Hello! Please let us know your name! I live in Winter Garden. There are several of us here who belong to the Florida Cabin Fever Quilt Guild. We meet the first Monday night each month at 6:30 at the Marks Street Center downtown. I don't know if that would work with your schedule or not. We have monthly fun nights on Tuesdays and have been having second Saturday sewing days, too.

There used to be some smaller stitching groups that met during the day time but I don't know if any of those exist any more.

My MIL died from Alzheimer's 3 years ago after a 15 year battle, and my FIL was her sole caregiver, so I know some of what you are dealing with. It's good to hear you are getting respite on a regular basis - you really need it! It took us quite a while to convince FIL he wasn't shirking if he put mom in day care for the day or a nursing home for a weekend once in a while.

Welcome to the forum!

Donna

Hi, newquilter! I'm also in Florida. You're fortunate to have a few of our members living around Orlando to bond with. A lot of us are self taught quilters and we do what we can to help each other out. So, ask questions....someone will know something.

Waving from Crystal River....

SharonG/FL

I forgot to say before that most of the quilt shops in the area have classes, which would be a good way to both learn new skills and meet new quilters! Here's a website that lists lots of shops around the state.

Donna

Here is a link that might be useful: Florida quilt shops

Another Orlando quilter here! Glad to have you join the group!

I hope you can join us at the next Monday night quilt guild meeting - the next one is May 7th. Let me know and my friend Marilyn and I will arrange to meet you there so you don't have to feel like you are among strangers.

Kate

Hi! I moved from the Orlando area about 3 years ago when we retired. AND I moved to a small rural town and I have no play mates. I know someone around here has to quilt, I just have to find where they are hiding lol!!!!

This is a great forum to make friends and all of the members are wonderful about sharing their knowledge and any new techniques found.

Welcome and I (we) would love to see pics of what you are working on.
Rosa

Strange -- I started quilting because I was a caregiver and couldn't leave the house. It's a wonderful hobby even when you are stuck at home. He has now died but the quilting goes on. I can just go to more quilt shows and workshops now. My husband will even go with me.

Good luck. Classes are a great way to start and you have many forum members around you. Ask questions, take pictures and share them and we'll post pictures back and try to talk you through the stumbles.

Welcome.

Hi newmember and Welcome!

All of the above are very good suggestions. I am also in Orl. Our guild held a FunDay today and it was a fun day! Topic: Miniture quilts. The tips she gave could be applied to other quilts as well. Very informative! What a nice turn out and it was so helpful to learn such exacting techniques! A great group of quilters!

Gwen

Oooo! Gwen! I can't wait to see what you made at FunDay! I couldn't make it today, but Marilyn and I are getting together tomorrow for our own mini-quilt day. May's meeting should be interesting with all the little quilts being shown.

Oh my, the pressure is on! lol Does one small nine patch and a half of the block with HST count? The techniques she shared was so helpful. She was a great source of tips. Mainly, she was a big fan of Sally Collins and used her techniques to teach us. Got to say, Pam's work was outstanding...even spectacular! She made everyone feel at ease like they could acomplish mini quilts...it is attention to detail that counts...cutting only one layer of fabric at a time...wow

Gwen

I'm in Orlando too... Clermont actually...

What happens at the quilting events on Monday nights? Do people teach things or do you just bring your own projects and machines and work on them together? It would be fun to get together with some other people in the area who like to tinker with this!

Vacuumfreak - It's not every monday, it's just the first monday or each month. I've added a link below to the guild website. The 1st monday meeting is part guild business, part enthusiasm for guild-supported projects (like donation baby blankets, pillow cases, BOM, and items for the guild quilt show next January), and part teaching. For each meeting there's a speaker who either explains his/her technique or shows their quilts. We also get information on upcoming events like Fun Nights when members bring their machines and sew, or classes. Check out the link for more details on everything the guild does. It's a large group and there are a wide variety of interests and events.

Like I said to Newquilter, who started this message thread, let us know if you are planning to come and we'll have our own corner of GardenWebbers.

Juanita Yeager is teaching a class in June that I'm really excited about! Members get 1st chance to sign up for classes.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot! They're running a bus trip to Houston for the BIG quilt show, too!

