The June meeting of the Blue Ridge Quilters was “different . . .” at least a bit in that it had been hot that day and the room had not cooled down yet. Ah, but we all survived and had a really good meeting. Attendance included three brand new members, who we welcome. Below are candid shots of the room.

The July meeting will be held picnic style at the home of a member. A list was passed around to put down what food items you intend to bring. If it has slipped your mind, you can email our hostess and she will be happy to remind you. We were told there is a swimming pool, so bring your swim suit if you want . . . I didn’t see any hands go up! lol NOTE: THE JULY MEETING WILL BEGIN AT 6:00PM RATHER THAN 6:30PM.

There was a membership vote on accepting honorary membership of two previous members, Jo B and Jan D, which passed unanimously.

Kathy Wickham needs help with the Ways and Means; it can be done on a limited time period basis so it doesn’t scare anyone off thinking they will always have the great pleasure of hauling around and storing books/magazines. Kathy will continue to handle the fabric so she will have it available for making kits, etc. All that is needed is a helpful heart, a dry storage area and a strong back . . . for a limited period of time.

There was also some discussion about possible future workshops and a reminder of the ongoing service projects, i.e. Scent Babies, Foster Children Quilts, NICU quilts, Ryan’s Cases for Smiles pillowcases, Adult Bibs and Fidget Quilts.

Then came everyone’s favorite, Show and Tell and ten people participated.
Janice T showed her Disappearing 9-Patch in two colors. Very nicely done.

Dawn W showed her mother’s quilt of some of the hand embroidered squares she had made. It was a beautiful tribute to her mother. She also showed some pillow cases and NICU blankets she had made.
Cynthia and David Y showed their Dream Weaver quilt
Carol D showed us a small zippered purse she had made with The American Sewing Guild, Roanoke chapter.
Cheryl E showed a Forest Friends quilt she had made – so cute!
Vickie H showed a very old quilt which needed repairs. She asked for suggestions on where to find replacement fabrics for some of the really bad spots, and Goodwill extra large men’s shirts was suggested.
Kitty Y showed a small Pat Sloan Stringbean Block quilt she had made, as well as a very pretty quilt she calls Oh, My Stars.
Cynthia L showed the completed quilt she has been working on for her brand new grandson.
Cathy H showed a “found” wool table topper which she had finish up. She also showed us a Heated Crayon quilt (Every time I get the urge to clean, I pull out my sewing machine) and explained the really cool process.
Lastly, Loretta T showed a completed Quilts of Valor quilt she had made using donated wonky stars along with blocks of printed fabric. David and Cynthia Y did a great job quilting it.

Be sure to tune in again next month for more fascinating goings-on with the Blue Ridge Quilters. See ya at 6:00pm on July 12.

It was a very well attended meeting, as you can see by the candid shots of “the Room.” We welcomed our 4 new members.

There was the business meeting, committee reports, etc.

The program for the evening was Finishing Touches – Quilt Bindings and Labels. Participants Janice T, Sally M and Kathy W all showed labels of all kinds, including hand printed, machine embroidered, hand embroidered, and pre-printed labels on fabric.

Cynthia and David Y gave a binding demonstration with flange binding. Check it out on youtube.com where you will find several helpful videos for this cool technique. Loretta T showed her lazy way of using Elmers Schoolhouse glue to affix a binding which she first saw demonstrated by Sharon Schamber on youtube (check youtube.com for Binding the Angel, parts 1 and 2).

During the course of the meeting, there was, of course, Show and Tell. Ya gotta have show and tell for quilters to show off and share their work, as well as being able to appreciate the work of others.

The meeting was then adjourned to the refreshment room where there were a few nibbles and a lot of donated fabric to be had at very reasonable prices !! See you next month on the 14th, same time, same location.

Currently, Pat Sloan, a nationally renown quilter, is doing a String Bean Challenge (made with strips, of course). Carolyn Z, who organized and manages a local Quilts of Valor chapter, the Roanoke Quilts of Valor Stitchers, took off with the String Bean Challenge and when the QOV group met in April, it was all about sewing up String Bean blocks. She had kits all prepared so the sewing went quickly. The Roanoke QOV Stitchers is not limited to Blue Ridge Quilters, but is open to whoever has a heart to be a part of celebrating those military veterans who have protected and defended the America we all know and love.

Here is one picture of some of the progress made during that meeting.

