Our Canada 150 Quilt Our guild's Canada 150 quilt has been completed! Designed by Brigid Whitnall, it features ideas submitted by our members - trilliums (Ontario's flower) in the centre, red and white log cabins and a connected diverse community of women. The blocks were made by guild members and it was beautifully quilted by Mary Stanton. This quilt will be featured at our quilt show on April 29-30, as part of an Eastern Ontario Interguild Canada 150 travelling quilt show. The collection of approximately 16 quilts will visit about a dozen area quilt shows, and at fall trunk shows. Tips and TricksTo kick off the new year our January meeting focused on tips and tricks for improving our quilting. We rotated through 5 demo stations manned by our own creative and talented guild members and came away with tremendous new ideas. Mary deVries showed us how to reduce bulk in our seam allowances, and how to use scraps while at the same time eliminating thread ends, saving time and thread.
Joann Vlaming showed us a great method for accurately sizing half square triangle blocks, including a tip to trim them before pressing them. And there's a ruler that can help with this.  Pat Campbell demonstrated a clever method for making continuous prairie points, and tips on attaching bindings. 
Chris Gordon showed us how to attach a 2 colour binding with a narrow flap of "faux piping". Chris provided these notes on this technique. This is a binding made with 2 colours – the faux piping colour is the wider width. One strip is 1 5/8 “ wide, the second is 1 3/8 “ wide. If the length is long make a full length of each colour before you combine the 2 colours. Stagger the joints.
A website with a tutorial is www.littlemissshabby.com/2013/11/scrappy-faux-piped-binding-tutorial. Her binding is 1/8 “ wider in each colour, but the technique is the same.
Fidget QuiltsFidget quilts are small lap quilts that provides sensory and tactile stimulation for the restless or "fidgety" hands of someone with Alzheimer's or related dementias. They provide sensory or tactile stimulation through the use of fabric colors, textures, and the use of accents or simple accessories such as pockets, laces, trims, appliques, buttons, secured beads, ribbons, braids etc. Sue Shute invited us to help make "fidget quilts" for local residents afflicted with Alzheimers disease. She's hosting drop in hands on quilting sessions on the last Tuesday of every month from 10 AM to 2 PM at Quilting Quarters in Almonte. Quilts will be distributed in the Arnprior and Almonte areas.   Happy New Year!
I was reading my resolution for last year to keep things simple and finish more projects. I think I made a little dent in my projects, but may have bought more than I finished. Oh well, better luck this year! As I write this, I am getting ready to leave for the January retreat. Here's hoping I can start the resolutions off nicely. I brought a few easy projects to get done. Our quilt show is only a few months away and I would encourage every single member to enter at least one quilt. If you have attended our show in the past, you know that we welcome all skill levels. If you want some inspiration, check out the pictures from the last show. Also, I hope that all of you are working on a Canada 150 project. It would be wonderful to have a red and white filled arena. Our elections are coming up as well, please don't hesitate to inquire about the various positions available. I would like to have a vote at the May meeting which means having more than one person interested in each role. The current exec laughed at me here... let's prove them wrong! I will have a box available for people to drop their names and ask any questions. Have a great 2017, filled with success in achieving your resolutions. Happy Quilting, Brigid Whitnall President 20 lucky ladies enjoyed this winter's retreat January 12-15 at Providence Point Retreat and Conference Centre near Lanark. Tips, quilting help and ideas were all freely shared with new and old friends. The 5 "newbies" fit right in and enjoyed the weekend of time to just quilt to their heart's content; some started very early in the morning and others sewed late into the night. Breaks from quilting included fabric shopping, neck and shoulder massages and everyone loved the delicious food. A happy group of ladies headed home with many projects completed and new friendships made. -- Gwen Pennings  Anne Cruickshank  Brigid Whitnall Our talented and generous guild members again provided holiday placemats for the Arnprior and Renfrew Meals on Wheels programs for delivery at Christmas. These placemats have Christmas themed fabric on one side and another fabric on the other so they can be used throughout the year. Our guild vice president, Chris Gordon (center) is pictured with Mary Bourk, co-ordinator of the social and volunteer programs for the Arnprior-Braeside-McNab Seniors at Home program, and Dennis Harrington, executive director, with a selection of the placemats that were presented to them in December.  
 On Saturday November 26th, some of us had the pleasure of seeing Paul Leger again for a workshop. This 3-D block looked very challenging and that was the reason most of us took the class. Paul made the process easy with the help of specialty rulers and his easy going teaching. He was very helpful with advice and he coached us through a relaxed and fun day. The class was very pleased with the results as we were able to get a block or two done by the end of the day. -- Brigid Whitnall
Click on an image to view it in full. Christmas Stockings
CQA Big Quilt Bee Pieces of the Canada 150 fabrics were distributed for making the slab blocks for the Canadian Quilters' Associations Big Quilt Bee quilts for Ronald McDonald Houses across Canada. This project is in celebration of Canada's 150th birthday in 2017. Refer to the CQA web site for more information, including photos of sample blocks and instructions for the blocks using a “slab block pattern” compliments of Cheryl Arkison. Nancy Jossinet Trunk Show
The fall retreat at Providence Point Retreat and Conference Centre near Lanark was fully subscribed and tremendously enjoyed by the participants. I dropped in on Wednesday November 9th and despite all appearances of a "sweat shop" I quickly realized that this was very happy, creative and focused group in a very pleasant, bright setting with lovely outdoor views. I took this opportunity to not very discreetly check out the various projects underway - several Christmas gift and decorative projects, evidence of Sherida Giddings curved paper piecing Desert Sky October workshop, and also some of our guild challenges. We look forward to seeing completed projects at upcoming Show and Tells and in our 2017 quilt show. -- Janet Brownlee  Chris Gordon's I Spy quilt
Click on gallery photos below to enlarge.  Thanks to everyone for making items for our various charity projects. It is very much appreciated by the organizations we support and the final recipients alike. Don't forget to bring your finished items to the November meeting. The stockings will be picked up at the November meeting by the CWL, who then fill them. The placemats will be going to Meals on Wheels in early December.
For those who missed it, in October, we received a plaque thanking us for our donations of preemies. It will be on the publicity table for everyone to see. We had the first of our retreats in early November and it was a productive few days for everyone. I benefitted from the time change a few times at the retreat as I forgot to change the clock in my car and kept thinking I was late getting places until I realized the clock in the car was wrong. I gained a couple of hours with that trick, it's changed now and I am back to being in the correct time zone! It's going to be a busy year with our various ongoing projects as well as our special projects over the next year. The Canada 150 quilt is coming along and will hopefully be at the quilters by early December. Our raffle quilt is done and it's now time to get tickets sold. They make great stocking stuffers or Christmas card inserts so don't forget to sign some out. If everyone takes a few booklets, we'll sell out in no time. Drop by the library table and have a look at the book I purchased on modern quilts, it's called World of Quilts, 25 Modern Projects. I will leave it with the library for the next few months. I had to look twice to see that the cover was not a mistake. It is somewhat of a history of patterns and the content comes across as traditional instead of modern. Maybe it's like that dress from last year - is it blue or gold? Modern or traditional? At the end of the day, if you like your project it does not matter. Have a great month sewing, quilting and finishing, Brigid Whitnall President |
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