Saturday Sharing

Today was a gathering of the Saturday Strip Club, or the Saturday Strippers or whatever we call ourselves .... the day when a loose assortment of sewers get together to work on a quilt pattern that uses pre-cut or simple fabric cuts to make a quilted project. There is no pressure to actually do anything except show up and be congenial. Well, there is some pressure to bring some food to share but even that is pretty loose in that a package of cookies from the gas station is more than acceptable.

The major food draw today was that I brought BBQ from Sweet Sadie's (ribs and brisket).

The quilt draw was spectacular.

This month we tried a pattern from the August 2009 issue of McCall's Quilting called Field of Flowers. Basically it is a quilt with a backgound of multiple red fabrics covered with modish flowers that are quilted on top and off the edges. No borders, just a simple binding to frame the quilt. The link above has a great shot of the quilt.

This may not seem like an interesting thing to work on but there are two things about this project that make it great. First of all, the choice of fabrics for the background can be challenging. Finding fabrics that are all relate to each other and look great as a background can be very time consuming. One of our sewers spent two hours in a store picking four great reds and still wanted another red to flesh out her selection. In addition, adding the flower shapes when you are at the quilting stage, while an incredible time saver, can be daunting when you are used to attaching items like this before the quilting.

Here's what the creative folk came up with:

This one looks like a beach scene to me.

While this one follows the pattern very closely.

This one looks like a baby quilt to me.

I love the way the flowers ovelay the very traditional calico patches and border.

This is my effort from a Moda Scrap Bag that will end up as a tote bag for a special friend.

According to the maker the petals will end up going right off the edge of the quilt past the binding... I can't wait to see how she solves that construction issue.

So, that's it for this Saturday. I'm so gratful to whoever suggested this kind of informal gathering in the first place. We meet sort of monthly, anyone who shows up is welcome, the project is always different and doable by any level of sewer, and there's always a small degree of stretch in the project.

Next month we are trying a quilt as you go project that uses 2 1/2" strips of fabric to make a project bag. It opens up as a large flat suface that you toss all your stuff onto, pull the sides together and sling over your shoulder. I have not seen a sample but it sounded to me like the interior could be a small portable design wall if it was made with flannel on the inside. Then I got to thinking about something I made a long time ago called a Japanese Market bag. I just got it from the bin, opened it out and it might be another take on the same concept. Then again, it may not.

I hope your weekend is going well and that you get a chance for a few moments to be creative.