Modern Relief Japan...

This seems like one way to help, when it all seems like too much.

--Jessica

Quilt shows... challenges... and sew days OH MY!

(Thanks Katie for the awesome photography!)

Wow, it looks like I missed a great meeting. Everyone has told me how much they liked Liz's presentation. She sent me her notes, now you can share them too, Liz's notes on applique. Thanks you so much Liz! I also heard that the softie exchange was very fun. I haven't picked mine up yet, but I am so excited to see which one gets to come home and live with me.

So much has happened in the last two weeks, I am still trying to get back in the swing of things. My mother's surgery went as well as it possibly could and the results came back that the surgeon was able to remove all of the cancer AND that it hadn't spread further! Hooray! I have been dealing with her cancer since our second meeting. It has been taking up the extra mental space that I would rather devote to thinking and planning fun things for our group. Hopefully, now, I can spend my time there and here, rather than in doctor's offices, right?? I appreciate your patience with me :)

Carrying ON--

Robert Kaufman Solids Challenge: The charm packs arrived Thursday after the March meeting so I am proposing that we just move our due date back by one month so that the Final unveiling is at the July 13th Meeting. I will bring them to the April meeting to pass out or you can email me to arrange another pick-up option.

Robert Kaufman Solids Challenge guidelines:

1)A quilt top or quilt using only solid fabrics (the fabrics that you supply do not have to be Kona solids, but do need to be solids, not tone-on-tones or marbled)
2)Must use at least half of the charm pack colors (22 charms)
3)Top must be at least 36"X 36"
4)Tops/quilts ready for the July 13th meeting

Quilt show?? Would you like to join us and hang one of your quilts/wallhangings/doll quilts at OUR SEWING ROOM for a summer show? I thought that it would be fun to see the different styles of modern quilting from our group (virtual and in person) all together. As far as I am concerned anyone who follows the EMQG is welcome to hang a quilt or wall hanging. I know that some people can't make it to the monthly meetings due to the night of the week, distance, or family obligations, but I value your participation online. We can hang them May 28, our regular Sew Day. I also thought that it would be fun to have a get together/open house/show that first Thursday in June. We can invite friends and family and show them the great time that have been having. Maybe it will dispel the mystique of the the "Quilt Mafia" (ha ha), but it will be a fun time. Let me know your level of interest with a comment.

Sew Day March 26!! I am realizing now that this is the last Saturday of Spring Break... Yikes! Let me know if you plan on coming. I am signed up for a Textile design workshop in Portland (Super excited!!) so will be absent and I am looking for a EMQG rep to collect the monies.

Project Modern -Monochromatic challenge due date is March 31!!! (you procrastinators, sew like the wind!)

Thanks guys, see you soon!

Jessica

P.S.

I would like to post all of the show and tell pictures on the flickr site. Send me an email if you DO NOT want your picture posted there or here for that matter. I feel safe having my face posted with my work online, but I know that some people are uncomfortable with that. Please let me know.

Minutes of 03/09/2011 EMQG Meeting

A fun evening was had!  From the show n' tell portion that had was oohhhing and aahhhing at some gorgeous quilts…a terrific applique demonstration by Liz that gave us all some inspiration and a challenge…and a softie swap that had us all laughing with the absurd characters we all created.   Fun times for sure!

So if you have just been lurking around the website and have not been to a meeting in person, I urge you to come!  This is such a fun and talented bunch and you are missing out by not coming to the meetings.

We started off the night with missing President Jessica, but I stood in as VP and tried to keep things rolling in her absence.

TIDBITS:

Harbor Freight Company has 45 mm rotary blades for $1.49 for a package of 2.  If you are interested in a bargain.  I saw this little tidbit on a blog and tried these blades our for my latest cutting project, and I am telling you they work wonderfully!   There is a local at 2165 W 7th Ave or here is the online link HFC.

Agnes set us up a Facebook page…check it out.   You can let her know if you want your blog networked with the FB page and she will hook you up.  It is a great site to see the latest info, have a discussion, or read updates. 

Kelly passed out her Bee Blocks for March in some amazing "beachy" colors…she had us all thinking she had brought popcorn as a treat for us…a better treat though was her fabric and bee blocks to make!   Here is where we are keeping track of all the Bee info.

