Meeting Recap (April 9, 2022)

Our in person meeting last weekend was a rollicking good time as we got to know each other a little better with our mixer and fabric swap. If you missed us Saturday keep reading for some important and time sensitive updates.

Guild Business:

• Gail (Treasurer) went over the guild's finances. If you are interested to know more, please contact her or see her report on the group Facebook page.
• Octavia (Secretary) covered our current membership which is currently 167 members. If you're not a member yet, learn how to join HERE.

**DEADLINE SOON**

Be sure to save the date for the STLMQG's 3rd quilt show, which will be held July 16-17, 2022. Set up will take place July 15, and we'll need all hands on deck over the course of the weekend (volunteer signups to come), so please plan accordingly.

But for now -- we need your quilts! Click here to register your modern quilts.

Registration is open to members through April 16 -- that's this coming Saturday! Please join us in showing off our members' wonderful work. We'd love to show something (or several somethings) from each one of you! You will find all the information you need for registration here. Please review the document carefully before submitting quilts or emailing us with questions.

If you have any questions after reading the instructions, please email the committee at stlmqgquiltshow@gmail.com. We hope that as many members as possible will participate so we can really put our best foot forward for the show. And don't be shy about entering multiple quilts/items; each member can register up to nine quilts/items (though acceptance of all entries is not guaranteed).

 

We also need you to publicize the show! You can download the full-resolution .jpg here or .png here for sharing on Instagram, Facebook, etc. (We also made a few updates, so if you've already downloaded the old versions, go ahead and switch to the new ones. Thanks!) Help us get the word out!

Thank you!

STLMQG Quilt Show Committee

**WORKSHOP SPACE STILL AVAILABLE**

Email the guild if you are interested in joining a workshop. If you registered and have not yet paid, please do so as soon as possible to keep your spot. Details below.

Papper, Sax, Sten: Jenny Haynes is our guest speaker in May. There will be NO IN-PERSON meeting that weekend. All of these events will take place via Zoom. Please note the change in time. She will chat with the guild on May 14 from 9:30-10:15 AM CDT. Paid workshops will take place May 14 and 15 from 10:30 AM - 3:00 PM CDT. Workshop descriptions can be found HERE.

Items Covered:

• Home Sew Happy Hour: Jump on Zoom April 19 from 6-9pm with your favorite beverage and some tedious sewing that's better with friends. This is a casual event where you can come and go as you please.
• Block of the Month: Patti Baymiller was our winner for March and also the first to get her blocks posted the day after our last meeting! Have you joined in the Block of the Month sampler quilt party yet? It's been so fun seeing everyone's take on Instagram. For all the info look HERE. It's not too late to jump in.
• April BOM: Speaking of the block of the month, the next tutorial is live on the blog. We're focusing on variations of the square-in-a-square block, so choose your adventure and get sewing. Post to Instagram using #stlmqgbom or email a photo before our next meeting to be entered for a prize. We will select a winner for April even though we won't meet in May. Tutorial can be found HERE.

• Committee updates: 
•  The Swap and Challenge committee collected the "Lockup" blocks made from the fabrics traded at our "ugly" fabric swap last meeting. Cathy Jones and Dottie Vaughn each won a bundle of blocks. Congrats!
• The Swap and Challenge committee also initiated the "inspirational" fabric swap, due in June. See the rules HERE.
• The Quilt Show committee emphasized registering your quilts and promoting our show in July. Not sure how to share the image on social media, get in touch. Talk it up outside of social media too! See important info above.
• The Charity committee asked our membership to consider making gender neutral or using traditionally male color schemes for a portion of the quilts we donate. Our donations generally overlook this group and young men do reside at TWSH with their mothers. We'd like to be able to give them quilts that more easily fit their tastes.
• The Charity committee also collected fabric donations from members to make kits for the Women's Safe House Project. Want to hear how we did? Keep reading.

The Women's Safe House Project

I know everyone is excited to hear how much fabric we collected for this endeavor, and it was quite the party at the donations table, but first let's recognize our speaker from TWSH, Mary Ann Owens. Mary Ann went over the specifics of what makes her organization stand out above the rest and most importantly, how they empower women to lead lives beyond their current circumstances. We are excited to partner with them and encourage you to learn more about them and ways to get involved HERE. 

So how much fabric did our members donate to this awesome charity? According to the Charity committee we collected 534 and 1/4 yards - enough to reach the top of the Gateway Arch and back, with over 114 yards to spare! Or for you Cardinals fans, over 256 Albert Pujols'!! Go crazy folks, go crazy! Thank you guild members.

The Charity committee will be busy assembling kits for the children's quilts to be distributed at the June meeting. But you don't have to wait to get started!! Start sewing those masterpieces now. We will be collecting quilts for women residents and their dependent children throughout the year. TWSH is one of the few residential programs that accept male children 12-18 years of age, and we know with our amazing members we will be able to meet that need as well. Please visit the blog HERE for quilt needs and size guidelines. And again, thank you for your overwhelming generosity.

Mixer and Inspirational Fabric Swap

Do you prewash or not? Drive your machine barefoot or with shoes? Questions like these helped us get to know each other a little better as we divulged our highly personal quilting preferences and habits. At the end we all lined up around the room in order of how long we'd been guild members. Almost half of our current membership joined since the pandemic first shut us down in March 2020! Afterwards, we traded fat quarters within our groups and chatted about what inspires us when choosing the thing that keeps us all sewing - pretty fabric.

