Holiday Cheer....

Looking to spread some cheer around Central Oregon???

Make a chemo quilt!


They are simple to make and a great way to practice your machine quilting or all those free motion designs you have been looking forward to try.

Here is how it works:
What Kind of Quilts?
Whole cloth quilts : 42” X 68” long – This is a one block CHEMO quilt; you can’t get any simpler than that! Any seamstress can do this! You need: 2 yards of fabric for the front; 2 yards for the back; 2 yards of batting; and 1/2 yard of fabric for machine binding.
Fabric: must be of good quality to withstand hot water commercial laundering every time it is used (more than 100 times each year). The fabric theme needs to be for adults and cheerful!

• Only good quality quilters’ cottons (including flannels) to provide warmth for the patient during infusion sessions; no metallics.
• Avoid solid red, dark blue and dark black colors as the reds tend to bleed and the darks tend to fade when laundered repeatedly in hot water.

Batting: your choice; machine quilted at a minimum of 3” between lines of quilting. Wool batting not recommended due to the hot water laundering.
Machine Quilting: Cross hatch, meandering, stippling, pantogram, pantograph, walking foot stitching. This is your choice and your creation! This is a utility quilt, not a quilt that will be entered into a competition, so it is important that the machine quilting be of a density that keeps the quilt sandwich intact. Please no hand tied quilts, as the quilt will not stand up to the rigors of multiple launderings.

Binding: by machine only.

Check out http://chemoquiltsforcentraloregon.org/  for more information

Turkey Day...

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Little Dresses for Africa....

Here is another great project!!  You can make a one to send away and one for someone you know.....

For more information check out:

http://www.littledressesforafrica.org/blog/

Pillow Case Dress Directions

Following the simple steps below, any size new or gently used pillow case can be quickly turned into a prized possession for a grateful little girl in Africa.   Pillow case patterns are only a suggestion, so feel free to use your own simple pattern and material if you’d rather!

Avoid buttons and zippers if you can as they are difficult to repair

Cut the sewn end of the pillow case top off leaving the hem

1. Fold the pillowcase in half and cut out the arm holes so they will be the same on each side. The measurements depend on the size of the pillow case but it’s about 4 inches down and 2 inches in. See the pictures for an example.
2. Fold down the top of the strip about 3/8″ and stitch a casing. Slide a 6″ piece of elastic at the top so it will be gathered.
   
3. Finish the arm holes with double biased tape leaving enough at the ends to tie at the shoulders.
   

Don’t be concerned about exact measurements. All sizes are welcome and variations are fine. Add pockets or lace if you want to be creative, but all styles and patterns will be appreciated by the little girls.
We size them by length from the shoulder to the hem.
   Small = 2, 3, and 4  (16-22 inches long)
Medium = 5, 6, and 7 (24-28 inches long)
Large = 8,9, and 10 (30-34 inches long)
X-Large - size 11 and above (anything over 35 inches long)
No need to size boys shorts.  Any size is welcome. Elastic or drawstring waist works well for boys shorts.  Any pattern or material is acceptable.

The finished product is a beautiful delight to the kids!

JJ helps a little friends into his new “britches” for boys

Be sure to size your dresses before sending!  Please!  Also, be sure to include a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you’d like to be notified that your dresses are received!  Thank you so much for your help! Pillow case pattern with sizes LDFA Directions for a simple pillow case pattern is below.  Follow the simple instructions or use your own pattern. We are also proud to be in cooperation with Sewing with Nancy on Public TV.  She has  provided us with a downloadable pattern availabe at http://www.nancysnotions.com/text/pdf/LittleDressesforAfrica_pattern.pdf Dresses  should be sized as Small, Medium, Large and XLarge and rolled into a 2 Gallon ziplock bag, when possible, for easy distribution.  Please mark on the outside, the number of items included and the size in each ziplock, if possible.   (Example:  12 size medium dresses)
If not, just send them to us, and we’ll package them for you!
Tax deductible donations for shipping costs are also accepted through this site.  Thanks so much for your help!
Dresses can be sent to:
    Little Dresses for Africa
    24614 Curtis Drive
    Brownstown, MI 48134

A GIVING SEASON....

Here is the first of many....

.... If you are looking to help out this holiday season here is a quick project.

