September 2011 Meeting

Meeting was held on September 15, 2011 with Margie, Linda, Peggy, Randi, Helen, Tricia, and Dawn attending.

The Bees enjoyed a delicious dinner of stuffed zucchini made by Peggy and Tricia, Tennessee biscuits made by Peggy, a salad made by Linda, and a carrot cake made by Margie. It was a sumptuous and relatively healthy feast.

Next Meeting

*** Tuesday, October 18 ***

• Dawn: Main dish
• Helen: Salad
• Peggy: Dessert

DragonLord Followup

The first order of business was a trip report by the Bees who traveled to Kentucky to deliver the DragonLord quilts. Linda distributed certificates from the commanding officer of the brigade to each person who made a quilt for the project. Linda also passed out other "memory items," including newspaper clippings as well as thank you notes from some of the children. It was very touching to read the thank you notes. One of the little girls called Tricia her "angel" and included a drawing of an angel -- so sweet. Peggy distributed goody bags of items the Bees collected on their trip, the most notable being a T-shirt from the National Quilt Museum for each Bee. It was so thoughtful for the traveling Bees to think about their stay-behind sisters while they were enjoying Molly's southern hospitality.

Click to enlarge the image.

Angel Quilt

Randi called the DragonLord project the Bees' "grand opus," but it turns out to be one of two grand opi for this year. Linda presented the finished Angel Quilt, and it is absolutely stunning -- covered with quilting in the Jill Schumacher fashion. (Linda and Peggy started marking the quilt in June while on the quilting retreat with Jill Schumacher, and then Linda took on the task of doing all the quilting.) Peggy did the center embroidery and is in the process of making a label. The quilt should be completed in time for the October meeting. The Bees decided to donate the quilt to the Cancer Resource Center as a wall-hanging, so the label will mention that the quilt was made in honor of Carol Gardner, whose idea it was to make such a quilt. We discussed the idea of having a sign or plaque made to accompany the quilt. I think that Tricia was supposed to propose some wording, but she has completely forgotten what it's supposed to say, so that can be ongoing business for the October meeting.

Queen Bee Business

No one, not a single Bee, was willing to give up our one and only Queen Randi. However, we all acknowledged how much Randi does to keep our group going and vowed to be more helpful and supportive. Next year, we will take turns organizing demos and other items of interest for the meetings. For example, Tricia volunteered to demonstrate Stitch Witchery bindings, Peggy the Twister Tool, and Dawn something to do with table runners. We also need to take leadership of various projects; for example, next year, someone other than Randi should head up whatever service project we decide to take on. Peggy volunteered to compile an agenda for each meeting and send to Randi. Margie will remain treasurer for the Bees. Every single Bee thanks and greatly appreciates the efforts of Randi and Margie, as well as the efforts and participation of each and every one of us.

This was not part of the meeting notes, but I (Tricia) have made an observation that each year we tend to do three major things: 1) a service project, which this year was DragonLords; 2) a club project, which last year was placements; I'm not sure what it is for 2011; and 3) a workshop (this year was purses by Peggy and Tricia). Those seems like a great ideas to continue, and maybe near the beginning of each year, people could volunteer to be project leaders. It seems as though that would offload a lot from Randi and would keep the fun going! What do we think?

Show and Tell

Linda brought the quilt for Dan Kaffer made from Carson River Work Day T-shirts from 1995 through 2011. Linda is the one who was in charge of ordering the T-shirts, and she told us that when she knew she was going to make a quilt, she started ordering shirts in colors that would look good in the quilt.

As usual, Peggy had a busy quilting month. The pinwheel quilt was made with the Twister tool; it's backed with Minkee, and Peggy hopes it will be the "magic quilt" for her baby grandson who is due in January. She found the ruby slippers wallhanging pattern on the shop hop at Quilting Tahoe and just had to make it for her sister. (The embroidery on it says, "Sometimes I miss my sister."

