Quilting during crazy times

Hey, quilters. How are you coping during these crazy times? 

At the Choo Choo Quilters July 20 guild meeting, we'll look back in history to the Crazy Quilt era for some perspective. While practicing social distancing, we'll be stitching together a little quilt history, humor and technology at a virtual guild meeting.

"Crazy Quilts and Mad Women" presentation at the July guild meeting

Live, via Zoom, join us for a video presentation about "Crazy Quilts and Mad Women" and a discussion about how women at the turn of the 19th century coped with domestic life and the social and economic trends of the time. How did our foremothers use the needle arts to cope and express their thoughts and ideas? Is it much like how we are coping in 2020 with the global pandemic? Let's compare and contrast.

These days, we have digital technology and the web to educate, entertain, inspire and perhaps use as coping mechanisms. For the July guild meeting, please bring and share your recommendations for favorite quilting videos and tutorials, Facebook Live presentations, on-line learning sources, podcasts, etc. that you like to watch or listen to... or have recently discovered during the quarantine.

Sherry and Ginny, Cuddle Quilt Coordinators extraordinaire, will also talk about plans for a virtual Cuddle Quilt workshop. 

Watch for the Zoom meeting invitation in your e-mailbox and bring something for virtual Show and Tell.

Be safe and quilt on!

30-day Choo Choo Quilters Scavenger Hunt during self-quarantine

We're living with uncertainty these days. To keep spirits up during this period of self-quarantine, guild members and friends are invited to participate in a Choo Choo Quilters Scavenger Hunt. The Scavenger Hunt is designed to keep guild members and quilting friends engaged with each other as well as our craft, to reminisce about guild activities and remember the fun times, and continue to share our quilting projects while passing the time during the COVID-19 stay-at-home period.

By participating in the Hunt, you may be asked to post photos on the Choo Choo Quilters Facebook page [CC-FB], visit the Choo Choo Quilters blog [CC-Blog], leave comments, play in your fabric stash, or rev up your sewing machine and make patchwork.

How the Scavenger Hunt works
For the next 30 days, starting on Monday, April 6, one item or task from the Scavenger Hunt List will be posted on the Choo Choo Quilters Facebook page. Please add your photos, comments and responses to "finding" or "doing" the item to that day's post. The more participation we get, the more fun and interesting it will be! Note, you can comment on the day the post goes live, or any time after.

Here is the Scavenger Hunt List:

• April 6--Current project: post a photo on the Choo Choo Quilters Facebook page [CC-FB]
• April 7--Last visit to YLQS (your local quilt shop): post the name of the last quilt shop you visited before quarantine [CC-FB]. Give that shop a Like or Comment on their social media page.
• April 8--Charity: have you done any charity sewing or quilting the past 2 weeks? Mask making, charity quilts, QOV, pillowcases, etc. Leave a comment or post a photo [CC-FB].
• April 9--Rediscovered UFO: post a photo of a recently uncovered UFO you forgot you had [CC-FB].
• April 10--What year was “The Great Cuddle Quilt Quest”? Who led that program? What year was it presented? What was the goal and how many quilts were delivered? Post your answers [CC-FB].
• April 11--Read a quilting magazine article: post the name of the article, magazine name, and issue date. A photo of the magazine cover would also be helpful. [CC-FB]
• April 12--Make a quilt block(s) from a block pattern from the original Great Cuddle Quilt Quest. (Visit the blog to find patterns.) Post a photo. [CC-FB] Any charity quilt blocks will be collected at a future guild meeting.

• April 13--Curves: Find a blog post on the Choo Choo Quilters blog that talked about curves. Leave a comment on the post [CC-Blog] or post a photo of a block or quilt you made with curves [CC-FB].
• April 14--What else do you do while sewing/quilting? Listen to music, TV, podcasts? Leave a comment [CC-FB].
• April 15--Fundraiser: What was the name of the cookbook the guild assembled and sold for a fundraiser? Post the cook book's title [CC-FB].
• April 16--Thread: post a picture of the thread(s) you’re using on a current project [CC-FB] and why you like that thread.
• April 17--Design: The Choo Choo Quilters devoted a full year to focusing on design principles and concepts. What was the year and name of that year-long program? [CC-FB]
• April 18--Book: What was the name of the book and author we used for this year-long program? Post a photo of a block, quilt or fabric pull using any of the color schemes discussed: analogous, complementary, triad, split complementary, etc. on [CC-FB].
• April 19--Labels: Make a label for one of your quilts. Post a photo [CC-FB].

