9 ladies attended today. It was a small but happy group. I wasn't surprised that we were a small group with all of the snow out today. It's not nice weather for anyone with walking issues. Fran was the first to arrive. She had all of her Christmas fabric with her which she cut up to make pot-holders. Rosemary was next. She, Ethel, and Marguerite were all working on needlework projects. Tina is making one of Jean K.'s pincushions. Marie and Elaine were knitting. Cathy M. was appliquing flowers. And I was sewing buttons on a small wall hanging I am making. Cathy M. got a special Christmas present from her granddaughter--she had made a book of their photographs from their trip to China! Cathy shared that with us. What a clever thing to do with your travel photos! Marguerite brought in a finished dress for an African child. I gave her another partially finished dress that only needed the binding. Plus she took one Rosemary had started. Apparently Cathy M. and Fran both have some finished dresses at home. I plan to make some on Martin Luther King day when the Village quilters are having a sew-in at the library.

14 ladies attended today. Marguerite brought in some bracelets: 1 she purchased at a free-trade fair and was made from pull tabs from cans and 1 she made with ribbons and washers. She had seen a bracelet like this for sale at the Red Lion Inn and wanted to figure out how to make one. When she saw the pull tab bracelet at the sale she decided to buy it so she could figure it out for herself. They were both pretty neat looking. I don't know if I'm ready to start collecting pull tabs but the washer bracelet looked do-able and fun. Fran brought in a couple of projects she learned how to make at the last Delmar QUILT group meeting. One was a Japanese bag made from a 1/2 yard of fabric. The other was a table runner made from a tube of fabric. It looked easy and Fran said was very quick to make. I might have to go home and try that one while it's still fresh on my mind. Daryl was back from her travels to visit family. I was glad to see her because I had a lot of donated fabric to let her go through. She doesn't know it but I only showed her half of it today. I'll bring out the other half later. Agnes was making a clever cowboy tree skirt to give to her family in Texas. Ethel was making a grab bag present for her curling club. Winnie got some help from Agnes cutting out quilt blocks. She wants to make a quilt for each of her grandchildren. Elaine had a talk with Marie and decided she had at least two more projects she wanted to do this winter. She's afraid winter won't last long enough to get them done. Marguerite was binding her mile-a-minute lap quilt. I pulled out a sewing machine and started sewing together the upholstery squares that I had cut out to make schlep bags. I think I have enough strips for 2 bags. Agnes brought in some delicious brownies. Next week we will be having lunch at the Chuck Wagon Diner on Route 20. If you need a ride and want to carpool meet us here at the library at 12:00. Otherwise we'll see you at the restaurant!

17 ladies attended today. Marie is back from her trip to California and we were all happy to see her again. She was very happy to be home again too. Newcomer Nina came back again too. She's new in town and our group is just the place for newcomers to make friends. She brought her knitting and made herself at home. I had the childrens librarian, Joyce, come in and talk to her since she is a childrens librarian also and is looking for a job. Hopefully Joyce gave her some pointers on finding a job in the capital district. Rosemary was working on a needlepoint piece; Ethel a delicate white cross-stitch piece; Winnie was getting advice on making a quilt from some bird fabric she had purchased; Cathy M. was appliquing flowers; Elaine had determined how she wanted to arrange the blocks in her quilt and wanted to let Kathy O. know that she was still working on it; I brought in a wall hanging that I am sewing buttons onto; June is doing a redwork piece; Hattie is knitting a sweater; Marguerite laid out and tied her mile-a-minute lap quilt; and Linda cut up some more fabric for schlep bags. Kathy O. brought in a second version of the mystery quilt from fabrics that match her bedroom she made to cover a table. We were all very busy today.

13 ladies attended today. It was a dreary, rainy day--a good one for sewing but not for going out. We were sad to hear that Pat OR is in the hospital. We all hope she feels better soon. And Deb was at home with her dog whose cancer finally caught up with her. I know that the dog is getting the best treatment with Deb. So we had a small group today. Tina brought in her almost finished maple leaf quilt. She needs to add some borders to make it big enough for her double bed. She got plenty of advice from everyone on what kind of border to add. I went through our fabric boxes looking for fabric that might work. I was also looking for plaid fabrics for a quilt I am making. A library patron brought in 2 full bags of fabric to give away. We took some but I still have 2 bags, just not quite as full. Winnie was back having rested up after the church rummage sale. We had a visitor today--a patron wondered if anyone had a pattern for the mittens hanging on the mitten tree. Surprisingly enough I knew who had made them and had the pattern although it's a difficult to read hand-written pattern. She talk to Cathy M. about them and Cathy and JoAnn encouraged her to come join our group. She's new in town so I hope she does decide to return. We are a great group for making friends.

18 ladies attended this week. I brought in the raffle quilt--I finished quilting it! I cut off the excess and now I need to find some fabric for the binding and get that ready. I would like to have it completely finished by the new year. I also brought in a small wall hanging I made out of 5" squares which I received from Mr. B's preview packet club (http://www.benartex.com/page/mr-bs-preview-pack-club-90.htm). This was my 2nd pack from them. I still haven't done anything with the first pack and now I've received the 3rd. It's fun to get fabric in the mail and the club isn't too expensive so it's fun. Ethel brought in the 4 bags she has made for her daughters and daughter-in-law for Christmas. She bought a really nice pattern at the Village Quilters quilt show last summer (from Log Cabin fabrics) and has definitely gotten her money's worth from it. Betsey brought in two almost identical quilts she is making for the sisters of the bride from a wedding she attended this summer. The father of the bride loved the quilt she had made for the bride and groom so commisioned her to make 2 more. They are truly lovely quilts! Then Linda brought in a quilt she had won a prize on in a show in Florida. The black & white and some color quilt was great but what Linda really likes is the fancy ribbon she won. It has a cloth flower on it and is quite spectacular for a prize. She also brought in her table topper from the Kris Dreissen workshop. She chose very different fabrics so hers looks different from any I've seen so far. Kathy O. discovered that her table topper fits perfectly on a table she has so hers has now found a good home. Deb is giving hers to her mother along with a table runner she was working on today. I was looking at the Quiltbug website the other day (http://www.quiltbug.com/) She (Kris Driessen) has a really great website! She has a place where you can go to calculate the amount of fabric needed for a specific quilt; she has quilt block patterns; just about anything you need to know is on her site. Give it a look--I think you'll agree it's a fantastic site!

15 ladies attended yesterday. I was scheduled to work on the Reference desk during Nimblefingers but my boss graciously volunteered to work the desk so that I could attend the meeting. Not knowing that she had done this, several of my ladies came out to the reading room, with their sewing, ready to keep me company at the Reference desk! We do have a funny group! Today was interesting--considering that most of the group are quilters, only 3 people were actually working on quilts. Everyone else was knitting or doing needlepoint. There has been a lot more needlepoint in the group lately I have noticed. I hope that some of these items end up in our show in February. Fran was working on a penny rug; June doing redwork; Deb was binding her Christmas table topper (with a little help from me). Kathy Y., Agnes and Hattie were knitting. Everyone else was doing some kind of cross-stitch, embroidery, or needlepoint. Today was a particularly silly day. Deb kept breaking into song--songs none of us had ever heard of (It's raining men!?!). Coming from Deb, we all assume she dreamed it up but it did provide us with lots of laughs. Thanks for the comedy Deb!

18 ladies attended last Tuesday. I brought in 2 pillowcases for show and tell. Kathy O. and Deb brought in their finished holiday table topper tops from the workshop on Sunday. It was a really fun program and the quilt is very nice. It would also make a perfect tree skirt. And speaking of tree skirts, Ethel was binding her tree skirt for her daughter that she started some time ago. Kathy O. worked with Elaine, a newcomer, on a hidden nine-patch quilt. Elaine has some nice fabric with a music theme and wanted to make a quilt. I know it will end up great because Kathy is a good and enthusiastic teacher. Deb pinned her table topper into a sandwich. Linda brought in her sewing machine to sew her table topper pieces. I cut out some fabric for snappy bags--3 of them. And otherwise around the table was knitting, applique, needlepoint--you name it, we do it! It's getting close to Thanksgiving which always prompts lots of talk about food. Cathy M. claims she hates cooking the turkey because you have to turn it over half way. We didn't know what she was talking about but she says her husband insisted that the bird had to be turned over--that's how his mother cooked a turkey. We all said just put it in breast up and cook it. No turning. Make it simple.

For those of you lucky enough to attend, yesterday Kris Dreissen from the Quiltbug (quilt shop in Esperence, NY) came and led a workshop on a Christmas table topper. 21 ladies attended and we all had a great time! Kris was a very patient and kind teacher running around our somewhat crowded tables to answer everyone's questions and I don't think anyone got ignored. She was generous with praise and help both. I hope she had as good a time as all of us did. I can't wait to see the show and tell when everyone finishes their pieces! Most of the ladies used Christmas fabrics. A couple of ladies have more summery fabrics. And Linda O'C, the quilt artist, is using a mixture of interesting fabrics. I can't wait to see hers finished! It probably won't look like anyone elses! That's the great thing about quilts though--they can look totally different depending on the fabrics used and the placement of lights and darks. Kris also passed out discount coupons good for the week so I hope some of you will make a trip to her shop. If you plan on making more of the table toppers it would be nice to have the flying geese ruler she let us use yesterday. I'll show you now the pictures from the workshop then I'll have to show pictures of the finished projects as they come in!

We had 20 ladies today. Several of us came prepared to sew samples of the blocks Kathy O. showed us last weekend. I set up a sewing machine and we all went home with our samples. They are quick and easy. One is a variation of a 4-patch the other is a dimensional pinwheel. We'll see if anyone makes something beyond the sample block. I brought in some interfacing and proceded to the next step of my tape measure bag. I still need to finish my pin cushion. So many projects, so little time! We were a lively and jovial group today. Jo-Ann brought in lots of magazines to give away along with some gift bags. Daryl quickly grabbed those for her gift projects for the hilltowns. Other people brought in fabric to give away. I still have a little bag of that left. One of Kathy O's friends came in. She is a new quilter and is particularly interested in art quilts. She had made a very colorful variation of a crazy log cabin block. The backing was small polka-dots so instead of hand or machine quilting she turned the quilt over, and using the backing to follow, she stitched sashiko stitches in pearl cotton. It worked like a charm and the quilt looked great. Winnie thought that kind of stitching might be possible for her with her arthritis. It should be much easier to make large stitches with the thicker thread than the very small stitches you do in hand quilting. Following a line of polka-dots makes it particularly easy. Rosemary was embroidering today. Ethel had ordered some silk thread to finish a cross-stitch wall hanging she is making and it finally arrived so she worked on that. Others just came to chat. Marie is leaving to visit her daughter for awhile so came to say her goodbyes. We had another nice day in Nimblefingers.

17 ladies attended today. Kathy O was back from her summer up north. She knows that when she returns in the fall we expect to be taught a new quilting pattern. She didn't fail us this year--she has 2 quilting patterns to teach us! One is a dimensional block and I really love those. Someday I want to have a little collection of dimensional quilts. She told us what we need to make these 2 blocks so we'll see how many people come prepared to cut and sew next week. Jean K will be leaving us for the winter. The time has come for her to return to Florida. And Fran is gone for a month to China. I'm glad Kathy O and Tina return during the winter because it kind of evens things out. A patron left some partially finished knitted mittens hoping someone could finish them for her. They are to go on the library's mitten tree. Cathy M. took the yarn home so she could finish them. Cathy Y is getting close to finishing her red sweater that she's been working on. I'm eager to see how she puts it all together. Knitting is a mystery to me. I've tried to learn but just can't seem to get it right. I went around getting my ladies to sign up for the quilting program I have planned for November. Thanks to them it's half full now. I suspect that the Village Quilters will fill up the other half. Winnie made us a delicious lemon cake today and Jo-Ann and Rosemary brought in cookies and donut holes. We are well fed ladies.

Today 16 ladies attended. We had one little show and tell: June was working on a small witch wall hanging for her granddaughter. It was very cute. Her granddaughter is 5 and is dressing as a witch for Halloween and is quite excited about it so I'm sure she'll love her wall hanging. Today is Fran's last meeting for awhile--she's heading to China for her second visit! I know she'll come back with stories to tell and maybe some souvenirs to show. Marguerite regaled us with stories of her surprise 50th wedding anniversary party last weekend. I knew about it because her daughter had called me and asked me not to schedule Harry for that weekend. We kept it a secret here at the library too so Harry and Marguerite were completely surprised! Rosemary has a neighbor who is looking to get rid of some worn old quilts. If anyone has a use for them let me know. Today our knitters were Hattie, Cathy Y. and Deb. Jo-Ann was making Halloween ear-rings. I had Marguerite show me how to make the tape measure bag. Fran and Pat OR were embroidering, Cathy M. was applique-ing. Marguerite pulled out the quilt and did a little more quilting. Agnes was crocheting more scrubbies. I was hoping that Kathy O. would make it back today. She's back from her camp--I've seen her husband here at the library--and word is, she has a new quilting pattern for us. I can't wait! She always learns some new, simple quilt pattern to make and she's so good at teaching it to us! Maybe next week.

