Class highlights and a Happy Village

Jane

This week has flown by and I've been busy sewing and meeting with sampler clubs. Monday night's group is one of two that are working on the newest sampler, Simply Posies. Jane is using 30s repro fabrics for hers and decided to make one large posy. She had some multicolored strips left from another project, so is using them for the narrow border around the center. Her center has a pretty nine patch that ties in perfectly.

Laura W

 Laura is using two fabrics for the posies. Her fabrics have an asian feel with the gold overlay. She hasn't added her narrow border yet...she is planning something interesting for that too.

Deb M had her squares cut when she came, so got most of them added to make panels.

 Tuesday night was a work night for the group making the To The Point sampler. They didn't have experience using setting triangles and corners, so we spent most of the time cutting them and starting to sew the panels together. Two of the quilters worked on blocks they still needed to finish (oops, forgot to take pix of those!). They were doing well by class end and excited about seeing their quilts come together.

Nancy B sewing her triangles to the blocks.

Debbie McQ has some beautiful batik blocks!

Martha is using a white fabric for her setting triangles so that her backgrounds show up better.

 I took a day off from sewing yesterday to clean and mow, but I have plans to do some more quilting today on the Happy Village quilt. I need to get it finished this week.

 I worked on it a few weeks ago, but then got caught up in retreat sewing and other things that I haven't gotten back to it. Since I want to teach the technique in Oct. I need to get it finished and to the shop.The quilting wasn't as difficult as I thought it might be as you are basically tracing around each piece. My biggest problem was being able to see around the presser foot, so I found a plastic foot that I think will help with that.

As I was quilting, I decided that there was a blank space on the far left under the black, zigzaggy roof, so I added a new house. It really is hard to know where to stop, but I think it looks better now.

Off to quilt! Are you quilting too?

Kid's Camp, 2015 and sampler updates

I like to schedule a few sessions of Kid's Camp for area kids in the summer. Some kids like to make things for their 4-H groups to take to the fair, some just like to make things! This year I decided to offer a beginning sewing project using a Simplicity pattern for skirts. There were several views, making a short fuller skirt or a longer A-line type skirt. I have had these girls in class before and they did very well.

They had fun and did a great job!

I also had an adult take the class as she is a beginner and wants to learn how to make clothing. I had given 2 pattern options as some kids are adult size, so she chose the adult pattern. Hers turned out well too. I will be offering this class again in July. If you live in my area and are interested, check the Upcoming Classes page for the full details.

That evening I met with the Sampler Pick group. There are four members in this group and they are making three different quilts. 

 Marilyn's Row by Row is coming along nicely! She has to make three of the basket blocks for her quilt.

 Dorothy hung up her finished blocks for the Ribbon Quartz quilt...she didn't have her machine so she cut out both of her blocks during class and will sew them later.

 Christine and Judy are making the Carpenter Wheel Spin...Judy was on vacation, but Christine got both of her Seattle Star blocks finished.

 We had a couple of drop-ins that missed their class this month because of vacations. Deb and Shirley were working on English Ivy for the Point the Way sampler. Somehow, I only got a picture of one.

 Laural was working on the Odds and Ends block from the Sunbonnet Sue sampler. Her group is going to meet next month to get the top put together and finish. This is Laural's second quilt.

I traveled to Muscatine, IA for a trunk show yesterday and am teaching a Circle and Spin class today,  so I will take lots of pictures of their progress. 

Bits and Pieces of a lot of things

It's always fun to see the sampler quilts progress from month to month. The Highlights sampler is nearing the end and so the first group's blocks are really shaping up. Laura was worried that hers were too busy because of her repeating block, but I reminded her that they all had a border around them that spreads them out, so once we did the layout with some of them in place, it took on a different look. She liked it much better. 

Laura

Jane has been working on two quilts at the same time; one with a yellow background for her grandson and one with a green background. She decided she had enough blocks finished to put together the yellow one, so she brought it to class last week. You can see she made her Eccentric Stars out of different fabrics. I love it this way too. 

Jane

 Here are the green ones and last week's block. So pretty.

She also made these adorable camper pincushions for a friend and brought them to show us.

Jane

Diana

Diana is working with three fabrics and her background on this quilt. I love her placement of the fussy cut flowers. That is her border fabric, I think. It's great when people add their own ideas to your design. 

 The To The Point sampler group worked on this leaf block last week. We all think it looks more like a tree. That is mine from the quilt below.

 We talked about how different the blocks look when set on point and put some on the wall to see. I forgot to take a pic of them straight. Some blocks are more interesting on point.

Dianne has been working on her Beads, Buttons and Baubles quilt the past two Tuesdays. It's looking good and with all of those bug fabrics, I think she should name it Beetles, Bugs and More Bugs!

Dianne

I have been working on a lot of class stuff, but not sewing the past few days. I'm working on the Simply Posies Sampler 21 pattern, which is going very well. It's sort of the sampler that's not a traditional sampler, but I love it! I wish I could've gotten it quilted before I hung it at the store Wednesday, but it's actually easier to display the larger quilts in the classroom as a flimsy, so I guess it's ok. I may get it done yet this summer!

Simply Posies Sampler 21

I've also been working on the weekly sewing, posts and patterns that go along with the Red, White and True Quilt Along. (You can find all of the info on the quilt along on the link above.) I'm really getting excited about it and anxious to cut out my second quilt and sew along with everyone.Have you picked out your fabrics? There is a Flickr group you can post pictures to so we can all admire them! I will be posting the cutting directions on Mon. June 22, so have those fabrics pressed and ready to cut! Are you joining us?

I am going to load Red, White and True on the frame today and try to get it quilted. It's smaller and shouldn't take too long. Wish me luck!