October 2009 Guild Meeting

Our October meeting was filled with "show and tell". Our "Harvest Bounty" challenges were due so everyone who participated was able to show how they used their fat eighths of fruit and vegetable fabrics. Check out all the neat ideas that our ladies came up with in the slide show to the right.
Our October "Sunflower" BOM blocks were won by Lenore. Vea introduced our new BOM for November. It is the "Gardner's Hat". She request that the background be chocolate brown and that the hat can be straw or golden tan colored. The hat band can be of any color, but the flower is to be white.
We received a new challenge that is due in December at our Guild Christmas Party. We were assigned to draw a name and using that person's information page, create an apron just for them. We will exchange these as our Christmas gift exchange.
We discussed our upcoming Fall Retreat to be held on November 6 & 7 at the Newtonia Community building. The theme for our retreat is "In the Kitchen" and the mini classes are going to be items that you can use in the kitchen. Donna is going to show how to make a cute "Candy Cane" table runner and how to make "continuous prairie points".



Bobbie is demonstrating the "Log Cabin" style hot pads. Mary is showing how easy place mats can be to make.


Lucy will help us make "butcher style" aprons and Paula is going to help us make "casserole carriers". A fun "Auction" will be held on Friday night and a "block buster party" on Saturday night.


It should be a fun two days and all are encouraged to attend.
There was also a Project Linus meeting held on the 30th of October. Marcene had a fun quilt called "Bears on Parade" for those who attended to work on.


Our next meeting will be held on November 19, 2009 when our Japanese exchange "mini quilts" are due.
Until next time, keep smiling and quilting.

September 2009 Guild Meeting

The Newtonia Battlefield Quilters met for their monthly guild meeting on September 16, 2009 n Newtonia, MO. We had 13 of our members present to enjoy the meeting and evening together.
Pauline won our "Hollyhock" BOM blocks. Our October block is to be the "Sunflower". The background is to be a pale green print or plaid cut in 12 1/2" block. The petals are to be various yellow prints with dark brown center.
We will also be exchanging yellow/gold floral prints 6" squares.
The program of the meeting was book reports on our favorite quilting books. Several were described and new techniques were shared from these. Lucy's favorite book was a great story which she read to us. During show and tell, Bobbie showed us her tablecloth that she made from her fruit and vegetable fabrics for our "Harvest Bounty" Challenge due in October. She will be out of town and wanted to show it to the guild. Very nice, Bobbie.

The Newtonia Fall Festival is Saturday the 26th of September and we will be involved in helping and enjoying this day. Everyone is welcome to attend and take advantage of the activities and food that will be presented there. Come by and see our booth with our lovely raffle quilt and yard sale.
That is all for now.

August 2009 Guild Meeting

It is already September so I guess I need to get on the ball and get August meeting posted before our September meeting arrives.
We met on August 20, 2009 at the Newtonia Community Building in Newtonia, MO. We had several members absent, but enjoyed visiting with the members who were in attendance.
Paula won our "Butterfly" BOM blocks and she received some really pretty ones. Next month BOM is the "Hollyhock" seen here on "country red" background. The flowers are to be made in yellows or pinks and detailed centers with "french knots". Up to 3 flowers can be used, more would make the block crowded. Outline stitch in like or contrasting colors to give the desired look you want.

The "jewel tone" 6" fabric squares were exchanged and we look forward to next month when we will exchange "tone on tone florals".
The program part of our meeting was presented by Rebecca.
She introduced some of us to the technique of "Mola". I can see how this would be a beautiful, but involved project.
This technique involves the layering of different fabrics and the use of needle turn applique'.
It is really pretty when finished, so those that are up to a larger challenge are welcome to try it.
Our Newtonia Fall Festival is coming up on the 26th of September. Our raffle tickets are on sell for the two sided quilt that was made as our fund raiser for the year.
We were also reminded that our "Harvest Bounty" challenges are due in October. Be working on your fruit and vegetable fabrics.
That will wrap it up for now. Our next meeting is on September 17, 2009. Our assignment is to bring our favorite "quilting book" for our annual book report meeting. Check back next month.

July Guild Meeting

Our monthly guild meeting was held in Newtonia on July 16th. We had 12 members and 4 guests there. It was our quarterly Project Linus meeting so different ones brought their sewing machines to work on this or their own projects. We worked on weighted blankets for children with Autism or ADHD/ADD. More information on these blankets and how they can help is available through your local Project Linus Chapter.

Lucy won our Amish Basket BOM blocks. This could be a very beautiful quilt..

Next month's BOM block is the Butterfly. It will be a pieced block.

