A Fun meeting

Our December meeting was a lot of fun - the yummy potluck - what a lot of great cooks we have in our group!  Thank you!


After a wonderful Show and Share (photos coming soon), we had the much anticipated Mystery Box

Dorothy M was the lucky ticket holder that night.  And lastly, we had a great "thank you raffle" for the membership giving away some quilty treats during this season of giving. Each attending member received 4 free tickets to put in the envelope of the item desired. Given away were:

1.  Quilt Frame      2.  Iron

3. Beautiful handmade bag   4.  embroidery center block

5. Embroidered wall hanging    6. Embroidered roses

7.  set of embroidered cats

8.  frog quilt

9. 8 black fat quaters  10.  watercolor book  11 Cut n Press board

12.  Quilt design book and stencils 13.  New Clover Mini Iron II

14.  Book about quilting and a whole cloth quilt pattern 15.  roll of Ultra hold fusible and 2 rulers.

16 - and a whole bin of quilting books.

Congratulations to all the lucky members.

PS:  all the above were donations - no Guild monies were spent.

Merry 4th Day of Christmas

Recipe added

See Recipe tab above.

Jan BOM

is up.  See BOM, etc tab for more.

Retreat Schedule

Raincross Quilt Guild Retreat 2014

  Date:  February 14-16th

Theme: My Fair Quilter

  Location: Ayers Hotel and Spa
               12631 Memorial Way
               Moreno Valley, CA 92553
               951-571-4141

Friday – arrive and set up – we have the room all day so

come any time after 10:00 a.m.

3:00     Check in

                      6:00     Progressive Dinner Mixer

                      7:30     Mystery Quilt Part 1

                      10:00    Late Night Make and Takes

Saturday

                      10:00    Mystery Quilt Part 2

                      3:00     Afternoon Tea and Make and Take

                      7:00     Mystery Quilt Part 3

                      10:00    Late Night Make and Takes

Sunday

                      10:00    Mystery Quilt Part 4

                      11:00    Check out of sleeping rooms

                      5:00     Depart sewing room

Meals: Each room has a refrigerator and a microwave so you may bring food or go to a nearby restaurant.

          Friday:  Dinner – Progressive mixer – more details to follow

          Saturday:  Breakfast – Included in cost of sleeping room

                             Lunch – On your own
                             Dinner – On your own
            Sunday :    Brunch – Included in cost of sleeping room 

Questions? Call Susan M.

Meeting Update

From Christie - our Vice-President and Program Chair:

From Blue Bird Quilts, Janice will not be able to come to the meeting Tuesday night. She took a fall and fractured her leg. See you Tuesday night,

Christie

 

Boohoo!  We are so sorry, Janet!  Hope it mends speedily.  You are in our thoughts.

Angie

Free

Now of course our 2014 BOM will be great, but if you want more than one or one in a particular technique here's a link (not the be all, end all site of BOMs for 2014) you can browse at.

Quilt Block of the Month

 

 

Enjoy!





Giveaway closes

Sunday night after 6 PM when I pick the winners.  Found another copy - so there will be three winners!  Go here to enter.  See you at the meeting!

Two favorite pasttimes at Guild Mtgs

 

 

 

 

Next Meeting:  December 17th

Our Trunk Show speaker:  Janet from Bluebird Quilts & Gallery from Grand Terrace.  From Janet:

Tweet Talk Vol 6-10 22320 Barton Road, Suite A, Grand Terrace, CA 92313 (909) 514-0333 That's  five – one – four – oh – tweet – tweet – tweet Hours Sunday: Noon - 5:00pm Monday through Thursday: 10am - 6:00pm Friday: 10am - 3:00pm

Tweet ~ Tweet ~ Tweet

I confess -- I am a "bare-foot quilter!"  That's right.   I am sure many of you know what I mean and are perhaps "bare-foot quilters" as well.   I love to sit at my sewing machine with no shoes on my feet.   Shoes seem to separate me from my craft.  Without shoes, I can feel the machine foot pedal and exert fine control of the machine's speed.  The result causes my machine to purr like a kitten as it works fabrics and threads together into my project.    While I love this ability to connect with my project,  I recognize there can be drawbacks to being barefoot.  Yes, the obvious drawback is that my feet become "magnets" and can locate the one and only missing pin on the floor!   But, that is not the reason of my admission.  

