Christmas Party

CHRISTMAS PARTY COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT!
We are again collecting Children's underwear and socks for Storehouse West Kids Closet

        new boy or girls any size packages.  Call Barbara for more info

Dec 5 is our annual Christmas Party. Here are several important notes.

    Sign up for food for the pot luck and a job.  Jeanne   YUMMY!

   Bring: Red Bird Exchange that you made.

   Bring: 6" squares trading game.  You will need 10, 6 " squares of red,

        green or blue fabric.  This is our fun dice game.   

   Bring: Please bring you finest Christmas place setting for a judged contest with a prize.  This should include a placemat and napkin, silverware,  plate and cup for your hot cider. 

Jeanne or Andra 

Heartfelt Thank You

To all those who volunteered at Balloon Fiesta in the NMQA booth, thank you so much. Finances have been very tight for NMQA, and success with this major fundraiser was absolutely critical. Because of your efforts, 2013 sales exceeded 2012 sales. Yea, NMQA can now pay the bills! - Afton

Also, NMQA workshop sign-ups start next Monday, so make sure you sign-up for any classes you want to attend before they are sold out. 

Hot Potato

4 Projects and a Potato!

Thursday, November 7 (our first regular meeting in November).

If you haven’t had a chance to sign up, please email Diane at quilterdiane@comcast.net to let her know you are attending. Cost is $5.

What to bring to the meeting:

Sewing machine with #90 needle and black thread (machines can be shared with a buddy)
 Fabric Scissors
 Paper Scissors
 Thread scissors/snips
 Hand sewing needle and dark green thread
 Tapestry needle (if you have one)
 Pins, etc.
 Whatever you signed up to bring (potato toppings, dessert, salad, etc.)

As usual, the projects will be a surprise, (but will be something that you could give as a holiday gift).

Marlene Walker

Please join us!

Our long time Thimbleweed friend Marlene Walker is moving. To show her she will be missed let’s make her

6 ½” (unfinished) quilt blocks in pink and white.  You can turn them in to Kathy Lyon on or before December 5^th.

Thimleweeds Retreat

Garage Sale

Garage Sale at Bobbie Prairie's, Friday October 11th, Saturday October 12th, 8:00 - 2:00

1516 34th Circle, 528 turn East on Sara, turn South on 34th Circle and follow the signs

I have over 30 quilting books prices from $2 to $7, patterns, magazines, and lots of crafting items some still new in packages.  Wood items, some painted, wall hangings and some table runners.

Upcoming Meeting

Community Service Day Oct 17 2013: We will be working all day with several projects for you to participate in. Your panel quilts Cutting kits for aprons for 2014 Tying several quilts to give away this year This will be our last work day of the year, please plan to participate as we have many jobs that don't require bringing your machine. We need helping hands. Bring a snack or lunch and let's make a day of it! Kathy, Sandy and Barbara

Note From Gail

Hi Donna and Thimbleweeds,

Thanks so much for spearheading the drive to collect school supplies for my friend, Lynn, who will be teaching in Ghana beginning in December.  I tallied all the ‘loot’ today and WOW!!!  Here’s what you contributed!  Thanks so much!  You are

THE BEST~!!!

41 spiral notebooks

30 composition notebooks

1 ream copy paper (can easily get more)

15 packs lined notebook paper

About 500 pencils

10 Elmer’s Glue

14 2-pocket folders

2 drawing pads

200 sheets construction paper

2 48-pack crayons

24 24-pack crayons

2 workbooks

12 packs crayola markers

1 pack pencil crayons

5 24-pack colored pencils

12 12-pack colored pencils

12 glue sticks

4 mini-notebooks

~100 pens

12 pencile sharpeners

22 mechanical pencils

2 Sharpie Markers

18 jumbo markers

36 reading books

Cheers,

Gail

Gail Garber

Eye Candy from Robin Skannal

Thimbleweeds Thursday

It's going to be a crazy busy meeting, plan to come a few minutes early, so we can get everything done and enjoy Holly's class!!

