We had a small turnout but a fun time at our first Open Sew on Thursday morning. Stephanie graciously hosted at the Church of Latter Day Saints in North Caldwell. They have plenty of room for lots of people and big projects.

We started by working on the memory quilt that Stephanie talked about at our September meeting. A friend of her husband’s lost her son in an accident, and she had asked Stephanie to make multiple quilts for family members with her son’s t-shirts. It was very emotional holding them and cutting them, but Stephanie, Daniela and Melanie started cutting squares and rectangles from the logos on the shirts. The next step was to iron them to a fusible stabilizing fabric. We made several dozen pieces, which was a good start for this project.

Diane arrived after braving some highway traffic on her way from Bergen county, and everyone ooh and ahhed over her featherweight machine. She brought a paper piecing projects. Then Daniela started laying out a quilt for her son on the floor.

As we got talking, we started sharing tips and tricks. Well, Diane started showing us some great stuff, including “magic binding” and a really smart quilting use for a Dr. Scholl’s product. We also talked about our favorite movies, quilt field trips and amazing hair stylists.

We’re so excited for the next Open Sew on November 7. It will be in the evening, so members with day jobs can come if schedules permit. Mark your calendars!