Sisters,OR

The main street of Sisters, OR on July 11, 2015 at 8:00 am

Ugly Fabric Row Quilts

One of the projects that has been the most fun lately is making Ugly Fabric Quilt tops. The first person chooses an ‘ugly fabric’ to be used in each row of an ugly fabric quilt. These fabrics are not really ‘ugly’ – they are just misunderstood. They are fabrics that have no purpose in your stash, but could be made into lovely 'ugly fabric' quilts.

Guess which fabric is the 'ugly' fabric?

Each person signs up to sew one row of the quilt using their own stash fabrics with the ‘ugly’ fabric. This project is passed from one person to another using a brown paper bag until the full quilt top is done. No one may see the quilt top until it is complete and revealed to the group.

This top has great variety. Each row is 36.5 inches wide and 6.5 inches high.



We revealed two quilt tops at our November, 2010 Sassy Quilter meeting and were surprised at their variety. Each row is different, yet the ‘ugly fabric’ draws the quilt top together in unity. We will add borders to these quilt tops and finish them for community-based projects, like VFW quilts and quilts to families who have lost their homes to fire. 

This ugly fabric quilt was a challenge with color variations.

We recommend this fun project for any quilting group. The Sassy Quilters have enjoyed it a great deal and plan to do more.

Creative, Energetic Maureen R.

What can you say about our January featured quilter, Maureen? She is creative, without a doubt. She is energetic as well with wonderful ideas. But, that would only start to describe this Sassy Quilter. Every one of Maureen's beautiful grandchildren own a gorgeous quilt made especially for them. She utilizes all techniques in creating these quilts: fabric piecing, applique and paper piecing.

Maureen finishes her quilts with either machine quilting, or hand quilting stitches, depending on the project. Even community children enjoy her work. Every year Maureen donates one child's quilt to her church for a raffle item. She alternates boys and girls quilts every other year. It is always fun to see what Maureen will come up with each year.

Beyond children's quilts, Maureen sews all types of patterns and fabrics. Recently, she created a quilt out of 1930's reproduction fabric (see photo below). Thirties fabric colors and prints were a style departure for Maureen. They are different in color combinations than Maureen was used to, but she likes to stretch her creative side every once in a while.

Quilt made with 30's Fabric

After piecing this beautiful 30's quilt, Maureen hand quilted it in a scallop formation. It was a labor of love. As Maureen said, "This is one quilt I am keeping for myself."

Other projects Maureen enjoys are creating table runners for each niece and nephew, as well as memory quilts for her extended family. So much caring and love go into each project.

Her color palate keeps expanding and her design eye is sharp. Each meeting, we Sassy Quilters wonder what Maureen will bring to show and tell this time.

Featured Quilter Karen G.

Our featured quilter on this lovely December morning is Karen G.

Karen lives on a beautiful Minnesota farm known for it’s long white fences. On top of all this she is the mother of 7 (that’s right seven) beautiful daughters.

From the looks of her quilts, we can see she loves to piece with Itty, Bitty pieces, especially in civil war fabrics. It makes it even more fun when she brings her little featherweight sewing machine to retreats.

Civil War Fabric Quilt

Karen is one of the RN’s in our group, which makes us feel safe.

New channel on YouTube!

Video on an intro to Quilt Blocks.

http://www.youtube.com/user/SassyQuilters?feature=mhum#p/a/u/0/vTBW60_9S6E

SASSY QUILTERS DONATE QUILTS TO VFW AUXILIARY

 The Chatfield Giese-Kelsey Post 6913 Auxiliary has been the recipient of several quilts donated by the ‘Sassy Quilters,’ a local quilting group in Chatfield, Minnesota.

In 2006, the Sassy Quilters donated two quilts which were given to Veteran’s Homes in Hastings and Minneapolis, Minnesota. The donations were very well received by the veterans and the group continues to donate to the Auxiliary every year. A total of twenty quilts have been donated over the last four years.

The Auxiliary takes joy in giving the quilts to veterans who deserve and appreciate the comfort of a quilt made especially for them.

Quilting is a gift a quilter gives herself; it is in giving them to others that brings the most joy.

Baby Quilt Project

Sassy Quilters formed in January 2002 to work on our community’s sesquicentennial quilt.  That same month one of the members read in a magazine of a project occurring in Ohio.  She brought the idea to the newly formed group to see if they were interested in doing the same in our area.  The idea was willingly agreed upon as a fun civic contribution for our group to do.

National Quilt Day is the third Saturday of March every year.  Beginning in March of 2002, Sassy Quilters began providing a baby quilt to each baby born in the two hospitals in Rochester, MN on that day.  With as few as 5 births on a given Saturday to as many as 12, approximately 75 quilts have been given to newborns to date.

A call is made early Sunday morning to see how many quilts are needed for the previous day’s births.  The quilts are delivered to the hospital staff on Sunday morning to distribute to the families.  The hospital staff in turns runs them through x-ray to insure no pins or needles have mistakenly been left in. 

A simple note is attached to each quilt with an explanation of National Quilt Day along with the name of the quilter that made the gift for their newborn.  Many times a quilter receives a heartwarming thank you note from the family.  The following note is one received this October from a quilt given in March 2010. 

“It’s been a while, but we haven’t forgotten the kind and wonderful gift you made for our sweet baby girl.  Thank you so much for the beautiful quilt.  Quilts are big in my family—my grandmother made me one as a baby and others as a child.  Whenever I see a quilt, I think of her—a fond memory of a fabulous lady.  My daughter will never meet my grandmother, but the quilt she has from you will inspire and remind me to tell her stories and keep the memory of my grandmother alive.  Your gift means more to us than you will ever know.  Thank you so much.  God Bless You!”

We realize that many that we give a quilt to do not respond back with a thank you note, but when we receive notes like this, we all understand why we do what we do.  It is something so small on our part, yet so loved by the families.  What great joy we have in providing a simple gift from our heart for a new young family!