Upcoming Quilting Event!

Let's hope the snow doesn't continue to cancel everyone's plans on the 12th of Feb!!

We are so excited for this stage of events. This will hopefully complete many of the quilts we've been working on and had to put aside for 'emergency' requests. Some have great stories in the piecing and the process of getting to the stages that they are.

I have one that I 'accidently' got to a top stage just last week (at home). I found a border that matches the one we all thought would be beautiful, but there wasn't enough for a wide border of it. Now it's complete!

This photo shows the inner narrow border (that's what we all wanted to be the outer wide border... but, alas, not enough. Now we've found a way to use it and a wonderful outer border to accent it.

This is the last one we had with no outer border discision. Found fabrics that were the same style as the sudoku blocks and it works!

So keep your fingers crossed that the weather holds out for us...pray, pray, pray.... See you there, I hope. All is welcome for any amount of your day.

Thanks be to...

Sometimes we get a thank you that is just so touching, ... so appreciative, that in sharing it on our blog, I hope it inspires those who donate to continue doing what they do. Not just the quilters in our group, but those who donate batting, money for supplies, threads, fabrics, time... You are so appreciated by me and I feel blessed we can do this.
Recently, we sent a quilt to a parishioner who's been dealing with cancer and having a rough time. Here is her letter to our group.

... Dear Nancy and ALL the Peace by Piece Quilters,
 I can't tell you how surprised and honored I was to receive the absolutely beautiful quilt you made for me. I was so touched by your kind thoughts and prayers for me it brought me to tears.
The work that each of you do, Piece by Piece, Stitch by Stitch, Hand in hand, is truly a beautiful calling.
Thank you from the bottom of the heart. I know I have been "touched by Angels"....

The card that this note came in was equally beautiful and I know that it was expecially chosen for it's words...

... Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained ANGELS. (Hebrews 13:2- NKJV)

Blessed are the angels who walk with us,

 Though we are unaware

Those people who take time to listen,

 To understand and care.

Blessed are those with unseen halos

 Earned through deeds of love,

For they will always be for us

 Sweet blessing from above....

This is why we do what we do.

Where do we Start?

Well, we didn't have too many people for our January meeting,... Muriel and me, Jane, Margaret, Marilyn and Pat (our ironer).

We did get a quilt sent home with Marilyn to finish quilting and she'll use the back to roll over and finish for binding. She got it finished by Tuesday night and dropped it off. Thanks Marilyn!!! You are amazing!

We sorted through the quilt tops that we need to finish and put a backing on the PS I love you (envelope quilt). That one was hard to find a backing that would look okay and not overpower it (believe me, you CAN overpower a quilt from the back), but still look like it actually 'went with' the quilt. We all seem to love this design, so we may make more of these. We'll tie it from the back (so the ties hang back there) and make it so the 'tacking' of the ties get put through the tip of the envelope to 'seal the flap'.

We also pieced a backing for the Green/raspberry HS quilt (cream center strips) that we thought matched just beautifully. We got it pinned together and put it aside for the Feb quilting event. I will probably get more batting for the event, but it was good to go over and organize them.

I will go over on Friday (my first day off for the slow season at work,) and check out what we need for embroidery thread colors. Make sure I have enough big-eyed needles for tying the quilts. We should be all set other than that.

Hopefully, it will feel like a quilt show when we get the quilts (made from this event in Feb) blessed in church.

December's meeting - Lots of quilts 'almost' done

 In our organizing session this month, we needed to all be aware of the recent requests we've gotten and to see where we are in finishing some to fill these.We have a little kids quilt, "Critters- Bugs in the Grass", that is ready to go to Eric. I have to write the letter that goes with it (actually done now), and deliver to his Aunt Lelia.

We also had a request for a parishioner (Betty B), from another member (SB), who is going through some very tough cancer treatments (and I believe, some trials-medically). We put together the "Blueberry" top previously, but sandwiched it and tied it at our meeting. All I need to do it do a slight wavy stitch through the border and bind it (will the back wrap around the front enough?... we'll see). I hope to get that done, at home, by Sunday. Then we can get it blessed with another one -"Dots". Hm... I haven't taken pictures of these yet. I guess I'll have to and post them later.

This is a panel that I added black strips to the top and bottom to lengthen. I figure we can use it for a top and stitch around the log cabin strips to make it look pieced. The ladies said we should use some border black fabric for the sides.... That can get done at my house this month.

 

We put this together at our summer block party event. At least we had the strips into columns. I finished it at home. Our thought was to put a 'tie' into the points of the envelopes. We'll put one with a real pocket in the envelope for a label on the back.

We did come across one that needed a 'fix' job. Does it look crooked? We 'rushed' to get the borders on at the last meeting after hastily cutting this off.... but never squared it up. Once I got it home and looked at it, it just didn't look right. So I measured it. Duh.... the right side was 61.", the middle was 62" and the left side was 62.5" long. Well, I guess this will be my project this month to remove the borders, even out the length and put the borders back on. 

This one was part of the many vertical lasagna quilts we made at the block party... Added a soft green and it will be done. Nice to have some 'guy' type quilts. 

Another lasagna quilt.... no borders yet. It's a little more yellow than it shows in this photo.

This was one I finished (probably wheelchair sized), that still may get a border.Probably black, but I'd like to have the 'points' stretch into the border. Believe it or not, this started out as lasagna strips, meant to go as a rail fence, then got 'adjusted', since the rail fences looked 'broken'. I call this one "Shattered Italian Tile".

