This ia a project that started out as quilt guild demo's and developed into a beautiful wall hanging.  Had to find something to do with all of those demo blocks and this is one of the results.  Each block in the hanging started as a demo on techniques and each month a different technique shown.  When finished I just threw them aside until I spotted one layiing on the table and thought , what do I do with this now.  Have you been there?  So when shopping one day I spotted this georgeous blue border fabric and, there you go.  Had to work with it to get the right look but you have to see it up close to check out the print.  This picture does not do anything for the print, you just have to take my word if I have to say so myself.

Jeanette's quilt

After months and months of quilting and not quilting, I can finally say that my daughter Jeanette will have a quilt from her mom. I only hope that she will like the colors.

Machine problems!

There's nothing like having your sewing machine out of service. The winter days of 2011 was no fun as my pride and joy was not in the house. Would you believe that while the machine was in the shop there were all kinds of brain storming going on? The good thing about all this was that I did get to finish a lot of ufp just laying around. It also gave me a chance to layout fabric and color matches that had been on my mind but I didn't do anything about them. Now, my machine is back and here I go again. Brain working overtime, body and age trying to keep up, house a mess, but what's new? Creative people, what can I say? Right now I am getting blocks ready for the quilt guilds next meeting that I will post for you to see.

Children's Summer Sewing Program - Toledo, OH

For the past five years, I, along with five other ladies at Third Baptist Church, Toledo, OH, have been involved with the youth in the community in what we call our Summer Sewing Students. One week after school is out for the summer until one week before school starts again, every Monday from 10:00am until 2:00 we teach the children to sew and other needle arts. My volunteer help is Ruby Radford who opens the morning for us with an inspirational message to the children to wake them up and also prepares lunch. Euneda Liddell, a retired teacher who brings wisdom and thoughts on living to all of us. After they open up the morning and get us going, I then explain the project for the day, whether it's new or a continuation from the previous week. My sewing teachers are ladies with years of experience in sewing or needle work: Marilynn Gardner, Ruth Penamon, Clemintine Bourn. There are parents that come with the children which we all appreciate. They chip in and help where ever we need them: Beverly Liddell Smith, Tamara Mabrey and Cynthia Dye. This years project were picture quilts or quilt art. Once the children knew what I wanted them to do this year, it was hard to get them to stop working and break for lunch. The ages range from five years to thirty something in a class of fourteen. The thirty something is in between jobs as a chemical engineer and decided to come down to the church to be with us. (We loved it.) I have posted the end results of the children's work with fabric. I hope you enjoy their imangination and color combinations.

MOM'S REQUEST!

Every quilt has a story to tell. This quilt is no exception. If it could talk this is what it would say about how it came to be "My quilt from Mom."

Upon her deathbed my mom made me promise that I would finish a quilt that she had started before she got ill to give to my brother John. I had no choice but to make her wish a reality. After leaving the hospital room I was not happy to think that I had to do this. Reasoning was my mom was the mother of eleven children whom she was or had made or in the process of making quilts for. I asked her why I had to do this? She didn't make one for me and I am the oldest. Her reply was, you know how to quilt and you can make your own. Well, my feelings were truly hurt. She told me where to find the quilt pieces and sure enough the pieces were packed in a box neatly put away where I would find them. I bought the box home and for twenty years looked at it wondering what to do with the pieces. Upset that each of my brothers and sisters had a piece of mom to remember and I didn't was not getting me anywhere. So after knowing that my brother and wife were having a new home built and developing a new frame of mind, I started working on the quilt project. I wanted to give them something for their new home and thought this would be perfect. I called their daughter who lived near by and made arrangements for her to keep her parents at home so we could come to see their new home after church on Sunday. Along with dinner that my husband and I had prepared and taken out to their home not saying anything about the quilt we went to visit. The quilt neatly wrapped stayed in the van until we saw the house and had dinner. He had no idea the quilt was finished. I presented the quilt to him. He had no idea what was in the package. He tore into the package and when his eyes looked upon the quilt he cried, cried and cried. Wrapped him self in the quilt and cried some more. So today, no one is allowed to touch the quilt. I was still a little sad when I came home because all I have are memories. Now, I kind of miss that brown box that was a staple in the closet for twenty years. What do I put in that spot now?????

LeMoyne Star Demo

The March Demo was the LeMoyne Star Block. In this demo I tried to show the medthod of triangle squares and straight line sewing, plus how to read the fractions on our quilting rulers. The measuring and squaring pieces after sewing will take some getting use to, but the ladies are eager to get that quilt going. Next month I will post the results of what the members put together. The LeMoyne Star. Take a look at the colors of each block shown. Gives you a completely different look, HUH?

Quilt Guild Demo!

In our quilt guild, Stitches From The Soul Sisters, we set a time for quilt demos, and this year I have the job of instructing. In January the block that I chose to demonstrate was the "Underground Railroad Block." Perfect for Black History Month which the block had to be bought in at our February meeting. Well, wouldn't you know we had snow up to you know where so we couldn't meet. This block starts a serious of blocks for our block of the month demos. The group was suppose to purchase three to four fabrics to work all the block with in order to bring all of the different block together for our sample quilt. I wanted to introduce quality fabrics and some of the new batiks that are on the market. Most of the guild members are novice quilters so for the next several months the demos will be simple with each month a more challenging method. The block shown is a 12/1/2" block to get experience in cutting and squaring up the pieces so when you start sewing everything fall into place. The group did a spactacular job.