December 2023 - Show and Tell

 I hope you are all having a lovely holiday. I know that you enjoy seeing some of the Christmas decorating and gifts from your friends in the group.

First, Anita finished her growth chart for her granddaughter.

Anita made pillowcases for her grandchildren, and now Grandpa wants one, too.

Finally, we have a Christmas BOM that Anita made a few years ago.

Bev Darlington showed this Christmas Stack and Whack she made a few years ago. Thanks to Lynda for taking a picture.

Carol McFee sent pictures of "a few" Christmas quilts.

Doreen has made a wall hanging of the Three Wise Man. Marilyn Lauer gave her the pattern.

Joy mad this pattern multiple times on year, as gifts for her sons and nieces. When she had them all finished she discovered that one said NEOL. 

Joy also sent a picture of her mantel with her collection of Santas.

Judy Emond thinks she has made 6 of these poinsettia quilts over the years.

 These ornaments are from a workshop Judy taught at the Kanata Guild.

MaryAnn made some cloth napkins for Christmas dinner. She has enough fabric for a matching tablecloth but that will wait for next year.

Finally, I made a tree skirt, that took multiple years to complete. Little did I know that I was really making a Christmas quilt for my cat, Emme.

You will notice that the presents are all behind the tree, so she has room to stretch out.

Don't forget, the next meeting is January 9.

Kate

November 2023 - Show and Tell

 Welcome to the online version of our Show and Tell. I know those who have been attending the gatherings have been enjoying seeing what everyone is working on. At the last gathering, I even managed to thread my needle.

We have a nice selection of pictures of projects, and a lovely surprise. I'll start with the surprise.

Our friend Kamal is currently visiting family in India and will be back in January. She has sent us a couple of pictures of her trip.

Thanks, Kamal. These are a delight to see. 

Anita made some things for her church bazaar.

This is Anita's latest finish.

Chris Mitchler has been catching up, and sent us pictures of several of her recent finishes.

Helen Anderson has sent a picture of some of the quilts and tops she is taking to Florida for the charity work of the quilt group she belongs to there.

Judy Emond has 4 quilts ready to donate.

If you think that the second and the fourth one look a lot alike, it is because she had originally planned to make a king sized quilt for her own bed but decided it was too light for a home with a dog. So she split it into two quilts.

I discovered an interesting internet challenge program, called Project Quilting. The introduction can be found here. https://kimlapacek.com/project-quilting

As a warmup, Kim, the organizer, posts clues to a mystery quilt, for about 7 days around Christmas. In 2021, I completed the mystery quilt, entirely from my stash, with rather interesting results. If you look closely, one of the prints is bats.

I also find the challenges that make up Project Quilting to be a great way to improve your skills and use up the ever growing collection of fabric pieces. 

Speaking of scraps, Lynda Smyth has sent a picture of her amazing hexagon quilt.

These a 3/4" hexies.

MaryAnn had some half square triangles leftover from another project, and they are now her new Christmas cushion covers!

That is a great set of pictures. 

As you are decorating over the next little while, be sure to snap a couple of pictures for our December Show and Tell.

Kate

Show and Tell - October 2023

 This is our first Show and Tell, after returning to in person gatherings. I didn't get a lot of pictures submitted. 

Barb Karim has sent us a quilt appropriate for Halloween, called "A Murder of Crows".

Diane Hart made this quilt for charity. It is from the pattern BQ.

I finished my fingerless mittens. The pattern is Aranea. 

At our first gathering, I showed a bag I made in 2021. It is inspired by a vintage designer bag, with my own interpretation.

Lynda Smyth sent us a picture of the quilt she showed at our first gathering in October. It is called Daisy Chain. The pattern is by Brigette Giblin from Australia, and it is hand pieced and hand quilted.

That is all from this month. Remember, if you want a picture of a quilt you show at a gathering to appear on our Show and Tell page, you need to send me the picture. No one is taking pictures at the meeting for this page.

