While on my annual quilting retreat this weekend,  I realized just how much I actually rely on my design wall. While putting together a quilt top  set on point,  I soon found  just how hard assembly is.   I normally place blocks on my design wall as they are completed.  But of course can’t when on a retreat .   And it goes without saying that it would be impossible to carry a large design wall when traveling anyway.

Lisa came up with the obvious solution in this case:

Lay the blocks out  on the floor     

Voila!  Perfect block placement.

When I got home however, I just couldn’t resist displaying it on the design wall to get a good look at it.

I also went online and found a few other suggestions for portable design walls at Quilters Diary.

“Portable Design Walls”

‘These design walls are great because you can lay out your blocks, then roll them up with the blocks in place and take everything with you.

• Flannel fabric. You can find these very cheaply at a thrift store, or buy some flannel yardage on sale at a fabric store.
• Vinyl tablecloth. Get one with soft white cottony backing that will cling to your fabric pieces.
• Quilt batting. Use a thin cotton or bamboo batting in a neutral color.
• Acrylic or wool felt fabric.
• Grid-quilted design wall. You make this just like a regular quilt, with a layer of flannel on top and a layer of batting behind. To create the gridlines for placing your blocks, mark the fabric every two inches vertically and horizontally, then stitch along the grid lines to make a square grid that covers the design wall surface.
• Large pull-down roller shade. Give the shade a clingy surface by covering it with flannel or batting. Unroll the shade when you want to lay out blocks, then roll it up with fabrics in place when you want to put the quilt away.’

Well almost anyway.  I do have my projects organized, with the right threads and necessary tools.

Can’t believe it’s almost time for our annual quilters’ retreat at the Watson Homestead in Painted Post NY.  Next Thursday is ‘D’ Day.

There is no way I’ll be able to finish all the projects I have packed.  I have 4 to work on during our 3 and 1/2 day retreat.  But what a tragedy it would be if I ran out of something to do!

We quilters focus mainly on one thing when we are getting ready for a quilt outing.  One summer at quilt camp, while unloading our cars, I heard a fellow quilter, cry out in disbelief, “Oh I couldn’t have.  I left my suitcase full of clothes in the entryway. ” It just really hit home.  We spend so much time making sure that we not only have multiple projects to work on, not to mention the right tools, thread, etc when preparing for  a retreat that clothes become secondary in our mind.  That is until we are the one who actually forgets them.

This year the weather looks to be just about perfect.  I’m hoping that the autumn leaves will put on a good show for us unlike the picture we woke up to one morning during our retreat in 2009.    October is too early for snow even in this part of New York State.

Saturday was National Quilting Day.  As we do every year on the third Saturday in March, a few members of the  Thumbstall Quilt Guild got together to share our favorite pastimes: quilting, camaraderie and good food .   This year 10 of us spent the day making  Memory Bags for local Central New York hospitals.  We were able to finish, or nearly finish 15 bags.   If someone dies in the hospital, their personal belongings are given to family members in these bags.  Certainly better than the see-thru plastic bags that the hospitals normally use.   To date the guild has distributed 34 bags to three area hospitals,  With the 15 we completed Saturday, we’ll be able to give them 35 additional bags by the end of the month.

Looking for a quick, easy charity project?  The directions follow here.

Sew and Flip Memory Bag (Adapted from Plank Road Guild pattern) rev. 11/2010

Materials: 19” muslin or lining material [subdued print] (must be at least 43” wide) 21 fabric strips 2 ½” wide, 19” to 20” long (muted fabrics; no brights or child prints) Strips may be pieced and pressed (Or substitute yardage19” x WOF for strips). 1 strip 8” by WOF (width of fabric) for handles, ties and binding.

Construction of Handles, Ties and Binding: From 8” by WOF cut: 1 – 2-¼ ” by WOF for binding 2 – 4” by 18” for handles 2 – 1” by 18” for ties Handles: Press each 4” by 18” piece in half lengthwise. Open out. Press each side to center, press in half again. Top stitch both sides of handle. Make two.

Ties. Press each 1” x 18” piece into thirds lengthwise. Top stitch close to raw edge on side and one end. Make 2.

Binding: Press in half.

