Putting the Pizzazz in the Paper!

The art of hand sewing is not fading away for this group of women!

Each month, on the 2nd Tuesday, you will find them sitting down with needle and thread and an English paper piecing project.  Our Paper Pizzazz group has such talent and varied skills.  Some have known how to do the stitching for English paper piecing for a long time, some are newcomers to this.  Some like traditional, some like a little more whimsy and bright colors.  Some stitch fast, some stitch slowly, and there's no expiration date for how long a project can be "in the works"!

We enjoy the inspiration gained from each other, resurrecting old ideas and creating new ones.   Stitching by hand is such a fundamental form of the craft of quilting.  It's a very tactile aspect of what we do, very "in touch with" the fabric, thread, needle and the paper shapes.  We are always learning a little something new, whether it's how to combine shapes differently, how to baste the quickest and neatest way, what needles feel the best in our hand, what threads pull through the fabric smoothly, and how to keep it all organized!

Here are some examples of individual projects that are underway--

Jean's block partially assembled.

Lynette's hexagon medallion that keeps growing!

Deb's carefully planned and partially stitched hexies.

Pam's collection of hexagon "flowers" made from the remains of other quilts.

Andrea's nearly finished hexagons, which was the subject of much admiration
and discussion on finishing techniques.

Mary's "wheels" made of reproduction 1930's fabrics.

Our group is casual and open to anyone interested, no matter your skill level.  When Lynette started her medallion project shown above, she was a rookie at this.  But she was game to learn something new, and committed to using fabrics she already had on hand.  And look how far she's come!  That could be you!

So next time we get together, October 11 at 1 pm, maybe you can be there to pull up a chair and join us!  Last week we sampled a new recipe I had for a dip that is near and dear to my heart.  It's made with Cookie Butter, and if you haven't yet tasted Cookie Butter, just get yourself over to Trader Joe's and pick up a jar!  I am not kidding when I say that my day starts out best when I have Cookie Butter on my toast!  We sampled this dip on apples, pretzels and Bugles.  The Bugles make a good little scooper for the dip and still pop in the mouth in one bite!  Here's the recipe, which I found on this blog.

1/2 cup cookie butter
8 oz. cream cheese, warmed to room temp
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 T. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Whip it all up with a mixer so it gets some fluffiness.  And eat!  How simple is that!?