Monday, April 4, 2016

April Meeting Recap

We met on Saturday at the West Newbury Town Hall Annex for our meeting and a curved piecing demo from Laura. 


Welcome to our new members! We are working on coming up with a few new practices to make it an easier transition when you join the guild. If you are a seasoned member who would like to be a part of a welcome wagon for new members please get in touch with Jess, either in person or through email. 


Riley Blake Challenge
We are in the midst of the Riley Blake Challenge! The goal is to make something quilted using the provided fabric and other Riley Blake solids. More information can be found here. The submission deadline for these is May 31, so we will be able to share them at the June meeting. When submitting you can use this link https://mqg.submittable.com/submit or sign into the MQG site, go to the "Home" tab across the top, and then click to submit your quilt to the challenge. I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with! For examples of what our group has made in the past, look here.


Lanyard Swap
We also have finalized the names for the Layard Swap. If you signed up you also should have received the name and fabric likes of the person whose name you drew. The goal is that the hook can clip onto a little ribbon at the back of your name tag so that we can all know who we are. Tutorial for lanyard making inspiration: http://ellisonlane.com/2013/09/double-sided-lanyard-tutorial-back-school-ellison-lane.html
Also, these two links have name tag tutorials, and since we have cute clips to make the lanyards with if you add a small ribbon you should be able to clip it right onto your new swap lanyard!
Please bring these with you to the May meeting.

Retreat 2016
If you are signed up for retreat you are all set. If you will be arriving on Thursday the sewing space will be available at 1, with rooms available after 3. Those arriving on Friday may arrive at any time. On Sunday we need to be out of the rooms by 11am and the sewing space by 2pm (but this may be able to stretch til 4pm...) 
The rooms each have a mini fridge. We will have access to the kitchen which has a large fridge, a big sink and a microwave. They provide breakfast as well as coffee and hot water throughout the day. Feel free to bring any snacks/drinks/adult beverages that you would like for the weekend. Lunch on Saturday will be arranged by the guild. Keep an eye on your email if you are attending for more info on food!
Each person will have a four foot sewing table that also has a handful of outlets and an adjustable light. Cutting tables, design walls, and ironing boards/irons are provided. Bring whatever projects you would like to work on over the weekend. (Hey, maybe those lanyards? Or Riley Blake challenge projects? Or that thing sitting in the back of your closet that has been there for way too long and needs to get finished so it can be enjoying its life as a quilt in the real world.... there are SO many options!) If you are planning on using a fusible product, please bring your own iron. 
**Please leave all scented fabric sprays at home - with so many people sewing and poor ventilation the scent can get very overwhelming. ** 

May Meeting
Our May meeting will be held at the West Newbury Old Town Hall (which is a different location than April!) Amy Friend will be giving a lecture and trunk show featuring her new book Improvisational Piecing. While the event will be free for members of SMQG, there will be a $10 fee for guests. Parking is located behind the building, please enter through the side door so as not to disturb the book collection that will be happening in the foyer. 

October Retreat Day 
We have been invited to participate in a day long sew in on Sunday, October 23 at the Cambridge Marriott in Kendall Square. It will cost $40 per person and the space will be available from 9am-8pm and will be open to 60-65 people from the Cambridge, Boston, NH, and Seacoast Modern Quilt Guilds. There will be a swap organized for those attending. Sign ups will happen in June, so keep an eye open if you are interested. 


Show and Tell:

Allison showed off her Preppy the Whale quilt top. The pattern is by Elizabeth Hartman.

Jane F shared this quilt that she finished for her granddaughter. The pattern is from a magazine and is called Little Boxes.

Jane B shared her second finished quilt, called Command Performance that was made for her grandson. She used Jaquie Gehring's Craftsy class as the inspiration. It was quilted by Carrie. We talked a little about the importance of labeling quilts, and more information can be found here.

Peg showed off a long awaited finish. She started this quilt a few years ago, basted it at the last retreat, and pulled it from the drier on Friday night! Way to go!
 
Jess showed off this plus quilt top made with fun animal fabrics. 


Kathy shared this receiving blanket made with double gauze using a tutorial from the Missouri Star Quilt Company. She has been sewing away getting ready for her first grand baby! 

Judy finished this table runner based off a tutorial by Greenleaf Goods, found here.

 

 

 Diane shared this quilt top made with a Mirabelle fabric panel which shares a name with her granddaughter, the intended recipient. While the fabric panel wasn't especially inspiring to Diane she used the panel and the steampunk aesthetic for inspiration and ended up with a spectacular quilt top! 
 Diane also shared her March finish from the Mighty Lucky Challenge.



Mary O asked us all to look into helping Angela Walters family out. Angela's brother in law was hurt in a motorcycle accident in December. More information can be found here, bracelets can be purchased, or you could choose to support the pattern company of her sister and brother in law which is http://simplymodernpatterns.com/



Laura also gave a demo on curved piecing. She recommends using washi tape to secure your templates to the fabric, cutting carefully with your rotary cutter, and using as many pins as you feel comfortable with.


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