July Meeting

There's no escaping the summer heat--unless you come to one of our air-conditioned workshops!

We are partnering with the East Kingston Public Library to offer three quilt-related workshops from mid-summer into early fall. They include:

* a two-part Barn Quilt workshop at 7 p.m. on July 17 and 24 (see sample above);

* a daytime class on indigo (shibori) dyeing in August;

* a class on fabric printing in September.

There is a $10 fee for each workshop. Members of the guild and the general public are welcome.

Other Special Events:

We are preparing for our Columbus Day weekend quilt show at Strawbery Banke and November's Festival of Trees at the Urban Forestry Center in Portsmouth. 

Plans are being made for a November workshop with Sue Bleiweiss, an award-winning fiber artist and author of Modern Art Quilts: Design, Fuse & Quilt-As-You-Go. The three images below are from her web site.

Main Street 2

Village 1

Moon Over Concrete Jungle

Upcoming Chapter Meetings:

August 3: Meeting at Wiggin Memorial Library in Stratham, N.H.

         * Presentation on Modern Dresden Plate designs;

         * Bring a creation made from the "Maker" panel fabric;

         * Lottery blocks introduced at the June meeting are due.

September 7: West Newbury (Mass.) Town Hall Annex

October 5: West Newbury (Mass.) Town Hall Annex

Show & Tell:

Above are some of the "Lucy Boston" blocks made from our June workshop at Alewives Fabric in Nobleboro, Maine.

Kate made this house-shaped quilt (above) after attending a workshop taught by Alaska's Maria Shell at the Genesee Valley QuiltFest in Rochester, New York.

Christine showed the first quilt she ever had long-armed. It is made from Anna Maria Horner fabric, probably the Mod Corsage line. Below is the back. 

Colleen shared how grateful she is for 10 members of the guild who created a quilt for her as she deals with health concerns.

The quilt is backed with minky, so it is very soft. Colleen told us it is a joy to curl up and sleep with, yet she also biked 20 miles in Vermont on a recent weekend. "I'm active and I'm doing it!" she told us.

Sue displayed a striking elephant-themed quilt for a relative who is having her first baby at age 41. Two hand-knit sweaters are also part of the gift. That is one lucky baby!

Diane showed a quilt she made from fabric she designed. The quilting is done in capsules with quotes inside the shapes.

Nancy and her sister Barbara brought a quilt they made for a friend who is celebrating his 60th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood. Because he is often cold, they wanted to make it as warm as possible. The front was pieced with 60 strips (plus two extras).

I showed a bag made from Noodlehead's "Zip Top Tote" pattern. The fabric is from Pintuck and Purl in North Hampton, N.H.

Stay cool, 

Keep quilting,

See you in August!

July Preview

July’s meeting at Lane Memorial Library in Hampton, N.H. is on the horizon. Join us from 10 to noon on July 13. Blocks for the “Bright Birch Trees” raffle quilt are due at the July meeting. We are looking for a member to spearhead the quilt creation process.

In conjunction with the East Kingston Public Library, we will hold a workshop on Barn Quilts in mid-July taught by our own Paula Krolikoski. The first meeting will be Wednesday, July 17 at 7 p.m. and the second on Friday, July 19 at 1 p.m. Both meetings will be held at the East Kingston Public Library. The cost is $10. Call 603-642-8333 to register.

In other business, Diane Sheckells is exhibiting her quilt "River Dance: A Shibori Sampler" (see image at left) at the Vermont Quilt Festival in Essex Junction, Vt, from Wednesday, June 26 to Saturday, June 29. More information on the festival is available here: https://vqf.org/home/

In Diane's words, she stitched the quilt prior to dyeing in several patterns that are used in Japan. The stitching, when removed, reveals nature-based imagery such as wood grain or ferns. Fabric design  was inspired by a workshop at the New England Quilt Museum with Carol Ann Grotrian.

Finally, our group's early June trip to Alewives Fabric in Nobleboro, Maine was a success. Several members now have a new project: hand-sewn Lucy Boston blocks. The top of this post shows a sample.


For the super-organized among us, here are a few reminders about the August 3 meeting:

* We will meet at Wiggin Memorial Library in Stratham, N.H.

* Members wishing to display their improv mini-quilts minis at the Strawbery Banke show should bring them to this meeting.

