Sadly our winter members are slowly packing up and going north for the summer. The full-timers are already looking forward to their return.
April has been UFO month, that is finishing our projects that were started this winter or have been in the closet this past year. Classes given this past month focused on skill building. Classes given were a landscape emphasizing artistic design, the spicy table runner that utilized using a specialty ruler and the Beatle Bag, which included utilizing inserts and other skills.
Quilt ‘til You Wilt was a smashing success. We ate, sewed, laughed and finished another comfort quilt. Each attendee completed a block that was pieced by a member into a comfort quilt. These special evenings are similar to the quilting bees our mothers and grandmothers used to attend.
Another fun event was hosted by Karen and Bob Furu. Karen and Bob opened their home to quilters and spouses with burgers and hot dogs as the entree. Every member brought a side dish. There were about 59 people in attendance. It was decided this will be an annual event. Bea and Denny Pressler have offered their house for next year.
Bea Pressler and Mary Syer gave two more longarm certification classes. Attendees practice their new skills by quilting a comfort quilt. One attendee completes the quilt by sewing the binding on. At least one comfort quilt is completed as a result of the class.
Topping off March activities was a shop hop to Tucson. Annie Arthur and Sharon Haworth organized this year’s shop hop. We visited five stores with a well-needed lunch break. On the way back our cars were loaded with stunning fabrics, the latest gadgets and other sewing tools with some fun patterns thrown in for good measure. Once again members used their stealth skills to get their purchases from the car to their stash without our understanding spouses really knowing what we had been up to. We always need more fabric!
For those who are not familiar with the Robson Ranch Material Girls, here is a little about us. We welcome all residents and their house guests to join us. You can visit for two times before we collect your dues, which are $20 per year. With that money we purchase fabric and supplies to make comfort and charity quilts. Comfort quilts are given to our own Robson Ranch residents who have a serious illness or lose a spouse. Please contact Bea Pressler at 520-858-5379 if you know of someone you feel might need one. This year our charity is The Ironwood Chemo Center, which one of our members had used a few years ago.
Our 2015 fundraiser is a queen-sized quilt called Natures Jewels. By the time you read this we will have drawn for this quilt, and the lucky winner will be using it. We will have a new raffle quilt around the summer of 2016 to be drawn in April of 2017. Keep watching to see that one; it will be as beautiful as the last one!