Ritzy Thimble Quilters Newsletter Volume 5, Issue 4 April 20, 2012

From Our President Greetings gentle quilters. I know this month’s newsletter is late, late, late; but I still wanted to have one for April. April WAS going to be my quilt stash cleaning month. I have always wanted to accomplish a major Spring cleaning. You know, one of those top-to-bottom full-scale assaults on the entire house, especially the “quilt room.” Well, another Spring has come and (almost) gone with no progress, so I guess this chore will remain on my to do list. But in reality it doesn’t matter what time of year it is, we can always “Spring clean” our quilting stash, especially our UFOs or WIPs (works in progress) if you prefer. You can find great UFO-reducing suggestions at: http://c-mann.suite101.com/quilters-resolutions-for-the-new-year-finishing-those-ufosa326007. I’d like to share a key step: Step 2: Decide Which UFOs to Keep, Give Away, or Trash Look at each UFO and ask yourself honestly if you genuinely want to finish this project, or if you’d really rather just make it go away. Maybe you don’t like the fabrics, or you chose a pattern that was too technically challenging for you. Give yourself permission to not finish quilts you don’t feel enthusiastic about working on. You really don’t have to finish everything you start. Life’s too short to spend it on projects you don’t enjoy! And for those of you who have been cleaning your quilt studios, you’re ready for April’s meeting!

Cora Nappo


Annual Pin Money Sale It’s time to sell and shop. The room will open at 4:30 for setup; shopping begins at 5:00 until 6:00 when we’ll have a meeting and sew ‘n tell. We’ll resume shopping until the end of the evening.

March’s Meeting Thank you everyone for another great meeting! Congratulations to Linda Cole, Alison Darken, Narda Hipsher, Valorie Knight, Glenys Nappo, and Lin Stricker: winners of the fat quarter bundle drawings. Congratulations to Cindy Conrad, winner of the Quilts of Valor fabric donation drawing. Susan Thomason reports, “We donated 26 yards of fabric, well done members.” Also from Susan Thomason, RTQ Membership & Guest Sign-In Committee Chair: We had 40 members sign in and one guest, Wilma Sanders. We are averaging 40 members so far a month. I'll be set up for sign-in even for the pin money sale. Look for me, I'll be the one in the hat. We got to see several finished tops from Laura Ziock’s Double Dutch Star workshop on March 10. From left to right are Gail Ware, Wanda Somers, and Arlene Murphy. Beautiful quilts, ladies! For those of you who inquired about Gail’s border, she got the pattern from the February 2012 issue of Quilter’s World. The pattern is called (no kidding) Double Dutch! I appreciate everyone participating in our program and sharing your favorite/least favorite patterns. Who knew so many of you feel so strongly about paper piecing?!

Upcoming Meetings and Events
4/23 Ritzy Thimble Quilters Meeting – This is the 4th Monday of the Month 4:30 p.m. at Panera Bread in Oak Ridge. Everyone is invited to attend. 6:00 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Civic Center. Mystery quilt clue #4 revealed, April Program: Pin Money Sale

 5/21 Ritzy Thimble Quilters Meeting 4:30 p.m. at Panera Bread in Oak Ridge. Everyone is invited to attend. 6:00 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Civic Center. Mystery quilt clue #5 revealed, block drawing #2 introduced, June fabric exchange introduced May Program: Pappy’s Quilting

6/18 Ritzy Thimble Quilters Meeting – Meeting in the AB Room & Room is Available at 5:30 6:00 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Civic Center. Mystery quilt clue #6 revealed, fabric drawing, June Program: Hospitality House Challenge

 Workshops Patty Ashworth is teaching 9-Patch Pizzazz on Saturday, April 28. Class size is 20, 6 hours (10:00 – 4:00 p.m.) at the Oak Ridge Civic Center. Cost is $20. Lunch is potluck. Judy Sisneros’ book, 9-Patch Pizzazz: Fast, Fun & Finished in a Day, is recommended for this class (a Kindle edition is available from Amazon). Payment is due at sign-up and is NON-REFUNDABLE.