Good things

Many of you may have felt like I have that certain aspects of this year 2016 have been mightily depressing with the loss of so many wonderful talents and devastating wars and attacks on the innocent...

So I thought you might need a little pick-me-up and some happy thoughts so here are 99 major good things that have happened to our little planet this year.

One of my personal favs is number 80: In February, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the global manatee population is no longer endangered.

Artist Unknown

If the lowly sea cow can make it, so can we! Read the list of the to be amazed by good things that have happened this year.

P.S. #89: Giant pandas are no longer endangered either. :) #pandamonium

- Cassandra G.

December 2016 Meeting Review

'Twas a night before Christmas, when all through the guild
A few quilters were missing; a new night was billed.
Many were sad the Center had changed our usual day,
But hopes were still high and we met anyway.

The quilters were nestled all snug at their tables,
Having grabbed some deviled eggs, if they were able.
And Jeri in her 'apron, and I with my recap,
Had just settled down for a long meeting's yap.

When up on the stage there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my chair to see what was the matter.
Out with my iPhone, and off with the flash,
Tore open my eyeballs, and readied to dash.

The lights on the stage like a new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to the quilts below,
When, what to our wondering eyes should appear,
But quilts with Santas and mangers and stars and reindeer.

With a feisty spry prez, so quick and merry,
We knew in a moment it must be our Jeri.
More rapid than sergers her quilters they came,
And she cheered, and praised, and called them by name;

"Now, SUSAN! now, CAROL! now, VICKIE and ANGIE!
On, SAMANTHA! on JAN, on DONNA and VANGIE!
To the top of the steps! step away from the wall!
Now share with us! share with us! share with us all!"

As fat quilters that before an Elly challenge fly,
When they meet with a UOF, stitching a shoofly,
So up to the Goeske the quilters they flew,
With their bags full of quilts and Prez Jeri too.

And then, in a twinkling, we saw without guilt
The ohing and awing for each little quilt.
As we draw in our breath, and were turning around,
Into our vision Prez Jeri came with a bound.

She spoke a few words and then straight to the show,
And filled all our hearts by going with the flow,
And laying our hands on those pieces of art,
We knew that our meeting was a joy to the heart.

We sprang from our seats, to our cars like a missile,
And away we all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard her exclaim, as I drove out of sight,
HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!

-- adapted by Cassandra G. from A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore

What a fantastic night we had! After having to reschedule due to the Goeske Center being closed for two weeks, we still had a great turn out and according to Jeri, the best potluck ever! We are so sorry that there are those who couldn't be there and we held you all in our hearts.

Besides the potluck, we also had a special Show and Share where members were invited to also bring Christmas quilts and projects from Christmases Past - be sure to check out the photos or video! And because it's Christmas, the Guild held a Christmas gift lottery and had purchased several awesome gifts, including a cordless handless iron, quilt pattern and kits, and other goodies. Each member received 5 tickets and could put as many tickets as they liked in for each item, with the drawing at the end of the meeting.

After a fabulous repast, we started right in with door prizes!

Door Prizes
Project tote & pattern - Sharon G.
Teapot cushion & buttons - Valerie T.
Quilt labels & pattern - Ginnie C.
Batik strips & Roxanne's glue - Jamie J.
Enchanted pines layer cake & buttons - Cassandra G.

Charlotte shows off her baby blanket

Onto some news...

• Mary M. graciously donated 2 bolts of baby fabric for the neonatal quilt - thank you! 
• Shelly N.'s daughter got accepted to Azusa Pacific Physical Therapist Doctorate program - congratulations!
• Judy M. is moving to North Carolina and this was her last meeting. Sorry to see you go, but bon voyage!
• Charlotte visited with us and spent the meeting busily crocheting a baby letters blanket - beautiful!

Elly announced that the 'Another Star' block due at the December meeting was our last 2016 Star BOM and invited us all to bring our completed 2016 BOM quilts to the February meeting. Elly said she's working on two BOM theme choices for 2017 - half square triangles or negative/positive. Elly took a quick vote by show of hands and she may introduce both! The 2017 BOM will start in February.

Upcoming Charity Events:
Saturday January 21st 2017 Road to California Charity Event. Click here for more information.

Saturday February 4th National Quilt of Valor Sew Day at Rancho Caballero's Club House from 9am-10pm! We'll have a salad potluck for lunch and then order pizza for dinner.

Saturday March 25th Threads of Love Sew Day at Rancho Caballero's Club House.

Barbara M. announced we have the dates for the next guild retreat to Vinya de Lestonnac (aka the Nunnery) in Temecula for May 19th-21st. We have not received costs yet from the Nunnery, but expect more information soon.

The meeting was also the time for Board and chairperson nominations. The vote via paper ballot for the Board positions will occur at the January meeting with the installation of the new Board at the February meeting.

To accommodate those who may not have been able to attend, Board and chairperson nominations have been extended to Friday, January 6th. Please call Jeri to nominate yourself. To that, Samantha N. would like to announce that she would like to step down from doing Show and Share, so if anyone is interested and can help out, your nomination would be appreciated! If you have never volunteered to help  or you haven't in a long time, now is your chance and thank you!

In addition to voting on the Board, we will also be holding a Yard Sale at the January meeting. You are invited to bring your new or in-good-condition used items to sell. 10% of your total sales will be due to the Guild. There will be no Pay and Take table at the next meeting.

Susan M.'s 9 patch group brought in their fabulous thirties 9 patches and Susan announced the next 9 patch theme - we're going Back to Batiks, this with a light and dark fabric of the same color, like light teal and dark teal, etc. Can't wait to see those, which are due at the February meeting!

