Thru the Eye of the Needle

From the President

February is upon us with its cold, dreary weather. But buck up, its Quilt Show time. If you have not completed your entry quilts, figure out what you must do each day to have them completed and do not go to bed until you have met your daily goal. Easy to say, but it does work.

Angie and her Committee have put in long hours of hard work with more work to come. If you are new to the guild, step up and be a volunteer for the show. You will appreciate our guild and show better when you are a part of this wonderful experience. There is plenty of work for everyone.

Scott Murkin, quilt show judge, is going to be very busy. If you have not signed up for his class, do so; you won’t regret it. One of the advantages of the Quilt Show is the opportunity to take a class with a National Teacher without traveling out of town.

Also, in February we will be meeting at our new home, Smyrna Baptist Church, at 7000 N Pensacola Blvd. We will park in the back parking lot and enter from the door in back. Please don’t be late; the doors are kept locked and after the meeting starts, you will need to ring the bell to enter.

I will schedule a visit to the church for the librarians, 1st and 2nd VPs. If anyone else needs to see the room before February’s meeting, e-mail me. Please do not drop-in to check-out this church. We are to be there only on our two meeting dates — No Exceptions!

All correspondences with Smyrna must go through me. If something is wrong tell me, not the church. They are busy and will appreciate not being interrupted in their work. We want to keep a good working relationship with Smyrna.

See you at Smyrna,

Carolyn Milligan

PS – Still need day and night greeters, call me.

Night Chapter

Well, the first meeting of 2010 saw one of our largest crowds ever – we had 90!! There was lots of information about the upcoming Quilt Show- the excitement is building. It’s only a few short weeks away. Don’t forget to sign up to work a shift, you will enjoy meeting new people and being involved. Thanks to Ellen Flaherty for an informative presentation on heirloom machine quilting. I know we all learned at least one new thing to try.

Our February program will be a trunk show by our Show Judge, Scott Murkin. Come and bring a friend – I know you will be inspired. I’m not sure whether “Tiny Talk” was a success or not as I quickly lost control. We girls love to talk! I hope you met someone new.

Don’t forget to be a Fat Quarter Fairy. Bring in that fat quarter that you now have absolutely no idea what possessed you to bring it home in the first place. I’m sure someone else will love it. We have something very special happening in April. If you have the gift of hospitality and would like to be involved – give me a call. Also, if you have technical skills and would enjoy creating a media presentation – let me know. See you at the meeting.

Karen Williamson

2nd Vice President

Day Chapter

I hope everyone enjoyed Joyce Thompsons’ program on “Discharging”. It was very interesting and gave me several new ideas to work with. Her samples were unique and beautiful. For those that missed this program, I can post a copy of her instructions on our website.

February brings us our long awaited quilt show. With that, we give welcome to our judge, Scott Murkin who will provide our day and night programs for this month. Both programs will be a trunk show, each different, so plan on attending both: 2 for the price of 1!

For those of you interested in the Pensacola Naval Aviation Quilt Challenge, please visit this website to get more information on the challenge specifics: http://www.navyquilts.com.

I will be making an announcement at the February meeting about “jumble tables”. Please make sure you are there to hear about this interesting, new development. Sign up will be first come, first serve!

See you all at the meeting! Laurie

Ready, Set, Go!

Here is a check list to see if you are ready for the show!

  • My quilt is finished, clean, and has the label sewn on the bottom left corner as well as a large sleeve. The bag is ready with the label sewn at the center top close to the opening.
  • I know take in is Feb 20th Wright Place from 9 am to 12.
  • I have signed up to work or will come and say “where do you need me?” Carolyn will be to your right when you come in the front door.
  • I have bought or sold opportunity quilt tickets, or will do so.
  • I will let everyone know we will have a food vendor, he will have a hamburger plate for $6 or spaghetti plate for $8.
  • Set up day will be on Wed from 9 to ? Preview night is Thurs 6p to 8p and you may bring a guest.

Also, please wear your show t-shirt and your name badge when you come to work, that way folks will know you are part of the guild. If you are able, if you are going to be there at the show for an extended time, park a little further from the door, so our guests can have the primo parking spots.