Cathy H attended this meeting and had cut some red and blue stars with Steam-A-Seam2 on the back using her AccuQuilt GO! and the star die. The stars were then ironed onto the blocks, which created a great look for these String Bean blocks. There was another QOV meeting at Fork Mountain Quilting in Rocky Mount on April 27th during an open sew day, where enough blocks were made and accumulated to make two entire quilts. Cathy H was also there literally cranking out red and blue stars on her AccuQuilt GO! Good job, ladies !!

National Quilting Day celebration was hosted by Blue Ridge Quilters on Saturday, March 5, 2022. As with any event where more than a few are expected, there was plenty to be done in preparation. Namely, quilts to be hung or otherwise displayed. Busy Blue Ridge members met up at the event location (Colonial Baptist Church in Blue Ridge) on the afternoon prior to the event in order to get an otherwise empty hall made beautiful with quilts which members were bringing, together with all the paraphernalia necessary to effectively and attractively display them. Folks were inserting hanging rods into the hanging sleeves of quilts to be hung on the walls, others were arranging various and sundry quilt racks, etc. and arranging quilts over them for best display. Others were setting up tables for the guests, complete with table runners, center pieces, and table favors, as well as event programs. Some were preparing “goodie bags,” and getting all of the door prizes laid out ready to be given away. The ladies from the church were busy arranging the tables for water and the lunches. It was a busy afternoon. There were an abundance of members present so the set-up seemed not to take much time at all.

The event itself was underway on Saturday morning at 9:30 and soon there were nearly 80 folks there ready to look at the quilts on display, the table especially for Ryan’s Case For Smiles, and another for the Roanoke Quilts of Valor Stitchers, organized by Carolyn Zaleski, a member of Blue Ridge Quilters. There was also a table of community projects done by the BR Quilters.

All of the local quilt guilds were also represented, Lake Quilters, Star Quilters and Peaks and Pieces in Bedford. Everyone spent time wandering around looking at all the beautiful quilts on display. Enjoy the show of quilts.

There was also a table for Marietta Price of Bargain Barn Fabrics in Montvale displaying some of the processes she teaches at her shop. She also had a wing back chair which she is re-upholstering which in an of itself is a piece of art. The chair is very imaginative and fascinating. Did I mention she does upholstery at her shop as well as having quilting fabrics, including extra wide backing, and many home decorative and upholstery fabrics?

The speaker for the event was Lee Chappell Monroe, who is always very entertaining and informative. Her talk was about Applying Color Theory and she had a trunk show to show examples of colors and how to put them together to make an appealing quilt. She spoke of primary colors, secondary colors and tertiary colors, where they are on the color wheel and combining them to good advantage. I hope you enjoy her trunk show as much as we all did. Lee also had a variety of patterns, kits and miscellaneous to offer at the end of the event.

After the speaker, it was time for yummy lunch prepared by the youth of the church. They did a splendid job, as always, and everyone appreciated their endeavors. I had chosen a turkey sandwich which came with condiments, pickle, chips and a cookie. Yum.

Two impromptu speakers were heard. One being Marietta who spoke briefly about wing back chairs and ways to determine their age. The other speaker was Mrs. Norma Dempsey who told us about a Quilting Ministry she is getting started at Colonial Baptist Church, and to invite anyone interested to join in. Their goals are: Serve people, Teach people to quilt and ultimately Reach people with the Gospel. The group will meet at the church once a month on the 2nd Friday, from 10am to 4pm. Her contact is: pd2work@cox.net

After the Speaker presentation and trunk show, a special award was made to Blue Ridge Quilters member Vicky Hammond. Vicky had been a member of the Air Force during a period of conflict where she performed vital services, and she was awarded a Quilt of Valor. Speaking on behalf of Quilts of Valor was Carolyn Zaleski; those holding the quilt were Carolyn Loop and Loni Bier, who also wrapped Vicky in her quilt.

And finally, what a lot of us were waiting for, there were numbers drawn to give away two Opportunity Quilts. Out of the many tickets sold, only two were pulled and the lucky winners were (on the right) Sue Berry, a Star Quilters member, and (on the left) Shawna Loveday. Congratulations, ladies!

