Caledonia Grand River Quilters' Guild

October's Relay Race

2011-10-24T16:34:00.000-04:00

This was such fun. Except for the part where poor Hanna cut her finger with the rotary cutter. The members of the non-winning team will be bringing treats for the rest of the year. AND we now have 40 9-patch units that we can use in our next donation quilt.

Summer, September, October

2011-10-11T08:14:00.000-04:00

We enjoy sewing days in July and August, even though we don't have meetings. After the August sewing day a few of the gals went to Helen-Mary's for a pot luck supper. It was a lovely summer day, but much too windy to sit outside. We'd have been chasing our lettuce across the patio. l - r : Hanna, Helen-Mary, Dineke, Sue, Lydia. Christine took the photo.

As we do every year, the guild had a booth at the Caledonia Fair. Many of our members volunteer, usually in four hour slots, to staff the booth. Here is Candace holding down the fort and holding UP the quilt she'd been working on.

Our September meeting was a Penny Sale which got a little out of hand. The wee buckets where you drop your tickets got a bit mixed up, so members were winning items they had no intention of bidding on. Then some items were surreptitiously dropped back ON the tables and had to be ~~forced on members~~ redistributed.

October's meeting will be a relay race. All attendees will be divided into two teams. Each team will each be responsible for making 20 nine-patch units. The losing team must bring treats to the meetings for the rest of the year.

June wrap up

2011-06-12T21:09:00.000-04:00

This year our block of the month was run as a whole quilt. Anne sent out the block instructions every month and members could choose to participate, or not. Well, my gosh! Look at all the finished tops!!! The instructions went out for 16" blocks. Some of the members shrank that to 12" blocks. And there was more than one way to set the blocks in to a top.

We also held a fabric challenge which required something for the Kitchen - 20 participants. And the UFO challenge - 11 gals signed up and 7 completed their UFOs (the other 4, sadly, had to pay a $10 penalty fee).

We don't have formal meetings in July or August, but those who are interested can come out for our Sewing Days - July 13 and August 10 from 9 - 5. Bring $5 and your lunch.

June end-of-season meeting

2011-06-07T09:22:00.000-04:00

Wednesday June 8th will be our last meeting until September. But don't get confused - we WILL still be having our sewing days on the 2nd Wednesday in July and August.

Pot Luck Supper - we eat at 6:30. Remember to bring your food and your eating dishes/cutlery.

Challenges are due for those who are participating

Kitchen Challenge
UFO Challenge
Block of the Month quilt

As far as I know we are still looking for volunteers to run:

the draw/raffle table
a new swap to replace the Strippers Club

May 11th recap

2011-05-20T21:22:00.001-04:00

Some of the sewing day activities... we had about 14 come and stitch for the day. Several more joined us at 6 pm for supper, catered by the church ladies.

Our guest speaker was Deborah Beirnes. Deborah works at Reichard's The Quilter's Store and does an excellent trunk show. We had her do 'Scrap Quilts' and she did not disappoint. I think we're having her come back in the fall to teach a workshop. You can reach her at deborah.beirnes@sympatico.ca .

Here is a collection of quilts which are being shipped to Japan for survivors of the earthquake and tsunami. Thanks to Diane!!!

Recent Program Nights & Japan Quilt Donations

2011-05-05T09:01:00.000-04:00

I have not taken my camera to guild meetings for the last few months so I'm sorry, but I have no pics to share with you.

February's meeting was a discussion and demonstration of machine quilting done by Charlotte and Lydia.
March's meeting was a trunk show by Debbie Winn of Hamilton. Debbie is a longarm quilter who was introduced to quilting by her mother-in-law. Great trunk show.
April was a quilting version of the Olympics. Lots of fun - we were split into two teams. Each member got a numbered paper bag with a task inside. The bags had to be opened in sequence, and only after the previous member had completed their task. Some of the bags required you to use a completed task and continue progress on it. For example, one of the bags required pin basting a small quilt sandwich. A later task required you to quilt the basted sandwich, using needles that had been threaded in a previous task. The first team to complete their bags won.
May 11th will bring us a trunk show by Deborah Beirnes.

With all the horror of the Japanese nuclear disaster and tsunami many quilts are being sent overseas. Northcott Fabrics organized a shipment and our guild contributed three quilts. Here's a link to one of Northcott's blog posts where we are credited.

Diary of a Donation

2011-03-15T22:00:00.000-04:00

Step 1: Starts with the Block of the Month program. For a few years we had the 'presenter' of the BOM make a sample block and donate it to the guild. We compiled 20 blocks with a WHITE or very PALE CREAM background fabric.
Step 2: Have a program night: Stitching Relay Race. We split the members into two groups. Each group had a pile of strips and had to make sashing and 9-patch units. The losing team brought goodies for the rest of the year.
Step 3: Have a sewing day and assemble the blocks, sashing and 9-patch units into a top.
Step 4: Have one of your members generously donate the machine quilting & binding.

Step 5: A family turns up who could use a fabric hug.

Feb. 9th sewing day activities

2011-02-11T09:26:00.000-05:00

We had about 15 members attend for sewing day and (I think) 24 for supper. The church ladies fed us tossed salad, broccoli salad, roast chicken, mashed potatoes, cooked carrots, creamed corn, rolls, and carrot cake. Yum yum. Based on what I saw from the gals who attended, knitting seems to be the new quilting.

January recap

2011-01-20T22:08:00.000-05:00

One of our members did a great trunk show for us. She has spent years doing wonderful things with fabric - making battenberg lace, smocking, and heirloom sewing.

This little kitty even has a lace trimmed underskirt.

We have a new challenge going on for those of us with some UFOs they want to finish up. Charlotte is collecting photos & commitments - if you don't get your item completed by June's meeting you will be coughing up a $10 penalty.

There will be an EXTRA sewing day on January 26th from 9 am - 4:30 pm to help you with some dedicated time. C'mon out - $5 gets you in the door.

Sew Day Roundup

2010-11-25T21:41:00.001-05:00

Ann worked on her hand applique. A resounding cheer went up when she finished a border.

Janice was working on Christmas aprons for the men in her life. She seems to have quite a few - men AND aprons.

Lynne was making blocks for the guild Block of the Month. She knows there are prizes involved.

Charlotte is so far behind on the quilt shop's $10 quilt she may never get caught up.

