On the Blog: June (Sew-In!) Meeting and Charity Project Details –

May 22, 2016
Our June meeting will be on Saturday, June 18 and will be a Sew-In.  It will be from Noon – 5:00 pm, in a different location than our usual venue.  We’ll meet at Magical Mind Studio, 343 Harrison Street, in the Oak Park arts district. There should be plenty of free street parking.


We’ll be starting a charity project for Sarah’s Inn at the Sew-In for anyone wishing to participate.  More details on the specifics of that project below.

Please fill out the form below to RSVP for the Sew-In if you plan on attending.  We have capacity for 20 sewing machines, but are otherwise not limited in the total amount of people.  So bring your hand sewing; plan to cut, press and assist with our charity project; or just come to socialize.  We do want an accurate count to ensure we have enough tables and chairs for everyone attending, though, so let us know if you plan to attend!   

OUR CHARITY PROJECT:

WHO: The recipient of our charity project will be Sarah’s Inn, a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the lives of those affected by domestic violence and to break the cycle of violence for future generations.  Click here for more information on the specific services that Sarah’s Inn provides.

WHAT:  If you’d like to participate, here are the three projects we will be making.  Feel free to make any one (or more) of these options:


1.  Pillows:  We’ll be sewing 12” finished quilt block, then adding borders to make 16” square completed pillows.  The fronts of the pillows should be quilted and the covers removable (either with a zipper or envelope closing on the back) so they can easily be machine washed and dried.  Please make one of the quilt block designs shown below, and use the color palette provided.

2.  Throw (or lap) quilts:  Using the same quilt block designs and color palette shown below, we’ll work individually or in groups to make as many small quilts as we can.  (Six quilts would be great, twenty would be phenomenal!)  These should be 40-48” wide by 48-54” long.  Feel free to make a few 12” blocks to contribute to a top, or use tricks and tips from May’s meeting to super-size blocks:  Four 24” blocks would make a great 48” x48” lap quilt, for example!

3.  Zipper pouches:  These should be small, make-up sized pouches that can easily fit in a purse.  Use ANY fabric you’d like and make as many as you wish!  If you’d like to put a nice smelling bar of soap and perhaps a fancy hand lotion inside, that would be icing on the cake.  Sarah’s Inn will give these to women who could really use a little extra pampering.

HOW:  For the pillows and quilts, please try to stick fairly closely to the following color palette.  We are using prints we received as a donation from Massdrop and have chosen some Kona solids to coordinate with them.  If you’d like to use other fabrics from your stash, that’s fine, but try to stick pretty closely to the palette we’ve chosen so that we have a cohesive group of finished pillows and quilts.
Prints: (TOP TO BOTTOM) Dimples in Purple by Gail Kessler for Andover Fabric; Wishes in the Breeze on Lilac from Lewis & Irene; Mini Pearl Bracelets in Petal from Lizzy House for Andover; Mushroom World Cheater in Lavender from Quilt Gate.

Coordinating Kona solids: (TOP ROW) Navy, Cactus, Hibiscus, Creamsicle; (SECOND ROW) Aloe, Lupine, Lemon, Teal Blue; (BOTTOM ROW – neutrals) Putty, Snow, Parchment, Essex Yarn-dyed Flax


The guild will supply
  • Each person with 3-4 fat quarter print fabrics and people can add their own coordinating solids and prints. 
  • 16-inch square pillow forms.
  • Background fabric to complete throw quilts and pillows (to incorporate negative space and make our blocks go farther) 
  • Some batting/backing /binding fabric to those who volunteer to quilt & bind throws.  Donations of extra batting or coordinating fabric that could be used for backing or binding are also welcome! 

TIMELINE:
June sew-in:  distribute fabric at sew-in and sew
July meeting:  distribute fabric to those not at sew-in
August meeting:  show completed pillows, pieced tops*, and bags
September meeting:  show completed quilts
Deliver by Oct 1, 2016.

*We need volunteers who will take blocks completed at the June sew in to piece them into throws.

COMING SOON:
Look for more information about the blocks (with cutting dimensions for 12” blocks), a tutorial from Dani for inserting a zipper in a pillow cover, and links to simple zipper pouch tutorials!

Hope to see you there!!

– written by Amy S.
– posted/edited by Erin D.

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Photo: Triangles quilt by Erika Mulvenna