2014 began the
year with a new moon. This hasn’t happened in 19 years so quilters know this
will be a special year. New moons represent the beginning and what better way
to begin the Pueblo West Quilters with a new leadership, a new agenda, and a
new blog writer?
It’s cold,
bitter cold, outside and no one wants to go to a meeting, at night, in January.
It’s not a good time to be on the road – although the roads were dry – or to be
lugging massive, bulky items to a meeting only to haul them home again. And the
meeting itself. Where’s the fun? The holly jolly? The ??? Seriously, where are
the Keystone Cops when you need them?
Never fear, the
Cactus Kilter Quilters are here! I don’t know if the 2014 Pueblo West Quilters
Board did it intentionally (I think they did.) but I got suckered into the
hilarity, thinking I was only trying to help. Note to self: Don’t be fooled or tricked again. That’s how
I wound up writing this blog! Remember the word “No”?
You ever see
the Keystone Cops? Have you seen them disguised as quilters? You haven’t? Then
I recommend attending the Pueblo West Quilters Guild monthly meeting because a Cactus
Kilter Quilter will always show the comedic side to quilting. And you never
know who the Cactus Kilter Quilter will be… she could be … you.
But I disgress…
Quilting is a serious business and the Pueblo West Quilters Guild is serious.
Take for
instance the new board, individually and as a group, they’re confident, fun,
happy, joyful people. Some could say serious and responsible. They have, after
all, volunteered to lead us this year so that’s a serious commitment. Oh? You
want to meet them? Okay.
The 2014
officers are Helen Cherry, President; Cheryl Eaton, Vice-President; Linda
Coursey, Secretary; and Chris Megan, Treasurer. If you really want to meet them, you can find them every 1st
Monday of the month keeping order between the serious quilters and the – yep,
you guessed it – the Cactus Kilter Quilters.
Helen
whipped-stitched the “business-side” of
the evening to a fast, secured, perfect binding closure. A $2 cap/person
for the in-house drawings and 1 gift/person/evening are the major changes of
our drawings. One person “won” in two categories and had to decide if she
wanted her 1st gift or the unknown 2nd gift.
The Cactus Kilter Quilters did
their best to confuse the meeting with their antics of distributing the rest of
the drawings. Bringing laughter into the quilt business ensured a fun-filled
night. Now, I’m not naming names because it would be easy to say it was the
Board’s antics that got the meeting off to – let’s just say don’t miss
February’s meeting because a Cactus Kilter Quilter can pop up anywhere! It
wasn’t the Board’s fault! Remember, sucker me???!!! I, along with others, brought
internal exercising to the event… I’d even like to say I’m sorry for my
unintentional comic relief because I was serious. I’m a serious person. But in
hindsight, I’m the perfect fall guy, I mean, quilter, because I fall for it
every time. Note to self: Stop falling.
Just ignore them. Although if laughing is the only way I’ll exercise …
A couple new
addendums will be the tipster and the membio. Yes, I made up that last word.
The tipster: A handy quilting tip
added to the bottom of the monthly agenda page. A member will give a tip to
Helen before she prints up the agenda – I’d say within a week after the
meeting, email her with next month’s “PWQ Monthly Tip” (indicate the month too)
in the email’s subject line. If she doesn’t get the tip in a timely manner, …
well … you know those Cactus Kilter Quilters … If they have to provide a tip,
it might not be pretty!
Membio. Unsuspecting members will be
randomly called to introduce themselves at each meeting. Here’s your heads-up
so be prepared. We want to know the how and why you became a quilter and what
kinds of quilts you make and how many UFQs you have and, and, and … Be
courageous and tell us about yourself.
Speaking of
letting the stuff out … or … keeping it in …
Pillowcases. Did you know that if you
change your pillowcase every day while you’re ill, you can reduce your illness
faster? All those germs accumulating will be gone! And you’ll rest easier
because one tends to plump the pillow every time a pillowcase is changed.
Ohhhh, the comfort of a fresh pillowcase…… but that’s not what happened at the
meeting.
Lisa
Mollenhauer demonstrated the Hot Dog Pillowcase. I mean, a pillowcase hot dog.