Dawn was busy, too. She made a Route 66 quilt for one of her car club friends, and when her father saw it, he thought it was for him. Very cleverly, she was able to find some more fabric and make another similar quilt for her father -- he'll never know the difference. The quilt with the squares is a special quilt for an Alzheimer's project. It's made of fabrics with bright colors and lots of different textures.

Tricia has been very busy with the start of a new semester, so she is keeping herself happy with little projects. The table runner was made from a charm pack.

Randi's "I spy" quilt is fun and cheerful! Randi also found an adorable baby doll Bee, which she purchased for Linda's daughter Molly. It will be sent to her as a replacement for Jerome and Geraldine, those wayward traveling Bees she's sure to be missing!

August 2011 Meeting

This month, we met at Randi's house on August 9 for a "packing party" of the quilts that will travel to the Dragonlord children in Fort Campbell Kentucky. Randi had all the quilts sorted alphabetically and stacked on her couch in the living room. It was quite a sight!

We set up an assembly line and began packing the quilts. First, both the quilt and the label were photographed and the name of the child was logged on a "packing list" for each suitcase. Then the quilt was folded and packed. As each suitcase was filled, it was weighed, with most of the suitcases weighing in at around 35-40 lbs.

Some of the quilts needed to mailed because the recipients were not living on base. Those quilts were boxed and labeled. Thanks to Randi's amazing record keeping, the entire process only took a couple of hours. During that time, a reporter, Betty Aleck from the Leader-Courier, came to interview us about the project. She asked each of us what we got out of the project. Some Bees said they gained empathy for the children; others said they felt more involved with the military and the sacrifices they make for our country; one Bee said she felt as though this project was a bit of atonement for the behavior of our generation during the Vietnam war when soldiers were treated so disrespectfully. It was an eye-opener to reflect and discover that we are all probably getting back more than we gave as a result of this project.

After packing was complete, with all the quilts fitting into seven suitcases, we went out for a celebratory dinner at La Fiesta Mexican Restaurant in Fernley. The food was great and we briefly discussed a few items of Bees' business.

Next Meeting

*** Tuesday, September 20 at Helen's house ***

Food: Tricia will bring a main dish; Linda will bring a salad; Margie will bring dessert.

Business: At that meeting, Randi would like to discuss the possibility of rotating the responsibility of "Queen Bee." We also need to figure out how to identify the various angels on the cancer quilt.

Trip to Kentucky

Linda, Peggy, and Helen left on August 17 to deliver the quilts. (Unfortunately, at the last minute, Randi was not able to make the trip due to an illness in the family. ) A full report with lots of photos will be forthcoming when they return.

July 2011 Meeting

We met at Helen's house and shared a delicious dinner of Helen's taco salad, Linda's stuffed jalapenos, and Randi's strawberry shortcake with homemade biscuits. Yum! Former member Rachael (Linda's daughter) also joined us for this meeting. She is visiting with her children from Washington.

Next Meeting

Our next meeting will be a "packing party" at Randi's house. Note the change in day and time as well.

• Tuesday, August 9 at 4:00 PM at Randi's

As discussed at the meeting, please bring your LARGE suitcases -- at least 26 inches. Here is the suitcase count from the meeting: Margie - 2, Rachael - 2, Linda - 1, Helen -2, Peggy - 1, Randi - 1. That should be enough, but there was uncertainty about whether some of the suitcases would be big enough, so extra large suitcases would be welcome in case they are needed.

After the hard work of packing up all the quilts, the Bees will treat themselves to going out to dinner.

DragonLord Business

Final Count: 73 military children will receive quilts made with love by quilters from across Northern Nevada. Randi has been collecting the quilts, and her house is overflowing. Although a lot of work, this project has been a privilege and a blessing, and we learned many things from the experience. Although Randi is the first one to say she didn't know what she was getting us into, all of us are proud of this major accomplishment and are particularly grateful to Randi for her unflagging leadership and for our wonderful group of Bees who are giving our all to finishing up the project.

Here are just a few of the quilts that will be donated to the DragonLord children.

