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Local Events and info
Here are some useful lists compiled by Block Party Quilters:
PNW Quilt and Fiber Arts Museum in LaConner is open Wednesday through Sunday 11 am–5 pm and has an amazing collection of stunning quilts, knitted items, and collages. This trip is definitely worth making.The Kittitas County Barn Quilt Trail features more than 100 painted quilt squares up on barns from Roslyn to Ellensburg. A great way to enjoy a day drive and a scavenger hunt activity - how many barn quilts can you find? The trail website shows a map and is self-guided, so you can design your own journey and soak in the beauty of Kittitas County!
Nifty Fifty Quilt Swap Request
Dear Quilt Guild Members,
In 1995, I began a quilting project that would eventually grow into something far beyond quilt blocks and fabric. What started as a single 50-state quilt block exchange became Nifty Fifty Quilters — a quilting community that completed thirty quilt swaps connecting quilters across the United States and around the world through friendship, creativity, and shared stories. Back then, my co-organizer Wendy Cooper and I contacted quilt guilds the old-fashioned way — through letters mailed across the country asking guild members to participate. Those handwritten letters helped build lifelong friendships and quilting connections that still exist today.
After a fifteen-year pause, Nifty Fifty Quilters is beginning a new chapter. We have relaunched our quilting community with a new website, Nifty Fifty Quilting, featuring the history of our groups and more than 70,000 quilt block photos from our past exchanges.
We are now inviting quilters to join our newest project:
NF 31 — A Healing Quilt Swap https://niftyfiftyquilting.com/swaps/nf-31-journey-into-the-light
This swap focuses on friendship, encouragement, healing, and charitable outreach through quilting. Participants will also help create charity quilts supporting:
- Breast Cancer Awareness
- Suicide Prevention
- Domestic Violence awareness
Attached is an article sharing the history and legacy of the Nifty Fifty Quilters, including how these exchanges grew into a nationwide and international quilting community. https://niftyfiftyquilting.com/press/0371a245-97b5-4b00-9af3-560f0e7db57f
We would be honored if your guild would share our story in your newsletter, social media pages, or guild meetings. We would also love to welcome interested quilters from your guild into our new exchange. Thank you for helping continue the tradition of quilting friendships that began nearly thirty years ago.
Warm regards,
Teresa Drummond
540-845-9856
Teresajoy77@yahoo.com
Pro-Stitcher Class with Melissa (MK)
October 22 & 23, 9:30am – 4:30pm both days
Private residence in Chelan, WA (address provided to registered attendees)
$400 — only a few seats remain
My name is Melissa, and my husband Paul and I own MK Quilts — we're known in the Handi Quilter community for hands-on training and the kind of support that doesn't stop after the sale. This October, we're both traveling together to Washington State, and we wanted to reach out to your guild directly rather than let this get lost in a mass email.
Would you mind sharing this with your members? We know guild leaders get a lot of email, and we don't want this to read like spam — it's a personal invitation from two people who genuinely love this community, and we'd be grateful if you'd pass it along.
We've had quilters fly in from out of state for these classes before, so wherever your members are coming from, we think it's worth the trip. This hands-on, two-day class is built for Intermediate and Advanced Pro-Stitcher users ready to go further with computerized quilting. I'll teach the simulation methods I've refined over years of use — planning your quilting on your laptop before you ever stand at the machine, building custom borders, designing your own layouts, and creating edge-to-edge designs without drag & drop. Each student needs Pro-Stitcher Simulation installed on their laptop; I'll email a pre-requisite class ahead of time to get your settings ready.
Registration is nonrefundable within 30 days of the event, so don't wait too long if you're planning to join us.
A couple of extras while we're in the area: Paul will be on the road servicing longarm machines — Handi Quilter and OEM-built models alike — within a couple hours of Chelan. And if any of your members have been considering a new Handi Quilter longarm, machines purchased with delivery scheduled during our time in Washington come with a special discount. Just note your interest when you register, or email us directly.
Questions of any kind? Just reply to this email, write to support@mkquilts.com, or call us at 727-935-1739 #2. We'd love to meet you and your members in Chelan.
Warmly,
Melissa & Paul
MK Quilts