Presentation

I had the honor and privilege to present a quilt to Rev. Paul Weberg yesterday. Fr. Paul is a teacher at Marmion and has been in the National Guard for 5 years. He recently returned from his fourth tour of duty in Iraq. Thank you, Fr. Paul for your service.

Looking forward to yet another sew-in next Tuesday. I think you'll like the pattern choices and you will need to bring along any small cutting mat..reminder notice coming soon.
Rita

Thank you, Thank you!!

Hot off the print! Just picked up the first set of labels that are being donated by Cindi (StreamingTees@Gmail.com)! Yes, this makes me VERY happy. Our usual holdup for the binding was attaching the label. Now, when we send a quilt top to a quilter, the quilter can sign his/her name on the label OR, when the quilt goes to the binder, she can also have the label and just has to print info in the designated area. Thank you, Cindi.

I also need to give a big thank you to my Aunt Marianne who one day wanted to learn how to make the pillowcase and now has made us many!

Wanda and Dixie were by this morning to make up more "fabric-go-togethers" for kits which is always a good day as well.
Thank you!!
Rita

Catching up

A blog isn't a blog unless you post regular...sorry about that. The weather has cooled and I seem to get another burst of energy. Maybe that "burst" includes some housecleaning.

Not today---today we are cutting and making up some kits. Come on by if you'd like to help. Oh, and I can't wait to tell you about a "guardian angel" who stopped by the booth a few weeks ago and is making labels for our quilts! I have about 20 quilts here waiting for labels as well, so it'll be great getting them done and ready for presentation.

I've told some of you about another possible presentation on Veterans Day at a local high school. Should be hearing more about the program soon. I am waiting on a Mom for another QOV presentation at the Farmers Market as well. This war hero has been back home about three years and never got a quilt. Now, my details on an upcoming Welcome Home ceremony are vague but it's about 8 guys who went overseas together. They lost two. We are supplying quilts for the 6. If you are interested in going to one of these Welcomeyouhome ceremonies, let me know. This one will be a biggy. I believe it's in the Shorewood/Joliet area.

Rita

Sew-in Results

Another great turnout and some newbies today! Here are some pictures of some of the tops that we worked on today. I really like what we're doing with the Moda stars.

Just loaded top picture of the blocks a few of the ladies were working in patriotic colors as well. This pattern is from Layer Em Up #3.
Rita

More Wednesdays

Found out yesterday that they are extending the Farmers Market on Wednesday afternoons for two more weeks. Anyone like to take a Wednesday or two?
Rita

September tomorrow!

Where has the summer gone! Been bringing in the tomatoes, freezing them; peeling and slicing apples; picking and making ready for jelly the grapes. Yep, guess it IS that time of year! Oh, and tomorrow is our last afternoon at the Wednesday Farmers Market. We have Farmers Market on Saturday mornings until the end of October. If you can help on a Saturday, please let me know. I really need you for the first Saturday in October.

In a week we have yet another QOV sew-in. Looking forward to the new-to-us pattern from Sharon Craig's Layer Em Up book and I have kits ready to use the stars from Moda's challenge. I think it's safe to say, we will be working with reds, whites and blue fabrics, which is a treat for us.

So, enjoy your Labor Day weekend and see you September 6th.
Rita

MY Saturday

This is the first Saturday this summer we didn't have to be up and out setting up at the Farmers Market. We lost our tent in last weekend's storm but we will be back at it on Wednesday at West Aurora Plaza. Aurora has been very kind and generous to us and for that I am very grateful. We are already collecting signed blocks for our 7th quilt!

I have been getting ready for our next sew-in. We, again, have options for our sewers. Wanda will be bringing along kits for Layer Em Up and I have some kits using the 10" challenge star by Moda. So, hope see you September 6th.
Rita

Weekend of Valor

Spent a nice rainy day quilting yesterday at the show. Hopefully, their "coach/rookie" teams brings us more quilters. The Gazebo-Quilters Guild did a nice job. Great display of patriotic quilts where you were encouraged to touch the quilts. Met up with Catherine Roberts, the founder of QOV, again. She's just as energetic s ever! They had a presentation of Quilts of Valor accompanied by patriotic music by the Sun City Concert Band. So, good job to your crew, Sue Bruss!
Rita

What it's all about!

GREAT day today at the Farmers Market. We presented our first signature quilt today to Michael W., who is an infantryman in 4th brigade Tenth Mountain (Army). He holds the rank of specialist and has been in Afghanistan for the last 9 months. Michael is based in Wardak Provence in Afghanistan. He returns to duty later this month. I will post pictures as soon as I get permission.

AND a thank you to Rick P for his salesmanship ability. Rick was working the crowd! If all works out, Rick (Army) and Gary (Navy) will be working the booth next weekend.

Rita

Scraps

For those saving scraps for Alberta, I will be in contact with Vicki next weekend. So, if you have some scraps you've been collecting, you can bring them over before next Friday (Aug 19th). I appreciate you hanging on to them until I put out a call for them. Thanks.
Rita

Normal?

Going back to a "normal" week this week. Been a summer of Farmers' Markets twice a week, a quilt show, a craft show (yesterday), sew-ins, babysitting for a beautiful granddaughter! So, normal will be FM, babysitting and even a hair cut!

Looking forward to the sew-in at the Quilt Fest in a couple weeks. It'll be nice to sit back and sew again without the "worries" and with my sister, Lolly. I haven't sat and sewn with her for over a year.

Have a great week! I'm working on a couple patterns for our Moda stars. If you'd like to work on some log cabins, give me a call. OR if you're in a designing mode, oh yeah, would love to hear from you.
Rita

Amazing turnout at the sew-in

WOW, you girls (and Bob) sure do get things done! Yesterday we were filled to capacity again---counted 20 people. Proof that "craziness" does produce though, came home with 29 labeled/finished tops! They are now all in pillowcases and in the shower stall :) If you haven't heard the shower stall story, ask me. That's a lot of pillowcases--speaking of which, we had pillowcase maker, label installers, border makers and quilt backing going on yesterday. I won't forget to mention the few who were piecing tops as well. I have not counted the backings yet, but I will update this post when I do...they're already in the car to hopefully go to some very generous machine quilters. Can't say enough about the machine quilters.

I think next month we will be ready for piecing something new which I believe we will have kits available thanks to Wanda, who what a trooper--comes to a sew-in with a migraine and still manages to get us thru a border demo.

Welcome to the newbies---sure hope you return.
Rita
Update: there were 32 backings put together yesterday! Do you realize that's a little over 115yards of fabric (average 3.6 per quilt).