What's happening in 2012 ?

As we prepare for the New Year festivities,

we wanted to share with you some points of interest for 2012.

• Did you hear that Pantone, the world's color authority, has selected it's "Color of the Year" for 2012.  It's Tangerine Tango.  On the heel's of this announcement, Erin and Ali, created the Tangerine Tango Quilt Challenge.  You can read all about it here and here, and if you want to get in on the fun, check out their Flickr Group here. 
• You may remember us announcing that The International Quilt Festival was hosting a Modern Quilt Guild Showcase and was looking for MQG members to submit some of their best work for possible consideration in aspecial exhibit shown during Quilt Market/Festival.  Registration opens Jan 6th, 2012 and closes March 2nd, 2012.  It's not too late to start something.
• The Sewing Summit, a blogging and sewing conference; which Cara briefly talked about at our November meeting, is happening again in 2012.  If you'd like to learn more or are interested in attending, make sure that you sign up for information.  It will be October 11th - 13th in Salt Lake City, Utah.
• Let's not forget that the Bits 'n' Pieces Quilt Show "Fanfare of Quilts" is March 17-18th at Queeny Park.  This is a huge Quilt Show; which the STLMQG is proud to be a small part of, as some of our members will be showing their Robert Kauffman "Solids Only" Challenge quilts.  No matter what style of quilting you enjoy, you can surely find something to appreciate at this event. 
• Quilt Market 2012 is coming to a town (sort of) near you...in Kansas City.  It's May 18th-20th and there is likely going to be a MQG Market Meetup.  We are in talks with the KCMQG to co-host the casual event, which brings together lots of people from the Modern Quilting Community for an evening of drinks, food delights and dishing on everything Modern Quilting.  Sounds like a great time for a weekend getaway.

• Did you enjoy our STLMQG Sew-In Saturdays?  Well, get excited because they are back and better then ever.  We were able to secure 4 fun-filled Saturdays in 2012 (March 31st, April 28th, July 28th, and September 29th) and are you ready for the big news...doors open at 9am and close at 9pm.  Yes, that is 12 full hours of nothing but quilting, chatting, and munching with your closest STLMQG friends.  Sew-In Saturdays are of course for due-paying members only and reservations will be required...stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.
• We are continually blown away by the creativity of our members and look forward to seeing what you'll be sharing with us in 2012.  Do you love Swaps and Challenges as much as we do?  Not only will our Members' Swap / Challenge Committee be hosting their swap and Challenge; but both Mary Claire and I will be too.

On behalf of your STLMQG Officers, we would like to wish you and yours a

Happy and Safe New Year!!!

Meeting Recap (December 10th, 2011)

A BIG Thank You to everyone who attended our meeting, I hope that it was a great close to a great year.  I and the other Officers (Mary Claire, Lynne and Rene) would like to Thank everyone for continuing to make the 2nd Saturday of the month, a day to look forward to. 

• We started off the meeting with collecting Ticket Raffle donations and as expected...our members were very generous.  We definately raised some money for our guild and had fun along the way.  This event will certainly be coordinated again in the latter part of 2012 and Rene will give us an update in January of how much we collected.
• Candy and Jamie shared with us a few notions that they couldn't live without as part of our "You Oughta Know" segment.
• The remaining pillow kits were distributed as part of our Fall/Winter Charity Event, and I was thrilled to see that our members already started coming through.  We collected 28 completed pillowcases already...putting us 19% towards our goal of 150 by February.  WooHoo!!!! 
• We've created a separate Charitable Activities tab at the top of our header; which will give you quicker access to the current events we are participating in and what we have done in the past. 
• Paper Pieces, a company based in Sycamore Illinois generously donated some Hexagon sample kits for our members to try.  Be sure to check out their website where you can find several different shapes and kits. 
• We announced that this coming week was SewMamaSew!'s bi-annual Giveaway Day...which due to its popularity has now been extended to an entire week.  Make sure you hop over to their blog starting on Monday, December 12th to learn how you can participate in this event.
• Several of our members participated in the extended edition of Show & Tell, where we saw lots of great quilts and completed quilt tops.

We want to give a special Thanks to the Kirkwood YMCA and especially Judy.  Thank You for allowing our guild to meet in your facility.  We've appreciated having a place to call home the last couple of months.

