Meetings
We warmly invite members of the quilting community to attend our program meetings. All visitors will be required to pay a fee of $5 at the door. The guest fee may be applied towards a membership fee that day. We meet the 2nd Wednesday each month, coffee at 9:30, meeting from 10 AM - 12:30, at the North Chevy Chase Christian Church, 8814 Kensington Parkway, Chevy Chase, MD 20815 (click here for directions.) Workshops require registration in advance of the event.
| Winter Weather Policy. NeedleChasers follows the lead of the Montgomery County Public Schools: if school is cancelled, our NeedleChasers meeting for that day is also cancelled. If the schools have a delayed opening, our NeedleChasers meeting will take place at it's regular time. |
Our Next Meetings.......December 4, 2019: Sit & Sew - Artisan Boutique - NOTE CHANGE OF DATE 10AM - Harlow Hall Gifts Galore for the Holidays! Lunch provided. All sewers will start off by making a boutique favorite - the Wide Open Bag - and then move on to make either a Luggage Tag, a Vegan Leather/Paper Zip Bag or a Felted Wool Clamshell Bag. This sewing event is currently full but if you are interested in coming, please contact Linda Fasules to be put on a waiting list as we often have some cancellations. LLfasrn@aol.com |
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December 11, 2019: 11:00 Holiday Luncheon and Del Ray Pop-Up Shop Start thinking now for our Ultimate, Over the Top, Best Ever Show and Tell! We ask each member to bring your favorite quilt to show. This can be a quilt with sentimental ties, your first quilt, a vintage quilt, one which you are especially proud, or the last one you have completed. Only you know your favorite. (And don't tell us quilts are like children and you can't pick. We know.) We will call up tables while we are eating our delicious potluck. We will move this along so everyone has a chance, so plan on being brief with your remarks. Del Ray Fabrics will have their "always a favorite" pop-up shop and we will be collecting for the Capital Area Food Bank. |
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January 8, 2020: "Decorate Your Domestic Domain" Demo Day 10:00AM-12:15 in Harlow Hall We have an exciting line-up of demos from our very own members. You will rotate through four demonstrations on turning fabric into items to decorate your home. Donna Jacobs and Jane Silberman will be demonstrating how to make rugs from jelly rolls. Maria Naito will be showing you how to make bowls from clothesline and fabric. Joanne King will be demonstrating finishing placemats without binding. And, Marty Fry will be demonstrating how to create a "tuffet" top without purchasing a wedge ruler. Each demo will last 20 minutes, so don't expect to walk away an expert! Today is about inspiration to try something new. |
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January 29, 2020: Sit and Sew 10:00 AM Community Room Challenge Yourself Day Part 1 We sincerely ask that everyone who signs up to make one of these more complex, but accessible, items will commit to complete the item. We have broken the process down into very easy steps and very small groups. We promise you will have LOTS of help. Belt Purse - an updated sling purse or worn as a fanny pack this 2 compartment bag will be a popular gift. Limited to 8 participants. Retreat Bag with Handles - this is the best sewing bag you can make. Woven handles, exterior pockets and a wire frame inserted to provide structure. Limited to 5 participants. Passport Wallet - with RFID fabric embedded in this beauty you will be stylish AND safe from prying electronic "eyes". Working in leather will be the highlight of this straight forward but wonderful project. Limited to 8 participants. Sign up by contacting Debbie Lamb-Mechanick, lambmechanick@verizon.net |
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February 12, 2020: Quilting in Today's Japan With Our Own Maria Rogers (Naito) 10:00 AM Originally from England, Maria has lived over 25 years in Japan. After graduating college, she started to backpack around the world, at one time for 2 years aboard a ship making weekly TV documentaries. She has always loved textiles and collected pieces during her travels. While in Japan in the early '90s, Maria met and married her husband. While raising her family and living in Japan she went most years to the large Tokyo International Quilt Show, as well as smaller shows in Yokohama. She visited local flea markets buying kimonos, yakatas, and indigo fabric scraps. She began quilting in 2013. Her talk and slide show will be a little glimpse on everyday life in Japan, and a lot of wonderful photos of the amazing Japanese quilts from the various quilt shows. Maria will be able to answer questions you may have if you are considering visiting Japan yourselves. |
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February 26, 2020: Artisan Boutique Sit and Sew 10:00 AM Community Room IMPROV Day Learn to create "new" fabric entirely from scraps! You will receive curated bags of fabrics to start this fun and axciting process. Multiple methods will be demonstrated and, as ever, you will learn something new for your quilting 'tool' box. Sign up by contacting Debbie Lamb-Mechanick, lambmechanick@verizon.net |
