February 20 Meeting

Tacoma Quilters of Litchfield met and as always had a great time together.

Barb D. is demonstrating 'how to cut bias binding'. This was a new concept to most of us.

Online tutorial ('how to')

Barb teaching how to on a fat quarter.

Sharon....Kat and Barb

How to cut on a 1 yard piece

Sharon....Barb....Sandy ...Pam

 'Show 'n Tell' 

Bea's cute 'sport focus' quilt for a little one

 This was a gift to Judy from her friend, Myra in Scotland.  A beautiful work of art done with special fabrics and hand embroidery.

 Close-up - stunning work.

 Sue R taught a class on a 'Circular Tree Skirt' done with a 90 degree ruler.

Sample of fabric choices a couple of the gals are sharing.

 Instructions how to lay ruler and cut wedges.

Group Pic

 Sandy K and Sue C. a new member cutting their wedges. It makes 2 skirts and they are sharing fabrics. You can see their choices at the top.

 Sharon

 Pam and Sue B

 Janet

There was a good number of gals that did the skirt....they were all in different stages. Next time we get to see some of the finished projects. It was delightful to see the fabrics that different ones chose. 

Until next time......

February 6 Meeting

Tacoma met for their business meeting and demo of the 'Circle Wedge Tree Skirt' that many will be doing February 20 at an all day workshop. 

 Everyone loves the coffee and special treats brought by the ladies and the catching up that takes place with one another. We did not have a lot of 'show 'n tell' this time. But what the gals did have were the use of wonderful skills.

Pauline with this gorgeous pieced quilt. This was her first time at needle turn applique. It was a McCall's pattern in a book that her friend Sherry gave her and then helped teach her 'how'  to do the applique. STUNNING!!

 Andrea is knitting a scarf/shawl. She bought 3 skeins of yarn and was wondering how long she should make it....and the 'skilled' knitters said 'keep on knitting until the balls are gone.' Of course, we all laughed but I think she was hoping she was near the end. It gave us a chuckle...so Andrea just keep knitting and maybe we can see the finished piece next time. 

 Janet who is the 'Queen of Bargello's.' She received a scholarship from PTQG (Pine Tree Quilters Group) for $250.00. This is the beginning of the use of the monies. A class with Quilt University. She is always doing different techniques and these are some that she has experimented with. She takes the class and if she does not care for how it looks she puts her own spin on it. They were just beautiful. A very gifted lady with an eye for color and technique. Great job!! She is also our correspondent for the state newsletter 'Patchwork Press' and always does a superb job. We look forward to seeing all the new ones she will create. When finished will  give a report at the state members meeting within a year's time. 

DISPLAY-FIVE  JANET'S  BARGELLO'S

(She explained the varied name's of the different technique's)

 This one is so interesting don't you think?

 Sue R. who will be teaching how to make 'Circle Wedge Tree Skirt' gave a demo to the those interested. If you would like to see more just click the link.

GUESS WHO!!!! We have 'secret sisters' and this was the bag full of things that were received. Of course, we do not know 'who' did it until the big  reveal in June. But it brought a lot of laughs!! We always have such fun with those who get a surprise. We drew names in September and we are responsible to give at least 4 times until June when we find out who is our special sister. Chocolate is a favorite of most everyone and always bring a smile. We have a lot of thoughtful girls who are having fun with it. 

 This month represents Mardi Gras and Valentine's

fabric, pencils, napkins for both events, pad of paper and then

of course the mask which was on the outside of the bag. So cute and thoughtful.

Yours truly was the recipient along with a unique note. Thank you SS.

Next time will be our workshop. Until then 'HAPPY QUILTING'

Circle Wedge Tree Skirt

This is the tree skirt we'll be making at the Feb 20 meeting. In order to maximize our time at the workshop, it would be helpful if participants could construct at least one strip set before the workshop. At the next meeting on Wednesday, I'll show you how to make a strip set. There's really not much to it, but the strips must be staggered, so don't start yet.

The instructions will produce two 50" tree skirts with the fabric order reversed in the second skirt. In the example above, the white fabric is in the center of one skirt, and the same fabric appears around the outer edge of the second skirt. 

Supplies. For the workshop on Feb 20, you'll need your normal sewing items, to include a neutral colored thread like tan or gray. Additionally you might bring your rotary cutter and mat. We do have a couple of mats at Tacoma, but you may have to wait in line to cut if you don't bring your own. 

A 9 degree circle wedge ruler in a 25" length is also required for this project. I purchased mine many years ago, probably from a quilt shop. Marilyn Doheny is the inventor of this ruler, and you can buy one directly from her.
http://dohenypublications.mybigcommerce.com/25-9-degree-circle-wedge-ruler/

Amazon also has them for a few dollars less.
http://www.amazon.com/25-Degree-Circle-Wedge-Ruler/dp/B005MGUHXM

Choosing Fabric. You can use 6 to 10 fabrics in your tree skirt. I used 9 in the tree skirts I've made. You can use all different fabrics or you can repeat one if you wish. Tone on tones and small prints seem to work better than large scale prints. In this photo, I used a medium scale floral with red flowers and white flowers. It appears in the middle of the wedges. I like it, but I wouldn't use a print larger than this. You can decide if you like the effect or if you'd prefer to stick with a smaller scale print. 

I like to add a stripe to my fabric set because I think it adds interest. You could also add washable satin or gold lame for a little sparkle, but you might have to back the lame with fusible interfacing. 