Quilt Packing and Delivery: As mentioned in the "Next Meeting" section of this month's blog, the quilts will be packed into large suitcases and hand-carried to Nashville by Randi, Linda, Peggy, and Helen where they will be distributed to the children. Southwest Airlines has generously donated four round-trip tickets, and their free, two-suitcase baggage policy is making the trip possible. The journey will begin on August 17 and last through August 22. Linda's daughter Molly, who has been an integral part of the project, will be opening her home to the quilters and has planned some fabulous activities for the quilters to experience Nashville and the surrounding area during their trip.

Purse Workshop

Here are the cute "mini-messenger bags" made by some of the Bees at the June purse workshop. This pattern can be easily made in less than a day. It has lots of pockets and ends up being a very practical as well as attractive purse. The strap hardware gives this bag a particularly professional, finished look. More purses to come next month!

June 2011 Meeting/Workshop

In June, rather than a regular meeting, we had a purse workshop instead with Randi, Linda, Helen, Margie, Peggy, and Tricia attending. Dawn and Carol were not able to come, and we all missed them.

Next Meeting

Tuesday, July 19, usual time and place with food volunteers as follows:

• Helen: Taco salad
• Linda: Stuffed jalapenos
• Dessert: Randi

Workshop

With all the time spent at the previous meeting selecting patterns, everyone to a person, chose a different pattern. Peggy, Tricia, Margie, and Helen all made the "mini messenger bag," and Linda and Randi both made zipper bags, each from a different pattern. Everyone made good progress with Peggy and Helen finishing their mini-messengers. By our July meeting, hopefully everyone will bring their finished bags so we can take photos.

Tricia shared some deviled eggs as an afternoon snack. The recipe is available on the blog's recipe page.

Dragonlord Business

Many of us brought our finished Dragonlord quilts. Several are still in the works, and some that were collected from other groups are being finished by Bees members. A new deadline will be discussed at our next meeting. Still pending is a method for shipping all the quilts. Peggy suggested that volunteers could take on shipping and paying for 5-7 quilts each. Apparently UPS will give us an 80% discount if we ship over 150 pounds. We're not sure how much the finished quilts will weigh or of the criteria for packaging to take advantage of that possibility.

Peggy and Tricia made quilts for sisters. Peggy's girls are 2 and 5; Tricia's are 6 and 8.

Helen really outdid herself! What a lucky little boy!

Randi also shared with us a beautiful prize-winning quilt she made for her son.

May 2011 Meeting

The meeting was held on May 24 at Helen's house. (We are grateful to Helen for being such a gracious hostess!)

Attending: Peggy, Linda, Dawn, Helen, Margie, Randi, Tricia

Margie brought a delicious Southwest salad that reminded her of a tostada salad from her childhood. It was served over blue corn tortilla chips with a spicy dressing. Tricia brought home-baked beer bread, and Dawn served delicious chocolate chip cookies (homemade) and brownies for dessert.

Next Meeting

*** June meeting is canceled ***

Purse Workshop

Instead of the June meeting, we will meet for the purse workshop on Saturday, June 25 at 10:00 AM at the Cooperative Extension meeting room in Carson City.

*** Bring finished DragonLord quilts ***

Supplies: Bring your own supplies for the purse of your choice as listed on the pattern. Peggy and Tricia will bring assorted miscellaneous supplies, such as grommets, buttons, magnetic snaps, and various stabilizers and batting for those "just in case" moments.

Ironing stations: Most purses use fusible batting, so everyone will need to do quite a bit of ironing, so multiple small ironing stations would be helpful.

Food: To maximize sewing time, we will all bring our own bag lunches. Snacks and goodies to share are optional.

Business

Project DragonLord

Randi distributed the quilt labels, including those for the Ditch Stitchers, which Dawn will deliver to Donna. All quilt labels have now been delivered. The deadline for the Bee's quilts is June 25 to be delivered to Linda at the purse workshop. Linda and her daughter are currently exploring options for shipping the quilts.

Our group will also be making pillowcases for the deployed mothers of the DragonLord children. We didn't do "sign ups" for who would be making the pillowcases, other than Linda, so please contact Linda if you want to help. About six pillowcases will be needed.

