The September Sew-day has been rescheduled to September 14 (not 21st). We will be completing some hug-block quilts, cutting some more quilts, and working on another quilt top from scratch. (Sew-days are open to all stitchers who have been fully vaccinated; masks are needed when moving around the room.)
Happy Stitching!
Nancy
Upcoming Events:
September 20 – 24 Quilt Tent at the International Plowing Match and Rural Expo
September 14 (9:30 to 3:00) Sew-day at CannaConnect (215 Menten Place, Nepean).
October 12 (10:00 – 3:00) Drop, Swap and Sew, Sew Inspired (375 Daniel St, Arnprior)
October 13 (9:30 – 3:00) Drop, Swap and Sew Orleans United Church (1111 Orleans Blvd)
November 23 (9:30 – 3:00) Sew-day (binding!) at CannaConnect (215 Menten Place, Nepean)
Longarmers for hire: (Quilts of Valour has no budget to pay for long-arm quilting. These quilters graciously volunteer their machines and hours to complete our quilts.)
Don’t you just love the pace of summer — time at the cottage, or in the garden, or in the cool of the sewing room? I hope everything is going well for you and your families.
Did you get to the Kemptville Quilt show this weekend? They had some lovely quilts on display; I certainly don’t envy the task of the quilt judges. If you missed it, the quilts will be on display again on September 20 to 24 in the Quilt Tent at the International Plowing Match and Rural Expo in Kemptville. QOVC had a table at this weekend’s show and I would like to welcome the new volunteers who are tuning into our blog. We always need more hands to show our gratitude to our military members who have been injured or made ill as a result of their service to our country. I’d also like to give a big thank-you to the volunteers who helped to staff our table! (Billie, Annie, Marie-Reine, Sue and Robbie, you make promotions so much easier!)
Do you know of someone who would like to take on a bigger role support Quilts of Valour? Maybe you? The Ottawa group is looking for a few dedicated organizers and coordinators. We need someone who is very organized and good at coordinating the contributions of volunteers and recipients. Also needed is someone who can organize the production of quilts (accepting donated fabrics, organizing kit production/sign-out). If you think you are interested, or know of someone who is, please drop me a line at nancy.arbogast@quiltsofvalour.ca.
We had a very successful cut-day at CannaConnect in August. We pulled the fabric from the bins of donated fabrics, and prepared 18 new kits in three different patterns. Woven Lattice is a super simple pattern that looks so good in different colour-ways. (It was one of the first full-size quilts I made as a new quilter; I liked it so much that I made it twice. Mine is all blues and I made a black and white version with red sashing for my niece’s wedding. I planned a number of other combos but I needed to try other patterns.) Chandelier is a variation on a nine-patch, set on point, that looks like hanging beads on a chandelier (I’m currently making that for a family member). Scrappy Mountains is a pattern that I have eyed for a while. It starts with large half-square triangles, which are sub-cut and rearranged into a super versatile block that looks way more complicated than it is. As we chose the colours for each kit, it was fun to imagine the beautiful quilt that will emerge from these once-abandoned beautiful fabrics. More kits are being prepared in the background, in these patterns and a few others. Are you ready to request your favourite? The Drop, Swap and Sew is coming up in October!
Woven LatticeChandelierScrappy Mountains
November brings us to the annual 11 in 11 challenge. Some of our long-armers are taking up the challenge once again to quilt one quilt per day for the first 11 days of November to mark Remembrance Day. If you would like to take up the challenge, let us know. We will be tracking our results in the blog and on social media. If you don’t have a long-arm machine, maybe you can do you your own version of the challenge. If you get the blocks prepared in advance, could you assemble 11 tops in 11 days?
There is still time to enjoy the sunshine, the farmers’ markets, the gardens, and the quilt shop road trips. I hope you find all your joys.
Happy Stitching,
Nancy
Upcoming Events:
September 20 – 24 Quilt Tent at the International Plowing Match and Rural Expo
September 21 (9:30 to 3:00) Sew-day at CannaConnect (215 Menten Place, Nepean).
October 12 (10:00 – 3:00) Drop, Swap and Sew, Sew Inspired (375 Daniel St, Arnprior)
October 13 (9:30 – 3:00) Drop, Swap and Sew Orleans United Church (1111 Orleans Blvd)
November 23 (9:30 – 3:00) Sew-day (binding!) at CannaConnect (215 Menten Place, Nepean)
Longarmers for hire: (Quilts of Valour has no budget to pay for long-arm quilting. These quilters graciously volunteer their machines and hours to complete our quilts.)
Welcome to the dog days of summer! The sun is strong and the rain seems to be very absent. I have heard from some that this is the perfect signal to retreat to the comfort of the sewing studio for some quilting therapy. We are so fortunate!
If you would like to join some like-minded souls in the comfort of CannaConnect (215 Menten Place, Bells Corners), we are holding a cut-day on Wednesday, August 10 from 9:30 – 3:00. I will be bringing the fabric, Brigid will be brining the patterns, and we will be cutting the fabrics and assembling the kits to carry us through the fall sewing season. You will need your cutting mat, your rotary cutter, and your rulers (a long ruler for strips and a large square if you have one). Angela will have the coffee on, but you will want to bring your lunch. [Health protocols still apply: vaccinated and masked, please.]
The International Plowing Match is holding its Quilt Show in Kemptville on August 19 (10:00 – 7:00) and Aug 20 (10:00 – 4:00). Can you join us for a couple of hours to staff the QOVC booth? Please drop me a line at nancy.arbogast@quiltsofvalour.ca.
Our July sew-day at SEW INSPIRED was a lot of fun. Paul Leger brought a newly-designed quilt pattern and enough fabric to keep us challenged. We managed to complete seven! tops that day and three of them are already back, ready for presentation! I can’t show you the finished products yet, because the pattern is still awaiting publication. I can tell you that each of the quilts looked very different from one another, even though they all started from the same pattern. I love how that works!
Quilts of Valour – Canada Society has now presented over 19,000 quilts to wounded and ill military members. That is a lot of stitching, a lot of compassion, and a lot of gratitude. Thank you for all you do.
Happy Stitching!
Nancy
Longarmers for hire: (Quilts of Valour has no budget to pay for long-arm quilting. These quilters graciously volunteer their machines and hours to complete our quilts.)
Ottawa Region: Quilts of Valour - Canada 