Meeting Recap January 9th, 2021

We've made it to 2021! And this past Saturday we had our first STLMQG meeting of the new year and it was a smashing success! We had a chance to use the breakout room feature on Zoom and it was a wonderful opportunity for our members to have a little more one on one time with each other and share some laughs with fun things they found in their sewing rooms. We are so delighted to have you back with us this year you are our quilty people. 

Guild Business:

• Gail Luther, our new treasurer, started off with an update of the guild financials. For those interested our year end P&L Statement is located on the members drive. We are set up well this year for any financial decisions we want to make this year.
• Christine Boyd, our new secretary, gave us a brief overview of our membership numbers. In 2020 we hit an impressive 175 members, and in the last year we gained 21 members, six of which joined in December alone. We are currently sitting at 133 members. Anyone who has joined and is interested in joining should check out  how to join.
• Our Vice President Em Komiskey covered some of the online happenings coming up, below is a list. 
  
  - Rebecca Bryan Modern Triangle BOM - Wildflower 
  - Corinne Sovey Playground Skillbuilder BOM 
  - Murder Mystery Quilt
  - Leila Gardunia Patch Party BOM
  
  - Alderwood Studio - New Direction Quilt Along
  - Then Came June - Campfire Glow Quilt Along
  - Kielys Quilt Room - Evolve Quilt Along
  - Quilts From the Attic - Shoal Quilt Sew Along
  - Slice of Pi Quilts - Exploding Heart QAL
  
  - Lo & Behold Stichery - Beginner Quilting Academy

Items Covered:

• Committee Sign Ups - Biggest of thanks to all our members who have signed up to help out the guild. If you are still interested in signing up, please email us at stlmqg@gmail.com and we can get you signed up.
  
  
• Zoom Use:
  - Please remember the STMQG Zoom account is available for any guild member wishing to use for quilty-gatherings. Just email stlmqg@gmail.com to get things set up.
  
  
• 
  International Quilt Museum - as a member of the STLMQG we have access to the International Quilt Museum based in Lincoln, Nebraska, which as the single largest public collection of quilts in the world. A special "portal" has been created to provide additional internet resources like special downloads and virtual programs. Instructions and login information will be provided in your email.
  
  
• Amazon Smile STLMQ Guild is an easy way for you to support the guild everytime you shop at no cost to you. Shop through our charity link and .5% of your eligible purchases will get donated to the guild. Turn on Amazon Smile through your settings and look for the "Modern Quilt Guild Inc." Select the club located in St. Louis.
  
  
• 4x5 Quarterly Bees - We are introducting a guild Quarterly Block Bees - a great way to get involved and meet new folks in the guild by picking a pattern and a color scheme and joining with others to make blocks to complete a small sized throw. Check out this blog post to learn more and look for the sign up link in your email.
  
  
• Monthly Skill Builder - our president Lilo Whitener-Fey introduced an exciting new activity for 2021 to replace the block of the month for this year to help make the most of meeting through our new online tools - Monthly Skill Builder. Since many of us learn best hands on this is a great way to utilize zoom as a way to learn new skills/techniques. Check out this blog post to learn how you can learn new skills and win prizes. We'd love to hear from you if you'd be willing to teach a skill - please reach out and let us know. Our first month will be taught by our lovely leader Lilo and she'll teach us everything you need to know about chain piecing your quilt tops. First Zoom will be Wednesday, January 20th for 7-8pm be on the lookout for the zoom link in your inbox.
  
  
• Committee Announcements
  - Jessica Schunke, chair of the charity committee, presented our first charity project of 2021. We will be making quilts for homeless veterans tiny homes project being built in North City. Learn more about the 30 Twin XL quilts we want to donate by Friday April 30, 2021 and what you can do to help. 
  - Jessica Schunke also showed us the beautiful result of our QuiltCon charity quilt from 2020. Be on the lookout for more information and pictures of the final project as it debuts at QuiltCon in February.
  