Starting in January, our STLMQG meetings will be held at The Heights and our meeting time has changed to 10am-12:30pm...allowing our members to get a jumpstart on their afternoon.  Hope to see you all in 2012.

  Happy Holidays!!

Meeting #16 - December 10th, 2011

Hello Modern Quilters,

It's that time of year, where we have given Thanks to all that we have in our lives and now we start the holiday season celebrating with Family and Friends.  We hope that you will join us at this month's meeting, where we close out 2011 with a Bang!

Date: Saturday, December 10th

Time: 10:30am-1pm
Location:
Kirkwood Family YMCA
325 N. Taylor
St. Louis, MO 63122
Map

**Remember, if you cannot find or don't want to hassle with street parking, there is a big FREE parking lot, behind the Church lot; which is accessible from Jefferson, 1 block south of the YMCA.

==================================================================

Agenda:


- Welcome & Guild Business
- Special Announcements / Quilting News
- You Oughta Know "Notions/Gadgets"
- Ticket Raffle
- 2012 Dues
- Show & Tell (Extended Edition)
- Remaining Questions / Comments
- Door Prizes
- Mix & Mingle

**We will be collecting 2012 Membership Dues, which are $30 a year.  Please remember cash or your checkbook.

**As Mary Claire, our VP and Charity Rep, mentioned in this previous blog post...Thanks to a generous donation from Michael Miller Fabrics we will have more pillow kits available for those who want to participate in our Fall/Winter Charitable Event.  Those that did not pick up a kit at November's meeting and want one, will have first opportunity.  Remember, you don't need a kit to participate and in order to reach our Feb 2012 goal of 150 pillowcases, we'll need your help.

**It's Ticket Raffle time.  All the info you need can be found on this blog post.  Remember to bring your donations, small (address size) stickers with your full name if you don't want to write your name over and over on your tickets, and some extra cash if you want to buy more tickets (3 for $1).

**Show & Tell Extended Edition is sure to be lots of fun.  What have you been dying to share with our group?  Maybe it's your newest modern quilt, maybe some new Fat Qtrs you just got in the mail, or maybe it's some news.  Gather up to 5 items that you would like to share with our members...and don't forget your camera.  As always, remember we are a Modern Quilt Guild.

Happy Holidays!!

Ticket Raffle - The Ins & Outs

Come join us as we end 2011 with our 1st ever Ticket Raffle.

Goal:
--To have fun and make a few extra $$ for the STLMQG; which will go towards Rental Space, Speaker's fees, Workshops, Retreats, etc.

Tickets:
3 for $1

Donations:
--Donations should be things that you would like to win.  We appreciate all types of items; both quilting/craft related and non.  Be creative!  While there could be more excitement surrounding certain items, we love all of them equally and appreciate you generous support of our STLMQG.

Ticket to Donation Exchange Rate:
If the estimated Retail value of your entire donation is…
$10 or less = 5 Tickets
$11 - $30 you receive 10 Tickets
$31 - $50 you receive 15 Tickets
$51 and up = 20 tickets
**While we know that the #s above to not equate to selling tickets 3 for $1.  We are happy to have your support and while you will feel warm and fuzzy inside, we also wanted to provide you with a little something in return for your donation.    Keep in mind that this is a fund-raising effort for our guild, so we hope that you'll buy tickets as well. 

Raffle Directions:
Buy your tickets, or use the ones you received in exchange for your donation.  Write your full name on the ticket, or make up small stickers (Return Address size) to place on the back, if you don't want to write your full name over and over.  Find the item/items you wish to take a chance on, place your ticket into the corresponding bag and cross your fingers. There is no limit to the amount of tickets that you can place into each bag, so if you really want an item…put “all your eggs in one basket”.  Winners will be randomly selected.  There is no limit to the amount that you can win. 

Misc:
If you have any questions, do not hestiate to ask.

------Exciting News------

We already received the following donations:

Pretty in Patchwork, donated by Lark Needlearts

2 "Charm Packs" of Echo by Lotta Jansdotter,
one of which was donated by Missouri Star Quilt Co.

Modern Mix by Jessica Levitt

Sew Darn Cute by Jenny Ryan

Last Minute Patchwork & Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson

1/2 yd bundle of various DS Quilts prints

Fat Qtrs of various Tula Pink's Parisville prints

...not pictured 8" Gingher Shears w/tin and cover

$10 iTunes Gift Card

Handmade Quilt

...more to come

Flickr Feature Friday #7

Step away from the Thanksgiving Grocery List for a minute and come enjoy a little bit of inspiration by way of Flickr Feature Friday. 

