In September we met in our new location, which we’re very happy with it. The space is a great size, lots of windows along one wall, and very comfortable. Yeah!!

Don’t forget that our next meetings will be there as well, which is at Home Inn & Suites at 253 Willis Crescent, Saskatoon (map link). It’s just a hop-skip from the Sobey’s location that we’ve outgrown, behind the Stonebridge Cora’s.

A special treat at this meeting was that Patti S brought a whole bunch of extra blocks that she decided to destash! Several of them were very cool, intricately made paper-pieced blocks she had made while pattern-testing. And she had many other lovely orphaned blocks as well.Dyanne, too, brought some fabric that she was destashing. There were many delighted members going home with some extra padding in their bags. Thanks, Patti and Dyanne!

Bee Hive #1

Flo received blocks blocks from her hive.

Margaret is the next Hive#1 Queen Bee and will be expecting her blocks at our October meeting. She has asked for 6.5″ or 12.5″ (unfinished) star blocks of any style in her chosen colour palette. You can find instructions on the website.

Elizabeth is Hive #1 Queen Bee after that and will be expecting her blocks at our November meeting. She’s ahead of the game and has provided her instructions early so the keeners can get started ahead of time. Here is an example of what she has requested from her hive – “confetti blocks”. Elizabeth has provided the background fabric. You can find instructions on the website.

Bee Hive #2

Hive #2 had a break because of Kim’s unanticipated move out of province. We’re going to miss her!

Sonya is the next Queen Bee and she is asking for “retro” themed blocks. She has provided a link to her pinterest board that will surely inspire her hive members. She got her colour palette inspiration from the crayons she pulled for the “colour challenge” of two meetings ago. Instructions can be found on the website.

Blog Book Bolt

There had beens some discussion about “matching seams” and Patti S directed us to the  nesting/spinning seams tutorial by Cristi of Purple Daisies Quilting. You can find the tutorial here. Give it a try!  Cristi says, “Nesting and spinning seams (which may be called something different by another quilter) is my absolute favorite way to reduce the bulk at the intersection of multiple seams.Not every seam can be nested and spun. As you create blocks and quilts, you’ll begin to discover when this method will come in handy for you.” She links to a video tutorial as well. Thanks, Patti!

Flo had very positive things to say about the book, Step-by-Step Free Motion Quilting by Christina Cameli.

This led directly into the always popular …

Show & Tell

Speaking of how much we’re going to miss Kim, some of our members put together this churn dash quilt as a farewell gift for her. We hope she thinks of us often and keeps in touch.

Flo made this little seasonal mini. Correct me if I’m wrong, Flo, but was this not also your “colour challenge” piece?

Flo also showed up this recently completed quilt, the project she took on to better learn free motion quilting. The quilting on it is beautiful. She did a project from the book, Quilting Wide Open Spaces by  Judi Madsen,in which different designs are suggested for all the various parts of the quilt. It’s a beauty! Flo commented that while this was a great learning project and she’s delighted with the results, she personally prefers less dense quilting, which results in a softer quilt with more drape.

Sarah made this adorable little houses mini!

Heather brought her friend Marzieh to the meeting to show her very first quilt. Heather has been teaching Marzhieh to quilt and wants her to have the full quilt guild experience so she can take this new skill back to Tehran when she goes. We think she must be hooked because she’s already planning quilts into the future. Just a little more binding to finish on this one along with a label and it will be ready to give to Marzieh’s little niece.

What a stunning bag Patti S made!  At a previous meeting she showed us this wine coloured cork fabric she had purchased and this is what she made with it. She even made the tassel! It’s such a sturdy purse and one-of-a-kind. The cork bottom and straps makes it very wipeable and the floral linen is beautiful. Totally perfect and inspiring, Patti!

Inspired by Tarra’s and Sonya’s beautiful home-sewn wardrobes, Amy made herself this gorgeous top! This looks great on you, Amy!

Educational Component

What a great hands-on paper-piecing session we were treated to at this meeting! Darla and Patti S demonstrated English paper piecing and Foundation paper piecing. We were all able to try both techniques and, for those of us who haven’t yet tried them, I believe the seeds of interest and confidence were planted.

We learned both the gluing and stitching techniques for securing hexagons (and other shapes) in English Paper Piecing. We also learned a couple of different ways to stitch them together. Patti brought examples to show us and supplies to play with.

Patti doesn’t buy her paper shapes, she prints them from this site.

A Bee In My Bonnet has a good tutorial for using the needle and thread basting method.

Sew What Sherlock has provided a good glue basting tutorial.

Sunshine Creations has a detailed tutorial on how to sew EPP pieces together using the ladder stitch. She offers several tips and tricks not covered in most tutorials. Patti, too, says she takes an extra stitch at the corners for added security.

Anjeanette Klinder provides a slight variation on the ladder stitch, which she feels better hides the stitches.

Darla and Patti both had lots to show and tips to share about Foundation Paper Piecing. And, of course, since there are other members adept in these techniques, there were interesting discussions and much sharing of tips and suggestions.

There’s a free beginner tutorial on Foundation Paper Piecing on Craftsy.

Alyce at Blossom Heart Quilts has provided a free feather template and a paper-piecing tutorial.

What a great meting! The hands-on session was a wonderful addition and so interesting! Thanks to those who put so much work into the educational components of our meetings. I think we get a lot out of them.

Update about the October Sewcial

It was a great turnout for the October Sewcial on Sunday, October 4.  There were 16 people at the high point.  Everyone really enjoyed the day and the space to spread out projects and chat with others.  We hope to have more in 2017.