Kate

Here is a link that might be useful: Cabin Fever Quilt Guild - Orlando FL

If you live anywhere near Orlando you might want to consider coming over for Juanita Yeager's class on Saturday June 9th.
We are lucky to have such an amazing professional quilter in our guild! I'm already signed up and it would be fun to have other members of this forum in the class too.

Check out the link below to get to her website and see her beautiful quilts! Be sure to look at the poppies, and the watercolors, and the trees.

Here is a link that might be useful: Juanita Yeager's website

Kate, thank you for sharing the info about the guild with me.... I think I could really get serious about this and I would love to go to some of the guild meetings... I poked around on the web site a little while and it looks fun. What are the advantages of becoming a member? I know that it says the meetings are open to non-members, but you said that members get first crack at classes....

I spent all yesterday piecing and had a blast and plan to do the same tomorrow.... the more I do it, the more I love it and the easier it is.... my seams are *almost* starting to match up and that is really exciting!

There is a quilt or fabric shop and sewing machine shop in Maitland called the sewing studio and they have a few classes that I'd be very interested in taking... What I like about them is that they are a Brother dealer and both of my machines are Brothers so they wouldn't be looking down their noses at me like some of the Viking, Pfaff, Bernina, and Janome snobs do (not that everyone who owns those brands is a snob, but lots of the owners of those machines think that if you don't have the same brand of premium machine they do, you're somehow inferior.... each brand has kind of a cult following so I'd feel more comfortable around "Brother people" I think).....

Newquilter, have you decided if you'll be attending any of the guild meetings or joining any groups or classes? I took a class at Cornerstone quilt shop a couple years ago and it was a fun and good experience for the most part, but the quilt from that class is STILL in my car trunk, sans 2 borders :o)

I bought my Elna from Sewing Studio about 13 years ago. They are nice people and have a great shop. I haven't taken any classes there but I'm sure they do a good job. I love their selection of batiks!

Besides Brothers, I think they sell Janomes too.

Advantages to membership in a guild? Knowing you are supporting a good organization - that's the best reason for me. Bringing in speakers is expensive, putting on classes is expensive, renting the hall, supporting the programs and projects, and of course putting on the quilt show every two years. All of these things cost and without the support of member it can't happen. For me it's worth $25/year. Come to a couple meetings and see if it appeals to you; if it does, then you should join.

Hi, I am not from Orlando but just wanted to pop in, wave at ya and yell out "Hi Ya!" and welcome of course. I'm in Canada, Ontario. I'm waving real hard hopefully you can feel the breeze.

Cheers,
Peggy

Vacuum, I have Brother machines, too, though neither one came from the Sewing Studio. :)

A couple of other perks of guild membership: when we have well-known speakers at monthly meetings we sometimes charge admission to non-members. Also, you get a better price for workshops offered by the guild.

Like Kate says, it's worth the $25 per year just to get to hear speakers and see quilts from people who are really talented. (Kate, were you around when we raised the annual dues from $15 to $25? That was fun! - not.)

No, I'm a pretty recent member. It was $25 when I started, but I can imagine what you went through! Until recently I traveled too much for my job to be able to commit to attending anything regularly. But as I read more about guilds here and as I expanded my quilting interests, I knew a guild would help expose me to more ideas. Plus, I like the involvement and really wanted to be part of the quilt show, too. 2011 was the first one I worked and really enjoyed it, from the quilt transport prior to the show to the take down work at the end of the show!

I agree that it would be worth it to "support the cause", and I also like the casual attitude that they take with regards to paying dues and letting non-members attend the meetings and kind of feel them out. My only concern is that I would start to enjoy it and not be able to go because of my silly work schedule (I work one job every other day, and the other 6 nights a week, so weird!).... It makes it very difficult to schedule or attend multi-day classes.

Msmeow, mine didn't come from The Sewing Studio either :o), but I know they are the only dealer in the area, unless you know of another one... did you buy yours for a bricks and mortar place or online? When I wanted to upgrade from the vintage metal straight stitcher to something a little more feature rich, I called all the sewing machine shops in the area... I'd seen a demo for the Brother PC420 on HSN and fell in love with the feature set.... most of them laughed at me, one said "we don't mess with those toys", another said "thems Wawmarks mershines, go there if that's what you want, and don't brang itchere when it breaks"... I called The Sewing Studio and the lady was very nice, but she said she didn't have anything that even came close to matching the features for the price but that a lot of people were calling to ask about that machine. I asked if they would service it if I bought it online, and the said yes. She offered me a returned embroidery machine for like 800 dollars, but I didn't want that... Now I see on their site, they sell the PC 420, so that makes me feel better.