Vea described how she wanted this block to be made. Pale neutral pastel background, 2 bright pastel colors for the wings and black or charcoal grey for the body. The antennae can be added by machine or embroidery.

We had several Linus BOM Flip Flop blocks turned in as well as the Faux Paper Pieced Star blocks. Very nice.

Before our Linus work meeting began, we shared with the group the Sweet Treat Bags that we made as our May Challenge.

Another challenge that we were given in June was a "scrap bag" challenge. We each drew a number that corresponded with a bag of scraps. We were then to take the bag home and make something with all the pieces. Some were harder to use than others since they were so very tiny.

We then received a new challenge that is due in October. We each were given 4 fat eighths of fabric that were printed with large fruits or vegetables. It is called our "Harvest Bounty" Challenge. We have to use all of the fabric in a project of our choosing. More fabric can be added to it as desired.

The Raffle quilt for the September Fall Festival in Newtonia was finished and we took pictures of both sides. It is a fully reversible quilt and it was machine quilted. Very beautiful. We will be selling tickets to earn money for our guild's needs for the coming year. The top is made of blocks that the guild members pieced. The back is just as bright and lovely. Quite a treat to look at.

June Guild Meeting.

Our June Guild meeting was held on the 18th and we had several members in attendance. We received the word that our raffle quilt is at the quilter's and we should have it back soon to take pictures and start selling tickets.

Rebecca Lesue won our Honey Bee BOM blocks.Our new BOM for July is the Amish Basket. Solid colors are to be used for this and black is to be used for the background.

Our Project Linus BOM is the Flip Flop. We are to make one or more of these blocks to turn in to be made into a linus quilt.

Lucy started our Program part of the meeting with a drawing to give away all the larger prizes left over from the retreat.

Then Rebecca showed us how she does Fauz Paper Piecing. Those that make the blocks and bring them back will get to see how they are set together in a linus quilt.

We had Show and Tell with several personal projects and linus projects shown.

The BOM bylaw rules were reviewed so we better understood when and how often we were eligible for winning these blocks.

Our meeting was adjourned until July 16th.

It was great.... We had our Retreat on June 12th and 13th. It was supposed to be a "mini" retreat, but we had so much to do, I prefer to call it just a Retreat. Several projects were worked on and some were even completed. The most fun was had by those who participated in the Hand Dyeing of fabrics. I may be bias since that is the main thing I did and had a wonderful time doing it.

We had fun with the basics of hand dyeing and ended up with 9 beautiful colors and a black. Each one is unique and beautiful.

We then played with soy wax and tried our hand at "batiking". Some of these are quite lovely and unique too. We stamped the wax onto the fabric with household items such as potato mashers, empty thread spools, cookie cutters, and even a wire whip. After the wax dried, the fabric was placed into one and sometimes 2 colors. After the fabric set for several hours, the wax was removed to reveal the great designs left behind by the wax.

Then we tried a couple of methods using shaving cream. Both of the methods using this were great at giving soft colorful pieces of fabric. The one method has the shaving cream in a layer on plastic and you add the dyes to other shaving cream and apply it however you wish to the shaving cream layer. Then you lay your fabric on top of this and let it set before removing it to dry.The other shaving cream method has the fabric "painted" with the dyes and the shaving cream is added on top of the dye and allowed to dry. Such beautiful fabrics to play with and use in other projects. Just how do you choose which ones and how to use them. Hmmm.

Anyway, we also had a class on making tote bags. Aprons were made, quilts started and some finished. But most of all, we enjoyed getting together, chatting, sharing ideas and enjoying the yummy foods that come with such a group of ladies.

Our next retreat is scheduled for November 6th and 7th this year.

Mini Retreat

Our Spring Mini Retreat will be held on June 12 and 13th. Although it looks to be a regular retreat with the many items we are going to have available to work on. A Scrappy Bag, Stripy Table Runner, Baby Quilt, Large Quilt, and Apron are the fun projects available. Lucy is going to instruct us Friday in Basic Hand Dying. On Saturday, we are going to have fun with shaving cream as we try our hand at this type of Hand Dying as well as maybe some Batik work.
We are also going to have a rummage sell. Everyone is to bring items they want to donate for sale and the money will go into our budget for future projects.
Everyone is to also bring Pot luck dishes for us to snack on as we spend time together sharing fun times and ideas. We will meet from 9 am until 9 pm or whenever everyone wants to go home. The retreat will be held at the community building in Newtonia. See you there.