Helen was showing off her fancy socks that were hand knit by her friend's mom. Nice eh?

Nov. 24 - Extra UFO Sewing Day

2010-11-17T08:35:00.000-05:00

Wednesday Nov. 24th. Pack up your stuff and head over to the church for a day to work on your UFOs.

No phones, no kids, no sink full of dirty dishes. Just you and your sewing.

9 am until 4:30 pm. Cost is $5 to pay the rental fee. Bring your lunch or plan to take a drive over to Timmies.

Prepare for November meeting

2010-10-26T22:14:00.001-04:00

Lydia is making us WORK this month. Here is your prep that should be done beforehand...

Guild Project for November 2010

Instructions (to be finished for the November meeting)

Fabric - 33 inches X 41 inches with fold at bottom (from your stash)

( For those who are doing the BOM with Anne and are making the 16 inch blocks you want to cut your fabric 36 inches X 41 inches)

Gross Grain Ribbon – 2 ribbons, each 28 inches long.

Take your fabric and fold it in half with right sides together, so that it measures 16 ½ X 41 inches. See picture 1.

Measure in 4 ½ inches in from both sides and pin ribbon at this point with the fold of the ribbon along the edge with the long edge of the ribbon facing you. Pin in place.

Pin all around the open edges of you rectangle.

Sew a ¼ inch seam all around your rectangle leaving a 2 ½ inch opening to turn your fabric right side out.

Turn fabric right side out and press.

Topstitch ¼ inch all around the rectangle making sure that the ribbons are not caught up in your stitching.

Cut 2 circles 3 ½ inches in diameter.

Bring circles, the rectangle that you prepared and a bottle of white glue to the November meeting. See you there!!!!

October - the Fair and upcoming meeting

2010-09-30T08:57:00.000-04:00

Our guild will have it's usual booth at the Caledonia Fair this weekend - right near the quilt display/competition. Come out and visit us!

For our October 13th meeting we have Denise McKenna of Meadow Lily Bridge quilt patterns coming for a lecture. The ~~gals~~ members who signed up for swaps and other activities will be getting started on their little groups. (I can't say 'gals' any more - we have a gentleman who has joined the guild).

As usual, those who are able will be sewing all day (any time after 9 am) and there will be a catered supper by the church ladies. The meeting will start at 7:30.

September starts a new season

2010-09-07T17:56:00.003-04:00

September 8th marks the beginning of our new season. You can look over all the group activities and decide which ones you'd like to participate in.
Christine will be talking about what sewing supplies are necessary when you attend workshops.
And, of course, there's always the tea & treats!

August sewing day - August 11th

2010-08-09T19:08:00.001-04:00

Come have some fun & do some stitching on Wednesday. $5, bring your lunch and your stuff. We have the church hall from 9 - 4:30.

Handbag Roundup

2010-07-15T08:31:00.005-04:00

The purse workshop that Lydia taught was great!!!
Sue (L) and Lydia (R) are hamming it up for me.
Eleven of us made the handbag and all were complete by day's end except for (I think) two.
Here is a closeup of my bag, which is a very bad example. I was so determined to match the pattern on the pocket I didn't realize just how far off center it was placed. Oh well, I'll do a better job next time, right? And by the time I have it jammed full of stuff it likely won't be too noticeable.
Afterwards a few of us came back to my house for a summer pot luck. One roast beef on the BBQ, six salads, one dessert. Wow - what a perfect mix of food.I'm not sure what we can do for our August sewing day that will compete with the perfection of today.

July 14th - sewing day

2010-07-05T09:36:00.004-04:00

Here we are in the heat of summer with a forecast of 32 c. Anne sent me an email that she's staying in the basement today, working on her Dresden Plate quilt.

On July 14th we will have a sewing only day, from 9 - 4:30. The cost is $5 to cover the rent. If you would like to partake, Lydia will be leading us in a handbag workshop. Send an email to Sue R. if you want the yardage and prep instructions.

Presentation to the Heart & Stroke Foundation

2010-07-03T09:45:00.004-04:00

We presented the Red Dress quilt to the Heart & Stroke Foundation at our June meeting. The photo with the following text was sent to the local newspapers.

Members of the Caledonia Grand River Quilters’ Guild made a quilt based on the Red Dress motif of the Heart & Stroke Foundation. The quilt was made in memory of Barb Lister. Barb was a member of the guild at the time of her sudden death due to heart disease. A presentation of the quilt to the Heart & Stroke Foundation was made on Wednesday June 9^th. Pictured in the photo from left to right are Bernadette Forbes (top) the designer of the quilt, Tanya (Barb’s daughter), Glenn Lister (Barb’s husband), Penny Weir (Program Co-Ordinator Heart & Stroke Foundation, and Jessica Lalonde (summer student working for the H & S Foundation).

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Also at the June meeting we voted on the Ugly Fabric Challenge. Wow - every single person who signed up completed their project.
I must have been pouting over not winning in any of the categories because I seem to have misplaced the list of winners. YOU know who you are, you dirty rascals!

June 9 meeting

2010-06-08T13:47:00.002-04:00

This is our final official meeting until September. Pot luck supper - we will eat at 6:30. Please bring your own dishes & cutlery to minimize the dishwashing afterwards.

We will be presenting the Red Dress quilt to the Heart & Stroke Foundation at 7:30 pm.

We will be voting on the Ugly Fabric Challenge creations, with prizes for some lucky winners. If you signed up for this challenge and you do not bring your completed item there is a $10 penalty. Hmm - pretty big stick. Maybe your Program Committee next year will use carrots to encourage completion.

There is also a large prize drawing so bring some $$ for tickets.

the Red Dress Quilt

2010-04-18T20:47:00.002-04:00

This quilt was Bernadette's brainstorm. After Barb Lister passed away so suddenly, Bernadette drafted the pattern from the Red Dress design featured by the Heart & Stroke Foundation. This was partially machine quilted and partially hand quilted. It's all finished except for binding and a label.

Our Program this month was presented by Sue - she taught us all about quilt binding. There were lots of samples of binding and she explained how she chose her fabrics, and her favorite methods of cutting & making bindings. After we had a chance to peruse her handouts she did some hands-on Q & A with the members.