Each year Mennonite Central Committee sends thousands of school and health kits to needy people around the world. Making the cloth kit bags is easy if you know how! Here's one good method.

You can find information on where to send them here:   http://www.mcc.org/kits

Finished size: 11" x 16"  Cut fabric: 12" x 35"       

Cut two drawstrings: 32" 28 cm. x 40.5 cm. 30.5 cm. x 89 cm. 81 cm.

1. Cut rectangles of the appropriate size, if possible using a pinking shears on the short sides. If pinking shears aren't available and you have raw edges, fold down each short end 1/8" (0.5 cm.) (wrong sides together) and stitch a narrow hem on those two sides.

2. Fold the material length-wise in half, right sides together. Use a pencil to mark a 3/4" (2 cm.) gap that begins 11/2" (4 cm.) down each side. These two marks show where the holes for the draw strings will be.

3. Stitch down each side (1/2" seam allowance) (1.25 cm.), leaving a gap where you have marked.

4. Open your bag and spread out the material on both sides of the seam. To make each drawstring hole extra strong, stitch around each hole, starting at the top of the bag and going 1/2" (1.25 cm.) below the hole. (5. Fold down the top of the bag 1 1/2" (4 cm.) (wrong sides together) and stitch all the way around to form a casing for the drawstrings.

6. Turn the bag right-side out; the drawstring holes are now on the outside. Pull one drawstring through the casing the whole way around; knot the two ends together. Repeat with the other string, starting at the opposite side.

Note on threading the drawstrings: One method is to attach a safety pin to the string and push the pin through the casing. But a simple tool will make help you thread much faster. Take a thin wooden dowel or piece of plastic about 18" long. Tape a paperclip to one end. This serves as the "eye" of what is now a big needle to thread the drawstrings through the casing.

The Holidays Are Coming....

We are headed into the holidays with Turkey Day next week and Chrismas right around the corner.   In the next few weeks we will let you know a few ways you can sew for others....


Stay tuned for more information on what you can do!!

Hi Everyone!!  Thanks to all the ladies who came last night and welcome to Jo! 

Here are a few pictures of Hillary's dog quilt she is making for a gift.  Enjoy!!

Also, here are some sites to see a bit more about the snail trail pattern......

http://elaineadairpieces.blogspot.com/2009/01/more-snail-trail-quilts.html

Fun modern idea for the pattern......

http://cre8tivequilter.blogspot.com/2008/06/2001-i-definitely-dont-quilt-at-snails.html

Enjoy!  Hope to see you on December 6th

Meeting Tuesday

HERE COMES TUESDAY.....  the third Tuesday of November to be exact.

Can you believe it is already November??  

Hopefully we will see you Tuesday night at quiltworks from 5 to 8 pm.

We are going to make these cute little zippy bags.  All you need is a 14" zipper a few pieces of fabric 6" by 16" and your zipper foot for your machine....  Also, if you don't have a zipper foot you can certainly use mine!   These are so quick and easy and make a great addition to a Christmas gift.

Community Fair Saturday

Hey there MQG!  Quiltworks is having a Community Fair Saturday, stop by to see what it's all about and check out the sale.    If you have been wanting to know more about MQG stop by and a few of us will be there to tell you more about our group.

QuiltWorks Community Fair Sale Saturday, November 12th 15% OFF Notions, Patterns and Books   Visit QuiltWorks on Saturday and get 15% off all notions, patterns and books!   On your visit, you'll see and feel the positive energy of the QuiltWorks Community Fair as representatives from nineteen family-focused organizations provide information and share their vision. Plus, QuiltWorks will have a free family-friendly “Make It and Take It” project, refreshments, and hourly door prizes!   926 NE Greenwood Ave, Bend M-F 9:30-5:30 Sat 9:30-5:00 Sun 11:00-4:00 541-728-0527

Stichin' Post Sale

Hope to see you there!!!

PJ Sale is Saturday, November 12!

 

This is the SALE
you've been waiting for~

Pajama Sale! 

The earlier you shop, the more you save:

6:30-8:30 am~ 30% off*8:30-11 am~ 25% off*11 am-2 pm~ 20% off*2-5 pm~ 15% off*

Shop in the comfort of your jammies or robe, and we'll give you an extra 5% discount.  If you can't make it into the store, be sure to check our website for specials!* 
Sorry, no discounts on phone orders.

(*some exclusions apply)