May 2009 Guild Meeting

On May 21, 2009, the Newtonia Battlefield Quilters met for our monthly evening meeting. School was out for our area that day, so we had a few more members there that had been unable to attend much during the school year. For some of us, summer means that it is time to relax and work on those projects that have been nagging at us all winter. To others, it is the busy time of year with children under foot and outdoor activities calling to us.
The evening was brought to order by our Vice President, Marcene. The old business of the raffle quilt was dealt with quickly as a unanimous decision was made to have it machine quilted by a lady in Anderson who has done some quilting for some members of our group and does a really great job.
New business was discussed such as our mini retreat coming up in June and Project Linus meetings to be held and where.
Our day meeting was set to be held at Lucy's and our evening meeting was to be hosted by Lynn and to be held at the community building. Both meetings were well attended and we worked on the new Linus BOM from Marcene called "Pretty in Pink". Doll dresses appliqued on squares. Even though the one she showed us was yellow and not pink.
Anyway, she was quite busy since our April meeting because she assembled and finished 9 quilts from the "Orphan Blocks" that everyone turned in.
After showing her finished "Kite" BOM quilt made from the March blocks, Donna won the May "Daisy" BOM blocks.
Vea presented our new BOM "Honey Bee" block. She encouraged us all to stretch our imaginations by making two blocks, one to turn in and one to keep. The one we keep could be made by coordinating the fabrics each month so they all have one or more of the same fabrics.
The evening program was on "quilts are not just for beds." Lucy introduced the meeting with her "mini" quilts from different quilt exchanges. Bobbie showed some of her vintage "bonnets", some hot pads, and mini quilts. Pauline modeled her vest made from quilt blocks. Paula showed her guild bag as well as a diaper bag she made for her niece.
We were reminded that our "bag" challenge is due next month and that more details would follow on our Mini Retreat.
We adjourned until next month.

I will try to post some pictures later. Technical difficulties.

April Guild Meeting

It's April already. Springtime is finally here. With it comes the beginning of a new year at the Newtonia Battlefield Quilters Guild. New officers, new program and project chairmen with new ideas, projects and challenges.

Rebecca opened our meeting and invited everyone to start working on their projects they had brought with them. Some were working on Project Linus items and others were finishing up BOM or personal projects.

Throughout the evening, we received new information for the coming year. The winner of the BOM "Koala Bear" was drawn and Suzanne was the lucky winner of these adorable blocks. Vea presented the new block due

next month. It is a "Daisy".It is a 12 1/2" block that is to be machine appliqued blanket stitch in matching thread so it is less visible. Our 6" fabric exchange squares are set up to coordinate with the blocks we will be doing each month. The color for next month is "pale green".

We also were able to preview the top and back of the raffle quilt for this year's fund raiser in September. Yes, it is April and the top and back are finished and ready for quilting. Because they are both pieced in different designs, it will need to be machine quilted.

These blocks for the top went from this:

To this:

The back was pieced by Coralee and looks like this:Two lovely quilts in one.

We had 8 quilts and 7 weighted blankets turned in for Project Linus. We also had 1 larger quilt finished and donated for our stash of quilts for the community emergency needs.

Were given our first "challenge". It is a purse or bag made from jelly roll strips from our personal stash. It is from the "Moda Bake Shop" web site and we are to make it uniquely our own color or design. Good Luck to everyone who is willing to take on this first challenge of the year.

Marcene introduced a new "Project Linus BOM" project for this coming year. She will introduce a new block each month for those who want to make these for quilts to be turned in the Project Linus program.

Come join us for the fun that is planned for the coming year. See you there.

Monthly Guild Meeting

It is time for our quarterly "Project Linus" work meeting. Ladies, bring your machines, "Linus" projects and come join us at our monthly Guild Meeting. We will meet this coming Thursday night, April 16, 2009 at the Newtonia Community Center starting at 6:30.
We will be getting our first new BOM for the year by Vea. Bring 18 - 6" squares of your favorite "Pastel" fabric for our fabric exchange. See you there.

March 19, 2009 Guild Birthday Party

Happy Birthday to Us. Happy Birthday to Us. Happy Birthday to Our Quilt Guild. Happy Birthday to Us.

Well, we turned 5 years old this year. The Newtonia Battlefield Quilters are just like any toddler, trying to grow and learn. Grow we did as we had two new members join with us. We wish to welcome Donna and Donna to our guild.

Our President, Rebecca, took care of the new business of replacing Paula as Vice President with Marcene. Then, Bobbie as Treasurer with Miyuki. Vea is our new Project Chairman with Lucy as Vice Chairman. Rebecca announced that she will be the Program Chairman since she didn't have any other volunteers.

The night moved on with the drawing of the name for the winner of the BOM "Kite" blocks. The winner was our new member, Donna. Coralee then shared with her the last block of her year that will be due next month. It is a darling "Koala Bear" that is to be paper pieced.