Binding Lesson on tap for April

2010-04-12T16:56:00.003-04:00

Don't miss the April meeting - Wednesday April 14th. Sue will be demonstrating quilt binding. We will also have treats. How much more incentive do you need???

Interviews with the UFO-ers

2010-03-24T21:41:00.007-04:00

Q: Hello Candace. Why are you here at UFO day today?
A: I am avoiding work and home responsibilities. It's the only way I can get any sewing done.

Q: Charlotte, you are obviously enjoying yourself. Why are you here today?
A: I hate my dungeon at home - I can't see anything. I come here to sew. And I get feedback on lobster colour from the other girls.

Q: Lydia it's good to see you back at sewing days. Why are you here today?
A: I am escaping from family and friends who bug me all day long. I want to frikkin' sew!!

Q: Ann, you always bring your lovely hand applique with you. Why are you here today?
A: This is a forced social outing for me and my Ott light. We are avoiding the Howard Hughes syndrome. And it's a bit of dedicated time for sewing.

Q: Janice now that you're retired we see you more and more. Why are you here today?
A: I like the company - I come to socialize and sew. And I have to collect the cash, you know?

Q: Helen, you seem to be talking to yourself as the interviewer and the interviewee. Why are you here today?
A: I am avoiding work at home, since I work at home. Also, I needed fodder for the guild blog. And I wanted to converse with someone who walks on two legs for a change.

March Review and Extra UFO Day

2010-03-19T21:21:00.006-04:00

This month we are having an EXTRA sewing day to clean up those UFO's. Wednesday March 24th, from 9 am-ish until 4:30-ish. Bring $5 for your share of the church rental, and your current UFO.

Here is a sneak peek at our Red Dress quilt for the Heart & Stroke Foundation. Hand quilting was started at our meeting on March 10th and will continue in April.

The Three Sisters gave us a great trunk show at our March meeting and kept us giggling for an hour. These are some of the quilts they shared with us.

March meeting & Sewing Machine Videos

2010-03-08T08:49:00.003-05:00

We will have the Four Sisters (really only three - one of them is down with illness) from the Tillsonburg area for a trunk show & talk. I've seen them before and they are very entertaining.

The show will start at 7:30 and our business portion will follow.

Bring your thimbles to put a few stitches in the Red Dress quilt.
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YouTube has some fun videos about sewing machines, if you want to kill some time.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Like my new signature??? Check out www.mylivesignature.com

Placemats from Orphan Blocks - tutorial

2010-02-26T09:23:00.003-05:00

One of the projects that our guild has adopted is making placemats for Meals on Wheels. At our last meeting we had so many pillowcases presented to Sue's Quilt 'n More Store, it seems no one made any placemats.

Let's remedy that for the March meeting. Here is a link to Three Creative Studios - they have an EXCELLENT tutorial on their 'free projects' page. Turn your orphan blocks into placemats! You will see it near the bottom right hand corner of the projects page.

Where are all the quilt shops??

2010-02-17T12:30:00.002-05:00

Ladies, I thought I would pass on some info about my recent trip to Florida. Just like always I look at our route and plan out which quilt shops I will stop at on the way. I am allowed ( %%$*!!) to find ones that are no more that 5 miles off the beaten path. In total around 5 plus the bonus ones that a visitor centre gave me (not updated I may add). All together my hubby drove me to 9 shops. In my total unbelievable surprise 7 of these shops had closed. The stores I did visit mentioned the economy had destroyed so many small businesses and to call ahead next time. Sooooo, I just want to pass on that info. Call ahead so you don't waste your time. We did end up laughing a lot, me blaming Bill for calling ahead to warn them I was coming and not to let me in. Very disappointing thats for sure. Also some states still has material in Walmart and some do not. Again very disappointing. I did purchase what I wanted but still cannot find orange sequins!! go figure. The shining point of the trip was once again Jo-ann Fabrics. It was literally the only shining point, we were in Florida for a week and saw sun for about 10 hours in total and the temp got up to 12 one day. I think we need to later in the year.

Happy sewing gals, see you next meeting

Janet

Moda Bags

2010-02-11T20:50:00.003-05:00

We had a great response to our Secret Sister Exchange using a pattern from the Moda Bake Shop web site. This will go on our Program for next year.

Here are some closeups:

Feb 10 meeting

2010-02-10T09:32:00.003-05:00

Tonight we will be exchanging our little Moda bags in our Secret Sister Swap. This should be so much fun!

Afterwards we will have a lesson on quilt battings by Helen. What goes in between the layers really does make a difference.

Hopefully the snow does not keep too many gals home. 7:30 - see you then!

Extra Sewing Day - Wed. Jan. 27th

2010-01-25T08:06:00.001-05:00

We had a wonderful trunk show by Aline at our last meeting. I know everyone went home very inspired.

This week we are having an EXTRA sewing day to clean up those UFO's.

Wednesday Jan. 27th, from 9 am-ish until 4:30-ish. Bring $5 for your share of the church rental, and your current UFO.

Aline Chan in January

2010-01-10T18:59:00.002-05:00

Aline Chan from Ancaster will be our guest speaker at the meeting on January 13th.

C'mon out - visitor fee (if you're not a member) is $4.00. The meeting gets under way at 7:30 so come a bit earlier than that.

Dec. 9/09 Meeting & Food. More food than meeting.

2009-12-17T13:06:00.007-05:00

We had another fabulous pot luck supper (seriously, though, how can a pot luck be bad?).

Monica was little elf number 1. She made ALL of us a coaster.

Lydia was little elf number 2. She made ALL of us a gift bag filled with quilting goodies. Our members are truly blessed to have these two ladies in their address book.
Hanna was hard at work getting ready to chair the meeting in Irene's absence. I think Irene was in Vegas this month. Last month she was away in Mexico (?). Tough life.

After supper the gals all made little skates out of felt & paper clips. Thanks Helen! (That's me. Is it ok to thank myself???)

Pot Luck - Wed. Dec. 9th

2009-12-08T06:41:00.004-05:00

Bring your pot luck, your dishes and your Christmas attitude (the lovey one, not the Grinchy one). We will eat at 6:30. There will be sewing all day if you want to come early with one of your WIPs (work in progress).

