7/9/16 - NT @ Margaret's

Welcome to the Dog Days of Summer meeting of the Nimble Thimbles Quilt Bee!!  This month we were at Margaret's house (since her February meeting was canceled due to a Winter Weather Event.)  Thank you for having us, Margaret!  There were 11 members present (and we were certainly glad to be there once dessert time rolled around!!)

OLD BUSINESS:

There was some discussion regarding next month's Sew Day at the SECU Family House.  As long as Candy can switch it back, the meeting will be held on Saturday, August 20th at 10 AM.  (Now confirmed for this date, but we will be in the upstairs conference room.  It's a newly renovated space with no tables for us to move.)

NOTE:  Just make sure you DO NOT drive through the campus of UNC as that is Move-In Day!!!

NEW BUSINESS:

September and October meetings were also booked:

9/17/16 - NT @ Jean's
10/15/16 - NT @ Ella's

SHOW AND TELL:

LINDA had a TELL.  She should be closing on her house on 7/20/16.  (Good luck, Linda and let us know if you need help!!)

CANDY had no show or tell, as she just returned from a two week vacation to Europe.


ELLA used a tutorial from The Missouri Star Quilt Company by The Crafty Gemini to make a new bag.  The stabilizer used was Bosal Plus, a double-sided foam fusible.

Here's one side...

... And the other...

... As well as a better shot of the quilting:

CHERYL K. made a new bag, too.  Her foam was bonded only on one side.

A close shot of the bag:

Cheryl K. lamenting over the fusible product she used:

Here's a close-up of the quilting on the front pocket...

... And on the bag.  ALL done with her walking foot:

She also brought her Bird Quilt for ideas for quilting:

Cheryl B. suggested pairing a cotton batt with a light poly on top for trapunto work like she did on this quilt of Margaret's:

DEE DEE has been in a slump.  Jean gave her a kick in the pants when she loaned her a new book.  Dee Dee carved a large seed pod and stamped a practice piece which has been bordered and is ready for quilting.

She also revisited her Dendritic Print.  It spoke to her and we may be seeing a finished piece next month.

MARGARET showed a Donation Quilt, 3 Bead Bags (which she handed over to Jean, the Outreach Chair for DOQ), and the newest blocks done for her Reach for the Stars QAL (QNM issue Dec/Jan 2014.)  Jean had an idea of how to fix the large center square and it doesn't involve un-sewing the block!  Later she showed a Shortcut Binding Tool, along with the quilts made using it.

JEAN shared a new book and inktense on Prepared for Dyeing (PFD) fabric.  She will be doing a demo at the end of the meeting.

BRITT has been busy with Dorm Quilt #2.  She made samples using Mod Podge on the back of fabric for applique.  The product for fabric (applied to the BACK of the fabric) makes it stick, but it's repositionable.  She washed and dried the samples to see how the various techniques would perform. The product produces a fabric that can be appliqued with a "raw edge" with VERY LITTLE fraying.

She also pulled out some Ricky Tims stabilizer to test:

Britt is almost finished with Dorm Quilt #1.  This was a modified Bonnie Hunter Grand Illusions Mystery Quilt that she revamped. It's all quilted and ready for binding.

Here is a closer look at the quilting in the wide border:

This shot shows the back of the quilt.  It's meant to be reversible:

CHERYL B. had a TELL.  She just came from a Spoonflower tour with the Carolina Longarm Association.  She brought 2 quilts that she quilted for Carol and a panel that she quilted for her good friend Sandra.

Dee Dee asked that she tell Sandra that we wish she would come back to quilting.  We miss her!!

From the FRONT...

... And from the back:

JOY brought her Calico Rick Rack for those who haven't seen it. She wanted to get some additional suggestions for quilting the inner border.

Jean and Cheryl B. drew out some patterns for her:

CAROL then showed the quilts that Cheryl B. quilted for her.  The first was a Coin Quilt for her grandson's caregiver:

The second was a Modified Coin Quilt for her chauffeur (the friend who drove her back and forth to work during the time that she was recuperating from ankle surgery and could drive herself.)

With Show and Tell done...

Jean brought out her inks...  Thank you, Jean, for bringing your brushes and inks to share the process with us!!

... And demonstrated the technique on a scrap of Margaret's fabric:

Jean also brought a sample from home to work on, based on a Whole Cloth Quilt that Cheryl B. brought to DOQ last month, stating that she wanted her grandchildren to paint on it:

 She had a bit of "audience participation" by having Ella draw a multi-colored bird with the pencils to show how those work:

HERE, Jean is revisiting Margaret's scrap with a different color:

LUNCH WAS SERVED...

Thank you to everyone who brought treats to share.  As usual, we enjoyed an absolute feast.  If you weren't with us, you missed out on the MOST AMAZING blueberry pie EVER!!!  Jean used a pre-baked store-bought crust and followed a recipe from her old Fanny Farmer Cookbook.  YUM!!!

Then DISCUSSIONS REGARDING TOOLS AND BINDING...

The meeting finally began to break up somewhere around 1 PM. We all had a lovely day.  Thanks again, Margaret.

Until next time...

Quilt til you wilt!!!

7/7/16 - CCLQ @ Dee Dee's Again!!

Editor: Welcome to this week's meeting of the Cherry Creek Lane Quilters!!

