Sarah's Sewing Circle News 

Hello Sarah Members!

What a busy year I have planned for you!  In addition to the Circa 1880 Quilt and other club patterns, we will be starting the year with some quilts and projects made with my Charlotte line that FINALLY arrived today!  We were getting a little bit worried, since the Charlotte BOM starts next week.  We still have a couple of openings if you are interested, and it is also available for mail order:

 

 I did finish my Sarah's Mini Medallion Fibonacci Challenge quilt - well, the top - that is finished in my book!  As you can see, I used my Charlotte fabric for the quilt.  I was thinking about writing a pattern, but I think I will skip that.  The math is too annoying.

 Karen also finished hers.  She sent me a picture as she is getting it ready to quilt:

 Brenda also finished her top - shown below:  Anyone else?

Another cool thing that happened is that Tara Lynn Baisden, of Quilter's Ridge, designed 5 little quilts using my Charlotte fabric.  We will do at least a couple of these in Sarah Club - but I think I am going to do them all!  Which ones do you like the best?

The last one - Little Bits - uses a lot of scraps, so it looked like a natural for Sarah Club.  Maybe somewhere down the line.  

So many things to do!  I had better get sewing!

One Day Closer to Spring.......

Hello Pieceful Quilters!

Well, this is my first post for 2019 - let's hope I do a little better this year!  I have been busy working on a bunch of things.  Some are for my classes and clubs, and some I am just trying to finish so that I can get them out of my sewing room.  I have so many projects that are almost finished, but just need a border or binding, or all the blocks are done, and they just need to be put together.  I have purged a lot of projects that I decided that I just didn't like enough to waste my time finishing, so now I am down to projects that I actually like!  A lot of them are Sarah Club projects, mostly from fabric or block exchanges.  I really love these scrappy projects, and I want to finish them.  My problem is that I can't just make a wall hanging or lap quilt, oh no - I have to make everything bigger.  So, I have tons of blocks that are done or started, and then they got put away to make room for the next project.  You all probably understand this - well, maybe not you people that don't start anything until you finish something.  Trust me - if you are a real quilter, you will get over that.  There is nothing more fun than going to the fabric store and picking out fabric for a new quilt project - or should I say, your next UFO?  Think of it this way - we could be hanging out at bars or the racetrack.  At least our obsession is safe and in many cases, we actually produce something special.  Did you know that studies have shown that quilters have lower blood pressure than other people the same age?  Winner!

Anyway - in Sarah Club we are doing our own version of Pam Buda's 1880 quilt, which I talked about in the last post.  We will talk more about it at our first neeting(s) January 29th or 30th,  January 29th also happens to be the day that the shop is doing the Circa 1880 Free Demos to explain how it will work for the general public.  You can go to one of those meetings if you wish, but keep in mind that there will be some differences if you are in Sarah Club.  If you want to get started on something before then, you can start cutting 1 1/2" strips.  I am cutting strips out of my scrap stash, and some snippets, that are mostly 10" and not much more, so that I can have a greater variety to turn in.  So, go through your scraps and cut 1 1/2" pieces off of anything you can. 

This month in Sarah Club we will reveal our finished (or whatever you have) Mini Fibonacci Mystery Medallion quilts.  If you missed Club last month, here is a picture of mine through border 3.

 I handed out the instructions for the fourth and final border, so if you didn't get one, you can pick one up at the shop, or just email me and I will email one back to you.  You still have a few weeks to finish before the reveal - and a couple of months to finish before our show in August.  Let's have a bunch in the show!

That's it for now!

After Later - Carrie

Sarah's Sewing Circle News

We have so many things going on this year, I thought maybe it would be a good idea to have a place where I can post things you should know - especially with the holidays and snowbird season upon us. 

This month we will be having TWO holiday gatherings.  You can come to either one or both.  I just ask that you let me know if you are planning to come to the evening group so that I can call ahead to make reservations.  

The Evening gathering will be Before our meeting on Tuesday.  We will start gathering at Galati's Hideaway in Cary around 5:00.  That should give us plenty of time to have a relaxed dinner and get to the shop by 7:30.  The Day gathering will be After our meeting - those that are interested will go to The Brunch Cafe in FRG for lunch.  Everybody pays for their own.

I have been working on getting a head start on the little Nine Patch blocks for Pam Buda's Circa 1880 quilt above. Right now, I am just making regular 9-P blocks with 1 1/2" strips - since I have a rather large collection of these. Once we get the template in, I will trim them down to the correct size. Making them bigger will assure that I end up with the correct size.  I know - it is kind of a lot to trim off, but doing it this way requires less thinking, and I do have a ton of 1 1/2" strips that are already cut.  Of course, you can make yours any way you choose - as long as they come out to the correct size.  