Our little hands-on project after supper will require:

hand sewing needle AND embroidery needle (if you have one)
fabric scissors
paper scissors
red thread

Extra UFO Sewing Day

2009-11-22T09:18:00.002-05:00

This Wednesday - Nov 25th - 9:00-ish to 4:30-ish is an EXTRA ufo sewing day. Bring your $5 admission.

This is a great opportunity to work on the Christmas napkins you plan to make for your friends.

Crazy Meeting & Crazy Quilting

2009-11-16T21:14:00.003-05:00

We had one of 'those' nights at our meeting last week. The President was on vacation so the Vice-P was taking over. Vice-P is also on program and was going to present & teach crazy quilting & embellishing. Trouble is, Vice-P got sick and went home. The secretary had already called in sick so Helen substituted for her. Our Past President chaired the meeting.

We had lots of placemats brought in for Meals on Wheels.

Pillow cases were being whipped up like they were going out of style.

Beautiful quilts at Show & Share.

Christine stepped in as Program and led the crazy quilting talk. She's actually presented this material before so she did an EXCELLENT job.

November 11 meeting - Crazy Man

2009-11-07T07:45:00.003-05:00

7:30 - Be there or be square. We will be learning all about Crazy Quilting so make sure you're wearing your black berets, all you crazy cats.Bring your mug, any placemats you've made for Meals on Wheels, and your projects for Show & Share .

Jumping in for Helen

2009-10-26T18:28:00.002-04:00

Hi Gals

Our Mightly Blog Woman asked me to drop in a note or 2 since she missed the October meeting. Was she material shopping again or just sewing??? Hmm.

Well our meetings are off and running again for another year. Amazing how fast the time goes by too bad the amount of sewing doesn't increase!. I love the ugly fabric exchange, can't wait to see just how ugly they get. The new stripper club should reveal some beauties with the colours all set out each month, great idea Floris Anne. I think Bernadette has done the best block of the month so far with it being in memory of Barb Lister. Something tells me she would have loved it.
Our guest speaker Albert Cote sure put some thoughts in my head I tell you. I was heading off to the sewing show to buy some charm packs. He very bluntly told us they were useless and just to purchase material buy the yard. I actually spoke to him at the sewing show and we had a giggle or two about it.
Talking about the sewing show, did anyone else go. Didn't think it was a great success, thought the spring show was better and had better deals.

Well I guess the only think left to say is Bon Voyage Irene and see you in.......................

see you all next month
Janet

Fall Fair and October's Meeting

2009-10-10T09:20:00.003-04:00

We were well represented at the Fair last weekend. At our booth we were selling raffle tickets on the quilt we donated to the Fair Board as a fundraiser. Anne is reminding this fella that he must print neatly.

OCTOBER MEETING
WEDNESDAY OCT. 14/09
7:30 pm

Don't miss this one! Albert Cote from Patchwork Porch will be discussing UGLY FABRIC and he'll do a little demo using fabric scraps we are all bringing.

Please remember to bring your own coffee mugs. Susan and Colleen are in charge of treats this month and I know they are both fabulous bakers!

Extra, Very Special Sewing Days

2009-09-21T19:35:00.002-04:00

Extra sewing days to clean up your UFO's are being held every other month. The dates are as follows (all Wednesdays):

Sept 23/09
Nov 25/09
Jan 27/10
March 24/10
May 26/10

Hours are 9-ish to 4:30-ish. Cost is $5. Bring your lunch (ok, that's optional, but we don't want to hear your tummy grumbling). C'mon out and bring a friend.

September meeting recap

2009-09-13T21:31:00.006-04:00

Dineke is a diehard hand quilter and she does beautiful work. She & Sue are basting a quilt together.

Lynne is one of our new members. She was so speedy with her own work today she had time to hand sew the label on to our guild donation quilt.

And here's the donation quilt - all done & picture going off to the local newspaper.

Isobel is making this very striking quilt for her grandson. It's a pattern by Bernadette - one of our members who is a diehard paper piecing fan.

Here is a quilt made from the half-squares the gals have been swapping for a few seasons.

This is one of Dineke's hand quilted beauties.

We had lots of the members sign up for both the Ugly Fabric Challenge and for the Secret Sister Swap. It should be a good year.

Get Ready for a New Season♦

2009-09-04T08:26:00.003-04:00

Next Wednesday - September 9th will be the start of our new season.

For those who are interested, sewing starts any time after 9:30 - bring your stuff and your $5 fee. Knock off a UFO. Or make some placemats for Meals on Wheels. Some of us have NO interest in going home to make supper, so the church ladies cater for us - 6 pm and you must book with Monica asap. The charge for supper is usually around $12.

The general meeting starts at 7:30 for everyone. We should have tons of items for show & share since we've all been sewing for a few months. Goodness knows with all the rain we weren't outside that much. :-(

Everyone who participated in the DIRTY DOZEN CHALLENGE please bring your quilt. We want to have a proper show & share of the items.

We will also be having signups for the little groups, swaps, challenges, etc. These will all kick off at the October meeting.

To Honour Barb Lister

2009-08-22T09:24:00.002-04:00

We lost one of our members this summer, suddenly and much too soon. Barb maintained our Membership records and was our historian. She was always ready to help - every time I think of her I can hear her saying "what do you need me to do?" . Barb was also the Queen of my Red Hat group so we let fly some balloons in her memory. She will be missed.

Sewing Day

2009-07-22T19:36:00.005-04:00

We had two visitors for sewing day in July.

Charlotte brought her niece (whose name escapes me?) who finished stitching up an apron for her grandmother.

Joan is a friend of Helen's & Hanna's from their days at the Burlington Art Centre guild.

Here's an 'action shot'. No, we quilters don't move none too quick.

Helen finished assembling a top from blocks won at the Binbrook guild.

Our next sewing day will be Wednesday August 12th. 9:30 - 5:00, bring $5 and your lunch.

Sewing Day This Wednesday & Hand Quilting

2009-07-07T08:37:00.004-04:00

We had a good crowd Monday night. Lois is Keeper of the Key. She was recovering after a week spent with her daughter and two grandsons. Hanna and Ann were both 'getting away from it all'. Dineke was just back from vacation in Meaford. She was catching up with Madeline who has recently retired. It seems she's taken up murdering carpenter ants in lieu of paid employment. Lorraine came by after her church meeting to work on her newly acquired hand quilting skills. Monica popped in to crack the whip. I was there to put in my hours and see some real live people.
Notice Monica showing off her tube of Udder Cream? She was trying to make a buck by selling squirts for $2. (ok, I'm just kidding - she wasn't really)

This Wednesday is our guild sewing day. Bring your stuff and $5 admission. Bring a friend if you like. And don't forget your lunch. You can pop over to the arena and do some hand quilting if you haven't done so yet. As you can see the quilt is shrinking fast - just like the Wicked Witch of the West!

