July Meeting Notes

Pittsburgh Modern Quilt Guild
July 7, 2013 Meeting

The July meeting of the Pittsburgh Modern Quilt Guild was a momentous occasion!  This meeting marked the one-year birthday of the Guild!  Congratulatio
ns to all members, especially the founding members/leadership who put a lot of time and effort into the past year to make the PGH MQG such a success!

Nineteen members and guests were in attendance – it was such a pleasure to welcome new quilters, catch up with members who were in town this month and, of course, socialize about all things “quilty” among all attendees! There were also some great fat quarter bundles given away as door prizes!

The meeting started with a yummy buffet of snacks, desserts and drinks – thank you to all members for contributing goodies that were enjoyed by all!  Jodi McLaughlin took a moment to talk about the Guild and the events of the past year.

Stephanie's Mod Mood

Show-and-tell was a highlight!  Gina, Stephanie and Lauren brought their modern mood quilts for an update – best description:  WOW!  Tamara shared a memory quilt that she is making out of her grandmother’s clothing!  It was simply beautiful, and she is making three more!  Dia and Lauren are participating in a skill builder BOM from Pile O' Fabric.  Their quilt blocks are amazing.  Karen shared several of her modern quilts blocks – beautiful color choices!  Melissa made a fun pincushion out of mini hexagons – you can download the templates here. Ginger introduced “Zentangle” to the Guild – a creative way to improve your free-motion quilting skills.  Go to http://www.zentangle.com or search “zentangle” to find books and learn more.

Time for a bit of business.  First up was a review of the Pittsburgh Modern Quilt Guild Bylaws.  As the Guild has grown over the past year, various changes in the Guild have necessitated corresponding adjustments to the bylaws.   Guild members were each provided with a draft copy of the by-laws.  Jodi and Lauren reviewed and explained each proposed change, as well as fielded questions and comments from Guild members.  Members were encouraged to read through the entirety of the document at home, and email PGH MQG leadership with any additional questions.  A formal vote on the bylaws will be held at the August 4, 2013 Guild meeting.

The PGH MQG is on the way to becoming a formal member of the national Modern Quilt Guild.  Lauren should be congratulated, as our Guild is one of the first guilds to submit all required paperwork ahead of schedule!  The Guild will officially become a member of the MQG as of July 17, 2013.  Membership includes:

• Access to the members only “MQG Community” social media portion of the MQG site
• Discounted rates on conferences and events
• Priority and early-bird registration for conferences and events
• Discounted entry fees for MQG quilt shows
• Discounts and special offers with MQG sponsors, legal fees and affiliated companies
• Access to MQG Leaders only newsletter and forum (MQG officers only)
• Opportunities to participate in inter-guild swaps and challenges
• Involvement in MQG fabric challenges
• Membership cards
• Official member blog button
• Membership pin
• 10% discount on online MQG merchandise purchases

Visit https://www.themodernquiltguild.com for more information and to sign up for their newsletter.

PGH MQG First-Ever Quilt Show:
The PGH MQG quilt show at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is fast approaching!  The show is slated to run from September 1 through October 31, 2013.  Several Guild members had questions about the show.  Jodi answered all questions and reviewed additional details about the show.  More specific information can be found in the June Meeting Notes.

Members are encouraged to participate by submitting the following:

• Members’ Modern Mini-quilt Challenge: 8x10” modern mini-quilt, designed around the theme “Pittsburgh” (what this means to you) (here are some websites that might spark your creativity regarding mini-quilts:  http://pinterest.com/jenniffier/mini-quilts/, http://www.flickr.com/groups/miniquilts/, just search “modern mini-quilts” and you’ll find much more!)
• Modern quilts no more than 48” wide (Think wall hanging or baby quilt size.)

Members should notify the Leadership team of their participation either via email or at the August 4th meeting.  Quilts should be completed and submitted to the Guild by mid-August.  In the event that the library space does not accommodate all of the quilts, a drawing/lottery will be held to determine which quilts will be included in the show.  ALL mini-quilts will be included – no lottery necessary.

Additional details about the quilt show will be provided via email, posting on the blog, and at the August 4 meeting.

The “crafty” part of this meeting was making nametags.  Members spent time during the last half of the meeting sewing mini modern blocks and embroidering their way to some clever and fun nametags.  We definitely have a creative group! Members are encouraged to upload photos of their completed name tags to the Guild’s Flickr group page.

August Meeting Location:
Lastly, the August 4, 2013 PGH MQG meeting will take place at a different location.  The Guild is excited to visit a new quilt store, Stitch Studio, which is scheduled to open in September.  The store’s owner, Erin Kortering, has graciously invited the Guild to hold its August meeting at the store.  The meeting time will remain the same, 1:00-4:00pm.  The address is 447 Beaver Street, Sewickley, PA 15143.  Looking forward to seeing you all there!

*Special thanks go out to Kathy for the birthday "candy" and for taking these notes!