Janet made this wonky Log cabin quilt... we'll put that in the 'tops' pile and work on that soon....

This lasagna quilt had the lime green border added by Marilyn. Stunning addition. Thanks Marilyn!

Another top pile...."Starlight Prisms"

Maryellen made this one, I believe....

 We even had time for a slight 'show and tell' from the members...

This beauty was made by Margaret for her husband. What a nice present.

Marilyn stretched these lovelies to make a larger quilt. Beautiful border!! Nice choice of fabrics, too.

Another Margaret quilt....using heartstring blocks, adjusted. I took a photo of the quilting that was done (by Laura McCarrick-great choice of threads, Laura!)

And last, Marilyn used a great focal fabric for this pattern... and doesn't like to have scraps left, so used up the rest of them to make the design for the back.

Great work ladies!!!!!

Progress at home

I've been progressing on one of the take home projects that we sometimes have. I took home all the leftover 3.5" strips of fabric that should have gone into another lasagna quilt. And, boy, were there a lot of them. But I'm doing something different with them. I started making a lasagna quilt until the layers got until 4 strips wide in the stripset.

 I cut the whole stripset into 12" square blocks, put two together, right sides together.  

I then, penciled a diagonal line on each one, and sewed 1/4" on each side of the line.

 

I then cut the line, opened up the blocks and voila!

 Put a few together and they look like Shattered Tiles. Not sure which design I like, but it works.

 

November means Business!

We had a great Nov mtg, not because we got to see what was accomplished, but we got to see how far we've come and what needs to be focused on. After a brief 'business' mtg, we made some decisions on who would be willing to write thank yous for all the donations we get, who would keep records of where our quilts go and made a decision that's been long in the making regarding tithing 10% of any monetary donations BACK to the church. We are blessed with their generosity to give us the space we have to work on these quilts and their support in our ministry. We even made a few decisions on our lasagna quilts that were done at our last quilting event in the summer.

We also got to do the fun stuff......Sorting through the projects we have in stages (many of them are almost done!), and deciding when and how to finish them. Two quilts were taken home, both to add borders on, then we can decide on the backings and add them to the "Tie one On!" pile. We hope to have another 6hr session in Feb on a Sat to tie all the quilts that are at that stage, then my mom will be inundated with bindings to do!! Go MOM! (She's 82 and sharp as a needle....lol).

I believe we counted 6-8 quilts to tie, so that will be great to finish them. We may at that point have a 'quilt show' of sorts to have them blessed before Easter.

Busy scedule causes cancellation

Due to my work schedule (October being the busiest month of the year), I had to cancel our October mtg.
We did however, get to have a quick Sept. mtg (I think having it on the day after Labor day Monday throws people off, so I'm not sure how to plan for that month anymore- only 4 people showed up).

We did get our Quilt of Valor quilt done...Here is my grandson, Malakai holding it up (kinda)... this is the front (heartstring)

and we used a panel that was bought at Marden's for the back, but since it wasn't wide enough, we split it in half lengthwise and added an strip down the middle (added the label on). We had to change plans for where it was originally intended, so it's available at the moment.

Our Summer Block Party 2010....

I never got the chance to post how our summer block party went this year.... It was HOT!!! and Wonderful, because we had some publicity in the local newspaper/online version, and some ladies from Wilimantic, CT came to join us. They seemed to have a great time, so I'm assuming it was a hit!

This was how the room was set up....

Here is the 'Post Office' where we are assembling our envelope blocks we started sooo long ago. They are the easiest block to make... figure out the size rectangle you want and using a paper template, figure out what size square to make for the 'flap', as you will cut a square in half diagonally and have two flaps. I put two different fabrics together, sew them around all four sides (right sides together), then cut in half diagonally, turn inside out, and you have two envelope flaps!

Here is the designer's house where we put together two child sized heartstring quilts with bright yellow centers.

 

Cricket (in red) is at the Italian Restaurant and Jane is working on the Chinese coin strips at the Bank of Beijing.

Margaret is working on the QAYG blocks at the Better Batting Mattress Co, (recycling plant).

 

Anna is getting needles threaded for tying the Yellow heartstring quilt. This one actually got finished to the point of sending home with my mom to finish hemming the binding.

Here is Muriel at the Emergency Medical Center, but she had no 'patients'... The quilt in front is at the Hog-Tied Deli, waiting to be tied.

Here is one of the new ladies that joined us, at the Strip club, cutting up strips of fabric for the Bank and the restaurant.

Here is the Founding Father's house where we cut up foundation blocks.

Nice design at the Post Office... sorting letters never got to be this much fun! 

One thing they all loved was the dessert! Sand cake!!. It's like dirt Cake, but you use pecan sandies, or sugar cookies to crush up for the top and you serve it in a pail vs. a long pan. It was delish!!

This is the lasagna quilt in progress.... all over the floor!

Marilyn was layering the lasagna and Anna (close) was sewing (sorting) coins for the cash drawer at the bank.

Lasagna quilt still getting layered.

This heartstring quilt was finished tying and the floral backing was to be wrapped around to the front for it's binding. This one had a home to be sent to as soon as it was done......All in all, the girls really did have a great time. I'm glad it's over though, because the day we did this was over 90 degrees!!! And the girls stayed to the end... thanks, ladies. We really did get so much done. Everyone agreed that we should do this (6 hr day) more often than once a year. Just not sure when we can get together. I'm planning the next one for early June.