* Participants in the "Maker" fabric challenge from retreat should bring their creation.

* The lottery blocks introduced at the June meeting will be due.

May Meeting

There were many reasons to smile at this month's meeting, including Bethany's win of a

stack of fabric from our "Left-Right-Center" game.

Paula displayed her banner with the one word that says it all:

Paula is ahead of the game with her Raffle Quilt block. For those of us who are not quite so efficient, the blocks (in fall colors, with the "Bright Birch Trees" pattern) are due at the July meeting.

Our quilts made during February's "Timed Improv" activity are still on display at the East Kingston Public Library. This one, which features Rachel's favorite colors, will be part of the exhibit.

In other projects, we are working on a "Mini Trajectory" lottery block for the August meeting. Directions for the block have been distributed through email. We are not sewing these blocks together, since we want the winner to decide on the layout. There are many choices.....

We've also decided to collect fabric, notions, and quilting books at our November meeting to send to members of the Navajo Nation to aid in their efforts to make quilts for their families. More information on this project is available here.

In other business, we will be traveling to Alewives Fabrics in Nobleboro, Maine, on Sat. June 8. The cost is $30 plus fabric and travel. Spots are still available.

We are seeking a member to serve as next year's retreat coordinator. This year's gathering was marked by excellent food, raffles, trips to Marden's for fabric, camaraderie, and plenty of time to quilt. Sue's snowflake quilt is an example of a finished project:

Diane worked on this table runner:

Here's a sampling of the swag that retreat attendees received:

Designed by Cheryl Arkison, the "Maker" fabric is part of a larger panel. We have been challenged to make something out of the fabric and bring it to the August meeting. There will be a prize available from the Portsmouth Fabric Company.

Show And Tell:

Sue's baby quilt has beautiful shades of orange and green:

Diane's quilt features fabric she printed herself from a photograph of day lilies.

Kate's quilt uses a cheerful mix of colors.

Patty sewed up some clever pouches that look like flip-flops.

She also displayed her Sew Together bag that we made at the April meeting:

Below is my Sew Together bag. It was much easier to tackle this project -- with its four zippers -- with the help of a group than to make it on my own.

Upcoming Meetings:

10 a.m. on Saturday, July 13 at Lane Memorial Library in Hampton, N.H.

10 a.m. on Saturday, August 3 at Wiggin Memorial Library in Stratham, N.H.

Stay tuned for details about upcoming workshops on barn quilts, shibori dyeing, and fabric stamping.

Seacoast Modern Quilt Guild Membership Roster 2019

Good day Quilters,

As promised attached the 2019 SMQG membership roster will be distributed at today's meeting which is for personal use only. Should help us all stay connected.

Best,
Mary

Today's Meeting

Looking forward to seeing everyone this AM. Don't forget your show and tell items and your left, right, center fabrics for the activity.

As always food and guests are welcome- not in that order:)
Mary

April Meeting Recap

This month we had the chance to see the finished products from February's timed improv block activity. Winners were:

* Nancy (top row, second from left), 

* Diane (bottom row, first from left), 

* Paula (top row, second from right), and 

* Colleen (bottom row, second from left).

All of the participants will have their quilts displayed this month at the East Kingston, N.H. Public Library.

Congratulations to all. For those who are still working on theirs, we are looking forward to seeing the finished product!

After voting on the improv quilts and holding the rest of our brief business meeting, we got down to work on our Sew Together Bags. Jane brought a bag (above) that she completed a while ago. Her hope was to inspire us as we completed our own bags. 

In other business:

We have established two Round Robin quilting teams. If you’d like to participate, we will meet Friday, June 1 at 10 a.m. at Popovers Restaurant in Epping and exchange medallions (center blocks). Interested members who have not yet joined a group are invited to create a team of three and attend the June 1 meeting. October 12 is the Fall Festival at Strawbery Banke. We may make a charity quilt in the "Bright Birch Trees" pattern in fall colors. The finished block size would be 15.5”, (beginning with a 16-inch square). If you participate, the due date for your block is the June or July meeting. We will need 20 blocks. Backgrounds should be solid in fall colors (golds, reds, oranges, browns, wines, etc.)