In case you were wondering why it will be more fun to do this quilt in Sarah Club.....

Besides the obvious - we have more fun in general, you will have the advantage of being able to choose your own blocks out of the bin we will have at the club meetings each month.  We will also be making the bonus quilts that use the same little blocks:

You should also be working on your Mini Mystery Fibonacci Medallion quilt.  There is just one more border to go, and we will reveal our quilts at our first meeting in January.  You are welcome to attend that meeting, even if you don't sign up - but why wouldn't you?  I finally finished my center block - why do I always go overboard???  I am hoping to get at least partially caught up before we meet next week.  

There is one more quilt in the Yuletide Greetings pattern.  I still have to quilt the last one I did, too.  I will try to have that done by next week, too.  Ok - it could happen.  You aren't holding your breath, are you?  There are a lot of flying geese in this one.....

I am always open to suggestions for quilts that you want to do next session - in our spare time!  I'm trying to come up with some simple and quick ideas!

After Later  -  Carrie

Sarah's Sewing Circle - Summer Session Plans

Hello Pieceful Quilters,

It is hard to believe that May is already ending!  I lost a week somewhere, but Katie and Diane helped me pull together a great little quilt for the first meeting of Sarah's Sewing Circle this session.  The quilt is based on this antique top from my collection:

Antique Quilt that inspired Criss-Cross Applesauce

We had wanted to use Jo Morton's beautiful Carolina collection for something, and this seemed to be the perfect choice.  It is pretty quick and simple, and, of course, kits are available.  Of course, if you were a member of Sarah's Club, you would have received 15% off at the first meeting.  You can join this club at any time, and we are especially looking for daytime members.  Call the shop to sign up and pay only for the remaining meetings this session. 

Criss-Cross Applesauce
Sarah's Sewing Circle, May 2011 - Kits Available

   We talked a little about changing the format of Sarah's Sewing Circle a little bit.  We will still have a project each month - sometimes biggish and sometimes small - sometimes both!  I would also like to make it into more of a real sewing circle.  Of course, that means some hand work.  For those of you that want to learn a new skill, we started an English Paper Piecing project.  If you that have been in Sarah's Club for awhile, this will not be a new skill, but we will be doing hexagons this time, instead of diamonds.  Here is my ongoing hexagon quilt project.  It is still growing:

If you want to do the hexagons, we will be working on those next time, again.  Talk to me if you have questions about what to bring.  If you don't want to do hexagons, you can work on your own favorite hand project - bindings, embroidery, knitting, etc.  We also talked about doing a little reading.  I am hoping to read Gone With the Wind - one of my all time favorites.  It seemed appropriate, somehow.  If you guys have other ideas that excite you more, I am easy - but you know that.

Next month I will also have a project based on a quilt that is owned by one of our members:

 Blocks from quilt owned by Club Member Karen Schultz
Inspiration for upcoming Quilt, Karen's Stars our June project

I haven't started it yet (there's a shock), so I am not sure how large I will do it.  Maybe I will give you a choice?

Karen's Star Block - Quilt to come

You will also get instructions for our quarter-square triangle exchange.  We will be doing this with Triangulations Software print-outs so that the blocks will be easy and accurate.  Here is the inspiration for this project:

Sarah's Hourglass Sashed

The exchange will take place at our July meeting.  You will be able to choose your own sashing if pink isn't your color.

Finally, in August, we will be duplicating this wonderful quilt that I acquired recently.  I am in love with this quilt, and I can't wait to get started on it.  I will probably do it full-size, but I will definitely have options for you to do it in smaller sizes, or as a tablerunner - or something like that....

Sarah's Checks and Steps

So, that is the plan for this session.  I am always open to suggestions - this is your club.
Hope to see some new faces next month and in the future - come and join the fun!

Piecefully Yours,
Carrie

What's Happening!

Hello Pieceful Quilters,

Just in case you think I have been slacking, I want to fill you all in on a few things I have been working on! This should make you all feel better about your own UFO's!

First - I finally finished the never-ending triangle exchange project:

My Triangle Exchange Quilt Top - Waiting to be quilted....

And speaking of exchanges, here is my project (so far) for the upcoming strip exchange next week. I am doing the Courthouse Steps project from Edyta Sitar's book, Friendship Strips and Scraps. I am plugging away. I might even have a good part of it assembled!