#7

Here's the code:

1. In A Spin ~ Quilt top, 2. Charming Triangles Quilt Top, 3. Neptune bento box quilt, 4. stlmqg habitat challenge, 5. "time traveler" quilt, 6. Sweet Daisy Quilt, 7. Five Frames, 8. hope valley quilt 1, 9. Flora & Fauna Quilt, 10. quilt #2 (waiting for a good name!), 11. Pink, 12. Love in Wonky Stars with do. Good Stitches

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This week's Flickr Feature Friday is brought to you by Tracy B.

Fall/Winter Charity Event

As the weather cools and we spend more time indoors,

do you think you could whip up a pillowcase or two for a good cause? 

For our Fall/Winter Charity Event we've decided to participate in the

American Patchwork & Quilting One Million Pillowcase Challenge!

We've set ourselves a lofty goal of 150 pillowcases by February 2012.

You can grab this button (and others) for your blogs here!

Free patterns are available here!

For every pillow case you make you will be entered into our prize drawing!

You could win:

 a Reliable V50 Iron (generously donated by Reliable)

a gift card from Sew Mama Sew

Sarah Jane Children at Play Panel (courtesy of Michael Miller)

Sarah Jane Children at Play Panel and scrap pack (courtesy of Michael Miller)

a selection of scrap packs (courtesy of Michael Miller)

check back as more prizes will be added!

Westminster Fabric has made a generous donation to our guild's effort that allowed us to make over 60 pillow case kits available to our members.  50 kits were snatched up at the November meeting; thank you!!!We'll bring the remaining kits and hopefully a few more to the December meeting!

Michael Miller has made an amazing donation of wonderful modern fabrics!  We've made over 40 pillow case kits with fabrics such as Sarah Jane Children at Play and Violet Craft's Peacock Lane!  These new kits will be available at the December meeting!

As always, our deepest thanks for your support of our charity events!

Meeting Recap (November 12th, 2011)

Thank you to everyone who attended our meeting yesterday, and for our regulars who couldn't make it...you were missed.  Let's hop right into what happened.

• Our Fall/Winter Charitable Gather will be making pillowcases as part of the American Patchwork & Quilting One Million Pillowcase Challenge.  Westminster Fabrics graciously donated bolts of fabric; which our VP, Mary Claire, cut into kits.  Please keep your eyes here tomorrow for a blog post about our goals, links to tutorials, prize incentives, etc.  Pillowcases are due in February 2012.
• Cara, back from her visit to Salt Lake City, gave us a recap of The Sewing Summit and topped it off with some giveaways.  Weren't you all loving her DIY messenger bag?
• We *tried* to play Rob Your Neighbor; but no one wanted to steal from one another...finally, after some gentle pushing and prodding, we had a quick game and it was over before we knew it.  Note to self: don't play this game again :-)
• Our members starting paying their 2012 dues.  Rene, our new Treasurer, had a line of "customers"; which is exciting to see.  YAY!!!
• Finally, we discussed what was on tap for December's meeting which will include an extended edition of Show & Tell where each person is encourage to bring up to 5 items to show-off.  Additionally, we discussed the Ticket Raffle and showed off a few of the items that have already been donated.  We'll have a blog post up next week giving your more information about how you can participate in this event.

Finally, here a few other things that were mentioned that you might want to know about.

• Nancy P. shared 2 postcards that she got from Houston Market; which she felt captured the Modern Aesthetic.  Abbey Lane Quilts and SUCH Designs
• I let you all know that Sharon Bailey, Coordinator for the Quilts of Valor Foundation, will be coming up from Arkansas to do a community outreach program. There is no cost for the workshop, which is December 10th from 1-4pm at the Missouri History Museum.  It is open to the public, and she'd love for local quilters to show up to support their foundation's efforts to cover our wounder warriors with quilts. Sharon will be teaching whoever wants to learn, how to make a string block.

See you all next month.  Let's keep the conversation going on our STLMQG Flickr boards. 

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Meeting #15 - November 12th, 2011

Hello Modern Quilters,

It's supposed to be really nice Autumn weather on Saturday.  Hopefully, you can steal away a few brief hours and come to our next meeting.  We have some announcements and fun stuff planned.

