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Hello all, Mary Ellen here.Now that the need for home made masks has slowed a bit, what are you doing at your sewing machine? I’ve been cutting scraps into 5″ squares and random width strips. I have an idea for a scrappy pinwheel quilt with a piano keys border. I’m planning to do the sewing for the scrappy blocks as leaders and enders when doing other projects. When I am able to get organized enough to have pieces cut and ready to go, the leaders and enders technique does help me sort of make 2 projects at once. What are you working on? Still am putting the names of all commenters into a bin for drawings for prizes at our next guild birthday party. Perhaps we’ll do the drawing sooner if the party is postponed until our next birthday! Anyway please keep commenting so you have chances to win. If […]

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. The NY Times featured today an article about quilter Rosie Lee Tompkins. Her work is currently on display at the Berkeley Art Museum in California. It will bring to mind the Gee’s Bend quilts that were so trendy for a spell, but if you look at all of her work she has her own style. Since none of us is doing much traveling to quilt shows this spring and summer, perhaps you’ll enjoy this virtual show. Link to NY Times article: click here. Link to Berkeley Art Museum Slideshow of her work: click here.

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. Did any of you see the article in Sunday’s Buffalo News Style section with the title above? All about masks, of course, which can be purchased in shops around town. It focused on what I would think of as the more “artsy” shops online or down in the Elmwood area.  “Whether simple or splashy, an array of options lets people show some personal style. Many are made right here in Western New York by local artisans and fashion designers – or by the wearers themselves.” Does the mask you wear show something about you and your interests? I have an assortment of masks which I wear–one has math formulas all over it, one is covered in pansies, one has compasses and protractors. Those masks which I have made for friends and family are of fabrics chosen with the wearer in mind. We’ll be in masks […]

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. Spoiler alert! This 5 differences between the two photos in the previous post are about to be revealed. I will phrase them with the photo on the left as the starter to which changes were made, resulting in the photo on the right. 1. The green thing in the upper right quadrant is a leather thimble. That has been removed. 2. Two additional HST foundations have been added. 3. The blue cylinder (actually is a chalk marker, but I agree it looks like a seam ripper) has been placed in the pin dish. 4. A second postcard featuring our raffle quilt has been added. 5. The scissors were exchanged for a different pair. The pair on the left are spring loaded and have a locking mechanism, those on the right are just basic. Do you do much stitching/quilting in the summer months? Too hot? or […]

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. Some of you must have a lot more free time now that we are on hiatus from mask making. I want you all to know how appreciative Roswell Park is of all of our efforts – they still have masks remaining that we have given to them. I’m certain that the other places that got masks from us are equally thankful. When I made the first challenge back at the beginning of the pandemic-could we make 2,000 masks – I never thought we’d go as far as we did. Hats off to all of you ladies, and thank you to the friends of the guild, not members, who also contributed to our effort. Now you’ll have time to finish up things for our postponed quilt show. There’s always something, isn’t there? I saw a puzzle like this at another crafting blog that I visit so […]

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. Yesterday I finished up the quilting and binding on my corona quilt. I was a bit worried–I did not have enough of any of the fabrics in the quilt or its FQ bundle to make the binding. Fortunately I have a small stash (cough, cough) and found something close with just a bit more than I needed. Finding thread to match the binding (I sew the entire binding process by machine) was a challenge. I found a partial spool that was perfect but had a concern that I’d run out before I finished top-stitching the binding. But hey-nothing ventured, nothing gained. So I set out on what I’ve heard called a game of thread spool chicken. And guess what, I won! Not by much but it doesn’t matter by how much–I got the whole binding done with just a bit to spare! That’s the most […]

Hello all, Mary Ellen back again. With the help of the Clarence Log Cabin Quilters we were able to send 303 child sized masks to Children’s Hospital this week. With our other donated masks, that brings our total to 4, 253! When we started this initiative on April 1 (our first collection) I wasn’t expecting this to catch on in the way it has. Quilters to the rescue! I suspect we’ll be wearing masks for a long while.  Some of you must be so speedy at construction–chime in please, about how quickly can you make a mask? We also started a corona quilt challenge/quilt-along back at the beginning of April. I’ve received photos of their finished quilt tops from 2 of our members . I really enjoy seeing how  a change in placement of the values in the quilt, or a bit of a rearrangement of the block placement, gives […]

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. Still stitching away on those masks? Gotta wonder how much longer we’ll need to be helping out in this way. You guys are doing great — as of today we’ve made and donated 3813 masks. Did you see Jackie’s request for “kids” masks that came in an e-mail blast? Those will be a little more fun to sew–cute kids prints or bright and cheery colors will make the task a bit more enjoyable. Do you remember a bit ago I posted about some fun mask maker T-shirts? Linda H’s arrived and here she is proud of herself. I bet it’s a conversation starter! If anyone else has gotten one of those fun shirts, send us a picture please.

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. Before you have a look at the 2 documents attached here, play with your blocks to see what layouts you come up with. You may find one you like better than mine. Both of the documents show my final layout for the corona quilt. There are black and white line drawings, and photos. Feel free to contact me with any questions, or suggestions. corona quilt assembly corona quilt unit assemblies

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. Some of this is a repeat of the article I wrote for our most recent guild newsletter. The additional things that I had submitted to the newsletter,  that did not appear there, are included here. (BTW, after Friday’s pickup of masks our guild total is up to 3135!!!!!!!!!!!!  You go, girls!!) Be prepared, it’s a long post! Linda Hunter was contacted by the Army Corp of Engineers, and she “enlisted” Annette’s help. First is the letter to Linda that prompted this effort.“I am the EEO Manager for the Army Corps of Engineers in Buffalo and have an engineer who is deaf. If you know anything about American Sign Language, facial expressions are a big component of the language.Traditional face masks hide the face, presenting an issue for someone who reads lips and/or needs expression to understand what is being communicated. I found two sources for […]