Dear Jane Inspiration

It was over two years ago when our guild began the Laurel Janes, a Dear Jane support group. Several members have completed their quilts and there are two full size Dear Jane quilts and one wall hanging on display in this year's exhibit. I decided long ago that I would not be making the full size quilt, but even with that, my progress has been painfully slow. After seeing these beautiful quilts hanging in all their glory, I have a renewed determination to finish my Dear Jane project. Yesterday at the monthly meeting of the Laurel Janes I finally finished the pieced border that I have been working on! Now to get the borders sewn on and get the top sandwiched, so I can start hand-quilting it. Yes, I said "hand-quilting", so don't expect to see my Dear Jane finished anytime soon, but maybe (just maybe) I might be able to get it done for the 2012 exhibit!

MLQG Exhibit 2010

I think it is safe to say that the opening of the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild's biennial exhibit was a complete success! By 8:00 pm the gallery was filled with nearly 150 people, all admiring the beautiful quilts and enjoying a wide assortment of refreshments. I'll admit that coordinating the event was a bit of work, but the end result was worth it! This weekend I'm taking a break and spending some time with my family. As soon as I catch my breath, I'll post more details and photos of the exhibit.

Tonight's The Night!

The quilts are hung and everything is finally in place. Tonight's exhibit opening promises to be nothing short of amazing! There will be refreshments, door prizes and over 90 gorgeous quilts on display, so if you are near Wellsboro, Pennsylvania be sure to stop by and enjoy the festivities!

There Is Going To Be A Quilt Exhibit!

It doesn't look like much in this photo, but by Friday evening this mess will have been transformed into one of the best quilt exhibits in the history of the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild!

For more information about the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild's Exhibit 2010 visit their website at www.mountainlaurelquiltguild.org

I Did It Again...

A little over a year ago I lost a needle while I was stitching a binding and unfortunately my granddaughter found it a few weeks later with her bare foot! (Read the full story HERE) I try to keep close track of my pins and needles, but every once in awhile one gets away from me and yesterday it happened again, only this time I didn't give up the search until the needle was found. I pretty much had to dismantle the sofa, but I found the needle plus 36 cents and a Barbie shoe! I'm not sure it was great pay for an hour's worth of work, but at least it's safe to go barefoot in the living room again!

Getting Closer

The Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild's exhibit is getting closer...the gala opening is just one week from today! I have been hand stitching feverishly on my entries and I am happy to say that all of the bindings are finished. Now on to the hanging sleeves and labels...

It's Just Like Riding A Bike!

It has been so long since I have done any quilting with my Juki machine and Grace frame (June 6th according to my blog!) that I was afraid that I might have forgotten how to use it! Quilting must be just like riding a bike, because as soon as I turned on the power I was quilting again! Now to see if I still remember how to put on binding...

Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild's Exhibit 2010

The lack of blog posts at Hanging On by a Needle and Thread is certainly not due to a lack of quilt related activity around my house. Two years ago I agreed to chair our guild's biennial exhibit and in just two short weeks all of the work is going to come to fruition, but there is still a lot that needs to be done between now and then...like finish my entries! As soon as the show opens I will have a lot of quilt related posts and photos to share and if you happen to be in the Wellsboro, PA area during the month of September be sure to stop by and see the exhibit!

For more information visit the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild's website at www.mountainlaurelquiltguild.org

Grandma's Sugar Cookies

My grandma made the best sugar cookies, but her recipe makes close to a million cookies. Ok, that may be a slight exaggeration, but it makes a LOT of cookies! I've always said that I was going to downsize the recipe, but never got around to it until just recently. This scaled down recipe made 2 dozen 3" cookies and they are just like grandma's (minus the raisin that she always added to the center of each cookie).

Grandma's Sugar Cookies

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour

In a large bowl cream the shortening and the sugar. Add the egg, vanilla, and milk. In a medium bowl mix the dry ingredients with a wire whisk. Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl. Mix until well combined. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll the dough (half at a time) to 1/4" thick. With floured cookie cutter, cut into shapes. Place cookies 1/2 inch apart on lightly greased cookie sheets. Sprinkle with sugar and if desired, add a raisin to the center of each cookie. Bake 8 minutes or until very light brown at the edges. Let stand on cookie sheets for two minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.