Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild: March 2016

Thursday, March 24, 2016

March Meeting 2016

March 9, 2016

St. Clare Convent
Co-Presidents Janine Keaton and Ellen Berninger presiding

Introductions and Q&A

We opened the meeting with introductions and the question "What problem are you having that others may be able to help you with?". This led us to a discussion around our tried and true methods of quilt basting. While many of us baste on the floor many of our members said that in all of their years of quilting they had never once had to put their quilt on the floor. The basting tips we came away with were:

Visit a community center or library and push some of their larger tables together to create a large surface.
If you have just one big table you can lay your quilt on the table and starting from the top begin to stitch baste and scoot the quilt onto the table as you go.
Another method if you have just one table is to lower your ironing board to the same height as your table and use it to extend the width of your table.
Hang your quilt on the wall! You can use tape or tacks if you have cork on your walls. (It was mentioned that you can see this done on Southern Charm Quilts)

We also had a short discussion about pet hair on quilts. Many guild members reported success with the usual methods of lint rolling and such. Some members mentioned that different fabric manufacturers have different finishes on fabrics and to possibly try out several lines of fabric to find ones that seem to be so "magnetic" to pet hair.

Charity Update

We had a charity update from Ellen and she showed us 6 (!) quilts that were about to be sent away. A total of 4 quilts were finished for the boys' home with two of them coming from Brooke. Brooke shared that she intentionally included the anchor for the boys to be a symbol of permanence.

There were an additional 2 quilts for Ellen's Do Good Stitches group as well as an Olympic themed quilt from Carol.

Ellen shared that there were still several quilts that needed to be quilted if anyone was interested. During our next meeting we are going to try something new and group stitch one of the quilts during the meeting.

Ladies Night

Abby has been hosting Ladies Night at the Barn in Mariemont. Ladies Night is the last Friday of the Month from 6-9. There is a $10 fee to cover the cost of the room and you are welcome to bring wine and snacks if you please.

Sew-In

Last month's Sew-In at the Main Library downtown went well and we were all excited about the opportunities available in the Maker Space.

#cincinnatimodernquiltguild sew in at the main library! @robinnmcampbell @danawaterpenny @hollycvr, Janine, Shonna, and I sewed and visited the Maker Space.

A photo posted by @ellie_be on Feb 20, 2016 at 11:51am PST

Not only did they have the most amazing cutting table we had ever seen but but there is an opportunity to cut acrylic to your own specifications if you want to make your own rulers or templates. We were also excited to learn that there is a professionally lit photo station. We will make future plans to have a quilt photo day where we can all take beautifully lit, clear photos of our quilts! Robin will be looking into setting up another Sew-In soon!

Quilt Guild Bee - block show and tell!

We are doing a Quilt Bee this year! Here's how it works: there are two bee hives. Each person in each hive gets a month. When it's your month, you show your block at the Guild Meeting, then the next month, your hive members bring completed blocks to you. You will probably get enough blocks to make an entire quilt top! CLICK HERE FOR THE BEE INSTRUCTIONS!

Amy T. and Amy G. received their bee blocks from their hives.

Amy G's blocks were the Granny Square Blocks.

Amy G's blocks were the Spinning Stars block.

March Bee Blocks!

Abby requested Orange Peel Blocks for her hive (Hive 1). The instructions for her block can be found here.

Dorothy requested her "Black, White and Bright 57" blocks for her hive (Hive 2.) The instructions for her block can be found here.

Show and Tell!

Theresa made this adorable Whale quilt.

Jeanie made a Sew Together Bag and used a HAMMER to help flatten out the seems.

Kerry K made a mini Sew Together Bag

Amy G made this mini valentine quilt to help her "loosen up" for the Modern Improv Challenge!

She also made a Pixie basket from Fabric Mutt.

Rachel shared this amazing quilt which was only the THIRD thing she's ever sewn and only her second quilt!!! It even has a label! Way to go Rachel!

Janice brought a block for Ellen2's Bee quilt from last month.

Annie finished her quilt by quilting it with rainbow variegated thread.

S he also finally made something with circles she created from one of Brooke's past education segments.