The other day my feet were giving me another signal - - - they were ice cold.  Why was this important?  Because it told me that another season (other than summer) has arrived!   Yeah!   Colder temperatures are here and with it comes the rush to finish projects for friends and loved ones.    The excitement is building for the holidays.  Mugs of hot chocolate (or a pumpkin spice latte) not only seem to be a welcomed idea, but sound great!     So cheers to the cooler weather and those things that bring comfort during the cold.



Tweet Report ~ ~ ~

As the holidays approach, please make note of the following special store hours:

CLOSED - - Thursday, Nov. 28, Thanksgiving Day

OPEN - - Friday, Nov,. 29,  Noon - 3pm,  for 3 hours only with our BATIK SALE (See info below)

CLOSED - - Tuesday, Dec. 24, Christmas Eve and Wednesday, Dec. 25, Christmas Day

OPEN - - Thursday, Dec. 26, 10am-3pm and Friday, Dec. 27, 10am-3pm.  Please note the change in hours.

CLOSED - - Sunday, Dec. 29 to Wednesday, January 1, 2014.  

OPEN AGAIN IN 2014 with Thursday, January 2 at 10:00 am 



Here are some new goodies to see at the store ~~~~

Little Light is a new cloth book panel.  A great kids version of the first Christmas!  See the finished sample - so cute!

New Hoffman Bali Snaps. These are 5" squares.  The new packaging  really shows you the colors! We also have the new Bali Pops to match these fabrics!

Santa is here ready to help you with your decorating!   This is a great print for pillowcases, tablecloths,  placements, tablerunners, or even to wrap presents for a sewing friend!

We have added new fabrics to the sale rack!  There are some Fall and Thanksgiving prints available at $6 per yard.  Also bolts of tonals, Christmas, and Martha Negley. 

You're Invited

Free Magazine

Asian Fabric Magazine Issue 33 is now available! Issue 33 is ready to inspire you and is now available for you to download and it is FREE!   Asian Fabric is filled with fun and creative projects sure to bring out the artist in you. See the bright and beautiful kitchen projects using Kona Bay's Lotus Collection. Enjoy Harvest and Holiday quilts and decorating projects. And, have fun learning how to pair wine with fabrics. Make sure you check out our food and travel sections and be inspired by what other quilters are doing with their Kona Bay fabrics.  Don't miss it! Download it today!

Retreat Reminder

It's great so many want to go to the retreat. Please remember I can't take any sign-ups, put you on a list, or take monies.  Your registration form and check is your sign-up.  And since the form has private info on it, you won't find it on the blog.  You need to request the link for the form so that members are the only ones viewing and printing.  Our email is raincrossqg(at)gmail(dot)com. 

Breakfast is included!

Another Giveaway!

Have two copies!  All you need to do is leave a comment answering the question:  What is your favorite Christmas cookie?  I'll hand out the books at the December Mtg.  Good Luck!
                                                                                                                             Angie

Our First Retreat - My Fair Quilter!

Hotel meeting room we will use that weekend.

You're invited to our first Raincross Quilt Guild Retreat!  Scheduled for February 14-16, 2014, it will be held at the Ayers Hotel and Spa in Moreno Valley.  There will be Make and Takes projects, a Mystery Quilt, Workshops, Games and other activities.  Retreat Form available.  Since it has private info, please email raincrossqg@gmail.com for the link you need to  open the pdf file of the form, then you can print it.  Only 24 spots!


BOM News

                          December BOM block is uploaded!

 

A Free Quilt-Along Series!

Everything for you to make this lovely quilt - techniques, pattern, etc.  Join Erin Russek and McCall's Quilting as they show you how:

A Winner and Another Giveaway

Laura is our winner of the Christmas Memories book.  Congrats, Laura!  See me at the next meeting.
                                                                                                      Angie

Our next book giveaway is for

There are some cute quilts in this book.  Leave a comment for your chance to win it!

An Invitation:

Hello!

Please pass the word that The Quilt Pattern Magazine (TQPM) is still having it's   4-month subscription promotion!