And a happy time was had by all. I think everyone in the room received a door prize! Not to hurry folks along their way, but very soon after the closing events, members began cleaning up the tables, gathering centerpieces and table runners in one place and folding them up to be put away. Others began folding the tables for storage, folded quilts to be picked up, and the same two stalwart members began climbing ladders again to remove the quilts from the walls, while others removed the hangers and rods, organizing them neatly in piles. All in all, it went rather quickly and very soon folks were carrying to their vehicles items they had brought for use or display, while others packed up the table paraphernalia and leftover table favors. There is only one picture of the place when we were nearly through.

We hope to see you all again in two years.

On Sunday, March 20, 2022, in a ceremony at CommUnity Church in Salem, VA, Pastor Tom McCracken and wife Laurie, both Coast Guard veterans, were awarded their Quilts Of Valor. Pastor McCracken and his wife were nominated by a member of the congregation, Kitty Yates, who is also a member of Blue Ridge Quilters and Roanoke Quilts of Valor Stitchers. It was an excellent ceremony with the congregation in attendance.

The pictures that somehow got mixed up in the email finally appeared and follow.

Missing from our Show & Tell display at the March 8, 2022 meeting were the two Quilts of Valor made by Kitty Y. She made them to be presented to her pastor and his wife in a ceremony on Sunday, March 20th.

It was a good meeting with a generous number of members present, not all of whom show up in the pictures that follow. Name tags were distributed and members were informed that the name tags are their responsibility, and if you should forget to wear it for a meeting, it would cost you $1.00 as a penalty! Oh, no! I know where mine is, how about you? Following are a few pictures of the gathering.

After the business part of the meeting concluded, it was time for Show & Tell. Cathie H showed her very striking Cross Quilt, both front and back, for the foster kids. Cynthia L showed the quilt she made for her fourth son for his high school graduation. Well, the quilt is so intricate it is easy to understand the time it took to make it for this now grown son. Gisela O showed her Very Spring table topper and I believe I heard her say that when she got ahold of the top (she did not initiate it) she proceeded to take it apart and re-make it. And, she did a beautiful job, too. Kitty Y showed two Quilts of Valor that she had made for her preacher and his wife, both service veterans. The quilts will be presented to them through the Roanoke Quilts of Valor Stitchers chapter on Sunday, March 20 at their church, Community Church, 1923 E. Main Street, Salem. (near where 419 crosses Melrose aka E Main St.). Unfortunately, I only have a picture of one of the quilts before it was quilted. It is very stunning. Then Kathy W showed her Covid Quilt panel and a gorgeous Green Strip quilt. Lastly, Vera B showed a colorful Fidget Quilt she had made with lots of little things to fidget with.

The program for the meeting was Owners Melissa and Todd Cassell of Fork Mountain Quilting in Rocky Mount, VA. These folks are always entertaining and related stories about some of their products and services. If you haven’t yet visited the shop located at Rocky Mount Marketplace (Kroger) shopping center at 400 Old Franklin Turnpike, Suite 115 in Rocky Mount. There is a wide variety of patterns and fabrics including pre-cuts and extra wide quilt backing. They also handle notions, like the Bloc Loc rulers they demonstrated at the meeting as well as Quilters Select rulers and rotary cutters. They gave an excellent tutorial on the correct use of Bloc Loc rulers and offered some for sale after the meeting was dismissed, along with other quilty items.

NOTE: The April meeting will be held on the THIRD Tuesday, April 19th, due to scheduling conflicts. Hope to see you all then! And don’t forget your name tag !

On Monday, March 14, 2022, two Quilts of Valor were awarded at the American Legion on Apperson in Salem, Virginia after their monthly meeting. Roanoke Quilts of Valor Stitchers members Sally Madden and Nancy Karnes held up the quilts, Gisela O’Connor awarded two Vietnam commemorative pins, and photographs were taken by Kathleen Ledger. The award ceremony was attended by American Legion members and their spouses.

A good many of the members of the Roanoke Quilts of Valor Stitchers are also members of Blue Ridge Quilters. This local chapter of QOV was started in the recent past by BRQ member Carolyn Zaleski; she is an enthusiastic supporter of Quilts of Valor and is doing a super job of getting the word out to local organizations who know of veterans who could/should be awarded quilts. It is a privilege to be associated with the Roanoke Quilts of Valor Stitchers.

The February meeting of the Blue Ridge Quilters was a happy crowd of sewers and quilters who were just glad to be out and and about, and happy that it wasn’t snowing ! There was an excellent business meeting with a lot of participation and here are pictures of the gathering taken by Historian Gisela O, who did a great job.

