January meeting reminder

Hi all! I hope you are enjoying a warm, family-filled December. Before I turn off all my electronics for Christmas, I wanted to remind everyone that our first meeting of the new year is coming right up. On January 3, 2015 at 10 am to 12 pm at the Wiggin Memorial Library in Stratham, NH, we will be meeting for show and tell and a quilted bag-making tips and tricks workshop from our own Jess.

This is a sewing-machine optional meeting. If you would like to sew along with Jess, please plan to pack along your machine and watch your email for Jess's supplies list. She'll be asking you to pre-make two specifically sized quilted panels, and gather the rest of your bag components.

In between show and tell and our workshops in the coming year, I've been asked to provide an opportunity for people to bring in Gathering quilts-in-progress and have them "workshopped" by the group. To get this rolling, if you have a project going and you would like the group's feedback, please feel free to bring it in January. We may aim for a more structured system in February--stay tuned.

Have a safe and happy New Year's, all!

December meeting recap

Our December meeting was held on Saturday, December 6 at the Wiggin Memorial Library in Stratham. It was a busy, fun meeting! And no one got tackled during the Yankee swap or Kona Bingo :)

Even our items of business were fun. Here, Peg and Nancy reveal our Quilt Con charity challenge quilt, which was finished by Nancy and Sue. I am personally so proud of this quilt and I think it really showcases the talent that we have in our guild.

Dues for 2015 were accepted at this meeting. If you have not yet paid your dues, please mail them to the PO Box listed under the Contact Us link on this blog by December 20th. We need an accurate count of our membership so that we can renew with the MQG, and the MQG payment is due on January 1.

Retreat deposits have been accepted and all registration for the retreat is now closed (pending a few people who are interested in day commuter passes, which Laura is looking into). The Franciscan received our initial deposit and our next payments will be made via Paypal around the second week of January. (Here's how to calculate your next payment: take the total for the room/nights combo you initially selected, subtract $30, and divide the remainder in half. If you like, you may also pay the entire balance remaining.) Laura will post a payment page early in the new year!

Peg received our A Sense of Place swap minis from Northampton and they were beautiful! We distributed them by random lottery. This was a fun swap, and I so appreciated seeing both guilds' take on the theme. 

At Show and Tell, Kali showed off some neon bright slice-and-insert blocks she is working on for our Gathering show.

Barbara and Nancy took a landscape quilting class in another guild, and showed off their work. 

Nancy's snowman wall hanging is so cute and seasonal!

Sue just whipped up this mini during a slow morning at her shop. Amazing!

Sue also showed off her Michael Miller pastel challenge quilt, which she submitted to Quilt Con. I hope to see it hanging in Austin!

Stephanie made a Super Tote for herself. (and, spoiler alert: she also made a fabulous Super Tote for the Yankee Swap!)

Sarah took some Economy blocks left over from a swap and turned them into a fun quilt top.

And she did the same with this quilt top. Sarah is inspiring me to dig into my pile of weird leftover orphan blocks!

Amy's spiderweb quilt was published in a magazine and is quilted with thousands of tiny pebbles. No wonder she saw pebbles when she closed her eyes!

I believe Amy's second quilt was also for magazine publication! 

And when Amy pulled out her solids quilt (I do remember that this one is named Haberdasher), someone marveled, "do you sleep?" What a great use of solids!

Paula showed off a project she knitted for her daughter: boot socks from leftovers! I know I was covetous. 

After a lot of eating, we then had a Yankee swap, swapping only handmade items this year. I think it was a great success and I had so much fun seeing what everyone made. I also ended up winning Stephanie's fabulous Farmer's Market Super Tote :) Happy December all, and we will see you back at the Stratham library in January, when Jess will be teaching Quilted Bag Making Tips and Tricks.

December meeting reminder

Dear all: You are cordially invited to our second annual SMQG guild celebration and Yankee swap on Saturday, December 6, 10 am to 12 pm at the Wiggin Memorial Library in Stratham NH. We'll enjoy a fun morning of all the best parts of a guild meeting: show and tell, door prizes, lots of food to share, and a Yankee swap (protective headgear not required). Amy has donated some fun fabric and books for a door prize at this meeting. I won't reveal the surprise, but it's a bright, colorful fabric line I know I missed from a little while back! Please bring a brunch item to eat or drink to share with the group. If you are participating in the Yankee swap, please bring a small handmade item to swap. The item should be placed in a not-holiday reusable gift bag. Finally, if you have not yet paid your 2015 dues, they are due at this December meeting. Dues for calendar year 2015 are $50, and we accept cash or checks made out to Seacoast Modern Quilt Guild. I can't wait to see everyone there!