Ties That Bind July Meeting

Hello, Ties that Bind Quilters!  I'm coming to you from my house, where I spend almost all my time.  I haven't been at the meetings lately during the pandemic, since I'm babysitting my grandchildren including a five month old baby.  I MISS YOU!

Colleen has been kind enough to send photos she took at the July meeting, so all of us who can't come can see some of what you're sewing.

First things first--who won the Color Challenge?  Remember, this was the challenge to make a quilt with two colors plus a background.  Below are some of the entries.

The winner is:  Jeannine!  This is her beautiful quilt, below.

Colleen won second prize:

And Mary M. won third prize.

Congratulations to the winners, and to everyone who participated.

Now, on to show and tell! 

(Just a note on the photos--I'm not sure why they are so small.  I will figure it out and fix it for next month.)

Here's Annette's lovely quilt,

and placemat.

Cindy P. made a fabulous orphan block quilt.  I spy a Christmas sweater block!

Jean B. has been busy!  Here's the first quilt in this pattern, and

here's a second one.   But she wasn't done there.

Take a look at this beauty!

Jen E.'s quilt is gorgeous in green,

and so is the back!

Aren't these colors terrific?  Quilt is by the talented Joan L.

Lola finished this amazing quilt.  The pattern is Frolic, by Bonnie Hunter.  Check out all the tiny pieces!

Mmm, Mary L.'s star quilt is tantalizing. 

Here's a seasonal delight by Mary M. ,

and her knock-out quilt!

Mickey showed this one, a cute classic redwork for Christmas.  I'll bet she could help you make one too.

And now, one of the most prolific quilters in our group, Nancy P., shows what she's been up to lately.  (How does she do it?  Does she sew in her sleep?)

Stunning work!  I always look forward to seeing what Nancy does with scraps.  Or with anything!

Did you make this pretty quilt?  If so, let me know (in the comments or through email) and I would be happy to give you credit.

Masks don't have to be boring!  These masks are great.  The masks in the first picture are the prettiest ones I've ever seen.  The ones made of patriotic fabric are for the V.A., and I don't know who made them, but good job, ladies.

So that wraps up another monthly meeting.  The next one is August 19th.

Keep safe, and keep quilting!

Coming Back--Safely

Hello, Ties that Bind Quilters!

It may have only been a few months by the calendar, but it has felt like forever since we had a quilt meeting.  (Does anybody else think the girl on the left above might have a Covid-19 haircut?)

As of Wednesday this week (June 17th), the guild is resuming meetings at Pilgrim church, with some social distancing rules in place.

• There will be no food served at the meeting and if you want something to drink, you should bring it with you. 
  
• Please spread out and only have two or three at a table. 
  
• Masks are not required but please respect those that are wearing them.  Many of our members are in the "at risk" group. 
  
• We don't know if we will need to limit Show and Tell until we see how many members show up for the meeting. 
  
• Be respectful of the space.  The church is graciously letting us meet there (many other guilds are not being allowed back into their meeting places yet).  We will need to wipe down/disinfect all of the tables and chairs after the meeting.  I know we like to spread out all of our stuff we bring with us but be aware that we will have to clean all of the surfaces we use.  
• Please do not attend if you are not feeling well.
  

Not all of us are ready to come back yet, and that's okay.  Take your time and do what is best for you.

Have you been sewing during the quarantine?  (It's a great stress reliever.)  Colleen has been doing a wonderful job showing guild members' work on the Facebook page.  We can also do that here.

Got show and tell?  Send me a photo!  I'll post it here for everyone to see.  You can send it to either my phone via text or my email.  Make sure to add your name to your text/email so I can give you credit.

Due to family concerns I won't be at the June meeting.  To all who go, have a good time, and stay safe!

Sincerely,

Sylvia

Catching Up With Jack's Basket Quilts--Part One

Wow!  Our members really make the sewing machines hum! 
Above is a stack of baby quilts recently donated to our ongoing Jack's Basket charity drive.
I know it's hard to see all of these at a quilt meeting, and I thought the whole group would like to know what wonderful baby quilts are going out to Jack's Basket from Ties that Bind.

This is part one, 8 baby quilts that have already been sent in November and received by the charity.  (Part two will cover 12 more, so stay tuned!)  I have tried to take a full photo and a detail of each one.

This lovely quilt will brighten up a nursery.  I really haven't been very good at knowing who made which quilt, so I apologize for that.  I do know that this one was made by Colleen T., and uses a pattern Nancy P. gave us in 2018.  (Click HERE to go to that pattern.  Scroll down past the photos of our hard-working members.) 

Don't you love this?    A big square of adorable fabric, coordinating borders, and very nice quilting make it perfect for a new baby.  This one was made by the team of Nancy P. and her mom.

Below is another one by Nancy and her mom.

I have sometimes seen these framed blocks called Happy Blocks, and the blocks in this quilt are very happy and sweet.  It's so nicely quilted, too.

These next 5 quilts are all made from the same basic pattern, but each takes on a different look when made with different fabrics.

This quilt, with the awesome jelly beans fabric, was made by Joan L.

All the rest of these quilts were pieced by Nancy P. and her mom.  Nancy did the quilting.

 

Aren't these great?  Cute fabrics, simple piecing, bright colors, great quilting!

The letter we received from the Jack's Basket organization was very appreciative of our work.  We can be proud of contributing to their cause of welcoming babies with Downs Syndrome, and assuring their families that they are not alone.

If you are making a quilt for Jack's Basket, please use soft cotton or flannel fabrics.  The quilts should measure roughly 36 in. square, and be suitable for a new baby.

Update on Jack's Basket

I thought you might like to know how we're doing on collecting quilts for Jack's Basket.  (Click HERE for information on this charity and our project.)  Here are some photos of the wonderful quilts that have been donated.

The little legs in the photos belong to my grandson, who was "helping" me.  (He took about a thousand photos himself, mostly of his shoes.)

You can see what a terrific group of quilts these are.

Bright and colorful, warm and comforting, all to go to a good cause.

Nice work, ladies!

I'm sure these quilts will brighten someone's day.
Want to see the backs?

Plus 10 more I didn't get photos of!

After the September meeting, we had a total of 13 quilts, seen here laid out on the table, ready to send.

Even with Marie Kondo-style folding, I could only get ten quilts in this big box.  So this is how many I sent.
There is an extra postage charge for using such a big box, so next time I will ship fewer quilts in a smaller box.  We have three quilts ready to go right now.
I will keep doing this as long as anybody wants to make the quilts.

Just to recap, the Jack's Basket charity requests quilts 36 in. square, to go in the baskets they give to new parents of Down's Syndrome children.

Congratulations on donating to a great cause!  We really are the little quilt group that could.