It's awesome seeing our membership grow and watching you all get to know more about one another.

• Fabric Raffle: One of our brand new members was a winner this month! Congrats to Tee Perdue and Candice Marshall on snagging those Hibiscus FQ bundles donated by our lovely sponsor Cotton Cuts. We're grateful for your support.

• Show and Share: We wrapped up the meeting with another great Show and Tell. Pics have been posted to our Instagram and Facebook pages. Join us there to see pictures of quilts that were shared, and to stay up to date on what's to come this year!

2022 Block of the Month Sampler - April

 

        

Welcome to Month Four of the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild 2022 Block of the Month Sampler!

Remember to post your block to Instagram with the hashtag #stlmqgbom before the May meeting to be entered to win this month's prize. If you don't use Instagram, you may email a photo to the guild email. 

(We're not meeting in person in May because of our Zoom program and workshops with Paper, Sax, Sten. Be sure to check your email and this blog next month for the May blocks!)

This month we will be making FIVE 6-inch square-in-a-square blocks, or variations on that block. Easy peasy! You can make five of the same or mix and match as you see fit. In the whole quilt mock-up, you will see them all as small "x blocks" if you want to use that to plan. The whole quilt mock up can be found in the Block of the Month Introduction post. 

The square-in-a-square block is a quick and easy block that uses a center square, set on point, and two smaller squares, each cut on the diagonal, and sewn to the center square. 

The x-block variation uses a plus as the center block. The economy block variation add an additional layer, so it is essentially a square-in-a-square in another square. Both the square-in-a-square an the economy block are great places to try some fussy cutting if you are using prints in your quilt. 

You could certainly do the math to figure out how to make any size square-in-a-square using the Pythagorean Theorem (a² + b² = c²) but I highly recommend skipping all that and using this Square in a Square Calculator from Quilter's Paradise. 

When I input the finished size of 6-inches into the calculator, the result is that I will cut my center square at 4¾ and my two corner squares at 3-7/8. I prefer to round up and will cut those corner squares at 4-inches and then trim the finished block. 

CUTTING DIRECTIONS

These directions are for a single block. You should decide how many of each variation you want to make and adjust your cutting accordingly. 

Square in a square

Inside: (1) 4-3/4 inch square
Outside: (2) 4 inch squares, cut on the diagonal

X-block

Inside (x fabric): (1) 2" x 5" rectangle
                            (2) 2-inch squares

Background: (4) 2-inch squares
                     (2) 4 inch squares, cut on the diagonal

Economy block

Inside: (1) 3-1/2" square

Middle: (2) 3 inch squares, cut on the diagonal

Outside: (2) 4 inch squares, cut on the diagonal

SEWING DIRECTIONS

Square in a square

1. Line up the long side of each triangle with one side of your center square. 

2. Sew together using a ¼ inch seam allowance. 

3. Press open. Trim to 6½ inches. 

X-block

Make the X

1. Sew a 2-inch background square to two opposite sides of a 2-inch square of x fabric. 

2. Add the 2" x 5" rectangle to the middle to finish the x. 

**this center section will finish at 5". Trim to 4¾ by lining up the center of the x at the 2-3/8 mark on your ruler.**

3. Line up the long side of each background triangle with one side of your center x. 

4. Sew together using a ¼ inch seam allowance. 

5. Press open. Trim to 6½ inches. 

Economy block

1. Line up the long side of each small triangle with one side of your center square. 

2. Sew together using a ¼ inch seam allowance. 

3. Press open. Trim to 4¾ inches. 

4. Line up the long side of each larger triangle with one side of your small square-in-a-square. 

5. Sew together using a ¼ inch seam allowance. 

6. Press open. Trim to 6½ inches. 

Choose your block, and make five total, or mix and match!

Meeting #119 (April 9, 2022)

Anyone else loving the flowering trees and "longer" days? Spring has officially sprung in St. Louis and we are excited to embrace the new season with you at our meeting this Saturday! Zoom is available if you cannot join us in person.

**Highway 44 at Big Bend will be closed this weekend. More info HERE if that is your usual route.**

Date: April 9, 2022
Time: 10 am-12:30 pm
Location: Shrewsbury Center - 5200 Shrewsbury Ave, St. Louis, MO 63119

Agenda:

-Welcome & Guild Business

• Zoom etiquette
• Financial Information
• Membership Information
• Quilting News/Around Town
• Reminders
• BOM updates
• Committee updates
• Women's Safe House speaker - Mary Ann Owens

---Break--- 

-April Activity - Mixer and Fat Quarter Swap

Our Programming and Swap/Challenge committees have partnered up again to bring you some get-to-know-you fun! Do you use steam when you iron? Do you prewash your fabrics? Do you drive your machine barefoot? This month's activity is going to be a rambunctious, riotous good time as we mix you all up and then ask you to reveal all your quilty preferences! Afterwards, you and your new quilt buddies will swap fabrics that inspire you for the upcoming challenge. Swap and Challenge details can be found HERE. 

-Meeting Wrap-up

• Fabric raffle winner announcement - Thank you Cotton Cuts!
• March Block of the Month winner announcement
• Attendance Prizes
• Show & Tell (time permitting)

-------------------------- Reminders ------------------------------

• Don't forget your charity quilt fabric donations! Find the info HERE.
• Bring your Lockup blocks! (made with "ugly" fabrics)
• Bring an inspired fat quarter to swap!
• Wear your name tags.
• Buy raffle tickets online HERE.
• Free table items.
• Bring your Show and Share goodies!