Modern Quilt Guild News: Check out this April 30 webinar — “Made in Japan: Quilts, Cotton and Indigo” with Teresa Duryea Wong. May 31 is the Riley Blake challenge deadline. Show and Tell:

We saw an updated version of Colleen’s daughter’s quilt — 

The top was pieced by Nancy and the quilting was done by Patty. The back says “Blessings” on the printed fabric. All those who made blocks signed the label square.

Sue showed some Hawaiian-themed  needle turn appliqué that she made for her daughter. The process includes layering two pieces of fabric, tracing the pattern onto the yellow fabric, then turning under the edges.

Kate brought a quilt that she made after an improv quilting webinar. She designed and quilted it herself

For those who are going on retreat, we will see you in early May in Kennebunk. Our regular May meeting is May 18.

March Meeting Recap

Our heads were swirling with bold, colorful, and thought-provoking images 

this month as we looked at works from Quilt Con 2019.

Carolyn Friedlander's "Hunt Tangerine" quilt

Above and below are quilts by Sherri Lynn Wood.

Some quilts, such as "It's My Birthday!" (above) by Evie Jesperson of Durham, North Carolina riffed on well-known designs while others (below) by Maria Shell of Anchorage evoked a specific time and place (in this case, mud season in Alaska).

.

Other quilts asked viewers to reflect on current events, such as transgender rights or the separation of children from their parents at the border.

Every state but Rhode Island was represented at the conference in Nashville, Tennessee. 

Besides the slide show about Quilt Con, we discussed the Sew Together Bag, which we'll be putting together at our April meeting (and possibly the May meeting as well). Here is a link to the pattern.

Several tutorials may be helpful if you have questions about the bag's construction:
Birdcage and Thread
Margaret Leuwen Quilting
Mister Domestic

We suggest coming to the April meeting with your pattern pieces cut out and interfaced. For those wondering which type of interfacing to get, we recommend Pellon SF101. Other useful tools include Wash Away Wonder Tape by Dritz (for zipper installation) and Clover Wonder Clips. ByAnnie's Soft and Stable is a good, thick interlining fabric.

The April meeting will be held at the Brentwood Public Library in Brentwood, N.H.

In other business, many people participated in the "Love Notes" block lottery. 

Directions were distributed for a voluntary "Round Robin" project. As shown in Sue's quilt below, this type of project involves making a quilt with partners. All of the group members have a hand in designing and sewing the quilts.

Events and Reminders:

*  The May meeting will be held in West Newbury, Mass. on May 18. 

* A trip to Alewives Fabric in Nobleboro, Maine is in the works, most likely for Saturday, June 8. 

* The Modern Quilt Guild is hosting a Riley Blake Challenge. Details are here.

Show And Tell:

We had a full slate of show-and-tell participants this month. The "Bright Birch Trees" blocks that we sewed for a member's daughter who experienced a fire have been transformed into a quilt top.

Rachel showed us a quilt top she made from a Michelle Collins "Boho Mod" pattern. Everyone oohed and aahed at the colors.

Marylee's "Word of the Year" banner features a clever use of a candle and feather.

Lou brought a small quilt she made as part of a "Paint Chip" challenge.

Kate displayed an extra large quilt she designed and sewed for her mother's guest bedroom. The back is a large-scale floral, and Kate discovered that she loves working with this fabric.

Barbara shared that she intends to make a bag out of cork and vinyl that she bought at Quilt Con. Because of her choice of materials, she won't need to line the bag.

Diane had several pieces, including an "X" block quilt that she made as part of a "Mighty Lucky" quilting club.

Another piece used blocks she made during a shibori dyeing workshop at the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell. Linens, polyesters, and upholstery fabrics are included in the quilt. 

A third quilt is a variation on the Log Cabin block. It looks like a pieced quilt but it's actually a single piece of fabric. The quilt's inspiration was a wonky lottery block Diane made.

Mary showed a log cabin wall hanging that includes applique. She used a "super easy" way of hanging the quilt (hint: it uses a ruler). 

Finally, Patty shared a Red Sox-themed quilt that she made to raise money for her daughter, a college student who is hoping to go on a medical mission trip to Peru. Patty used paper piecing to make the Citgo sign and the three players who are doing their victory dance. The custom quilting says "Go Sox". Patty will raffle off the quilt in the spring. (Here is a link if you are interested in more information.)

Because so much creative work went on this past month, I thought it would be fitting to end with Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose words were part of a presentation at Quilt Con: