In-Person: Think Quick Gifts

Saturday, December 2, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Simcoe Branch NCPL, Large Board Room, Lower Level

Come for the day, or drop in anytime! The doors will open at 10 a.m., and we won’t pack up until 3 p.m. when the library closes. The easiest way to the room is to use the library door that faces the mall, and to come down those stairs right there. If you are bringing your machine, the elevator is just behind the big staircase, on the right side. This event is FREE to all members and there is no signup required. Just come anytime between 10 and 3! And bring a mug as we will have coffee and tea! And we will supply some Holiday treats!

Sew your Own Project

The large room has lots of space to set up your sewing machine. We will set up tables for anyone who wants to bring their machine and sew for the day. There will be some extension cords, but please bring your own if you have one. We’ll have one ironing board and iron to share.

Bring some handwork to socialize and chat while you make progress on your projects.

Felt Snowmen and Mittens

Join Lana for some hand stitching; no sewing machine is required! Drop in anytime; each ornament takes a couple of hours to complete.

Patterns, felt, threads and stuffing are provided, but bring your embroidery needle!

Prairie Point Demos

The demos will take place throughout the day, including making continuous prairie points from wide and medium strips of fabric and individual prairie points from cut squares and rectangles (sewn).

There will be some fabrics for sharing so you can try some techniques! Please bring your machine and the usual kit if you want to sew along.

Think Quick Gifts

Towels

You’ll need washed and dried towels (some shrink a lot!), coordinating focal fabric and scraps for prairie points, and thread for topstitching to spruce up some ready-made tea towels.

Depending on the style of prairie points, you will need a strip of fabric at least 3 ½” wide and the same width as the towel plus 2”. For two colours, you can use two strips of fabric OR be scrappy with multiple colours.

The top of the prairie points must be covered in some way. In the samples, I used fabric strips and woven trim. These should be the width of the towel plus 2”. If your towel is dark or has dark stripes, you may need a light-coloured fabric under the strip. I needed to do that with the red and white striped sample. The wintery background is light, and the red stripes show through it.

Snappy Pouch

To make a snappy pouch, you’ll need fabric, batting, medium, fusible interfacing for the outside of the bag, a coordinating fabric for the lining and top casing, a highlight fabric for the prairie points and thread for topstitching. Measuring tape, sacrifice scissors and duct tape will be provided.

I’ve found that the no raw edge technique for these snap bags means it’s difficult to top stitch if the bag is less than 6” wide. I’ve had luck with snappy closures up to 11” wide.

For this technique, the lining piece is sewn over the outer fabric by approximately 1½”. It’s best to allow extra length for the lining and trim it to size before the bag is sewn together. If you want to use an orphan block or a fussy-cut motif, make sure to add 1½” of extra batting or fabric to the top of the block.

In some of the samples, I added a D-ring for a handle or accessory and two D-rings to one of the bags for a strap. These pouches can be finished with a boxed or straight bottom.

Rope Bowl Demo

After 12 noon, Melanie D will also be there to demonstrate how to sew “Cotton Pottery” with clothesline rope. She will have a variety of bowls and baskets she has made for gifts. And the beginning of the base can be used to make some easy coasters! In this sample, she added a few fabric strips to add colour. Melanie will show both round and oval bowls.

Vintage Sewing Machines : Still Going Strong!

Today’s quilters have fabulous sewing machines to choose from: machines with features such as needle down, a multitude of decorative and functional stitches including embroidery, and computer memory, among others. So why are those cute little black vintage sewing machines showing up at workshops and retreats? Why do some quilters and crafters use vintage and other mechanical machines exclusively? How do you find a vintage machine and what do you look for? Are they hard to care for?

Bonnie Blakely will answer these questions and take a brief look at the history of sewing machines and their impact on domestic life and the larger economy. There are some surprises! Join us via zoom on December 11 @ 7pm Eastern time.

Elevate Your Designs with Kestrel Michaud

Have you ever seen a quilt that looked just like a photograph and thought “I wonder how they did that”? Or maybe you’d like to know more about how to apply good design to your quilts. If either of these scenarios speak to you, you won’t want to miss Kestrel Michaud’s presentation on November 13.

Good art starts with good design, and quilts and other fabric artwork are no exception. But because fabric is not a traditional fine art medium, art made with fabric needs to incorporate elements of traditional fine art design in its own unique way. In “Designing for Realism”, Kestrel will teach us how to incorporate the principles of good design when creating art with fabric. While her talk will focus on creating realistic pieces of art, the concepts Kestrel will discuss are relevant to fabric art of all artistic styles.

