November gathering and games

 Our November meeting was for fun and games! Those who stayed after show and tell enjoyed playing several games of Bingo for fabulous prizes (donated by our members).  The "Boards" were quilt blocks made of colorful fabrics and were donated Community Service.  Theywill now become quilts to donate from our  group to community organizations.   Thanks to all who made blocks but didn't play as well.  Of course I didn't get pictures of them....

I did get pictures of show and tell, though.

                            Martha Lorshbaugh made this to donate to a cancer treatment center.

                                                     This is Martha's Halloween table runner

                              Mary Kozub has been weaving instead of quilting.  Aren't these lovely!!

Donna Tonski found the stitchery piece among her UFOs and used Jelly Roll strips to make it into a pillow.  She's so happy it's finished!

Val Schultz didn't enjoy some of the paper piecing on this- originally planned as an entry for the "Rock, Paper< Scissors" challenge, but it kept growing and is now too big.  Her husband has claimed it!

Val made this as a sample to try out these free form log cabin blocks.  She'll be sharing this technique with us on Demo Day in February.

Donna Sofokles made this with a charm pack she was given.  It's for Community Service.

Donna used pretty William Morris style prints to make this- also for Community Service.

                Cheryl Doody made this for the Consortium Wee Little Quilts fundraiser

Cheryl used a jelly roll to make this beautiful top she donated to Community Service.

With Jenny's help, Connie did a sewing project with the students in her 4th grade class.  They each drew a picture inspired by a book they had read.  The pictures were turned into quilt tops to be entered in the School Block Challenge, sponsored by Moda and the National Quilt Museum. I didn't get pictures-good ones anyway- of all the drawings. 

 

 

 

The blocks will be on display at the National Quilt Museum once the contest closes.  Connie plans to quilt them for the children when they are returned to her next spring.

This piece is Elaine Ross' entry for last year's QCNYS challenge, "Focus on the Future.  Winners will be announced soon.  All of the entries will be part of a traveling exhibit at member quilt shows in 2022.

Apologies to Elaine Lemley.  I omitted her piece from the last Community Service update.  She donated this at the October meeting, which I was unable to attend.  

In December, we'll be having our annual holiday party.  This year, we're having breakfast pizza, donuts and fruit, safely served by our hospitality committee.  As always, please bring your drink and a place setting.  

We'll also play another fun game. See the newsletter for details!

Community Service news

September 27 - Thanks to everyone who stayed after our September business meeting to help with our community service projects. As a result of those efforts (as well as all the time members have spent over the past several months working diligently on community service items at home), we have a  big stack of quilts ready to be gifted!   We recently dropped of 10 quilts to the Lipson Cancer Institute in Batavia. Many thanks to our members for their beautiful work!  

October 2-  Community Service has donated ten more quilts -  this time to the WNY Foster Closet.  Thanks to our fantastic members who support our Community Service projects. 

https://www.facebook.com/FosterLoveCloset/

 

September news and announcements

 Our September meeting was held at the lovely Fellowship Hall at the United Methodist Church in Batavia.  They are gracious hosts and we are very grateful for the opportunity to enjoy their facility again.  However- Drum-roll, Please- the VA has approved us to return to holding our meetings in their auditorium!  That's right, folks- We're GOING HOME, beginning with the October meeting!! 

MASKS are REQUIRED inside the VA facility, especially when entering/ exiting and using the restrooms, i.e. in places where you might be exposed to or exposing residents.

We will once again need helpers to set up for the meeting: tables and chairs, snack table, sound system.  Contact Martha if you want to sign up.

 Show and Tell continues to be on the small side.  Maybe, like me, you all are just now getting your sewing mojo back up to speed?  

Nancy Ellers made this blanket to be donated.  She had yarn left over, so made a matching hat for the baby.

Nancy Schrader brought in the pillow she made to celebrate the end of her cancer treatments.  It is heavily embellished with layers of buttons and bling!

Nancy and her mom brought this fabric to be used for teddy bears which will be donated to a foster care program (I think- I missed the name of the organization)

Ann O'Geen made these pillows from shirts of a loved one who passed as a memorial for the family.

Val Schults repurposed some orphan blocs to make this in answer to a challenge which had to include churn dash blocks, flying geese, hour glass blocks and one block of your choice (her center block)

Melanie Tubinis quilted this Community Service quilt, pieced by Carol McNally.

Mary Ann Watson made this to donate to community service

Kathy Belluscio's niece picked out some very cool fabrics in a shop in Oregon  and asked Kathy to make her a quilt.  This is the back!

The front features the beautiful scenic panels and a selection of colorful fabrics, which the niece wanted in a random arrangement.  Kathy used the blocks from the "Yellow Brick Road" pattern to make it appear random!

Our activity this month was to finish up some community Service projects, including heart pillows for breast cancer patients, and teddy bears.

Working together also offers the opportunity to chat with fellow members

Donna and Carol shared the work on this piecing kit, and got the top finished!

