Block-of-the-Month is a chance to try making some different blocks. Bring your completed block (or blocks) to the guild meeting for a chance to win them all. The more blocks you bring, the more chances to win! Even though meetings are canceled, keep making blocks — we will have a drawing for each month once we can all meet together again.

Beads of Courage is a resilience-based intervention designed to support and strengthen children and families coping with serious illness. Through the program children tell their story using colorful beads as meaningful symbols of courage that commemorate milestones they have achieved along their unique treatment path. Making a Bead Bag You will need: Two – 9” x 12” pieces of focus fabric Two – 9” x 12” pieces of lining fabric Two – 26” long pieces of thin cording or ribbon One – Beads of Courage label Instructions: If available, sew label in middle or lower right corner to RS of one piece of focus fabric. Focus Fabric – with RS together sew 1/2″ seam on both long sides making a tube. Press seams open. Lining Fabric – repeat Step 2. Turn lining right side out and place inside focus fabric (RS together). Line up seams and sew a 1/4″ seam around top of tube. Turn right side out. Press seam towards lining. (You now have 1 long tube.) Tuck lining back inside and press top seam flat. Sew a seam 2″ from top. When you get to each side seam, back tack 1/4″ across seam. Sew another seam 2 ¾” from top, …

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Author, teacher and fabric designer Nancy Mahoney has enjoyed making quilts for over twenty-five years. An impressive range of her beautiful quilts have been featured in many books and over 175 national and international quilt magazines, with more books and patterns in the works. She also has created over 100 quilt patterns for a number of fabric manufacturers. Nancy has designed 15 fabric collections for P&B Textiles and Clothworks. With the belief that making a quilt should be fun, Nancy’s goal is for her students to have a good time, learn something new, and make a quilt that they will enjoy for many years. Visit her website www.nancymahoney.com for more information and free patterns.

Joanne and Kelley Jones will speak about their adventures as quilt shop owners, and their precision, laser cut, pre-fused quilt kits. Ye Olde Forest Quilt Shop is located in Greensboro with easy access from I-40. They are a friendly, modern eclectic quilt shop located in the heart of North Carolina with an emphasis on old-fashioned customer service! The provide high quality quilting fabrics, longarm quilting tools, quality threads and quilting notions.

DOQ has two ongoing projects to support the families of infants who are hospitalized. Links to the patterns and directions can be found below. Please bring completed dolls to the regular DOQ guild meetings. The first project is making small therapy dolls to give to children whose baby brother or sister is in the hospital. The simple stuffed dolls can be used to explain what is happening to the baby, and be held and cuddled by the older brother or sister.  Therapy Doll Pattern The second project is making snoedels for premature infants. The first  Snoedel was created by a Dutch woman inspired by the birth of a friend’s premature infant. The Dutch word “snoedel” means “snuggle”. The mother (or father) keeps the snoedel close to there skin where they absorb and retain their scent. Then when held or placed near a newborn or infant the scent is slowly released to comfort the baby.  Snoedels are used in the NICU to minimize infant stress, comfort parents, and to continue the baby/parent bonding process when babies are separated from their mothers following birth and placed in incubators.  Snoedel Directions

Online blog highlight: Moda Bakeshop Looking to use up that spare jelly roll or charm pack? Or are you looking for a quick 120-minute Christmas gift? Check out the Moda Bakeshop at http://www.modabakeshop.com Moda Bakeshop features “recipes,” or patterns and tutorials that feature Moda precuts, including charm packs, jelly rolls, layer cakes, honeybuns… However, any precut package can be used for these patterns. There are a variety of projects available, ranging from table runners to bed-sized quilts, and the designs feature all different kinds of fabric, as recipes come from literally hundreds of “chefs,” or contributors. And if you have a great precut pattern, you can become a Bakeshop Chef too! Online resource feature: Flickr Photo Pools Flickr is an website where you can store and display your photos for others to see. But Flickr isn’t just for artists, or stowing your vacation pictures; many people post high-quality photos of their work for others to admire. There are also special themed photo pools, some which have amassed thousands of projects. To see a list of photo pools, look at the online resources database on the website. Visit flickr.com today to explore! Find us on Pinterest for more ideas: http://pinterest.com/DOQuilters/ Have any …

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Vickie Clontz is a designer, teacher and fiber artist specializing in wool and all things related. Vickie has been sewing since her mother first introduced her to needle and thread at age 5. Her pattern company, Annie”s Keepsakes, has over 75 original designs for quilting, home decor and wearables. Vickie loves creating unique designs and wearable art, and enjoys sharing her ideas, talent and expertise with others through the classes, programs and workshops she teaches across the country