This is what quilters need to know to obtain their   4-month subscription. The group code: GET4 The group name: QUILTER This offer is for new TQPM subscribers only. With this information ready, go to our website at www.quiltpatternmagazine.com and click the red pincushion.

Hurry though! This great offer expires November 30th, 2013.

If you have any questions or comments, just let me know.

Cindy McCoy at www.quiltpatternmagazine.com  where you can check out the magazine before joining.

 

From our BOM Queen

Our Holiday Exchange will take place at our November meeting. This year we are exchanging a 12” by 12” quiltlet with a winter/holiday theme. We have usually wrapped the exchange in a fat quarter but this time the wrapping is up to your own choosing. This will be our December BOM. At the meeting you will also receive the pattern for the November BOM block to continue this year’s theme. These will be shown at the December meeting where you will receive the pattern for January’s block. Then in January you will receive February’s pattern and we will have completed all twelve months.
                                                           Susan

Here's a fun and closeby Quilt Day for you:

My SIL and I drove to Temecula to visit my mother and have a quilty outing.  We drove to Temecula - took about 45 minutes from Riverside and went to the Temecula Valley Museum in Old Town.  It's located at 28314 Mercedes St (corner of Front Street and Mercedes -951 694-6450.  Go here for more info. Closed Mondays.  They have the 2013 Hoffman Challenge Quilt Collection til  November 10th.
Here's three of my favorites:

 

 To get to the museum take the 215 to Temecula and get off at the Temecula Parkway exit. Turn right and then turn right again at the light to go through Old Town on Front St.  Just continue on Front (til after going under the Welcome to Old Town sign) to Mercedes and the Museum will be on the right.  We went there at 11 AM and saw the exhibit -then went to lunch.  I recommend the Bank of Mexico, Texas Lil's, or Soro's - all in Old Town, but there are a lot of others.  After lunch, we strolled down the street killing time (about 15 minutes) until the Gallery opened. Visited the Temecula Olive Oil Company .  They have a tasting room, but after our big lunch, I opted not to taste some of the interesting olive oils they had for sale.  There's a great garden art shop there, too (both just east of Main St.).  Then we went on over to the Gallery at the Merc.

The gallery with the exhibit is only open when the theater ticket office is open.  Luckily for us that was 2-4 pm. I suggest you call the toll free number to be sure of their hours on the day you want to go.  This was an amazing (but small) fiber arts exhibit by regional artists.  Well worth the trip.

My SIL and I were home by 3 PM - a nice quilty change of pace.  I recommend it.
                                                                                                             Angie

Another Book Giveaway

64 pages, 12 projects - templates included. All you need to do to be included in the giveaway is leave a comment with your answer to:  What do you consider to be Folk Art?

Good Luck!

Plan on Attending/ Post it on your Calendar:

If Sylvia Davis has some of her quilts in it, you know it will be good!

In October

Thrifty Corner will return!

Community Service Day! Oct 26th!

We need you!  Our next sew day, Oct 26th is going to be the day we stuff those happy bags everyone's been making all year.  They need to be ready by November 1st.  Hilde will have the goodies to put into them and the happy bags.  If you are making any, please turn them in at the next meeting or bring them to the Community Service Day.  With all your help, the assembly line filling of these bags will go quickly.  If you haven't made any, please consider helping out by coming to fill bags on the 26th. 

Any Happy Bags turned in after the community service day will be for the 2014 bags for Loma Linda.

Please mark your calendars!  Oh, and we always have a salad potluck lunch.  The guild provides the greens and you can bring whatever you like to add. Starts at 9 AM til 4 PM or whenever we finish.  Hope to see you there at the Goeske Center!!

Adopt me!

Said the UFO to the quilter.

No, it's not a stash - it's a pile of UFOs  - really!

I've been languishing in the closet.
It's a dark and lonely place.

I don't know what happened.
She was moving right along,
sewing and quilting and humming
"It's going to be a quilt!" song.

But then there was a birthday
and a visitor came our way.
A family member needed tending,
and a garden held sway.
Then there was that quilt show
when she came home with all new stuff.

So no help for me at this house.
Can you help me out a bit?
I've come and hid on your chair tonight
in hopes you'll take me home.

