Thursday, February 24, 2022

"Ugly" Fabric Challenge and Swap: March-April 2022

Please bring a piece of your “ugly”, unloved fabric in an envelope or Ziploc bag labeled with your name to the March meeting. The fabric piece should be no smaller than 5 in x 10 in. A fat quarter or a piece from a layer cake is plenty.

During the meeting break, members of the Challenge committee will come around with all ugly fabrics in a brown paper bag.  Those who brought in an ugly fabric can pick one fabric from the bag (return and select another if you pick your own fabric). Each member will make TWO blocks of the “Lockup” pattern found on the MQG website, posted in January 2018. Use your unloved fabric AND a low volume fabric of your choice.

Each person returning blocks at the April meeting will receive one ticket for a drawing to win the blocks.

**To access the block on the MQG website, login with your username and password. On the right side of the page there will be some orange boxes labeled "Quick Links." Click on the "Resources" box. In the search box enter the term "lockup" (all one word). Click the image that looks like the one below to be taken directly to the tutorial. These directions are for desktop browsers. Instructions may vary for mobile or tablet devices.**









Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Meeting Recap (February 12, 2022)

Thank you to everyone who joined in person or on Zoom last Saturday. It was so good to get together again and we appreciate your patience as the new board figures out their rhythm. This post is full of updates for future activities so strap in for all the good news coming your way!


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.
  • Our current membership is about 150 members. Due to the meeting cancellation in January, the current roster is still being finalized, but we are excited to see our guild continue to grow. If you're not a member yet, learn how to join HERE.
  • Em (Vice President) went over a few local workshops taking place soon. Details below:
    • Sewing Machines Level 2 - Take Your Skills to the Next Level; Wednesday, March 9, 6:30-9:30 PM at Perennial STL; LEARN MORE
    • Intro to Embroidery - Saturday, March 19, 10 AM-1 PM at Perennial STL; LEARN MORE
    • Blooming Star - Friday, March 18, 10:30 AM-2:30 PM at Jackman's Fabrics; LEARN MORE

Items Covered:
  • Batty for Batting: Guild member Dottie Vaughn went above and beyond with her in depth presentation on quilt batting. Thank you for sharing your expertise with us Dottie!

  • 4x5 Quarterly Bee: Saturday was the last day for our distinct bee from 2021. If you have not heard from your group or made arrangements to deliver your blocks, please contact your group leader to finalize this swap. Thank you Em for organizing a fun event! We can't wait to see all the quilts.

  • Hand (Home) Sew Happy Hour is February 15 from 6-9 PM. Bring some handwork, finish that binding, or just get to know a fellow guild member better. Come and go as you please throughout the night. More dates to come!

  • 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. Sign ups for workshops will begin March 31. Details can be found HERE as they become available. 

  • Quilt Show 2022: The guild will put on it's first quilt show since 2019! "This Is Modern" will take place July 16-17 at the Kirkwood Community Center. Registration begins March 1. Learn more HERE. 







  • Block of the Month: Stretch your skills and make a sampler quilt with us! There's prizes to be won for joining in and sharing what you make. Kristen Painter is our January winner! For all the info look HERE. 

  • February BOM: We're going big again with a 24 inch Flying Geese block. Post to Instagram using #stlmqgbom or email a photo before our next meeting to be entered for a prize. Tutorial can be found HERE.  

  • Join a committee: The Swap/Challenge and Welcome committees could still use some volunteers. Please email the guild if you would like to help. If you have already signed up you should have received an email. Let us know if you didn't.

  • Charity Project Wrap Up: In 2021, our guild distributed 128 PICU quilts between Cardinal Glennon and Children's Hospitals. We also donated 39 XL Twin sized quilts to the Veteran's Community Project. Thank you to everyone who helped make this happen!

  • March Meeting Activity: The Programming Committee will present "Love the Unlovable - An Ugly Quilt Show." Bring your ugliest quilt (it doesn't have to be made by you) to this lighthearted event and try to win a ribbon as we collectively appreciate, commiserate, groan, and chuckle at all our efforts throughout the quilting journey.

