  NEED VOLUNTEER
§  NEED VOLUNTEER
·         Thursday 11th
o   Morning 10am-1pm
§  NEED VOLUNTEER
§  NEED VOLUNTEER
o   Afternoon 1pm-4pm
§  Josephine Millett
§  Kathy Ackerson
·         Friday 12th
o   Morning 10am-1pm
§  NEED VOLUNTEER
§  NEED VOLUNTEER
o   Afternoon 1pm-4pm
§  Susan Green
§  NEED VOLUNTEER
·         Saturday 13th
o   Morning 10am-1pm
§  NEED VOLUNTEER
§  NEED VOLUNTEER
o   Afternoon 1pm-4pm
§  NEED VOLUNTEER
§  NEED VOLUNTEER
As you can see we have 14 empty volunteer shifts next week.  If you are willing and able to cover any of these shifts please respond to this email or give me a call at (540) 810-1865.  Also, if you see that I have you listed to volunteer and it is a mistake, let me know as well as soon as possible.
 
Thank you all very much!

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

July Meeting Reminder

The July meeting is our annual pot luck dinner and this year Carol Clark has graciously offered to host the meeting. She handed out directions at the June meeting. If you need directions please add a comment to this post and I (Vicki) will email the directions to you.

Carol has asked that I tell you that she will provide ice and drinks. Does anyone know if we have a supply of cups, paper products and utensils?