Sunbonnet Sue goes upta camp!

 

Cooling off at Donna M's camp with our sunbonnets on and ready for a dip in the lake (or not)! We have been lucky to have Donna host our summer get togethers for several years. We are at a beautiful lake surrounded by hills and lakes. With temps in the mid-90s for several weeks now, it was so good to visit with friends, share delicious food and get caught up with all the latest doings. In no time at all it will be Maine Quilts and then we will be looking forward to our first meeting in September, but let's enjoy the summer for now. Who are these characters, you ask? Front row L to R Betsy and Beth. Back row Ann W., Meliss, Andrea, and Donna W. 

Sharon R. shows us her "Summer" banner while Judy L. looks on. The banner was part of a challenge many of us participated in a few years ago. The challenge was to portray one of the four seasons in a banner. Sure looks like Summer to me! 

Ann W. finished a quilt top donated to Tacoma. A lovely little quilt that is going to charity. Those greens really match the surroundings, don't they? The pattern is a traditional rail fence. 

Ann W. with Donna M. looking on. Ann made a Mariner's Compass for the Maine Quilt Show 2024. She is going to add a border to make it meet the size requirements for this challenge. Looks so beautiful right now and I know she will come up with a super border, too. The pattern is Scrap Happy Mariner's Compass by Kathy Beeson. This is a 64 point, 24 inch Mariner's Compass. Perfection!

Donna M. has good reason to smile with this modern quilt top. The pattern is Pick Up Sticks by Wendy Shepard. The pretty teal fabric is called Island Breeze which Donna showed us previously in a Coconut Chip quilt. 

Leanne is entering her Mariner's Compass in the Maine Quilts show this year, too. Leanne did not paper piece this one, amazing! . Anne T. looks on. Such a pretty quilt. 

Leanne's next quilt top comes from an "Upta Camp" challenge that she participated in. Different people gave Leanne these blocks. Lots of variations on the images. The blues and greens are set off nicely with the red sashing. Leanne did a good job accommodating all the different size blocks, always a challenge with multiple people sewing blocks. 

Until next time, keep those sewing machines in good working order for the coming fall and winter seasons. "My machine is in the shop" is a great excuse to lounge around and read a book or snooze!

June Finale!

At our last June meeting we had a good showing of our charity quilts for "Bridges to Blessings". The following photos are some of the many quilts our members made for this worthy charity. We used the pattern "The Lady" by Villa Rosa Designs. I've grouped these quilts together and the maker's name is below these photos.

Kat

Meliss finished quilting this quilt top that she inherited and is now giving it to charity. The pattern is from Elisa's Backporch 

Sharon W

Anne

Sue K

Sandy H

Donna W

Leanne T

Elly

Elly

Judy R

Andrea holding Meliss's quilt.

Judy L

.

Kathy B..who said her colors make this the Dunkin' Donuts version

Barbara Anderson gave a short talk about the charity and received our donations.

Sue R made "Cabana" using a jolly bar.

Carol was given this quilt top and finished it herself. 

Jean showed us her quilt from "3 Yard Quilts". 

Susan made this vibrant quilt using Moda's "Half Step" pattern for her niece. 

Diane showed us a quilt made by a friend. Rail Fence in bold colors. 

Susan H made a  lovely bright blue quilt for charity, too. 

Sue H showed us this very pretty quilt called "Kissy Kissy" by Mary Jeanine Ibarguen. She called it a fun scrap busting quilt. 

Sue made matching pillowcases to go with "Kissy Kissy". These are a gift for her niece's wedding in Scotland. 

Another pillowcase from Susan. Matching pillowcases certainly make a gift quilt extra special. 

Another "Half Step" quilt by Susan H. 

A very pretty little "Slice Rug" by Carol T. 

Carol bought this panel at our auction. She framed the panel with watery fabric and a loon print. 

Sue R said she made her spool quilt for a specific spot on her sewing room. And who wouldn't be inspired to sew when looking at this quilt? Pattern by Lori Holt. 

