Stitch and bitch group

During the winter months my good friend Tina hosts a group of wantabe quilters. She plans out projects that will help them build basic skills and helps them trouble shoot machine problems and over all it is a fun afternoon to get together outside of the office and decompress. The group usually changes from year to year in participants but she always finds great women who are eager to learn and who are a lot of fun to fellowship with and get to know better.

Saturday our project was to make pillowcases. Since many of the women are newbies to using rotary cutters it took some time getting accustomed to using them safely and accurately. I must say that everyone got at least one done and most people got a pair done. Here are some photos of our afternoon.

Tina has her studio set up nicely for small groups. This is her area designated for the machines. I am standing beside her cutting area to take this photo and her pesonal machine and an ironing station is behind me, right beside me to my left is another station for 2 machines. So all together she could have 8 people in but 6 is probably a little more comfortable for moving around and all. Can you see her fabric storage closet at the end of the room. She doesn't have her doors/design wall on them yet but look at all that fabric. (I know she has more in other places too.) Tina is very organized.

Here is a photo of one of the ladies, Sally, working on her pillowcase.

She made a beautiful pair of floral pillowcases. She had some sewing experience and went to town on her's. She did learn a new technique, as did all of us, and that was how to make a french seam.

And here is Tina helping Betsy with a machine problem. She is very good at teaching others how to use their machines and to trouble shoot problems.

I managed to get my 2 pillowcases done while still helping out and when I got home I whipped up my other 2 pillowcases that I had cut out. I plan on making Steeler's pillow cases for my son for his apartment. He starts college today and will move into his apartment tomorrow. I also have some beautiful floral fabric that I think I will use for pillow cases for myself. It is time to upgrade some of those older stained or otherwise dingy pillow cases.

Well, that is it for today. I hope that you have a good day and remember to do something nice for someone else, I already have (I lent my Jeep to DS to drive to class today so he doesn't have to drive his big old gas guzzler truck). Remember also to be grateful for something today that you have taken for granted for too long. Have a great day.