Mary La Tourelle

With 107 members strong, the Agave Quilters Guild is starting the new season off with all kinds of activities. We meet the first Wednesday of the month, September through May, at 1 p.m. in the Navajo Room at Sun Lakes Country Club (25601 S. Sun Lakes Blvd.) and offer monthly speakers, smaller “friendship clubs,” classes, community service opportunities, and much more. At our November meeting we heard from Pam Rackley of Sweet Pz Dezigns in Gilbert who provided invaluable information about needles (use no more than eight hours!), thread weight and quality, interfacing/stabilizers, glue sticks (keep them wrapped and store in crisper to keep from drying out), magic pins with Teflon heads, and other tools. As quilters, we often focus on fabric, color, and pattern, but using the right notions is equally important.

There were three classes offered in the fall taught by members: Fabric-Wrapped Rope Bowl (Viki Reed), Poinsettia Wall Hanging (Marita Reed), and Yo Yo Christmas Tree (Shari Davison Lundine). At this point, six additional classes are scheduled from January through April.

In December we hold our Christmas luncheon at the Palo Verde clubhouse. Our speaker on Jan. 3 will be Heidi Pridemore, quilt designer and co-owner (along with her husband) of The Whimsical Workshop in Gilbert. They are a full-service design studio and retailer specializing in bright, fun patterns, fabrics, kits, books, and licensing. Check out their website TheWhimsicalWorkshop.com for photos of the dozens of great quilt patterns they offer.

Don’t be intimidated if you are a new quilter. We have all skill levels in our Guild, and classes are a great way to learn shortcuts and improve your expertise. You are cordially invited to join us as a guest at an upcoming meeting to see if you want to become a member. Or you can contact our membership chair Loy Rheinauer at [email protected] for more information.