You: WAIT!!  Wasn't LAST week's meeting there, too?!?!

Editor:  That's right.  Per Dee Dee, sometimes the schedule just works out that way!

Thanks for hosting the six members who were able to attend this week's meeting, Dee Dee.  Your new French Press makes FABULOUS coffee (and from what I heard, the fresh fruit was delicious, too!!)

We had a quick Show and Tell, before Joy had to race out to another engagement...

Linda and Jean:

Dee Dee and Candy:

Joy and her nearly completed Calico Rick Rack Quilt:

CCLQers had not seen this one quilted, if at all:

Joy explained how the quilt was constructed:

Candy took a closer look. The shot doesn't look staged, does it?

Jean prepared to get to work:

Dee Dee had a few words to say about how far Cheryl K. has come as a quilter.  She then showed another Bird Quilt that Cheryl might like to draft up and make:

 Oops!!  I managed to miss getting a shot of the quilt.  Looked at it with my eyes, but totally forgot the camera.  Sorry about that!!

Dee Dee was inspired by Jean's quilting advice last week:

HERE is the front of her practice piece...

... And THIS is the back of the same piece:

Cheryl K. was also inspired to practice.  FRONT:

She feels like she needs MORE practice!  BACK:

Dee Dee made an adorable Hexi Pin Cushion:

Candy's SHOW was an article about the chef at The Table:

Cheryl K. has made a 2nd set of purple hearts for our Pulse Quilt:

Jean got a new book:

One lone Impatien plant seeded itself in the walking path:

Show and Tell was followed by more conversation (and a little bit of work) until the lunch alarm went off, signalling that fun time was over.

Three members dined at Saratoga Grill, while one went off to do untold errands and another went home to recover from spilled coffee and other such maladies.

Hope YOU can join us next week!!

6/30/16 CCLQ @ DeeDee's

Welcome to the weekly meeting of the Cherry Creek Lane Quilters at Dee Dee's home.  We were all inspired by Dee Dee's lovely garden...complete with an "outdoor sewing machine!" DeeDee has a new French press for coffee and used it to make coffee for the group!

Here's a preview of some of the heart blocks for the Orlando Pulse donation quilt.

Last week DeeDee showed her version of this "Lilies for Connie" quilt.

DeeDee loaned this Christmas tree in a truck pattern to Jean.  It's that time of year to start working on those quilted Christmas gifts...unless you're a "goddess of the last minute!"

Jean ordered this book with DeeDee in mind and she was oh so excited to see it!  Several folks in the group might want to borrow or order their own copy!  http://www.janedunnewold.com/ast/

 Cheryl showed this beautiful bird quilt top which is ready to be quilted.  Several quilting ideas were shared. Cheryl's tell is that she and Stephen are going to Italy in the fall.

Jean was working on a surprise birthday gift. Jean has been playing golf with Rick who is now feeling better.  Jean expressed some frustration with free motion quilting. The experienced free motion quilters in the group assured her that she just needs more practice to develop that muscle memory! 

Ruth B finally quilted a UFO, a stylized American flag.  She is putting on the binding in time to have it to celebrate the Fourth of July.

Ruth also finished her five heart blocks for the Orlando quilt project.

Ella and Barry took an excursion to some quilt shops and brought back bookmarks for all.  The bookmarks tell of an upcoming Triangle/Triad shop hop in the fall.  Could this be another road trip?

Joanna collected several colors of heart blocks today and also was deconstructing some trim so it could be sewn into the seam of a garment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Linda shared that she will be moving into her new home soon!   Deborah shared that today is her 32nd wedding anniversary.  Next week Eddie is going to jazz camp, so Deborah plans to do some quilting/sewing and visiting her grandson.  Deborah brought fabric to cut out the heart blocks, but did not get a picture of that!  A big thank you to Ruth for taking notes today!

The group went to lunch at Hillsborough BBQ.  http://hillsboroughbbq.com/.  Britt joined the group for lunch. 

Till next week,  "Don't worry, be scrappy!"

6/28/16 - NT Nights @ H-boro Library

Welcome to the June meeting of the Nimble Thimbles Night group!!  We had only a few members show up for tonight's meeting.  It's summer, so that is to be expected.  The four of us in attendance enjoyed a lovely evening together.

Margaret worked on her hand pieced block from Symposium:

Joy brought her newest (nearly finished) quilt:

Maybe you can see some of the quilting in THIS shot:

Margaret showed off the center of her newest QAL:

Britt brought a stack of papers...

... And her (revamped) Grand Illusions (Bonnie Hunter) 2014 Mystery:

Let's check out the flip side...

... To see what's on the back.  Hey!!  It's completely reversible:

Victoria brought her light box to work on some applique blocks for a family wedding:

Britt was busy taping those pages that I showed earlier.  What IS that??

HERE is what she came up with.  It's going to make a STUNNING quilt:

Kirsten broke her pattern and forgot about the meeting until it was too late to get there.  :o((

However, she stopped by Joy's later to drop off some SCRAPS of the background of Joy's Tiny Nines.  Apparently, Kirsten has NO IDEA what a scrap is!!  Joy is absolutely dizzy thinking of just how many one-inch squares she can cut from this shared piece of fabric.  Thank you, Kirsten!!

Until next time...
Summer's here, so quilt til you wilt!!!