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| March 11, 2020: Beads, Buckles, and Buttons! with Karen Fricke 10:00 AM General Meeting Karen says "my medium is fabric, my method is quilting, and the source of my inspiration is frequently the written word. It may be a poem, a quotation, a prayer. The thoughts and feelings ignited by those words form mental images, which I first sketch on paper, and refine until I am satisfied with the design. The sketch becomes my working pattern.....I enjoy sharing my interest in art quilts as an instructor and lecturer, and as the author of numerous articles for quilting and sewing magazines. March 11, 2020: "Wise Women" Pins Workshop 1:00-4:00PM Several of our members asked for this workshop and we are happy to provide the opportunity to them and to you! Create a one-of-a kind piece of jewelry that expresses your wise woman. Registration information will be posted in December. |
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March 25, 2020: Artisan Boutique Sit and Sew 10:00 AM Community Room Quilter's Projects Projects include: Scissors or Rotary Cutter Zippered Pouch A Clear Zipped Vinyl Pouch - to see your notions at a glance Microwave Bowls - incredibly popular at our last boutique sale! Potholders and Mug Rugs. Contact Linda Fasules, LLfasrn@aol.com to sign up. |
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April 1, 2020: Our Annual Quilt-a-Thon for charity 10:00AM NOTE: Date Change Under the able tutelage of Debbie Lamb-Mehanic, we will again be teaming up to create donation quilts for local organizations. |
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April 22, 2020: Artisan Boutique Sit and Sew 10:00 AM Community Room Projects include: Water Bottle Carrier Oil Cloth Lined Garden Tote Business Card Holders Sign up by contacting Linda Fasules, LLfasrn@aol.com |
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May 13, 2020: Julia Graves - "Color Exploration" 10:00 AM General Meeting Julia Graves of Special Occasion Quilts has been sewing since she was ten. She has always loved fabric and sewing and needle arts in general and the whole creative process! Julia did her apprentieship as a quilter by making a quilt for each of her nephews and nieces (there were 35!) They got to choose their colors, so she greatly expanded her repertoire of color schemes! Since then, Julia has made many quilts for special people, incorporating various ways to let them know how much they were cared for, especially enjoying color and incorporating information on color. She has been Artist in Residence at the Empty Spools Seminars in 2019 and is a Gem Quilt Affiliate. This lecture will discuss how to choose beautiful color combinations for your quilts and provide tips on how to fix color combinations that just don't seem to be working. Classic color combinations will be displayed by slide show and actual quilts. |
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| May 14, 2020: Julia Graves workshop "Shimmering Triangles" 10:00AM to 4:00 PM Make this gorgeous quilt that gives the effect of water rippling in a stream. It is a perfect pattern to showcase beautiful fabric, especially large-scale prints. You will achieve the shimmer by applying easy to understand color and value concepts that you can use to enhance all your future quilts! This quilt looks complicated, but it is actually easy to construct. You will learn a quick piecing method for half-square triangles with perfect points using a Jennie Bowker pattern. By the end of the day, you should have a design layout for your fabrics, completed several blocks, and understand how to finish the quilt on your own. Registration will begin in February. |
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LOOKING AHEAD.... NeedleChasers' meeting line-up for 2020
| January 8, 2020 | Demo Day |
| January 22, 2020 | Artisan Boutique Sit & Sew |
| January 29, 2020 | Community Service Sit & Sew |
| February 12, 2020 | Maria Rogers - Quilting in Japan |
| February 26, 2020 | Artisan Boutique Sit & Sew |
| March 11, 2020 | Karen Fricke - Embellishments on Quilts/Dollmaking workshop |
| March 25, 2020 | Artisan Boutique Sit & Sew |
| April 1, 2020 | Quilt-a-Thon NOTE: This is the 1st Wed. of the month due to the Jewish Holiday on the 8th |
| April 22, 2020 | Artisan Boutique Sit & Sew |
| May 13, 2020 | Julia Graves - Color Exploration |
| May 14, 2020 | Julia Graves - Shimmering Triangles |
About Our Other Programs........
"Brown Bag Meetings"
- Informal gatherings held directly after the scheduled meetings.
- May tie into the subject of the program or can be an independent topic of interest.
- Past brown bag opportunities have been demonstrations of techniques, discussions of quilting questions, and sharing commentary on quilting DVDs.
- We are always open to new topics to explore.
- Members are encouraged to bring a "brown bag" lunch if desired.
"Wee Bees"
- 1st Wednesday of each month benefiting various not-for-profit organizations.
- See Community Service page for further details
"Sit-and-Sew Bees"
- Generally held the 4th Wednesday of each month
- Meet in the community room at NCCC Church from 9:30 am to 2 pm.
- Sit and Sew - Members come to work on a project of their own or Community Service Projects or just join in for some caffeine and calories!
- “Boutique Bees” specialty meetings where techniques or projects for the Artisan Boutique are constructed. Members wanting to sit and sew on their own projects are ALWAYS welcome!