Angel Quilt

The quilt top is finished. It is finished and awesome! Much thanks to Linda, Helen, and Peggy for their hard work on this project. Linda has volunteered to do the quilting; she will take the quilt to the Jill Schumacher workshop she is attending in June to get some ideas. Thank you, Linda!

Show & Tell

Randi took two workshops from Janet Fogg, a well-known "art" quilter, and she highly recommends them. Janet gives the following advice for free-motion quilting: "Do what you're good at." Janet has mastered 7 patterns and combines those in different ways on her quilts. Randi continues with her free-motion quilting class with very impressive results!

Peggy is working on a cute "Art to Heart" calendar set. She has currently completed all the numbers and the months of May and June.

Peggy has new "toy" called a cutwork tool. It fits into where the needle goes on the machine, and it cuts out appliques or heirloom cutouts in the hoop. Peggy is becoming the master of all kinds of machine techniques and complicated software.

Linda made an adorable dress and hat for her 1-year old granddaughter. She also made some cheerful placemats for Margie.

Helen gave a table-runner to Randi. This is a complicated story, but I think it goes something like this. Helen originally gave the table runner to Carol, but then Carol returned it because the colors didn't work in her house. Helen already had made one from the same fabric for herself, so she gave it to Randi, who had always admired the fabric.

During May, Peggy traveled to the Big Island of Hawaii. While there, she visited Kimura's Fabrics, an old, funky fabric shop, and she brought back fat quarters for the Bees.

Geraldine

Our mascot bee, Geraldine, is going to travel with Margie to Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. She is the Bees' version of "Flat Stanley." Margie will compile the saga of Geraldine's adventures when she returns home. Geraldine attends our meetings and travels home with a quilter each month to be part of the action.

April 2011 Meeting

Attending: Peggy, Dawn, Helen, Linda, Margie, Randi, Tricia

We had Dawn's delicious tortellini soup and Peggy's yummy spinach salad with strawberries and her own homemade dressing. Peggy also brought homemade bread. For dessert, we had delicious chocolate/raspberry ice cream bars, courtesy of Linda. Dawn brought her soup recipe, and it will be sent out to the group shortly.

Flat Stanley attended our Bees' meeting this month courtesy of Randi. He has gotten around a bit in Northern Nevada and will soon be on his way back to California.

Business

Our basket for the quilt show is due soon, and Randi is taking on the responsibility of collecting the items and making the basket. Everyone made their own arrangements for getting items to Randi by the following week. Of particular note are the Longaberger basket and star shaped pottery donated by Peggy.

Randi passed around a handy sewing aid called "Quilt Your Heart Out." She is going to make 6 copies to bring to the next meeting.

The angel quilt will have the "Cancer Cannot" poem in the center. It will also be embellished with crystals on the halos. We discussed the idea of putting "in honor of Carol" on it somewhere.

Our 2011 Goals are now available on a separate tab at the top of the blog page. That should give quick, easy access to help us keep track of them.

Next Meeting

Tuesday, May 24 at Helen's (note change to the 4th Tuesday)

• Main dish: Margie
• Dessert: Dawn
• Bread: Tricia

Peggy and Tricia will bring purse patterns and and samples of interfacing, batting, and notions needed to complete a purse. The purse workshop will be on Saturday, June 25 at 10:00 AM at the cooperative extension meeting room in Carson City.

Show and Tell

Dawn's son found an old, discarded quilt that was pretty badly damaged, shown in the photo on the left. Dawn made a copy of the quilt, which she is holding in the photo and called it "Almost Lost."

Randi and Dawn showed their challenge quilts from one of their other quilting groups. Randi's is called "Remember the Price of Freedom"; Dawn's is "Ahh, to Be Free."

Peggy completed one of her Project Dragonlord quilts.

Other miscellaneous projects. I apologize for not having better notes, ladies. I will try to write down more details in my minutes at future meetings.

Respectfully submitted,
Tricia