18 ladies attended today but I was not one of them. My husband sprained or strained his back so I was off driving him to the doctor. He got a shot and a couple of meds so I hope he will be back on his feet soon. I hear that what I missed today was a parade of pincushions. Everyone finished their pincushion except Marie and I. Mine is still in the same place it was at the end of Nimblefingers last week. I'll have to get busy and finish it though so I can show it to Jean in 2 weeks when she returns. Maybe next week we can get Marguerite to show us how to make the tape measure bags. That's all I can write about since I don't know what went on at the meeting.

18 ladies attended on Tuesday. Betty K. and Linda O'C came with buttons to make button earrings. Several of us continued working on our flower pin cushion taught to us by Jean K. I still have a ways to go on mine but some of the others have started stuffing the pincushion. Marguerite gave Agnes a quick lesson on the measuring tape bag. I think next week she and Jo-Ann are going to bring in their patterns. Jo-Ann showed us a little quickie item she learned at the Cobleskill quilt show. She had made a pumpkin by wrapping fabric around a roll of toilet paper and adding a stem. It was cute and very quick. She reported that the Cobleskill quilt show was well worth visiting. I brought in a new knitting book with some quick projects but none of my knitters were interested enough to take it home. Daryl reported that she has now joined the 21st century. Her grandson helped her buy a computer and get set up on email. I'll be sure and tell her about the blog so she can keep in touch when she is traveling.

18 ladies attended today. Jean K. began teaching us to make the flower petal pincushion. Several of us were giving it a try. I finished the first of 3 layers of petals so now I need to cut out more fabric for the rest of the project. When we've finished this project I plan to have Marguerite teach us to make the tape measure bag. Small projects are fun mostly because you can actually finish them! Hattie and Cathy Y. were again our knitters. Deb was even giving knitting a try today but she didn't have enough yarn to make the scarf she wanted to make. Betsy and Daryl were both quilting cheater cloth quilts. Fran brought in some of her place mats. She want to make 100 of them for one of her quilt group projects. She also sewed the binding on a cute baby quilt with appliqued ducks. It's too bad she doesn't have any babies in her family because she has sure made some beautiful baby quilts! We were all very busy today so I didn't manage to get in on any conversations and I assume that next week we will still be busy finishing our pincushions.

18 ladies attended today. Jean K. began teaching us to make the flower petal pincushion. I finished the first of 3 layers of petals

17 ladies attended today. Next week Jean will teach us to make the flower petal pin cushion so she gave us patterns today. Have your fabric cut and ready and she'll have us start sewing. Also within the next couple of weeks I hope Marguerite and Jo-Ann can teach us to make the tape measurer bags. I cut out the fabric today and hope to come with supplies ready so that someone will teach me. Tina was back today from her camp in the Adirondacks. She brought in a load of fabric that a neighbor had given her. Deb had some bad news about one of her dogs--it has cancer. She's very sad and so am I. It is really hard to lose a pet. Cathy M. brought in raspberry muffins made from the raspberries in her yard. They were yummy! And Marie brought in her recipes for dandelion wine and rhubarb wine. I don't think anyone wanted the recipes though. Pat OR brought in her butterfly that she made at Wiawaka. She thinks it's a very ugly butterfly and doesn't like it at all but she went ahead and finished it anyway. They have made more attractive pieces in previous years. But Pat always has a good time there so it really doesn't make much difference what they make. Winnie has been painting bird houses to sell at the farmer's market. I'm sure she has a good time doing that--she does love to paint.

Yesterday we had 17 ladies. Pat H. brought in 2 quilts she had made and was donating to alzheimer's patients. They were activity quilts, made from different textured fabrics, with zippers, velcro and rings to play with. These quilts keep the patient's hands busy so are very good to have around. It's a great idea and a great service. Pat is a good citizen by any standards. Jo-Ann brought in her Friday freebie project from the Quilt Bug: a bag made with some stuff that makes your fabric shrivel up. I don't remember the name of the stuff but it made a really cool bag! Mary Ann M. visited us. She's making another memory quilt. She hopes to sell it at Tesellations--a new arts/crafts store in Altamont. I've heard of the store but never visited. It sounds like a great place though! Agnes was crocheting scrubbies and selling them as fast as she made them! Pat OR was making a table runner appliqued with dragonflies. It was very pretty. Ethel was binding a Christmas tree skirt for her daughter. Cathy Y. and Marie were our knitters: Cathy a sweater and Marie an afghan. I showed off the new Voorheesville library cookbook. It will go on sale this Saturday and I know it will be a hot seller!

Yesterday 18 ladies attended. The highlight of the afternoon was the quilt Betsey had made as a wedding gift: a heart pattern in soft blues. It was truly beautiful! I hope she will bring it back because I didn't have a camera available to take a picture. Our Junior Nimblefinger Clare joined us again. She makes clothes for her pet chickens. I'm sure they are the best dressed chickens around! Lew stopped by and gave us some scrap batting. I'm sure it will disappear quickly. I was able to give some fabric from our stash away: Pat H. was looking for textured fabric; Clare took a couple of preprinted patterns to make a vest and a chicken; Marguerite was looking for some off-white for a quilt she is working on. Please remember that we have this stash and that it's available for anyone. Rosemary told me she has a neighbor who wants to learn to quilt. I asked the ladies and they would be willing to work on a block of the month, learning to piece sampler quilt. I'll start working out a plan for that so we could start in the fall. Remember though, you don't have to be a quilter to belong to Nimblefingers! We don't want anyone to feel unwelcome.

19 ladies attended today. I brought in a show and tell: all the loot I bought last week at the quilt show. Frankly, it's kind of embarrassing having to admit my addiction (buying fabric). But I did get some neat stuff. People were quite intrigued by my shaving cream marbled fabric. I think I need to try it at home then bring it in to try here. Let people play a little. That would be fun. The best show and tell though was Pat OR's Goodnight moon quilt (picture to follow). She's sewing on the binding now and it really turned out well! It's a great little quilt! We were all very impressed. Fran laid out her maple leaf blocks and got some help arranging them. That will be another spectacular quilt. Marguerite made some chenille hotpads (Jean K. had made some) and a measuring tape bag. She saw a bracelet made of washers and ribbon at the Red Lion Inn and she's still trying to figure out how to duplicate it. Hattie and Cathy Y. were both knitting sweaters. Cathy calls hers a t-shirt sweater. You knit it all in one piece and sew up the sides when finished. She gives them to charity. Daryl though is our real charity queen! She, along with another of her groups, has adopted all of the kids in the hilltowns. They make and fill tote bags and book bags book bags for the kids; gather donated clothes for the families to take; door draft stoppers for homes; and they even found money to buy the kids new sneakers! It's a really big production and sounds like an incredible amount of work but what a great thing to do! Pat H. brought in an ice cream cake which disappeared in no time. We had a good group today and another good time!

