december 13 meeting

Six Piecemakers gathered at Miriam's home, best known at Christmas for its stupendous street display of animated characters and interactive buttons. It is lit up and running from 5pm to 11pm during the holidays. Not to be missed!

Miriam’s home continued the festive flair with her collection of nutcrackers and interior decor. As Miriam stated "If they had Christmas toilet paper, I would buy it." Go, Miriam!

The refreshments included a full selection of seasonal cookies, satsumas, tea and hot cider.

Show ’N Tell

Miriam showed us progress on her Paddington quilt.

She recently made a Christmas apron for her youngest daughter who is a professional baker in Leavenworth. Everyone was so impressed that Miriam will now be making holiday aprons for the whole bakery next year—for Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Fourth of July, Halloween and Christmas. Miriam wrapped up her stories with a surprise for us all—gifts of embroidery scissors in the shape of little ladies or cats.

Patricia gave us an update about StashFest 2014—with new table covers, aprons for team members and a presenting sponsor—PEMCO Insurance. She also shared progress on the healing quilt she’s making that includes fabric from a shirt her mother gave her.

Shannon brought a table runner that she made with four packages of 5" squares, cut in half. She sewed it together just like Miriam’s jean quilts—right through the batting and backing of each strip. 

Shannon finished a Jacob's Ladder quilt with micro piping and a double layer of flannel inside instead of backing.

The cute cat block is one side of a sewing machine cover Shannon is making for her new sewing room.

In her bag of projects was a quilt top made by her boss for an ex-boyfriend. It was up for grabs for someone to finish. Also a bearer of gifts, Shannon gave away little packs of 2.5" Moda Candy Squares.

Flora has been swamped for the last six months, focusing on her work. Flora figures she’ll really know what she is doing in two years! She loves her new team and beams that her boss actually talks to her. 

In the last month Flora hosted her annual Salish weaving weekend at her home. Once again it was a phenomenal event and she made a pillow. 

Like all of us, Flora really misses Maurine. She has the quilt top with the flower blocks that everyone made. One she has some creative time available, Flora will continue on that project.

Janet made beaded bags for the PATH craft show and sold out in one hour. She was wearing one to show us her craftwomanship. Janet also shared a quilt that Kelly just finished for a grandson, a five-year old who loves Star Wars. Janet pieced the top and Kelley sewed the Darth Vader back. Then Kelly quilted it on the long arm!

Pris showed us a wall hanging she made 20 years ago with leftover pieces of fabric—from when she made holiday napkins for her former church’s Wednesday suppers. Pris also reported that she is really enjoying putting flannel on the back of her quilts.

It's been a big year for Plymouth Piecemakers, with the loss of our lovely leader, Maurine, and three parents of quilters. We have much to grieve and much to celebrate.

november 13 meeting

Five of us met at Janet's for a lovely evening in front of the fireplace with tea and cookies: Janet, Miriam, Harriet, Shannon, and Patricia

It was a big night for giveaways with Janet sharing lots of books from Jeanne Neptune's studio clean-up and Shannon bringing books and magazines from her studio move.

Show N Tell

Miriam has been busy with crochet hook, making an afghan for a baby. She also brought a delightful quilt top made with cute Paddington bears that  she will be finishing up with pink flannel backing and giving to June at Plymouth. She is still working on a quilt top that requires 64 blocks. Once she makes all the blocks, she'll decide how they go together.

Harriet is freshly back from the Joe Cunningham quilt retreat on Hood Canal. She showed Joe's book on Men and Quiltmaking. Harriet brought an original quilt top that included bias tape on the borders. The second quilt top was a personal interpretation of Jacob's Ladder with lots of Kaffe Fassett fabric. Harriet brought a gorgeous collection of fabrics to the retreat. Working with Joe, she learned that ugly fabrics can also make great quilts.

Although she didn't bring them, Harriet has two more tops ready to quilt. She plans to learn how to use Janet's long-arm to finish them.

Patricia was also at the Joe Cunningham retreat and brought the top she made there. She freely admits that she didn't follow any of the instructions. Her breakthrough was making a completely different patchwork design along one edge. The quilt top includes part of a pink seersucker shirt from her mother.

Shannon was the third Piece Maker who went to the Joe Cunningham retreat. Shannon enjoyed working with Joe to resolve two different quilt tops that she brought to the meeting. Shannon's big news is that she's taking over Christopher's upstairs bedroom for her new sewing room, an upgrade from its current basement location.