Hand Quilting Bribe

2009-06-30T08:53:00.003-04:00

Click on the picture to see the bounty I shared with the girls yesterday: fresh picked cherries. Tonight I will be bringing a cottage pudding with lemon sauce to share. Come with a little appetite - it serves 6. :-)

the Fair Quilt

2009-06-27T09:48:00.002-04:00

C'mon out and help with the Fair quilt! Contact Monica for next week's hours - I will be quilting Monday and Tuesday evenings (if you're interested in the 'hornet' story).

The 'key-per' (Monica for next week) seems to bring nice cold water for us.

Hand Quilting on the Caledonia Fair Quilt

2009-06-18T10:05:00.004-04:00

The quilt has been put up at the Fairgrounds and we've started quilting. Finally!
Sorry, Lorraine, I caught you with your eyes closed. Bad photography seems to be my claim to fame.

Lois is co-ordinating the schedule. Please contact her if you can help out. It's warm up in the quilting room, so wear cool clothes. Bring your own little scissors, needles (although some needles are available there too) and your personal quilting tools (thimble, pliers, needle puller, martini {oops, wrong blog}, whatever).

Some of the gals from the Fair Board came up to take a peek after their meeting last night. They were all impressed with the quilt and quite excited about the prospect of a finished beauty like this.

June 10 meeting

2009-06-16T08:56:00.006-04:00

I appear to be the WORST photographer in the world. I'm sorry about that. Here are the winners of the Dirty Dozen Challenge.

1st - Anne

2nd - Ann

3rd - Mary

Hon. Mention - Lydia

Hon. Mention - Irene (our fearless leader)

We had an excellent pot luck supper to finish off the season - many thanks to all the cooks. We also had our huge lot of raffle draws. I won the crock pot! Thanks for your hard work all year long, Lydia.

For July and August we will get together for sewing only - no meeting. Cost per person will be $5 and we will meet on our normal day: 2nd Wednesday, from 9:30-ish 'till 5-ish. VISITORS ARE WELCOME (but it will cost you $5, too).

April Guild Meeting

2009-04-10T07:59:00.024-04:00

Sewing with friends during the day is such a nice break.

Christine is working on a laptop cover.

Charlotte is working on her sample for tonight's Block of the Month. It looks like it might be applique. Ya think???

Bernadette's daughter Audrey joined us today. She was very kind when I teased her about being 'fresh meat'.

Lois is working on the quilt we're making for the Agricultural Fair Board. This quilt does not want to be made. It should be really easy to hand quilt - there are so many needle holes in it already from unsewing.

Here are the prizes for tonight's draw tickets. Lydia made the little Easter pincushions. How crafty is that gal?

SOME OF THE SHOW 'N SHARE

Here is an applique piece by Charlotte. You can see why she's doing the machine applique lesson tonight.

Monica's Snowman quilt. OK, we've had quite ENOUGH of winter, thankyou!

Yaaay, more placemats for Meals on Wheels.

And Bernadette's donation to the Quilts of Valour program. Thank you!

Charlotte was instructing on Machine Applique techniques.

Lydia was instructing on Hand Applique techniques.

April 8th meeting

2009-04-04T09:23:00.004-04:00

Charlotte and Lydia are doing the program in April and will be demonstrating machine appliqué and hand appliqué.
YOU NEED TO BRING TO THE MEETING:
• Thread, a needle to sew with and scissors. They will have little kits for everyone.
• Also for those who want to do machine appliqué - bring your machine or leave it set up after sew day.

CHARITY PROJECT IN PROGRESS – “The Log Cabin with Stars Quilt”
For those who can help, we will be sewing the frames & stars around the blocks during the day.

Items left over from the March meeting: only the ironing board is still not claimed. I will bring it to sewing day and hopefully the owner will collect it.

What goes on at a UFO day

2009-03-25T22:18:00.010-04:00

Today was a great sewing day. We had three more gals join us ('cause we're so much fun!). Lydia coached the girls on layering a quilt, pin basting, and free motion machine quilting.

Umm, Madeline? You've gotten a little ahead of yourself. You've forgotten the quilt top and the backing.

This is what I accomplished today.

Colleen was hard at work ironing something.

Charlotte enjoying her oh-so-healthy lunch.

This was left at the church and came home with me. I had to eat the last butter tart square before I could put it in my project container.

UFO Sewing Day

2009-03-24T14:33:00.002-04:00

Wednesday March 25th from 9:30 - 4:30-ish you are welcome to come to the church and sew your little brains out. OK, sorry, your BIG brains. Clean out some of the ufo's - they clutter up your life and bring toxic karma into your aura. (what've I been smoking????)

Cost is $10 if you have not previously registered. That will also give you free admission to the May UFO sew day.

Meeting rehash

2009-03-12T12:15:00.010-04:00

We made yo-yos the old way and the new way, and there were lots of ideas for setting the half-square blocks into quilts. The gals who actually MADE a yo-yo the old way were entered into a draw for a Clover yo-yo maker. The winners were Anne J., Irene Mc. and Christine N. Congratulations ladies.

We must have some new books in the library - they look very intent!

The monthly job of sorting the half-square triangle blocks for the gals in the swap.

Some of the great show & share.

We seem to be a forgetful bunch. These were the leftovers from tonight's meeting.

Program - Wednesday March 11th

2009-03-05T15:25:00.002-05:00

First, let me apologize for not posting a summary of our February meeting. I was only recently back from Asia and still had jet lag. My camera cards were all full so I could not take any photos. Barb was away and she normally has HER camera, but again, no Barb no photos. We had a guest speaker: Maureen Czerneda from Dundas. Maureen gave us a lovely trunk show and talked about her quilts.

=================================================================

OK - now for March:

We will be setting up 3 stations.

