Charity Easter Chicks & Other Marvellous Work

PMQG Easter Charity Project:

Thanks to all who worked so hard at putting together the Charity Easter Chicks during the last few weeks.  This was a great group project and it was so wonderful to see so many of you contribute time and supplies to bring a nice Easter treat and smile to some local adults that are facing challenges, and are often forgotten at Easter time.

80+ Handmade Easter chicks, filled with chocolate eggs, were handed over to the kind folks at Everglades Special Care Lodge in Parkland County. Before they made the trip, however, they had a bit of a day at Gerald McGinn Drilling in Stony Plain. Under the watchful eye of Sheila H., this large peep of chicks had a heap of fun at work.

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's off to work we go!

Chicks looking good on the job:

Hen Session:

Uh-Oh, over-worked chick:

Quitting time:

Other Charity Things:

Here's a gorgeous quilt that was recently pieced by Sheila Hancock and quilted by Carolyne Stanton, with materials donated by Gerald McGinn Drilling.  This went up for raffle and brought in a large amount of funds to a great club. Wonderful job ladies!

More to come: 

*We'll soon be announcing a wonderful charity project for you all to consider, watch for those details. I think you will LOVE it. 

**I'm gathering up some photos of our member's quilt finishes and will be sharing those with you in the next couple of days, stay tuned!!

May all of your bobbins be full,

Janelle

PS.  It would be great to know if the comments worked here on the blog, wink, wink. Try it! 

SUPER Sew-In Saturday Coming May 3rd!!

Along with our regular Sew-In Saturdays, we are throwing in a "SUPER Sew-In Saturday" on May 3rd.  This will be like a Mini-UFO weekend, with the idea of have a fun and full day of sewing and socializing.

The Details:

- 9:00 am - 10:00 pm, Saturday May 3rd
- Stony Plain & Parkland Museum, The Founders Building
- 10$ for the day for Members (Members welcome to bring a friend)
- (Prizes !!)

What to Bring: 

- something yummy for Pot Luck dinner
- your unfinished sewing projects
- lunch/snacks/drinks for yourself
- Fat Quarters in Coral & Aqua for the FQ BINGO!!

** PLEASE RSVP for May 3rd immediately to let us know if you are coming, and also let us know if  you are interested in the June 7 & 8 UFO weekend in your email so we know how much interest we have - EMAIL HERE

Upcoming Dates to Remember:

April 26 - Sew-in Saturday 10:00 - 4:00 pm
May 3 - SUPER Sew-in Saturday 9:00 am - 10:00 pm
May 10 - Sew-in Saturday 10:00 - 4:00 pm
May 24 - Sew-in Saturday 10:00 - 4:00 pm
May 10 - Sew-in Saturday 10:00 - 4:00 pm
June 7 & 8 - UFO WEEKEND!!! 
June 21 - Sew-in Saturday 10:00 - 4:00 pm

** The Guild will soon be winding down for summer, with only 1 scheduled Sew-In Saturday for both July and August.  Check the Events Calendar to stay up to date on these days. More dates will be added soon!

FQ Prizes & Quilt Finishes!!

Hello quilting ladies!  Plenty of fun stuff happening at our Sew-In Saturdays lately.  What, you ask?  Well... a bit of sewing, a bit of ironing, more sewing, OKAY mainly sewing and ironing. Oh, and laughing, and talking, and COFFEE, and making new friends. Throw in a wee bit of using the wrong colour bobbin thread, ahem, and that's us in a nut shell.  But do you know what I am loving the most, ladies? It's how we help each other. How help each other out is just wonderful.

What we've been up to:
Tammy won the door prize we held and won 7 gorgeous, pretty, FQ's from Dragonfly Fabrics in Hinton. What are you going to make, Tammy?

We had some quilt finishes to share last week. Liz has finished her very first quilt top! What an achievement and a beautiful adaption on the Yellow Brick Road quilt.  Love the focal point in the centre.

Joanne Radke brought in some quilt tops to share.  The first one here is her richly coloured Batik quilt that she made for her daughter called "Window of Opportunity".  This is completely Joanne's own design. Way to go, Joanne!

Man i don't remember the name of this one she did, but it is just so pretty!  Joanne, what is the name of it?

Irene brought in her hand quilted wall hanging and the work she has done here is beautiful. We had fun deciding what colour of binding to put on, and I can't wait to see it done.

Bring in your work, ladies!  Let us have a look.

There should be plenty of  fun at this weekend's UFO sewing sessions.  We are expecting around 16 ladies on each day, which is pretty awesome for a Guild that is only 6 weeks going.  See you there!

Janelle

Make a Cathedral Window Pincushion This weekend (March 15/16, 2014)

Hi ladies!  I'll be doing a quick demonstration to make this super sweet pincushion this weekend that can easily be made with your scrap fabric.  This is super quick. It takes more time to pick fabric then it does to sew it.