  • March Swap Challenge: In conjunction with the "Ugly" quilt show, the Swap/Challenge Committee invites you to bring a piece fabric you no longer love to trade at our meeting. We'll then turn these into two blocks that will be collected for the Block Lotto later this year. Please carefully read the requirements HERE.

  • Fabric Raffle: Thanks to another very generous donation from our sponsor Cotton Cuts we had two excited members win some awesome fabric and goodies!

  • 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! 

















Saturday, February 12, 2022

2022 Block of the Month Sampler - February


 

Welcome to Month Two 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 March 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. 

This month, we will be making the second of our two large 24-inch blocks. This block is constructed of four 12-inch sub-units, each made up of three different sizes of flying geese. Because we will need four of each size of "goose", this block lends itself well to using the 4-at-time, no waste method of constructing flying geese. You might put your block together as pictured above, but you can also consider a different arrangement when you put the sub-units together (i.e. geese pointing smallest to largest rather than largest to smallest as pictured), or you can consider a different arrangement of your sub-units in the final block. 


Let's get started!

CUTTING DIRECTIONS:




Large Geese: 
Color 1: (1) 13 ¼" square
Background: (4) 7" squares

Medium Geese: 
Color 2: (1) 9 ¼" square
Background: (4) 5" squares
                      (8) 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles

Small Geese: 
Color 3: (1) 5 ¼" square
Background: (4) 3" squares
                      (8) 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles

SEWING DIRECTIONS:

These direction will apply for each set of four flying geese. 

1. Place two smaller squares in opposite corners of the larger square, right sides together. Draw a diagonal line, corner to corner, through both of the smaller squares. 


2. Using a *scant* ¼" seam allowance, sew on each side of the line you drew. (*note*: scant ¼" seam allowance means that you line up your drawn line with the ¼" mark on your machine but scooch it a couple of thread widths distance closer to the needle.)

Cut apart on the line. 


3. Press the small squares open (you will have a pointy heart shape). Line up your last two small squares on the bottom of each of the heart shapes, right sides together. As before, draw a diagonal line across the back of the small squares. 


4. Sew along each side of your drawn lines, again using a scant ¼" seam allowance. Cut apart on the line. 


5. Press open. TRIM large geese to 12½ x 6½, medium geese to 8½ x 4½ and small geese to 4½ x 2½ inches. Sew background rectangles (4½ x 2½) to each side of the small and medium flying geese. 


6. Put together a large, medium, and small goose to form one 12½" sub-unit of this block. 


7. Decide on the arrangement for your block and sew together sub-units to make a 24½" unfinished block. 

   

8. STLMQG MEMBERS: post your finished block to Instagram using the hashtag #stlmqgbom or email the guild to be entered for a monthly participation prize!








Tuesday, February 8, 2022

Meeting #117 (February 12, 2022)

Let's try this again... Happy New Year members! It's our first meeting of 2022 and we're looking forward to brighter days and snuggly quilts.


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

Agenda:

-Welcome & Guild Business
     :: Introduction of New Board Members
     :: Membership Information
     :: Financial Information
     :: Quilting News / Around Town
     :: BOM/Skillbuilder Introduction
     :: Reminders
     :: Committee updates

---Break--- 

-February Activity - Quilt Batting presentation from guild member and longarmer Dottie Vaughn.

- Fabric raffle announcement- *If you purchased a raffle ticket in January you should have received an email from Gail. Your entry will be put in this month's raffle. You are welcome to purchase more tickets too.*
- Show & Tell (time permitting)

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

:: If you were a 2021 member but missed paying your 2022 dues we would still love to have you! Be sure to re-submit an application AND pay the 2022 dues so we can get you back on the email list for both the STLMQG and the MQG. 
:: STLMQG Committee Signups 2022: link in the reminder email. We could still use some help on the programming, swap and challenge, and welcome committees. 

Monday, January 10, 2022

Introducing the 2022 Block of the Month Sampler Quilt

 


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

Each month for 10 months, we will introduce a block (or blocks) for you to complete in a color palette of your choice. The blocks will give you the opportunity to practice different quilting skills or techniques each month. If you complete all ten months, you will have a 60 inch throw quilt at the end of the year.  

