Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Spring/Summer Charity Quilt Block Gather

If you missed the announcement on our Flickr page or didn't make the May meeting then you might want to know about our Spring/ Summer Charity Quilt Block Gather!

We thought it'd be wonderful to make some items for local charities as a guild and our first project will be to make two cross block quilts (or more depending on the block turnout) for the St. Louis branch of Project Linus.


cross block quilt
Cross Block Quilt Example by Cut.Sew.Iron.Repeat.

Here are two tutorials to give you an idea on how to construct the blocks, just remember ours will need to be 
12.5 x 12.5 inches.


Since we're making two quilts we'll do two different color schemes: 
one in aqua and greens and the other in pinks and oranges.

So what can you do? Make one (or more, we won't complain!) 12.5" improv cross block in either aqua/green or pink/orange.

Solids or patterned fabric; either is great!
You can do one big cross or a 12.5 square with multiple crosses, the choice is yours!

We'll collect blocks up to the July meeting so you still have time to dig through those scraps and make a block or two.

For every block you donate you will be entered into a drawing for a SewMamaSew 20 dollar gift card!

We can't wait to see what you make!!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Randomness #3

Hi All,

Just wanted to share some cool things that are going on that you might want to be a part of, take advantage of, know about, etc.  Remember, if you find something that you think the group would like to know about, send me an email.

SewMamaSew!
Not only are they having a great big sale on alot of great fabric right now; but next week starts Giveaway Day.  Giveaway Day is a week long event where you can enter to win some awesome giveaways of all varities, just by checking out the participating blogs, reading their posts and commenting.
On the flip side, if you write a blog and want to participate, it's super-simple.  It's a great way to connect with tons of new readers and possibly get yourself a few new followers along the way.  Plus, who doesn't like prizes.  Everything you need to know, can be found here.  If you want to sign up to host a giveaway, the deadline is this Friday...so hurry up.

QuiltHome.com 
Rene forwarded an email to me that all Moda Fabrics are on sale by using coupon code QHAMF25 at checkout.  The coupon expires on Monday, May 22nd at 11:59pm (Pacific)

Fabric Nosherie
As discussed during the last meeting, later this Fall a modern fabric shop will be opening in Old Webster Groves (Can we get a big round of Applause).  You can read Shannon's blog: Fabric Nosherie to check out the progress.  In similiar news, I've invited Shannon to attend one of our meetings to talk with our members...I'll let you know when she plans on attending.

Quilt Calculator
If you are anything like me, you don't have ready access to any sort of Quilting Calculator, or Yardage Calculator...so you might do it old school on graph paper, or use Adobe Illustrator, Excel or even PowerPoint.  I've done a little Google searching and came across this gem.  Now there might be better ones out there; but I've been looking for a while.  This one is pretty cool and even shows a cutting diagram.


That's it for right now; but remember to check in here and on Flickr.  You never know what you'll find.

Thanks!!

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Meeting Recap (May 14th, 2011)

I want to thank everyone who came out today for our meeting; while the misty rain and grey skies might have tempted you to stay home. We'd like to say a fond farewell to Ely S. who will be moving later this month to Utah.  It's been great having you as part of our group, and we wish you all the best.

Here's a recap of our meeting:
  • Our 1st Sew-In Saturday (May 7th) was a big success, we had 16 members join us for sewing, way-too-much food {{YUM}} and conversation.  Some members even took part in a Jelly Roll Race.  If you'd like to learn more about how you can make your very own race-quilt, visit here or Google 1600 Jelly Roll Race  for lots more info and even videos.
  • We talked a little about the Secret Mission that 5 members (Mary Claire, Juli Ann, Jamie, Lynne and I) took on, in cooperation with Laura Gunn.  Photos of the quilts can be found on our Flickr Page.
  • If you are finding sewing/quilting items that you no longer want...consider bringing it to our meetings for the Freebie Table.  It's always nice to know that a fellow quilter will put it to good use.
  • Mary Claire talked about our Spring/Summer Charity Quilt Block that we are collecting as our donation to Project Linus.  She will be writing a blog post on this soon; but in the meantime there is some information on Flickr to get you started.  The block request is for Cross Blocks in either a pink/orange combo or a teal/green combo.  Remember the size we need is 12.5" x 12.5".  For each block you donate you'll be entered into a drawing to win a $20 Gift Certificate to Sew,Mama,Sew!
  • We saw some great Show & Tell items, and the Photo Policy was discussed.  If you have not already read/heard the policy, you can find it here.  Please note that this policy is not created to discourage taking photos that you use personally for inspiration; but rather to protect the quilters, artists and designers.
  • Our Challenge for the 2nd half of the year was revealed today.  It is called: Rip, Rip, Ripping Challenge.  The fun starts in June and the finished item is due in August.  If you don't finish, you won't be entered into the Grand Prize Drawing.  Think of that as added incentive :-)  You must be present at the June meeting in order to play, so mark your calendars and don't miss out.  You can find the rules here**Please note that the rules changed slightly to allow for lots more creativity.
  • Did you swap your Noodles today?  Most of our members brought their fabric Noodles (5" cuts x width of fabric-selvedge to selvedge) and pulled names from a tub, swapping with their partner.  It was our first time playing the game so there were a few bumps along the way; but we got some good ideas on how to keep it more lively and maybe even a little more mischievous the next time around.
Finally, I wanted to touch upon something that was brought up today in regards of emails being sent out whenever there are big events and opportunities that arise, since not everyone participates on Flickr or reads our Blog regularly.  As an example, most recently, I have sent emails for events such as the Sew-In; yet I only posted the Secret Mission on Flickr and an FYI heads-up on the Blog (encouraging you to visit Flickr). 