Bring your money for camp.  It would be great if you had your registration and your check for either $55.00 or $110 filled out and ready to go.

If you haven't paid me or Marlene for pizza, please do that, so we can pay the pizza guy!

Remember the thread guy is coming, so bring some $$ for that.

Holly class supplies (see the newsletter or blog for the list).  Remember we're each giving Holly a spool of thread as a thank you.  There will be a silver wire basket for you to drop your thread into at the welcome table with Ann and Gini.

The dangle swap....bring your 25 dangles.  We'll have bags set up on a table and you will need to drop one of your dangles in each bag.  At the end of the meeting you'll go home with a nice little package to enjoy with a cup of tea!

Note:  If you maybe possibly picked up Kathy Gonzales' bag of batik swap strips at the last meeting will you either give her a call and let her know you have them, or bring them back to Jeanne at the meting Thursday.

Gloria Shapiro

Our dear Gloria Shapiro, who recently suffered a heart attack, asked me to thank you for all the beautiful cards from so many people. She wanted to express her gratitude. She said, "They cheered me up and made me get better even more quickly. Thanks everyone or thinking of me."

Faye & Hannah

Holly Altman Class

Below is the July 18 Holly Altman Class information.  IF you haven't signed up, let me know.  $6.00 includes lunch!

THE PURPOSE OF THE WORKSHOP IS TO
DIP YOUR TOES OR ANY OTHER BODY PART INTO ART QUILTING...NO STRESS...NO RIGHT OR WRONG...NO JUDGEMENTS...JUST YOU AND YOUR FABRICS HAVING FUN !  

we will answer the age old question...how do i come up with an idea ?...and will it work...
where do i start...will it hurt ?...i can guarantee that it wont hurt... and i can definitely help with the rest...
    
YOU SAY YOU ARE NOT ARTISTIC, NEVER TOOK ART CLASSES,ONLY WORK FROM OTHER PEOPLES PATTERNS,  AND YOU DONT FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THE ART QUILT CONCEPT...

TO THIS I SAY BULL HOOEY !!!

AND ARE afraid that when you compare your work to the person sitting next to you....you wont measure up...WELL IF YOU ALREADY QUILT, HAVE DECORated your home, gotten yourself dressed each morning and not looked like CLARABELLE,  put a meal oon the table and have definite color likes and dislikes...you are artistic...as for art classes...they teach you the rules...its a good thing because you know when and why you should break them...BUT...
not having learned the rules you have no restrictions...you are very free to create...whatever and however...the business of using other peoples patterns...well remember coloring books, dress patterns, recipes ...we all tweaked them at sometime or another to satisfy OUR ARTISTIC Needs...and you were usually comfortable doing that...

making comparisons of your work to that of the people around you is a No No......we all come to this quilting business with our own creative baggage...you can admire their work, ask questions about it...their inspiration, techniques etc...their work is just THAT...THEIRS...A PRODUCT OF THEIR HISTORY AND EXPERIENCES...JUST AS YOUR WORK IS A PRODUCT OF YOURS...WE all started on this journey at different times with different skills, and learned different things along the way so comparisons are a useless endeavor...


I AM NOT GOING TO BEAT YOU INTO ARTISTIC SUBMISSION, I WILL NOT DEVALUE YOUR WORK...NOR WILL I LET ANYONE ELSE IN THE WORKSHOP DO IT...WE WILL CELEBRATE THE DOING AND EVENTUAL FINISHING OF THE PROJECTS...SOUND LIKE HOMEWORK...WELL IT IS ...SINCE THIS WILL BE A SERIES OF WORKSHOPs THE ONLY WAY YOULL SEE PROGRESS IS THRU A SERIES OF HOME WORK PROJECTS...What you start today..you finish for the next time...when i say finish...doesnt have to have binding...it can be embellished...  whatever...last thing i want is for you to get stressed about this...you do what you can...besides if we do this every 2 or 3 months
you should all have the time you need...

