July Meeting Recap

Summer brought a smaller than usual crowd to the Stratham Library but everyone came ready to sew on the Modern Quilt Guild's 2016 Charity Challenge - Improv with Intent!

Business items first: (Thanks to Laura for the detailed agenda to copy/paste.)

1) August meeting at new location! We will be at the Newmarket Public Library, 1 Elm St., in Newmarket NH. Thanks to Jess for securing this location for us. We’ll be meeting August 1, from 10 am to 12 pm (our usual time) for a regular meeting plus show and tell (I hope there is a lot of it!) and then our Exhibit Committee will be walking us through our show submissions process. We’ll include a photography session, so bring quilts that you’re thinking about submitting to the show and let Mary help you take great photos of them.

2) MQG news: Riley Blake challenge quilts are due at the end of July. Please post your project photos online (path is: mqg.com  click Community  Login  Forums  MQG Fabric Challenges (will need to scroll down a bit)  Upload photos for the 2015 Riley Blake Fabric Challenge Here! (only, don’t actually post your photos here, sigh, follow Andreas’ instructions for how to post your picture). We’re not holding voting/prizes for this round in our own guild, but please bring your projects to show off at the August meeting!

Two separate individual member challenges for QuiltCon West: the Triangle challenge, the Michael Miller challenge. Signups for the “free stuff” part have already passed, BUT it is my understanding that the free stuff was so limited that many people will be left purchasing their own rulers or fabrics. If you’d like to participate and enter a project in this special quilt category at QuiltCon, see: quiltconwest.com/quilt-show/categories

3) Gathering update: show submissions still due September 15! Bring your quilts to the August meeting to get them submitted! Mary will have the quilted raffle quilt ready for binding handoff at that meeting. If you've requested a tee shirt, make sure Mary has your size or you may use a guild apron with the logo.

4) Retreat 2016 update: Jess will send off the deposit check to hold our spot at the Franciscan next April, weekend of the 15th.

5.) The Little Vines lottery block has been extended until the August meeting. Still time to make one if you haven't already.

Then, with machines readied, palette picked and improv direction from Kali, we began to make improv blocks to create our New England winter scene.

First some snow.

Then some sky, sun and the beginning of a barn-like structure.

More was added.

Hands were busy.

Then Sue Ann's design wall could no longer bear the weight of the blocks.

On to the floor for more placement decisions.

Collaboration!!!

Assessment and adjustment, finesse and fine tuning.

And then it was nearly a quilt top!

Some informal sewing time will be needed to complete the top. It is in the hands of Jess and Mary, with plans to include Kali, our charity challenge conductor. There will be more work for assembly and we'd like to include this in the Gathering exhibit, so be sure to volunteer for some binding or sleeve when necessary.