Thanks, Angie

Quilt Show Boutique and Consignments

Good News Times Two

Counting down to the 2010 Quilt Show and the good news is that there is still time to get involved! So, knock out a couple of donations, sign up for the fun of working in the boutique booth, and get your consignments ready. And the second good news is that – You may consign an unlimited number of items.

If you are consigning items, you will need to bring them to the Fairgrounds on Wednesday Feb 24th 10-4: or Thursday 10 – 1. . Your consignment sheet should be completely filled out ahead of time. Have your items priced with a tag and pined on securely with a safety pin and ready to go. Please bring in a container labeled with your name; you may pick up any unsold items at the close of the quilt show. The consignment items will need to be checked in with a person in the booth.

SOS From your Show Committee

Help, help! Help, help! We have 45 feet of table to fill at the show boutique and, so far, only ten items have been donated! So, run to your sewing room and pull out those UFOs that are taking up valuable real estate. Give them a rethink. Maybe this one could be a notebook cover, that one would make a great tote bag, and this one would be a sweet baby or doll blanket. If, unlike the rest of us quilters, you have no UFOs, you can always start from scratch. Think small, fast and easy. Think Ipod cases, shopping bags, pot holders, postcards. Here are some project ideas to get you started:

  • Ipod/camera cozy
  • One hour, one yard tote bag
  • Gift bag
  • Fabric postcards (PS, if you don’t insist on being a purist and creating an all fabric postcard, you don’t need the stiffener, ie Timtex. Just stitch a blank index card to the back!)

Get finished projects turned in as soon as possible. We will accept donated items at the guild meetings or on Thursday, February 25, at the Fairgrounds. You can turn these in to Leni Cable or Barbara Doster. We will be taking consigned items only at the Fairgrounds on the 25th.

Okay, now quit reading and start sewing!

2012

Needed! A show chair for the 2012 show! It would be nice to be able to introduce you at the show this time, and you could see a lot of good workers. If you feel you can tackle this, let Carolyn Milligan know.

Thanks, Angie

For Sale

Grace Pinnacle quilting frame

It’s assembled and I have been using it but have rearranged my sewing room and it no longer fits. If you go to the Grace web site, you will see the exact frame I am selling. I purchased it and all the accessories a couple years ago for around $2,500 but am willing to sell it for $500. It would require a truck to transport it to its new home.

If you are interested, please call Dawn Weaver.

Workshops

You still have time to sign up for Scott Murkin workshop on February 24th. We have 4 spaces to fill. It is a 6 hr class on strata techniques that create the illusion of layers and depth in your quilts. It is now open for other guild members or friends. Please call Barbara Doster if you need more information.

Barbara Doster

Workshop chair

Community Quilts — Day Chapter

Cancellation Notice

Our February date has been canceled, but we will be meeting Thurs. March 18, Thurs. May 20, Thurs July 22 and Thurs September 16. Remember that space is limited, so reserve a spot early.

As always, lunch will be served. Bring machines, cutting tools and basic sewing goods. Fabrics will be provided.

Our 2010 goal is at least fifty quilts for Habitat for Humanity. This is a good way to start the New Year for a deserving cause.

Suzanne Wernick

Community Quilts, Day Chapter

Anyone Know Of a Good Place To Go?

The Hancock Bank will no longer let the guild hold our monthly meetings in their Community Room If you know of a place to hold 20 to 25 people for our Board Meetings and Workshop Classes please call me.

Carolyn Milligan

At Home in the Guild

First of all, a big thank-you to Alma for a class well-taught. We not only learned to make beautiful basic bindings but received a treasure trove of invaluable tips. Thank you, Alma.

Secondly, we are starting to gear up for our after-the-quilt-show classes. Stay tuned.

L Siska

Dates to Remember

  • 2/20 Saturday Quilt Take-in Day 9 am to 12 pm
  • 2/22 Monday Night Chapter Meeting 6:30 pm
  • 2/24 Wednesday Scott Murkin Class 9 am to 5 pm
  • 2/24 Wednesday consignment take-in 10 am to 4 pm
  • 2/25 Thursday consignment take-in 10 am to 1 pm
  • 2/25 Thursday Day Chapter Meeting 9:30 am
  • 2/25 Thursday Quilt Show Preview 6 pm to 8 pm
  • 2/26/27 Fri/Sat Quilt Show 9 am to 5 pm

Download a PDF of the newsletter.

February 2010