  
• Scavenger Hunt - We broke out into groups of 4-5 in the breakout rooms to 'hunt' for some fun sewing items including, smallest ruler, oldest fabric, the greatest number of scissors and most disastrous pin cushion. We saw some beautiful old fabrics found that some we are averaging near 20 scissors in our sewing rooms! 
  
  
• Feburary Meeting will feature a chat from Suzy Williams on picking fabrics for your quilt patterns. We will be getting a FREE Suzy Quilts pattern and we've have worked with 2 online quilt shops to secure discounts following the meeting to put your new fabric picking skills to use. February’s meeting will be member only, so we suggest that you get signed up!
  
  
• Hand Sew *Home* Happy Hour will continue in 2021 - first meeting is January 26th form 6-9 - zoom link to come in your email.
  
  
• Fabric Raffle 
  Thanks to another very generous donation from our sponsor Cotton Cuts Gail Luther & Judy Parham are going to enjoy some fat quarter bundles of Alison Glass's new Art Theory.

We'll keep you updated through emails and on social of all the fun things coming for the rest of 2021. We can't wait for more fun times ahead, take care, stay safe, wear your masks and we hope that we will get back to seeing each other soon. 

Spring 2021 STLMQG Charity Project

The STLMQG Charity Committee is happy to announce that, for our spring 2021 project, we’ll be making quilts for the homeless veterans tiny homes project being built in North City. The Veterans Community Project (VCP) Village will provide temporary supportive housing for veterans experiencing homelessness. Originally scheduled to open the spring of 2021, it has been delayed until later in the year. You can read more about the tiny homes project here. We are joining forces with an outside group that’s already heading up the quilt-making project to support their efforts. We want to make sure that each home has a welcoming quilt on the bed when the tenant arrives. Here’s everything you need to know!

• Quilts must be new, handmade, and washable. They may be hand or machine quilted or tied.

• Quilt Size: Twin XL (there’s a good bit of range on this size, but the minimum is 63" x 92") (The quilts will be going on the beds in the tiny homes, which have Twin XL mattresses.)

• Color Scheme and Fabrics: The tiny homes will be for veterans, but the quilts do not have to be patriotic in theme or color (they can be, but they don't NEED to be). Any color scheme is fine but please avoid gender-specific or juvenile prints. These quilts are for adults. Solids and prints are both fine. You're welcome to use any of a variety of fabric types (cotton, linen, flannel, etc.), but please make sure the fabric is quilt-shop quality. We want these quilts to last!

• Deadline: November meeting. Quilts can be dropped off at any of the informal gatherings and if/when we start meeting in person.

• Goal: 30 Twin XL quilts

While our focus is on providing quilts for the tiny homes, we realize larger quilts may be difficult for some members to complete for any number of reasons. So, we will also be collecting throw or larger size quilts for the community center that is being built in conjunction with the tiny homes. Again, these are for adults, so they still need to be largish quilts (think minimum of 60" x 60"). The same fabric requirements and deadline apply. Finally, if you can't participate in this project, don't worry! The committee is planning at least one more project for the second half of the year, so you'll have more chances to participate and give back.

You are welcome to use any quilt pattern you want or even go bold with some improv! If you need some help, below is a short list of patterns and designers whose patterns include a Twin size or that could easily be modified to meet the size requirements. Almost no patterns are designed explicitly for an XL Twin, but if you’re coming up short, you can easily adjust most patterns by adding borders, widening the sashing, or adding another row of blocks, depending on the design.

• https://carolynfriedlander.com/ray-quilt-pattern/ (throw size but could easily be sized up)

• https://wren-collective.com/product/mae-quilt-pdf-pattern/

• https://wren-collective.com/uncategorized/an-easy-and-free-quilt-pattern-meet-punch-lines/ (largest size in the pattern is a throw but could easily be sized up)

• https://suzyquilts.com/product-category/quilt-patterns/

• https://quiltyloveshop.com/collections/pdf-patterns

• https://thencamejune.com/collections/quilt-patterns

• https://freshly-pieced-quilt-patterns.myshopify.com/collections/digital-patterns

• https://www.bhg.com/crafts/sewing/free-bed-size-quilt-patterns-quilts-throws/

• https://www.allpeoplequilt.com/quilt-patterns/bed-quilts/free-bed-quilt-patterns

If you are interested in following along with the efforts of the larger quilt-making group, you can find them on Facebook here.