We would like to offer some additional support.  First, I would like to say that part of the Modern Quilting DNA is that its participants remain connected in the online world.  This is not to say that everything is done online; but to get the full experience, one must remain "plugged in".  In order to help our members stay in touch and know what is happening at a moment's notice, we have added 2 new features to our Blog.

On the right hand side directly under where it list our Group's Leadership, you'll find two icons.  I encourage you to review the brief descriptions below and select the one that best suits your needs.

This options allows you to subscribe to our post and/or comments by using your favorite Reader application (ex: Google Reader, myYahoo!, etc).  Google Reader, for example, is a application that collects the blogs you subscribe to and gives you one centralized place to read all of the posts instead of having to seek out each link in your Favorites folder.  If you are not familiar with Google Reader and it's cousins, you can always learn more by doing a Google search or by asking someone to walk you through the quick and painless process.

For those of you who don't visit our Blog regularly, I would suggest option 2.  If you enter your email address and press the Submit button, a window will pop up asking you to review your subscription to that Blog's posts.  If the answer is Yes (and we hope it's Yes...because you love us so), you'll receive an email asking you to click on a link which confirms your request.  By signing up, you will receive an automated email whenever a new blog post is uploaded, helping you to stay connected and not miss out on big events.

I will certainly try and reach out to our membership on a larger scale when applicable; but I cannot guarantee that everything will be duplicated in email, on Flickr, and on our Blog. 

Also, I'm including a link to Jamie Mueller's PowerPoint presentation that she gave in January, as it includes some helpful step-by-step information on how to navigate Flickr, create a blog, etc.  Link Here

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Next month's meeting on June 11th is at the Oakbend Library.  It's the BIG reveal of the Solids Only Challenge Quilts which we've been working on since January...so if you haven't started, what are you waiting for??  There will be some prizes too, so don't miss out on the fun.  And if you want to join the 2nd STLMQG Challenge, remember you must be present to play.

Until then...Happy Sewing!!

Monday, May 9, 2011

Meeting #9 -- May 14th, 2011

Hello Modern Quilters,

I'm so excited to see everyone this Saturday, as I was out of town celebrating my Brother's Wedding last month.  Of course a big Thank You goes out to Mary Claire, who stepped in during my absence to run the meeting and host what I hear was an excellent presentation on Modern Fabric Designers with the help of several fellow members.

I'm also very excited to see the new members that joined in April, we love new faces.

Needless to say, we have much to cover at this meeting, I hope to see you there.

Date: Saturday, March 12th
Time: 9:30am-Noon
Location:
Bindings, Borders & Squares Quilt Shop
325 Droste Road
St. Charles, MO 63301

**Please consider carpooling. When parking, please do not park in the 3-5 spots directly in front of the shop, those are for customers***

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Agenda:

   -Welcome & Guild Business
   -Special Announcements/Quilting News
   -Charity Quilt Block Gathering (sneak peek on Flickr)
   -Show & Tell
   -Next STLMQG Challenge (the fun starts in June; but I know you are dying to know what's next)
   -Noodle [Fabric] Swap
   -Next Meeting Date (June 11th), Location (Oakbend Library - Big Bend @ Hwy 44)
   -Remaining Questions & Comments
   -Closing Remarks
   -Door Prizes
   -Mix & Mingle

Don't Forget:

   -Your handmade nametag, otherwise you won't be eligible for door prizes

   -Remember to bring FIVE 5 inch by the width of fabric strips (selvage to selvage) to participate in a fun   fabric swap! You can bring five of the same strips or five different ones; it's up to you. We'd love to see some fresh modern fabrics so bring the types of fabrics you'd love to receive!

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Also, if you visit our Flickr site regularly, I ask that you check out the Picture Policy that I posted there.