Blocks will cover a variety of sizes: 6 inches, 9 inches, 12 inches, 18 inches, and 24 inches. You can use this coloring page to plan your quilt.


Win prizes! We hope you will quilt along with the guild through the year and create your own sampler quilt. Each month that you complete the blocks by the meeting date, you will be entered to win a prize. Post your completed blocks to Instagram with the hashtags #stlmqgbom and #stlmqg or email a photo to the guild email at stlmqg@gmail.com to enter the prize drawing. 

Anyone who completes our quilt by next January will be entered to win the GRAND PRIZE of edge to edge quilting on their finished quilt provided by our own Dottie Vaughn. If you need longarming services in the meantime, please consider supporting Dottie by contacting her at 636-795-8712. 

There's a twist! If you don't prefer the style of a block, or don't want to tackle that technique, you may choose up to 2 months for a "free pass" to complete a block of your choice or to recycle an orphan block of the same size. Post the block (or blocks) you will include in your sampler quilt, and you will still be entered in the prize drawing for that month. You will need to remember to keep the block size consistent with the block of the month so that your sampler quilt will still come together at the end of the year. 

We are looking forward to quilting this year and can't wait to see your sampler quilts!


_____________________________________________________

February - 24-inch flying geese block



  









   October - 6-inch inset circle block (x4)


  
  

2022 Block of the Month Sampler - January

 


Welcome to Month One 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 February 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 are starting off with a big, easy 24-inch half square triangle block. Before you begin, consider how you will arrange your half square triangles, as that may affect whether you use a single or multiple fabrics for your half square triangles within your block. In a 4x4 grid, there are 72 possible combinations for symmetric blocks made with half square triangles. You can see them in the following image generated by plover.com.


 

CUTTING DIRECTIONS: 

Cut (8) 7-inch squares from background fabric

Cut (8) 7-inch squares from foreground fabric. Individual color choices will depend on your choice of block design. 

SEWING DIRECTIONS: 

Standard half square triangle construction. 

If you are new to half square triangles, check out this video from Melanie Ham for directions on how to make them. 

Place one background fabric square and one foreground fabric square right sides together. Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on one side. Sew ¼ inch on each side of your drawn line. Cut the block apart on the diagonal line. 

Repeat with your remaining blocks. 

Press half square triangles open. 

TRIM each of 16 HSTs to 6.5 inches. 

Assemble according to your chosen block design. 



Tuesday, January 4, 2022

Meeting #117 (January 8, 2022) CANCELED!!

JANUARY MEETING CANCELED!!

Due to the changing forecast for the morning of the meeting, as well as continuing concerns about the current Covid conditions, the current board has decided to cancel the regularly scheduled January meeting. We apologize for the late notice and appreciate your understanding. 

Your assistance in spreading the word so no one drives to Shrewsbury is much appreciated. 

Keep an eye on your emails and social media for any updates throughout the month, otherwise we hope to have this same fantastic programing for you at the February meeting!!


Happy new year modern quilters! It's our first meeting of 2022 and we're looking forward to brighter days and snuggly quilts.


Date: January 8, 2022
Time: 10 am-12:30 pm
Location: 
Shrewsbury Center - 5200 Shrewsbury Ave, St. Louis, MO 63119

Agenda:

-Welcome & Guild Business
     :: Introduction of New Board Members
     :: Membership Information
     :: Financial Information
     :: Quilting News / Around Town

     :: Reminders
     :: Committee updates

---Break--- 

-January Activity - Quilt Batting presentation from guild member and longarmer Dottie Vaughn.

- Fabric raffle announcement
- Show & Tell (time permitting)

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

:: If you were a 2021 member but missed paying your 2022 dues we would still love to have you! Be sure to re-submit an application AND pay the 2022 dues so we can get you back on the email list for both the STLMQG and the MQG. 
:: STLMQG Committee Signups 2022: link in the reminder email. We could still use some help on the programming, swap and challenge, and welcome committees.