Loose Threads Guild - Winter Newsletter

Loose Threads has been very busy since we began meeting again in the fall – we had Bee Nights and demos, as well as full day workshops given by guild members.

Carolyn Nassi demonstrated how to make leaves – she supplied each participant with a “kit” and showed how to make a leaf with a vein down the middle.

Gloria Stermer gave a demo on Pillow Pals – you can read more about these fabulous items below. And check out the photos of the Box Bags, made during a fantastic demo by given by Randi Lenet.

“Quilts of Valor” is an ongoing project for us. Loose Threads has already donated a few and we have one still in progress.

We have the “10” Challenge due at the end of our season – this is to commemorate our 10th year since we became a formal guild. The only rule for this challenge is to have a completed, quilted, and bound piece that measures 10 inches!!!!!!! This is proving to be quite a challenge and it should be a fabulous evening of show and tell when we present our pieces.

Box Bag Fun

On a recent Sunday, many members of the guild gathered for a workshop to learn how to make box bags. Under the very patient guidance of the guild's own Randi Lenet, we each managed to complete at least one bag; many of us left with two.

As we began to construct the bags, we heard many calls for seam rippers and a few choice words every now and then, but we also heard many exclamations of pride as the bags started to come together and when the final product was produced. A few of us even put in our first zipper!!!!

Part of the fun of gatherings such as these is seeing the different fabrics that everyone uses for their projects. Some were learning how to make the bags just to learn a new skill, while others had specific gift recipients in mind.

A few of the completed bags

Many thanks go to Randi for teaching the workshop, to the executive for arranging it, and to all the members who participated in this fun day. The best part of these workshops, aside from learning a new technique or skill, is getting together with others and having fun. A wonderful side benefit of this great day was the collection of several bags of non perishable food items for a local mobile food kitchen.

Pillow Pals - Community Service Project

While we enjoy making quilted items for our community service (big surprise there, huh?), we also create in other ways, using these projects to brighten up the lives of others. This year our community service project didn't involve quilting, but it did involve something that all quilters have: fabric!

We were introduced to Pillow Pals by Gloria Stermer, who thought that these would make a quick and easy project. And it was quick and easy. It really only takes about a half hour to put one together and then maybe another half hour to put the pillow in the fabric "pal," and sew it up.

They're so easy to make. You need two 14 inch squares for the body, scraps for the eyes, nose, mouth, arms and legs, a few bits of fibrefill for the limbs, and a 14-inch square pillow form for the body.

Before

After

Thank you to everyone who helped to make these delightful stuffed toys for children who will love them.

At a recent December meeting, we had a representative from Yaldei, a pediatric development centre providing therapies for children with autism and other special needs. The children who are a part of this program were the recipients of these special holiday gifts.

Rag Quilts – Thanks to James and Terrence

Our guild is extremely lucky to be in the City of Cote St. Luc, where we have a wonderful meeting space and incredible city workers who look after our needs so well and are genuinely interested in the work we do. Two of our “regulars” are James and Terrence, and in appreciation for all they do for us, we made each of them a rag quilt. We invited them to our annual Holiday Dinner and presented our gift of a quilt to them- they were so thrilled and we were so happy to show them how much we appreciate all they do for us.

Holiday Dinner

Another fabulous “theme” dinner for our Holiday Celebration – this time it was Italian!! Many thanks go to Joyce Ireman for doing such a wonderful job of organizing and setting up. The food was plentiful and absolutely delicious, as always. As we do at all “special” meetings, we collected non perishable food items for MADA, a local food bank. Over the past several years our members have decided to take the money we would spend on each other for a small gift exchange within the guild and donate it to a local community organization that could benefit from this gift. Our recipient is Maison Shalom, a residence for individuals with physical and developmental disabilities in our community.

Upcoming Events 

January
Movie Night – we invited 3 other guilds to join is for a screening of Superior Threads new DVD

February
Pizza Night
Drawstring pouch workshop by Isabel Bernier

March
Strip Paper Piecing demo by Marijke Vroomen Durning
International Quilting Day, an annual event for our members and invited guests to spend together sewing, sharing, laughing, learning

April
How to finish a Pillow (zipper/envelope) by Gloria Stermer
Petal Play Rose Brooch demo by Sharon Gates

Victoriana Quilt Design Bonus

Many of you are familiar with Benita Skinner of Victoriana Quilt Designs. Benita has generously given us 10 quilting designs to include in our newsletters. We included three in our last newsletter and here are three more for you, including one you may want to use for any Valentine's quilting. We hope you enjoy them.