Hanna will be working with the half-square blocks you’ve been collecting: laying them out and providing examples of how they can be set. Bring your camera if you want to save some of the ideas.
Helen will be giving you a HANDS-ON lesson on how to make yo-yos, and some ideas for their use. Bring fabric (a 10” hunk should be lots), scissors, pencil, needle & thread.
Sue will be demonstrating the Clover Yo-Yo maker to make yo-yos the NEW way. If you have a yo-yo maker bring it along.

If you type the word yo-yo enough times it becomes completely nonsensical. :-)

Sampler Quilt Top - Finished

2009-01-15T00:44:00.002-05:00

Good job ladies!!!

Don't forget the extra sewing day on Wednesday January 28th. 9:30 am till 4:30 pm. If you're not a regular member of the UFO group the cost will be $10.00. But that's a small price to pay for keeping one of your new year's resolutions. You did make a new year's resolution to GET RID of some of the ufo's, didn't you?

January meeting Wed. Jan 14th

2009-01-06T09:53:00.003-05:00

This month we will have a stitch night. It is time to assemble the quilt we've been working on in bits and pieces. However... we need 9 more blocks with a white-ish (not cream-ish) background. Please let me know if you can provide one - 12 1/2" unfinished size. This is a sampler quilt, so any block is fine and any colours are fine too, as long as the background fits the white-ish requirement. Get rid of some of those orphan blocks... put 'em in this quilt!

As a little background, the blocks have been collected as the samples of Block of the Month. The 9-patches were made last year in a Relay Race. The railroad sashing strips were made at a sewing day last summer.

I would like 5 gals with sewing machines to do the sewing. And perhaps 3 irons and ironing boards. Everyone will learn my uber-neat way of assembling quilt blocks with sashing and cornerstones with NO STRETCHING OR SKEWING of the sashing.

If you never have an opportunity to come for sewing days, you are welcome to bring your machine and work on something this month! Either one of your own projects or placemats for Meals on Wheels. Bring a project you are stuck on and get some help, if you like.

New York Trip

2009-01-04T08:49:00.002-05:00

Hello Girls, Happy New Year

Okay, anyone interested in doing an overnighter to New York State?? Our family went to New York City to celebrate a birthday over the New Years. Of course hit a couple of Jo-annes Fabric stores and on the way back stopped in at the Canal Barn in Fayetteville. It is an old barn converted into a needle work store. The bottom level is for needlepoint and the upper level is for us quilters. It was like shopping in a candy store. The worse part was having Bill and the son waiting in the car for me. At least Brian's girlfriend Nadia enjoyed the place with me, thank goodness someone else in the family sews!!. Anyway..... the gals who worked there were just awesome and boy did they have fabric, some of which I have never seen. I now know the value of working with the better fabrics. I have ordered a back pack pattern which they will send to me later. Please take a moment to see their website. www. calicogals.com. I picked up a copy of the local quilters newspaper and will bring it to the next meeting. So... if you have a chance and are passing by, drop in there, its not far off the main drag and well worth the visit. I plan to stop by again in July on the way through to the Poconos!

See you soon by quilting buddies

Janet

December 10th meeting

2008-12-11T21:27:00.004-05:00

I was so excited to get to the church today because I knew we had our FIRST PIECE OF MAIL waiting for us in our new mail slot at the church.

Ha ha ha ha... it's junk mail from the County, wanting us to advertise. Will someone out there please send us some quilt-related mail? Bookmarks for a quilt show, maybe? Entry forms for a challenge? Anybody???

This is a great shot of three of Santa's elves: Lydia, Barb and Irene.

Lydia is our not-so-secret Santa. She put together a great little Christmas baggie for everyone.

And Monica (did she have help??? Inquiring minds want to know) provided everyone with their own Christmas napkin to get us through our pot luck supper. How cute is that!! Making 30-some of those took a whole bunch of time and energy.

And, of course, Janet had our cook book CDs ready for us. I forgot to buy mine (actually, I was sidelined by someone and never made it back over there) and I forgot to take a photo of the lovely stack of CDs. Thank you Janet, I'll get my copy from you later.

I'm pretty sure we have the BEST guild in the country. I hope our habits of helping, sharing and volunteering continue through the years to come.

Merry Christmas everyone! See you in January.

November 12th Judy Lyons, Quilt Appraiser

2008-11-16T07:13:00.012-05:00

We started our day sewing.

Judy Lyons arrived around 3 pm and started work on a few appraisals.

We had supper at 6:00 from Cafe Amore. Apparently we've eaten it all.

Show & Share - here is Mary's oh-so-cute cherry quilt.

And Hanna has more placemats for Meals-on-Wheels.

Here is our Quilt of Valour, all completed and ready to go.

Judy got on with her trunk show - educational AND entertaining.

NEXT UFO SEWING DAY
Join us on Wednesday Nov. 26th - 9:30 am - $10.00.
Sew your brains out (well, maybe not that much) until 4:30.

Guild Cookbook

2008-10-26T08:41:00.002-04:00

Just to let you know the Cookbook is coming along very nicely and will be done for the Christmas meeting. Thanks to Anne Jay for the great Clip Art site. The pictures are cute and there are a few surprise pictures for some of the gals who belong to a special club. No Charlotte, you are not in that club yet, but soon!

This is your very last chance to get recipes in girls. I will no longer take them after Oct 31. If you would like to proof read your recipe I will have my laptop at the November sewing day. Come and have a sneak peak.

Happy sewing

Janet

Sewing Day & Quilt of Valor

2008-10-09T07:40:00.028-04:00

On our guild day, those who wish can come anytime after 9:30 am and sew all day, on whatever they want. This month we had a project to work on - a quilt being donated to Quilts of Valor.

The project arrived with Helen at 10:35.

Sue was SO EXCITED to be the first one to start sewing.

Lydia needed a little pick-me-up light.

Mary. Poor Mary sewing two lights together. No, Mary. Unsew please.

Helen ironing.
Barb cross-cutting the stripsets.

Charlotte sewing blocks together.

Dineke sewing blocks together.

Sue telling Charlotte how it SHOULD be done.

Dineke and Mary - obviously not pleased with the arrangement of strips.

Floris Ann. Yes, she really is this happy. Always.

Barb owns the local quilt shop and has generously donated batting for the quilt. Yay Barb!

Anne comes in late, walks over to the top and says "hey, these blocks are wrong!"

