February 19, 2013 Meeting Summary

Hey, Everyone!
   We had a wonderful meeting on February 19, 2013, with a very special guest speaker- Melissa Stramel from Lilac Lane Patterns! We were very excited to have her contact us, asking to join our meeting and make a presentation. Too bad the weather was not very cooperative (which is very typical of Cleveland)!
   We started off with Show and Tell- Rosanne: a Pink, Orange and yellow baby quilt; Bev: sunset mini quilt and mini abstract green quilt; Paula- Fabric Notebook Cover with inside pockets; Joanne- Modern Cross Baby Quilt and Modern Strip Quilt called "Old School Library" from sewmamasew.com; Liza- Finished Solid Fabric Challenge Makeup Bag; Shirley- "Chocolate Covered Strawberries"; Sue- Zebra Pattern House wall hangings; Gabby- Melted Snowman Wall hanging and Quilted Zipper Bag; and finally Gaye- Bow Tie Tonga Treats Quilt.
   Once Show and Tell was over, we were treated to a presentation by Melissa (who was in town to tape 2 episodes of the PBS show "It's Sew Easy", airing in May and this fall), where she talked about learning to sew at an early age, her life in Kansas and how she turned her talents into publishing patterns and a book. She has been featured in the Moda Bake Shop and she is a selling designer on quiltwoman.com, as well as having been published in many quilting magazines. She featured her latest patterns for sale and presented samples of her work. 24 patterns are currently for sale; encompassing Cross Stitch, Girls Clothing (with matching American Girl doll patterns), handbags & totes, learn-to-sew patterns and Quilts. Her newest publication will be in the May issue of "Stitch" magazine.
   Her book, "A Year of Making Life Beautiful" features a pattern, recipe and other treats for each month of the year. With everything from forcing flowers to canning; scrap booking to flower arranging, there is something for everyone of all ages and talent level to be learned from her book. All the pictures in the book were her own photos of her children and family farm in Colby, Kansas.

   We were very fortunate for Melissa to present to us and thank her very much for the wonderful opportunity!

   The next meeting will be March 19, 2013, 7pm at Anna's Sewing Center in North Olmsted, OH and this one will have an exciting presentation from Linda Sekerak who was at Quilt Con this week.

Thanks,
Judi
Guild Secretary