As we introduced ourselves we talked about the recent Shop Hop – Sierra to Sage. The journey from shop to shop extended from South Lake Tahoe to Truckee and Portola, Reno, Fallon, Topaz Ranch and Gardnerville – a quilter’s dozen in all. Tricia and Peggy, Dawn, Randi and Linda made it to all the shops and it seemed like everyone won something. It was great fun and the intention is to expand next year so we hope more bees can join the journey.
Quilts were finished for Carol and everyone was excited to see the finished
projects. Dawn completed the pumpkin quilt and exhibited it in the Annual Quilt and Fiber Arts Show sponsored by the Silver Springs Entertainment and Arts. She was also working on the embroidered quilt featuring grown up Sunbonnet Sues. This is a lovely quilt with a scalloped border. Randi completed the 
Box Quilt ’06, 
Carol’s Friendship Quilt. The backside was a 
work of art in itself and featured the label signed by each member in the middle. I worked on the Cherry Quilt, a cheery wall hanging. Carol was delighted to have her projects back, ready to cherish and enjoy.The Queen Bee shared tips from Mark Lipinki on removing age spots from antique quilts. According to Tulip’s Tips http://www.marklipinski.com/Tulip%25Tips/TTcontent.html
“To brighten colors and remove age spots and yellow discoloration from quilts…
Combine: 1 gallon of water
1 quart of buttermilk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Soak the quilt in this liquid for as long as you think it will take (I usually soak my old yard sale finds for about 2 hours in my washing machine).
After soaking, hand-wash the quilt with a mild soap (Try SOAK – it’s remarkable). The natural ingredients are safe with no danger of damaging the quilt.
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From the same site is the recipe for spray starch which I made up for the bees. It only costs 2¢ a quart!
Dissolve 4 Tablespoons of liquid starch into 2 cups of cold water while you boil 1 quart of water.
Add the starch mixture to the boiling water and return the mixture to a boil, then remove from heat immediately.
Add 2 more cups of cold water to the mixture. Your starch should be clear and not milky. Store your starch in a mist spray bottle in the refrigerator. If you get any starch or starch burns on the faceplate of your iron, clean it with a wet terry towel.
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Randi also shared ideas for covering plastic crates from Laura Gunn and gave away books from her quilt library.
Show and Tell was great! Peggy finished a UFO – a Thimbleberries quilt
with a snowman theme. Tricia completed the flip and sew project from a recent class she attended and did a great job on her first bias binding. 
Hooray for Tricia! The fabric is from the Laurel Burch collection. Those two are certainly getting ready to decorate their homes for the holidays!Carol was busy working on quilting projects too. She made a pillowcase for her grandchild, finished a baby quilt with appliquéd lambs created
from fleece, created a lovely appliquéd quilt with flowers and lavender butterflies. She completed the Sunbonnet Sue quilt for her little great 
granddaughter, Paizley. A sweet quilt for a sweet little girl!
Carol reported that the Cancer Research Center is being so good to her and her family. They accept cash donations and quilts to auction at their annual dinner. They also give each cancer patient an angel quilt. She suggested that we may want to consider a way to give to this organization since they give so much to patients and their families in a time of need.
The Quilting Bees then gave our angel, Carol, a quilt for her to know how 
much we love and cherish her. During the past month, members of the Bees and the Ditch Stitchers worked to complete Sun Bonnet Sue blocks. Now, I need to be honest and admit that creating an appliquéd Sun Bonnet Sue block made many of us groan. We
all admire Carol’s talent yet many of us have not mastered the fine art of appliqué. When there is a will, there is always a way and squares were sent from different communities to Randi. She “beesily” assembled the blocks and created a lovely quilt for Carol to cherish as she goes through radiation and chemotherapy. Dawn and Linda were held captive in Randi’s home until the quilt was sandwiched and the binding and quilting were finished. Randi finished attaching the binding the morning of our meeting. Lori created a beautiful label with each participant’s name. Quilters that contributed to Carol’s quilt include: Ellie, Pam, DeAnn, Donna, Randi, Helen, Margie, Dawn, Tammy, Tricia, Peggy, Rita and Linda.
We gathered around the quilt and offered our prayers for Carol as she faces this challenge in her life. I read a verse about cancer,
What Cancer Cannot Do Anonymous
The Quilting Bees then gave our angel, Carol, a quilt for her to know how 
much we love and cherish her. During the past month, members of the Bees and the Ditch Stitchers worked to complete Sun Bonnet Sue blocks. Now, I need to be honest and admit that creating an appliquéd Sun Bonnet Sue block made many of us groan. We
all admire Carol’s talent yet many of us have not mastered the fine art of appliqué. When there is a will, there is always a way and squares were sent from different communities to Randi. She “beesily” assembled the blocks and created a lovely quilt for Carol to cherish as she goes through radiation and chemotherapy. Dawn and Linda were held captive in Randi’s home until the quilt was sandwiched and the binding and quilting were finished. Randi finished attaching the binding the morning of our meeting. Lori created a beautiful label with each participant’s name. Quilters that contributed to Carol’s quilt include: Ellie, Pam, DeAnn, Donna, Randi, Helen, Margie, Dawn, Tammy, Tricia, Peggy, Rita and Linda.We gathered around the quilt and offered our prayers for Carol as she faces this challenge in her life. I read a verse about cancer,
What Cancer Cannot Do Anonymous
Cancer is so limited...
It cannot cripple Love
It cannot shatter Hope
It cannot corrode Faith
It cannot destroy Peace
It cannot suppress Memories
It cannot silence Courage
It cannot invade the Soul
It cannot steal eternal Life
It cannot conquer the Spirit.
Each person took a ribbon and attached it to the front of the quilt adding a special, silent prayer or thought for Carol. We enjoyed the refreshments and appreciated Helen’s hospitality. The next meeting is on the third Monday of November the 15th. We need to keep each other in our prayers for wellness. Randi is having surgery to have her thyroid removed on Nov. 12 and Carol is continuing her treatment. I am writing this newsletter on the morning following the election of our 44th president, Barack Obama. I am thankful that our nation, too, will now be focused on healing and unity. Keep bzzy and enjoy quilting,
Linda
It cannot cripple Love
It cannot shatter Hope
It cannot corrode Faith
It cannot destroy Peace
It cannot suppress Memories
It cannot silence Courage
It cannot invade the Soul
It cannot steal eternal Life
It cannot conquer the Spirit.
Each person took a ribbon and attached it to the front of the quilt adding a special, silent prayer or thought for Carol. We enjoyed the refreshments and appreciated Helen’s hospitality. The next meeting is on the third Monday of November the 15th. We need to keep each other in our prayers for wellness. Randi is having surgery to have her thyroid removed on Nov. 12 and Carol is continuing her treatment. I am writing this newsletter on the morning following the election of our 44th president, Barack Obama. I am thankful that our nation, too, will now be focused on healing and unity. Keep bzzy and enjoy quilting,
Linda
