Weekly update: the sampler is a flimsy

I talked about Toby jugs

The first week of every month is meeting-ful.  I hosted my P.E.O. chapter Monday evening. I was also my own co-hostess (since the person assigned was not able to attend) and the program presenter. The topic was "an item from my collection" and each member showed samples and told the story of something she collects.  (I'm the chapter recording secretary, too.)
   
 Zion Woman's Club meets the first Tuesday. I was the program coordinator.  Our club members contribute canned and boxed goods to the local food pantry using Green Bags.  This month we met at the church where the  pantry operates. The pantry manager gave the presentation.   This way we got to see where and how our donations go. (This pantry serves 250 people every week. They buy from Northern Illinois Food Bank and get "food recovery" baked goods and produce from local supermarkets. ZWC's food provides a variety of extras.) (I'm also the club secretary.) 

     Northern Lake County Quilters Guild met Wednesday evening.  Chris Lynn Kirsch  talked about her "journey to the dark side."  She began as a garment sewer and discovered quilting in the 1980's. Her presentation included family photos with those long-ago fashions and her art quilts.  (I am NOT the secretary. :))

     Coalition for Healthy Communities meets the first Friday morning. It was a routine meeting. I've been on the board for 15 years, 9 or 10 as secretary (it's been so long that I can't remember). My term ends in December and I am stepping down.

WAB is 90 years old this year

The northern fall conference of    AAUW-IL was on Saturday morning at the IIT campus in Wheaton. The speakers addressed AAUW's priority issues of equity in leadership and education.  Cheryl Maletich is the first woman operations v.p. for ComEd.  Cynthia Vasquez Barrios is dean of students and Title IX compliance officer at Joliet Junior College. Cindy explained how changes proposed by the  Dept. of Education will impact (negatively) reporting and dealing with campus violence against women (primarily sexual assault).  The Kavanugh confirmation hearings were on all of our minds.
      Photo:   The fall conference has become the launch day for our branch holiday raffle quilt.  I sold $85 in tickets for Cardinals in the Pines.

      Saturday evening was a date night.  We heard the Chicago Bassoon Quartet in concert.    They were great.

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Each of these meetings was interesting, thought-provoking, and valuable, but there wasn't a lot of sewing time.  I concentrated on my One Monthly Goal:  to complete the blocks from the 2017-18 guild BOM.  All featured Missouri Star patterns.  I chose to make them in homespun. I had two challenges:  balance (sampler blocks vary in density (which is why I don't make many sampler quilts)) and different sizes.  I fiddled around with a different homespun sash to border each block but homespun patches in the blocks blurred with the sashes. Yet cream-on-cream sashes with COC outer edges meant blurring the other way. The eureka! came when I used a skinny homespun border on one block and realized that would look good on all the blocks. I recently bought four yards of a subtle COC polka dot print that was just right to frame each block.   The sashes are a woven stripe and homespun cornerstones.  But what to use for the border?  My stash yielded a vintage (36"w) low-volume woven stripe that was just right.

The flimsy is 62 x 80 and used 4-1/2 yards.

Monday link ups:  Monday Making
Moving It Forward
Oh, Scrap!
Design Wall Monday