Author: Diane

Hi! I've been sewing garments since I was 13 years old when I made a cute little red sundress in HomeEc class. Recently, I became an empty-nester and decided I wanted to have more fun! That's when I started quilting, and now I'm hooked!

President’s letter, March, 2019

Posted on by Diane

Thank you. 

Now that’s an odd way to start a letter, but it’s what comes to mind as I think about everything  the Mudsock Quilters Guild is doing lately.  We’re in our 4th year of making quilts for Community North Hospital to distribute on Christmas morning. We’re making pillowcases, baby quilts, and all sizes for children who are often in unimaginable situations.  You stepped up to help with a request for 4 quilts for a nursing home in Nebraska, not knowing the people read more

Bus Trip News

Posted on by Diane

According to the  poll on facebook, Grands Rapidswon with the most votes.

The quilt show is scheduled for August 21-24.  We will probably stay out two nights just like last trip.  We will have a table set up at the March guild meeting for sign ups.  The deposit will be $25, bring checks or cash.  We need to see how much interest there is, in order to make it cost effective we need at least 45 people to sign up.

Lets make this a great trip, we had so much fun on our first bus trip.

See Becky read more

Upcoming Programs

Posted on by Diane

March 11 at 9:30 at Cornerstone Lutheran Church

Member participation in “First & Last”.  We are asking each of you to bring one of the earliest quilts you made and one of your more recent finishes. We will each share a little about our own quilting journey. We will assign individuals into groups of 10 so that everyone isn’t standing up holding their quilts during the program. 

April 8 at 9:30 at Cornerstone Lutheran Church

“Color in a Supporty Role” presented by Weeks Ringle of Modern Quilt Studio  in Oak Park, IL. This is a lecture and trunk show. read more

Art Quilt Exhibition

Posted on by Diane

April 12 – May 25

The Declaration of Sentiments 1848 – The Struggle Continues
​EXHIBITION OPENING RECEPTION • Friday, April 12, 2019
Exhibit continues through May 25

An art quilt exhibition celebrating women’s accomplishments and honoring their struggles throughout American history. The works by the artists in this exhibition illustrate the passion, anger, hope, perseverance, and celebration of women’s rights.

SHOWING SOON IN ZIONSVILLE AT SULLIVANMUNCE CENTER—
This is read more

Boone County Quilt Show

Posted on by Diane

Boone County Extension Homemakers are hosting a Quilt Show on Saturday, March 16 from 9am-3pm at the Boone County Fairgrounds (Farm Bureau Community Bldg; Lebanon, IN – I-65 exit 138). Admission $3

  • displays of antique and contemporary quilts
  • quilting demonstrations
  • quilting, sewing, & craft vendors

Entry form and show info, contact Tameria O’Dell or call the office at 765-482-0750.

January Board Meeting Minutes

Posted on by Diane

The meeting was held on January 9, 2019 at 1:30 pm at the Fishers Library.

Attending: Diane Dimpfl, April Sterling, Alice Whitaker, Donna Reimer, Chris Behme, Marion Newell, Tamera O’Dell, Sandy Metzger, Samanatha Berry, Diane Lockman and Laura Anderson.

The meeting was called to order by Alice Whitaker.  Introductions were made, including position in the Guild. The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as written.  The Treasurer’s report was distributed.  It indicates read more

February President’s Letter

Posted on by Diane

I thought I’d be looking at a beautiful snowy winter scene this morning as I sit in my sewing room.  Instead, it’s freezing rain, gray skies and no hope of seeing any sun today, or even the snow that we expected all week.  Seems like a good time to look forward to what’s ahead for Mudsock in the coming months, make some sewing plans, and get my calendar up to date with our events.

We will have our first UFO Bee on Monday, January 28th at the Community Health Pavillion read more

Smile!

Posted on by Diane

If you haven’t had your photo taken yet for the website, we’ve got you covered! Meet us at the front window during the break at our February meeting, and we’ll take your picture. And if we already have your photo but you’d like an update, come on over. 🙂

Meet ‘N Greet

Posted on by Diane

If you’ve joined the Guild since October 2018, please join us for a Meet ‘N Greet on February 15th @ Diane Lockman’s home from 9:30am to 11:30am. We’ll enjoy light refreshments while Board and Committee members fill you in on all the exciting details of membership as a Mudsocker.

See events calendar for address and google map.

Calling all Mudsockers!

Posted on by Diane

Our March meeting will be called “First and Last.” We are asking everyone to bring one of their first quilts they completed and one of their more recent quilts.

We will have an extended Show ‘N Tell  for our program, and we are asking members to comment on their quilting journey. If each of us could keep those comments to a minute it will allow us to include quite a few members.

Thank You, Cornerstone!

