Your go-to source for quilting camaraderie, tips, and insights, as well as upcoming Joyful and Merry Quilting Events and Courses!

To Those Affected by Hurricane Beryl: Our hearts are with you! We hope you have all you need, have power, and are staying safe. You are in our thoughts and prayers for safety and recovery.

Newsletter News: All of our archived Joyful and Merry Quilting Newsletters can now be found in the Blog Section of our website! Many have requested a place to access all previous newsletter releases. Head over to joyfulandmerryquilting.com/blog and you'll find them all as they're released! The weekly newsletter is released on Thursdays. 

1. Patchwork Puzzlers!

How much quilting trivia do you know? Today's questions are about Quilting in Pop Culture!

Answers are listed at the end of the newsletter!

1. In the 1989 film "How to Make an American Quilt," what does the quilt symbolize?
   A. Family Heirloom
   B. Life Stories
   C. Wealth
   D. Victory
2. In the TV show "Friends," which character is known for making a quilt?
   A. Monica
   B. Rachel
   C. Phoebe
   D. Ross
3. What is the name of the quilting group in Jennifer Chiaverini's "Elm Creek Quilts" series?
   A. The Quilter's Circle
   B. The Elm Creek Quilters
   C. The Stitching Sisters
   D. The Quiltmakers
4. In "Little Women," which character is seen quilting?
   A. Meg March
   B. Jo March
   C. Beth March
   D. Amy March
5. In "The Quiltmaker's Gift," what does the quiltmaker do with her quilts?
   A. Sells them
   B. Donates them to the poor
   C. Keeps them in her home
   D. Gives them to the king

2: Merry Moment

Here are two more fun and creative limericks to share, contributed by Marina A:

Quilting with Grace
There once was a quilter named Grace,
Whose stitches were all over the place,
The quilt police came,
And they called her to blame,
But she laughed and said, “Art’s not a race!

The GREAT Quilt Save
There was a quilt not prewashed,
Its colors were vibrant and posh,
The color fastness failed,
And a bleeding disaster hailed,
'Til a YouTube expert saved it with panache.

Thank you to everyone who contributed limericks for our recent newsletter "Merry Moments." I hope they made you joyful and merry as you read them! I know they did just that for me!

…I’m always trying to be joyful, but I will always be Mary! 

 
3: A Joyful and Merry Quilting Thank You!

• We are so grateful for the generous donations from Deb Dietz and Dianne Holcombe, each contributing $20 during our July 3rd YouTube Live broadcast. Your support is vital in helping us continue our mission to share the love of quilting with the Joyful and Merry Quilting Community. Thank you, Deb and Dianne, for being such an essential part of our quilting family.
• Thank you to Katy Joelsen for being our keynote speaker at the July 3rd guild meeting. Katy is the “Greenland Quilter” and she is truly a delight! Be sure to watch the recording if you missed the guild meeting and take a look at Katy’s YouTube Channel “The Greenland Quilter (Katy)." Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/@GreenlandQuilter

4: Quilting Secrets, Fixes, and Tips

(If you have a quilting tip to share in our newsletter, please email it to [email protected].)

Here’s a product suggestion from Linda G.: “Ruler Knob - Suction Cup Knob Attaches to Almost Any Flat Ruler or Template - Get a Grip on Your Rulers! – 2 Pack” https://a.co/d/0gKFmwQw

5: Product Picks

One of our Quilt Guild members, Mea C. highly recommended the following quilting rulers:
“Here's the link to the wonderful nonstick UltraGrid rulers with invisiline spaces so you can see exactly where to put your fabric. (And they're made in the USA.) This link is to the starter set - 7 rulers for under $40. Click here if you’d like to check them out.

6: Merry Musings Mailbag

This section of our newsletter is a comment by one of our subscribers to one of our YouTube videos.

Marilyn S posted the following suggestion in response to my video on “Mastering Fabric Selection”: “CT Publishing has just put out a Color Box for selecting colors that go together. They introduced it at Sewposium in January…One trick I picked up was using mirrors to surround your block to get an idea of what your Quilt would look like if you just made that one block. Incidentally I was taught everything you mentioned.”
Color Box Amazon Link

Here is the link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-CqcfYsBmI 

7: Quilting Tips Tutorials and Ask the Quilter!