Thank you for your efforts! We look forward to seeing (and receiving) your beautiful quilts. And be sure to share your finished quilts on social media using #stlmqg, #stlmqgcares, and #stlmqgquiltsforvets.

Your 2021 STLMQG Charity Committee

Jessica Schunke (Chair), Gayle Larson, Kathy Mattingly, Krista Robbins, Gina Shelley, and Nichole Witushynsky

2021 Quarterly Block Bees

How to connect with each other in our current world? How about a sewing bee that promotes small groups?! Yes, please! Throughout 2021 the guild will be hosting four rounds of a 4x5 Block Bee! New sign-ups will be available at the beginning of each round and you may participate in as many as you like. If you participate in all 4 rounds throughout the year you will have enough blocks for a throw sized quilt and might have blocks from up to 15 other members!

How to participate: 
*choose a color theme
*choose a background (suggested - white, gray, black solid or low volume print)
*choose a 12-inch (12.5-inch unfinished) block pattern
*decide if you'd like to be a group leader which simply includes checking in with your group and facilitating communication

Complete the sign-up form for the appropriate round(s) in which you wish to participate. Sign-up forms will be opened for a limited time the year at the start of each round. (See the proposed schedule below.)

After sign ups are closed, bee groups of 5-6 will be randomly assigned and shared with participants.  

Participants then: 
*make one of your blocks for each of your groups’ members in their respective color theme, including your own. 
*it is expected that you will use ONLY MODERN QUILT SHOP QUALITY fabric 
*finish all blocks by the deadline. We will finalize the actual exchange of blocks at a later date.
*Post your blocks!! Use #stlmqg and #stlmqg4x5bee when posting on social media

Round 1: 

Sign up: January (open for 10 days after meeting)

Groups assigned by: February Meeting

Check-in 1 (minimum progress: block pattern selected): March

Check-in 2 (minimum progress: fabrics pulled/purchased): April

Finished: May

Round 2: 

Sign up: April (open for 10 days after meeting)

Groups assigned by: May meeting

Check-in 1 (minimum progress: block pattern selected): June

Check-in 2 (minimum progress: fabrics pulled/purchased): July

Finished: August

Additional proposed scheduling:

ROUND 3:

Sign up: July (open for 10 days after meeting)

Groups assigned by: August meeting

Check-in 1 (minimum progress: block pattern selected): September 

Check-in 2 (minimum progress: fabrics pulled/purchased): October

Finished: November

ROUND 4:

Sign up: October (open for 10 days after meeting)

Groups assigned by: November meeting

Check-in 1 (minimum progress: block pattern selected): December

Check-in 2 (minimum progress: fabrics pulled/purchased): January 2022

Finished: February 2022

2021 Monthly Skill Builder

For the past few years we have done a Block of the Month with some absolutely lovely results! As we try to leverage the tools we have for 2021, we came up with something a little different, but hopefully super valuable as we strive to educate and encourage our members. We are excited to announce the 2021 Monthly Skill Builder!

So many of us learned to sew because someone showed us how. While it's easy to google something, watch a video on YouTube, or take an online class, it can still be intimidating to learn new skills on our own regardless of how hard they may or may not be. In 2021, we want to use this Zoom format to SHOW you some things we think you will find useful to have in your skill set. 

