Quilt Camp 2010

Quilt Camp got off to a good start yesterday.  We have 12 young people from 6th grade through 12th this year, eleven girls and one boy, all of them really nice kids.   We have a nice big room with good light to work in and plenty of tables so we have a good workspace for everyone.

Because most of the kids have not had prior experience with rotary cutting all of the cutting is done at the cutting stations in the center of the room where there is an adult (adults) to supervise. The first picture here shows the cutting area and a few of the sewing areas. In the far background is my sample quilt that never got beyond the top. We had 2 sample tops finished and one complete quilt sample. That's enough for everyone to understand what the quilt is supposed to look like.  We applied for and received a grant from NEORQC which we used to purchase 2 new Janome basic sewing machines with no bells and whistles. Over the few years that we have been doing this we had acquired 6 used machines, some more reliable than others,  and all of us adult helpers brought our own machines for the kids to use.  The 2 new machines were a welcome addition. Only a small number of the kids have a machine they can bring. It is a big surprise for us quilters to realize that not every home has a sewing machine these days.

The other pictures show some of the kids and their quilts which they have started to lay out in preparation for putting the top together. They all chose their own fabric and I think they did a good job.