Next up was the Mystery Box, which was won, OMGOSH, by YOURS TRULY! WOOHOO! Keep buying tickets, ladies! You can win! :D


And finally, the Christmas Gift Lottery - winners had to be present to win:

• Fancy cordless, handleless iron - Nancy R. (who was besides herself! I'm sorry I didn't get a video of it)
• 90" x 90" Star quilt pattern and kit - Jamie J.
• Pure Color Runner kit - Florence
• Tote bag kit - Benita
• Spools table runner kit - Barbara O.
• Blue Kaffee Fasset kit - Dolores B.
• Batiks kit - Laura G.
• Red Kaffe Fasset kit -Dina B.
• Fat quarters & $50 gift certificate to Easy Quilting Corner - Fern

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all and to all a good night!

- Cassandra G.

Christmas Countdown with Cocoa

I'm still working on the December guild meeting review and when you see it, you'll know why it took me a bit longer. :) But! The pictures are up and available in the usual spots (photos and video).

In the meantime, I thought I'd share one of my favorite winter recipes, this day being the winter solstice and first day of winter. I always like this day because from here onto summer, the days only get longer, which makes me happy!

So, the recipe is for making your own hot cocoa mix from the Alton Brown! Definitely add that good pinch or two of cayenne pepper as it really adds a nice warming touch. And I don't necessarily "Fill your mug half full with the mixture" but two heaping teaspoons full (plus a half a teaspoon extra for good luck) in a small mug or more if you're using a big mug. Then I fill it halfway with hot water to mix in the dry and make sure to get rid of any powdered milk lumps before adding the rest of the water. And I usually top with a little half and half because I'm decadent like that.

And then I leave the mix on my counter all winter! Great for company around the holidays. :)

- Cassandra G.

Reminder: Guild meeting Thursday!

Some say it's not Christmas until Hans Gruber falls off Nakatomi Plaza*, which may be true...for me, I've got to listen to the Muppets sing a classic English carol (indulge me):

I can't get it play skipped to the right spot, so skip to 1 minute 10 seconds...


As a reminder, we are meeting this Thursday, December 15th instead of today. Again, on behalf of the board, we're sorry if the reschedule overlaps with other events you may have - December is always a crazy month and unfortunately the reschedule was out of our control. :(

Here's your reminder list of things to bring:

• Your homemade name badge with your Raincross Quilt Guild pin
• Star block of month (our last 2016 Star BOM!)
• If you're participating in Susan M.'s 9 Patch group, your 30's 9 patches
• A past holiday project to share during our Christmases Past Show N Share
• Bottled water or other non-alcoholic drink for yourself
• Everyone is invited to bring a snack to share for our holiday potluck (but it's not required!)
• You are invited to bring $25 cash or check as we will be starting to collect membership dues for 2017 (final due date is the February meeting)

See you all Thursday!

*P.S. First person who can give me that reference WITHOUT googling it wins a holiday theme fat quarter! Post your answer in the comments below.

- Cassandra G.

Guild Meeting set for Thursday December 15th

Advent Calendar by Ahhh...Quilting

Hear ye, hear ye!! The Janet Goeske Center is NOT available for us on our normal night this month, so we have confirmed with the Center to reschedule the meeting for

Thursday December 15th

Same location (The Janet Goeske Center), same time (6:30-9:00pm). Please be sure to mark your calendars!!

As as additional reminder, this month's meeting is our Semi-Annual Potluck where everyone is invited, but not required, to bring a snack to share. It is also when we will be receiving the annual Raincross Quilt Guild Board Member nominations. If you would like to nominate yourself or to nominate someone else (with their permission!) to a board member position or to volunteer for a Chairperson position, please be prepared to do so during the meeting. We will vote on the board during the January meeting and the board will take affect at the February meeting.

We will also start receiving 2017 membership dues of $25 at the December meeting; we request all membership be in by the February meeting. Please note that all of us are busy people (especially so this month!), so checks written to the guild may not be cashed immediately. If this poses a problem, please consider paying in cash or with a cashier's check and thank you!

See you on the 15th!

- Cassandra G.

November 2016 Meeting Review

"Merry Christmas" to Alice after she stole Jeri's quilt!

Now that the tryptophan has worn off (and I'm over my cold - ugh), here's your November 2016 meeting review!

It was an action packed evening with our annual Grab Game exchange and our intrepid leader, President Jeri R. started us off with words I think we all feel - "I love being here!" We do too, Jeri, we do too. :)

Sharon C. spoke about Threads of Love. Garments made for Threads of Love from Raincross go to those in need at Parkview Hospital. Sharon said that we unfortunately need more garments and she will have more kits ready to go in January. If you have a kit, please do your best to get it finished and bring to the next guild meeting. We are also planning a Sew Day for Threads of Love coming in the spring. We talked about getting the patterns for the crocheted caps and booties here on the blog and I haven't gotten those yet from Sharon - will post those when I do.

Road to California is coming up fast and now is the time to sign up as a volunteer! Most volunteer positions are for white-gloving, which means donning a pair of white gloves and turning over quilts so visitors can see the back side. I volunteered last year for the first time and I loved it! You get to see the quilts SO much better and share your passion with visitors. You also need to police your area and make sure "handy" visitors don't touch the quilts - it's sad, but there are some who don't understand and I had to admonish a few folks last year who should have known better.

Anyway! If you volunteer for one 2 hour shift, you get a Road ticket/wristband FOR FREE! Do two shifts and you also get a "ROADIE" badge to add your cascading Road pin, and with three shifts, you get early sign up access to next year's classes.

Also of note, Road is teaming up with the Robert and Beverly Lewis Cancer Care Center and Anita Grossman Soloman to make as many quilts as we can on Saturday night, January 21st. Here click to learn more. If you can't make it that Saturday night, you can make blocks ahead of time and either turn them into the Road office in Ontario or Renee will be collecting them at both the December and January guild meetings.