Landscapes in October

Member's photo of a landscape quilt entered at Long Beach

Our October challenge of a landscape no smaller than 14"  by 20"  is due at the next meeting.  To continue the theme of landscape quilts, we invite you to bring any other landscape you have made in the past for the Show and Share portion of the meeting.  Landscapes for the challenge need to have been started when the challenge was made - July.

We look forward to your sharing your work at Show and Share or in the challenge.

Directions change for October BOM block

Hello, there were some corrections to the directions for making the pumpkin block that  are not in the printed handout for the block that was given out at the meeting.  Please refer to the online version for the correct directions.  If you know a member who is doing this block and has no Internet access, please bring this notice to their attention.  Thank you!

Another Book

Remember this book?  We gave it away last April and Ken was the lucky recipient. Well, Guess what? Now  a friend of mine gave me another copy of it. Instead of having another giveaway, I went ahead and used random.org to pick a second winner from the members who commented in April that they'd like to own a copy.  And the winner is Vangie!  I'll have it at the meeting (Sept 17th) for you, Vangie - congratulations.  We look forward to seeing a quilt from the book at a future Show and Tell.

A Pattern

Here's a charity quilt made with a simplified version of our July challenge:

It measures 32 1/2" square using 8 1/2" unfinished blocks.  You need only make 16 of them.  You might consider this pattern for a layette charity quilt with 24 blocks.  Since the latest measurements I've gotten are 32 x 46 1/2" (I'll triple check this) you will also need to make blocks that are 8 1/2" unfinished.  Sew them in any order you like in a grid of  4 x 6.  When the top is all assembled - cut off 3/4" off the top and bottom of the long sides.  Then cut off 1/4" off the right and left of the two short sides.  This will give you a quilt 32" x 46 1/2" .  Bind and quilt.  Yes, the outer blocks won't be the same size as the middle ones, but is so small a difference, it won't matter.  If this bothers you, make only 20 blocks in a 4 x 5 grid and add 3 1/2" strips to the top and bottom to get the 32 x 46 1/2" measurement.

 FYI:  the pieces for the block are one 6 1/2" by 8 1/2" rectangle with one strip (another color)  2 1/2" by 6 1/2" and one 2 1/2" square (third color).  Join the strip and the square together, then sew this new unit to the 8 1/2" side of one of the large rectangles you cut.

Our October Challenge is

a landscape quilt (no smaller than 14" by 20").  Here's one I took a photo of at the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach:

Notice it doesn't have borders.  Wish I'd had the time to write down particulars on it.  I hope to have time soon to work on one - Carol H.  inspired me to try after watching her mini demo when she showed us hers at Show and Tell.

From the WEB:

Shows you one element of making a landscape quilt.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-pD1Olc8EA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8vhLSV8XvE

This one could be adapted to work a simple landscape picture:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTsSR6efCks&list=FL8LNjyb_Ar_XUgUvr7pWaGw&index=1

And here’s  a blog post with good info:

http://seastrands.wordpress.com/2006/06/29/landscape-quilt-part-1/

Look forward to seeing your landscape quilt!

Still some Room!

You won't want to miss this coming workshop on the 21st!  There are so many beautiful and varied Dresden plate quilts out there, you'll be glad you learned how to do the stitch and flip method Analie has worked out for them. 

Click on photo to enlarge.

Please call Christie F to reserve one of the few remaining spaces in the workshop.  Cost is $30 and includes one of the three patterns shown above. Class runs 9 to 4 on Wednesday at the Goeske Center. You can find Christie's number in our directory.

Going Green

Photos courtesy of Deb Rowden's
Thrift Shop Quilts blog

As I've heard discussed amongst quilters - at shops, at shows, at guild meetings - the cost of fabric is skyrocketing.  What can we do?  Well one answer is to re-purpose fabric.  Here's how a couple of quilters are doing just that - they buy shirts at thrift stores and yard sales.  And I can't say I blame them.  I've found brand new shirts at yard sales in all colors and sizes.  Many are 100% cotton.  You can find plaids, solids, prints, shirting, madras - you name it.  Here's another from Deb:


And go here  and here to see the fabulous quilts from one of her readers. 

Now for a video from the Queen of Scraps - Bonnie Hunter!  She shows you how to get the most fabric from your thrift store finds.

Look forward to seeing your thrift store quilts.