Posted By Margaret on July 20, 2010

Did you make it downtown to Rochester Contemporary’s 6×6x2010 in June?  There were lots of mini quilts and fiber arts pieces in the exhibit.  You can still purchase some of these small 6″ x 6″ works of art on their website for just $20 each.  I promised to post photos of my four entries.  They were all made with batiks and handmade glass beads, my other crafting obsession.  It’s always a fun experience to show your work.  I encourage you all to enter one of your quilts in a quilt show!  Patricia’s has regular shows, and if you are a member of a local quilt club, they all have regular quilt shows.  Soon I hope to organize another student quilt show.  I’ll keep you posted.  Click here to visit the RoCo website and look at the 6×6x2010 exhibit.

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Posted By Margaret on June 11, 2010

This weekend is the 7th Annual Western New York Shop Hop.  It includes 9 stores in the Rochester and Buffalo area: Betty’s Quilting Etc., Ivy Thimble, Mt. Pleasant Quilting, Aurora Sewing Center-East Aurora, Aurora Sewing Center-Clarence, The Carriage Quilt Shop, Country Treasures, Marie’s Sewing Center, Seams Sew Perfect,  and Sew What.  You can pick up a list of shops and addresses at any of these stores.  It started on Wednesday, June 9 and runs through Sunday, June 13.  Hours are Wednesday through Friday, 9 am – 7 pm, Saturday, 9 am – 5 pm and Sunday 12 – 4 pm. Shop hops are always a fun way to check out what’s new at your local and area quilt shops.  Even if you can’t make it to all of the shops, I hope you can make it to some.  There is usually a big drawing for those who complete the shop hop, but each individual store also has specials and often some nice freebies.  To check out the article from Thursday’s paper, click here .

I recently went on another shop hop in May which included 7 shops, all in the Rochester area.  I didn’t make it to all of the stores, but I did get to visit a new store in the center of Caledonia, Chestnut Bay Quilting.  I discovered they had a huge collection of batiks and purchased most of the brown and teal fabrics which are in the quilt shown here.  This quilt is the sample for my first S.A.B.L.E. club coming up this fall in September.  As soon as I have dates and times for all of my fall classes, I’ll let you know.  In the meantime, I’ll post the new samples in my blog as I get them made.  So be sure and check back throughout the summer for a preview of my upcoming new classes!

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Posted By Margaret on June 4, 2010

Saturday, June 5 from 6-10 pm,  is the Opening  Reception and Artwork Sale of the 6X6X2010  at Rochester Contemporary, 137 East Avenue.  There’s a buyer’s choice raffle for buyers #1 – 20, beginning at 7:30pm.  You can buy one of the 5000 original works of art for just $20 each with the proceed going to benefit Rochester Contemporary.  This year I have 4 mini quilts in the exhibit with some of my handmade glass beads attached.  The raffle process is explained and a gallery of over 5000 anonymous original works are of art are on the Rochester Contemporary website  http://www.rochestercontemporary.org/.  I’ll post photos of my quilts later, meanwhile go to the 6×6x2010 gallery and see if you can find mine!

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Posted By Margaret on May 12, 2010

An evening of quilting and BBQ!  Sound like fun?  Join us at Jackie Lynn’s for my Sizzlin’ Summer Retreat, Friday, June 4, 5 – 11 p.m.  We’ll be making this easy quilt by Maple Island Quilts called “Sidelines.”  It highlights a large scale print (or prints) and sews up real fast.  Or if you prefer, come work on your own project.  We’ll have a BBQ dinner, door prizes and a lot of fun!

If you’ve never attended one of my evening retreats, about 20 -30 women usually join us to make an easy group project or to work on finishing up one of their own projects.  Usually it’s quilting, but we have had women working on knitting or sewing projects in the past.  We start the evening off with an appetizer while everyone gets set up and does some shopping.  The store always has a special sale just for us.  Then we start the group project.  At about 7pm we break for a full dinner with dessert.  The Sizzlin’ Summer Retreat is always a BBQ-themed dinner, either catered or BBQed by my husband.  Recipes for any homemade desserts or dinner are included in your retreat packet.  Following dinner we have a big show and tell of completed projects from previous retreats and classes.  Also there’s a drawing for the door prizes, which consist of samples of all of the free project sheets you receive in your retreat packet.  At the end of the evening, we take a group photo of all of the retreaters with their completed projects.  We end at 11pm, usually with a finished or nearly finished quilt top, ready to take home and quilt.

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Posted By Margaret on May 11, 2010

Sunday will be our last Caffeinated Crafters for the season.  We’ll be making these cute little cherry turnover and muffin pincushions.  They are an all hand sewing projects, so no machines are needed.  Just bring a needle with an eye large enough for embroidery floss and a pair of scissors.  As always, will have brunch (something with cherries).  Also, a free kit to make one pincushion will be included in the price of class.  I will have ramekins for purchase if you would like to make the muffin pincushion which has a removable top so you can store things in the ramekin below.  Class is only $25.  We’ll be meeting at the Scarlet Thread in Webster, May 16, 12:30 – 4:30 pm.  Give the store a call or stop by to sign up.  Hope you can join us!

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Posted By Margaret on April 26, 2010

Another Express Beginning class is scheduled in May on Tuesdays, May 4 – May 25,  from 5:30 – 8:00pm.  Learn the basics of quiltmaking while making a lap-size double Irish chain quilt.

Saturday in my UFO (un-finished objects) class, we decided we need an additional UFO class before summer insues. So I added a June UFO class on Saturday, June 26, from 10am – 4pm.  This is in addition to the already scheduled May 22 class.  Here’s your opportunity to get those projects finished up!

Also, this Saturday, May 1, from 12 – 5pm is the Twin Peaks: Tumbling Blocks class.  This is a fun technique to create triangle pairs from sewing simple strips together. No triangles to cut or sew. Also, no set-in piecing like in the traditional tumbling blocks pattern.  Join us Saturday and make this fun quilt.

Other remaining spring classes include the Sizzlin’ Summer Retreat, on Friday night from 5 – 11pm where we will be making a quick and easy Maple Island quilt called “Sidelines” which highlights a large scale print.  This quilt is so fast you’ll get it done in one night.  Class includes a BBQ dinner.

For a more advanced class, there’s the Giant Dahlia class.  And a Fabulous Finishes class at two locations to learn various binding techniques and basic machine quilting while making 4 different placemats.  Also scheduled are a  Machine Quilting Made Easy class to improve your free motion quilting, a S.A.B.L.E. (stash amassed beyond life expectancy) class to use up some of that stash, and an Uneven Star class to make an easy contemporary star quilt.  Check out the upcoming classes page for class locations, times and prices.

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Posted By Margaret on April 25, 2010

My broken ankle is healing fast.  Last week I went to a therapy session at Unity Physical Therapy on Kings Highway in the old ESL building across from Bishop Kearney and while I was waiting in the waiting room I noticed this beautiful quilt with life-like appliqués of various birds.  Upon closer examination I noticed it was hand appliquéd and hand quilted.  I asked if I could photograph it to share with all of you.  I was told it was made by the mother of an employee and that they have several and rotate them throughout the year.  They were gifts to the office.  What a wonderful and generous gift!

Quilts make a clinical office much more homey and inviting.  If you have quilts that are laying around and not being used consider donating them.  There are many organizations who welcome quilts for their clients.  Project Linus is one of the most familiar.  And they don’t have to be baby quilts.  Nursing homes and veterans associations also welcome quilt donations.  Many stores in the area work with organizations by accepting  donations and most local quilt clubs donate quilts as a service project.  Check it out and make someone’s day.

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Posted By Margaret on April 24, 2010

It’s always fun to visit different quilt shops.  Earlier this week some friends and I took a road trip to Buffalo.  We discovered the coolest quilt shop on Elmwood Avenue, Elmwood Village Fabrics.  It’s a small store but well worth the trip!  They have a whole store of Amy Butler and similar fabrics.  I was so overwhelmed when I arrived…I wanted a yard of everything!  But finally I narrowed it down to just a large bag full!  The neighborhood stores in the area were also fun.  We enjoyed a slice of unique pizza from the pizza place next door for lunch.  Then continued west a few blocks to a new Penzy’s spice store that just opened (I have a link to Penzy’s  on my link page). Both the fabric store and the spice store recommended a cupcake from a bakery called “Delish,” but unfortunately they are closed on Mondays.  Next time you’re in Buffalo, visit Elmwood Village Fabrics (http://forfabric.com) and shop the neighborhood.

And locally, next week (Wed., April 28 – Saturday, May 1),  is the annual area Shop Hop.  If you’ve never participated in a shop hop, it’s lots of fun.  You have a passport and get it stamped at each of the participating shops.  They usually have goodie bags at each of the shops and for this year’s hop the theme is “School of Shops.”  At each shop they will be demonstrating a different quilting technique, tool or product.  Complete the hop by getting your passport stamped at each of the 7 participating shops and be entered into a drawing for the grand prize of 49 yards of free fabric (7 yards from each store).  Also, each store is donating a $100 Gift Bag and there will be additional prizes donated from various vendors.  A shop hop is a great way to check out all of your local shops as well as seeing what’s new.  The 7 participating stores are Betty’s Quilting Etc. in Spencerport, Scarlet Thread in Webster, Jackie Lynn’s Fabric in Irondequoit (Rochester), Patricia’s in East Rochester, Ivy Thimble in Victor, Mt. Pleasant Quilting Co. in York and Chestnut Bay Quilting Co. in Caledonia.  You can pick up a passport at any of these stores.

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Posted By Margaret on April 21, 2010

I was at the Central Library of Rochester & Monroe County, downtown yesterday for a book review and discovered an amazing Art Quilt Show.  “The Almighty Dollar” is in the Lower Link Gallery.  That’s the underground hallway that links the old building to the new building under South Avenue.  All of the quilts are inspired by the dollar bill and are made by local quilt artists like Pat Pauly, Jeanne Simpson, Pat Berardi and Linda Backman, just to name a few.  The exhibit was organized by Pat Pauly and is funded in part by the Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester with a Fiber Arts Program grant made in collaboration with the Genesee Valley Quilt Club.  If you haven’t been to the downtown library in awhile, stop in and see the quilt show,  check out the new part of the library and get something to eat at Simply Crepes in the new buildings lobby.  They had live music by a couple of Eastman School of Music students during the lunch hour in the restaurant when I was there on Tuesday.  The exhibit only runs through April 30th, so I encourage you all to try and get downtown before the end of the month and check out this fascinating exhibit.  It’s free and open to the public.

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Posted By Margaret on April 20, 2010

One of the things that makes the Quilt Get-Away so much fun is all of the great food we have at Bristol Harbour.  I think everyone who attends is probably as creative in the kitchen as they are with their quilting.  I missed the conversation at the retreat about the Ice Cream Sandwich Cake, but it sounds delicious.  Debi Gearing-Groth emailed me a copy of her recipe and asked me to post it so you could all try it.  So here it is:

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