Finally, she had several wonky squares so instead of cutting them to match up she added irregular sashing to make them work!

Kay made a 241 Bag from Noodle Head but lengthened the strap to make it a cross-body bag.

Amy T made baby quilts and machine quilted them after she was inspired by Holly's free-motion quilting education segment a few months back!

She called this quilt "Racing Stripes".

Jenny K had a request from her daughter-in-law who picked out the colors for this silk-cotton quilt.

Education

Deeper into Improv - check back soon!

Next Month
Bring a work in progress that you are stuck on if you have one and we will break into small groups to discuss.

Also, bring any orphan blocks you have that you would like to get rid of and we will do something special with them.

March Bee Block Instructions

March 2016 BEES

Your chosen block size should be between 12 inches and 15 inches.
If you want smaller blocks, you could request several small blocks that roughly equal one larger block.
Remember that skill levels vary among hive members. Challenging our skills and creativity is great, but, the block should still be attainable for novice quilters.
You may request a specific color scheme.
If you would like a specific fabric or designer, you must supply the fabric.
If you miss a meeting, or you are unable to make the block, contact Queen Bee Annie.
Use the hashtag #CMQGBee

During your bee month:

Before the Guild meeting, you will:

Type up instructions for your block. This should include size requirements, color scheme, and instructions on how to make the block. You can either create a tutorial yourself or link to a site that has a tutorial. Include a photo and/or color inspiration.
Email this information to Wendy (either the instructions and photos, or the link to your blog post containing the information). Please email the information the WEEK OF THE GUILD MEETING.
At the Guild meeting, you'll bring your sample block and share with the group, plus give a quick overview of what you want.

During someone else's month:

You will receive an overview at the Guild meeting of the block you are to make.
The instructions for the blocks will be posted here on this blog.
Make the block(s) and bring to the next meeting!

Hive members:
There are two hives within our Guild.

Hive One Members and their assigned months:

January - Janine
February - Amy T.
March - Abby
April - Christine
May - Tara
June - Becky
July - Shonna
August - Jeanie

Hive Two Members and their assigned months:

January - Ellen B.
February - Amy G.
March - Dorothy
April - Annie
May - Shonna
June - Janine
July - Carol
August - Yolanda

Bee Angels: Janice and Dana

Hive One March Bee Block Instructions

For Hive ONE you'll be making Orange Peel blocks for Abby!

Materials:

4 - 5" blocks (white on white, grey on white, cream on white). All different or the same.
4 orange peels using template or orange fabric - any shade or saturation of orange; the scrappier the better.
4 orange peels using template of lightweight fusible webbing

Here is the Orange Peel template:

Instructions:

1. Sew blocks together using 1/4" seam allowance

2. Sew right side of orange peel to "sticky" side of fusible webbing using 1/8" to less than 1/8"

3. Trim points

4. Cut "X" in webbing and turn right side out (sticky side will now be on the bottom with right side of orange fabric facing up.

5. Poke out corners

6. Press peels onto blocks so points touch in the middle.

7. Applique/blanket/zigzag stitch peels to block **this step is completely optional**

8. Please do not trim block

Hive Two March Bee Instructions

Hive TWO, you'll be making Black, White and Bright 57 blocks for Dorothy.

Here's what inspired Dorothy to make these blocks:

"After the January meeting I drove home to Dayton and could not stop thinking about ideas for my block. That week the Powerball jackpot had gone over a billion dollars, and my husband and I had chosen our numbers based on birthdays, our anniversary, the year our parents got married, our daughter and son’s important dates, and of course, the year we were born – 1957. So part of me was thinking about the lottery, but a bigger part of me was thinking about my block idea!

The number 57 sounded like a good place to start. I have also been collecting black and white fabrics for a long time. And I love the look of bright colors intermingled with black and white. So ….. Black and White and Bright came to mind. And then I thought “Who says the blocks have to be square? Why can’t I make mine 5” x 7”?” And then my idea evolved from there."

