November 2016 Meeting: Quilt As You Go

Quilt as you go... There are several reasons why you might want to give this a try.  Maybe you don't have a long arm machine.  Perhaps you want to control every aspect of your quilting.  Rounding up orphan blocks and creating something is both useful as well as psychologically beneficial.  It could also be that you just want to add an additional skill to your quilting bag of tricks.

At the November meeting you'll be experimenting with two methods for QAYG - joining pre-quilted blocks and quilting while you also piece.  There are MANY methods to QAYG.  We are just going to cover these techniques with a few tricks to customize them for yourself.  I am linking the handout in case you would like to get creative!  Click here for the November handout.

We WILL need our machines and notions!  Don't bring irons, the guild will set up a few stations.


For QAYG, you will need the following supplies.

Joining Pre-Quilted Blocks:

At least 2 pre-quilted blocks (do not trim them!)
Strips at least 1" wide and the length of your blocks to use as sashing


Ticker Tape Method:

Square piece of muslin or background fabric
Square pieces of batting larger than the muslin
Square piece of backing larger than the batting
Assorted scraps


Here is the handout for the seasonal table runner and templates:

Tutorial
Templates

October 2016 Meeting Recap

This month's Inspiration Challenge winner -  Congratulations Amanda!

The QuiltCon Charity quilt top is almost done!  Zsofia handed it off to Lauren at the meeting.  Thank you to everyone who created blocks and/or participated in the sew day.  We're going to be right on target for the QuiltCon submission deadline!

Don't forget the FMQ workshop at the Quilt Company with Nikki is October 22nd.  Click here for the details.

We are proceeding with the planning for the March 2017 retreat.  You should have recently received an email survey asking about your interest.  Please respond so we can get a clear picture of numbers.  The retreat will be March 24-26, 2017.

September's #pghmqgic

The December sew day will not be at the Pittsburgh Project this year.  We are finalizing the location and date.  Stay tuned for updates!

The January 2017 meeting will be our annual General Meeting as well as elections for new officers.  If you are interested in being an officer, speak to any of the current members in those positions to get an idea of the duties.  Also, if you aren't able to attend regularly, try to make the January meeting.  The 2017 focus will be discussed and we value all input.

The Inspiration Challenge blocks keep getting better and better!  This month included a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Liberty Bridge woes, solving a kimono conundrum and recent trips.  Sound intriguing?  Well, come out to the November meeting and take a look for yourself!  You can find all of the info on the Inspiration Challenge by clicking here.

Show and Tell

The MQG (Modern Quilt Guild) held a town hall webinar and is also inaugurating a MQG mini swap.    There is so much going on over there!  Click here to get more information on the upcoming television show, QuiltCon 2017, a new book and how to submit your own ideas!

Trapunto applique

The topic in October was applique.  Discussions included machine versus hand applique, raw edge versus turned under, and the new style of reverse-applique of Alabama Chanin and Alison Glass.  There were samples of different decorative stitches that could be used on your basic machine.  In addition to the handout and points covered, members were asked to air their own problems, and victories to help everyone in the group.  Solutions for sticky needles, using water-soluble thread for trapunto applique and a few throwbacks to previous meetings were shared.  A great number of JoAnn fabrics' handouts on interfacing weights were shared to the delight of some.  Templates for using in a holiday table runner were forgotten at the copier store, but WILL make it into the November announcement . :)  Some of the tips shared by the group were added to the handout and appear in a separate color.  Thank you to everyone for sharing!

Click here for the Applique handout.

The notes on the measurements for the QAYG blocks were also removed from the handout and will be in the November meeting announcement.