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Hello all, Mary Ellen here. Just finished putting together a jigsaw puzzle, an activity I haven’t done in ages. It was a bit of a risk since I have a puppy here and the puzzle was a borrowed one. But victory…no eaten pieces! I’ve also been doing much more reading than usual for me. I’m getting the congratulatory Kindle messages now. What are you doing to pass the hours? Don’t spend the entire day at the sewing machine…your back and neck will talk to you about that. Learn how to use Facetime or Zoom or Skype so you can practice physical distancing but still keep socially close to the people important to you. I’ve noticed while walking the pup lately that folks we come upon are much more sociable than in the recent past. Instead of just a nod or smile, they offer a comment or two or at least […]

Hello all, Mary Ellen here, The total number of masks that I know our members have made so far is …wait for it…180! Some were turned in to the guild and some were given directly to facilities by the makers. Those that were turned in to our guild this week have been taken to Roswell Park. If you are making and donating masks to facilities you know of, please let me or Jackie G. know how many you made and to which facility you have donated them. We’d like to keep a running total which I will post each week as a thank you and encouragement to all of our generous sewers! More specifics about our donations will be in the upcoming guild newsletter. Browse back through the comments on the previous post for some tips from those making masks, and for some fun suggestions on things for listening to […]

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. I’ve decided to take a short break from posting more about the corona quilt challenge. I’m betting that many of you are making masks for various places. If you have a concern that the masks will not be used (lots of hype on internet about this), rest assured that we have an official e-mail from Roswell that they will be used there. For now that is where ours will be going, My advice would be to check with the facility that you would like to support to see if they are taking mask donations, and what their parameters are. Despite all of the news coverage about masks now coming from the feds, we know that there still is a phenomenal shortage. We quilters have the skill (and more than enough fabric!) to do our bit to help. Put on a Netflix show, or a book […]

Hello all, Mary Ellen here, Recently returned from my quest for toilet paper. Actually I have enough to last for a while but the panic that is keeping the shelves empty is getting to me. How long will it take til folks calm down and go back to their usual shopping patterns? Been getting more crafting done of late. And I’ve read a couple of books as well. Not as much sewing as I usually do actually. Here is the next installment for our corona quilt project. a) Cut 4 strips that we will set aside for sashing. Each should be 2-1/2″ wide by 20-1/2″ long. They can all be cut from the same fabric, or cut 2 each of two of your fabrics. Use your medium or darks. b) Make 2 nine patches that will finish at 6 inches (6-1/2 raw). Use one of your dark fabrics and one […]

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. So everyone, how are you passing the time in “social distancing”? Quite a novel concept on a St. Patrick’s Day for all of the Irish folks around town. I’m finding that while on an average day hanging out and not accomplishing much is quite easy to do, when I must stay in and keep calm it’s not so easy. I think I may get some of my various UFO projects accomplished. There’s a crochet project in my magazine rack that has been there since before Christmas, and of course several quilting projects are hanging in the closet upstairs. There are garden edges that have heaved over the winter, and … No shortage of things around here to do-where should I begin? How about with the first construction step of our corona challenge for those who are playing along? I’m going to keep the parameters for […]

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. A fellow guild member, JoAnn C, shared this with me today. I think most of us understand this sentiment. Every girl should be taught to sew, not merely for the sake of making something, but as an accomplishment which may prove a stabilizer in time of perplexity or distress. Many a time when I needed to hold myself firmly I have taken up a needle (a sewing needle, some knitting needles, or a crochet hook.) Whatever its form or purpose, it often proved to be as the needle of the compass, keeping me to the course. Grace Coolidge And as our friends the Brits have become noted  for : Keep Calm and Carry On!

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. Well a lot has developed since my last post. Thanks to all of you who are commenting. The comments help to encourage me to keep posting, and I hope they also are fun for others to read. Since our March meeting is cancelled, I will continue the deal of entering the names of commenters into a drawing for prizes until we have our birthday celebration…whenever that will be. Are you one of the hoarders who is emptying store shelves faster than the store can keep up? I mean really people, how much toilet paper do you need?! Or are you one of those who is taking no precautions at all, hoping that this will all just go away overnight? I hope you are listening to the doctors and other medical experts. Taking care of yourself is also taking care of your community. Let’s talk about […]

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. Today is National Tool Day! We quilters all have our favorite tools and gadgets. It seems for me that every time I go to a new shop or to a quilt show I find another one that I must have. How about you? If you could only have 2 tools, other than your mat, basic ruler and rotary cutter, what 2 tools would you say are your must haves? For me–my porcupine quill stiletto, and my Elmers school glue. How about you? Do tell!

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. I’m working on the shamrock block made from the pattern shared in the post of February 2. I suggest that when you cut your strip for the shamrock stem that you make them longer than the 8 inches the designer suggests. With 8 inch lengths you have little to no room for errors in cutting or seam allowances or stretching bias. Since you will be squaring the block up after inserting the stems, I’d suggest cutting them at 1-1/2 x 8-1/2 or 8-3/4 to give yourself some fudge factor. I also cut my greens strips for the shamrock at 1-1/2 wide instead of the 2-1/2 the designer calls for. That was just to give me more variety in the greens. I’m taking a lunch break and will add the outer borders later. Then on to the quilting! I’m making several of these for family members, […]

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. *Don’t forget to add a comment if you’d like to be entered in the drawing for prizes to be awarded at our birthday party in March. If you win, but are not at the party, I will find a way to get your prize to you.* I think I have been caught without a bag when out shopping 4 times already this week! I keep leaving them out in the car.I remember my reusable bags for grocery shopping but not shopping at other types of stores. I think they will have to ride in the passenger for a while until a new habit is formed. Sally G. shared a cloth bag that folds up into its pocket during show and share at our last meeting. My purse is big enough that I could keep one of those in it! I went searching around the internet […]