Date: Saturday, November 12th
Time: 10:30am-1pm
Location:
Kirkwood Family YMCA
325 N. Taylor
St. Louis, MO 63122
Map

**Remember, if you cannot find or don't want to hassle with street parking, there is a big FREE parking lot, behind the Church lot; which is accessible from Jefferson, 1 block south of the YMCA.
==================================================================

Agenda:

- Welcome & Guild Business
- Special Announcements / Quilting News
- You Oughta Know "Notions/Gadgets"
- Fall/Winter Charitable Gather Announcement
- Sewing Summit Recap
- Rob Your Neighbor "Fabric Swap" Game
- December Meeting Information and Events
- Show & Tell
- Remaining Questions / Comments
- 2012 Dues
- Door Prizes
- Mix & Mingle


**Our Photography 101 Discussion will be postponed until January 2012.

**If you want to participate in the Fabric Swap Game, pls bring a 1/2 yd or 2 FQ of a modern-style fabric or solid in an unmarked brown paper lunchbag, and join in the fun as we "Rob Our Neighbors".

**We will begin collecting 2012 Dues, which are $30 a year.  Please remember cash or your checkbook.  Additionally, for those who are already due-paying members...please check your email for more information.

**Please feel free to bring a Show & Tell item and remember we are a MODERN quilt guild.

**Don't forget your STLMQG nametag

Flickr Feature Friday #6

We hope that you've had fun the last few weeks, checking out several of the HABITAT Challenge quilts that were shown during October's meeting.  Now that it's Friday, do you know what that means?  Yay!  It's Flickr Feature Friday once again.

#6

Here's the code:

1. Finished Hootie Hexagon Quilt, 2. Black bird & hexie pillow, 3. 92.the quilt, she is done!!, 4. Doll Quilt swap 10 Finished, 5. quilted pillows, 6. DQS11 finished, 7. Freshcut Spiderweb Quilt, 8. Modern Meadow Colorbrick Quilt, 9. Joel Dewberry Aviary 2 Quilt

-----------------------------------------------------

This week's Flickr Feature Friday is brought to you by Carolyn Cleveland.

HABITAT Challenge Results --Part 2--

If you are just joining us, please make sure that you check out our HABITAT Challenge Part 1, found here.  Otherwise, if you are looking for Part 2...Welcome!!

This is our 2nd post regarding the HABITAT Challenge that our guild participated in, as sponsored by FreeSpirit Fabrics.  Everyone that finished their quilt did such an amazing job.

Nancy P.

Wendy

"Nests" by Nancy S.

Marianne B.

(Front on Left, Back on Right)...lots of little pixels

Kristy Daum

Thanks to everyone who participated!

HABITAT Challenge Results --Part 1--

I could not be prouder of our STLMQG and what we did with the HABITAT Challenge, sponsored by FreeSpirit Fabrics.  Each participating member was given 6 different Fat Eighths of Jay McCarroll's HABITAT collection.  Our guild's rules were pretty simple:

1. You can only use HABITAT fabric and any additional solids that you choose
2. You must make a quilt that is larger then 36 x 36 and bring it completed to the Oct. 8th meeting.

Our members certainly brought their A-game to this Challenge and we want to share with you the results of all their hard work.  There is just too much goodness to go around so we'll be featuring our member's quilts in 2 parts.  Here is Part 1.

Juli Ann

Cindy

Hannah

 

Cara

  

Jamie Mueller

Kyndra

Laura

Linda

Annie

Those members that participated in this Challenge and would like their quilt featured here, please make sure that you send me a photo, upload one to Flickr, or let me know if the photo that Mary Claire took during the meeting works for you.  I'll be writing a Part 2 next week.

Thanks Again to FreeSpirit Fabrics for allowing us to have fun!

Flickr Feature Friday #5

Today's Flickr Feature Friday is extra special because there is a little bit of news

at the bottom of the post that I encourage everyone to check out.

#5

Here's the code:

1. Striped Quilt, 2. Big Birthday Improv Quilt, 3. For the Love of Solids -- Completed!, 4. wip, 5. CC Baby Quilt, 6. GIrl Blanket Reds and Browns Front jpg, 7. Stairway to Heaven Quilt Top, 8. colorblock plusses - a baby quilt, 9. Blue and White Split Log Cabin Quilt

--------------------------------------------------------------

This week's Flickr Feature Friday is brought to you by Kristy Daum.