3:00 pm, the blocks are fixed and the borders are finished. Good job everyone. THANK YOU.

baby lock......nice

2008-10-06T15:06:00.002-04:00

well...good thing that you are getting that new machine.....I am still working on Hannas angel from last years toter.......so I won't complain...yet....
Irene

Machine Blues

2008-10-06T12:30:00.002-04:00

To my toter buddies

Since both my sewing machines have been down and out Irene's toter will not have my block in it. Not to worry I will put it in for November meeting. But.......am thrilled to say I am picking up my brand new Baby Lock Espire Monday afternoon. Can't wait, how exciting to get a new machine that actual does what it is suppose to do. Thanks Girls, see you on sewing day!!

Janet Cook

Plans for Guild Sewing Day, Oct 8th

2008-10-06T09:08:00.003-04:00

I am hoping the gals who come for sewing day will help me with this quilt, which will be donated to the Quilts of Valor program, Canadian branch. The quilt will finish around 65" x 74". The top has been cut from my stash (which has not noticed anything missing!). With luck, someone will offer to piece a backing (min 70" x 79" please). With MORE luck, the guild will offer to pay for the batting, so that I may offer to donate the quilting. And someone with loving fingers could perhaps do the binding.

Where did this whole idea come from? I was reading the blog of Kimmy Brunner and was shamed by my apathy towards our soldiers. The original design for the quilt top is by Alycia but I've rewritten the instructions for quicker (I hope) piecing.

The guilds where I have a contact will also be getting a wee challenge from me. We ALL have large stashes and have an opportunity to make a difference.

Guild 'Show & Tell'

2008-10-03T09:43:00.004-04:00

Bumper pads to go with the quilt.

Very challenging border.

Show & Tell of Little People Quilts

2008-10-03T09:39:00.007-04:00

Proud of their work.

Guild 'Show & Tell'

2008-10-03T09:20:00.006-04:00

Marian Cole from Burlington taught a small landscape one evening.

Lydia and Irene with their purses.

2008-10-01T08:33:00.008-04:00

Caledonia Grand River Quilters’ Guild
Est. September 2005

“A STITCH-IN-TIME” NEWSLETTER
http://www.caledonia-quilt-guild.blogspot.com/

Volume 4 Issue 3 Grace United Church, Caithness St. East 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 12th, 2008

Mission Statement: The Caledonia Grand River Quilters’ Guild is a fellowship, which, through the medium of quilting, promotes social interaction, educational opportunities, artistic development, and community service through each individual’s personal commitment and contribution.

A message from our President: On November 11th I vow to remember our veterans. My Dad was one, my father in-law, uncles, and friends. I am sure we all know someone who served. When the big wars were over they came home to open arms, ticker tape parades and hero welcomes. Today we have Canadians fighting another war for different reasons. I have a relative there and I am almost positive that when that war finally ends there will be no ticker tape parades for them. On the 11th I will remember the past and the present, the ones who have died, the ones who have survived and the ones who are still fighting. Irene

President: Irene McDonald
Vice-President: Hanna Nudds
Past President: Charlotte Ruigrok

Toter Exchange – Charlotte Ruigrok
7” Half-Square Triangle Exchange – Floris Ann Dawson
Beginners’ Club – Sue Rummerfield (Beginners be sure to come early, at 7:00 pm, for Sue’s club)
Sewing Day/Dinner Organizer – Monica
UFO Sewing Day Organizer – Helen Hubert
Block-of-the-Month Organizer – Charlotte Ruigrok
Block Presenter for November – HANNA
Forget-Me-Not Club – Madeline
Charity Projects – Placemats for Meals-on-Wheels (for help see Floris Ann before the meeting). We are also making Quilts of Valour (see Helen about this.). Don’t forget your favourite pattern for our “Fair” quilt.
Draw Table: Lydia St. Onge-Baker
Show & Share: Lois Douglas

Half-Square Triangles – you will need to bring 16 (1/2 sq. triangles) to the meeting. 15 for swap and 1 for the guild. If you have any questions please contact Floris Ann. Thank you.

Quilt of Valor – Lydia has made a quilt to be donated to the Quilt of Valour for wounded servicemen and women. Henriette Burtenwerf who owns Country Quilt Shop in Wellandport had very kindly donated the quilt batt for this quilt. Helen Hubert has given us a copy of the pattern she used to make the quilt. See .pdf files attached.

SOCIAL

(Tea, coffee, milk & sugar are supplied by the Social Coordinators: Monica & Madeline)
November treat ladies are: Hanna & Charlotte
Everyone, remember to bring your mug!
Sewing Days -.-.-.-.On the Wednesday of our meeting, we will continue to have a sewing day, from 9:30 a.m. We will cater-in dinner for 6:00 p.m. Sewing day fee is $5 and dinner fee will be around $15. Let Monica know if you have a food allergy. The general meeting follows at 7:30 p.m.

Do you have too many UFO’s? We have enough interest for EXTRA sewing days STRICTLY FOR WORKING ON YOUR UFO’s. Dates (the 4th Wednesday) from 9:30–5:00: Nov. 26th,
Jan. 28th, March 25, May 27. (Helen Hubert). Cost for anyone joining us is $10.00/day.

LIBRARY
Words of Wisdom … Great ideas are found in our Library!
Help our Library--Save your Receipts...
0 from purchases at The Little Quilt Shoppe in Caledonia - for every $400 in receipts, we get a $40 credit toward books, and
0 from purchases at Quilters' Haven in Renton - for every $500 worth of receipts collected, our Guild gets a $50 credit toward books for our library.
Place your receipts in the envelopes at the library table at our meetings (or just hand them to Lorraine Johnson).
0Donating Quilting related magazines – should be less than 2 years old.
WHAT’S NEW IN OUR LIBRARY? I'm planning my book purchasing outings to both The Little Quilt Shoppe and Quilters' Haven in the near future. If you have any suggestions about what books I could try to obtain for the Caledonia Quilt Guild's library, please forward those suggestions along to me.
Suggestions already rec'd: French Braid book, book on stack 'n whack, and book on some items eg: table runners/placements. If you know of titles I should look for, let me know.
Thanks, Lorraine

“THE DIRTY DOZEN CHALLENGE”, quilt to be *completed by June 2009
- minimum quilt size is 36” x 36”
- you must have some of all 12 fabrics in your quilt top
- you can add up to 3 additional fabrics (includes binding but not backing)
$10 fine if you do not bring your completed quilt (quilted and bound) for
Show & Share in June. !!! Prizes will be awarded !!!