Elly H. introduced us to our last BOM pattern called Another Star - no, really, it's called "Another Star". So creative! Now's your chance to get caught up on your stars as we'll be bringing in our completed 2016 Star BOM quilts at the February meeting.

Next we had our Show N Share and you can check out all the beautiful quilts in the photo gallery. One quilt of note: Elizabeth E. shared her beautiful Circles Quilt that she's finished and the flabbergasting news that it was rejected by Road - WHAT?! The judges must have been blind...we loved it, Elizabeth! Check out more photos and some free patterns for the circles on Elizabeth's blog.

And the main event - the annual Grab Game featuring the winter theme inspired Itty Bitty Picture Perfect Quilts! We saw many amazing mini quilts - and if you couldn't quite see them, definitely make sure you check out the photo gallery! Thanks to everyone who "made something so awesome they want to keep it for themselves" - it really elevated the quality of all of the quilts!

IMPORTANT! The next guild meeting WILL NOT BE ON THE NORMAL DAY! We hope to finalize the date in the next day or so and I will post it as soon as we know.

UPDATE: The meeting is now scheduled for December 15th!

Having said that, the next guild meeting is of course our semi-anual pot luck and everyone is invited, but not required, to bring a treat to share! Jeri also requested that we bring quilts and hand made items from Christmases Past for the Show N Share - this will be a time for you to show something that perhaps you made years ago.

Also a reminder to those in Susan M.'s 9 Patch group - your next batch of 30's themed 9 patch blocks is due at the next guild meeting!

Door Prizes:
Christmas Yard Sign - Jeri R.
Wizard of Oz Santa - Linda A.
Snowman Boot - Julie M.
Moose - Sue C.
Giant mug - Dawn M.

Mystery Box:
Vangie

- Cassandra G.

It's tough, but it's a short week that ends in pie and shopping

Sorry I'm still a little late on the November guild meeting review, but I do have the pictures up and Elly H. already has our last 2016 BOM pattern up so you can get busy on that this weekend.

Many of you may be traveling and/or super busy getting ready for relatives and the ginormous feast, but think about a post I saw on Facebook this week..."it may be a busy week, but it is short and it ends in pie and shopping." I'm definitely down for that!

So, as a pre-cursor to the review and in light of shopping, here a few upcoming shopping events you may not want to miss!


From M&L: "M&L Fabrics and Jenny's Fabrics are offering to you, our friends and customers, 20% everything in our store!

There is no coupon to clip, just visit the store between November 25th - December 11th and stock up! 20% will automatically be deducted from your total at checkout."

OMGosh OMGosh OMGosh!!!1!!1! That brings the flat fold fabric down to just $2.38 a yard!


Piecemaker's is also having a few sales coming up that you might be interested in. First, the entire store is 25% off for Black Friday! Woohoo!

And on Saturday December 3rd, from 9am to 4pm, they will hold the Piecemakers Christmas Fair: "A whimsical holiday event in a quaint village setting. Over 70 artists with the finest in hand crafted treasures, and antiques/collectibles. Kids activities, stage entertainment by Swing Shift, Piecemakers’ Band, and Cripple Creek Cloggers. Great food booths. Admission and parking are free." Click here to learn more.








If you know of other awesome sales, please let me know! Or if you score something awesome on Black Friday, tell us! OMGosh SHOOOOPPPIINNNG!!!1! (and pie!)

And the warmest of Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I am thankful for all of you, for our community of fabric hoarders and quilt craftspeople, for titanium plated topstitch needles, and for fancy seam rippers that make me almost happy when I have to rip out yet ANOTHER seam. What are you thankful for? :)

- Cassandra G.

Reminder: Guild meeting Tuesday!

I always try to find interesting and inspiring quilts to show on my posts and with Thanksgiving right around the corner, I really wanted to show a quilt that featured my favorite part about Thanksgiving but gosh darn, no one has ever apparently made a "mashed potato quilt", or at least taken a photo of it and put it on the internet. Get on it, quilters! :)

Miniature Fall Art Quilt by UniquelyJenCreations

You've got a few days left before our meeting to finish your Itty Bitty Picture Perfect quilts for our annual Grab Game:

1. Make a winter themed mini quilt that has a raw size of 8 3/4" x 10 1/2" before binding. The quilt should be in portrait orientation. 
2. Hem one of the short edges of a piece of fabric 8 3/4" x 9 1/2" and add it to the back of the quilt, raw edge aligned to the top. This will act as the sleeve for the acrylic stand.
3. Add a binding as normal.
4. Stand back and marvel at your creativity and craftsmanship/womansship!

To make sure everyone who participates goes home with something awesome, please make your quilt beautiful and steal-worthy, something that you'd really like to keep!

Please bring it (and NOT the acrylic stand - leave that at home) in an unmarked bag.

Here's your reminder list of things to bring:

• Your homemade name badge
• Your Raincross Quilt Guild pin, which is now worth an EXTRA ticket in the door prize drawing! If you don't have one, you can purchase one for $5 at the door.
• Star block of month
• Itty Bitty Picture Perfect quilt
• If you were born in March, May, September, or November, you are invited to bring a snack to share (but it's not required!)
• Bottled water or other nonalcoholic drink

See you all Tuesday!

- Cassandra G.

Making your own custom fabric and fabric labels

Quilts of Valor chairperson Susan C. has discovered a nifty online store called Spoonflower where you can design and have printed your own custom fabric on a number of different types of fabrics.

From Susan..