<----------------Extra, Extra...Read all About It--------------->

It you check Flickr regularly, then you probably already know about this...sorry,

not such a surprise.  Yet for those of you who don't, I ask you to stand up and be counted.

The Modern Quilt Guild has sent out a survey and would like everyone's participation.  It goes pretty fast and asks questions about you as a quilter, about your participation in your local MQG, and your thoughts on a possible future MQG Convention.

We (Modern Quilters) don't have opportunities like this often...so step right up and fill it out.  Additionally, we are partnering with the Kansas City MQG and the Chicago MQG to shout "Loud and Proud" about how a midwest convention would be perfect. Great hotel rates, equal travel times from both coasts, etc. 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YXFBTJZ

Thanks a Million!!!

Meeting Recap (October 8th, 2011)

Wow!!!  That's the best way to describe our meeting yesterday.  One unbelievable moment after another after another, everyone pulled out the stops with the HABITAT Challenge and it made for a fantastic meeting.  Thanks to everyone who attended and made it a great day!!  A shout-out to Andi, President of the AtlMQG, who found time to join us while she was in town visiting family. 

Here's some thing you may remember or could have missed:

• Our "You Oughta Know" segment was a hit with Jackie sharing her AquaDoodle tips, while Grace brought her Heramarker and some interesting needles.  Marianne discussed the benefits of using slotted rulers and templates.
• We then started the HABITAT Challenge reveal and by the time it was all said and done, there were a total of 28 quilts shown.  This was the epitome of a Challenge as many of our members stepped out of their comfort zone and it definately showed, as each of the quilts were unique and exquisite.  Mary Claire was taking photos and has uploaded them to our Flickr page.  We will be doing a separate showcase here on our blog, over the next week or so, so I encourage you to send us a photo of your finished quilt.  Otherwise, we will be using the photo that Mary Claire uploaded.  If for any reason you choose not to have your quilt shown, please let us know that as well.
• Mary Claire and I were happy to announce that we have a full cabinet of Officers for 2012, as well as some additional support staff.  All of which will help make the STLMQG a stronger and more vibrant guild not only within the St. Louis community; but within the MQG as a whole.  No election was necessary due to the number of people that ran; which made things easy.  Here is your STLMQG Leadership:

                                                President:   Kristy Daum
                                                Vice-President:   Mary Claire
                                                Secretary:   Lynne
                                                Treasurer:   Rene
                          

                                                Social Media/PR:   Cara
                                                Charitable Committee Rep:   Mary Claire
                                                Members Challenge/Swap Committee:
                                                                Grace, Juli Ann, Jessica, Wendy,
                                                                Candy, Judy, Marsha, and Cindy
                                                Election Officiant (Aug-Oct):   Jamie Mueller

• We had time for a brief Show & Tell; which allowed many of our members to see some quilts up close and in person that had previously only been shown on blogs or Flickr.
• An announcement was then made highlighting some of the activities we have planned for the rest of the year.  We hope that you'll join us as the more people we have participating the better.  Here's what is on the agenda:

                         November Meeting:

• Photography 101 & Best Locations to take photos:  Need Volunteers to speak about their experiences with taking quilt and even block photos...lighting, camera, etc.  Additionally, we need your favorite locations around town.  They can be parks, an old building, a random gas station wall, etc.  Send us the stats and sign-up if you want to be on our panel.
• Sewing Summit review:  Cara represented our guild at this event; which was the first of it's kind held in Salt Lake City this weekend.  We know that Twitter was rocking with all sorts of updates and we are bound to see blog recaps too.  We can't wait to hear Cara's personal experience and maybe if we ask really nicely, she'll show us some of the goodies she received for participating.
• Rob Your Neighbor Swap:  All those wanting to participate bring a 1/2 yd or 2 FQs of any Modern fabric in a brown-paper bag.  We will then take turns stealing and swapping bags with one another.  It's sure to be lots of fun.

                         December Meeting:

• Ticket Auction:  We are looking for donations of notions, fabrics, books, patterns, or even handmade goods.  Everyone who donates receives X-amount of tickets which they can then use as chances to win other donations or prizes.  Everyone can purchase additional tickets at 50cents a piece.   So dig through your stash, consider picking up something on your next visit to your favorite shop, or if you are someone who enjoys making things...we would love something handmade.
• Show & Tell + :  We will be hosting an expanded edition of Show & Tell this month allowing everyone to bring in multipe items, talk a little more indepth about a special project they are working on, what they hope for the future of the STLMQG, etc.  

