Christmas In July at the Charlotte Quilters Guild Sit-and-Sew

I am pretty sure that Christmas cookies have ZERO calories if you eat them in July, when it's over a hundred degrees outside.  At least that's what I'm telling myself, because I ate at least four(teen) tree-shaped sugar cookies dusted with green sprinkling sugar at my guild's monthly Sit-and-Sew yesterday afternoon!

Although some of us were working on our own personal projects as usual, the Outreach committee had precut kits in holiday themed fabrics ready to go for those who wanted to put together charity quilts.  I brought Bette, my 1935 Singer Featherweight whom I've been neglecting for far too long, and gave her a good oiling before I started to sew just in case anything was binding up from sitting too long.  I need not have worried -- she purred like a kitten and sewed like a dream.

Bette the 1934 Featherweight Came Out of Hibernation for Christmas in July

I took a kit of 25 squares cut from two different novelty prints and got my 40" x 40" top sewn together by the end of the afternoon.  While Bette and I were working (and between shoveling cookies in my mouth), I got to visit with another guild member and get to know her better.  Meet Rona of Rona the Ribbiter Quilts:

I Love the Bag Rona Made With these Gorgeous Kaffe Fassett Fabrics!

Rona is a teacher, blogger, and pattern designer with a great sense of humor and a fondness for frogs.  She's currently serving on our guild's Board as one of two Programs Elect Chairs, which means she's shadowing the current team to learn the ropes and will be lining up our guild's lecturers and workshop teachers for next year.  

I am hoping Rona will teach a bag making workshop for our guild, because I was really smitten by this bag she made using Kaffe Fassett prints.  You can't really tell from the photo, but she incorporated some of her machine's decorative stitches on the bag and found really nice gunmetal hardware to complement her fabrics.  Pop over and say hello to Rona on her Hoppy Quilting blog at Rona the Ribbeter Quilts.

Alright, you guys -- I need to leave the house in one hour if I'm going to make it to warmup for the early service at church this morning, and I'm sitting here unshowered with a giant cup of coffee in front of me...  Have a wonderful Sunday!  Happy stitching!

I'm linking up with:

·      Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts http://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com 

·      Main Crush Monday at Cooking Up Quilts http://www.cookingupquilts.com/

·      Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt http://lovelaughquilt.blogspot.com/

·      Moving it Forward at Em’s Scrap Bag: http://emsscrapbag.blogspot.com.au/