This section of our newsletter is dedicated to the Tuesday YouTube Quilting Tips Videos and questions asked and comments made by our subscribers. If you have any additional positive suggestions to add to the conversation, please comment! We’d love to have your insight.

Comment by Kathy B (to the YouTube video titled Fun Scrappy Block Tutorial): I had no idea what foundation piecing was but thanks to you, I totally get it. I am 74 years young. Now get this. I have scraps from my high school dresses and my graduation dress plus all the scraps from most all the clothes I made for my 4 kids and fabric from doll clothes I made and sold years ago. I just could never pitch those scrapes. Every time I look at them, I remember what I made and for who the piece was made. I even have some scraps from the men's shirts I made. I have checked the strength of the fabric, which is remarkably good, and all the scraps are clean because of how they were stored. This pattern is wonderful. I can make a quilt with a lot of the scraps and then finally part with what I don't use because my memories will be in that quilt. Need to downsize a bit. This is the best pattern I have found for this. I will have to check my Accuquilt dies. I may have what I need to get a lot of the pieces cut. Thank you so much for this pattern. I have been sewing 65 years this summer and quilts are the one thing I never messed with till now. Mom started me sewing young, 9 to be exact. Times were different then and we didn't have a ton of money. It was a good thing she insisted I learn. So again, thank you.

Here’s the link to the video:
Fun Scrappy Block Tutorial

My response: You are so very welcome! Sounds like a wonderful idea and I'm sure you will have a beautiful quilt of memories in the end. I would love to see a picture when you are finished! Thank you for watching and especially for sharing!

8: Joyful and Merry Quilting Course News, Previous Hangout Topics and Links, Night Owl and Daytime Quilting Hangouts Schedule

Quilting Course News: Registration for our quilting courses “Beginning Quilting: From Novice to Confident Quilter” (for quilters who are just learning about this great hobby/art and would like to learn more) and “Aim for the Stars” (for quilters who are confident beginners and ready to tackle the next level of quilting) are both closed and currently in session. If you would like to be added to the waiting list for either course, please email [email protected] and we will notify you when registration opens again. Both are fun courses and great learning experiences. More courses are coming, and I would love to have you join in. Keep watching the newsletter for details.

Night Owl Quilting Hangout and Daytime Quilting Hangout Schedules with links to previous hangouts:

Previous Hangout Links:
Wednesday, July 3 at 11amCDT Topic: Martelli Templates and Pressing Marker Substitutes
Monday, July 8 at 10pmCDT Topic: Tied Up in Circles Quilt Block

Night Owl Quilting Schedule: 
Monday, July 22 at 10pmCDT

Daytime Quilting Schedule: 
Wednesday, July 17 at 11amCDT

9: Shop Hops, Quilt Shows, and More

If you have a local shop hop, quilt show, or another quilting-related event that you would like to share, please email [email protected] one month prior to the event and we will include it in this section of our newsletter.

EUREKA MONTANA QUILT SHOW: This is an Annual Outdoor Quilt Show held since 2005. It’s always held on the first Saturday in August. Submitted by Jolene Myers.
Time: 9 am - 4 pm
Admission is FREE
Hundreds of quilts are on display and line our Main Street through town
For more information go to: www.Eurekaquiltshow.com

PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL QUILT FESTIVAL: This festival will take place at the Santa Clara Convention Center from July 24-27 with vendors, classes, quilts and more. Submitted by Cindy VanHoy.
For more information go to: https://www.quiltfest.com/upcoming-shows-and-events/pacific-international-quilt-festival/

BIENNIAL ANDERSON AREA QUILT SHOW: Friday, July 19, 2024 and Saturday, July 20, 2024
Time: Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, July 20, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Place: Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center located at 3027 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Anderson, SC, 29625.
Daily entrance is $6 plus applicable taxes and fees. Visit our Facebook page @Anderson Area Quilt Show for more information.

BATTINGSUPERSALE.COM: If you are interested in learning more about batting and quilting tools and how to make the best choice for your current project, Lyn Heilman can help! Lyn owns battingsupersale.com and in addition to GREAT prices and EXCELLENT service when it comes to batting, she also offers monthly lectures and classes on batting. Go to www.battingsupersale.com and click on “Lectures and Classes” for information.

