Are you interested in a UFO Challenge for 2015?

I'm coordinating a UFO Busting effort on my blog this year and thought it might be fun to have one just for CSQ members. Is anyone interested is doing that?

It would be a fun way to encourage each other to finish (or get rid of) some projects and clear a little space for even more new projects. I'm not proposing anything fancy just a little bookkeeping as we go through the year.

Here's how it would work. This week we all count up all of the projects we have in process. It could be quilting projects, embroidery projects, knitting projects......whatever you want to count. Post in the comment on this post how many you have. Each month I'll put up a post where you can identify how many you've completed and how many you started for that month. I'll keep a running tally and we'll see how we do at the end of the year.

For myself, I have 31 UFOs (all quilted items) as of today. I believe my oldest one is a Cathedral Window quilt from about 2000. I'd really love to get that one done this year.

How about you? How many projects do you have (and you can categorize them if you want) and what's the oldest one?

CSQ in the News

CSQ was front page news in the Herald-Progress newspaper this week. Karen was interviewed by news reporter, Paige Baxter and did a fine job representing Country School Quilters. Thanks again to EVERYONE who made quilts for our special project and a big thank you also to Susan and Cathy for delivering our quilts. Quilts for Veterans is an on-going project.

http://www.herald-progress.com/?p=19206

Block instructions from the December meeting

At the December meeting Karen started a new series for our meetings called Back to Basics. With each meeting she will go over some basic quilting skills and have a block pattern. If you missed the December meeting here are the instructions for the block to construct for January.

Veteran's Quilt Delivery

 

A car full of quilts!

Last Thursday Susan Ryan and Cathy Williams delivered about 40 veteran's quilts to the hemodialysis unit and the oncology floor at McGuire VA Medical Center. Most of the patients in these units are outpatient and come back on a regular schedule for treatment. Dialysis patients can come 2 - 3 times weekly for years. They handed out all of the quilts and the patients were very grateful and appreciative that we took the time to make something for them.

 

Cathy Williams with the cart of quilts ready to go!

Cathy and Susan said that the patients and nurses were grateful for the quilts and most said that they would bring them back every time they came for treatment.

Susan told me one particularly touching story. The chemo nurse asked for 2 quilts for patients that were to arrive after them left. She called Susan later to tell the story of one of them.

When this particular patient came in for treatment he was very depressed and sad. His wife was in tears. They had been for all of his appointments that morning and had been told nothing but bad news. The nurse gave him the quilt telling him a little about it and out group. As he was getting his treatment he was studying the quilt and reading the card and suddenly realized that it was hand made. He started crying and said he was so grateful that someone cared enough to make a quilt for him. It was the one thing that turned his day around.

It's stories like that that make it all worth while. I asked Susan about the make up of the patients and some indication of the  quilts that they liked best. She said that there were less than 5 female patients (as we expected) but that the guys did not shy away from floral fabrics. Many of the recipients were able to pick their quilts and several picked floral quilts. Every quilt, no matter the color or design went to a grateful recipient.

So let's get busy and make more quilts! I've started taking tops for quilting again. I will miss the January - March meetings but Becky has agreed to take tops for me and I'll pick them up from her.

 

Thank you to Susan and Cathy for delivering the quilts!

 

Vicki Welsh

Sewing Friday and Saturday

We had a nice group for Sewing this weekend. There's always room for more people though so please consider joining us at the next Sewing Friday and Saturday, January 9 & 10. It's a great opportunity to put some tables together to baste a quilt. You can come for an hour or for both days.  For inspiration here are some of the projects that we worked on this weekend.

 

Miriam A. is making a quilt with these red and cream Ohio Star blocks.

 

Becky B. put together tis top from blocks collected at the December meeting. This is going to be an awesome veteran's quilt.

 

Nancy P. is making this disappearing 9-patch for herself.

 

Julie is working on a wool applique quilt.

 

Estelle P. finished the 3rd (and last) veteran's quilt from donated blocks. She's officially over these blocks and was excited to start cutting fabrics for an apple core quilt made with homespun plaids.

 

Sandy A. made these blocks that will be used to make a Christmas table runner.

 

Carol C. started a quilt for her grandson. It's a flannel quilt that is constructed on the serger.

 

I've been making these blocks all year at Friday and Saturday sewing and I finally got the top together!

 

Mark your calendars for January 9 & 10 and join us at out usual meeting place!

CSQ helps WHEAT!

We love getting together for our annual Christmas pot luck and CSQ members once again showed that they never forget our community. We donated bags and bags of groceries for WHEAT.

 

Cathy Williams is our WHEAT coordinator and was thrilled to see the back of her van completely filled with donated food from CSQ members.

 

 

Thank you CSQ members for your continued support of WHEAT and many other community service projects!