Desert Threads members attended the Dec. 1 Cottonwood Ladies Coffee with their beautiful Opportunity Quilt. Members sold tickets for a chance to win the quilt during a drawing at the big Arizona Quilters Guild (AQG) quilt show in Mesa, March 24-26. The exquisite hand applique work on the quilt was done by “Charlie” Kopp and donated by her family. Members of Desert Threads completed the quilt and are raising funds to support their learning and charity activities during the next year. The quilt will be on display at the Quilt, Sew, Craft Festival (aka Rusty Barn Show) at the Fairgrounds in Phoenix, Jan. 27-29. Members hope to sell many tickets at this large sewing, quilting, and crafting fair (www.quiltcraftsew.com/phoenix.html).

At our December meeting, Jared Platt, a professional photographer, gave an excellent presentation about how to use our smartphones to take photos of our quilts. He talked about proper lighting and how to “edit” our photos to capture the best picture of our handmade quilts. Members also showed projects they have been working on for the holidays. In the afternoon, a few members learned how to make quick woven fabric placemats. This project provided an opportunity to use many of the fancy stitches available on today’s sewing machines.

Our meeting on Jan. 5 at 9:30 a.m. will feature accomplished quilter Cindy Stohn. She has won many ribbons for her exquisite quilts. Cindy will give us tips about what makes a winning quilt at shows and show some of her work.

Desert Threads is a chapter of the Arizona Quilters Guild and meets in the Cottonwood A-8, Ceramics Room, the second Wednesday morning every month. We are a friendly and welcoming group who share a love for making and appreciating quilts. We especially like learning all the new tools, patterns, and techniques and making quilts for our families and various charities in the area. AQG sponsors free monthly virtual lectures for members. They also organize virtual classes, with very reasonable fees, from teachers around the world. You can learn about AQG at www.arizonaquiltersguild.org or send an email to [email protected]. We would love you to join us as a guest or new member. Come learn about our classes and quilting opportunities and to meet other fun-loving quilters.