If you want to make it, please bring the following:

Cathedral Window Pincushion
- (1) 10" piece for the exterior (white fabric as shown in photo) 

- (1) 4 1/2" piece for the center (4 pink/red oval parts that are shown in photo) 

- (2) 3 1/2" square for the windows (4 blue floral triangle parts as shown in photo) 

- (2) 5x3" pieces for the back 

- (1) decorative button & batting (can be added later)

Get the tutorial:  If you can't make it this weekend, or want to do it on your own time.  Here is a link to the fab tutorial on the Riley Blake website:  GO HERE!  

Here is some fabric inspiration for you.  What is your style?

Thank you,
Janelle

March 15/16 UFO Weekend

Upcoming Sewing Event:: March 15-16 UFO WEEKEND!!

We hope to have as many of you as possible out to our UFO sewing weekend on March 15th and 16th. 

What is a UFO weekend?  UFO stands for Unfinished Objects, meaning all of those sewing projects that haven't been finished yet. Bring them... or start a new one, it doesn't matter, just come to sew and stay for socializing, games, prizes and a pot luck dinner!

The building will be open for drop-in from:
Saturday 9:30 am - 10:00 pm &
Sunday 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

The Details:
1) Food:  Bring your own snacks and lunch. Coffee will be provided (bring mugs and your water bottle if desired). Saturday Pot luck dinner: Anything goes for dinner. Crock pots welcome. There is an oven and microwave available. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge overnight and we’ll use this at lunch the next day. 

2) Sewing Project Ideas: We have decided we will not do an "in-depth" instructed sewing project, but we may have some small project demonstrations, please watch the website and emails for any details.

3) Games and prizes: As well as some random drawn door prizes (that are AWESOME) we will be playing a round of Fat Quarter Bingo on Saturday night. How it works:  You get a Bingo card for every FQ (Fat Quarter of fabric) you bring and we play for the spoils! The theme for this weekend is "50 Shades of Grey" so please bring in as many grey prints or solid FQs as you would like to play.  

4) Fees: $20.00 for the weekend or $10.00 per day per person (this covers cost of facility/prizes).

If you plan on attending during the weekend, please email so we have an idea of numbers. Feel free to bring a sewing friend to join in the fun. We hope to see you all there.

Sew-In Project:: Feb 22nd - Quilted Grocery Bag Holder

Hello quilters!  I've got all the details here for the next Sew-In Project, a quilted grocery bag holder for your pantry that will keep all of those grocery bags in one place. If you just want to learn the Magic 8 technique and not make the grocery bag holder, that is okay too, you could use the blocks for something else or make a small doll quilt.

Techniques:

- I will teach you the "Magic 8" method of making HSTs (Half Square Triangles), as HSTs (any way you make them) are a key part of many, many quilting projects and this is a quick and easy way to make 8 at once.  I will teach you the formula to make the HSTs any size you like, so you can use this method for any of your projects in the future. Huzzah!
- We'll also do some machine quilting. You could practice your free motion quilting on this, or do some straight line quilting with the walking foot.

Materials & Fabric:

• (1) 12.5” wide  x Width of Fabric (WOF) strip of white or solid background fabric (Or (3) 12.5” Squares)
• (1) 12.5” wide  x Width of Fabric (WOF) strip of feature fabric (dark or medium prints or scraps) (Or (3) assorted 12.5” Squares)
• (1) 22" x 27" backing fabric (a scrap fabric will do)
• (1) 22" x 27" piece of quilt batting
• piecing and quilting thread
• quilting (walking) foot for your sewing machine
• basting safety pins or spray ( I can provide pins) 
• rulers for squaring up blocks (I can lend as well)

*** twill tape and 1/4" (or less) elastic are also required, but I will bring these as well (unless you want to bring your own).

I expect this will take about 1 - 2 hours. You can finish it at the Sew-In or at home. I will provide a tutorial if you want to finish the quilting on your own time. Please stay and work on another project when you are done.

Updated:  Here is a picture of one I have made. Love it!

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Janelle

Our First Sew-In Saturday was AWESOME!

I just wanted to report back to all of those who made it out last Saturday and all of you that are still intending on coming to join us that.... our first Sew-In Saturday was a great success!!

We had about 12 members stay and sew, plus another 2 sign ups, bringing our members to 14. A great start for our first day for sure.

The Founders Room at the Stony Plain & Parkland Museum

We were planning on using the resource room where the kitchen is, but just ended up setting up right in the Founders room as it's much bigger. In the future, we will use which ever room is best depending on how many are planning on coming.

There are collections and different pioneer items on display around the Founders Room as well.

Room for everyone, and quilts on display on the back wall.

We set up two ironing boards and 2 cutting mats and there was plenty of room for everyone and lots of room for more to join.

I managed to ruin Carolyne's ironing board cover AND mine.