I WILL ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR SEMI-FINISHED HOMEWORK...NOT TO PUT YOU ON THE SPOT...I DONT WANT FANCY ANSWERS...JUST HONEST ONES AND YOU CAN ALWAYS SAY...I DID IT BECAUSE I LIKED IT !  I HONOR THAT !

you are going to be doing some thinking about what you do...it isnt rocket science and there aRe no exams and no grades ...remember...no right and no wrong..

I MIGHT ALSO ASK YOU TO DO THE UNTHINKABLE ...cut into your piece...
youll just have to trust me on this one...


FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DO ART QUILTING ON A REGULAR BASIS...JUST GO FOR IT...THIS IS GOOD EXERCISE FOR YOU...CREATE A GIVEN SUBJECT ON COMMAND...YOU CAN BE ROLE MODELS FOR THOSE WHO HAVENT DONE ART QUILTING BEFORE...ANSWER QUESTIONS ...GIVE ENCOURAGEMENT...LEND A HAND IF NEEDED...
REMEMBER WHAT IT FELT LIKE WITH THAT BLANK FABRIC IN FRONT OF YOU...SOOOO EMPTY...SO INTIMIDATING...AND YOUR MIND SOOOO TOTALLY BLANK...TIME TO GIVE BACK...

THE IDEA IS TO BE SURROUNDED WITH WONDERFUL WOMEN ALL DOING THEIR OWN ARTISTIC THINGS, LEARN SOMETHING NEW, AND HAVE FUN ...OH ...AND I THINK FOOD IS 
INVOLVED...HOW COULD YOU NOT HAVE A GREAT TIME...



==============================================

          WORKSHOP #1
      "LEAF ME ALONE"

+ SUBJECT...LEAVES ...something to think about beforehand ...there will be a new subject for each workshop...IT WILL BE RAW EDGE WORK...

MATERIALS...

1.  ...  PICK  AND CUT 2 OR 3 SOLID OR BATIK      patterned BACKGROUNDS... SIZE...16 x 20
NOT fabric that has a real recognizable pattern

2.  ...BAG OF IRONED SCRAPS...ALL KINDS...PRINTS, SOLIDS, GLITZ AND SMARM...A WHOLE BUNCH 
FAVORITE COLORS AND MORE IMPORTANT A
FEW NOT SO FAVORITE COLORS...BE SURE TO HAVE SOME TULLE AND NET TO PLAY AROUND WITH...I WILL BRING SOME...MAYBE stop at JOANNS AND GET 1/4 YDS OF SOME SEMI TRANSPARENT CHIFFONS...you can trade off 8" cuts...  if you have worked with me before you will understand...for those of you who havent...this collection of miscellaneous fabrics is your palette...the more choice...the more possibilities...the more fun

DO NOT BUY A LOT OF NEW FABRICs...All sizes of scraps are great ..remember you will need some larger scraps...

+3...
A SELECTION OF THREAD...THEY DO NOT NECESSARILY HAVE TO MATCH YOUR FABRICS

+ 4....SEWING MACHINE WITH REGULAR NEEDLE AND A REGULAR foot and a free motion foot...
leave the machine and the thread in your car...we might not get to the stitching part during the workshop...so why drag it all the way in until you need it...same with the thread

5.  PINS

Gloria Shapiro

Gloria Shapiro, a longtime Thimbleweeds member is seriously ill and in the hospital.  I'm sure she would appreciate cards.  

Craft Fair

Words From Donna

Please remember we won't be meeting this Thursday, because of the 4th of July holiday.  We will have a make up meeting next week.

On a different note, Paula Scott is collecting recyclable things for a kids art project that the Rio Rancho Artist Association is sponsoring.  She would like things like: bottle caps, thread spools, candy wrappers, interesting smaller things.  She doesn't need laundry soap containers or cans or bottles and things that are large or plentiful.  I've started a bag for her and it has colored plastic lids, tic tac and altoid containers, a plastic container paper clips came in, chopsticks...I hope this gives you some ideas.  We'll collect these for her for a few meetings.  Tara will make sure she gets them

Remember we will be collecting food for storehouse next week.  You might want to check out this week's grocery ads :)

Linda Littman

Did you know our own Linda Littman teaches ribbon embroidery classes at Nob Hill Fabrics on Central in Albuquerque? Check out her handiwork.