 

Doing these work days gives Connie and Jenny a nice supply of items to pass on to the organizations in need, including another stack of quilts that went to the VA last week!

In November we'll be playing Bingo, using blocks to be donated to Community Service.  Instructions are in the newsletter.  Here is a picture of a small quilt I made when my online group played this game at our virtual retreat in 2020.

 Finally, it's time for the commercial- please consider volunteering for one of the open positions in the guild.  I know there's still plenty of uncertainty going around, but our guild can't thrive even in the best of times unless we all work together!

August meeting, and a "slightly" delayed challenge presentation

 The weather cooperated -for the most part, as the few sprinkles dampened neither our spirits or the inside of the pavilion!- for our final outdoor meeting of the year. 

We enjoyed TWO show and tell sessions.  (I apologize that details are missing.  I keep forgetting to ask someone to write notes for me while I take pictures. )

Thanks to Alex Hammon and Nancy Schrader for holding the larger quilts.

Nancy Ellers sent a picture of er face to spooonflower and had fabric made that she then made masks from. 

This is a series of blocks from a book Nancy has.  She is trying to do one a week.

Using denim she picked up from the free table, Nancy made a shopping bag for Community Service. 

The Caledonia library is doing an auction.  Nancy is making this piece to donate to them.

Donna Sofokles made these for the consortium wee quilts collection

Donna bought an antique quilt top at a yard sale (I think) only to find the blocks weren't all the same size.  So she matched them up by size and made several smaller quilts to use as table toppers or runners.

Donna is trying to finish up some UFOs (and who isn't?)  She was happy to get this one done.  

Bonnie Reigle made this to go over the arm of a chair and hold the remotes.

I think she said she found the pattern for this on the free table in June.  She has made two of these runners so far.  

Kathy Belluscio used the scraps from a baby quilt she showed in June to make this sweet baby quilt!

Kathy made this disappearing nine-patch quilt to donate to Community Service. 

Jenny took a class on appliquéd circles with Timna Tarr, and this quilt is the result!

 

Connie Grimsley made more of theses rail fence blocks to add to blocks in the Community Service stash for this quilt.  It will go to "Sleep in Heavenly Peace" for children in need.  

We all thought the back was very pretty as well.  Val Schultz did the quilting.

Connie used "I Spy" squares she bought from Ann Renica to make this Community Service quilt.  

Connie also took the class with Timna Tarr and made this quilt to be a gift for a friend.

On a trip to visit their aunt in Wisconsin, Connie and Jenny bought the panel and matching fabrics for this quilt.  It will be a gift for their aunt who was there when they bought the fabrics!

Carol McNally was happy to cross this quilt off her UFO list.  

Tracy Jachimowicz bought this red fabric last year and it inspired her to make this "Wonky Stars" quilt.  Pattern from Missouri Star, I think.

Rather than put the scraps away, Tracy made this quilt for Community Service.

I share this picture so you can see the sad state of the quilt Melaine Tubinis was given.  It had been used in a garage to cover cars or to hold car parts, or something else equally inappropriate for a quilt!

Melanie is thinking she may cut the less worn parts of this quilt and make it smaller.  While they were holding it, Alex and Nancy found a label that might say 1862 on it on the back of the quilt!

Nancy had worked on this at retreat a couple of years ago, and is happy to show the finished work.  

Rather than buy backing, she used the left overs, making the back as pretty as the front- but also making the quilt tough to quilt through in spots!

Nancy had shared this on a Zoom, but brought it back to share in person.  She calls it "Waves of Happiness"

Before moving on to the presentation and turning in of our "Red and White" challenge quilts, Cynda passed out the ribbons from the 2020 "Modern Solids"  challenge!  Winners were listed in the April 202 newsletter, but here they are again.  Congratulations to all. 

I couldn't get good photos of all the entries presented, but most are shown on the January post from our zoom meeting here.   Sadly, our exhibit at the library has been cancelled, so this is your only chance to see the quilts. 

                                                                    Cynda Watroba

                                                                Gloria Crittenden

                                                                       Susan Rathbun

                                                                      Susan Rathbun

Mary Ellen Ames

Elaine lemley made the last minute decision to cut this piece into the maple leaf shape and regretted it when doing the binding!

Nancy Schrader

Mary Beth Letson had JUST joined the guild- attending only one meeting before the lockdown started- but wanted to participate in the challenge.  

Jean Butzer

      In person we could appreciate how tiny the baskets were on Tracy Jachimowicz's piece!

Sue Privatera

Carol McNally

Jennifer Grimsley

As of today (August 22), our plan for September is to meet at the United Methodist Church on Lewiston Road in Batavia.  Details, including all Covid related information, will be in the newsletter.  We hope you will join us there!

A few days after the meeting, Connie and Jennifer Grimsley took this stack of quilts to the VA for the residents there.  Great work, everyone!!