16 ladies attended Nimblefingers this week. I wasn't among them. I was off taking care of some family business. So I don't know what happened at the meeting. I see that Ethel is back from her Ireland/England vacation so I assume she talked about that. Other than that, I don't know what they would have done. Instead I'll talk about the quilt show bus trip that Deb and I took last Friday. We went to Lowell, Mass. to a quilt show and to the New England quilt museum. The museum is very nice. It is in a converted factory building. They don't have many quilts on display but they have a great library and the gift shop has plenty to look at. The show on display when we were there was Broderie Perse. We both assumed it would be all antique quilts so were surprised that all but a few were made recently. I really didn't know anyone did Broderie Perse anymore. They were all nice quilts but that style is not my thing. The gift shop with Japanese and African fabric for sale was more interesting to me. I bought a magazine with an interview with Rosalie Dace who I saw last year at "Quilting by the lake." I really admired her class so I'm eager to read this interview. The quilt show was not as large as the Vermont show by a long shot. The main items of interest to me were the number of hand quilted pieces and the whole cloth machine quilted pieces. The hand quilted pieces were incredible! Very elaborate with trapunto, stippling, lots of quilting! Two whole cloth white quilts were the stars of the show to Deb and I. The whole cloth machine quilted pieces were quilted in colored thread. I don't think I've seen quilts like this before but I found that I really didn't like them. I was surprised by how unattractive I thought they were. The machine quilting was exquisite but I just didn't want to look at them. I was surprised at myself. The quilts in the show were much more traditional than what I like to make but it was still a very nice show. We had a good day and I didn't even spend as much money as I usually do at shows!

17 ladies attended today. Rosemary brought in her finished table runner with matching pillow she had made for her daughter. It was beautiful--in black, red and white. Good job Rosemary! Jean K. was working on chenille potholders. It looked like a fun project. Sue R. came in with a pile of finished bags made using a metal tape measurer. She has some very lucky grandchildren (that's who she's making them for). She said she'd bring in the pattern and teach us to make one. Jean also is willing to teach us to make her flower pincushion but not until mid-September. Winnie stopped me to tell me how much she enjoys this group. I agree with her--it's a great, friendly group and we all have such a good time together. Not only do we get to spend time with friends, but we learn new things, give each other encouragment and support and keep each other on our toes. It is truly a great group. Marguerite was surprised and pleased that her quilt won the 3rd place Viewers choice award at the Village Quilters quilt show this summer. We all gave her a big hand. Deb and I are looking forward to going to a quilt show and the New England quilting museum this Friday. We'll have something to report on when we return.

Today 16 ladies attended. I brought in a special show and share: my parents 50th wedding anniversary quilt made in 1988 by my sisters and I. I'll probably show it again later because Fran wasn't at the meeting today and I would like her to see it. We did take pictures though so I will post it when it becomes available. Marie brought in her finished schlep bag. She made it with 8 inch squares so that it would be really big. It was very nice. June and Louise were both making their small hexagons. Winnie wanted advice on how to lay out her heart quilt. Diane brought in a pretty sunflower quilt to sandwich. Daryl and Rosemary were doing needlework and Hattie was knitting. Cathy M. was appliquing one of the last of her posey blocks. Marie was appliquing flowers also. Jo-Anne was working on her tulip bag. Winnie has heard about a new restaurant that she wants to try out and see if it would be a good place for us to go. Deb and I are trying to coordinate going on the Lowell bus trip. If anyone else wants to go let us know. The more the merrier!

19 ladies attended today--we had a big group! Three knitters today, including Lexi, Marguerite's granddaughter. Marie and Sue were also knitting. Daryl and Rosemary were doing needlework projects today. Winnie was mending a blouse and Ethel brought in a bag pattern she is working on. Jo-Ann also brought in a bag to show us with instructions provided. Then we had a bunch of piecers and applique-ers and those sewing on quilt bindings. Then there were some of us, me included in this group, who were there for the company. I did bring in a quilt to show. Next week I'll bring in the pattern as requested. Deb was getting some advice on her Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt. Linda OC came in with lots of info about quilt shows in the area. She must have spent the weekend on the road visiting various shows. Betsey stopped by to let us know that she was still around. She's volunteering out at the airport again and had helped open an art show out there. I read about it in the newspaper--all the art is made of books. It sounded interesting to me but Betsey admitted that it wasn't her cup of tea. Winnie apparently splurged the other day and bought fabric to make quilts for all of her granddaughters (10 of them!). She's very ambitious. Ethel showed us her bag pattern then bid us all adieu--she's on her way to England/Ireland. Lucky her! Pat H. also came by. We haven't seen her for awhile so it was nice to see her again. I took some pictures which I will post when they become available.

We had 13 ladies on Tuesday. Our special show and tell was Ethel's finished cross-stitch piece. As you can see, she does beautiful work! Today there was a lot of talk about food. I notice this of course, because I'm on another diet. I didn't eat any of the cookies but I did listen to the talk! Deb wanted me to announce the bus trip to Lowell Mass. in August. She is thinking of going and would like a companion. Fran's been on that trip before and says it's really good! They go to the New England quilt museum and to a separate show with vendors. I'll be checking my calendar! Today several ladies were doing cross-stitch and/or embroidery. Winnie was appliquing hearts for the wedding quilt she's making. Agnes helped Rosemary some more with a hidden nine-patch quilt. Fran was appliquing leaves. Pat asked if anyone had a 60 degree ruler but all we could tell her was that most long rulers have a 60 degree line on them. Her project would be much easier with a 60 degree template though. Marguerite and I did some more quilting on the future raffle quilt. Jo-Ann came in with a wheeled carrying case for a sewing machine which she was giving away. I took it home with me (I have no more space to store anything here at the library) so if anyone wants it they have to tell me. She was also working on a tulip bag. I'll be eager to see what it looks like finished. She certainly picked lovely fabric for it! Louise was quilting a beautiful red and tan scrap appliqued flower quilt. I tried to take a picture but the camera had a dead battery so I hope she brings it back another time. That's all for now...see you next week!

