Tuesday, December 6, 2016

December Meeting Recap

We met in Stratham NH on Saturday for our December meeting.

We completed two surveys for the incoming executive board to use in planning the upcoming year. These were on potential speakers or workshops, and activities to do with guild.

On December 18th from 1-4:45PM we will be having an open sew-in at the Newburyport Library.

We enjoyed many snacks made by our members. If anyone would like to share their recipes to be posted for others, please send them to me.

We also had our Yankee Swap. We had fun guessing who supplied the book and fat quarter based upon the pattern on the fat quarter.

A small group stayed after the meeting to fill the charity pouches that we sewed for the treatment center in Dover. Most of these were stuffed with items, and I know that they will bring a smile to the recipients faces!

QuiltCon Charity Quilt - The QuiltCon Charity quilt was quilted this month by Suzanne and Jess. It has been passed off to Jane F for binding, and is close to being finished!


Block Lottery - In January we will be resuming the block lottery. Each member who would like may make as many of the chosen blocks as they choose. For each block + $1 entered at the meeting, the member has a chance to win the pool of blocks made that month.
For the block lottery in January, we will be making wonky log cabin blocks following these directions:
http://tallgrassprairiestudio.blogspot.com/2008/04/for-dana-wonky-log-cabin-block-tutorial.html
Blocks should be trimmed to 12.5 inches square, to finish at 12 inches.
We will be working with the following guidelines:
-Choose one color (prints or solids) and a lot volume fabric (print or solid). If you are using prints of your chosen color, they should be predominately that color with little of any other color.
-The low volume fabric should be neutral without any other color (like a light gray on off white print, or white on off white, not white with red dots).
-The center square or rectangle should be a darker shade of the color you have chosen for your block.
As you build your wonky log cabin, make one round of logs your low volume fabric anywhere you choose, and end with the outer ring of logs being low volume.


President's Blocks - For the past two years we have made quilt blocks as a thank you to our guild president. For Mary, please use this tutorial http://www.polkadotchair.com/2015/09/september-block-of-the-month-plus-quilt-block.html/. The blocks finish at 15 inches, should have a low volume or white background, and be a rainbow of colors for the pluses. Diane will collect these at the January meeting.


Show and Tell:
Suzanne brought in a special quilt to share with us. This quilt was pieced by hand, and was started as she was driving a truck across the country with her husband. She was able to work on this quilt during the long miles on the road. Even her binding is pieced from short bits!!



Mary shared this quilt that she made using low volumes and Rifle Paper Co fabrics from Cotton and Steel. She also told us about quilting two quilts that were used in a Toyota advertisement! How cool!

Robin shared this log cabin quilt that she had just received back from Mary who quilted it. Don't you just love the colors that she used in this!



Amy shared two finished quilts, Shibori and Arboreal.



Judy shared the almost finished quilt that came from economy blocks made at a charity sew in early in the year.

Bethany shared a recent finish that was based upon a photo that she took of trees reflecting in windows taken in London. This is the first quilt that she designed and quilted herself. Way to go!

Hilde finished up this quilt top that was made using some wonky nine patches and donated fabrics. This quilt is off to Barb for quilting.

Diane shared this quilt which is a sample for a class that she taught at the library.

Diane also shared these two quilts that she made with a studio art group that she belongs to. She printed some of the fabric based upon a digital composition of hers from Spoonflower. The smaller one is a St. Bridgid's Cross. 

Paula shared "star Burst" that she completed for the Michael Miller Challenge. This quilt was inspired by the earthquakes in Italy.

Kate shared this Hazel Hedgehog quilt that she made for her nephew for Christmas.

Kim shared these blocks that she made to put into a Christmas tree table runner, using a pattern on Sew Mama Sew. She also showed us all her Bruyere top, pattern by Deer and Doe.

Dottie shared this charity quilt that she made from donated fabrics.

Jane has had a busy few months! She shared this quilt that she made for her granddaughter. This is backed in fabric that she bought in Kuala Lampur many years ago.

She also shared this quilt that she made for her sister.


And Jane shared this quilt that was made from some fabric received at Sew Boston, and filled in with all "stash" fabrics.


Alison shared this quilt that she made for the Cambridge MQG Alternative Materials Challenge. She used many non-quilting cottons from her stash like Liberty, lawn, double gauze, linen and canvas.


Bea shared her quilt "Darkest of Night" that was made for the MQG Michael Miller Challenge. Unfortunately, my photos do not do that navy color justice, at all!

She also shared this house quilt that uses a pattern from a magazine.


For our January meeting we will be meeting in Stratham at the Wiggin Memorial Library. If you choose, please bring blocks for the block lottery, or blocks for Mary's president block choice.




Sunday, November 27, 2016

December Meeting Reminder

Our December meeting will be held in the Wiggin Memorial Library in Stratham NH on Saturday December 3rd, from 10am-12pm.

Potluck Snack: Please bring a special snack item to share in our pot-luck snack time if you are able. Please label items with the ingredients. In the past we have enjoyed quite the spread of breakfast/brunch type snacks. Colleen will be providing coffee, tea, water, and juice.