Posted on by Diane

Every month Cornerstone Lutheran graciously hosts our Guild meetings at no charge. Please show your gratitude by bringing food pantry contributions, or make a small suggested $ 1.00 donation from your piggy bank.

In February, the church will be collecting new socks for Concordia Seminary in Fort Wayne and The Sharing Place.

Thanks so much!

“Secret Quilter” Challenge

Posted on by Diane

We had a great response to the 2019 “Secret Quilter” challenge. It will be so fun to see all the projects that will be created. If you were not at the January meeting, you can still participate.

Download instructions

If you want to do the challenge, you need to bring your 4 fat quarters to the February meeting and you can get your bag, envelope, etc. at the meeting. Please keep your fabrics out of sight since this is going to be a surprise! You can put your fabrics read more

President’s letter – January 2019

Posted on by Diane
pixabay creative commons quilt pic

CHALLENGE:  “a call to take part in a contest or competition” or “a task or situation that tests someone’s abilities”   

 As I looked up the definition and synonyms for CHALLENGE, I found just as many positive words – call, enliven, rally, as I found really unpleasant words—agitate, goad, provoke.  So, for this year, let’s just stick with that first group, stay positive as we rally together!

We all have challenges in life, and yes, many of them are very unpleasant. But read more

October Board Minutes

Posted on by Diane

The board meeting of the Mudsock Quilt Guild was held on 10/12/2018.  Sandy Metzger called the meeting to order. 

Those in attendances were as follows:  Sandy Metzger, Lissa Shanahan, Diane Dimpff, April Sterling, Lois Levine, Alice Whitaker, Judy Elwartowski, Sally Sandilands, Diane Lockman, Marion Newell, Samantha Berry, Carlene Clark and Tameria O’Dell.

The Board Meeting minutes from June were sent by email and accepted as read.

The Treasurer’s Report was distributed.  read more

First Meet ‘N Greet

Posted on by Diane

A fun time was had at our first New Members Meet ‘N Greet with lots of great conversations and plenty of yummy food! BOD and Committee members chatted about the Guild and opportunities for learning, serving, and of course, quilting!  We’ll be doing this on a quarterly basis.

If you’re a new member and missed our first event, please join us on February 15th for the next one.  Or if you’ve been around for a while and want to serve our new members, contact Alice Whitaker read more

From the President’s Desk – DEC

Posted on by Diane

The year is coming to an end, and my time as the president of the Mudsock Quilters Guild is almost over. It has been a privilege to be a part of such a wonderful organization!  I moved to Indiana from Michigan just over 3 years ago, and the only people I knew here were my daughter, her husband, my grandson, and a few of my daughter’s friends. Because of my association with Mudsocks, I now have many acquaintances, and quite a few new friends. I am looking forward to having more time at meetings read more

2019 Workshops

Posted on by Diane

February 1 – Workshop: Succulent Garden pattern, with Heather Givans. Community Health Pavilion at 9669 E. 146th St, Noblesville., 9:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m. Cost, $45

If you missed Heather Givans’ November workshop, you’ll have another opportunity to spend time with this creative force! Heather will be returning to Mudsock on February 1 for a 6-hour workshop using her Succulent Garden pattern. Sign-up for this workshop has already started, and only six spaces remain. Sign up now and pay for read more

Get Ready: Tag Sale

Posted on by Diane
creative commons license unsplash

The tag sale is the number one fundraiser that we do throughout the year.

How it works: 

Mudsock Guild members clean out their stash, sewing and craft rooms (to make room for more stash, of course). Bring your pre-priced items to the monthly guild meeting and offer it up for sale to our guild members.  The money raised each month goes to the guild helping pay for speakers, special events, and programs.

Items not sold at the meeting are stored until we select a date to offer it for sale to the public.  read more

Children’s Charity Needs

Posted on by Diane
pixabay christianabella creative commons license

After speaking with the coordinators of our Children’s Charities, here are some more specifics on their needs. Labeled tubs will be at our meetings for your donations. Questions: Sally 317 747 4104 or Max 608 692 2020.  Thanks for all you create and donate!

DAMAR: Mostly boys ages 6 through 18 with autism.    Standard size colorful pillowcases.