Today 16 ladies attended. Last weekend was the Village Quilters quilt show so we had lots of talk about what a great show it was. Linda C., who is moving to Florida, gave me a box full of books and magazines to give to the ladies plus a lot of quilting stencils. I will keep the stencils here at the library in case anyone wants to use them. Linda OC got out another table to cut up fabric for more schlep bags. Rosemary also had some help from Agnes cutting out another Disappearing 9-patch quilt with pretty fabric she bought at the quilt show. Daryl limped in (she's walking much better now and walks without a walker). She brought in the quilt we made for her wanting signatures from the block maker's who hadn't signed the quilt. Cathy Y. and Marie had a big talk about the different ways of knitting. Not being a knitter myself I really didn't understand what they were talking about. Deb was back from Cape Cod. I think she's ready to go back again at any time. She had a great time kayaking on rivers and in the ocean. Ethel has started a new delicate looking cross-stitch piece and Daryl was cross-stitching a baby bib. June joined us again. She is working on a hand pieced hexagon quilt. And Louise is still making teeny-tiny hand-pieced hexagon flowers for a quilt. Marguerite has discovered the joy of machine piecing and has started a brown and tan star fling quilt. She hasn't stopped hand-piecing altogether though--she still has one she had already started to work on today. She also had added a border to her mile-a-minute quilt and brought in the finished top to show us. She's definitely become the queen of mile-a-minutes! Anyway...it was another nice day in Nimblefingers land.

15 ladies attended today, one of which was one of our jr. Nimblefingers. She was making a coat for one of her pet chickens. She's a very creative young lady. Jo-Ann brought in a friend who showed us all her yo-yo maker. It was really cool--I think I've got to have one! Linda showed us the very few pieces of fabric she bought at the Vermont quilt show. She's very disciplined. I would have come home with several bags full I'm sure. I brought in some fabric to give away today. I'm trying to clean up my house and stash. Marie brought in a bagful of men's ties all cut apart and ready to use. They had no takers so I'll hang on to them awhile. Louise was back from Florida and joined us for awhile. She brought in a picture of the quilt she was working on last summer. She won a blue ribbon in a judged show for best of that type and a pink ribbon for best quilting in the whole show! It was a hand pieced, hand quilted hexagon quilt and was truly amazing! This summer she is working on another quilt with 3/4" hexagons! I told her she was crazy! Her quilts are true perfection! Mary Anne is trying to finish her It takes a village quilt for the Village Quilters quilt show on July 10th and 11th. It's going to be spectacular! Agnes was back catching up with everyone. We had a nice little group today. I hope that Clare and Diane, our two new people, come back next week.

I had a comment to one of the blog postings. She wanted to know where to get a copy of the Goodnight Moon quilt. All I can say is, check a copy of the book out from your public library and copy one of the pages. Pat OR who is making it just used the book for her inspiration. She created the pattern pieces herself. If you live in the Albany area I invite you to come join us one Tuesday afternoon and maybe we can help you get started.

20 ladies attended today--a big crowd! Jean K. had a big quilt she needed to lay out to work on and Pam wanted to pin her quilt. Deb brought in a cornucopia of antimacassers made by her aunt. She didn't know what they were so Marie explained how you put 2 on the arms of a chair and one on the back for the head. She also had lots of crochet thread all of which came from her aunt who must have been a very busy and talented woman. I brought in my Mr. B's preview pack club envelope to show off and hopefully to get some of my ladies to sign up for. It's a monthly package deal from Benartex fabric. For $19.95 they send you a newsletter and a pack of 5" squares of a new fabric line. The pack I got is particularly nice and this is my first one so I'm hoping they'll all be as nice. I think it's a great deal and shouldn't be so overwhelming as joining a fat quarter of the month club. And, if I can get 4 of my ladies to sign up Mr B will send me a pack of fat eighths. I do like to get surprises in the mail. Daryl came in today, slowly but without a walker. Her right ankle is fused but she is allowed to drive again. She's taking things very slowly but is doing fine. Betty K. and Marie both wanted some reassurance that they were making their schlep bags correctly--they were. Jo-Ann brought in some brownies but since I started a new diet today I can't comment on their tastiness. They were all gone when the meeting ended though.

14 ladies attended yesterday. Unfortunately I couldn't be there--I was at an Employee Recognition workshop. It was actually pretty fun and I came away with some ideas I might even be able to use in Nimblefingers. I see that we had a new person join us. I'm sorry I wasn't there to welcome her. I hope she will come next week. And Agnes was back. That must mean that her husband is doing well on the road to recovery. It's good to hear that. And Marguerite was back from Bermuda. I wanted to ask her if there were any good quilting shops there. I already heard about the rest of the trip from Harry but he wasn't sure about the shopping. There must have been some good eating too because the store-bought cake I provided went unopened. My ladies are a bunch of good cooks! I'll be back next week and we can continue with the schlep bags or whatever else needs to be done.

14 ladies attended today. Tina wanted to make a schlep bag and this is her last Tuesday before she goes north for the summer so I helped her make a bag. She got half of it finished so hopefully she can finish the rest at home. Fran had started a bag a long time ago but was stuck so I helped her put her inside and outside together. She'll add the handles at home and sew the whole thing together. Marie and Linda also cut out pieces so I think we'll be making schlep bags for awhile. Today Winnie tried out a new recipe on us--a rhubarb cake. It was delicious! Then Pat brought in a frozen cake with ice cream center. It was great too! We didn't need to even touch the store bought stuff I had brought in. Today was another good story day too. Marie regaled us with the story of how she met her husband. Plus there was talk of what children's books we had all loved. Pat OR was working on her goodnight moon quilt which was how we got started on children's books. Anyway...it was another good time in Nimblefingers.

15 ladies attended today. It was the day after Memorial Day so Lindo OC thought it was Monday and didn't remember it was Nimblefingers day until late. Cathy M. is out with pneumonia--she waited in the car for Deb who stopped in to tell me about Cathy (whom she was driving to the dr.'s) and to show off her suntan from Myrtle Beach. JoAnne called to tell me she wasn't going to make it in because she had a car wreck over the weekend and is now without wheels. Ethel only stayed for a little while because she had to get to work on her census job. So... Marguerite and I got out the raffle quilt to work on. We are determined to get it finished and out of here! We're tired of looking at it and want to start on the next one. Deb brought in some yarn from her aunt so several people took some of that. Tina had combined her smaller blocks into bigger blocks but needed some help figuring out how to make it fit a double bed. She and MaryAnn conferred for awhile and I heard the word yo-yo pop up. MaryAnn showed us her finished her liturgical quilt for the priest at the Catholic Church. There was lots of oohs and aahs over that. I brought in 2 bags I finished over my "staycation." Next week I will be teaching how to make a schlep bag so if you want to participate bring in 16-5 or more in. squares of 8 different fabrics. Tina will be going north after next week and she wanted to learn so I can always teach the class again later if you aren't prepared next week. Fran was working on a small wool piece that will be framed. Hattie is still at work on her sweater. Marie hurt her shoulder last week working on her braided rug. She worked too hard and too long and her shoulder didn't start hurting until that night when it woke her from her sleep. So today she was taking it easy, finishing off a UFO someone here brought in of a small rug hooked table mat. Winnie gave us the information about Agnes' husband who is doing well after his heart bypass. We were are relieved to hear that. We hope he continues to improve and we will keep him in our prayers. We again had some silly conversations: "what I don't understand about those Cialis commercials is why is that couple sitting in 2 outdoor bathtubs?" Rosemary asked this question and we all thought it was funny because we had all asked ourselves the same question! The library is having a mini-booksale and when I told the ladies about it they all got up and walked out--had to go see the books. We had to fill the table up again after their mass purchasess. Thank you ladies--every little bit helps.