Wait! That wasn’t it. Oh yeah, the hot dog style pillowcase. ‘Cept I don’t
recall ketchup or mustard…. Seriously, donating fun pillowcases to people in
crisis is a way PWQ brings comfort to our community and abroad. (The Wounded
Warrior quilts are delivered in their own pillowcase so I’m thinking they
travel all over the world once a WW graduate gets their quilts.)
But I digress.
Again… Pillowcases. The duvet for your head.
Lisa
demonstrated how to roll the fabric into a tube, (all neat and tidy – if
someone’s watching. Or, you can cram it into the tube if you’re at home, alone.)
to doing a Eleanor Burns’ quilt birthing,
to creating the French Seam.
Tip: If you find threads sticking out
of the French seam, stitch a slightly wider French seam. Who’s to know except
you and your machine? If you keep the Cactus Kilter Quilters locked out of your
room, they can’t spread rumors.
Going the extra
step (making French seams) is a two-fold reward: tangled, raveling threads are
caught within the seam so there’s no thread fight with the pillow, and the
finished, sturdy product given to a child is not just a pillowcase but a vital
tool for their next adventure. Who knows if a pillow, a bundle of clothes or a toad will wind up in this pillowcase.
If you want the
directions, come to the next meeting, otherwise, check it out at TheCraftyGemini’s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAomYjHzUQk
(I recommend
making a 3/8” or ½” French seam instead of trimming to 1/8”.)
February’s Block of the Month Drawing,
bring your London Square BOMs: Dark
Purple & beige/tan and dark blue/white for the Wounded Warrior blocks.
The London
Square Block: 8”x8” finished, 8 ½” x 8 ½” unfinished block
Dark Purple/Blue: one 7”x7”
block, four 3" X 3" blocks
Beige/ White: one 7”x7” block,
four 3" X 3" blocks
Good directions. (But this makes
a larger block size.)
http://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2011/03/12/civil-war-quilt-block-11-london-square/ for the 8 ½” x 8 ½” unfinished block.
2014 LUV Quilt is 60”x60” using sixteen
12”x12” Bento Box blocks. The Cactus
Kilter Quilters struck again during the demonstration to the point where I got
involved only to confuse things even more. Who knew they did it deliberately?
And they were soooo sneaky about it too! I’m telling you, you miss so much by not attending the meetings!
Anywhoooo, the directions to creating this masterpiece will be at the meeting
but if you’re whining, I mean, wanting to do it now, check out
http://www.pinterest.com/laurieann50/a-quilt-bento-box/
for ideas and
http://quiltsoflove.blogspot.com/2010/06/strip-pieced-bento-box-quilt-pattern.html
for the stripped pieced method.
Remember, LUV
quilts will be given to people in crisis so make crib to full size quilts. You
don’t need to use the Bento Box Pattern to create a LUV quilt. Use another
pattern or design your own, just keep those quilts squared up or those pesky
Cactus Kilter Quilters will tusk-tusk. Seriously, while making your quilts,
think about how you’d feel if you were on the receiving end. So make them with
kindness and love in your hearts. (And if they’re a little wonky, I’ll handle
the Cactus Kilter Quilters because, you know, sucker me…)
If you’re
enjoying this blog, not able to join, but still want to participate, you’re
more than welcome to make pillowcases &/or LUV quilts for people in need.
Last year PWQ covered floods, tornadoes, fires, the abused, and wounded service
women and men who protected others with 89 quilts. You can contact us via email
link off to the right side of the page. We can meet if you’re in the Pueblo
area or give you an address to send your pillowcases and quilts. Oh and include
a LUVbio (A membio but a bio about you because when we showcase the quilts and
pillowcases, we’d love to tell the members about you!)
Looking to be
quilt-spired? Join us on February 3rd, 7 pm, at the Majestic Baptist
Church in Pueblo West for a night wrapped in warmth … because you just know …
if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow and returns to his hole, he’ll predict six
more weeks of cold, bitter, winter weather and if he doesn’t see his shadow,
Phil will predict an "early spring”. Slushy, soggy, wet weather.
I’ll make a
prediction of my own … the Pueblo West Quilters will bring marvelous quilts and
quilt-related items to Sew N Share on February 3rd. We do love to
cuddle up in our quilts, while creating them or snuggling with a quilting book
and hot chocolate.
Keeping
me stitches crooked,
Cactus Kilter Quilter