SHOW 'N TELL:

* I (Denise) showed off my fun button bracelet made with fabric-covered buttons, regular buttons, and some silver charms.   A great site to get button supplies is Everything Ribbons, I have purchased from her several times and am always pleased with the service!

* Cyndy showed us all her gorgeous yellow string quilt and then showed off her version of an Irish Chain in grays and oranges.   (She and Kelly had a face off/their own Irish Chain challenge…their next personal challenge for each other is circles…I personally cannot wait to see what these ladies come up with!)

* Kelly showed off her double Irish Chain quilt done in jewel tones and white with some lovely hand stitching.  

* Katie showed off her amazing tiger raw-edged applique quilt!  So striking and gorgeous!

* Nancy showed off her Sunkiss squares pillow to match her quilt…love, love, love the 3D design to this!

* A big welcome to Pat who came for the first time and brought some of the most adorable pincushions with her…a darling rabbit holding a thimble as the pincushion and then a cupcake cushion that we just wanted to eat up!

*Agnes got to show off all of the blocks she received back for her month of February.  Some gorgeous stars and pinwheels…I cannot wait to see them all put together!

DEMONSTRATION:

Liz was the best instructor in applique…and about her fabulous deal on her Janome in Sears clothing sewing machine and how to get a deal on it!!    We learned about different stabilizers, who knew there were so many and what each could be used for…different thread weights for different looks…the different stitches…A big thanks Liz!  I think you definitely inspired us all to give applique a try.  

SWAP:

The softie swap was a riot!  The funny little creatures that we all made and swapped were hysterical.  Phyllis "look-a-like" lady from Wee Wonderfuls to Kelly's striped monster, and all the creatures in between were fun to see how creative we all could get.

For our next swap as a group we decided to swap charms.   Charms???  Not charm packs, but bracelet charms.  Homemade, store bought, whatever catches your fancy, just charms to make some sewing/quilt/craft related charm bracelets.  Everyone who would like to participate should bring 10-15 charms.  This will not be a blind swap, we will spread them out on a table for all to see, and if you bring 10, you get to pick 10 charms home with you!  Sound fun?  We think so!

Are you thinking about the solids challenge?  I have been.   On flickr there is a site for all the MQG to show off their solids challenge creations.   Some serious inspiration here!

Okay, that is all, I am done rambling & linking you all up…hope to see you all soon! 

Sew day wrap-up, Welcome March?!!

Does anyone else admire Katie's notebook?? I certainly do. It is an excellent holder of information. I love that she not only writes in it, but also makes the things that she records in it! The baby quilt that she was working on was very cute, lovely zig-zags that showed off the gold and grey fabric.
Caution! The blur in these photos is due to the X-treme speed with which Nancy is now able to cut fabric. The Go! is much cooler that I originally thought. It is quiet and able to cut large amounts of fabrics with very little effort. Very cool Nancy, thanks for bringing it in to show us.
Last, but not least--Nancy's beautiful "Sunkissed" quilt... recipe courtesy of Moda Bake Shop.

(These pictures are from the Sew Day on February 26)

To further wrap up, I totally forgot to remind everyone about last week's Sew Night... the result was me sewing solo, BUT without people to chatter with, I finished a bag and got 3/4 of the way done with yards and yards of bunting. Good news, bad news, I guess. There is always next month.

Have you all made your softies for the swap this month? The meeting is in 4 days so there is still enough time for you to get one together. Here is one that I thought was cute (and you can make it some clothes!):

Cute bunny friend-- allsorts

(clothes for the bunny)

I spied this one on the Piece By Piece blog. What are you making?

This month's meeting will be a little different, in a very nice way I am guessing. Denise will be running the meeting because my mom is having surgery that day. I am still waiting on our Solids Challenge Fabric, hopefully it will come in on Monday or Tuesday so I can get it to someone to pass out at the meeting. I have already been thinking about what I am going to make!

March's meeting will make 6 months that we all have been making a choice to get together to quilt and share our projects. I look forward each month to the things that you all make and the ideas that you all have to share. Thank you so much for making our group what it is.

-Jessica