Yankee Swap: We will also be having a Yankee Swap at the meeting. If you would like to participate, please bring a new or gently used quilting book and a fat quarter that represents you in a generic, non-holiday gift bag with no name attached.

Zippered Pouch Donation Items: We made 75 (!!!) zippered pouches to donate to a substance abuse treatment facility in Dover. Kate is tracking down a similar facility for us to donate to in Massachusetts.  They have told us that the following items are most needed:

Shampoo
Conditioner
Toothpaste (JoAnne has this covered for us!)
Disposable razors
Shaving Cream
Soap/body wash
Lotion
Socks (mens and womens)

Please remember that all products must be non-aerosol, and the first 4 ingredients listed must not include alcohol. If you are able to donate any of these items, please bring them to the December meeting.

Dues: Dues for 2017 membership will be $50. This can be paid via cash or check at the December or January meetings, or through the PayPal button on our website.

Presidents Blocks: For the past two years we have made quilt blocks as a thank you to our guild president. For Mary, please use this tutorial http://www.polkadotchair.com/2015/09/september-block-of-the-month-plus-quilt-block.html/. The blocks finish at 15 inches, should have a low volume or white background, and be a rainbow of colors for the pluses. Diane will collect these at the December and January meetings.
Once I picked out which fabrics I was going to use for the color at the center, the block sewed up quickly!


Lastly, the QuiltCon Submission Deadline is Wednesday, Nov 30. The website to enter is http://quiltconentry.com/

Sunday, November 13, 2016

2017 Executive Board Election Results

The official results are in!

We have had 32/40 members vote. All votes have been cast for the nominated members, and our 2017 Executive Board will be as follows:

President: Paula
Vice President: Nancy
Secretary: Kali
Treasurer: Barb

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

November Meeting Recap

On Saturday we met for our November meeting at the Lane Memorial Library in Hampton, NH.

Announcements:

Charity:
Holiday Pouch Donation:
We collected dozens of pouches at the November meeting! The winner of the prize was Bea, who won a $25 gift card to Pintuck & Purl in Exeter, and a Purple Thang tool.

Kate has been in contact with the Southeastern New Hampshire Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services facility, located in Dover NH, regarding donating the pouches that we made for a holiday treat for their residents.
For the December meeting, we are looking for small hygiene products that are non-aerosol, and do not list alcohol as one of the first 4 ingredients to fill these little bags. There will be an email from Kate this month that goes more in depth with what they need the most, once she hears back from her contact at the facility.
Kate is also awaiting confirmation from a similar facility in Massachusetts to also donate to. Once she has more information she will share this via email.

QuiltCon '17 Charity Project:
The QuiltCon charity quilt is ready for quilting! Suzanne has offered the use of her longarm to any members who would like to assist in the quilting of this. The plan is to quilt an irregular grid on the quilt. Suzanne will send an email out with the date and time that this will be happening for anyone who is interested in participating.

Sew-ins: We will be having two sew-ins at the Newburyport Library this month and next. This is open time to sew-cialize and work on whatever project you may choose (secret holiday sewing?!).
We have been reminded that this space in Newburyport can be a little cool, so it is suggested to come in layers.
Sunday, November 20 and December 18th from 1-5 pm. As the library closes at 5 they have requested that we be packed up and leaving a few minutes before this.

2017 Board: At the meeting we voted on the 2017 Executive Board committee. As all nominees ran uncontested, we can assume who may have won, however all members who missed the meeting are given 7 days to vote per our bylaws. I will post the results from the election next weekend.

2017 Dues: We will be collecting $50 dues for 2017 at the December and January meetings. This can be paid in person via cash or check made out to the guild, or via Paypal. There will be an email with the link.

2017 Retreat: The deposit for the 2017 retreat will be due in February. The remainder of the retreat payment will be due in two payments after February.
Please let JoAnne know if you change your mind on the response that you provided her with your intent to attend. This will help the committee plan for the accurate number of attendees.
Click here to see the back!

Mighty Lucky: Last year we signed up as a guild for the Lucky Spool monthly Mighty Lucky Quilting Club. The monthly challenges can be purchased a la carte for $5 each or the year membership can be purchased for $50.  Last year we were able to receive a $5 discount by signing up as a guild. If you are interested in signing up, please email Mary so that she can contact them with a number of people interested in a guild discount.

President's Blocks: For the past two years we have made quilt blocks as a thank you to our guild president. For Mary, please use this tutorial http://www.polkadotchair.com/2015/09/september-block-of-the-month-plus-quilt-block.html/. The blocks finish at 15 inches, should have a low volume or white background, and be a rainbow of colors for the pluses. Diane will collect these at the December and January meetings.

Show and Tell:
Jess shared her first quilt, which was sewn on borrowed machines.
 Bethany shared this quilt that was inspired by the border print that she purchased a small cut of in London.
 Marylee shared this quilt that she made for the new son of a waitress at a favorite restaurant. She used two shades of yellow in the center star, to represent the baby who is made up of pieces of his parents who are represented by the medium sized stars. The small stars represent "someday" siblings.
 JoAnne shared this tuffet that she made out of Kaffe Fassett fabrics.
 Nancy shared her first quilt. Five of the blocks were completed with a class, and she designed the Tigger embroidery that makes up the 6th block.
 Jane shared this Fancy Fox quilt that she whipped together at the SewBoston sewing day last month. We also helped brainstorm some quilting ideas.
 Allison shared a few of these blocks which are the Pixelated Circles quilt block from Art School Dropout.
 Our newest member, Paula, shared this quilt that I believe she said lives on her couch. She completed this project sewing with a circle of friends in Ipswich.