Yardages and Cutting Requirements. Once you've chosen your fabrics, you'll need to choose the order in which you'd like the fabrics to appear in your tree skirt. I found it very helpful to make a fabric layout chart with small pieces of my fabrics taped to a sheet of paper, especially when I was sewing the strips together. Next to the fabrics, I annotated how wide to cut my strips.

You will be cutting 10 identical strips from each of your fabrics, and you'll be sewing 10 identical strip sets. You can choose what widths you'd like to cut your strips, but the width of your strip set must measure at least 19" finished.  

Here are the measurements I used for my tree skirt. If you change the number of fabrics used or the widths of any of the strips from my set of measurements, you will need to recalculate your yardages.

Fabric #1:  3-1/2" finished, cut 10 strips 4" wide, 1-1/4 yard required
Fabric #2:  2" finished, cut 10 strips 2-1/2" wide, 3/4 yard required  
Fabric #3:  1-1/2" finished, cut 10 strips 2" wide, 2/3 yard required
Fabric #4:  1-1/2" finished, cut 10 strips 2" wide, 2/3 yard required
Fabric #5:  2-1/2" finished, cut 10 strips 3" wide, 1 yard required
Fabric #6:  1-1/2" finished, cut 10 strips 2" wide, 2/3 yard required
Fabric #7:  1-1/2" finished, cut 10 strips 2" wide, 2/3 yard required
Fabric #8   2" finished, cut 10 strips 2-1/2" wide, 3/4 yard required
Fabric #9:  3-1/2" finished, cut 10 strips 4" wide, 1-1/4 yard required

In my chart, notice that the total of all the "finished" measurements adds up to 19-1/2", which is fine. Remember, the strip set must measure at least 19" finished. 

Additional Yardage Requirements:
About 4 yards of fabric for backing for 2 tree skirts
4 yards batting for 2 tree skirts
2 yards fabric for binding 2 tree skirts 

You do not need to bring any of your supplies or fabrics to the next meeting unless you want to sit and sew some strips together, but be thinking about fabric choices, and work on getting your ruler. If you have any questions, please call or email me. 

January 23, 2013 Workshop

This was a special day for Tacoma Quilters. We had a 'JELLY ROLL RACE' to make lap throws for wheelchairs. We arrived with sewing machine in hand ready to go!! A short business meeting and of course, all the goodies that the gals bring were enjoyed and about 10:30 we were off and running!! We each chose a bag of purchased pre-cut strips. Each bag had 10 strips and instruction as to 'HOW' we were to proceed.

Barb showing her demo.

Close up of strips

 Some of the gals. 

 1st Winner - Judy

 2nd Winner - Sue R

 #3 Winner - Donna

 The winners all received a nice little bag of goodies!

Below are four finished lap throws. These will be distributed to various nursing homes. Our goal was 60. We all agreed it was a fun time and very worthwhile to give to others. 

 We always have a raffle each meeting. It helps raise funds so we can do some of the above projects. The gals bring items to be offered.This was donated by Barb. A canning jar and a lamp shade made with her choice of fabric by a gentlemen who donated it to the group Barb took left over fabric and made this adorable pin cushion.It held spools of threads all the way around it. Sorry I did not get a better picture. But it was very unique. Sue R won it to her delight. 

 Kat purchased these half-square triangles at our auction and made this beautiful quilt.

 Peggy found this pattern online. 

 Pam made this quilt for her husband. A wonderful pattern using a focus fabric (horses)

 Pauline made this great mat for the sewing machine....the flower on the right is a pin cushion. She also used see-threw netting on the bottom and closed with a zipper. Great design!!

 WE are a group who are knitters and well as quilters. Judy made this wonderful bag. 

 Sandy G knit her sweater and made her felted bag. Both very beautiful!

 This is our workshop in February. A Christmas skirt using a 25" 90 degree wedge. Sue promises it is very easy. 

A great day for all.....see you next time...Following is a demo on youtube.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bEJLnaZQOU

January 2,2013 Meeting

Can you believe that we are into 2013.....where did last year go??

Tacoma quilters have done so many projects and what a fun year we have had.

We anticipate the New Year with exciting projects planned. It is always wonderful to come at 9:00 am and just chit chat and play catch up with one another. The first meeting of the month is a business meeting followed by show 'n tell. This time it is smaller and my guess is that most of the things that were made were given as gifts. 

Margo finished her 12th wall hanging in a series of 12 for the year. Sleigh with reindeer done in buttonhole stitch and machine quilted.

 This is Janet's scrappy quilt named "Janet meets Margo"...a few of the blocks were purchased at the auction made by Margo and she added many more to make it a delightful quilt.

 Bea's very pretty pillow/cushion she made for a gift.

 Pauline made this 'little duffel bag' at last month's workshop. There were 3 sizes.

 Jona's husband made this wonderful wooden rule holder for  her and offered to make others to sell if anyone wanted one. 

 Barb designed this 'messenger bag'. It will hold a laptop. 

It is very sturdy and we all agreed was wonderful.

 Another view...she was moving so it is hazy. but this is the inside.

 This is Sue B's 'American the Beautiful' This was a challenge for six of us. We gave ourselves a year to finish using only our stash.

The first segment was in McCall's January issue 2012 with a new part monthly for the remaining 5 months.

We plan to put them  in the Maine Quilt show in July and also to submit them to the magazine. We tried to take a picture of all of them together but they are so large that the pics did not come out very well. So I am going to put them on here separately from the pictures that I got as each one was finished. So enjoy!!!

SUE B

DONNA W.

 PAM M.

 MARGO C.

 PAULINE S.

 JONA H.

Thank you for visiting .....happy quilting until next time!!!!