Workshop, Sat. Jan 23. Spaces available.

Paper-piecing- a great technique for large or small quilts!

There are some spaces available in our upcoming workshop this Saturday, January 23. If you live in our area (Fredericton NB) and would like to join us, we'd love to have you! The class is "Learn to Paperpiece" with yours truly, Linda Hubbard. It is a skills oriented workshop, and supplies needed are minimal.
In the morning, you will learn the technique of paper-piecing by progressing through a series of several blocks, from simple to more complex. In the afternoon you will learn how to join blocks together, how to piece odd-shaped pieces, how to cut angled pieces, how to read a complex PP pattern, and how to look at any pieced quilt block and draw it out as a paper-piecing pattern. We will look at the use of different foundation materials, some of which can be left in the quilt. There will also be a demo of "string-piecing," a very simple and slightly different form of foundation piecing.
Paper piecing is a very useful technique that every quilter should have in their bag of tricks. It is very precise and makes complex blocks very simple to piece. It makes tiny blocks (for miniatures) very do-able and perfect points as on a Mariner's Compass easy! It is perfect for group quilts, as every block will come back exactly the same size! If you can count to 10, and sew on a  straight line, then you can learn to paper-piece. If you have tried it before and decided you don't like it, come to this class and I will change your mind!!   :)  Or if you just need a "refresher" this is your chance!
I will bring a number of quilts, large, small and miniature to the class as well as a number of books and patterns for inspiration. It will be a fun-filled day, why not join us? Leave a comment here if you don't know how to contact me otherwise.

Happy 2016!

It seems a little late to be saying it, but I'm going to say it anyway - HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope 2016 is a fabulous year for you and for our guild. Here's to lots of productive stitching time in our sewing spaces in the coming months.
Our January meeting is coming right up- Jan. 19th, 7p.m. Barb P and Susan D will be doing a presentation on English paper-piecing. Hexies here we come!! I know it will be an inspiring program.

We are so lucky to have so many talented members who are willing to share their skills and knowledge with us. We have had some wonderful programs so far this year. We started off with a presentation and trunk show by Sandi M. who shared many hints, tips and "how-to's" with us in regards to entering Challenges. Sandi has done many Guild Challenges and won more than a few ribbons. Sandi's creative mind often takes her "outside the box"  when it comes to interpreting Challenge themes, and she further challenges herself by using "non-traditional" fabrics and materials (remember the zebra made of black leather and white bridal satin?) What an inspiration this program was!
(By the way, speaking of Challenges, how are you coming along with your Starstruck Challenge piece?)

In October, JeanneKaye, our own "energizer bunny" treated us to a Christmas-y display of her many holiday projects. I call JeanneKaye the Queen of Placemats! I think she must be able to whip up a set in her sleep by now... She never ceases to amaze us with her productivity, we loved her many placemats, wallhangings, and larger quilts! This was the perfect program to get us all in the mood for our Christmas Appliqué workshop the following Saturday.

November's program gave us lots of info and ideas for bordering our quilts. How to measure for and add borders properly, plus lots of ideas for border variations, both plain and pieced, gave us food for thought. I'm expecting to see some interesting borders at Show and Tell in the coming months, ladies....

So we're off to a great start, and here it is January already! I hope you are rested and refreshed after the Christmas break and ready to dive into guild activities, be it a workshop, a charity project, or whatever.  Speaking of charity projects, there will be a large tote FULL of FREE FABRIC at the January meeting. please plan to help yourself as I do not want to take it back home. Choose a few pieces, or co-ordinate a number of pieces to use in a charity project, large or small. You can't get any better than "FREE".....
I have updated our list of tips (click on Tip Time at the top of the sidebar to access the list.) I know I am missing a few, so if you have given a tip recently and don't see it there, please refresh my memory so I can add it. Thanks.
See you tomorrow night!