Catwalk

The class is 16 easy to piece blocks with sashing and enclosed by two borders.  The blocks are a modified 9-patch and a modified log cabin.  This is a great quilt to use your novelty fabrics, as there is a "fussy cut" center in both blocks.  The fussy cut blocks measure 4 1/2 inches. 

You will need:

A - 9 patch centers (fussy cut)       3/8 yd. 

B - 9 patch rectangles                1 1/3 yd.

        sashing & binding

C -9 patch cornerstones                1/3 yd.

        sashing squares

D - Log Center (fussy cut)             3/8 yd.

E - Log One                                  1/3 yd.

F - Log Two                                  3/4 yd

Backing                                        3 1/2 yd.

Fundraising

We have raised $140.87 for Thimbleweeds through iGive. All you need to do is sign up, choose Thimbleweeds as your cause, download the iGive button so it can be added to your internet toolbar, and purchases whatever you would online. iGive will automatically provide a donation to Thimbleweeds when you make purchases at participating stores. Go to http://www.igive.com/button/ to start raising money for Thimbleweeds.

Christmas in July Quilt Raffle

Thimbleweeders!  Here comes our Christmas in July Quilt Raffle.  Each year during the 2 meetings in July we ask that you bring non-perishable food items for StoreHouse West.  For every item that you bring, you receive a ticket for a chance to win a wonderful quilt.  This raffle is only open to Thimbleweed members and you only have two meetings to bring food and get tickets.  There will be a truck or car parked out front at Sabano Grande for the July meetings.  Please bring your food items in grocery bags or boxes, so we can just load them into the vehicle.  

This year we have a beautiful 12 Days of Christmas quilt to raffle off.  It's 46" x 57", so it's a great size to use as a wall hanging or lap quilt.  Do you need a Christmas quilt for someone on your gift list?  Here's a good opportunity to save yourself some sewing and donate to a great cause all at once.  Special thanks to Kathy Sublett who donated the fabric for the top and pieced it, Barbara Striegel who donated the backing and binding material, Diane Bourg who quilted it, and the many folks who sewed on the binding while they manned the Thimbleweed booth during Fiber Arts Fiesta.

I hope we can collect even more food to donate this year and the need seems to continue to grow.  Thanks for all your help and support.

Thimbleweeds Tea Party

The Tea Party was a success from members attending the Party. The decorations looked so pretty with pink table cloths and tissue paper flowers as the center pieces. We had some great food and delicious tea. Hand made tea bag carriers were given out to each member and guest that attended. Door prizes were given to the member sitting in the specially marked chair. Or if there happened to be no winner they drew from the names from that table. (Rock,paper,scissors anyone?)

There was a beautiful fashion show of lovely vests and a rowdy bidding for the vests ensued. Wonderful entertainment and the money raised will go to a special project.

We also had a raffle for two items that will help fund the “next” tea party. We had a hand made soft sculpture doll donated by Joyce H. and a paper pieced tea cup wall hanging donated by Faye H.

Thank you to all who attended, brought food and shared some lovely tea pots and place settings.

 

 

 

 

 

Quilt Show Quilt Raffle Winner

And the winner is.......... Laura. She works a at local credit union.

When I called her up that day of the drawing she was busy but she called back. I was on my way to Cortez and the phone signal was terrible. I called her back once we got back to Rio Rancho and she was delighted. I was on my way out anyway so we arranged to meet at her work. Laura was so excited and said she had never won anything in her life and was so pleased to be the winner. I invited her to come to our next meeting and she said she would try.

I want to also take a minute to thank all the ladies that brought quilts to show off, sell and help with the quilt show on the 28^th of April.

A special Thank you to Hazel for all your hard work.

Faye H.

Raffle Quillt Winner Drawn

Bryce drew the winner of our raffle quilt. Congratulations Laura!

Spring Fling