How it works: At each monthly meeting, we will announce a new skill/technique. We will then host a Zoom class during which a knowledgeable guild member will guide us through that skill and provide feedback while you attempt it at home. Zoom class dates will typically be held two Wednesdays after each meeting from 7-8pm.  In addition to that, we will provide resources and links on the blog and member drive. You may make the block that is demonstrated during the Zoom class (instructions will be provided) - all of which will result in a 12.5" unfinished block, or you may make a block of your own choosing in whatever size you prefer. You may do this with the class or on your own. 

Monthly prizes: Each month we will give away one prize chosen from participants who post their work using that month's skill or technique on Instagram using #stlmqgskillbuilder or email a photo to stlmqg@gmail.com by midnight the Friday before the next designated meeting. 

We look forward to learning from each other this year!!

January: 

Skill/Technique: Chain/Web Piecing Completed Blocks and Rows

Live Zoom Demonstration: Wednesday, January 20th, 7-8pm

Presenter: Lilo Whitener-Fey

Deadline to post/email: Friday, February 12th, Midnight.

Resources: 

• Suzy Quilts Video Tutorial on YouTube
• Blog Post from Flourishing Palms
• Basic Chain Piecing Block Elements from Fat Quarter Shop

February: 

Skill/Technique: English paper piecing: how to baste hexagons in 3 different ways and whip stich them together.

Live Zoom Demonstration: Wednesday, February 24th, 7-8pm

Presenter: Leila Gardunia

Deadline to post/email: Friday, March12th, Midnight.

Prep Instructions:

We will be making the Hexagon Flower Quilt Block found in this tutorial. To make the block and prep for the class, you will need the following:

1. (7) 1 1/4" Hexagon papers. To print  your own, go to here and enter 1.25 into the 'Hexagon Size' field and click Download. Go to your downloads and print the document onto cardstock. Carefully cut out 7 of the hexagons.

2. Fabric scraps at least 3" square for hexagon flower 'petals' and 'center' and green fabric scraps for the stem and leaves. (stem = 1.25" x 7" and petals approx 2.5" x 4")

3. A 13" square of fabric for the background.

4. Hand needle and thread that blend well with your petal fabric.

5. A Thinline or regular glue stick.

6. Scissors

March: 

Skill/Technique: Foundation Paper Piecing Basics!

Live Zoom Demonstration: Wednesday, March 24th, 7-8pm

Presenter: Lilo Whitener-Fey

Deadline to post/email: Friday, April 9th, Midnight.

Resources: 

• Leila Gardunia’s Ultimate Guide to FPP

• Blossom Heart Quilts Tutorial
• Wombat Quilt Tips for FPP

April: 

Skill/Technique: Digital Quilt Mock-Ups

Live Zoom Demonstration: Wednesday, April 21st, 7-8pm

Presenter: Christine Boyd

Deadline to post/email: Friday, May 7th, Midnight.

Resources: Coming Soon!

Meeting #106 (January 9th, 2021)

2020 was truly one for the history books, and one I'm sure we are all glad to put behind us. Our guild has done a great job adapting and we are really excited for the upcoming year. We have exciting speakers and activities scheduled so make sure to stay tuned to your emails and our social posts so you can stay involved in the fun. See the 'How to Join' tab if your're not a member but would like to join and see what we are all about. 

This meeting will include:

-Welcome & Guild Business:
  :: Membership Information
  :: Financial Information
  :: Quilting News / Around Town

-Announcements/Reminders

  :: Committee Updates

  :: International Quilt Museum

  :: 4x5 Quarterly Bees

  :: Monthly Skill Builder

  :: January Fabric Bundle Raffle - See your email for more details and the link. 
  :: Member Announcements

- Special Activity Scavenger Hunt

  :: We are going to use the Zoom breakout rooms (fingers crossed) to go on a little scavenger hunt......not to worry we won't have you running all over your house but we do suggest staying near to your sewing space and supplies.

- Special Topic

  :: Online Quilting Suggestions

- January Bundle Raffle Drawing

- Show & Tell (time permitting)

-------------------------- Reminders/Items Due ------------------------------

:: We need your help! Take this online survey and let us know what you've been doing online to stay busy and connected.