Janet had jeans to give Miriam who can use them in her denim quilts or repair them as giveaways to the homeless. Janet showed us the sweetest little bag that a neighbor made and sold for $2 to raise money for charity. Janet also had a photo of a delightful I Spy quilt that an ex-coworker from PATH made and took to Vietnam. The big SHOW of the evening was the transformation of Janet's downstairs long-arm room. She and Kelly worked hard to re-work, organize and paint her workspace.

The evening ended with a short moment in Janet's second floor sewing room, cutting up a bolt of fabric that Miriam brought to share. There we saw the Darth Vader quilt that Janet’s husband Kelly is designing for a young family member.

                                                                                                                                     

october 13 meeting

We had a very good meeting this month. Shannon hosted while Harriet, Flora, Pris, Janet, and Miriam attended. The meeting started with a review of the YF list and now every graduating senior has a quiltmaker!

Show and Tell

Pris showed her "Bits and Pieces" quilt, now finished. The quilt is very detailed and well-made—HAND-QUILTED as always! She thinks it will be given to a companion at the House of Healing.

Miriam brought small squares for a quilt in progress. Miriam has reams of small scraps and pieces from previous quilts that she’s working on using up. 

Janet showed a quilt made by her friend that she has finished quilting. Over 1000+ pieces of 1 1/2" squares. Again, every detail is well done, including the quilting. 

Flora showed the detailed gift-bag that she was given made of wool fabric—quite exquisite. She also reported that the doll bed and accessories she shared with us at the last meeting were raffled off for $55.  The recipient child was thrilled with her mother's bid.

The quilt top Flora is holding was designed and stitched by Maurine. Flora will be finishing it for a YF quilt this year.

Harriet hauled in all the laundry bags that the Piece Makers made at Shannon's Bernina shop recently. No two alike, all great! Rev. Duran will add some items to the bags and see that they're sent to last year's Seniors. 

Shannon displayed a darling baby quilt that she had made for a friend's new baby. She also showed us a 1929 Singer portable sewing machine that she recently bought at an estate sale. Beautifully crafted and cared-for, it’s still in working condition. This is one of the earliest electric models made and a treasure indeed..

After a bit of general conversation and tea, the meeting dispersed.  

september 13 meeting

The Piece Makers gang met at Patricia’s home where she served herbal tea and Joe Joe cookies.

Show N Tell

Janet presented a phenomenal double wedding ring quilt that she made for her neighbors who just got married. Amazingly Janet and Kelly were not invited to the wedding but Janet is resolute in giving the quilt to its intended recipients.

The quilt, two years in the making, is gorgeous with thrift store shirting for the rings. It’s stitched on Janet’s long arm with a lovely organic pattern.

Shannon has five different quilts that she’s finishing at her work but she didn‘t bring any with her. Recently Shannon took a 59-mile bicycle ride that ended with a trip to the hospital emergency. Her MS bike team was on fire this year. They raised $43k, as compared to $23k last year.

Shannon’s mother-in-law Rondi is not doing well. Rondi has a wound that is getting worse and she stopped eating. The good news is that Rondi rallied recently and asked for a burrito!

Miriam was busy traveling to Norway this past month to celebrate her first cousin’s 95th birthday. The birthday party at her church was packed with 120 guests. Open-faced sandwiches and lots of kinds of cakes were served. Miriam took five of her shopping bags to give to family members.   

One small quilting project did get produced by Miriam this month. It was an adorable set of pink baby booties with quilted soles.

Patricia is working on a quilt commission that was up on her design wall. She also showed a small quilt made with one yard of yukata cottons plus Kona solids.  

Earlier in the month Patricia was in Victoria celebrating her father’s 90th birthday with her mother and all her siblings. This was quite an accomplishment for a man would was not supposed to make it past last Christmas.

Flora’s life has been stressful recently—good stressful as she is working hard to get up to speed at her new job and just loving it. She brought a doll bed that she is going to donate to a charity auction. Flora cleaned up the used bed, made pillows and a mattress cover, sheets and pillow cases, and a minke blanket. It is adorable.

                                                                                                            

Flora was contacted by Pat La Fon, the woman who organizes a quilting retreat called Other Strong Women. Pat wanted to know what the group could donate to Piece Makers in memory of Maurine. We decided that donated fabric would be wonderful.   

Harriet shared an article in the Wall Street Journal Magazine about a textile library in the Hudson Valley of New York. At 11,000 square feet with millions of swatches, it’s a phenomenal resource.

She made a prototype laundry bag to show what the gift for recently graduated high school seniors could look like. The huge bag had a 15" wide circular bottom and 38" sides. Harriet coordinated with Shannon to set up a group sew-in at Bernina Northwest for making 8 more bags together.

The evening culminated with a trip downstairs to visit Patricia’s brand new micro quilt shop/classroom—Okan Arts Shop—with all her yukata cottons.