November meeting announcement!

The November meeting is coming up on Sunday, Nov. 1st, 1:00-4:00pm, at the usual location (The Pittsburgh Project, 2801 North Charles Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15214). 

This meeting will feature a New Member Open House! What fun! We have recently welcomed a lot of new members, and this is a good chance for everybody to schmooze a little. Also, hey, if maybe YOU or someone you know has been toying with the idea of checking out the PghMQG, this is a great time to do that! Bring yourself! Bring your friend(s)! Bring a neighbor! There is no obligation to join, and if you decide to come you can attend your first TWO meetings for free. Woah. (After that you will be asked to pay $5 a meeting or $40/year for full membership). So, please, come take advantage of this opportunity to find out what the heck this guild thing is all about. Feel free to bring some of your completed or in progress quilty projects to show off at Show and Tell!

Some other things happening at the November meeting:

• QuiltCon blocks are due! This project is really coming along, guys! Amanda will have the currently completed blocks on hand so we can get a sneak peek.  
• Fat Quarter Club payment ($12) is due for December if you are participating this go 'round. Michele will be picking the fabric this time.
• We will be discussing proposed By-Law changes that will be voted on in December. A copy of the propose changes will be posted on the blog after the meeting.
• Raffle tickets are available! The raffle quilt will be moved to Spool in November, and we also have tickets if you want to sell any yourself ($1 each or 6 for $5). Remember, the funds we raise will be used to provide interesting content for the guild. So every dollar raised helps.
• And, finally, Melissa will be discussing machine quilting as our skill builder this month. 

Melissa says:

This skill builder will be appropriate for quilters of all skill levels.  We will practice using the walking foot (which is a great starting point if you’ve never quilted anything on your own) and also the quilting foot which allows you more freedom but will take some practice if you have never quilted before.  We’ll work through a few simple patterns, discuss tips and tricks, and spend some time honing our skills.

If you are an advanced machine quilter, feel free to bring an actual quilt top to quilt during the session.  If you want to try something a little more advanced but don’t want to take a chance “ruining” your quilt top, you could bring a panel to quilt (Angela Walters came out with a few good “modern” ones).  Regardless of your skill level, a quilt sandwich made with scrap fabric and batting will be appropriate for this class.  I recommend at least a 12”x12” square so you have some room to work.

Supplies if you want to try it out:

Required: 

• Sewing Machine
• Walking Foot
• Quilting (Darning) Foot
• Practice Quilt Sandwiches (about 12”x12” or larger should suffice)
• Contrasting Thread
• Sewing Tools (as needed, screwdriver for swapping out feet, etc)

Optional (the only one I strongly recommend is a pair of gloves)

• Quilting Gloves (Machingers, Steady Betty Bands, Latex/Nitrile Gloves - this will help you grip the quilt as you move it)
• Supreme Sliders/Silicone Spray
• Quilt Halo
• Magic Bobbin Washers

See you next Sunday!
PghMQG

October meeting/QuiltCon Sew-in Recap

What a productive day we had on Saturday, eh? Thank you to everyone who attended the QuiltCon charity challenge sew-in at The Quilt Company! The project is coming along beautifully, and at least half of the blocks are completed so far. Don't forget to finish up your blocks and have them ready for the next meeting on November 1st. A few tips if you are still working on yours: relax, deep breaths, don't stress, and just sew! We also would like to thank The Quilt Company again for being our gracious hosts. What a great meeting space! 

 Please visit the Flickr page to view all the photos from the event!

Cheralee hard at work, for once! ;)

Jan's completed road block (see what I did there?)

Oh yes, this is going to be simply delightful.

The October business meeting was also held on Saturday during the sew-in. Some highlights:

• The November 1st meeting will feature a new member meet and greet, stay tuned for the meeting announcement with further details to appear here soon.
• We will be voting on by-law amendments in December. The proposed changes will be available for review soon!
• Leadership elections are coming up in December! Please think about whether you might want to get more involved. We will discuss nominations at the next meeting.
• Michele will be choosing our FQ Club goodies for December. Payment ($12) if you want to join will be due at the Nov meeting.
• Sandy has volunteered to quilt the Pittsburgh Project quilt. Thanks, Sandy!
• Mona has completed the "thank you" crazy quilt for the gracious lady who donated all that fabric to the guild back in the Spring. Take a look!

