Monday, March 14, 2011

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!