• “What Needle Should I Use?” by Rhonda Pierce Schmetz is an upcoming FREE class. The date is yet to be determined, but you can register on Lyn’s website and she will notify you when a date has been set.

10: Joyful and Merry Community Quilt Guild Corner

The Joyful and Merry Community Quilt Guild will open registration again on August 1st and we would LOVE to have you in our guild! Registration details will be forthcoming. Here's the latest guild news and reminders:

NEW GUILD NEWS

GUILD MEETING SHOW AND TELL: Thank you to Mea Cadwell and Elaine Stark for sharing your beautiful creations during our July 3rd Guild Meeting. If you missed it, be sure to watch the recording! It was truly a highlight of our meeting. If you have something to “Show and/or Tell” at our July 18th Guild Meeting, please send a good quality photo(s) to [email protected] before July 17th and I will add you to the schedule. It’s difficult to show our quilts at our live Guild Zoom meeting, due to lighting, space, etc., so we will screen share the photos and then call on the guild member submitting the photos to give us the details during the meeting. Don’t be shy! We would love to share in your joy as you show share your creativity with the guild! Photos must be submitted in advance just to make sure we have enough time allotted for those members who will be sharing. I’m sure we all agree that being able to show our quilts “up close and personal” via Zoom is something unique to our guild. I will look forward to receiving your entries for our next meeting!

FREE PATTERNS: Two new free patterns are available for download on this page! Simple and Easy Backpack and Tied Up in Circles.
Again, FREE PATTERNS are a few of the many perks for being a Joyful and Merry Community Quilt Guild member! Enjoy!

JULY HOLIDAY SCHEDULE:
• July 11th: Training videos will be available for the Heart Block and the Pinwheel Block – blocks 4 and 5 of our Block Library Collection. The pdf for both of these blocks can be found on the guild resource page. We would love for you to share your finished blocks in the Chat forum! We have truly enjoyed the variety displayed by guild members who have completed their blocks. Thank you!

• July 18th: Guild Meeting 11amCT
• No sew-along in July: see you in August!

AUGUST SCHEDULE:
Since August has 5 Thursdays, we’re scheduling the August meetings as follows. There will be no meeting the last week of August. Don’t forget to register for the Zoom, as always. Links will be available on our Guild Resource Page as soon as they are scheduled. You will also be emailed with the links as well.

• August 1 – Guild Meeting 7pmCT
• August 1 – Guild Membership opens with a limited number of places available
• August 8 – Training Videos Released
• August 15 – Guild Meeting 11amCT
• August 22 – Extra Guild Meeting Sew-a-Long

SAMPLER BLOCKS OF THE MONTH CHALLENGE: 
The Sampler Blocks of the month - Block #4: “Heart Block” and Block #5: “Pinwheel Block” have been added to our Guild Block Library! You are welcome to make the block using the pdf, but if you would like step-by-step instruction, you will need to wait until the 2nd Thursday of the month when the training videos are available.

*GUILD REMINDERS*

CALENDAR:
Just a reminder – all of the Joyful and Merry Quilting Community Guild Meeting Zoom Links are available on the Guild Resource Page of the joyfulandmerryquilting.com website. You MUST register ahead of time in order to participate in the meeting, by clicking on the link.

JOYFUL AND MERRY QUILTING COMMUNITY CARE CORNER: 

This will be a spot in our newsletter for members to share their needs and concerns, whether they're related to health, personal challenges, celebrations, etc. It will be a place where we can support and care for one another, share joys and struggles, and provide encouragement to each other regardless of our beliefs or backgrounds. We want it to remain a place of inclusivity while still fostering a sense of community and support within the guild. In this spirit, let’s turn our attention to those in our community in need of some extra support right now:

• Once again, please keep those in our community who may have been affected by Hurricane Beryl. We're sending our love, thoughts, prayers and well wishes their way!

If you would like to post in our Community Care Corner, simply send your “Community Care Corner Request” (one sentence) to [email protected] and I will post it in the next newsletter. You can post anonymously or add your name - totally up to you.

RECORDED MEETINGS:
Please keep in mind that our recorded meetings will only be available for 3 months or until we run out of room on our Zoom Account, whichever comes first. So, if you missed a meeting, be sure to watch the recorded version ASAP, so you don’t miss out.