As an ambassador for The Quilts of Valor Foundation, I have been blessed to receive many beautiful quilts from all over the US that I award to our veterans.  On some of the quilts, I noticed a printed label with all the required information as well as details like washing instructions and places to list all the artists that created the quilt.  I contacted The Quilts of Valor Foundation and they referred me to www.Spoonflower.com where I discovered we could order anything we could think of printed on any type of fabric.  I found a quilt label for my church quilting group, and the designer modified the label for my church at no charge.  The designers receive a small royalty when an order is placed.  We were able to bring the cost of our label down from just over $1.00 to $0.18.  I found exactly what I needed from many options for our Quilts of Valor (see photo) at just $0.39.  Just imagine what we could design!

- Cassandra G.

Don't forget to vote!

As craftspeople and curators of the beautiful art of quilting, which is quite literally a part of the fabric of this great nation, we as quilters and as so many strong women and men need to remember to vote today. Thank you to the many beautiful, courageous, and brave veterans who fought and sacrificed for us and our country to ensure our freedoms and the right for all citizens to vote.

So get out there and let your voice be heard!

- Cassandra G.

Campbell House Retreat Day 1

I promised myself I'd be more proactive about reporting on the retreat this time around so you all can get a taste of it - we wish you all could join us!

Our organizers Barbara M., Jeri R., and Andie B. have really outdone themselves with our set up for our retreat, arriving early to get us started. About half of us arrived a little after noon and immediately jumped into sewing, visiting, and laughing.

We started with our first make and take - a cute little name badge! Here's Linda showing her's off - great job! We'll presumably start the rest of the make and takes tomorrow as some attendees aren't arriving until tomorrow.

For dinner we enjoyed a super tasty taco salad bar right in our sewing room...and followed that with a surprise birthday party for our very own birthday girl, Melissa! Happy Birthday Melissa!

Check out all the pictures* from Day 1 and stay tuned for the next installment tomorrow!

*all the pictures I took - I'll eventually get more pictures that everyone else took and posted them all in phone album.

- Cassandra G.

Sad news

From Jeri...

It is with a heavy heart that I must announce the passing of Dawn Miller, former Raincross Quilt Guild treasurer and dear friend. I know this may come as a surprise to many as you may not have known she was ill, but Dawn was a very private person and requested that her illness been kept private. Her family has given me permission to post this information.

Dawn was diagnosed with uterine cancer in August of this year, which advanced quickly, and she passed away on Sunday, October 23rd, 2016. She is survived by her son, two daughters, and partner.

A memorial service for Dawn will be held on November 5th at 11am at The 412 Church at 1450 W 7th St, San Jacinto. A reception will follow afterwards at Dawn's home at 7877 Littler Dr, Hemet.

Our prayers go out to her family during this sad time.

- Jeri R.

A Walk in the Woods by Sue Garmston

Please feel free to post a happy memory or story about Dawn below.

- Cassandra G.

October 2016 Meeting Review

Tuesday night was the monthly meeting for the ladies and gentlemen who HAUNT the Raincross Quilt Guild and it was SPOOKY how much fun we had! On top of visiting SPECTERS we haven't seen in an age, we enjoyed some GHOULishly delicious food and we saw many BOO-tiful quilts!

All silliness aside, our President Jeri R. started us off by welcoming our guests and listing some of the many good things going on in our lives...

• It was a great surprise to have Bonnie H. visiting us from Surprise, AZ! So good to see you, Bonnie! We also welcomed another guest, Jackie H. - we hope to see you again soon Jackie!
• Stephanie Z.'s daughter was diagnosed with cervical cancer 5 months ago - and has recently been confirmed as cancer free. Hallelujah!
• Brenda A. is getting her hip replacement surgery and was able to get in two weeks early - she's be ready to rock n' roll by Christmas time!
• Lois L. also had her knee replaced recently and is recovering well.
• Linda H. had major open heart surgery on August 9th and was able to attend the guild meeting - woohoo!
• It was also great to see Rebecca and Ken in the guild meeting - we missed you guys!
• On October 15th, our own Alice J. and her 95 year old husband Max (Ed. note: I think it's Max - correct me if I'm wrong) celebrated their 72nd wedding anniversary - so inspiring!

Finally, Lois L., with Bonnie H. and Jeri R. helping, showed us some simple stretches we should try to utilize if we are sitting too long, like sewing or working at a computer. Remember, you've got to take care of you!

Next we had Show N Share - check at the photos here. Of note, Christine S.'s sister Kathy in Tucson learned about Happy Bag project and got so excited, she made 17 Happy Bags. Thank you Kathy!

This month was also the due date for the fabulous Overwhelmingly Selvedges Challenge issued by our own Elly H.! What a cornucopia of selvedge projects - be sure to check out the photos!

There are several quilt shows coming up in January and February, all of which have been added to the Raincross Google calendar. If you have a Google account, you can copy any event from the Raincross Google calendar into your calendar - give it a try!

• Road to California Classes: January 24th-30th, Ontario
• Road to California Quilt Show: January 19th-22nd, Ontario
• Valley Quilters 37th Annual Quilt Show: February 10th & 11th, San Jacinto
• South Bay Quilters Guild 2017 Quilt Show - World of Color: February 18th & 19th, Torrance

Upcoming Raincross events include:

• This Saturday is a Happy Bag Sew Day at the Goeske. We've got "kits galore" ready and we'll work on Happy Bags in the morning, then enjoy a Salad Potluck lunch (you are invited to bring a side to share) and then feel free to work on whatever in the afternoon.
• Next weekend is the Raincross Fall retreat at Roughley Manor (now called The Campbell House) and 20 lucky ducks from Raincross will be headed out there next Thursday and Friday for long weekend of major sewing fun.

Our next guild meeting will be our annual "Grab Game" featuring the Itty Bitty Picture Perfect Quilt challenge. Everyone is invited to make a winter themed Itty Bitty Picture Perfect Quilt, which will fit perfectly on an 8.5" x 11" stand up acrylic frame that each member received from the guild at this month's meeting as our annual gift (if you were unable to attend, you can still get your frame at the next meeting).