BIRTHRIGHT, INT’L.:  Support for teens and women with unplanned pregnancies. Larger (36”x 40” up to 36”x 50”)baby quilts read more

The Secret to Neat & Easy Hand Applique

Posted on by Diane

image (c) 2011 – PurlSoHo.com

Have you ever tried hand applique? This finishing method gives your quilt an added dimension and pop. There are two or three methods in the sewing community for attaching appliques like flowers, animals, and birds to your quilts:

  • needle-turned & fusible web
  • starch & freezer paper
  • raw edges & fusible web

Purl Bee’s simple applique method will give you a beautiful clean finish that doesn’t fray or come undone.  The finished edges look like you invested the time and effort in turning them under with your needle when, in fact, you took a shortcut.  Here are 10 steps to neat (& easy!) hand applique:

  1. make template on scrap or craft paper
  2. trace your template on wrong side of fabric
  3. roughly cut around the outline on your fabric
  4. pin it to the wrong side of fusible web interfacing (fusible side up)
  5. sew all the way around the pencil line of your template
  6. trim seam allowance to 1/8″

read more

Dear Stella’s “Meadow II” Quilt Pattern is Free

Posted on by Diane

Stacey Day of Stacy in Stitches designed this cute quilt using eighteen 12″x12″ star blocks.  Quilting techniques include the four-patch, flying geese (or half-square triangles if you prefer), and basic sashing. The finished quilt is 58″x77″ and requires nine different fabrics plus 3.75 yds of backing fabric and batting.  Hawthorne Threads asked Dear Stella Designs to share it with their email list; be sure to sign up for the HT newsletter…there’s always inspiring fabrics and patterns to jumpstart your imagination.

Get the free quilt pattern

If you want to replicate Stacy’s quilt, you can find Dear Stella fabrics online or in your local quilt shop.  If they don’t have the “Life’s a Beach” collection, ask them to order it for you.  These splashy prints are so much fun!

Download FREE Quarter Log Cabin Pattern

Posted on by Diane

If you’ve been sewing for any length of time, you’ve probably made the “log cabin” quilt, but have you ever tried a QUARTER log cabin?  Seven inch blocks are set on point with sashing in between to keep it all from looking wonky.  This free quilt pattern works great with precuts, too, which makes your job as a seamstress even easier!  The finished quilt is 51″ x 70.”

Get your free pattern

Now quilting a quarter log cabin is easier than ever because Craftsy has done all the work for you!  Measurements, fabric requirements, illustrations…everything you need to get started quilting this cute design today is included in the FREE pattern from Hilltop Custom Designs.  Digital download is delivered as soon as you sign up for craftsy and put the pattern in your shopping cart.  Easy peasy!

P.S. Share your quilt photos to our facebook page.  🙂

How to Make a “Ribbon Star” Block

Posted on by Diane

Faith Jones of Fresh Lemon Quilts has put together a helpful tutorial (with photos) for making an adorable 12″ square “Ribbon Star” block using half-square triangles. You’ll need four primary fabrics along with your white background.

Go to the quilt block tutorial for measurements and cutting instructions.

And if you like this block, you’ll want to sew the other four blocks from her “Solstice Stars” series. She shows you how to make the swirling star, the star of mystery, the two color star, and one she calls “another” star.  Faith also shows you some possible quilt layouts using these blocks.  Have fun!

6 Steps to Easy Half-Square Triangles

Posted on by Diane

Half-square triangle units (also known as HSTs) can be daunting for a beginning quilter, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be making them all the time from your stash scraps.  Pieced together, they make some very beautiful patchwork quilts; you’ll love rotating them around until you find the exact look you want.

So what are HSTs?  They’re fabric squares made up of two 90 degree triangles.  But don’t get ahead of this lesson by cutting two triangles and sewing them together…there’s a much easier way to get perfect half-square triangles.

  • Put two fabric squares together, right sides facing each other
  • Draw a diagonal line from either upper corner to the opposite lower corner
  • Sew a 1/4″ seam along both sides of your pencil diagonal line
  • Cut the square on the diagonal line (rotary is faster)
  • Finger press your seam open then lightly touch it with the iron
  • Trim dog ears

And voila!  You’ve just sewn a perfect half-square triangle.

Here’s a visual tutorial from Janet Wickell at The Spruce to help you see the steps.

Don’t you just LOVE that HST patchwork design in the photo?  It’s from Debbie Moyes from A Daily Dose of Fiber.  Check it out!

12 Quilting Tips from Karen Burkett

Posted on by Diane

These tips and tricks are from Karen Burkett, who passed away recently. She was such a  talented artist and we will really miss her.

1 – When you are having trouble threading a needle turn it over and thread from the other side. The whole is punched in the needle and it is easier to thread from one side than it is from the other.

2 – To help the thread not twist while sewing, put the knot in the end that is cut from the spool. This is the direction the thread is
read more

Quilt Block Tags

Posted on by Diane

(c) Nova @ A Cuppa and a Catch Up

Do you have a system when you lay out a quilt, shuffling blocks before deciding on the final cut? If you don’t have one that works for you, this tip could come in handy. Let me introduce you to my Quilt Block Tags.

Learn more about these helpful little labels from Nova at A Cuppa and a Catch Up.

Originally shared by Pat Adams on June 29, 2016