New Year and Goal Setting.....

I have several goals this year.

One goal is to start blogging more. In my past,  I was taught goals can't be vague.  Goals must be measureable and obtainable.  My goal for blogging is once a month.  Anything more than that is icing on the cake.

The problem:  I volunteered to be the swap coordinator for my quilt guild.  My friend Yvonne Campbell at That's Sew Creative is my partner in crime.  Then we are doing the January program on our first swap item, so we have been a little busier than we planned.

And I thought I volunteered for the EASY spot....... ha ha!!!!

Officially, the Emerald Coast Modern Quilt Guild can be found here:

http://emeraldcoastmodernquiltguild.blogspot.com/

My next problem my blog post....

Here's my first blog post of the year!  The one I wrote for the guild!  I'll try to put another one up later this month!!!!  If you live in the Northwest Panhandle of Florida, come join us the 10th of January for our meeting!!!!

January and February Swaps 2015

I am Cricket Harris and with the help of Yvonne Campbell, we will be arranging the swaps for this year.  

As a reminder, January's Swap is a F8 low volume swap, maximum of three different yard cuts.  Don't forget the meeting is this Saturday, January 10th!!!

Bring your yard of fabric cut into F8s, each yard in an individual ziplock bag, and label the outside of your ziplock with your name.  At the meeting, drop your fabric off in the designated place.  Before you leave, you will receive your ziplock back with an assortment of F8s.  For those still needing to cut your fabric, here are the instructions posted earlier in the blog by Wendi Mihalik, last year's swap coordinator.

Cutting Modern Fat Eighths

1.  Press your fabric to remove the center crease.  Do not remove the selvages.

2.  Rotary cut your fabric lengthwise through the center.   This results in two pieces, each measuring approximately 22" x 36".

3.  Cut each 22" x 36" piece in half again lengthwise.  This gives you four pieces, each measuring 11" x 36".  

NOTE:  Solid fabrics are sometimes milled to wider widths than prints.  Be sure to measure the width and cut equal quarters.

4.  Cut each 11" x 36" piece in half crosswise.  This gives you eight pieces, each measuring 11" x 18".  A modern fat eighth.  


As always, if you have questions regarding the swap, or this tutorial, you can email me at cricket at superiorinhomecare dot com (M-F between 7 to 4:30) or harr703 at cox dot net anytime.  Your best bet is to text me on my cell phone or call me on my cell phone.  I am on the guild roster.  

February's Swap and our meeting lands on Valentine's Day!!!

For February, we are going to do a "Sweet Pouch" swap.  It will be a drawstring bag with a sweet treat for your partner.  This will be a blind swap.  You will only know who you are making a bag for, and not who is making one for you.  Sign ups at the bottom of this post and close Saturday January 17th.  I will assign partners on Sunday the 18th by the end of the day.  

There will be a program on this bag at the meeting on the 10th of Jan. I will be available after the meeting if you have questions or would like assistance in making a test bag.  Materials needed, in addition to the normal notions, to sew a bag:  

- 3 fat quarters
- 2 yards of ribbon, or 1/8 yd fabric
- Coordinating thread
- Interfacing if you want to use it: enough for 2 cuts of 12.5" x 10.5" 

This is the lined drawstring bag we will be using for the swap.  The tutorial for the bag can be found on the blog, In Color Order by Jeni Baker.  

http://www.incolororder.com/2011/10/lined-drawstring-bag-tutorial.html

The only thing we would like is for the bag to made by the general pattern and finish close to the dimensions of the bag in the tutorial.  For example, you can piece the main fabric section of the bag, as in this tutorial:

http://www.incolororder.com/2014/02/how-to-make-patchwork-drawstring-bag.html

If you want to make your bag striped, the tutorial is here:

http://www.incolororder.com/2012/09/striped-drawstring-bag-tutorial.html

Never done a neat nifty cut corner?  The tutorial is here:

http://www.incolororder.com/2013/11/how-to-put-gusset-on-bag-video-tutorial.html

All these tutorials are from Jeni Baker's In Color Order blog, so please pop over and let her know what you've made and maybe a "Thank You" for the tutorials she worked so hard to give the quilting/sewing community.  

Hope to see you at the meeting!

Thanks!

Yvonne & Cricket
Swap Coordinators

I didn't fall off the turnip truck yesterday.  I was taught, work smart, not hard!!!

Until next time, (you've been warned!)  I've got to take my snarky focus to work!!!