Jeri R. and Cassandra G. will formalize the directions and get them posted soon, but the quick and dirty version of it is:

1. Make a winter themed mini quilt that has a raw size of 8 3/4" x 10 1/2" before binding. The quilt should be in portrait orientation. 
2. Hem one of the short edges of a piece of fabric 8 3/4" x 9 1/2" and add it to the back of the quilt, raw edge aligned to the top. This will act as the sleeve for the acrylic stand.
3. Add a binding as normal.
4. Stand back and marvel at your creativity and craftsmanship/womansship!

To make sure everyone who participates goes home with something awesome, please make your quilt beautiful and steal-worthy, something that you'd really like to keep!

Kilroy Rebecca was here

Elly shared with us our next Star Block of Month called the Two Color Star - although yes it is technically 3 colors with the background, but Elly pointed out the name of the block is Two Color Star, so...there we go. The pattern is now available on our BOM page.

Sharon K. said a few words about Threads of Love - several folks have taken kits but not yet returned. Sharon has kindly requested that if you took a kit to please try to get it completing it soon, "move it up in your priority just a little". Thank you Sharon for the gentle reminder! Jeri announced we'll have a Threads of Love Sew Day sometimes in January or February, so stay tuned if you're interested in helping.

Speaking of sew days in the new year, we have already set to participate in the annual National Quilts of Valor Sew Day on February 4th at the Rancho Caballero Carefree MH Community Clubhouse. Can't wait!

Door Prizes
Christmas Charm Pack & bobbin saver - Liliana D.
Christmas Charm Pack & gray Aurifil - Jan C.
Rule rack - Julie M.
Pedal mat - Ann M.
Bag kit - Jeri R.

Mystery Box - Gloria

- Cassandra G.

A bit of fun

From last night's Raincross monthly guild meeting, there was a rare sighting of the villain of fabric stores, the scourge of sewing machines, the Annie Oakley with a rotary cutter...

Just kidding! Meeting review will be up soon. :)

- Cassandra G.

Reminder: Guild meeting Tuesday!

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore--
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

from The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe

And it was this friendly reminder that our October Guild Meeting is right around the corner!

by Carol from Just Let Me Quilt

Here's your reminder list of things to bring:

• Your homemade name badge
• Your Raincross Quilt Guild pin, which is now worth an EXTRA ticket in the door prize drawing! If you don't have one, you can purchase one for $5 at the door.
• Star block of month
• Selvedge Challenge Project
• If you were born in April, October or December, you are invited to bring a snack to share (but it's not required!)
• If you're attending the Roughley Manor retreat, the rest of your payment
• WATER! Please bring your own non-alcoholic drinks!

See you all "Nevermore" Tuesday!

- Cassandra G.

Ready for the Selvedges Challenge?

Hey folks, just your friendly bloggery reminder that you've got less than two weeks to finish up your Overwhelmingly Selvedges Challenge...

If you need some inspiration, here's a look at my work in progress!

A few tips I've learned working with selvedges:

• If you want a bit of the fabric to show, make sure you include at least .5" of it above the selvedge when you cut the selvedge off your fabric.
• Use LOTS of pins* (the strips like to wander about when you're sewing them down).
• A zigzag stitch covers a multitude of sins!

*I akin this to my grandmother's stalwart motto "use more tape", especially on Christmas gifts. Fort Knox had NOTHING on her.

Can't wait to see everyone's project at the Guild meeting on the 18th!

- Cassandra G.

Odds and Ends

Hi folks - we've got a bunch of random news to share, so without further ado...

Photo by Marcy Anderson

Our next challenge, the "Overwhelmingly" Selvedge Challenge, is due at this month's guild meeting on Tuesday October 18th. The challenge - make anything that is comprised "overwhelmingly" (75%+) of real selvedges, not selvedge cheater fabric allowed. Elly would like to bring it finished if possible, but bring it anyway if it's not completely finished - we wanna see them! Contact Elly H. if you have questions.

Also "due" at this month's guild meeting is for you to PLEASE bring your own beverage (non-alcoholic only). The burden of schlepping bottled water in and it is getting to be too hard and expensive. (Ed. note: And honestly, let's stop the environmental waste that water bottles are.)

Happy Bags are almost due we're still missing items for the bags. If you grabbed a Happy Bag donation slip from the August meeting, we really need to bring in those items to this month's meeting. We're especially looking for 240 boxes of 24-count crayons and 30 boxes of 12-count colored pencils.

Following this month's guild meeting, we will have a Happy Bag/Free Sew Day at the Goeske on Saturday October 22nd. We'll work on Happy Bags in the morning and then you're invited to work on whatever you'd like in the afternoon. We'll enjoy a Salad Potluck as usual and you're invited to bring some tasties!

Looking forward, the Quilts Of Valor Foundation will hold its annual Quilt of Valor Sew Day on Saturday, February 4, 2017, and we already have booked the Rancho Callabero Carefree MH Park Club House! Susan C. would like to remind everyone that the ideal size for a QOF is 60" x 80" with the minimum at 55" x 65" and the maximum at 72" x 90". Click here for more information.

And finally, for those who enjoy looking at the pictures from our guild meetings, I had to update the little slideshow thingy on the top right due to technical reasons - it's now a YouTube slideshow video with both links to a full sized video as well as the full size images on Google Photos. Hopefully it works for everyone. :)

I've also changed our Previous Photo Albums on the sidebar as it was getting a little long in the tooth and have created a new Photos page available directly from the top menu bar. This will store permanent links to all our photos that are older than 6 months. Enjoy!