11 ladies attended on May 25th. I was on vacation so I don't know what happened at the meeting but I do know what I was doing at home: Sewing! I made a Schlep bag (finally). I've been wanting to make one for about 2 yrs. now and I finally did it! And, I used up some old upholstery samples (for the bag) so I got rid of some junk fabric! Yeah! Needless to say, I have a lot more junk fabric in my stash to use up. I'll bring in my show and share from my week's stay-cation next Tuesday. See you then!

18 ladies attended today. I will add pictures to this post as they become available so check back. We had a nice show and share: new member Pam brought in the Hidden 9-patch II top that Kathy O. helped her with. It is made from purple and pink batiks and is absolutely beautiful! And, Tina has finished all of the blocks for her maple leaf quilt. She spent the afternoon, with others, finding the best lay-out for her blocks. It will be a nice, bright and happy quilt when it's finished. Fran brought in her kimono wall hanging hoping to find the name of the pattern. She got one clue that someone else here in Voorheesville has the pattern so maybe Fran will be able to find the name of it. And JoAnne had participated in the shop hop last weekend so brought in her purchases to show us. She bought enough to keep her busy for awhile. Marie brought in a delicious rhubarb-raisin cake! Yummy! Pat OR has reached the point of adding the bunny to her Goonight Moon quilt. He's a cutie! I can't wait to see the finished product! This coming Thursday we've made a date to meet at the Crossgates theatres and see the movie Babies at 1:50 p.m. I hope a lot of you will come because I think it will be a great film! Next week I will be on vacation and will not be at the meeting so have a good time without me! I hope to bring in some show and share myself when I return.

14 ladies attended today. Jo-Ann brought in her card-making supplies today. It reminded us of Alberta who used to make beautiful cards. She and her sisters haven't been to Nimblefingers for a long time and we all miss them. Cathy Y. was knitting her blue sweater. Rosemary had dug up an old rug-hooking project she had started a long time ago. Unfortunately, she had forgotten how to do latch-hooking. Fran gave her some pointers so hopefully she was able to get going on it again. Marie and Agnes are both working on the Oops-a-daisy applique quilt. Marie's on her 2nd block, Agnes on her 12th. It's a very time consuming project. Fran had made another baby quilt. She's been practicing her machine quilting on the placemats she's made so she tried machine quilting this baby quilt. She found it to be a whole different kettle of fish--a baby quilt is much bigger than a placemat and therefore much more difficult. Jean brought in some blocks she had been working on a while back. She found them while doing her spring cleaning. It is an applique flower block of which she has finished a fair number of blocks. She also brought in some funny panels she had bought somewhere of a Loralei design of fruits/vegees as clothing on women. They were very cute. Betsey found a beautiful panel in a quilt store in Oneonta which she is hand quilting. I sewed a nametag on Daryl's quilt so it is ready to be presented to her whenever we see her. Then I pulled out the raffle quilt to do some more hand quilting. Marguerite stopped in late having attended another luncheon at the Albany Med Auxiliary.

20 ladies attended today. It was a big day for reunions: Betsy Hoffman was back from Arizona, Jean Kallop back from Florida and Daryl and her wheelchair returned! It's nice to have everyone back, but next week we lose Kathy O. who is going north for the summer. We always miss her but hopefully she'll bring back another easy quilt block to make. I started sewing the binding on Daryl's quilt down. Fran took it home to finish it. Deb was exhausted--a state I've never seen her in before. An aunt of hers died recently so she emptied the house and brought it all home to sell in the Altamont village yard sale. Next week she's going on vacation so hopefully she'll get her energy back up. Hattie's still working on her sweater; Agnes and Marie their Oops a daisy quilt; Pat OR her goodnight moon quilt; Tina her maple leaf blocks; Cathy Y. an afghan; Fran her placemats. It was a big group today--lots of conversation, lots of fun.

18 ladies attended today. I had to leave early for a dr. appt. so I didn't get to hear all the talk. Because I had to leave early I didn't get to finish Daryl's quilt. I'll do that next week. Instead I helped Marguerite hand quilt the border of our seemingly neverending raffle quilt. We had a good crowd. Agnes and Marie are both making an "oops-a-daisy" applique quilt. Fran made a second baby quilt--same pattern as before. It's a great pattern, fun to make and good for girls or boys. Her backing fabric was particularly beautiful: soft pinks with butterflies. Hattie is making a sweater for herself--brown and white. Tina is making a maple leaf quilt. Pat brought in some freebies: fabric, magazines and batting. Pat OR was working on her goodnight moon quilt. Rosemary brought in a sandwiched lap quilt. She had a question about how to do a mitered binding. My old friend Janet stopped by to say hello. She used to work at the library and comes in periodically to check on us/catch up with us.

15 ladies attended today. I pulled out the quilt we are making for Daryl and stitched in the ditch plus sewed on the binding. We're getting closer! Jo-Ann brought her little featherweight and thought she would work on a paper piecing project she started some time ago. She ran into problems so ended up sitting and chatting with everyone. Winnie is working on a wedding quilt for her granddaughter's wedding in June! She hopes to finish it by Christmas. Marie began appliquing a block for a quilt for her granddaughter also supposed to be finished soon. Those ladies will be working their poor fingers to the bone to finish these quilts on time. Hattie was knitting a pretty sweater in browns and white. Ethel had started another cross-stitch piece. Pat OR is making a Goodnight Moon quilt for a friend of her granddaughter who is expecting. It will be really cute quilt. Fran is working hard on placemats for the Delmar Q.U.I.L.T. group. They have a contest and she wants to win for making the most placemats. Good luck to her! Marguerite pulled out our raffle quilt. We're down to the border now but we are hand quilting it so it will still take a lot of time to finish. We had some good laughs today. Winnie regaled us with stories of her husband Bill streaking at a Kiwanis meeting (did I hear this wrong?). Then Marie had us rolling on the floor talking about being a newlywed working in a hospital as a nurse and having her first assignment be to bathe some men. One 75 year old man insisted on the full treatment and Marie complied, blushing all the way! We really have a funny group here! Cathy C. came by at the end to show us a sweatshirt jacket she had made and won 2nd prize for in a juried show in Florida. It was beautiful and fit so nicely. I might have her come and give us a lesson.

