little general charm swap details

hi.
i emailed gina to get more details about the charm shop at the little general this weekend and here's what she said:

The Charm swap is THIS Saturday morning at the Little General at 9! Bring your favorite Little General fabric cut to 5" squares and trade 'em! You can bring as many or as few as you'd like--since this is new I don't know what to expect for turnout...But I'm coming prepared with a little morning yummy treat!

hope to see some of you there!!

august meeting recap.

well, well, well...  what do you know? i'm actually posting the recap within the "suggested" timeframe. :)

ok.  enough pats on my back.
here are the highlights of the august meeting that took place precisely one week ago...

this first one is important: our meeting night is changing.
currently we meet on the second tuesday of every month.  next month will be the last time we do that.  starting in OCTOBER, we will meet on the THIRD TUESDAY of every month.  please update all of your calendars and palm pilots and whatnot.
(i'll keep reminding you too!)

this month was the month that officers were up for nomination.  if you are interested in or know someone who would be interested in becoming a co-president, secretary or treasurer, let us know so we can get your/their name on the ballot for next months election.

colleen talked about the pincushion swap signups.  they are taking place now until august 26th.  you can read all the details on her blog post here.

tami delivered the message that this saturday, august 25th, at 9am, the little general will be hosting a charm swap.  there will be snacks and treats.  i repeat, there will be snacks and treats.

then, we had our stash challenge and some sweet prizes were won.  and finally, of course, show and tell.  check back later to the flickr group to see some pics.

also, if you weren't there, teresa from sewingly yours has offered some sweet discounts to our guild the last couple of meetings.  so, even if you think we are totally boring, it's worth it just to get some deals on fabric!

hope to see everyone next month...

remember: if you signed up for the red and aqua bee/swap, they are due at the september meeting.  get sewing!!!!

Pincushion Swap signups

 So here is the Pincushion Swap sign up information.  I have also posted the information below on our flickr group. The link to the sign up form is at the bottom of the post.

In October we will be swapping Pin Cushions! The style & techniques to use are up to you and should reflect your partner's stated style & preferences. What is a pin cushion you ask? Its something that can hold pins. They can be a traditional round shape, made in a glass holder, the shape of a house, or it can be anything you want it to be. Pincushions can be embellished, made with materials other then cotton. However all should be able to be used as its stated purpose.

You will sign up for the swap by filling out the form below. I will keep a master list of swappers at the bottom of this post. This is a blind swap, meaning that all partners are kept secret. The person you are making a pin cushion for will not necessarily be the person making a one for you. You should also create an inspiration mosaic. See discussion topic on how to create one.  Big Huge Labs is the free app that I use.

Once you receive your partner information design and create a quilt for that person. You are free to use whatever techniques you'd like. 

Please remember the cardinal rules of swapping before agreeing to participate:

1. Put as much care and diligence into the construction of your pin cushion as you would for yourself, or you would expect others to do for you.

2. Please be sure you have the time to complete the it before committing to the swap.

3. Don't be upset if the pin cushion you receive is not exactly to your liking. This is part of the fun -- and risk -- of a swap. After all, if you only wanted items that you would make yourself, you would just make them yourself, right?

4. Accept that this swap is open to quilters of ALL skill levels. Quality and care is expected; overly complicated designs are not.

I will assign partners Sunday, August 26.

Bring your pin cushion to the October meeting wrapped in such a way that it is not visible until the recipient opens it. and be willing to share the process of how you made it!

Here is the link to the signup form .

You can leave questions on the flickr discussion post or email me, Colleen.

Have fun and get creative!

Colleen at Lucky Duck Dreams

ps  All pincushions pictured were made by me except for the top two in the button.  They were received in a swap.  I included them for inspiration.

august meeting - tomorrow!!

hi there.

just a friendly reminder that we meet again tomorrow.  august 14th.  6:00pm.  sewingly yours.

we'll be accepting nominations/volunteers for new officers so we can vote on them in september.  also, the swap coordinator, stash stasher, and charity coordinator job are up for grabs/renewal, so we'll be talking about that.

there's nothing "due", but as always, bring in any scan blocks, tops, backs, quilts, spare batting, etcetera...

and, you should have gotten an email from angie a week or so ago, where she issued the summer stash challenge.  if you haven't gotten started, it might be a tad bit too late, unless you're one of those crazy fast awesome quilters... but, the rules and rewards (yes, rewards!) will be listed below.

we don't have any speakers or demos for tomorrow, so bring lots of show and tell items.  and finally, we'll be signing up for a pin cushion swap.  oh, and finally finally, if you're participating in the red/aqua block swap (or was it a bee?), they're due at next month's meeting!!  get to work!

anyhow, hope to see everyone tomorrow night.

oh.  and if you'd like to see some pics from last month's meet, you can always see some in the flickr group.

summer swap details (i totally just cut and pasted angie's email):

Here are the rules:

• Everything in the project must be from your stash.  Everything.  Fabric, thread, batting, stabilizer, whatever.  Now, of course we won't be policing the stores or asking for receipts, so this is on your honor.  Your project must be made out of what you purchased/received prior to today.  There is no limit on beginning or finishing dates, but please don't bring projects already shown to the group.
• The project must be quilted*.  (We're a quilting guild, right?)  You know how much I love zipper bags and pouches, but they don't count for this.  Feel free to bring them for Show-and-Tell, though.  :)
• Finished projects only*.  Again, we love a good WIP, but let's finish those bad boys.    *HINT - finish those WIPs up...they're part of your stash, right???  :)
• Modern fabrics and/or styles, please.  Obviously this is a little subjective, but again, this is what our group is about.

*The only exception to the quilted or finished rules is a lap-size or bigger quilt top.  However, the top must meet the other two requirements.

Every project you bring earns you an entry into the drawing, up to four entries.  If you bring ten projects, we'll all think you're superwoman, but you still only get four entries.  In addition to those, we'll have four different categories in which you can earn an additional entry.  They are:

• The largest project
• The smallest project
• The project using the largest number of different fabrics
• The project with the most pieces of fabric

Each person can only win in one category.  For instance, if you bring in a charm quilt, you'd likely have the largest project and the one with the most pieces of fabric, however you only get one entry.  We're all about sharing the love.  The most any one person can earn is five entries.  :)

Finally - be ready to talk about your project(s).  Not only the typical show-and-tell stuff, but also things like how old your fabric is, what you originally bought it for, and why you've held onto it this long.  I can't wait to hear your stories.