• Finally, please check out the following Quilt or Quilting-related events around town this month:
• Quilt National at the Foundry Art Centre in St. Charles  (Oct 2nd - Nov 4th) $5 admission.  As stated during the meeting, St. Louis is lucky enough to have the exhibit in it's entirity, as it will be broken into smaller pieces as it begins it's journey to other cities.
• Quintessential Quilt Exhibit at the University City Library (Oct 2nd - Oct 28th) Free admission.  A juried quilt show sponsored by the Circle in the Square Guild. 

==========================================================

If Mary Claire and I could shout from the rooftops we would...THANK YOU!!!

Not only for your generosity; but for your sincerity, willingness to try new things,

 and most importantly your friendship.

We are glad that we have made the STLMQG a place where talent shines,

friends are made and laughter reigns supreme.

              

Meeting #14 - October 8th, 2011

Hello Modern Quilters,

I hope that you are spending your spare minutes/evenings/days enjoying the cooler weather and maybe fitting in a little extra quilting time.  I can't wait for this month's activities and to share with you what we have on tap for the rest of 2011 too.  Looking forward to seeing you at this month's meeting.

Date: Saturday, October 8th
Time: 10:30am-1pm
Location:
Kirkwood Family YMCA
325 N. Taylor
St. Louis, MO 63122
Map

**Remember, if you cannot find or don't want to hassle with street parking, there is a big FREE parking lot, behind the Church lot; which is accessible from Jefferson, 1 block south of the YMCA.
==================================================================

Agenda:

   - Welcome & Guild Business
   - Special Announcements / Quilting News
   - You Oughta Know "Notions/Gadgets"
   - Free Spirit HABITAT Challenge Reveal
   - STLMQG Leadership & Committee Structure
   - Activities planned for Nov & Dec
   - Show & Tell (if time allows)
   - Remaining Questions / Comments
   - Door Prizes
   - Mix & Mingle


**Don't forget, if you are participating in the HABITAT Challenge, your quilt is due Saturday.

**Please feel free to bring 1 Show & Tell item; but know that if our meeting runs long, we may pull this feature this month.  Additionally, remember we are a MODERN quilt guild.

Flickr Feature Friday #4

We are just rolling along here with our 4th installment of Flickr Feature Friday.

We hope you are enjoying the inspiration; each carefully selected by a

different STLMQG member each week.

#4

Here's the code:


1. square in there_Monster 2, 2. lightning 2.0, 3. wonky zigzag pillow, 4. Joel Dewberry Aviary 2 Quilt, 5. castle views quilt, 6. Jewel Box, 7. DSC00317, 8. innocent crush pillow, 9. Pretty {little} Pouch Swap Finished!, 10. crosswalk quilt, 11. Wonky Star Quilt - Pieced Together Bee, 12. Our new quilt and pillows!

--------------------------------------------------

This week's Flickr Feature Friday is brought to you by Rene S.

 
 

A New Look

So it's finally official, the STLMQG has a brand new look, courtesy of Juli Ann.

She created our fabulous new logo; which our members selected as our

new identity.  I don't know about you; but it's pretty sweet. 

 

As you'll notice we've updated our guild's button too; which you can find on the right sidebar.  I would like to ask all members that have blogs, if you wouldn't mind updating the STLMQG button on your blog, it would certainly be appreciated. 

============================================

We are excited to announce that you can now buy STLMQG Logo merchandise.

Thanks to Mary Claire who spent hours setting up shop and getting things "just right".

Head on over to our CafePress shop and check out the selection.

http://www.cafepress.com/stlmqg

Happy Shopping !!!

spring/summer quilt gather 2011

Thanks to the generosity of our wonderful members, we were able to create twelve modern, child size quilts during our  2011 Spring/Summer Quilt Gather!

{applause here}

Thank you to all who contributed; you made our first big charity project a success! 

Six of the quilts have been donated to the St. Louis chapter of Project Linus.

Six have also been donated to The Quilted Garden's Love Quilt Project that is currently collecting for residents of Joplin, MO.

Our hearts sing when we think about what these quilts might mean to their new owners.