19 ladies attended today. Pat H. brought in some floss to tie Daryl's quilt with so we made fast work of that. Next week I'll do a little stitching-in-the-ditch to help secure it, then put on the binding. We had a big surprise today: 2 of our Florida snowbirds returned--Linda O'C and Cathy C. It was very nice to see them again. They are both eager to start some serious art quilting. Marguerite is limping a bit. She hurt her foot in a freak accident and the doctor isn't sure whether she has a broken bone in her foot or not. Kathy O. had a surprise visitor this weekend: Betsy H. Betsey has sold her condo in N.J. and is going to get an apartment at Pheasant Run here. She had to go to N.J. first to do the paperwork but she is looking forward to seeing all of her Voorheesville friends when she returns. Deb asked for some advice in putting a border on her Grandmother's Flower garden quilt. It's hard to believe that she's made it this far with the quilt because it has definitely been making her crazy! Hexagons are not easy to work with! Cathy Y. and Deb helped newcomer Jo-Ann get the knots out of her yarn. She is knitting what will be a beautiful shawl but the yarn was causing some difficulty. It's great to have a group where people are willing to help you un-knot your yarn.

17 ladies attended yesterday. Today we had a surprise guest--Daryl came in. Deb went out and picked her up and brought her in her wheelchair. She's been out for leg surgery for a month or so and it was nice to have her back. I showed her the quilt we were making for her since I was going to be working on it during the meeting. She was pleasantly surprised. We had another nice show and tell--Marguerite brought in her finished quilt. She made the top maybe 15 years ago but quilted it this winter. It is a beautiful scrap quilt and the hand quilting is outstanding! Fran also brought in and demonstrated a simple hot pad. Kathy O. and I continued working on Daryl's prayer quilt.

18 ladies attended today. Director Gail Sacco brought in one of her knitting friends (and the scarf this friend had made for her) to join us so we had a new person, plus the two new ladies from last week attended again today. One of them, Pam, brought in all the fabric for a queen-size quilt in the Hidden 9-patch II pattern. She worked with Kathy Olsen and they cut and sewed to get started on this quilt. Pam had some beautiful batiks to work with so I'm sure it will be an amazing quilt. We were treated to a great show-and-tell today. Cathy M. brought in a quilt made with all oriental fabric. It is for her son who was married in Japan and likes all things Japanese. It was a truly beautiful quilt. Then Marie brought in a utility quilt (her words). It was a true scrap quilt made of polyesters. It was tied with the ties encased in yo-yos, 56 of them to be exact. She's made 2 of these quilts. Marie is a busy beaver--she brought in that beautiful, complex crocheted tablecloth just a couple of weeks ago and now 2 quilts! She's pretty amazing. I set up a sewing machine and sewed together the sampler top for Daryl. I hope that next week we can lay it out and tie it. I hope we can finish it before Daryl comes back. Mary Ann M. brought in her finished music quilt to show us. Then she showed us her Sudoku quilt she is making plus another of her picture quilts entitled "It takes a village". Both are going to be really neat. I look forward to seeing the finished work. Mary Ann also brought in some delicious apple cake. Yummy!

18 ladies attended today including 2 new ladies, Jo-Ann and Pam. They attended our open house and wanted to come back to learn the hidden 9-patch II quilt. But today we had a potluck lunch so they didn't get to--they got to eat instead! We had a very nice lunch followed by a show of quilts from the 2010 Tucson quilt show which I attended last January. You could purchase a disc at the quilt show with all of the quilts on it for $10. They mailed it in March. So now I can relive the share and best of all I can share it with my friends! I think that's a really great idea and wonder why more quilt shows don't do it. Marie was wearing some beautiful hand knitted socks she had made. It was a lily of the valley stitch and they were just gorgeous! She says she's going to bring in a quilt next week that will knock all of our socks off! Coming from Marie, I believe it. She has made so many amazing things!

17 ladies and 1 little girl attended today. Our newest member, June, brought her granddaughter and her lightweight sewing machine to do a little work. Deb joined her with one of our Brothers and worked on her quilt for the Altamont quilt group. They are making what looks to me like a rather complicated sampler quilt. Lots and lots of triangles in it and lots and lots of pieces. Cathy M. is also going to be working on this quilt. I took our raffle quilt home and finished quilting the interior. Now we just need to do the border so I asked Kathy O. if she could take it home and try finishing it on the sewing machine. We've had it around for a long time and it's time to finish it and get on to the next one. Marguerite and I got out the lattice fabric which Fran donated for the prayer quilt so we're almost ready to begin sewing it together. I still am waiting for 1 block to come in. Fran brought in a beautiful small quilt she made that frames the mini-kimonos she had in our display case. Ethel is working away on her cross-stitch Old West Virginia home piece which she wants to finish for the embroidery guild show in April (?). Pat H. was finishing one of her church lap quilts. It was red and yellow--very bright and fun! Marie had finished her crocheted tablecloth and brought that in to show. It was from a French pattern. She had never seen anything like it before so wanted to make it. It has different parts, with different kinds of crochet stitches. Hard to describe but it will be in our show next year and will probably be our showstopper! Agnes was working on a flower applique block that fits into a pieced border. When it is finished it will be a spectacular quilt! I can tell already that next years show will be a great one!

16 ladies attended last Tuesday including a new person. Deb brought in her friend June who brought in her finished Dear Jane quilt top. It was absolutely stunning! She had pieced the whole quilt and it took her a long time but she found that was the easiest way for her to complete the rather complex blocks. She brought it in to show because then it would be put on her quilting frame for another long time. I'm so glad she brought it in though because it is such a beautiful and difficult pattern which makes into a truly fabulous quilt. Other than that, several people brought in their squares for the prayer quilt. I collected more photo release forms. Not much else.

