February Program: Exploring 9-Patch Designs

At our February 11 meeting we will explore 9-patch blocks. Old patterns are timeless and offer so many variations. Please help with the program by bringing quilts based on 9-patch blocks. 

Combining two 9-Patch blocks offers many possibilities. Here's an example: alternating these two blocks makes an interesting design. 

Remember to bring your 9-patch Swap Challenge Block, your regular Show & Tell and your 9-patch quilts.

Stay warm and let's hope for no more snow!

Our 2025 "rent" quilt

 When we moved to the Montpelier Center for our meetings, they offered us a very reasonable rent that included a nominal fee plus a raffle quilt ever year. Last year I was looking for a new project and feel in love with Elizabeth Hartman's Fab Farm quilt, but I didn't have anyone to make it for. Once we moved to MCAE I knew it would be perfect to be one of their raffle quilts.

I named it Hanover Country Life and it's about 75" x 77". I hope you like it!

If you want to see more photos, you can see them on my blog.

We are off to a good start with quilts for veterans this year.  

The snow and cold didn't keep us away from our sewing days Jan 15 and 16 where 10 quilts were collected. Vicki will add them to the quilts from late December and our first delivery in 2025 will be a good one! Thanks everyone - keep those quilt tops coming - size is 48" x 60" - we have volunteers who machine quilt them and return the quilt to the maker for the binding. 

I think this is the start of our 14th year of making quilts for veterans. Great work, everyone!

Sign-up with Montpelier Center

Each year we sign-up with the Montpelier Center for Arts & Education.  This is the link we used in 2024 and it should work for 2025.  Fingers crossed it works!

https://reg.learningstream.com/view/view_month.aspx?as=35...

BLOCK SWAP CHALLENGE

🎉🎉🎉HAPPY NEW YEAR🎉🎉🎉

The beginning of a new year is a great time to start a new group project. Let's make 9-patch blocks for quilts for veterans.

It will be a monthly BLOCK SWAP CHALLENGE.

Here's how it will work: 

Make TWO 9-patch blocks each month, you keep one and bring the other one to our meeting to be swapped with someone else's block. (We will draw numbers to make the swap.) The two blocks you make each month use the same fabrics.

GUIDELINES:

Cut 1 red 3-1/2" square (any red)

Cut 4 dark 3-1/2" squares (let's use green, blue and brown fabrics - NO black)

Cut 4 light 3-1/2" squares (light fabrics, but NO white)

Your finished block will measure 9-1/2"

It will be fun to have a good assortment of blocks, and at the end of the year we will each have our 12 blocks and 12 from the swap. With those blocks there are all sorts of ways of setting them together to make a quilt for a veteran. 

Make your blocks with several fabrics or limit it to just two. Examples, below.

                                                     Example 1                                                                      

                                                    Example 2

I hope we get good participation in this project - the more the merrier, right?  No need to sign-up, if you want to be part of this, just bring a 9-patch block to the monthly meeting to swap!

Throughout the year, let's all be on the lookout for interesting ways to use the blocks - there are many - and we will share them with others. 

Let's talk more about it at our January 14 meeting. 

And remember, if Hanover County Schools close, we do not have a meeting. 

January 2025 Luncheon

 Happy New Year, Quilting Friends!  May 2025 be wonderful for all of you. Our luncheon will be on Friday, January 24, at Kitchen 33 at 12:30. I plan on having pleasant sunny weather for a lunch with terrific friends!  So keep that thought in mind. But before we meet, please remember our meeting on Tuesday the 14th at 7:00 pm. Pokey will be collecting our $25 dues for the year. Then our Sewing Days are the 15th and 16th. Hope you are looking forward to these days as much as I am. See you soon!