Dorothy is alternating bright numerals on top of black and white fabrics, and vice versa. She drew the numerals 5 & 7 by hand, then made the templates on plastic. She used fusible web and ironed the numerals onto the background fabrics, then zig zag stitched around them. She cut each background rectangle 5.5 inches by 7.5 inches. Then she sewed them together along the 7.5 inch side, to make one big rectangle that measures 7.5 inches by 10.5 inches.

Hive bees can use their own designs for the numerals - using Roman numerals or you can piece a numeral together instead of appliqueing it.

If you have questions Dorothy can be reached via email.

Friday, March 4, 2016

Improv Challenge!

Image from Sherry Lynn Wood's blog

Dana announced the IMPROV CHALLENGE at February's Guild meeting! Each participant picked a Kona color and the challenge is to push yourself in a new way - make something using your color. (If you did not attend the February meeting, but still want to participate, email Dana@WaterPenny.net and she will draw a color for you and bring it to the March meeting.)

If you've never done improv before - that's going to be easy for you! If you have done a lot of improv, try to experiment with a new technique.

There are many excellent descriptions of improv - you could take one of Heather's online classes that she talked about at the meeting last month , or follow in the footsteps of one of the amazing quilters mentioned in this Modern Quilt Guild write-up on improv.

Participants have to incorporate their Kona color into their design in some way. You don't have to use Kona fabric or even a solid - you can incorporate the color in any way you like - but to be eligible for prizes you must use your color in some way!

Ok, here are the rules:

1. In order to compete, your project has to be completed by our May Meeting. That means quilted and bound (if it's a quilt). If it's not finished - still bring it! It just won't be eligible for prizes.

2. Your item doesn't have to be a quilt (it could be a bag, a garment, a Kleenex box holder etc.), but it does have to be made with fabric, incorporate improv techniques and use your random Kona color in some way.

3. There will be three categories for prizes: Best use of Improv, Viewer's Choice, and one lucky winner chosen at random from the finished projects. Robert Kaufman is donating some prizes!

4. In order to make voting fair, please avoid revealing pictures of your progress on social media! Please bring your top secret project in a bag to the May with your Kona color! The guild leadership will set up the show with numbers for each project for voting purposes.

5. After our winners our revealed, we will have a brief show and tell where you can share about your challenge project.

February Meeting 2016

February 10, 2016
St. Clare Convent
Co-Presidents Janine Keaton and Ellen Berninger presiding

Business

Guild d ues are $40 per year for each member. With that money, we pay the national guild and fund projects in our guild. Please pay your dues ASAP.

Sew-In Update

We held our first sew-in of the year on February 20 at the Maker Space in the Main Library downtown.

Quilt Guild Bee

Hive ONE members brought back blocks for Janine:

All of Janine's blocks laid out.

Hive TWO members brought back blocks for Ellen B.:

All of Ellen B's blocks laid out.

February Bee Blocks!

Amy G. requested a granny square block. The instructions for her block can be found here.

Amy T. requested a spinning star block. The instructions for her block can be found here.

Show and Tell:

Dana made this quilt from fabric that was gifted to her. (sorry the photo is sideways!)

Gillian made this baby quilt ...

And also this baby quilt ...

And she made this one too - she pieced rectangles, which she said she's probably never do again because it was quite difficult. But it's worth it - beautiful quilt!

Shonna made this cute baby quilt for a fundraiser at her school.

Yolanda made this scrappy quilt ...

And also she has a good start on this hexagon quilt!

Teresa made this modified Ohio star baby quilt, she got the pattern out of the Modern Patchwork Magazine. She used fabrics from her stash.

Abby showed off this stunner - one of the completed Quilts of Comfort that was made from donated blocks! Abby's sister Annie gathered Raspberry Kiss quilt blocks to make a Quilt for Comfort for the widow of a local firefighter. The blocks are to be made with jewel tone centers and low volume - make a 9 inch block that will finish at 8.5 inches.

Improv Challenge:

Dana announced the IMPROV CHALLENGE! Each participant picked a Kona color and the challenge is to push yourself in a new way - make something using your color. (If you did not attend the February meeting, but still want to participate, email Dana@WaterPenny.net and she will draw a color for you and bring it to the March meeting.)