- Cassandra G.

September 2016 Meeting Review

We had a bonanza of quilts to enjoy at this month's guild meeting on Tuesday, so let's jump right in!

Mini Hoffman Challenge Results!

Our intrepid President Jeri R. started us off by acknowledging that our group is special because we share our sorrows and we share our joys and she thanked us for being here. We then heard about folks who've recently had surgeries and are recovering well (Jeri R., Melissa S., Lois L.) and other folks who are headed into surgery soon (Brenda A.), even about Jeanie H., who had surgery on Tuesday. Jeri thanked those who had sent her a card while she was recovering and encouraged those in our guild who are "card senders" to send a card to others who are also recovering or due for surgery. Thanks Jeri!

Barbara informed us that there are now THREE spots open for the Roughley Manor retreat. Click here for more information.

After the fun trip members made to Hoffman this past, Evie issued a mini Hoffman Challenge with some leftover bits of fabric graciously donated to us by Hoffman. Great job ladies!

Elly showed us our new blocks of the month due next - the Triple Star and the Missouri Star. Elly is on the ball this month and announced that she had already uploaded the directions to the website - woohoo! Time to get stitchin'!

Elly also reminded us the "Overwhelming" Selvedge Challenge is due at the October meeting (no selvedge cheater fabric please!). You can make whatever you like and while Elly would like us to try to finish our pieces, it's okay you weren't able to quuuuiiite get it finished - please bring it anyway!

While Susan M. wasn't able to attend the meeting Tuesday night, those who have joined her Mini 9 Patch club were reminded that our first batch of blocks is due at the next guild meeting in October. The Club has a few spots open, so please contact Susan M. or Paula W. to get in on the action or if you have any questions.

We then had a Crazy Quilt Trunk Show by our own (Ed. note: self-anointed) Crazy Quilt Queens, Cassandra G. and Katy S.! Katy and I both agreed it was super fun, we were happy to share our crazy style, and we're looking forward to seeing more trunk shows from other awesome and talented Raincross members!

Cassandra G. will be giving a workshop Saturday September 23rd at the Goeske Center on how to make your own Crazy Quilt Christmas Stocking. Click here for more information, reply to this post and/or call me if you have questions!

Additional announcements:
The 13th Annual Moutain Quilters of Idyllwild Quilt Show is coming up October 8 – October 9.

Happy Bags and their contents are coming along. If you've purchased items to go into Happy Bags, please get to Dawn M.

Each member will receive the 8"x10" stand up picture frame to be used to display your Winter-themed Itty Bitty Picture Perfect Quilt. These quilts need to be made and brought to the November meeting for the "Exchange"/Grab Game! The size of the quilt before adding binding should be 8 3/4" x 10 1/2" in portrait orientation. The size of the back pocket before adding binding should be 8 3/4" x 9.5". Jeri requested that we make a quilt that we'd want to win! Please contact Jeri R. or Elly H. if you have questions.

In order to alleviate some stress and hard work, the Guild is now asking that everyone bring their own drinks/water to meetings. As a reminder, the Goeske center is an alcohol free zone.

Door Prizes

• Pumpkin yard size & fat quarter - Ann M.
• Own yard size & fat quarter - Rose O.
• Pumpkin table decoration & fat quarter - Benita
• Leaves wall sconce & fat quarter - Phyllis H.
• Acorn wall hanging & fat quarter - Cassandra G.

- Cassandra G.

A Different Kind of Quilt Show

                                                                                                                                -Angie N

THREE spots now available for the Roughley Manor Quilt Retreat! (Updated)

Hear ye, hear ye! Two Three folks who had signed up for the Roughley Manor Quilt Retreat October 27th-30th have unfortunately had to withdraw...but that means we've got a spot for you if you act fast!

The cost is $340 if you come Thursday through Sunday or $240 if you come Friday through Sunday. If you're interested, please contact Barbara M. and bring a deposit of 50% to the meeting Tuesday; the remainder is due by the October guild meeting.

- Cassandra G.

Reminder: Guild meeting Tuesday!

The early bird catches the worm, but for those who procrastinate a bit longer, here's an earlier reminder for the guild meeting this month so you can finish (or start AND finish) items due for this month's meeting!

Inset of Robbers’ Roost by Joanne Baethe

Here's your reminder list of things to bring:

• Your homemade name badge
• Your Raincross Quilt Guild pin, which is now worth an EXTRA ticket in the door prize drawing! If you don't have one, you can purchase one for $5 at the door.
• Star block of month
• Evie's Hoffman Brown Bag Challenge
• If you were born in February, May or September, you are invited to bring a snack to share (but it's not required!)

See you all Tuesday!

- Cassandra G.

Road to California 2017 Charity Event

Reposted from Road to California...

When we said we had big plans we meant it. Road to California has teamed up with the Robert and Beverly Lewis Cancer Care Center and Anita Grossman Soloman to make as many quilts as we can Saturday night. These quilts will then be donated to cancer patients at the center. We are asking that quilt blocks be made ahead of time and delivered to the Road to California office, or bring your premade blocks to the show.

Anita Grossman Soloman has graciously provided a pattern for us using her Make It Simpler Jacob's Ladder Pattern. We will have raffle and door prizes and you will have the chance of winning. For every block brought to the office or submitted at the show you will receive 1 (one) raffle ticket. There is no limit the number of entries, every block is equal to one raffle ticket. You can download the pattern here. For our Jacob's Ladder block we would like the background to be white or off white. As for the other colors we are requesting a color scheme that will represent a cancer awareness. For a listing of those colors please click here.

We will begin accepting blocks in the office on December 5th, 2016.

