Area 3 Chapters

Area 3 Chapters in the beautiful state of Maine:


*Bog Hoot Quilters-Mechanic Falls area
*Chickadee Quilters-Bridgton Area
*Classic Quilters of Lewiston-Auburn Area
*Country Aire Quilters-Turner Area
*Country Square Quilters-North Jay/Wilton Area
*Cross Country Quilters-Bethel Area
*Grammy's Choice Quilters-Canton Area
*Ladies of the Lake Quilters-Peru/Rumford/Dixfield Area
*Lisbon Krazy Kwilters-Lisbon Area
*Pine Needle Quilters-Norway/South Paris Area
*Scraps and Patches Quilters-Poland Area
*Village Scrappers Quilters-Livermore Area


Saturday, May 9, 2015

Tale of Two Quilts (OK, Really Three...)

At our last Area 3 meeting, one of the ladies mentioned she would be making a quilt for her grandson in his favorite colors, green and red. I chuckled and remembered a quilt I made using those colors.

It was several years ago our HGTV Quilting group had a Crayola Challenge. Each participant makes the quilt to the guidelines and mail it to the hostess. Raffle tickets are sold for all the quilts (and we are talking up to 50 quilts!) and all money collected goes to the Ronald McDonald House Charities. I have been the winner of several of these quilts over the years and so honored to have quilts made by my quilting "sisters".

Here is how the challenge works:

The hostess put a large box of crayons into a paper bag and for each person who signed up for the challenge she "drew" out three crayons. The challenge part is that you can only use those three colors and no other--even if you find a print, it must have only those three colors in it.

My three colors? Red, green and lavender. Ugh...the first two colors remind me of Christmas and to throw in the lavender? What was I going to do? No way was I going to find any prints with just those three colors in it. I even tried to hand dye fabric using those three colors, but it was too busy. My only choice was to use tone on tone prints (I'm not a big fan of solids).

Now, to find a suitable pattern. I had purchased "All About Me" by Atkinson Designs. It was really for novelty prints, but I wanted something less busy and with a more modern, clean look. Happily, this quilt really came out great and many of my quilting buddies loved it.

It was won by a friend of one of my quilting buddies--a 13-year-old girl who was thrilled with the color combination! Of all the quilts in the raffle, this is the only one she hoped she would win. I couldn't have been more delighted to know the winner of this randy group of colors found its true soul mate.

 
 
The reason I purchased this pattern originally was to make two matching bunk bed sized quilts for my nephews, Sam and Will. 
 
Sam, at age five, was my shopping buddy and every time we stopped into a quilt shop, he got to pick out a black background novelty print to add to his quilt. At that time, his brother Will was just a baby so I knew I had plenty of time to get this project completed. After many "shop hops" with Sam, we had enough variety in fabric prints to make the quilts. The sashing fabric is from all the same fabric line in different colors at I purchased from Oxford Mill End store.
 
Several years ago, they got their new quilts and a load of matching pillowcases to share. I know I have finished photos somewhere and when I do find them, they will be posted here.
 
 


They were a big hit and I even had enough extra quilt squares left over for a charity quilt. Some little boy is going to be delighted with his new snuggler quilt!


The lesson? Keep an open mind when choosing your quilt patterns. Personally, when I purchase a pattern, I hope to use it more than once. Knowing that I already made four quilts (and have another cut and ready to sew) of this pattern makes me feel that I got my money's worth. Have some larger floral prints? Perhaps Oriental prints? This quilt comes together quickly with a great visual impact.

Friday, May 8, 2015

Area 3 Meeting May 5th-Pine Needles Quilters

Just when you think Pine Needle Quilters cannot top their last Area 3 meeting, they do! We were welcomed to a smiling group of ladies and hospitality bar none. The photos of the vast array of breakfast treats doesn't begin to do it justice. A lot of time and effort when into putting together this event and was enjoyed by all in attendance. Thank you again, ladies, for everything!

Guest speaker, Kim Hamlin of Fiber & Vine, had an infectious sense of humor and enthusiasm for quilting. She gave us permission to start new projects and not complete them (I won a prize for having the most UFO's). If you happen to be in Norway, stop by her shop. Fibers and specialty wines--can you think of a better combination? Allergic to wool, I couldn't stop into the shop, but wish her well with all her future endeavors. Her address is 402 Main St. in Norway.

















 Many of us also stopped by Sew Orchid Designs, LLC, one of Maine's newest quilt shops located at 316 Main St. in Norway. Barbara Daige welcomed us with open arms and invites us to stop by anytime. While her shop is a work in progress, I managed to find some perfect lime green fabric I couldn't live without. Don't forget to bring along your PTQG membership card for the 10%  discount.

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Quilting Tip of the Week 5.7.15

If you find large holes left from pins or sewing machine needles, try a light spray of water to relax the fabric. For larger projects, you might want to wait until the project is complete and wash the entire item.