Donna M. made "Sea Escape" by Jean Boyd. Can you tell that Donna loves these blues?

Diane stitched up a dinosaur panel for her son's birthday. He is in his 50s and Diane said he is never too old for a dinosaur quilt. So true! 

Still a member....

Janet C. sent these photos of her quilts. Still a member, now living "away". Enjoy!

Janet says "Almost all of these pieces were, quilted by Ann Woodhead, long-arm quilter most exceptional!

 

We are on a roll!

Barb made this little stand that can hold your pattern and tools right by your sewing machine. Barb attended a retreat in Rangeley and had lots of news and quilty goodies to share. The pattern is free from Sew Organized Design.

 

Barb brought in a quilt that Judy R. made for a raffle. So many of our members have made this quilt this year! "The Lady" from Villa Rosa. Great colors!

Barb is on a mission to get things done. She finished her "Spools" quilt by Lori Holt in time to enter it into the quilt show. You don't have to make the entire pattern of blocks to make a handsome quilt for someone to enjoy. Kathy B. did the machine quilting. 

We all loved this version of "Turning Twenty" with its lovely 1930's fabrics. Betty L. helped Barb out with the binding. Barb said this quilt will be given to the Ladies Auxiliary American Legion in Unity. It will be raffled to benefit Sister's in Arms. Sisters in Arms provides  housing and help for women veterans. 

Here Barb is showing us an invisible block. No, no, no, that's a block helper from Lori Holt,  made of foam core and fleece. You arrange your block pieces on the board and take it to the ironing board or sewing machine, keeps the pieces all together. Also nice to have on hand when making multiple blocks-the board reminds you of how the pieces go together. Barb is our Gadget Queen, for sure! 

At the retreat Barb attended over the weekend, she was able to buy these gadgets that allow you to convert your straight leg chair into a rolling office chair! How fantastic is that? Barb immediately popped those little gizmos on a chair and gave us a twirl! 

Kathy made a quilt from Lori Holt called Scrappy Spirals. Kathy mentioned that this is an easy pattern and would be good for charity quilting. I think some child would love this bright and happy quilt. 

Leanne made a "slice" rug at our in house workshop. The pattern is free on Shabby Fabrics website. It is always interesting to see the color variations in these rugs. 

Leanne made this Judy Neimeyer quilt using fabrics from the April 2024 Shop Hop Challenge. Leanne is always up for a paper piecing challenge. 

Diane is another prolific quilter. This one is her own design featuring bugs and leaves. You just have to admire someone who designs their own patterns! 

Sharon made a Villa Rosa quilt-The Lady, of course.

And so did Donna W.!

It is fun to see the many variations of this quilt. We've made so many of this pattern over that hast few months. 

Jean made a BIG tote bag. Perfect for taking to a workshop, just hope you can park near the door so you don't have to carry that too far!

Jean made a very pretty slice rug, too. 

Ann made this wonderful quilt for her grandson. He will be attending Virginia Tech in the fall. This quilt is made with the VTech colors. The pattern is from Strip Your Stash, GE Designs, called Dreamweaver. Ann is another of our members who makes quilts that look complex. Lucky Grandson!

Sandy made "The Lady" from Villa Rosa, too, more pretty colors.  Another quilt for the donation pile.

Donna M. made another Coconut Chip quilt. She initially introduced this pattern to our members and so many have been made, it seems to rival The Lady in popularity. 

Another Villa Rosa pattern! This one is called Wistful, made by Elly. 

Elly belongs to many quilt chapters. She visited Narrow Gauge Quilters in Phillips and they were making a Star of Hope quilt block by Anne Baker. 

Lastly, two of our members...

Bev with a tiny four patch. 

and Ann T with her Crazy Quilt pieces. We had Pam Soucy from the Crazy Quilt chapter visit us and talk to us about her work. Ann brought in some lovely examples of some of her projects.