Road to California and you will engage in a Saturday night Sew-A-Thon! Starting at 7:00pm on Saturday January 21st, with your help we will begin the process of making as many quilts as possible until the Convention Center kicks us out! We will need help piecing the quilts, domestic quilting, Long arm quilting and lastly finishing. For more information please visit our website at http://www.road2ca.com/roadiesgiveback.html.

You can sign up for these events on our website here. We are requesting a nominal fee of $10 per registration. 50% of the fee will be donated to the cancer center while the rest will help cover costs of materials and additional staffing needed for the night.

If you would like to assist in Piecing please register for event 9600C.

If you would like to assist in Domestic Quilting please register for event 9601C.

If you would like to assist in Long Arm Quilting please register for event 9602C.

If you would like to assist in Finishing please register for event 9603C.
Space is limited so sign up today and make a difference in 2017.

- Cassandra G.

LOL

- Angie N.

Next workshop: Crazy Quilt Christmas Stocking

There are only 110 days* 'til Christmas, so time to get cracking on your Holiday decorations! Raincross is here to help in the first of hopefully many free or low cost workshops presented by our own members, starting off with a workshop on creating a Crazy Quilt Christmas Stocking taught by myself, Cassandra G. Woohoo!

The workshop will be at the Janet Goeske Center on Saturday, September 24th 9am-4pm with a salad potluck lunch. Instructions will be for making the Crazy Quilt stocking top by hand, but if you're more comfortable using a machine for piecing and seam embroidery, you're welcome to bring your machine.

The pattern and mini-kit will be $5 (money to be collected day of) and include 2 muslin quilt top bases (one you can use to make your quilt top and one for you to use as a pattern to cut the lining and backing), printed pattern instructions and a few bits of silks from my collection to get you started!

Click here for the complete materials list. Final assembly is by machine but you probably won't get to that point during the workshop, so you don't need to bring your machine, the lining or backing fabrics to the class (although I will demo how to perform the final assembly).

If you'd like to attend or you have questions, please respond to this post, or contact me, Cassandra G. (please try to phone outside of business hours) and can't wait to see you all there!

- Cassandra G.

August 2016 Meeting Review (Updated)

Editor's Note: Forgive my tardiness with the August meeting review, but we're back on schedule and with some exciting news coming soon from yours truly.

If you missed the August meeting, you missed a quilter's treat, back-to-school round robin of demonstrations of 5 different and darling projects!

Demonstrations were provided by Raincross' own Samantha N., Andie B., Dawn M., Susan M., and Jeri R.!

Samantha showed us how to make her world famous microwave mitts.	Andie showed us how to make nifty travel tissue holders.
Dawn M. had us make Swedish hearts in paper.	Susan M. demoed how to make super cute zippered pouches.

Finally Jeri showed us the Itty Bitty Picture Perfect Quilt for those who want to participate in the November Exchange (aka Grab Game). The unfinished size of the quilt should be 8 3/4" x 10 1/4" before you add binding.

Elly H. showcased our next block of the month called Frolic and reminded us that our next challenge, the "Overwhelmingly" Selvedge Challenge, is due at the September October meeting.

Due at the September meeting is the Hoffman Challenge that Evie issued after the Hoffman tour (Hoffman graciously gave attendees and Evie extra Hoffman batiks, so she's organized a mini challenge - can't wait to see what everyone came up with!).

Mary T. informed everyone that more baby quilts are needed. Don't let the babies down! Instructions are here.

Susan C. announced that she's accepting Quilts of Valor quilts and receiver nominees. Contact her anytime for nominate someone of with any questions you might have.

Door prizes

Acrylic Bobbin box - Debbie G.

Ginny Beyer fabric - Carol R.

Ginny Beyer fabric - Laura G.

quilt kit - Alice

Keepsake Quilting panel & pen - Karen D.

Mystery box - Vickie M.

Finally, Carol R. was missing her serving spoon, an Oneida Alexis which looks like this. Please check your spoons!

- Cassandra G.

Cathedral Windows workshop tomorrow!

Just a reminder that the Shelley Swanland Cathedral Windows workshop is tomorrow at the Goeske Center starting at 9am.

We forgot to mention in the guild meeting on Tuesday that we will be having a potluck salad lunch, so you are encouraged to bring a salad side fixin', side dish or dessert - can't wait to see you all there!

P.S. I'll get the guild meeting review up later tonight - sorry it's a little late!

- Cassandra G.

Reminder: Guild meeting tomorrow!

Came up fast, didn't it?

from Not Your Mother's Jewelry

Here's your reminder list of things to bring:

• Your homemade name badge
• Your Raincross Quilt Guild pin, which is now worth an EXTRA ticket in the door prize drawing! If  you don't have one, you can purchase one for $5 at the door.
• Star block of month
• If you were born in April, June, August or December, you are invited to bring a snack to share (but it's not required!)

See you all tomorrow!

- Cassandra G.

Spots still available for Cathedral Windows Workshop on 8/20

We're a little over a week away from Shelley Swanland's workshop on her unique method for creating Cathedral Windows!

Cathedral Windows by Shelley Swanland

The workshop will held at the Goeske Center from 9am-3:30pm and is $30 HOWEVER if we can get 30 people to sign up for the class, the price will be cut nearly in half to $16, so bring a friend!! Contact the Raincross Guild, Andie B. or Dawn M. to sign up.

Shelley will sell us the required pattern ($5) and optional kit ($15) at the workshop, or you can bring your own fabric based on the material list.

I hope to see you all there!

- Cassandra G.

Free Tutorials

Lots of good free tutorials here:

                                                                                                                                           AN

July 2016 Meeting Review

Greetings, quilt fans! We had another fantastic meeting last night, so let's jump right in.