• April 20--Working from Home: post a picture of you in your work-at-home slippers. (it can just of your feet in your slippers) [CC-FB]
• April 21--Maintenance: Clean out your bobbin case. Put a new needle in your sewing machine.
• April 22--Research: Have you found the phrase/quote/title for the inspiration of your 2020 Choo Choo Guild Challenge? Do the research.
• April 23--Food: Name one of the past Choo Choo guild programs in which the project/program referenced food. Leave a comment on the blog under that post [CC-Blog].
• April 24--Guild Challenge: Which was your favorite? Whether you participated or just enjoyed the show, leave a comment about why you liked it [CC-FB].
• April 25--Quilts of Valor: find the Quilts of Valor quilt block on the Choo Choo blog. Make a block(s) and post a photo [CC-FB]. We will collect any charity quilt blocks at a future meeting.
• April 26--Technique: Find the blog post about the "Slice and Dice" program. Leave a comment on this post [CCBlog]. Make 2 blocks (greens and white/light fabrics) using one of the techniques listed. Post a picture. [CCFB] Any charity quilt blocks will be collected at a future meeting.
  

• April 27--Programs: What guild program was 10 years in the making? Who presented this program? Leave a comment [CC-Blog].
• April 28--Video: What guild program was video taped and the video put on the blog? Who presented the program? Leave a comment [CC-Blog].
• April 29--Movie: What was the name of the movie we watched during a “Movie Night” guild program? Leave a comment on that post [CC-Blog].
• April 30--Acronyms: What does "BFSFH" stand for? (you might have to go back into the blog archives for this one). Post your answer [CC-FB]. 
• May 1--Sew-lebrities: The Choo Choo Quilters had some famous quilters visit the guild. Leave a comment on one of those posts [CC-Blog].
• May 2--More programs: Find a blog post about any two of the following topics: Delectable Mountain Block, Pineapple block tool, Quilt-as-you-Go, Twister Tool, Insert Strips, Hexagons, Stack-n-Whack and leave a comment on 2 of the posts [CC-FB].
• May 3--Progress: Work on a quilting project at least 1 hour. Tell what you worked on [CC-FB].
  

• May 4--Not all quilts are quilts: Find 2 posts on the Choo Choo blog that reference other quilted items (wearables, home dec, pillows, etc.). This could be a program, a Challenge entry, or a Show and Tell. Leave a comment on two different blog posts [CC-Blog].
• May 5--Handwork: Post a photo of any handwork you've achieved during this quarantine. [CC-FB]

Until the crisis is over and we meet once again, be safe and stay healthy!

Charity Quilt Exhibit and Presentation

3/15/20 update: The March guild meeting is cancelled. The Quilt Exhibit and Presentation has been postponed. Thank you for your understanding.

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The fruits of the "2019 Monthly Quilt Blocks for Charity Collaboration" for our guild's community service project will be exhibited at the Choo Choo Quilters March Guild meeting on Monday, March 16, at 7pm. Bed quilts made to support the Chambliss Center for Children will be on display and then presented to representatives from Chambliss.

Ginny (left) and Sherry show one of the finished bed quilts, "Woven."

2019 Monthly Quilt Block program
Lead by Cuddle Quilt Co-Chairs, Sherry Reed and Ginny Minninger, the Monthly Quilt Block Collaboration program kicked off in January 2019. Quilt block patterns were distributed to guild members monthly with prescribed color schemes.

Town Square blocks.

Blocks were returned the following month.

Black/white strip blocks.

An assortment of plaids made up these quilt blocks.

At the July Cuddle Quilt workshop, another block pattern and fabric kits were distributed. Guild members worked at piecing quilt blocks and assembling several quilt tops during the workshop.

Quilt block layout at the July Cuddle Quilt workshop.

As the year progressed, quilt tops were completed, turned in, quilted and bound by various guild members and local long arm quilters.

One of the completed Tea Cup quilt tops. This was a popular block pattern.

Come and see the final results of this year-long endeavor in an exhibit at the March meeting when the quilts will be presented to representatives of the Chambliss Center. The representatives will also speak about the Transitional Living Program, a new program that offers assistance to young people when they age out of foster care at the tender age of 18. The bed quilts will go to the young adults in this program.

Friends and guests are welcome to attend the quilt exhibit and presentation. The event starts at 7pm. Refreshments will be served.

2019 Cuddle Quilt goal surpassed

At the January guild meeting, Cuddle Quilt Co-chairs, Ginny (left) and Sherry, showed several of the large bed quilts that were finished in 2019 for the Choo Choo Quilters community service project. The ambitious goal set in January 2019 was 20 bed-size quilts—8 for the boys group home and 12 for the Transitional Living program at Chambliss Center. At the time of this posting, 25 large quilts are in various stages of completion.

Town Square

Woven

Tennessee Crossroads

Tea Cup

Crazy Patch

Deep Stash (scrap quilt)

Summer Camp

Courthouse Steps Log Cabin (unquilted top)

In progress quilt top using the August quilt block.

Smaller cuddle quilts were also turned in.

Cuddle quilt made with the Greek Cross block,
from the 2010 Great Cuddle Quilt Quest.

Cheryel shows a half-square triangle cuddle quilt.

3-yard quilt

The Cuddle Quilt Committee Co-Chairs enlisted the help of several long-arm quilters in the area to quilt these big quilts. We appreciate these long-arm quilters—especially those who have donated their time and equipment to help us reach our goal.

Shopping bags filled with quilted bed quilts.