Author: lionsgatequilters

COPS Days

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Come celebrate our Anniversary on March 12th at Highlands United Church in Edgemont Village.

Believe it or not we have been enjoying COPS day pretty much every month for 10 years! There will be cake and door prizes to celebrate 10 years of these creative days so please join us.

WHEN: Saturday, 9:30 to 4:30, March 12, 2016

WHERE: Highlands United Church, 3255 Edgemont Blvd, North Vancouver, BC V7R 2P1

COST: $15.00 plus a plate of sweets or savories.

If fewer than 15 people have signed up by the end of the meeting before the CopsDay, then it will be cancelled. If the CopsDay goes ahead, drop-ins will be welcome. If you are not able to come to the guild meeting and would like to sign up for a particular CopsDay, you can mail me a cheque for $15, payable to Lions Gate Quilters Guild (or LGQG), to Marsha MacKay.

Thanks,
Marsha MacKay

Preserving Vintage Quilts and Quilt Tops

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This series of articles concerns preservation of vintage quilts/quilt tops. The link is to the first article but there are several to read: http://duringquiettime.com/2016/01/what-to-do-with-vintage-quilt-tops-suggestions-from-a-preservation-perspective.html

Great use for empty Aurifil spool: http://serial-quilter.blogspot.ca/2011/10/how-to-tame-your-bindings.html

Dianne Ritter

Community Quilt Days

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community
Anita showing some of the Community Quilts at the January show and tell. Note the detailed quilting on the insert, along with white ties.

Please make time to help us help others, make new friends as you make up a kit or a quilt at our quilt days. Come for an hour or a day—all help appreciated. We supply patterns, fabric and batting. Tables to layer quilts, mats for cutting. Machines brought in may be left overnight as rooms are locked. Anne Read has agreed to take orders for sandwiches but you need to be at the church before 10 on Friday and Saturday to order. If you like to bake I am sure your fellow quilters would enjoy your efforts.

If you are able to help with set up, take down or kitchen to help with tea and coffee, please speak to me at the February meeting or send an email to: communityquilts@lionsgatequiltersguild.com

community_days

Thank you,

Anita Jones-Gould
Community Quilts President

February’s Program: The Singing Quilter

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Sing a Song of Quilting
Cathy Miller and her husband John Bunge will be our February program guests. Victoria is their home, although for the past 15 years they have spent considerable time on the road, touring the world with their music and songs about quilts and quilting. In addition to musical presentations, Cathy also does workshops and quilt cruises. At the end of 2016, they will be ‘retiring’ from their busy travel schedule to spend more time closer to home. This promises to be a special night for a fun filled performance. Don’t miss it! Feel free to bring a friend.

Coming in March: Trunk show with Terry Aske

Is Your Birthday in February?

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A reminder to those whose birthday it may be in February that any goodies or fruit you would like to contribute (or make) to the the Lions Gate Quilt meeting would be most welcome. I will be away for this meeting (vacation) so any support for Mona and Boudina (my excellent helpers) would be appreciated.

Dorothy Moseley

Membership

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Thanks to everyone who completed and handed in their membership renewal forms at the January guild meeting. Over half of our returning members have already renewed—this sure helps me get a head start on getting everyone into the system for the quilt show.

If you still need to renew your membership, the membership form is on the guild website. All you have to do is type in your personal information and then print it off, sign it and bring it to the February meeting with your cheque. Be sure to come a little early so you can avoid the long line up to sign in and return your form.

Your membership cards should be ready to be picked up at the March guild meeting and the new membership list will be emailed out with the March newsletter. If you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to email me at: membership@lionsgatequiltersguild.com

Remember to bring your nametag in order to win a door prize. Congratulations to January’s winners: Becky West and Joan Elliot. If you forgot your nametag I will have sticky tags for a donation of $1.00. We had 82 members present at the meeting.

Happy Quilting!!
Joan Herrin

Our guild membership renewal form is available on our website at: http://www.lionsgatequiltersguild.com

Quilt Show Report

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A few reminders this month:

Two months remain for registration—the February and March meetings. Photos are available at those meetings for a small fee. Rules and regulations can be found on the guild website.

Have you renewed your membership? The deadline for renewal is March 31st. In quilt show years there is an increase of $20 in the membership fee. This goes directly to funding the quilt show giving us the funds to get started. For your $20 you receive 4 – $7 tickets, a saving of $8. Give them to friends, family, co-workers etc. If you volunteer at the show you do not need a ticket. If you don’t then you will need one of your tickets for entry.

Have you completed your volunteer forms? The show cannot go on without you. Remember there are volunteer prizes. For every two hour shift you complete one entry goes in the draw.

Boutique items. We need your wonderful creations for our fabulous boutique!

Challenge Quilt. How are your stories coming along?

New instructions for hanging sleeves. If your quilt is larger than 48 inches wide you need to add a 4 inch sleeve. If your quilt is 48 inches or less please use a 2 inch sleeve.

Notes: Dowels will be available on a first come first served basis at the April meeting. We will also be available at that meeting only to assist with cutting dowels to length and adding the screw eyes.

More information on attaching the dowel to your quilt will be included in the April newsletter and repeated in the May newsletter.

Keep working on those beautiful quilts!

Dianne
Quilt Show Coordinator

Quilt Show Challenge

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Is your challenge quilt made? Do you need another entry form for the challenge? Have you come up with another winning quilt? If yes, email me at: quiltshowchallenge@lionsgatequiltersguild.com

A few reminders:

  • Remember, your entry form needs to be handed in at the April meeting. Your quilt will be dropped off and picked up at the same time as the rest of the quilts for the show.
  • As challenge quilts will be narrower than 48 inches please follow the hanging rules for smaller quilts. Check your January and February newsletters for the quilt committee’s hanging advice.

I can’t wait to see what you clever quilters are making for the challenge.

Barbara Beatty

Bleeding Dyes

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At our January meeting there was interest in products to address bleeding of dyes in fabric. This site gives a good description of the difference between Synthropol and Retayne and when to use them: www.newpieces.com/weblog/?p=3398

This is a dyeing site that goes into more technical detail and recommendations for excess dye removal: www.pburch.net/dyeing/FAQ/synthrapol.shtml

There is some concern about ingredients in Synthropol being carcinogenic. Dharma Trading has come out with an alternative: www.dharmatrading.com/chemicals/dharma-dye-fixative.html

In all cases it seems that:

  • these products work on some dyes and not others so it is important to test your fabric
  • hot water is the key to success
  • fabrics should be treated before being sewn into a project
  • on a completed quilt that has bled these products can help if used in the correct order

With the move worldwide to using dyes that are less toxic to our environment and therefore more likely to bleed, it may be better to err on the side of caution and wash all fabric before using it in a project that will be washed. For fabrics that have saturated colour—i.e. red, purple, navy—once washed in hot water without detergent it may be prudent to use a fixative such as Retayne to further reduce the likelihood of dye running and ruining your quilted item.

Colour Catchers are also a handy product to throw in the wash. While there is no guarantee they will prevent a bleed completely, they can mitigate the damage and in some cases prevent it entirely. This site has a recipe for making your own colour catchers using washing soda (www.craftsy.com/blog/2015/09/diy-color-catcher/) or you can buy colour catchers in the laundry section of your grocery store.

Enjoy!
Dianne Ritter