Using her own work as examples, Kestrel will teach us:

how to select and work with photographs in developing a design
the difference between colour and value, and why they both matter
how to incorporate lighting, such as how to make an object appear as though it’s sitting in direct sunlight, and how to make a grey, overcast day
how to create the illusion that objects are in the distance by mimicking the effect of the atmosphere
how to choose the best fabric colours and patterns for realism-style art quilts
how to use stitching as a complement to the design

So much good information in just 1 hour!

If you need any more encouragement to join us via zoom on November 13 @ 7pm Eastern time, just look at the design of the poster (below) that Kestrel created to promote her talk.

Guests are welcome. Please see the Guest section on our fees page.

Sheila Frampton Cooper – Bold Abstract Quilts

Get ready to be inspired by the unique designs of Sheila Frampton Cooper. Starting with no plan, no sketch, and no agenda, Sheila makes quilts that are improvisational; fed by her artistic intuition and inspired by nature’s palette.

Join us via zoom on Monday, October 16, when Sheila will present her talk Spontaneous Creation and Inspiration, in which she will delve into her process for making award-winning abstract quilts. Sheila will cover colour, inspiration, and the various approaches she engages in to create her works. And it won’t just be all talk. There will be lots of photographs of Sheila’s work and that of her students. Make sure your screens are clean so you can get a good view of all the eye candy.

Monday, October 16 @ 7pm EDT via Zoom.

StarQuar Scrap Quilt Workshop with Diane Harris

If your scraps seem to multiply overnight and you don’t know how to use them, this is the workshop for you!

Saturday, November 18 & Saturday, November 25

10am-1pm EST each day on Zoom!

$55 CAD for both members and non-members

Registration has closed.

Many of us struggle with knowing how to use scraps effectively. Learn a fast and simple way to turn your scrap stash into a gorgeous starry sky and so much more! This humble block is stitched from 2.5″ squares (or strips) to make a 4-patch that has 100 options.

Most fabrics work into StarQuar quilts beautifully, so you can use leftovers or your most favourite fabrics, or both. Concepts covered include value, contrast, colour, scale, difficult prints and more, plus many ideas for using these units in a variety of ways. You’ll catch a vision for how diverse fabrics can work together and become something much greater than the sum of its parts. StarQuar scrap quilts could not be more fun!!!

Skill level: Confident beginner and beyond.

Fall Retreat in Vittoria, October 21 and 22!

It’s time to sew together, in person! We are repeating our popular retreat with a couple of changes. It will be on Saturday from 9 am – 8 pm and Sunday from 9 am – 4 pm. The cost will remain at $35 for both days and $20 for either Saturday or Sunday. We will try to accommodate everyone.

This time, the Saturday night Catherwood and the Kiln pizza will be free! Ordering options will be available on Saturday afternoon.

We are introducing a workshop component to this retreat. Stephanie has been asked to teach “Dyeing in a Jam Jar” (Saturday at 1 p.m.) and a Fish Pod Zippered pouch (Sunday at 1 p.m.). You will learn the basics of Procion MX fabric dyeing while making 4 coloured squares of your own. These squares will make 4 pouches with this fun One Zip technique! Do not fear the zipper! Stephanie has simplified it! This is completely optional, and kits with the materials for 4 pouches will be supplied for only $10. Payable at the retreat!

You will need to fill out a Google form to register and send your payment within 48 hours. Your registration is not finalized until we have your payment! Hopefully, we can accommodate everyone. Having 44 quilters seems to work in that space, the Vittoria & District Community Centre, 35 Oakes Boulevard, Vittoria. For insurance purposes, you must be a Twilight member to attend. The registration form link will be emailed to all paid members in the Follow-up Links email after our September 11th meeting! If you have any questions, you can always send an email to TwilightSimcoe@gmail.com

Sew a Jelly Roll With Us on September 16th!

The third Saturday in September has been designated by Moda Fabrics, the originator of the popular pre-cut, as National Sew a Jelly Roll Day. Clearly, it is to sell more jelly rolls! And it is a perfect time for us to get together on Zoom to sew together! This will be our third year sewing together!

Members can join us anytime from 9 am until 3pm. We will use our Sit and Sew Zoom link and it will be emailed to you in our Followup email, after our first meeting on September 11th.

Watch for information from your local and online stores for Moda’s free patterns. The Fat Quarter Shop has lots of easy and free patterns on this page! Don’t have a jelly roll? Cut 2.5″ strips from your stash! Don’t want to sew a jelly roll? Come and sew whatever you want! It’s all about sewing together!

You can find Moda’s patterns for this year and past years here!

Bridget O’Flaherty, The Sustainable Quilter

Are you interested in knowing more about sustainability in the quilt world and looking for green options as a quilter, artist, or crafter? Bridget O’Flaherty, a passionate advocate for sustainability in quilting, will open the Twilight Quilters’ Guild new season and share an in depth look at the complicated story of the environmental impacts of the products we use. We will look at what sustainability means and how it is being addressed in the textile, quilting, and fibre industries.

