Peggy, you need to send Rosemary (PosyP) an email.

i would like to join in the wot rott exchange...peg in ks

Latest News from Headquarters

Group B is up to 24 members & we now have another UK member Judi aka Flame - Huzzah!

I sent out e-mails to everyone on the list (I hope) with posting information

i'm getting rather nervous of starting on my reels...
am rushing about all this week as i'm off to dubai for the arab health exhibition on friday - so i won't be touching anything before end of the month unfortunately - by that time you will all have tried out every possible method and posted all the do's and don'ts and i won't have an excuse for a wonky line hmmmmm should have gotten that fabric out the first night and sewed quick quick quick...
but as i really want to have rosemarie's get-well-quilt in the mail before the reels are started...
i've finished quilting both sides - too many get-well wishes to make a nice simple quilt with a nice simple backing.... no ended up having to make two fronts - quilting one onto the wadding and the other onto an old bedsheet of my grandmothers' (hey i love love love that multi-colored cotton superior quilting thread - used up 900 yards on this quilt so far and my machine quilting will eventually become acceptable - my feathers are actually looking like feathers now), now i'm slowly slowly handquilting the two fronts together so that they will all hold, but as little as possible of what i'm doing on the front will show up on the "second front". patience required by the most impatient person i know

I have to admit, that originally I thought that the way to go was to cut pieces of paper the right size and then to cover it along the length with strips of different widths and angles. That way you could be sure of getting the right size.

Then I thought of taking the paper off , and also having all the grains going in different directions, so I changed my mind

There really is nothing harder to get right than a 'very simple small project', because there is nothing to distract the eye.
So as my Mum always says 'Keep moving, and they won't notice' - although that works a lot better on clothes than quilts

Love your spools Marilyn - poppies, that's what they remind me of, a field of poppies. Very cheerful altogether! I can't wait to get everybody's spools this is going to be such a jolly quilt. And Dawn you are so right. I was looking at Kathy's quilt and thinking the same thing. But these little babies are deceptively simple and that's what caught us all out. But the process has taught me how to sew a straight 1" seam. There's no doubt about it practice makes perfect (or nearly perfect... well close enough to perfect... I think ) Rita.

Barbara you should just choose a colour you have enough of in your stash rather than go and buy more because even if you do the same colour as somebody has already done the fabrics will most likely be different anyway, and the combination you put together will be different too. Personally, I don't think that you should give up on those strips yet. My suggestion is that you take one of those strips and unpick it. Try to get your seam allowance as accurate as you can on a practice strip a la Margo's tutorials and if you get that one strip right then the rest should be okay. And if you have to get new fabric then you will have a lot of strips that you could use in the border or another border as piano keys.

Kathy, I hope you feel better soon - bronchitis is terrible and would definitely make you feel depressed even without having to sew itty bitty strips just right! Rita. X

ajclapp wrote:
What a great idea! I have never thought of that but it sure makes sense! :shock: One of those ideas that is so obvious but not in line with the mainstream concept so it is easily missed. Love it! Going directly into my tool belt! Thanks!

ajclapp wrote:
ABSOLUTELY!!

Another way to get a more accurate 1/2" is to use a wider presser foot and move the needle over to the right so it is 1/2" from the left edge of the presser foot. Then align the left edge of the presser foot with the previous seam. I do that all of the time for 1/4" or 3/8" widths so it should work for 1/2" widths too. If all else fails, just enjoy the process. The best part will be getting all of the different colored reels.

I'm sewing my reels tomorrow. Mine will be black and white. I love all the beautiful colours being done! ....Doreen

Well, I finished the second set of reels. They're all tagged and packaged and ready to go
winging o'er the sea to England! My seams are certainly a little wonky here and there !
And 1/2 inch strips...well, mine surely have some variety ! I'm really looking forward to receiving my
reels from all of you out in the wide world and I know that all have done their best and they will be
just perfect. This is the #2 set...orange-y red, but not as orange as they look here.

Scoopie wrote: I'm laughing with you, Dawn!

Hope the bronchitis gets better. I am just getting over it and the antibiotics make my head all fuzzy. I, too, was overwhelmed for a bit and even thought I might not have been able to do the second set of strips. You'll be okay soon, and the strips will turn out. Take care.
Terrie