Once again, our deepest thanks to our volunteers!

Modern Quilt Guild Showcase

Have you heard the wonderful news? 

The International Quilt Festival is featuring a Modern Quilt Guild Showcase; premiering at Quilt Festival/Market (October 26-Nov 4th, 2012).  Yes, that's 2012.

This showcase will bring together the talent of all the MQG's around the world, by allowing all members to participate in a Call for Entries.

If you don't already have a modern quilt in mind to submit, now's a great time to pull out all the stops and make something truly fantastic.

All those who are interested in participating will have tons of time, as entries are not due until March 2, 2012…with registration opening January 6th, 2012. Each member can submit a total of (5) quilts.  All of the information you need can be found here http://callforentriesmodernquilts.com/
 
I encourage all of our members to consider participating in this juried event, let's show the rest of the world the wonderful talent that the STLMQG has in its midst.

----------------------------------------------------------------

For anyone that needs a brush-up on their Modern Aesthetic, would like more information on a technique, or just wants someone to root them on...Don't hesitate to ask a fellow guild member, or bring up your question at one of our meetings.  We are a group that is full of unique talent and someone might just have the answer and support you are looking for. 

We'll certainly be cheering on those that decide to participate.

Shout Out!

We are so fortunate to have such a talented group of quilters! Just look at some of the recent accomplishments/offerings by some of our members…

Were you at the sew-in? Did you oooh and aaaah over Cara’s God’s Eye string quilt? Did you know she is offering the pattern and two others on her blog for free? Check it out!

Photo Courtesy of Me? A Mom?

Cindy has a great quick pillow tutorial on her blog.  Perfect for all that fabric you’ve been hoarding.  Cindy also participated in the Designer’s Challenge in the most recent issue of Fat Quarterly.  Fat Quarterly is subscription based online magazine full of patterns and information! 

Photo Courtesy of Hyacinth Quilt Designs

Jamie is teaching her machine pieced cathedral windows over at The Quilted Fox.  If you’d like to learn how to make this lovely pillow, check out this link!

Photo Courtesy of Jamie Mueller

Did you see Kristy’s Puzzled quilt over on the Moda Bake Shop blog?  Head on over to get the instructions on how to make this clever quilt and leave a comment to congratulate Kristy on her accomplishment!

Photo Courtesy of Kristy Daum

Mary Claire recently won a spot in Pam and Nicky Lintott’s Spring 2012 release Jelly Roll Challenge book.  Hers is one of 12 quilts selected from 70 to be featured in the book.  The top three winners will be announced at the Houston Quilt Market  this October.

Several members have taken Marsha’s paper piecing classes and had great things to say.  If you don’t like ripping the paper off after you paper piece then you need to check out Marsha’s class!

If we’ve missed any recent publications, awards, tutorials or classes by other members please leave comments on this post so we can learn more about them.  For future publications, tutorials, awards, or classes please drop us a note so we can include it in a future Shout Out! blog post!

Meeting Recap (September 10th 2011)

Thanks to everyone to came out to our meeting today.  We hope you had fun and learned alot.

Here's some things you might remember or could have missed:

• Mary Claire announced that our Cross Block Gathering created a total of 13 quilts which will be split up and donated to help comfort those in Joplin, MO with the other 1/2 being given to the local chapter of Project Linus.  This was our first charitable event, and I am just floored at the outpouring of support everyone showed...I mean 13 quilts, that's AMAZING!!!
• As part of the "You Oughta Know" monthly segment, Judy H. and Jamie Mueller shared with our guild some of their favorite or most used quilting accessories. 
• Who would have thought that a Scrap Swap could turn into a Sporting Activity; but that's exactly what happened once the 8 oz. bags of scraps were collected and Mary Claire broke out her pitching skills.  Maybe next time we'll ask members to bring a Glove, just like one would do at a Cardinals game.  We'll definately have to do this Scrap Swap again...it was a blast.
• We'd like to give a big Thanks to Tonie Covelli, from Creative Fitness Solutions LLC, who shared with us her talents in Personal Training.  Our members were guided through a series of stretching activities; which are imperative to add to one's Quilting routine, so you can ward off the typical aches and pains associated with long hours sitting at one's machine or standing at the cutting table/ironing boards.  It was exciting to see our members participate in this activity.
• Our final Sew-In Saturday for 2011 is only a few weeks away...September 24th from 9am-6pm.  You must be a due-paying member to attend, the fee is 1 Modern FQ, and most importantly you must RSVP as space is limited.  Sign-ups begin now and will end Sept 21st or until we fill-up; which after last month's turnout will likely happen relatively quickly.  To sign-up all you have to do is find the Sew-In Saturday button along the right-hand side of our blog, click it and you'll be taken to a form where you answer a few questions.  Easy!! 
• Another Thank You goes out to Alex (Wendy R. son), Lynne M., Mary Claire and Juli Ann D. for providing the wonderful STLMQG Logo options we voted on today.  After the ballots were collected and counted, the winning logo was announced.  Congratulations to Juli Ann D.  