They have a class on machine quilting so I called about that and they were nice and answered all my questions. I asked if we had to bring our own "something to quilt" or if we made something in class.... the said we would just learn technique and would not be quilting a real quilt... that's too bad because by the time the class rolls around I'll likely have the top of the one I'm working on done and ready to be quilted and it would be fun to do it in class as a learning thing... I've only quilted a table runner so far...

The other class they are having is a class for Brother and Baby Lock people to demonstrate all the fun new presser feet available for the machines, and I'd love to go, but it's a weekend, and I work every other day.

Peggy, I feel the breeze :o) Waving back!

Thanks again, Kate, I really appreciate all your info and advice.

Hi again everyone!
Thank you so much for the warm welcome. It's a good feeling to know there are still nice people in the world. : )

I would love to attend the meetings but unfortunately I don't have anyone to sit with my mom (yet). I am still looking for a group that meets during the day. My mother goes to a senior day care on Mondays and Thursdays but I can always change her days if I find a quilting group.

I am still working on my grandmother's quilt top that my mom gave me many years ago. Because my grandmother liked to embroider and I was given several pieces that she sewed, I decided to do more embroidery on the top. I am using tapestry thread and the 'blanket' stitch. I am stitching where my grandmother's fabric was sewn together and stitching where I 'framed' her embroidered pieces.
It's taking a long time but time is all I have. Besides, I enjoy it and I know my grandmother would be thrilled to know I am finishing her quilt.

I am a little nervous however about 'sandwiching' the quilt once it's time to do so. I have never in my life done this before and I don't want to make any mistakes. The hardest part for me is going to be sewing the mitered corners. I have practiced making these and never get it right.

There is a quilt shop here in Orlando that will finish the quilt for me including the binding but it will cost me $100.00. I know it's well worth it but I feel that I need to do it myself. It's the only way I will learn.

If I ever finish this quilt I will post a pic of it.
Take care everyone and thank you again for welcoming me!!

Vacuum, my Brother machine came from a LQS over in the Tampa area. I bought it at the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo back in 2003 (I think). I went to Clearwater for a couple days of sewing classes & lectures and came home with a new machine! LOL They were selling the machines used in the expo for 1/2 price. It was my first experience with machine embroidery and it was so easy to do, and the machine was so much smarter than my Kenmore, that I just couldn't pass it up. Hubby took it very well! :)

At that time there was a Brother dealer way out on the east side of town, but that was their second store and they closed it not long after I got the machine. Their original store is/was in Melbourne, so for a long time there were no Brother dealers anywhere nearby. So it's nice to have the Sewing Studio now.

Donna

Just a reminder that the Orlando quilt guild meeting is tonight at 6:30. My friend Marilyn can't go tonight but I'll be there with my mini quilts.

Kate

Well fiddle dee dee.... Is that how you spell that, I've never tyoed it out :o). It would be on a night when I work! Have fun.... I'd loved to have seen your minis in person and put a face with a screen name!

Vac, that's the way they spell it in Gone With the Wind! LOL

Kate, I'll be there tonight. I've got 4 more minis to turn in and my Baltimore Blues for show & tell.

Donna

I've got the ALS donation quilt with me today too; maybe I'll bring it to the meeting for show and tell.

Gwen and Donna - it was great to see you and your beautiful quilts tonight!

Donna, Baltimore Blues is gorgeous!

Gwen, I've already been looking through my fabrics to see what goes with the little Santa bear. This will be fun!

Kate, I looked at the events calendar for May and it says that next Saturday is second Saturday TBA.... do you know what is going on that day? TBA doesn't tell me very much!

The other thing is an apron class on the 22nd given by someone named Joyce.... I've emailed her to see if it is full or still available! I will be really excited if I get to do that!

Kate, it was good to see you & Gwen, too!

Vacuum, they didn't mention the 2nd Saturday last night. I think for now we've switched to the 4th Saturday. The apron class is our regular monthly fun night.

Donna