The Workings of the NT Day Group (CCLQ)

This post is about the NT Day Group (NT2) which changed its name a little over a year ago to the Cherry Creek Lane Quilters (CCLQ) to pay tribute to one of their members who has gone on to that great quilt shop in the sky.  The name change attests to the impact Carol B. had on the group while she was in attendance.

I started the original group about seven years ago as a way to get more time with quilting friends on a weekly basis.  The group has continued to meet weekly (missing weeks for vacations and holidays) all this time.  I have floated in and out of the group as my work schedule allows.  Currently, I attend more times than I miss.  Not the case for the last couple of years (or more!), but I'm happy to be back at this time.

This past week's meeting was at Ella's house.  I asked if the members would mind if I took some pictures to add to our blog.  Obviously, they didn't mind, so I set out to take a different kind of photograph for this post.

And I give you the work of our hands:

Candy was working on binding ANOTHER donation quilt.

Gayle was working on an applique project.

Deborah was quilting a quilt that her grandmother hand pieced.

Dee Dee was cutting out applique pieces for a Christmas wall hanging.

Linda was going through magazines to organize "idea binders."

Ruth was applying binding to her (now sleeved) batik jacket.

Joy was cutting scraps into various sizes to store for future projects.

 Sorry, Ella!  You must have been too busy running around making coffee for me to catch a shot of your hands working.  I'll show the collection of fabrics that your hands gathered from your stash instead:

For the Christmas quilt that Ella's son-in-law said that she needed to make for the living room.

That's OK, I missed Joanna's busy hands, as well.  Here's what they have been working on:

Joanna was trying to decide on a border fabric sequence.

One more action shot to share:

Deborah showing off the Snail's Trail block that will be added to a comfort quilt for a friend.

The following little saying was on the cutting table.  After reading it, I thought I would "bust a gut" laughing.  :o))

She who dies with the most fabric isn't sewing fast enough!

Until next time...
Happy Quilting!
Joy

NOTE:    I enjoyed putting this post together.  However, please don't expect weekly updates (unless someone else contributes the post) or you will be sorely disappointed.  As I mentioned before, I'm not always in attendance.

10/11/14 - NT Update

Time for another wonderful Nimble Thimbles meeting recap.

We began Saturday's Sew Day at Palmer's Grove Community Center.  Thanks to Helena for making the arrangements.  Things looked promising with a room large enough to accommodate our group and plenty of windows to let in light (if there had been very much). Unfortunately there was no way to know that there was also a strong musty smell which made it a no go for a number of members with allergies/sensitivities.

Fortunately it was a nice day so we made the best of the situation by taking the meeting out of doors. Everyone enjoyed Show and Tell out on the lawn before heading over to Britt's house for the rest of our Sew Day.  We were quite a sight with a LONG line of cars filing onto Britt's tiny street and up her driveway!

Thank you to everyone who brought treats to share (and who whipped Britt's kitchen into shape in the blink of an eye).  The 11 members present enjoyed quite a feast!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

10/28 - NT Evening at Hillsborough Library, 6 pm.

11/15 - NT @ C. Breeze Quilt Studio, 10 am (tent.)

12/13 - NT @ Carol's Christmas House, 10 am (tent.)

SHOW AND TELL:

Dee Dee shared her rendition of the Field Greens pattern at Margaret's house and followed up with more info on the pattern.   Thanks, Dee Dee!

Ella shared her new Autumn Leaf Runner. She was working on finishing the binding.  It's perfect for the season!

She also gave a second showing of her Purple and Green couching project. Her daughter fell in love with it, so Ella is adding hanging tabs so it can be proudly displayed in her daughter's home.

Jean is knitting again!  She showed a scarf knit with square needles that don't hurt her hands. (Yay)  She found them while on a trip to Keepsake Quilting.  Jean also shared Triptych No More!, her most recent "kitchen wall quilt" made with dimples fabrics and batiks. This one posed a few design challenges along the way - clearly she conquered them. Wonderful!

Helena's tell was..."I'm here!"  :o))  Not only that, but she went above and beyond thinking of all that we might need at the sewing space.

Margaret passed around a $5 book that she got from the Missouri Star Quilt Company blog.  (Isn't that a great deal??)  She plans to make the Disappearing Hourglass quilt. 