First, we saw the triumphant return (although she never missed a meeting really) of our fearless President and bionic woman Jeri! Her hip replacement surgery went exceedingly well and she's already noticed the old pain is gone! WOOHOO! She also decided right before surgery to completely overhaul her sewing room, knock down walls, move mountains, etc., which has and is being performed (under her watchful eye) by her loving daughters and husband. A shout out to the fantastic R. family!

We enjoyed some lovely snacks. Please note that the snack schedule is merely a SUGGESTION. You absolutely are not obligated to bring anything, ever, or if your birthday month comes up and you simply don't have time, no problem at all! Please forgive me for not always noting this is an optional participation event (although my tummy loves it when everyone brings their tastiest!).

Speaking of which, it was my birthday month (a shout to February - what what!) and I brought the corn chowder salad, a recipe by the Smitten Kitchen if you're interested. If you didn't any, thank you for leaving me left overs! :D

Proud new Pay N Take Queen Nancy R. assists shopaholic Fern make a selection.

We also saw the equally triumphant return of the Corner Pay N Take. Nancy R. has heeded the call and has graciously stepped forward to take over. Be sure to donate to her any fabric/sewing/notions/quilting odds and ends that you want to part with as the CPNT helps raise funds for the guild. Thanks Nancy!

Happy Bag maven Dawn M. reported that last Saturday we saw about 15 members gathering at the Rancho Callabero Motor Home Club House on Van Buren and they made about 75 Happy Bags - way to go! Happy Bags are made gender and age specific and filled with age specific items like coloring and reading books, art supplies, etc. and are distributed to children surviving with and overcoming cancer at the Loma Linda Hospital "thing" (sorry I missed what it was called) the 1st Saturday in December. Our goal this year is to have 400 ready for the event and we're halfway there. Dawn is now also working on collecting items to fill the bags. At the meeting, she strung a close line with pinned specific aged type items at varying price points for people to grab and go shopping - or a donation box to accept cash for those who'd prefer not to shop. Contact Dawn M. if you missed out on grabbing your shopping list and/or to make a donation.

Elly had those who had finished the June Dolly Parton Madison block hold them up and they were beautiful! She also showed us our TWO blockS of the month due for August - the purpose is so that we'll have a total of 12 blocks at the end of the year instead of just 10 - but she's promised that the Martha Washington and Fan Waves blocks are easy...if you're getting behind on your blocks, now is the time to catch up before you get TOO far behind (ed note: *cough*).

A large group of lucky devils lead by our Evie toured the Hoffman factory last week and reported a great time was had by all. Hoffman generously gave the attendees fabric and Evie had extra, so she's set up her own challenge for those attendees who want to participate - challenge acceptees received a brown paper bag with 3 mystery Hoffman batik fat quarters...Evie's "Hoffman Challenge" is to make something, anything you want, incorporating 1, 2 or all 3 Hoffman fats plus or not plus other fabric and bring it to the September meeting. Contact Evie to see if she has any mysterious packs left!

Side note: someone left a nice white cardigan sweater at Hoffman during the tour - please contact Elly or Evie to claim it.

Our next workshop will feature the fabulous Shelley Swanland again, this time with her teaching us her own unique method for making cathedral windows with a machine! The workshop will be at the Goeske Center from 9am-3:30pm and is $30 with space for 16 attendees. HOWEVER! If we can get 30 people to sign up for the class, the price will be cut nearly in half to $16, so bring a friend. Contact Andie B. and Dawn M. to sign up.

Shelley will sell us the required pattern ($5) and optional kit ($15) at the workshop, or you can bring your own fabric based on the material list.

We welcomed one visitor, Rita, and one new member, Faten M.-S. (the owner of Easy Quilting Corner quilt shop) to our guild last night! Yay!

Our July meeting was also the due date for Elly's Two Fabric Challenge and wow! What a bonanza of quilts and bags and even a dress! Well done to everyone who participated and be sure to check out the pictures. :)

Elly announced the next challenge will be the Selvedges Challenge: make something, anything you want, that uses selvedges (and not "cheater" selvedges fabric). When questioned as to whether other fabrics can be incorporated, Elly decided that it should be "overwhelmingly" selvedges, which to her means 75% or more. So your "Overwhelmingly" Selvedges Challenge projects are due at the October meeting.

After the May embellishment workshop with Shelley Swanland, several of the attendees formed a monthly group to get together to continue working on the workshop project and more, which they named the Raincross Embellishment Society. Jeri encouraged us to think about forming and inviting into our homes other small groups of interest, like maybe a crazy quilt group or row-by-row. Talk to Jeri if you have ideas.

Name Tag Winners
Rule rack - Betty A.
Layer cake of fabric - Debbie G.
Charm pack & pattern - Sandy S.
Keepsake Quilting panel & fats - Tina G. (who is Sandy's daughter - must have rigged it!)
Batik fabric - Fern

Mystery Box Winner
Alice

- Cassandra G.

20% off today 7/20 at JoAnns for those 60 years young

Click to learn more!

Reminder: Guild meeting tomorrow!

This is your friendly reminder that our monthly meeting is tomorrow!

I don't have really anything snappy to add as the weight of near daily tragedies we've been experiencing has been heavy on my heart. I, as I'm sure many of you, am looking forward to a welcome respite where we can get together and celebrate our small community, our family of friends.

Urban Sunset by Jean Cheszek

Here's your reminder list of things to bring:

• Your homemade name badge
• Your Raincross Quilt Guild pin, which is now worth an EXTRA ticket in the door prize drawing! If  you don't have one, you can purchase one for $5 at the door.
• Star block of month
• Two fabric challenge quilt
• If you were born in January, February or July, a snack to share

But most importantly, bring something good, something warm in your heart that you can share with your guild mates. Find someone you haven't hugged in a while and give them a hug and tell them you care. :)

See you all tomorrow!

- Cassandra G.