Friendship Strip Exchange - my Courthouse Steps project

Continuing around the fabric dump that I call my sewing room, you will find my 1000 Pyramids project taking up most of my design wall. This is a charm project that I started when we did a charm square exchange in Sarah Club last session.

1000 Pyramid Charm Project

Moving around the room we will find a few more unfinished projects:

A Mini 9-Patch from a year ago - or so, some blocks from a guild Stack & Whack project that I hope to finish, Nine Pineapple blocks - a lot more are started - somewhere around here.....

A fairly organized stash (but I am not showing the overflow), and a few more UFOs that are hanging on the door.

Finally, my next two projects - the papers and fabric for the half-square triangle exchange we are doing in Sarah Club next week, and Alice's Washday Blues Quilt.

So - if you are feeling overwhelmed with your UFOs - this is just the tip of the iceberg. I have more in the closet, more in the guest room, and more in the basement.

Be sure to attend the Pieceful Auction - I will be purging a few more of my UFOs!

Happy Quilting!

Carrie

Hello Pieceful Quilters,

With Sarah's Sewing Circle coming up next week, I thought I should take a minute to outline what we are doing this session. You are welcome to join our club at any time, and now would be a good time! At our meeting next week we are having a half square triangle exchange. If you want to get in on the exchange, there is still time to do the pre-work. It is fairly simple, and it promises to be a lot of fun!

First, I would like to show you what we did last month. As you may know, our projects are intended to replicate antique quilts. The first project this session was based on an antique 16-patch quilt top that I own. It is actually a strip of an unfinished quilt:

Unfinished Antique 16-Patch Quilt

The club members liked the way it looked, so we decided to do it as a runner:

Sarah's 16-Patch Table Runner

We put some extra fabric in the kit so that you will have a chance to play around with the setting. I had enough left over to make a small doll quilt.

As I said, next month we will be doing a half square triangle exchange. We will be reproducing a small quilt that is owned by Sandy Schweitzer. The original was made in the 30's, but our reproduction will be more Civil War. We will be sewing 1" finished Half Square Triangles using Triangulations Software sheets. To make the smallest size, shown below, you will need to sew 4 sheets. We are all using the same setting fabric. If you want to get involved, stop in soon to get the full instrucions. Here is a representative of the quilt we will be making:

Sarah's Kites Doll Quilt

For March we had decided to do a replication of one of the quilts from the book Childhood Treasures by Marikay Waldvogel. The quilt I chose is this cute (and simple) Churn dash:

Churn Dash from Childhood Treasures

Of course, it seemed like a good idea to use my fabric, "Alice's Washday Blues," which will surely be in the shop in plenty of time. So, I designed it using the blues:

Alice's Washday Churn Dash

For April, the club chose to do one of the larger quilt tops in my collection. I don't think we will do it quite this big, but maybe a large wall hanging or lap quilt. Of course, if you want to do it larger, that will be your choice.

The Final Quilt for this session

I just loved the way the quiltmaker did the sashings, with red strips going in one direction and light blues and other colors in the other direction.

As I said, we are always open to newcomers. You will only pay for the remaining meetings in the session. Club members receive 15% off club kits that they purchase at club meetings. Kits are available for sale after the club meetings have taken place.

Hope to see you all at our next meeting!

Carrie

What I've been doing

Hello Pieceful Quilters,

First, I would like to thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers over the past couple of months. My Dad's illness and subsequent passing were made so much easier by all of you - your kindness, sympathy, and above all, your patience, have been amazing! I can only hope for each of you as wonderful a circle of friends (for you are all my friends) as I have.

Now, in case you were wondering if I have been sitting around and staring into space, well, yes, to some extent you are right, however, I have taken my own advice to so many of you, and turned to my quilting for therapy. There is nothing quite so soothing as sitting at your machine and choosing fabric after fabric to put in a scrappy quilt, and then piecing them through in a long, long string of pieces. So, here are a couple of things I have been working on:

First, the most recent Sarah's Club project. I didn't quite have it done in time for the meeting last month, but it is finished now, and Vonnie has it all quilted. All I have to do is put on the binding and add a label. I am really pleased with it:

Sarah's Patriotic Quilt

Then, I have been working on three great scrappy projects at the same time. Sewing a bunch of pieces from each, then ironing and then more sewing. First is the 1000 Pyramids quilt that I am making from the Charm Squares we exchanged in Sarah Club. I still haven't found the two missing rows that I brought to the shop to show you. I am sure they will turn up, but in the meantime, I have continued to move along. Here is six more rows at the end of my guest room bed:

1000 Pyramids

Next comes the quilt I am working on using the triangles from the exchange. Some of you may have seen part of it at the demo, but here is some more on my design wall. I have started writing the pattern, too, and it will be available free on our website, soon.

