Block of the Month

In our little town, a group of women meet monthly at the Grange Hall to quilt. We are a very giving group and always have a charity quilt project going on.

It was decided that it would be fun to participate in a 'block of the month' project. So, each month my friend, Karleen, and I would distribute a pattern for that month. Participants would return home and go through their fabrics, creating a block in that month's design. It was always fun to see the blocks that were completed when they were returned to our next sewing session.

At the end of the year we had enough sets for about twelve quilts. There were even enough spare blocks from February and April for us to make a heart and tulip quilt of only those blocks.

Volunteers took the quilts home to quilt them on their long-arm machines. Others volunteered to stitch on binding. As time went by we had them all done and ready for distribution.

We were so pleased with the results, we decided a photo session would be fun so we would have a memory of the quilts that we had made.

Fun was had by all!

And we all learned that it is more blessed to give than to receive.

With this project done, we are now working on completing a stack of batik charity quilts that are in progress.

Quilt on!

Quilting in October

The local ladies of the quilt guild have been busy! It's been six weeks since there was a group sewing day, so the "show & tell" was filled with many projects for the October meeting.

Chris shared instructions for making pumpkin decor for the holidays. Super simple and super cute! All you do is wrap a roll of paper towel or toilet paper in pretty, seasonal fabric. Tuck into the top of the roll. Then, add a stick and some silk leaves. Wah-la. A pretty and colorful centerpiece or vignette piece is the result.

Of course there was a lot of talking as friends caught up with one another.

Our "block of the month" charity quilts are all done now. As a group we made more than a dozen of them. Each is quilted and bound now and ready to give away. This was an amazing group project!

There were many seasonal quilts shared at the October "show & tell". Chris shared her Halloween quilt. She is an gifted quilter!

Judy showed us her Halloween table runner. She is our "paper piecing" expert, and this runner did not disappoint! She gives each project she completes such fine attention to detail.

Louise shops at Tuesday Morning shop for fat quarters and jelly rolls at discounted prices. She shared two table runners she made using Halloween themed fabrics.

And Roxy showed us her current project; a hand-quilted table runner. She used silk leaves from the Dollar Store for the center of the runner. She said to remove the plastic "veins" so just the silk leaf remains. Then applique onto the fabric. Oh, so very pretty! And what a great idea!

Lee made several pretty quilts using panels as the focal point. Toni machine quilted them and the result was "wow"!

Froggy shared the rag quilt she made for her new grandson. Cheerful!

Judy showed us her Seahawks quilt! Timely!

And Chris shared her amazing "basket quilt". So many tiny triangles all stitched together!

Friendship. Sharing. Sewing. Lunch. Community. It's amazing what can result when those who love quilts are bound together by common purpose.