You might notice, as I did, that some of these folks got into a picture twice, some are panning, others posing, but all seem to be pretty much aware that a “smile” was called for. What a great group of quilters! Upon a casual glance-about, there are actually two missing and since one is a Hospitality Committee person and the other is the illustrious president, they can probably be found in the refreshment room setting out yummy Valentine flavored treats.

Looking forward to our March 8th meeting when the folks from Fork Mountain Quilting will be giving a ruler demonstration and they will also have some goodies for sale, too. Always a treat. Hope to see you there !!

The February meeting of the Blue Ridge Quilters was a happy crowd of sewers and quilters who were just glad to be out and happy that it wasn’t snowing ! There was an excellent business meeting with a lot of participation and then the program got underway.

The program consisted of folks who brought a favorite quilting book/magazine and perhaps a product they stitched from that book/magazine. There was quite a variety and it started off with Susan V showing a paper piecing book and a block she had made from that book (she brought the beautiful quilt to an earlier meeting). Then she also had a Lap Quilting book and a lovely quilt she had made. Next was Gisela O with Sampler Quilts magazine she had purchased soon after moving from Brazil to the United States. She also showed her loved Churn Dash quilt. Vera B was next with a notebook of favorite patterns, a log cabin table runner, and a quilt she had made with used clothing. David Y was up next with his mom’s book, Book of Best Loved Quilt Patterns and a large quilt he had made using the airplane pattern. Then came Janice T with her Double Wedding Ring book. She then showed a double wedding ring quilt made (and gifted ahead) by her grandmother. Janice also showed a double wedding ring quilt which she had made and was planning to gift ahead. And she told the story of her adventures in making her double wedding ring quilt. Loretta T showed a small book called Guess Who’s On My Quilt? And the quilt she had made with a dog on it from the book. Carolyn Z showed two books that she has used and really likes; The Border Workbook and a paper piecing book. Cathy H was next with a photo of her Jelly Stars quilt which she had made for a young man. She also showed two books, Cut the Scraps! and Scraps Plus One! Kathy W showed the printouts of 3 e-books that her son had printed out for her; one was White House Quilts and another was Centennial Quilts. She then showed a book, 1000 Blocks by Quiltmaker, and proceeded to bring out quilt blocks she had won by entering the 100 Blocks contests. It gives hope that perhaps it is actually possible to be a contest winner . . . not just once, either !! She won so many I had to make 2 collages!

The next item on the agenda was Show & Tell. First up with Carolyn Z showing two quilts made by members for Quilts of Valor. PS – don’t forget the upcoming Roanoke Quilts of Valor Stitchers meeting on Thursday the 17th at Vinton Baptist Church. If you are interested in becoming a part of the Quilts of Valor effort contact Carolyn at vaquiltercz@comcast.net for information about meetings. Prior to each meeting, Carolyn emails the members advising of the date/time and any special requirements for the meeting. The quilt on the left was made by Kitty Y and on the right by Loretta T, both using Funky Star blocks contributed by the QOV group at Lake Quilters.

The next up on Show & Tell was Ann W who showed a really beautiful quilt she named Maple Leaves. Cynthia L showed a quilt for her fourth son’s high school graduation (which was a few years ago); after graduation, he had relocated to Alaska for a time and purchased the fabrics for the quilt, which is just amazing. Cathy H showed a lovely quilt she had made which she calls Fresh Grapes because of the green and purple colors. Kitty Y finished up Show & Tell with a hand sewn Cathedral Windows quilt which is awe inspiring.

The next item on the Show & Tell agenda featured Dawn W who has been busy making pillow cases for Ryan’s Cases for Smiles, Scent Babies and incubator blankets. Good job, Dawn! Also, Janice T had made four Fidget Quilts and showed them. Each is very unique.

Then it was time for some Valentine flavored refreshments (thank you Barbara F and Carolyn L), a lot of chatter and gathering everything up, giving the community service projects to Kathy W for distribution, for Cathy H to fold up the two quilts (Blue Hills and Happy Valleys quilt, and Tall Pines quilt), a which will both be Opportunity Quilts at the March 5th National Quilt Day celebration at Colonial Baptist Church just off of Mountain Pass Road in Blue Ridge.

Hope to be seeing everyone at the National Quilt Day celebration on March 5th (have you turned in your pre-registration form and entry fee yet?).