From organic or recycled fabric, threads, natural fibres, and dyes, there are a lot of options when going green. Find out where to find them and what to look for when searching for sustainable products. We will learn how to reduce our environmental impact as fibre artists and how we can easily bring sustainability into our practice to be part of the change.

Explore how you can do your part to help save the planet, one stitch at a time. Monday September 11, at 7pm EDT, via zoom.

You can find out how to become a member on our Fees page. This year there is a Google form to fill out and then you will receive E-Transfer directions! It’s easy!

And you can send your Show and Tell photos anytime. Please email them to TwilightSimcoe@gmail.com before the meeting Sunday, 6 pm.

The New Year is about to Start!

Our Program Committee has finalized our meeting lineup for the next year and we have some great speakers coming!

September 11	Bridget O’Flaherty bridgetoflaherty.com “How to Be a Green Quilter: Making Our Passion More Eco- Friendly”
October 16	Sheila Frampton Cooper zoombaby.com “Spontaneous Creation & Inspiration”
October 21-22	In-Person Retreat: at Vittoria Community Centre
November 13	Kestrel Michaud kestrelmichaud.com “Designing for Realism”
November 18 & 25	Zoom Workshop: Diane Harris – Stash Bandit stashbandit.net “StarQuar Scrap Quilt” 10am-1pm, both days
December 11	Bonnie Blakely “Vintage Sewing Machines: Still Going Strong!”
January 8	Christina Cameli christinacameli.com “Five Skills of Free Motion Quilting”
January 22-21	Zoom Retreat: Vice President’s Retreat Weekend
February 12	Johanna Masko johannamasko.com “Modular Quilting: Making Big Quilts at Home”
March 11	Rose Parr healthyquilting.com “The Ergonomic Toolbox”
April 8	Tammy Silvers – Tamarinis tamarinis.com “Seeing Double”
April	Possible In-Person Retreat: at Vittoria Community Centre
May 13	Krista Moser kristamoser.com “Diamonds Are a Quilter’s Best Friend”
June 10	Kathy Doughty materialobsession.com.au “Get the Mix”

Zoom starts at 6:30pm – Meetings start at 7pm! All programs subject to Change

Check out twilightquiltguild.ca and Facebook.com/twilightquiltguild

Show & Tell and General Emails: twilightsimcoe@gmail.com

Financial Email: twilightquiltguild@gmail.com

Click here to download a clickable and printable PDF of our lineup. You can find out more about most of the speakers by following the links (blue, underlined text) in the PDF and enjoy the full experience!

Already almost half of our members have signed up for another year and we are happy to welcome at least 2 new members!

Our monthly meetings are all on Zoom. Meetings are held on the second Monday of the month, except for October, July and August. The October meeting is held on the Monday following Thanksgiving and no meetings are held in July and August. Virtual doors open at 6:30 pm, and meetings start at 7 pm.

Membership is $40 per year. Details are on our Fees tab. Fill out our Membership form here and then e-transfer your $40!

Special thanks go to our Program Committee, headed by Suzanna K, with Kathryn G, Mary M and Stephanie S.

Mark your calendar for our annual Fall Retreat in Vittoria on October 21/22. It’s a Saturday and Sunday this time! And watch your email for details about our new in-person sewing initiative!

Save your 2.5″ square scraps for our November workshop with Diane Harris. You won’t believe how many beautiful designs can be made from the humble StarQuar block.

The Vice President’s Retreat in January will be Virtual. No need to lug your machines in the snow!

We have had some requests to change our Sit and Sew afternoon to another day. Which day works best for you?

UPDATE – June 12: Year-End Sew & Social

Unfortunately, our vendor, The Quilted Boutique, has had to back out of attending our closing social. But, there will be lots to choose from at the TQG fundraiser table and inexpensive books from our library sale!

Once again, we are having our June Sew & Social meeting at the Port Dover Community Centre. All members and guests are welcome between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. Tables and chairs will be set up for socializing and hand sewing.

We will have a limited number of spaces for in-person machine sewing beginning at 10 a.m. If you want a table to do machine sewing, we ask that you register using our online form at https://forms.gle/eB5HSqDntmDDMJ827. Spaces are limited, so sign up soon!

The TQG Fundraiser table of donated stash items will raise funds for our guild. Anyone “shopping” from that table will be expected to donate an appropriate amount for their chosen items.

The TQG library books will be sold beginning at 4 p.m., and the silent auction for the newer books will end at 8 p.m.

Tables and tent cards will be available for our quilt display. We encourage you to bring a few quilts so others can see them up close and find you to ask about what you’ve made (or tell you how fantastic your quilt is)!

Please bring: