Quadrille Quilters October Newsletter

Report Back of Previous Meeting:
All members and visitors were welcomed by Grace.
Members were reminded to switch off all cell phones or turn them to silent as they do disrupt the flow of meetings.
Members were also reminded to wear their name tags at all friendship meetings.
The craft table was complemented on their interesting wares, but members were kindly asked to take home their unsold items at the end of the meeting.
The books sent by Maggie have still not arrived. Maggie has just returned home, and has had a wonderful holiday. She will look into the missing books.
The challenge entries are to be hung at the next meeting. It was disappointing that although 20 ‘kits’ were sold only 5 were returned and one unfinished one. Edwina suggested that the theme for the next challenge be sent out earlier, perhaps in November or December already. The Committee will take this into consideration at their next meeting.

There is still some silver jewelry left over from our 25th anniversary celebrations. Charms, pins and earrings are available at R100.each. Please contact Averil Barker on 011 802 1426.
Leonora thanked all members on the vast improvement of the show and tell slips and asked members to continue including tit bits of interesting information.
Members were again reminded that if asked to provide tea they are also required to help with the cleaning up in the kitchen area.
Members were reminded of the exhibition in the Heathway shopping centre on the 29 October. QQ will require volunteers to help hang up and take down as well as quilts to be hung. Volunteers to do demos will also be needed. Quilts, especially Christmas quilts for sale are popular, so should you wish to sell a quilt or two please bring them along. A quilt donated by Maggie Ball will also be raffled during the exhibition.
Members were reminded to keep looking at the notice board as there are always new items being displayed.

The Handbag Project has been adopted as our next charity. Should have an old handbag or two please bring them to one of our meetings. Instead of the proverbial Christmas gift members were encouraged to donate any of the following items at the December meeting:
Face cloth Panties (med. or large)
Sanitary Towels Soap Tooth Paste
Tooth Brush Shampoo Deodorant
Body Lotion(small) Bubble bath (small )
Comb Tissues Chocolate
Hair clips/bands Small soft Toy
Note – words of comfort/care
Bag to place above items in
QQ will consider making some of these bags with the mile a minute strips left over from the previous charity project. Dates for these sessions will be announced soon.

The Library reported that they are getting new books soon, which will then be reviewed.
Lesley reported back from GRG that they were looking for a new venue. Apparently a version of Bingo was played and much fun was had by all. The Part Time quilters also showed some of their quilts. The I Africa quilt show at the Emperors Place next year has attracted many overseas teachers and members were encouraged to keep a look out for their bookings. The event is to take place in July next year.

Jenny noted that the last house in this years back page is a real challenge. She did a lot of unpicking and changed her way of working. Tiny strips were sewn through freezer paper. She suggests to cut larger pieces and then trim it down. There is a cactus in the picture which she suggests you colour in beforehand.


Guest Speaker: Marina Sigalis
Marina was born in Greece into a rich culture of crafts and spinning. However her move to South Africa and the birth of her second child did introduce depression. It was not a chemically introduced depression, but rather one associated with loneliness. which was not surprising being new in a country with no support system in place. Her doctor told her to get a hobby.
She remembered her weaving skills and went to the wool board in Pretoria for a visit. She took a week long course and one thing led to another. From weaving, spinning was introduced. This led to her interest to dye yarns. She experimented with natural products such as turmeric, saffron, marigolds and celery. Chemical dyes were easily available but they are poisonous. Dying fiber to dyeing fabric was a natural progression. A book by Adriene Buffington “Hand dyed Fabric made easy “ she still maintains to be the best available.
She progressed to mixing her own dyes and made her own colour wheel. Dying is the second most stressful job around. Reproducing the exact same colour with every dye lot is almost impossible. She generally dyes on calico, but stresses to be careful as colours vary when dyed onto white or cream cloth. She loves immersion dyes as so called imperfections result in very interesting products. She started rainbow dying with yarns, but now uses the technique with fabrics.
Marina uses various methods of dying but finds the Sun dyes the easiest. This also allows for interesting additions of leaves , salt and other creative produce, including old door mats.
The book ‘Complex cloth’ by Jane Dunnewold taught her to combine different methods She now confidently combines stenciling, bleaching and stamping .
The embellishing of fabric, Marina claims can bring out your inner child(which we all should strive to maintain).
Marina strongly suggested to keep a log book when entering the dying world – as future reproductions might not be possible without one.
Marina now also teaches her dying skills, but is very reluctant to sell
any of her fabrics. She just packs them away neatly and “visits” them on occasion.



Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds
On the heel that has crushed it.
Mark twain


Giving from the Heart…Our Charities…
Remember to save your scrap fabric and put them into an old pillow case for the SPCA to use for all the unwanted animals. Your old towels and sheets will also help with bath time.

CHOC is always in need of bed socks and beanies and scarves for children of all ages…so get some wool from QQ and get knitting.

Also keep knitting vests for all the aids babies.
Wool donations have arrived.
Bring your old egg boxes, cotton reels and other useful recyclables to be given to St Vincent School for the Deaf

Bring your old glasses and glasses cases to be used by the Lions Eye Clinic in Roodepoort, for people with no money or medical aid but in need of glasses. They use your old frames.
Have an ‘old’ bag just taking up storage space? Why not support our Handbag Project?
Instead of the proverbial Christmas gift please donate any of the following items at the December meeting:
Face cloth, Panties (med. or large),Sanitary Towels, Soap, Tooth Paste, Tooth Brush, Shampoo, Deodorant, Body Lotion(small), Bubble bath (small), Comb, Tissues, Chocolate, Hair clips/bands, Small soft Toy and a
Note – words of comfort/care
Bag to place above items in
QQ will consider making some of these bags with the mile a minute strips left over from the previous charity project. Dates for these sessions will be announced soon

Which are You?
Some members keep a group so strong.
While others join just to belong.
Some dig right in; serve with pride;
Some go along just for the ride.

Some volunteer to do their share,
While some lie back and just don’t care.
Some do their best, some help, some make;
Some do nothing, only take.

Some greet new members with a smile,
And make their coming so worthwhile.
While some go on their merry way,
No greeting or kind work to say.

Some help the group and grow,
When asked to help they don’t say “no”.
Some drag, some pull, some don’t some do;
Consider, which of these are YOU?


Color my Memory
By Margaret Kaufman
The jewelry will be easy to divide-
The books will interest only one of you,
But one day you will stand here
Side by side, unfolding these quilts,
Exposing to light their color, the blue,
Rose, white, saying their names
Of things I loved, Ocean Waves,
Ships at sea

Perhaps you will grow silent and puzzling
Remembering me, the way I folded
Myself into silence,
Piecing and puzzling until
Design came clear.
If you find it hard to keep
What took me often far away from you
As I worked, intent on making whole
What I’d begun,
Pin my quilts on the clothesline.
Let them fly in the autumn sun.
Summer joy, cover my memory
With color.


A smile for You
Smiling is infectious; you catch it like the flu,
When someone smiled at me today, I started smiling too
I passed around the corner and someone saw my grin, when he smiled I realized I’d passed it on to him.
I thought about that smile, then I realized its worth,
A single smile, just like mine, could travel around the earth.
So, if feel a smile begin, don’t leave it undetected,
Let’s start an epidemic quick, and get the world infected