Gayle let us know that the Hillsborough Senior Center Quilt Show will be hanging from the end of October through the end of the year.  And she shared her Kitty Quilt lap quilt she's hoping to sell to raise funds for the Sr. Quilting program.

She was working on the binding of Zack's Quilt.  It's done in blues using the Arkansas Crossroads pattern. It's a quick and easy pattern that looks more complex than it is. Zack's a pretty lucky guy!

Gayle also mentioned she found a bundle of wool fabrics purchased at the 2012 Sewing Expo and has begun a Mystery (to us) project.  We'll be looking forward to seeing what she's up to with that one! For now she's not letting us know her plans.  :)

Candy showed off her Blue Dot Donation quilt and proudly announced that the last of her polka dot donation fabrics are out of her life forever.  (Thanks to Cheryl K. and Joy for taking those off her hands!). Apparently you CAN have too much of a good thing when it comes to dot fabric.  Isn't Candy's pattern cool? She modified a design to suit her fabrics.  Very nice!

Ruth didn't meet her deadline from last month for her beautiful batik jacket, but she has made progress and revised her goal.  The sleeves are lined with a silky lining fabric and have been sewn into tubes.  They are ready to be set in.  Today she is working on covering the side seams.  She's REALLY close to having it ready to wear on her upcoming Houston trip.  Go, Ruth, go!!!  We're hoping for a big reveal next meeting!

Britt shared her latest completed quilt top.  It's a beauty done in teal and turquoise batiks.

Joy brought fabrics for the 2014 Bonnie Hunter Mystery quilt, Grand Illusion (more info can be found at quiltville.blogspot.com).  The title drew her in.  Doesn't it sound interesting?  Bonnie's version is done in grass green, light turquoise, and pink.  It will have bits of black and a neutral background.  Joy didn't have enough light turquoise in her stash so she's opting for Porch Ceiling Blue instead.  She is also opting for purples instead of pink, as she just wasn't in a pink mood when choosing her fabrics.  It should work...

Off to Britt's for lunch and sewing...

Linda met us a Britt's house with TWO completed quilts to share!!!  Walkabout Shadows made with her collection of aboriginal fabrics was done in the Shadow Box pattern.  This will be her "winter" quilt.

Then she showed us Autumn's Regret done in brights with a black background.  Congrats, Linda!!!

Until next time...
Happy Quilting!!!

A New/Old Quilt Project

Deborah is sharing this "new/old" quilt project she's working on.

The story behind this quilt is it's a Rainbow Texas Star hand pieced by her maternal grandmother.  Nannie, as she was called, made countless quilts…she often gave them away to a friend if they fussed over the beauty of her quilts. 

Deborah asked her to make this quilt after seeing a similar Texas Star Quilt used as a table cloth in a Gourmet magazine.  She said she’d make it…if I would cut out all those “damn” diamonds…she did not enjoy cutting…and of course this was before rotary cutters. So, I happily cut the diamonds. 

She found or created the pattern. As Deborah recalls, Nannie made this quilt top in the early 1980’s and Deborah started hand quilting it in the mid- 90’s. She has about a third of it quilted…there are 160 diamonds left to quilt…then the background…  She's hoping “hand quilting” will still be a category in the next quilt show.  ;)

What an awesome quilt - it will be a wonderful feeling to snuggle up in a quilt made with your Nannie. 


Oh and while we are talking beauties...I've got another one for you. But this one is NOT a quilt. Still I think you will like her.  This year was a big birthday for me (and for a lot of our NT members!) and boy have I been spoiled. But this present is always going to have a very very special place in my home.  It's from my Mom - not from her house but found and brought home as a gift from her.  I loooove it.

Isn't she terrific?:
  

This is my 1922 Damascus Grand treadle machine!  Top of the line Montgomery Ward's machine back in 1922 - I believe it cost 20 dollars which was probably something like two months salary back then.  Someone took very good care of her.

She has a beautiful cabinet too.

I've been working on getting her cleaned up and running - she sews a wonderful stitch and seems to be ready for another 90 some years of sewing. I couldn't be more thrilled!  Funny thing is she looks very familiar to my mom - apparently her grandmother's treadle machine was very similar.  Must have been meant to be, because I had my heart set on a Singer treadle until I saw this one.

But a word of warning...vintage machines are addicting!  I may or may not be picking up another machine this weekend.  Could be a Singer....someone's got to save these beauties. Right?