Hidden Diamonds - Triangle Exchange Quilt

Finally, I have started my project for the next exchange. If you haven't heard, we will be exchanging 1" x WOF strips to make quilts from Edyta Sitars newest book, "Friendship Strips and Scraps." Information about the exchange is in our current newsletter. If you didn't receive one in the mail, you can download one from our website. I am doing this adorable Courthouse Steps quilt. The one in the book uses slightly bigger strips, but it is working just fine with 1" strips. Here are some of the blocks in progress on my ironing board. Don't they look kind of like they are floating? Hmmm - Magic!

Strip Exchange Project in Motion

So, no need to worry about me. I am doing fine, and getting plenty of therapy in my sewing room. Gosh - I might even finish something! And, if you see my missing triangles somewhere, please tell them to come home so I can add them to their quilt before I finish it!

Happy Sewing Therapy!

Carrie

New Sarah Club Quilt

Hello Pieceful Quilters,

While I was at Quilt Market in Houston, I had a chance to visit the Quilt Show. One of the exhibits was a collection of Patriotic quilts from the collection of Cindy Rennels of Cindy's Antique Quilts. I have purchased a couple of quilts from her, including the pink stars quilt we did in Sarah Club awhile back with the Entlish Paper Piecing. I fell in love with this quilt:

Isn't it a great quilt? Besides being patriotic, which I always love, I loved the way it leads your eyes around and around. Katie & I decided to reproduce it for Sarah's Sewing Circle club. I was sorry to have to miss the club meeting last week, and I had hoped to have more of the quilt done to show you, but it is done now - finally. The picture is below:

I made a few minor changes to make it more symetrical, and a little simpler. Kits are available at the shop. Enjoy!

Carrie

Sarah's Sewing Circle - Charm Quilts

Hello Pieceful Quilters,

I haven't done a Sarah Club update in awhile, so I thought it was time! First, a little Show n' Tell from last week's meeting:

Mary Zenger with her beautiful Sarah's Broken Dishes Quilt - all in blues!

Julia Thomson with her Sarah's Birds in the Pines Quilt, made from our kit.

Donna Stupple with her Sarah's Star Doll Quilt - Made from our kit (with additions?)

Carol Henn with her version of Sarah's Birds in the Pines

Carol's Antique Find - this block has several names including Devil's Claws and Crowfoot. Isn't it a great graphic piece in the red and white?

Carol was busy - she also completed Sarah's Broken Plate in these great 30's style fabrics. Doesn't it feel like a birthday party?

At this meeting we did our charm square exchange, and talked a little about Charm Quilts. So, what is a "Charm Quilt?" Traditionally, a charm quilt would be one where no fabric was repeated. This style of quilt was first observed in Victorian times, and was thought to have been borrowed from button collectors, who would have strings of different buttons which were called, "charm strings."
Various patterns have been used since then, including, Tumbler, Apple Core, Hexagons and 1000 Pyramids. The quilts below can be found on the International Quilt Study Center website, along with many more!

1930's Hexagon Charm Quilt

1800's 1000 Pyramids Quilt

If you have never checked out the IQSC site, it is a wealth of information and great quilt pix!

So - anyway, we had our exchange and I gave out suggestions for how to proceed. The challenge is to make a quilt, any size, without repeating a fabric. We decided it would be ok to repeat within a block - such as a 4-patch using 2 fabrics. I have already started on my own version of the 1000 Pyramid Quilt. Since I am not a big fan of templates, I wanted to use one of my (many) rulers. I figured out that the Tri of the Tri-Recs Set would just fit on my 5" squares (hanging over a tiny bit on each side). So I set out cutting triangles and sewing them together. Here is what I have so far:

And, here are few more charm squares and cut triangles:

I think I am heading towards a King Size - what do you think? I just can't stop! In the process of cutting my own Charm Squares, I have been busy cutting packets to sell at the shop. This is pretty labor intensive work, so I think our price of $10.99 for 50 (hopefully) different squares is a bargain! What an easy way to get started on your own Charming Quilt!

Join Sarah Club now. The first meetings for the Fall Session are September 28th at 7:30, or September 29th, at 10:30. Katie & I have big plans for this session!

Happy Quilting,

Carrie