North Iowa Quilters Guild
Newsletter
February 8, 2006 Founded 1980 Celebrating 26 years! Vol. 18 No. 6
Work-shop: Microwave Baked Potato Bags 9 AM – Noon No cost to attend.
Class will be held by Sue Hansen & Florence Hagstrom. All materials will be provided except for the following: Sewing Machine, 100% cotton thread, scissors, etc. It is important to use all cotton batting, material and thread as polyester will cause a fire in the microwave!
Needed: Christmas Party Chairs for 2006. You can create the party any way you choose. Please volunteer. Let Jenny or Marie know.
Brown Baggers! This is the last round. In March you get to see your blocks and take them home. I hope you all had fun with this project!
Lottery block is Prairie Queen by Marcia Hohn. The more blocks you make the more chances you have to win them all!
New project starts February for all who signed up. This project ends in June! Please be present to pick up your pattern and find out what you are to do. Cathy Knowles will have the project ready.
Hot Q’s-Hooked on Tuesdays Quilters meet each Tuesday in the upstairs at the North Center located at 1615 N. Deleware in Mason City. All are welcome to join any time for fun, fellowship or if you need help with a project or a place to sandwich a quilt or anything at all. Ask Dixie Schaer, Carlene Davis or Cathy Knowels for any information.
** Snowmen fall from heaven unassembled!**
Do I Have Too Much Fabric?
I asked myself this question after purchasing 10 different country blues to make a blue quilt. I will be attending my first Quilt Retreat in Austin, MN at the end of February. Not having made a large quilt in blues since 1998, I thought these would be good colors to work with at the retreat. I decided to collect 10 different country blue fabrics from dark to light. Of course not knowing what pattern that I would be using yet and not wanting to run short I had 2 yards cut of each blue. Now if my math is correct…10 blues times 2 yards equals 20 yards! Now since when does it take 20 yards to make a large quilt! It’s a good thing it was all on sale! Well that’s not all…the store also had nearly all their seasonal fabrics-30%-40% all the way up to 70% off regular price! So what’s a gal to do? Quilts need backs! It’s on sale! I couldn’t help it!
And what can I say about thread? It’s expensive! And 50% off…I loaded up with a rainbow of colors in both hand quilting and regular types. Pattern books were also 40% off. That’s nearly half off! I only bought one though…and saw another bolt of possibilities…I was unfortunately feeling a little guilty about the fabric on the cutting table and 2 ladies were patiently waiting for my pile to get done so I decided that was really enough.
To make myself feel better about so much fabric-instead of sneaking my purchase in past my Hubby- I proudly showed him the beautiful Country Blues that I had bought and announced that I would make us a pretty quilt in blue. Now knowing that blue is his favorite color and he has no idea how to gage fabric amount- I felt completely not guilty for buying so much! After all I showed my main man the whole stack on blues… but not the fabric for backs still in the bag put on the chair out of his sight while admiring the blues!
After Show and Tell with my Hubby it was time to find room for it all. Not an easy job as my shelves are stacked full already. But with a little finaggalling (my spell check really doesn’t like this word) here and straightening there I got it all to fit. I then took stock of what I have in the fabric department. Oh yeah I have enough to open my own shop and I certainly could go for years of not buying another inch. But those darn Designers keep coming up with “to die for” fabrics and the cutest patterns that I simply cannot live with out.
I often tell myself that I have to get this fabric used up. I go in spurts and really do work on getting it used. Recently I made 101 12 ½”-log cabin blocks just to get rid of my bag of 1 ½” strips that was taking up valuable space for uncut fabric. It took me a good 3 and half days to make them! I kept 48 blocks for a quilt for my youngest daughter who is going to UNI next fall and donated the remaining strips and blocks for a Habitat quilt. Whew! Made some space…well sort of…the blocks for my daughter are stacked in among the fabrics. But it’s the thought that counts! Right?
So do I have too much fabric? Of course not! I can always find another place to put it…I wonder if the family is aware that their closets are in danger of being taken over by the fabric monster….
Always quilting something---Jenny---Newsletter Editor
