QGN letter January 2011 issue

Quilt Gathering Newsletter ~ January 2011 issue
Hello Fellow Quilters~
Welcome to the 5th QGN and to 2011. Welcome to winter! Stay warm & safe out there everyone. It is time to start thinking ahead to summer to when we would like to have this year’s gathering. Which month works the best for the majority of us to get together: June, July, or August? Please send me the top three weekends that work the best for each of you and then we will choose from there.

This year I will be hosting the gathering and it will be here in Union, WA on the Olympic Peninsula. Tentatively we are trying to have it at the Union Community Hall. Our community hall has a full kitchen with 2 coffee pots, a dishwasher, 2 stoves, lots of counter space, a full size frig & freezer, and sink. There are several outlets for plugging in sewing machines, irons, computers, etc. and bathrooms. The community hall is air conditioned and has several full size windows that overlook the Hood Canal that has really nice views during the summer months. For accommodations there are several nice campgrounds nearby and I have some space available at my house. I will be sending more information regarding that and additional information once we set a date and it gets closer.

This year we are asking for your help with expense costs and that everyone donate $5 toward the pot to cover renting of the space. If that is a problem please let us know. Please send the money to Aunt Jo/Mom/Jo/Betty at P.O. Box 1075, Tonasket, WA, 98855 by April 15th by check or money order so that we can secure the place for our special weekend. Thank you so very much for your help and hope to see all of you there!
Additional activities available in Union are: hiking, kayaking and canoeing, swimming, dangling your feet over the edge of the dock and watching the fish, seals, & birds, and visiting nearby quilt and yarn shops (one which is Debbie McComber’s A Good Yarn). This year we will be doing a picnic on Sunday.

Currently Looking For
We are currently looking for good ideas for this year’s group project. Please send your ideas to thequiltgathering@hotmail.com as soon as possible. Thank you.

Quilt Gathering Recipe Book—NEW!!
We need a copy of your favorite recipe as it will be included in this year’s recipe book:-). Please send your submissions to MJB at P.O. Box 449, Union, WA 98592. Or if you would prefer to email it please send it to thequiltgathering@hotmail.com . Thank you!
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Accomplishments & Works in Progress
Several of us have online blogs where we write and post our photos of works in progress and I would like to make others of us aware of those websites. If you don’t have internet at home you probably could view the sites at your local library.
Melissa: http://mo-craftymo.blogspot.com
Mary Jo: http://deltabelle74.blogspot.com
Seth: http://stresslesscraftmore.blogspot.com
Anyone else?
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Monthly Quilt Pattern
This month the quilt pattern we thought we would share is The Cozy Scarf by Amy Butler:

http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/pdfs/cozy_scarf.pdf . Please see the enclosed insert for everything you will need- template, sewing directions, materials list, and all the step by step photos that will be very helpful. The finished scarf is 17 “x 90”. Enjoy!

Interest & Reading Corner
What kind of upcoming events/happenings/festivals are you aware of that you think others might enjoy checking out?
Any new quilt or fiber stores of interests?
Are there any new books or magazines that you would recommend sharing?
We would love to hear from you of what new & exciting things are happening near you.

This month has been a very soggy/slushy/snowy one. Budget wise it has been pretty tricky to get out & about but I did manage to make it to a few new finds in my exploring adventures.
Not sure if any of you have been to the yarn store in Poulsbo called Amanda’s Art Yarn and you can find her store info at www.amandasartyarn.com . I went there in the end of December month and they have a nice yarn collection in there that several of you would probably enjoy.

A new knitting book I would recommend is Sock Innovation by Cookie A. I would also recommend Speed Knitting by Kris Percival. Both are put out by Interweave Books. I have this book and would recommend it to others as I am thoroughly enjoying it. It is called Knit One Embellish Too by Cosette Cornelius-Bates.
Also a new knitting mystery book series was recommended to me by Aunt Mary by Sally Goldenbaum of which I am currently reading. The first series of books are: Death by Cashmere; Patterns In the Sand; Moon Spinners; and the latest called A Holiday Yarn. You can find additional books by Sally Goldenbaum at www.sallygoldenbaum.com .

Group Question
Do we want to make a quilt for a donation to an organization this year? How do people feel about having a group project that included not just quilting but also scrapbooking and knitting?