10 ladies showed up today. It was snowing outside so I was surprised that anyone came. I'm glad they did though because we had to take down the quilt show. I drafted Roger, Ethel's husband to come in and climb the ladder for me because Deb was late and I was afraid she wasn't going to make it. So Deb got to take it easy during the meeting. I put the tables in a small circle which was nice because we could all see each other and converse across the table. I passed out a small piece of fabric for people to take home and make a block. Daryl is having surgery so I thought we ought to make her a quilt. I also passed out photo release forms. Apparently I should have done this a long time ago since I put pictures of my ladies on the blog. Now I will have permission though so it will be legal.

Today 8 ladies braved the weather to come to our group. With our small group I pulled out my suitcase which I still haven't unpacked from my trip to Tucson. I gave them a show-and-share of everything I bought. I was quite surprised because they all, except Deb, thought my Elvis fabric was pretty neat. Deb just never liked poor Elvis. It was fun to show off all my prizes but also a little embarrassing knowing that I really didn't need any of this stuff but bought it anyway. She who dies with the most fabric wins--isn't that the saying. I guess I'm in the competition. Deb told us the story of taking care of an elderly couple. The mom of this couple was the one who gave her the dreaded hexagon quilt pieces. This led to a discussion of alzheimer's and the difficulty of taking care of elderly relatives. Winnie came in late and reported that her doctor gave her some good news. We were glad to hear that. Anyway, a fun time was had by all.

Yesterday we held our 2010 Nimblefingers Open House. About 50 people attended. It was another nice showing. Thank you to those of you in the Friday group and the Altamont group. We had a good turnout from those members. I need to get the news to the Delmar Q.U.I.L.T. group sooner but we did have some visitors from that large group. As usual we had great desserts to offer, good punch, good conversation and Kathy O. taught her Hidden 9-patch II pattern to quite a few people. I was told that last year after Kathy taught the Hidden 9-patch I block, that the Delmar Q.U.I.L.T. group made dozens of them for service projects. Jane Stearns, who saw it made at our show, went back and taught them. Maybe she'll do the same with this year's pattern. Cathy Y. found out that the baby for whom she was making a baby quilt was born early, in the middle of a blizzard, so she was eager to get it finished. Agnes helped her get it trimmed, then I sewed on the binding for her. It's a nice flannel quilt so it should keep this blizzard baby warm! Next week I plan to bring in the stuff I bought on my trip to Tucson including fabric, patterns and tools.

17 ladies attended yesterday. I wasn't here last week. I was off visiting my sister in 60 degree Tucson where we attended the annual Tucson quilt show. I had a great trip and the quilt show was fantastic! I can't wait to tell you all about it in a couple of weeks when our activities die down a little. Today we hung the quilt show. It is always an exciting day: do we have enough quilts or too many? Is Deb still spry enough to do her monkey act on the top of the high ladder? But, as always, it looks great! We all deserve a pat on the back for our good work! Next week is our open house so I hope we get a bunch of guests. Don't forget to bring some goodies! We have a bunch of pictures of our setting up so enjoy!

17 ladies attended today. Kristin was back. She was making some Celtic cross panels for wall hangings. She made them by appliquing decorative trim in the cross pattern. They were quite stunning! I brought in my psychedelic 60's quilt to sew on the binding. Marguerite worked on the raffle quilt. Pat H. took some pictures of her VA hospital quilts. She and Agnes also finished tying them. Kathy O. gave Cathy M. the pattern for the knitted socks she makes though Kathy O. was crocheting scrubbies today. Marie brought in some tatting patterns to give Rosemary a lesson on tatting. Fran was appliquing leaves. Pat OR was embroidering her wool piece. Cathy Y. was quilting her baby quilt. And Deb is still working on her grandmother's flower garden. She says she's ready to burn it now she's getting so tired of it. She really picked a difficult project. We ended the afternoon with a very interesting conversation at my end of the table. Hmm...it had to do with gravity and the female body leading to a food discussion--limp cucumbers, muffins, cherries, watermelon. Can't you just imagine this crazy bunch of old women having this conversation! You never know where the conversation might lead in Nimblefingers! I will be gone next week and the following week we will be hanging/displaying our work so don't forget to bring it on Tuesday, Feb. 2.

17 ladies attended today. You can always tell when we have a good group because the noise level goes up considerably. Agnes and Daryl were back from visiting their kids. We haven't seen Daryl for awhile so it's nice to have her back. Hattie was knitting some mittens. Cathy O. was back to crocheting scrubbies. Pat H. brought in 3 quilts to sandwich. She makes quilts for soldiers stationed around the world so these were patriotic quilts. Cathy Y. came in with her boot on--she cracked a bone in her foot last week. Marie has been taking some meds so the frog in her throat was gone. Fran brought in another beautiful blue-work teddy bear quilt. I assume it will be in our show along with the kewpie doll quilt. Pat OR was working on her wool table rug. Winnie was getting some help cutting out a quilt. Tina was quilting her little wall hanging. Deb pretended to work on her endless hexagon quilt. We'll all be glad when she finishes this one. And I helped Pat H. for awhile then made some announcements: this year for our show we get the community room, the hall and the display case. Plus I handed out some posters for people to hang. I think we should have a nice show this year. Of course, we outdo ourselves every year so this one shouldn't be any different!

This week 13 ladies attended. Everyone brought in their leftover holiday sweets so we had lots of cookies and candy! Fran was sewing the binding her kewpie doll quilt. She got the kewpie doll embroidery patterns from Marguerite. They had been Marguerite's mothers so had been around for a long time. She gave them to Fran, who loves doing redwork, and next thing you know the quilt is made! It will be in our show and will be a big hit I'm sure! Marie, who came with a frog in her throat, brought in her Japanese tatting book and hooks to show us. Her book is in Japanese which she can't read but as she says "I can read pictures." Japanese tatting uses a two-headed crochet hook with flat ends instead of a shuttle but I thought the lace looked the same as that made by a shuttle. Rosemary wanted to get a new library card since she is now an official resident of Voorheesville. She likes her new apartment and neighbors very much. Tina was working on her double thickness scrap afghan. I'm sure it keeps her warm as she works. Ethel was working on her "Old West Virginia home" needlepoint again. I hope she'll finish it in time for our show in February. Pat OR and MaryAnn were both doing wool work. Deb was mostly just causing trouble and making us laugh like she always does. She did pull out her hexagon top for a little while. Marguerite did some more quilting on the raffle quilt. Our dear Cathy Y. wasn't here--she slipped on the ice and broke her foot. This has been a very bad winter for slipping. The highlight of the day for me was when Lew Schedlbauer ("the quiltsmith") came in with my finished op-art quilt. He does such a great job it really looked stupendous! I spent the next 2 days showing it off to everyone in the library. It will be in our show just in case I missed anyone. Happy New Year to all and watch out for the ice!