WEBSITE MONTHLY TABS:
Once we move into a new month, we will have a tab that will take you to the archived files from previous months…just in case there’s something you want to review. Depending on how often our members access this feature will decide the length of time the previous months will be available. We hope you enjoy this feature!

GUILD MEETING TIMES AND MISSED MEETINGS:
We want to make sure you take note of this information. We are still having members access the meetings at the wrong time, and accidentally missing out on the guild and quilting fun.

TIME ZONES: Please keep in mind that our Guild Meeting Times are listed in CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME. If you live in another time zone, make sure you double check (and triple check) the guild time and then adjust it to accommodate for your time zone. We continue to have members join our guild meetings an hour or two early or an hour or two late and in the process, miss the actual meeting. The meetings are recorded, but if you want to join the meeting LIVE, please make sure you have the guild time adjusted to YOUR particular time zone. 

CHAT SESSIONS: If you have time, please join us half an hour before our guild meetings for our Guild's Community Chat sessions: 6:30pm CDT for evenings and 10:30am CDT for daytime meetings. This is such a fun time getting to know each other and I hope you’ll join us when you can. Please note that entering before the designated time strains our recording time allotment, so we have instituted a waiting room where members will be admitted to the meeting once the host is there and the chat session opens.

JOYFUL AND MERRY COMMUNITY GUILD FOUNDING MEMBER CHAT FORUM: 

We have been enjoying our Community Chat Forum! It's a great alternative to Facebook, where all guild members are included in the chat. Here's how to get to the Chat Forum (or you can click here):

1.  Go to the joyfulandmerryquilting.comwebsite
2.  Click on your “LIBRARY”
3.  Click on the “JOYFUL AND MERRY COMMUNITY QUILT GUILD FOUNDING MEMBER” 

4.  Click on “FEED” and you will be taken to the Chat.  You can post pictures, questions, comments, etc.  It’s a great place to get to know our Founding Members and share our love of quilting!
   
   

EMAIL PREFERENCES: 

Important: Guild Membership is Non-Refundable
Please do not mark any guild emails as SPAM or unsubscribe from them. Since this is a virtual group, email, Zoom, and our website are the primary ways to stay involved. Unsubscribing or marking emails as SPAM removes you from the email list, and by law, we cannot reverse this action. 

Some members who have marked our emails as SPAM or unsubscribed have requested a refund, which we cannot provide. All information sent via email is also available on our website's resource page. If you prefer not to receive emails, you can still access all guild information, links, patterns, etc., by visiting joyfulandmerryquilting.com and clicking on “Library,” then the Guild tab. 

Some members still experience issues with not receiving emails. The most common problems are unsubscribing, your email provider sending our emails to your spam folder, recipients marking emails as SPAM, or using different email addresses for the guild and newsletter subscriptions. Please email [email protected] if you continue to have issues with email and we will do our best to help you remedy the situation. 

Please be very careful with emails from joyfulandmerryquilting.com through our Kajabi email service. If you no longer wish to receive them, simply delete them. Do not unsubscribe unless you intend to. By law, we cannot re-add you to our email list, and you will no longer receive any correspondence from us. If you label our emails as SPAM, your email address will be permanently removed from our list. 

Additionally, if you forward our emails and the new recipient clicks Unsubscribe or marks them as Spam, your email address (not theirs) will be removed from our list. We understand mistakes happen, but some cannot be corrected. Please be careful. Thank you!
 

That's it for this newsletter! Have a joyful and merry week of quilting!

ANSWERS to this week’s PATCHWORK PUZZLERS:

1.  Answer: B) Life Stories - In the film, the quilt made by the women symbolizes their collective life stories and experiences, as seen in the narrative structure where each quilt square represents a significant story from their pasts.
2.  Answer: A) Monica - In the episode "The One with the Thumb" (Season 1, Episode 3), Monica is seen working on a quilt.
3.  Answer: B) The Elm Creek Quilters - The Elm Creek Quilters is the central group in Jennifer Chiaverini's long-running series, starting with "The Quilter's Apprentice."
4.  Answer: C) Beth March - In Louisa May Alcott's novel "Little Women," Beth March is depicted as being skilled in domestic arts, including quilting.
5.  Answer: B) Donates them to the poor - In the children's book "The Quiltmaker's Gift" by Jeff Brumbeau, the quiltmaker gives her beautiful quilts to the poor and needy.