• Over the next week, we'll be rolling out the new logo throughout our many sites (Blog, Flickr, Twitter, etc), providing you with ways to add the logo to your own blog, and finally giving you information on how you can show your love for the STLMQG by having a personalized Totebag, T-Shirt, Coffee Mug, etc. made. 
• Finally, the business part of our meeting ended with a lively discussion of our Leadership Structure and how you can be a part of the future of the STLMQG by running for office.  Google Docs is being a pain tonight, so I can't upload the PDF file...I'll be emailing it to everyone instead.  It is a breakdown of all of the Officers responsibilities, as well as accompanying positions and committee opportunities.  If you would like to run, please contact Jamie Mueller (our Election Officiate) no later then October 1st, so she can make sure that you are on the ballot.  Additionally, if you would like to nominate someone, please let Jamie know immediately so she has time to contact the nominee.  If you have any questions or would like more information about a specific role, please contact Mary Claire or I as we can provide further insight.  Elections are November 12th, and the candidates will be revealed the week prior.  Please note that each candidate will have the opportunity to say a few words before voting actually occurs. 
• Our meeting ended with some wonderful expressions of Modern Quilting through the return of Show & Tell. 

Here are some things that are going on around town:

• Quilt National at the Foundry
• Innovations in Textiles

Meeting #13 - September 10th, 2011

Hello Modern Quilters,

It's that time of the month again (no, not what you are thinking; but I got you to giggle anyway)...it's time for our next meeting.  We have some interesting things planned this month, hope to see you there.

Date: Saturday, September 10th
Time: 10:30am-1pm
Location:
Kirkwood Family YMCA
325 N. Taylor
St. Louis, MO 63122
Map

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Agenda:
   - Welcome & Guild Business
   - Special Announcements / Quilting News
   - Stretching Session with Tonie Covelli   MPH, CPT and of course STLMQG member
         *We are excited that Tonie will be showing us some important stretching techniques which are essential for those who spend long hours at the sewing machine or cutting table.  Participation is encouraged; but certainly not mandatory.  Handouts will be available and of course if you'd like to learn more about Tonie, keep reading below.
   - Blog Renovation (Logo Contest Voting)
   - You Oughta Know "Notions/Gadgets"
   - Free Spirit HABITAT Challenge
         *We still have a few bags left if anyone wants to get in on the Challenge; due October 8th
   - September Scrap Swap
         *Remember to bring a Quart Size Ziploc bag with 8 oz. of modern fabric scraps if you wish to participate. 
   - STLMQG Leadership & Committee Structure
   - Show & Tell
   - Remaining Questions / Comments
   - Door Prizes
   - Mix & Mingle


**Show & Tell returns this month...YAY!!  To get us back in the groove, we are allowing each member to show 1 item.  Please be respectful of each other's time and keep to the allotted quantity, additionally remember we are a MODERN quilt guild.
        
**If you would like to learn more about Tonie Covelli, who will be leading our Stretching Session, she can be found here.
      Tonie Covelli    MPH, CPT
      Creative Fitness Solutions, LLC
      9842B Manchester Rd.
      Rock Hill, MO  63119
      314-971-3597
      tcovelli (at) gmail (dot) com

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Here are the wonderful logos that were submitted, and of course don't forget our current logo too.  Keep in mind that whichever logo we choose to go with will be adapted so it can be  used both as a sidebar button as well as our Blog Header.

All of the due-paying members that attend Saturday's meeting will be given a ballot
to vote for their Top 3 Favorite Logos.

Thanks to Mary Claire, Wendy R. (and her son), Lynne M. and Juli Ann D for creating the above artwork.