Suzanne led our group in a game of "Quilting Jeopardy". She had wonderful prizes that went along with the answers. We soon realized that some lacked knowledge in the areas that others were very knowledgeable in.

Birthday Cake and Ice Cream by Marcene and Paula were served and after door prizes were chosen, we adjourned until next month when our new Project and Program Chairmen will be in place and ready to lead off our new year. See you then.

Guild Birthday Party

Suzanne wanted me to post this notice for our upcoming Guild Birthday Party. Come join us as we turn 5. See ya then.

February 19, 2009 Guild Meeting

Our monthly meeting for February was held at the Newtonia Community Building on the 19th. Our meeting was opened by Rebecca and the business dealt with. Among that business was the appointment of a nominating committee to come up with the two people to fill the Vice President and Treasury vacancies next month. I cannot believe another birthday of the Newtonia Battlefield Quilters Guild is upon us. I believe we will be 5.

Anyway, the meeting was fun. Coralee introduced our new BOM block. It is a "Kite". It is to be made with a soft blue background, bright colors for the kite and a cute tail made by "couching" a ribbon.

This darling quilt can be made with 15 Kite blocks or even with just 13.

We learned what "Couching" is and how to do it in our program part of the evening where we had "Thread play" by Suzanne. She told us a little bit about what types of thread pertained to what type of project we were working on. She covered silks, mono-filament, and heavier metalic to name a few. Needles were also discussed before she went to her machine to show us "Bobbin work".This is a process where you wind the heavy thread loosely on the bobbin. The top thread is of normal sewing weight. Then you sew your pattern on the wrong side of the fabric so that your bobbin thread shows on the right side of the fabric. It really makes a striking design.

"Couching" is made when you place a narrow piece of ribbon on your project and zigzag across it to hold it in place.

Vea showed us how to free hand quilt on our sewing machines using the darning foot. Tips on how to use special tools such as fingertip grips and or gloves to maneuver the fabric while moving it through the machine, were given.

Thanks to Suzanne and Vea for a fun and informative night.

Mary won our "Pink Dogwood" blocks, 30 quilts were turned in for Project Linus and a delightful snack was served and enjoyed by all.

Next month is our Guild Birthday Party. "Geometric" design 2 1/2" strips are for our fabric exchange and we will learn what our last BOM block for the year will be. Dues of $12.00 are due and after payment is received, each member will receive their new membership cards. New officers and committee members will take over in April. See you in March.

February Guild Meeting Update

Our February Meeting will be held on February 19 @ 6:30 pm. We will meet at the Newtonia Community Center.
Join us for a night of "thread" play. If you would like to try "bobbin work" or practice "Machine Quilting", you may want to bring your sewing machines. This is not a requirement, only a suggestion if you want to do "Hands On". You will learn new things either way.
**If you want to practice bobbin work, you will need:
Tear-Away Stabilizer
68 mm Metalic Thread (thick)
Coordinating or same color regular weight thread for top
Open toe or darning foot for your machine
Sample fabrics
**If you want to practice machine quilting, bring your quilt "sandwich" (top, batting, backing) that you want to practice on. This can be a pattern quilt design or free motion.
Please come and join us. See you there.

January 2009 Guild Meeting

Can you believe it? Already 3 weeks into the new year. My how time flies by.

Our January Guild meeting was a combination of our regular meeting and a work day Project Linus meeting. Several brought their sewing machines and worked on projects. Rebecca had Lenore read the minutes from our last meeting in December and Bobbie give us the treasurer report. Paula reported on the Project Linus group that meets in Neosho. Our group was thanked for donating blankets to the Joplin Chapter. We are working on Fleece blankets with crocheted edges, weighted blankets, receiving blankets, as well as quilts. Keep working ladies. The community recipients love the blankets.

Lenore won the BOM "American Beauty" blocks and we were given our new block assignment. It is the "Pink Dogwood". "All machine applique. No seams," says Coralee. The blocks are made of soft or light pinks on muslin 9 1/2" square with a yellow center.

The commitee for the Fall Festival Raffle Quilt has met and purchased the fabrics and worked to get kits made for the blocks to assemble. We were shown the 2 blocks that we are being asked to assemble, since all the fabrics are there and ready to sew. We were asked to sign for the blocks we can promise to have finished by our February meeting. Our next meeting will be held on February 19, 2009 at the Newtonia Community Building. We will be working with "decorative threads". Our March meeting will be our Guild Birthday Party. A new year will start in April with Program, Project, Vice-President and Treasurer positions filled with new people. See you in February.