Letty shared this quilt which was started on retreat for her son, however it has been the site of many tea parties hosted by her second child.

December Meeting:
Our December meeting will be held in the Wiggins Library in Stratham NH. Please bring a special snack item to share in our pot-luck snack time. In the past we have enjoyed quite the spread of breakfast-y brunch-y snacks.
Also, please keep your eyes open for an email from Nancy next week regarding a Yankee Swap if you are interested in participating.


Monday, October 31, 2016

November Meeting Reminder

Our November meeting will be held at the Lane Memorial Library in Hampton. There is parking on the street around the library, and also a parking lot across Academy Ave by the junior high. We will be meeting downstairs in the Lane Room. When you enter the building, go immediately down the stairs to the left. At the bottom of the stairs, turn again to the left, and we are in the large room at the right.

As this is our annual business meeting we will be holding the elections for next year's executive board. The nominations are as follows:

President: Paula
Vice President: Nancy
Treasurer: Barb
Secretary: Kali

We will have voting open through email afterwards for anyone who cannot make the meeting. Per our bylaws, we need a quorum in order to elect board members.

Please bring with you any zippered pouches that you have made to donate to teens in local drug rehab centers at the holidays. For every two pouches that you donate, you will be entered to win a prize!

Also, we will be doing our regular show and tell, however if you would like please also bring a quilt that has a special story to share.

Monday, October 3, 2016

October Meeting Recap

We met at the West Newbury Old Town Hall for our October Meeting. We had show and tell, a retreat committee update, 2017 executive committee nominations, and a zipper demonstration and some time to sew charity pouches!

There are still open spots in the Christa Watson Free Motion Quilting Class that is happening on October 8th (this Saturday!). Please get in touch with us if you are interested in joining!

The first MQG Town Hall was held this month. The recording can be found here! The MQG is looking for volunteers for a number of Task Forces, and you can sign up here.

Entries for QuiltCon 2017 are currently open from now through November 30th. Enter your quilts here if you are interested.

We are currently looking for a venue to host a monthly sew-in on the third Sunday of the month. Please contact Mary if you know of somewhere we may be able to use.

The two quilts that were made with the solid rainbow blocks that were signed at the Portsmouth Pride Parade are completed and we will be donating one of these quilts to the Zebra Coalition in Orlando. The quilt will by hung in a youth center for LGBT+ youth.


JoAnne delivered an update on the planning for retreat 2017. We have reserved space at the Franciscan for Thursday May 25 - Sunday May 28th. The retreat will be open to SMQG Members only. Each attendee will have 6 feet of sewing space in the gymnasium. Please complete the survey in your email to help the committee begin to plan for how many people to accommodate.

Voting for the 2017 Executive Committee will occur at the November meeting. We will be voting at the meeting, and offer an opportunity after the meeting to vote via e-mail as we need a quorum of members to vote as stated in our bylaws. The nominations are as follows:
President: Paula
Vice President: Nancy
Treasurer: Barb
Secretary: Kali

Show and Tell
Barb shared these two vests that she has made our of flannel to donate for the neonatal unit.


Laura shared this quilt top made out of Liberty of London that will be for her daughter.
Paula shared this quilt that she received as a part of the Teal Swap to raise awareness for Uterine Cancer.

Diane shared these paper-pieced dragonflies that she pattern tested.
She also shared this mini-quilt that uses photo-printed fabric. She used a combination of hand quilting and machine quilting while finishing this quilt.
Lu had fun this month making a variety of zip pouches! She recommends using a non-matching zipper to add color and fun to the pouches. She also told her hairdresser about our goal to fill the pouches with small toiletries and received a donation of samples for us. Thanks Lu! She also shared this blue and white feathered star quilt.
Kali shared this scrappy baby quilt that was hand tied.
Allison shared her completed Donkey Kong quilt top.
Jess shared her massive take on Jen Kingwell's My Small World Quilt.

Amy shared her Caged quilt.
Kathy shared her cute little paper-pieced Outhouse block, by Carolyn Friedlander.

She also shared two quilt tops that she finished recently.


Zipper Demonstration
I gave a demonstration on how I sew the zippers into my favorite zippered pouch, the Pleated Pouch by Skip to My Lou. The page I have linked also details the process for inserting a zipper with photos!


Our November meeting will be held in Hampton at the Lane Memorial Library in the basement of the library. When you enter the library, take an immediate left and go downstairs. We will meet in the Lane Room. We will have elections, any announcements, and show and tell. We will also be collecting any zippered pouches that you have made to donate.
If you are interested, please also bring a special quilt to share. It can be the first quilt you finished, the quilt that you are proudest of, or the most used quilt that you have.