“SEW HEAR THIS” … Congratulations!
· Judy Lyons is a certified quilt appraiser and will be our guest speaker on November 12th. Appraisals will be available prior to our meeting. Appointments are scheduled in half hour time slots and the latest appointment will be 5:30. Verbal appraisals are $25.00, written appraisals are $50.00. If you are interested in having an appraisal done, let Helen Hubert know and she will send you the form Judy needs completed beforehand. The deadline to book an appraisal is Friday November 7th. And remember, you will need to be here with your quilt at your appointment time.
· Missing – a turntable cutting mat from a workshop a few months ago, belonging to Lydia.
· Grace United Church has agreed to having our mail delivered to their address. This is great news!
(Let Anne know if you have some news you would like to share with the guild.)

GUILD COOKBOOK – Janet says the cookbook is ready for final checking at the November meeting. The cookbook will be available at the December meeting. Yahoo! Think about this as a great stocking stuffer for your family and friends.

Don’t forget to bring your toonies for our draw table. For tickets, see Lydia before the meeting starts.
Show & Share – bring in your quilted items to Show & Share and your name could be drawn for a free pick out of our “goodie toter”!
- October winner – Barb Lister

TIPS: A Word About Backing FabricRemember quilt backing fabric should be about 6 inches larger than the top. This means if your quilt top measures 50” X 50” the backing fabric should measure 56” X 56”. Never use the selvage edge when constructing any part of your quilt. Another thing to keep in mind is that a single seam running across the back (either horizontally or vertically) will receive a lot of stress. To reduce the stress on the seam and extend the life of your quilt, create a backing with 2 seams in which no seam runs through the middle.
Example:

BUMPER STICKER WISDOM:

Ann Macdonald says …
“Quilters make great comforters.”
QUILT WEBSITE INFO …
· Lydia says …check out these sites http://www.jmddesigns.co.nz/Quilting/q_tutorials/tutorial_p_n_s.htm
· http://www.patchpieces.com:80/Flyinggeese.html
· Helen says - Quilt labels are printed every week, free to download. http://quilttags.com/

AROUND-THE-TOWN NEWS: It looks as though we go from November 2008 to May 2009 before we have some shows to go to, but we will keep looking, I’m sure something else will pop-up soon…

Nov 7-9/08 Toronto A Celebration of Quilts X Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto, 6 Garamond Court (Don Mills and Eglinton area) Fri 10-9 Sat 10-5 Sun 10-4. Merchant Mall, silent auction, quilt draw for attendees & more! York Heritage QG. See website: mailto:http://www.yhqg.org/celebrationX.html

May 2-3/09 Brampton The Quilted Odyssey Jim Archdekin Rec Centre 292 Conestoga Dr. Sat 1-5. Sun 10-4. Vendors, door prizes, tea room, raffle quilt, mini quilts raffle & more. Adm $5. Brampton QG. http://bqguild.wordpress.com/ or Elaine 905.819.9703 May 1-2/09 Lucknow Hats off to Quilting Lucknow Community Centre Fri 10-8 Sat 10-4 Featuring: Quilts, Wall Hangings, Merchant's Mall, Viewer's Choice, Lunch Room Adm $4 5 Star QG Volaine Hodgins, (519) 395-5479 May 8-10/09 Peterborough Feelings in Fabric 2009: Memories of Mom. Evinrude Centre, Monaghan & Lansdowne Sts., Fri 6-9 Sat 10-5 Sun10-4. Quilt display, redwork display, block challenge, demonstrations, members boutique, tea room, large vendor’s area. Kawartha Quiltmakers QG, Contact: kqgquiltshow2009@live.ca

Block-of-the-Month Presenters:
December Helen
January Lydia
February Bernadette
March Anne J.
April Lydia
May Mary R.

Block-of-the-Month Winner for October was … Lois. Congratulations!

We are now adding the previous month’s meeting minutes to the newsletter. We ask that you read them before this month’s meeting and be prepared to amend/accept the minutes as recorded. By doing this we reduce the time spent reading them at the meeting. This gives us added time for our program. Which, as we all know, “is a good thing”. Thank you.

If you have something quilt-related to sell or advertise in the newsletter let me know by the 1st of each month. The cost is 3 fat quarters or $5 for space, $7.50 for half a page or $10 for a full page. If you know someone who would be interested in advertising in our newsletter please let me know. If you have a great tip or a super website, please let me know.
Thanks, Anne J
SEE BELOW FOR ADVERTISEMENTS: (Please support our advertisers. Thank you!)

THE LITTLE QUILT SHOPPE
1ST. ANNIVERSARY
OPEN HOUSE
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22nd, 2008
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

72 Braemar Ave, Caledonia, ON 905-765-1273
E-mail: littlequiltshop@mountaincable.net
Web Site: www.thelittlequiltshoppe.ca

Please come and help me celebrate the
1st Anniversary of
The Little Quilt Shoppe

· Lucky Draw for a $50.00 prize
at the end of the day
· Free “Fat Quarter” draws every hour
(one per customer)

ALL FABRIC CLEARANCE
40% OFF

Refreshments

Sept 10th meeting

2008-08-29T09:41:00.002-04:00

Our meeting on Sept. 10th will start at 7:30 pm. Please come out and see what the guild has to offer you. This is the first meeting of the season and membership $$ will be due if you have not paid yet. The cost is $35 for the year. If you are not sure you want to join you may pay a $4 visitor fee instead. Bring your coffee cup so we don't have to wash dishes (bleaghhh). Anne Jay is busy working on our newsletter and it should be sent out to members soon.

Our New Fearless Leader

2008-08-20T20:43:00.004-04:00

Here's Irene, our new President. She also happens to be in my Red Hat group (Caledonia River Belles). Party girl, it appears, no???

WELCOME EVERYONE

2008-08-20T17:28:00.004-04:00

WELCOME EVERYONE TO ANOTHER WONDERFUL YEAR OF QUILTING, LEARNING AND FUN....THANKS HELEN FOR CREATING THE BLOG...LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING EVERYONE ON SEPT 10TH.............IRENE