Kate

September 2023 - Virtual Meeting

 Welcome to our 60th Show and Tell, here on-line. Our hope is that Our show and Tell pictures will continue here but we will again be meeting in person, starting next month. Details will be coming in an email, later this month.

It has obviously been too wet or too hot (or both) to sew this month, so we only have a small collection this time.

My hint of the month: Labels!

We all know that it is important to label our quilts but when you make something that isn't a quilt, especially as a gift, it is fun to add a label. You can now buy some really fun premade labels.

This label is by Kylie and the Machine. It is an Australian company, and they have lots of fun designs. You can buy them locally at Mimi Fabrics in Kanata, and Fabrications on Carling Ave. in Ottawa. You can check out their web site to see all the fun designs. Last year they even had an Advent Calendar, if you decide to forgo the chocolate.

https://www.kylieandthemachine.com/

Dianne Watchorn is making this adorable quilt for her granddaughter.

Helen Anderson has been making quilts for a charity that she supports in Florida. These are three she made this summer.

Just in time for the Back to School heatwave, I finished some shorts for my grandson.

Our first meeting in October will be October 3.

Kate

August 2023 - Virtual Meeting

 Welcome Back!  Summer is half over, and back to school will soon be here.

This month I asked the question :Where do you buy your fabric? I think the last little while has changed how I buy fabric, and I am sure it has for you, too. So, I wanted to start a list that will find its way on to our new web site. 

The most creative answer I got came from Judy Emond. 

Judy said: " I haven't been buying much fabric lately as I'm trying to use up my stash. I did, however, have a good time buying batiks when I was in Bali this past May."

And she sent us a picture of her treasures.

For those of us who won't be headed to Bali soon, here are some suggestions.

Locally

Mad About Patchwork (Stittsville) https://www.madaboutpatchwork.com/

Textile Traditions  (Almonte) Look for Kelly on Facebook

Maker Savvy (Kanata)  https://makersavvy.ca/

Mimi Fabrics (Kanata) https://www.mimifabrics.ca/

Road Trip 

Ron's Fabrics (Cornwall) Look for them on Facebook. I hear they have a new owner.

Taylor Sewing Quilt Shop (Brockville) https://www.taylorsewing.com/

Online Ordering in Ontario

Sew Sisters (Toronto)  https://www.sew-sisters.com/

Funky Monkey (Sarnia) https://funkymonkeyfabrics.com/

Sunshine and Peony (Bolton) https://sunshineandpeony.com/

Online Ordering From the US

Missouri Star Quilt Company https://www.missouriquiltco.com/

eQuilter  https://www.equilter.com/

Connecting Threads https://www.connectingthreads.com/

Keepsake Quilting https://www.keepsakequilting.com/

Hancocks of Paducah https://www.hancocks-paducah.com/

Warning: When ordering from the US make sure you know how it will be shipped. Some delivery companies have extra fees for bringing your order through customs, which really increases the cost of your order.

Now on to the Show and Tell!

First up, Barb Sharp-Bond made two quilts for Victoria's Quilts.

Carol McFee received the pattern for this from a friend in NB. It is called Dec La Halls. Carol said a totally machine made piece challenged her. If you would like to make one, she says that pattern will be available on the give away table in October. 

Diane Harte is working on the Carol Doak Bonus Block of the Month from Carol's Facebook group. Diane is making the blocks at 50% so the blocks are 6 inches finished,

Judy Emond really has been using up her stash with quilts for Victoria's Quilts. 

This one used some of those Bali Batiks.

My completion this month is another Lemonza Phone Clutch. this one is for a friend, who chose the fabric from my stash.

I also subscribed to the Aurifil ThreadLabs, which gives you a chance to try different threads from Aurifil. For July it was 7 different threads, all in a cream colour. We were given ideas on how to use them so this is my sampler.

Our next show and Tell will be September 11. You can send your pictures to me any time.

Kate