Melinda Quilts etc
Here is Jan’s quilt at Tiny Stitches. When you walk in the door, this is the first thing you see. As I have mentioned before, this quilt is made from pre-printed panels and is not appliqued but it looks great. Even the half square triangles are printed and not pieced.
I love how the quilting enhances this quilt and really makes it shine.
Melinda
I had 16 people comment for the pin cushion giveaway. I have three pin cushions already made but have decided that I will make more and each of you will get a pin cushion. There are a few with no-reply so I can’t send an email to each of you. If you commented on this post, send me your name and address and I will put a pin cushion in the mail to each of you. The first three will get their pin cushion right away and the rest of you may have to wait until after Christmas, when I can get them made.
I love getting comments and appreciate each one of you. Please do send me your addresses so I can send you a pin cushion.
I have been very busy finishing quilting the last of the Christmas Quilts – almost done.
Melinda
I forgot to post a photo of the gift I got in the gift exchange at the Fiber Art Fusion holiday party last week. Debbie, who owns a stamping store, made this.
It is a portfolio that holds two notepads and is very nice.
Don’t forget to sign up for my giveaway. You need to comment on the post called Selvage Blog Again – Giveaway Alert. I will be drawing the winner tomorrow. Be sure to make sure you don’t show up as no-reply as I need to be able to reach you if you win.
Melinda
One of the highlights of yesterday’s meeting was the presentation of the President’s Quilt to Danielle. We started making the quilt last summer.
After putting the quilt together it was given to me to quilt. I finished it a few weeks ago and gave it to Pat to bind. We were going to use the dark brown from the backing for the binding but she realized it was too dark and changed it for a lighter color. Here is Pat presenting it to Danielle.
We asked each member of the guild to make one or two blocks. I am not sure if you can see the signatures, but most blocks are signed. I quilted it with a medium brown thread. I think Danielle likes it – I hope so.
Melinda
I taught the guild members to make ORT jars yesterday. It was our Holiday brunch and we did ORT jars as a make and take project. We had almost 100 people there and most of them worked on an ORT jar. The tutorial to make them is on the left side of my blog if you want to make one yourself.
The yellow sheets of paper are the guidelines I printed out for them. The directions in the tutorial are much more detailed with photos but because I had to print them out, I took the photos out.
Before the make and take project, we had our apron exchange. I will take a photo of the one I received tomorrow when there is more light. Bella and I exchanged aprons and she seemed to be happy with the selvage one I made. Bella made hers out of denim and I love it.
We also had a potluck – what a feast!
This is just a small part of the food tables. You can’t imagine how much food there was and how good it was. I made a banana nut cake from a Paula Deen recipe and it turned out good. I brought home a small amount of cake but didn’t get any of it – Bill ate it all while I was at work in the afternoon.
Melinda
I am on the selvage blog again today. This time my pincushions and Quilt in a Cup are featured. What a thrill to be featured again so soon.
I actually made 25 of these over a few days. I gave one to each of the committee chairs and officers of the Allatoona Quilters’ Guild and have 3 left to give away. If you leave a comment on this post, I will put your name in a drawing for one of them. I will draw the name on December 15. Tell me about one of your Christmas memories in your comment please.
Melinda
I delivered Joanne’s quilt to her this afternoon. I quilted one like this earlier in the year for Mary and it won a third place ribbon in the East Cobb Quilt Show in September. Joanne liked the quilting I did on Mary’s and asked for the same thing. I am sure this isn’t exactly the same as Mary’s but has the same feel to it.
Joanne did a great job on the applique and now all she needs to do besides bind it is to add buttons for most of the blocks.
Melinda
I opened up a wonderful package all the way from Australia today and here is what was inside.
I opened up the ornament but the package is waiting until Christmas to open. It is from New South Wales and was sent by Trudi. I don’t have her email or blog yet so I hope she might see this post.
I lived in New South Wales in the early 90’s when I lived for 3 years in Pennant Hills. It was a wonderful experience and I look fondly back on my time in Australia.
Melinda
Here is a beautiful blooming nine patch made by Jeannie. She was in a class I taught earlier this year.
She used a Two Sisters fabric line from Moda. It is unusual to be able to do a whole blooming nine patch from one line but this one was perfect. It starts as very light in the center and ends up green in the borders. I did a freehand swirl allover on it and it gives it the texture that allows the fabric to shine. It is a very large quilt!
Melinda
I can’t believe I forgot my camera last night for our holiday party. Everyone looks so nice all dressed up. As I said before, we drew names for a gift exchange and the rules said that the gifts should be homemade. I can’t believe the talent of this group of women.
Stella liked the Quilt in a Cup and tote bag I made for her. Karen had my name and I had the most wonderfully packaged gifts I have ever seen. I hated to open it. It was a stack of boxes, each wrapped with lovely gold ribbon. It was beautiful but the things in the packages were even better.
She added this Christmas ornament – look at the lime green!
Here is the other wonderful gift she made for me.
It is made out of some of my favorite line of fabrics – I made a quilt from this line earlier in the year. I don’t think you can see but the scrap/trash bag has pleats on the front. The pin cushion is filled with sand or something heavy so it won’t slip off the table. She even added some non-slip stuff on the back. There are beads and crystals on the pin cushion also. There is a pocket in the bag to hold scissors or seam ripper. It is the most beautiful one I have ever seen and it is all mine.
Some of the other gifts were wall hangings, knitted scarves and shawls, beaded necklaces, embroidered items, a miniature quilt, covered baskets and lots of other wonderful things. This was the best gift exchange we have done.
In addition, Maetha ( the shop owner) ordered handmade baskets for each of us from Dawn. Her business is called Baskets by Dawn. Here is the basket I brought home.
Lastly, Joyce made each of us a new nametag in our favorite color. Here is mine.
We had a good year at the shop and a wonderful party to celebrate the season.
I opened up my Advent gift for today and here it is.
I don’t think you can tell but it is a folding shopping bag. Great gift! I sent a pattern using honeybuns.
Melinda
I am featured on the Selvage Blog again with my swap presents I made for two different guilds. First was the table runner that was given away last week and the second is the apron which will go to the guild holiday party on Friday. After I last posted a photo of the apron, I decided to add a pocket to it. Here it is today.
I decided that it needed a pocket and I had a small amount of this wonderful polka dot fabric so put it on last week.
Melinda
Tonight is the staff dinner at Aspens Steak House– a wonderful local restaurant that is only about one mile from my house. We always choose names for a gift exchange and over the years, this had turned into a gift card exchange. Well, if everyone is getting a gift card, we might as well buy our own from a store we enjoy. This year we have a new rule – you must make the gift.
All the staff have been busy planning their gifts. I got Stella’s name and she loves batiks. Last time we worked together, she saw my Quilt in a Cup and really liked it so I decided to make one for her.
As you might be able to tell, I used a variety of batiks for her cup. The cup is large and not convenient to carry so I decided to make a bag for her to tote it around in.
The cup fits inside perfectly – even enough room for a small snack beside it. I love the batiks I used for the bag. I also found 4 interesting buttons, all different that I used to hold the handles in place. I used QuiltSmart interfacing to make this bag. It is the Smart Bag. I am excited about giving it to her tonight.
Also, I opened up another Advent gift. I got more chocolate, this time with hot pepper in it! I am saving it for later. Today Doriana will be opening a list pad.
Can’t wait to see what I receive tonight and what is in tomorrow’s Advent gift.
Melinda
Here is an update on my Advent gifts. On the 4th, I got this.
On the 5th this is what I opened.
Today this is what I opened.
Can’t wait for tomorrow.
Melinda
