Winter Solstice

The winter solstice occurs on December 21. It is the day when the North Pole reaches its farthest tilt away from the sun, resulting in the shortest period of daylight of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, followed by the longest night. What that means is that over the next 30 days, you will begin to slowly see the days getting longer. Around January 18, we will have gained about an extra hour of daylight.

In the meantime, take advantage of the time you don’t have to work in the yard, plant new flowers or tend to vegetables, or even mow the lawn. Start a new quilting project or better yet, finish at least one UFO (unfinished object) you’ve had sitting in the pile! It’s also a good time to plan out your quilting year – what annual quilt shows you might want to attend and will you need hotel reservations, are there retreats or classes you’d like to go to, is there a shop hop that might give you new inspiration. Whatever it is, don’t let the shorter days of winter bring you down. Stay busy with your needle and thread!

Annual Winter Potluck Dinner

At this month’s Crazy Quilters meeting we had our Annual Winter Potluck, which was enhanced by a good old fashioned Yankee Swap. However this time, it wasn’t a purchased gift. The swaps were UFOs and there were some pretty nice projects among the mix. Some had been partially started and others were brand new kits in a package. As with all Yankee Swaps, there were a few favorites that were passed around a few times.

The food was varied and delicious and a cute tray of mice made from half an Oreo cookie, a Hershey’s kiss, a cherry dipped in chocolate and some almonds were a big hit.

The Next Generation

Members of the Crazy Quilters, along with some friends, have been teaching youngsters to sew. The five classes, which have been offered three separate times, were organized by Kellie Crawley, Program Coordinator for the Barnstable Recreation Program and Lori Crawley, President of Crazy Quilters of Cape Cod. With donated and borrowed sewing machines children ranging from fourth to fifth grade, with little to no experience in sewing, are gaining confidence as they create a new project each week. First they made a pincushion, the second week was a stocking and you can see by the smiles how proud they are of their accomplishment! Each week a new skill is introduced.

And lastly, Jacob Stapledon of Children’s Cove shared some photos of our Santa Sacks being filled for distribution to families. We’re hoping our small contribution will help to make a child’s Christmas a little merrier.

We wish everyone a very happy holiday season no matter what or how you celebrate. It is the one time of year that we hopefully can think of others more than we think of ourselves!

November Rushing By

This time of year it always feels like the clock has sped up. You blink and half the month is over, Thanksgiving is around the corner and all of the December preparations and holidays will be crashing into us.

Well, the Crazy Quilters decided to do some looking back during our November meeting. Members brought in the first quilt they made and we heard some great stories about why they decided to try making a quilt.

Members also participating in a UFO (Unfinished Objects) Challenge dug into their closets and bags of stuff to pull out projects that had never been completed, and in some cases never even started. They are challenging themselves over the next months to bring the past into the present.

Go to our Events page to view photos of the quilts and projects that were brought in.

We were also pleased this month to once again donate Santa sacks to Children’s Cove, the Cape & Islands Advocacy Center. Children’s Cove does an extremely important job coordinating services for some of our most vulnerable children; those who have been subjected to sexual abuse. Jacob Stapledon, Community Engagement & Education Coordinator informed us that they served 230 families last year. It made us realize we needed to make a lot more sacks!

UPDATE 11.21.22 In an article in today’s Cape Cod Times, Mr. Stapledon stated the number of children’s abuse cases referred have increased by 55% since last and therefore they are planning an expansion.

At this time of year particularly, we should reflect and appreciate how lucky we are and think about those that don’t have the ability to help themselves. Children are our greatest investment and the time spent now helping them grow up to be productive adults is really everyone’s responsibility. It does take a village.