Bag Unit Construction: Press lining and strips. Fold lining in half, salvage to salvage. Press crease to find center. Open lining and place right side down. Place strip one, right side up centered over crease in lining. Pin in place. (This is the only strip that will need to be pinned). Place strip two, right sides together over strip one and sew with ¼” seam from top to bottom. Keep lining smooth underneath as you sew through all layers. Open strip two and press away from strip one. Continue in this manner adding 10 strips to the right and 10 strips the left for a total of 21 strips, sewn and flipped, pressing as you go. Do not trim. From right side, secure last strip on each end to the lining with 1/8” basting seam. Stay close to end of strip so stitches won’t show in final seam. From right side, trim away extra lining material from top and bottom of bag. Turn the bag over to the lining side. Trim away the extra strip material from each side of the bag. Size should be 18” x 40” at this point. Make French fold seams on sides of bag (like pillowcase seams): With the wrong sides of bag together, join bag sides with a scant 1/4” seam, making sure that strips on the outside of the bag line up. Turn bag so new seam is on the inside; (right sides of fabric will be together). Sew. Push seam to outside and iron, so you have a nice sharp edge. Enclose the first seam with a ½” seam. Turn right side out. Iron side seams so they are flat.

Handles, Ties and Binding: Ties: Pin the ties at the center of the inside of the bag, making sure they are hanging into the bag and don’t get caught up when you sew on the binding.

Handles: On outside of bag, measure 4-½” from right and left bag edges. Pin the handle at the 4-½” marks. Do not twist the handle. Make sure the handles are not up and away from the bag – they should be lying on top of the sewn strips and will be flipped up later.

Binding: With both handles and ties hanging down, attach the binding strip with a ¼ ” seam allowance to wrong side of bag. Flip binding up and press seam up and away from bag. Bring binding to front, handles and ties down. Top stitch binding to front of bag. Flip handles up; ties remain down. Top stitch close to top edge through all layers including handle area to secure the handles a second time.

Memory Bag is complete. Finished bag size is 17-¼” x 21-¾”. \

The 2011 Thumbstall Raffle Quilt top is finished!  It’s been a a year of organizing and stressing over color choices, pattern adaptation, distributing blocks, follow-up – but definitely worth it!  A group of us got together a couple of weeks ago and put the blocks together.

Unfortunately some of the star point tips were a little short. May shared a tip that helps preserve most of the points.  She called it pivoting the point.

Quilt Tip:

The first step is to insert a pin in the star point vertically,

and then eyeball the quarter inch of the facing block.

Then pivot the remaining fabric resulting in a near perfect 1/4 ” seam.

Julie and I added the borders and now the quilt is in the hands of a guild member who is a long arm quilter. She will custom quilt the top proving that ‘quilting really makes the quilt!’

It seems that I’m not the only one who has reaped the benefits of quilting with friends. In a recent post on the designwall in the Feb/Mar 2011 issue of Quilters Newsletter, Helen Kelly was quoted  as saying that in the early 1970′s she spent most of her quilting time in her studio alone. She soon realized that she was missing the many benefits of working and learning techniques from other quilters.

After my first quilting class, I knew that if I wanted to continue on this journey, I needed to be in the company of others who knew how to quilt. I asked the staff at Patchwork Plus, where I had taken that first quilting class, if they knew of a local quilt guild  I could join. Not only did they tell me about the Thumbstall Quilt Guild that meets in the western suburbs of Syracuse, where I live, but most of the staff at Patchwork are also members. In addition the shop owner, Judi West, is a founding member of the guild.  It didn’t take me long to realize the benefits of becoming a guild member.  It was definitely the best decision I ever made.

Not only have I profited from their combined years in quilting, but I’ve made some of the best friends I’ve ever known!    The members have a variety of quilting experience, from novices to award winning quilters.  Someone is always willing to give hints and help when needed.  They are an invaluable resource to help you improve your own quilting techniques.  We all know that quilting techniques, with the exception of the 1/4-inch seam, are not an exact science! Many quilters have developed ‘a better, or easy solutions to common quilting pitfalls.

In addition, I have found unequal camaraderie with members of the guild.  I have gone on quilting retreats, shop hops, bus trips, etc.  and never fail to have a great time, come home with new quilting knowledge and stronger friendships.  I treasure the experience of being part of such an creative group!