Carolyne, Sheila, & Dianna put up a few of their own gorgeous quilts up for display.  Here are just a couple of photos of the beautiful quilts. I really could have taken better photos.

by Carolyne Stanton

By Carolyne Stanton

What to bring:
The room was a bit cold to start with, but quickly warmed up, so you will want to bring some indoor shoes and a sweater. There is a microwave, sink & fridge for us to use and we will be making coffee, so bring a travel mug, your bottle of water, snacks, lunch etc.  A tea bag if you want some tea.

The guild has purchased power cords, power bars and a great second hand iron and ironing board. Thanks to Sheila and Carolyne for organizing that.

If you have some quilts or projects that you would like to show the group, don't hesitate to bring them with you so that we can all have a look.

We were all so happy with how the first Sew-In Saturday went.  Great company, lots of laughs and some fab projects to look at too! I hope you all enjoy your Sew-In tomorrow. Carolyne has some great projects planned. Watch this space for our supply list for Feb 22nd's project.

Happy Sewing!
Janelle

Sew-In Project: February 8th - Easy Ten Minute Table Runner & Coasters

Hi everyone!
Our first Sew-In Project scheduled for 2014 will actually be two projects! You can choose to do either or both projects, and they are completely optional.  Carolyne Stanton, the 1st President of the PMQG (hooray) will be teaching both of these projects on February 8th, and she's given us the following supply lists, so bring your fabric to make a nice matching set for yourself, or some great gifts for someone you know. I might even make some Christmas themed ones. Too early?




Ten Minute Table Runner:
This easy table runner, doesn't take much fabric and is a great project for a beginner or a seasoned sewist.

You will need:
"Theme" print: 1 piece of quilting cotton 10 - 12" wide x WOF (Width Of Fabric = 44")
"Co-ordinating" print: 1 piece of quilting cotton 18" wide x WOF
Matching or contrasting thread for topstitching, depending on the look you are after.







Easy Coasters:
Make these coasters to match your table runner or in completely different fabrics. They work great with wine glasses ;)
HINT:  A Charm pack would work great for this project.

You will need:
(5)   5" to 5 1/2" Squares of coordinating or contrasting fabric for each coaster
or
(20) 5" to 5 1/2" Squares for a 4 coaster set.



** These projects will sew up pretty quickly, so make sure you bring something else to work on for the rest of your afternoon.  Don't forget your inside shoes, your travel mug and any snacks you may need.

Looking forward to seeing you there,

Janelle

UPDATE: Scheduled Sewing Events!

Whoop Whoop! We've added a new calendar page to the blog. It's right up there in the tab bar, can you see it? Go there to find out when we've scheduled our "Sew-In Saturdays" for the next few months, as well as planned "Sew-In Projects".

Watch for upcoming additions to the calendar, such as UFO weekends.  If you are newbie... that's an Un-Finished Objects sewing weekend where our sewing room at the Stony Plain & Parkland Pioneer Museum will be open for weekend sewing. Bring everything you've got and drop-in (and out) and back in again for marathon project finishing.

About Sew-In Projects:

A couple of weeks before the project is scheduled, we'll have a blog post on here with all of your supplies and prep work (if required).  You will be able to hover over the scheduled event on the Events Calendar to get more information too. There will also be Project Links on the right sidebar of this page.

A Few Words About The Calendar:

• You may have noticed, we have not planned any Sew-In Saturdays on long weekends, and during major events at the Pioneer Museum. 
• Events are subject to change, and we'll try to give you as much notice as possible if this happens. 
• Sew-In Projects are optional and taught, for the most part, by volunteers in our Guild.

Follow us here on the Blog and Facebook, to keep up to date on the latest news.
A Newsletter, is in the making as well.

Questions or comments welcome!!

May all of your bobbins be full,
Janelle

February 1st, 2014 - Registration Day!!

Hi future PMQG'ers! 

We are working hard on getting all of the details worked out for Registration Day, and one of those items is deciding on a great (optional) beginners quilting project to get the year started. So get your WIP projects ready to bring if you've got them, and watch this space for a supplies list if you want to participate in a fun sewing project for Feb 1st!! 

Plan on arriving at the Stony Plain & Parkland Pioneer Museum around 10:00 am to register for the year. There will be a Saturday sewing drop in fee of $5.00 to use the space.  You only need to pay this on the Saturdays you can make it.  Saturdays will be drop in, so you can come when you can and only the weeks that work for you.

We are working on some ideas for fundraising for our Guild supplies, as well as planning a raffle quilt with proceeds to a local charity.

Some ideas we have for quick (optional) quilting projects on Saturdays are:

- Quilt blocks for the Raffle Quilt

- Grocery Bag holders

- Hot Pads and Pot Holders

- Aprons

- Pin Cushions

- Tote baskets

- Table Runners

- Mini Quilts

Check back here THIS WEEK for the supplies list for our optional Quick Sew Project of the week!

Janelle

Welcome to the PMQG!

The lovely ladies of Parkland County, Alberta, Canada are excited to announce the launch of our new quilting guild, beginning Feb 1, 2014.

Follow us on our Facebook Page, to keep up to the latest news!