Good job, Mona!

Get those QuiltCon blocks done! 

PghMQG

October meeting announcement

The October meeting will be held this coming Saturday, Oct 17th, at 1:00 during the QuiltCon sew-in at The Quilt Company. This will just be a brief business meeting so we will not be holding show and tell this month. We hope you can join us for the sew-in! The sew-in runs from Noon-4:30. Please feel free to come by even if you have finished your block. We still have four unclaimed blocks for the QuiltCon project if you want to pitch in or team up with others. Bring your machine and basic supplies if you want to help out!

See you Saturday!
PghMQG

Modern Block Improv Workshop Recap

We would like to extend a big thank you to everyone who came out this past Saturday for the Modern Block Improv Workshop, especially our fantastic teacher, Sherri Lynn Wood! Thank you, Sherri Lynn, for fitting us into your busy schedule! I think we all learned some valuable techniques, and even maybe some things about ourselves and our individual creative processes. To view all the photos from this workshop please head to guild's Flickr page, but some sneak peaks are below.

Sherri Lynn Wood explaining the process for improv piecing traditional blocks

So many color choices!

Thirty minutes of improv piecing! Woah!

Oh hey! The Beaver Valley Quilt Show is running this Thursday through Saturday. All the details can be found here. If you are heading out, keep your eyes peeled for some quilts being shown by our very own Gerry Benton (Iris, iris, iris and Batiks Everywhere) and Amanda Hancock (#nofilter). 

We hope you can join us for the QuiltCon project sew-in at The Quilt Company coming up on Saturday, Oct. 17th from Noon-4:30. If you are coming, please RSVP to the Evite that went out last week so we can get a head count for the shop by the end of this week. If you didn't get the Evite, please email the guild and let us know if you are coming. The October meeting will be held at 1:00 during the sew-in, but we will not be holding show and tell to keep it brief.

See you soon!
PghMQG

Sherri Lynn Wood workshop

Please join the Pittsburgh Modern Quilt Guild in welcoming Sherri Lynn Wood to teach a one-day workshop on Modern Block Improv. Registration is now open to the public!

Note that registration is a two-step process.  First, proceed to the Eventbrite page to register.  After you have registered, please pay the workshop fee via check or with the PayPal button on this page.

The goal of improvisational patchwork is flexible patterning.  Participants will start with a favorite fixed or "traditional" block pattern and gradually transform it through a series of repetitions and variations.  Without the use of rulers, templates, or instructions, to guide them, they will gain a deeper sense of how patterns evolve, while learning ruler-free patchwork and composition techniques along the way. This workshop is appropriate for all skill levels from beginner to advanced.

The workshop fee is $75 (or $77.50 if you would like to pay via PayPal) for members of the Pittsburgh Modern Quilt Guild and $100 (or $103.50 if you would like to pay via PayPal) for non-members.  The workshop will be limited to 25 participants.  Registration deadline is September 18, 2015.  The workshop fee is transferable but not refundable.  Please head over to the Eventbrite page to complete registration and for additional payment information. 

Here is a useful link for paying by PayPal (please also register on Eventbrite to secure your seat and get your printable ticket)!

Please choose your membership level from this drop-down menu

Non-Member ticket fee $103.50 USD PghMQG Member ticket fee $77.50 USD

Though not required for the workshop, we will have copies of Sherri Lynn Wood's book The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters available for sale the day of the workshop at a discounted rate.  No other books, notions, or other supplies will be available for purchase.

Tools & Equipment

• Sewing Machine
• Extension Cord
• Rotary Cutter
• Cutting Mat
• Hand sewing needles and thimble (optional - just in case)
• Straight pins (lots of them)
• Tailor's chalk/marking tools
• Medium gray spool of thread

Materials

• A well-balanced spectrum of solid and print fabrics, including neutrals and a variety of values (light to dark).  Throw in a couple of zingers.
• There is no set amount of fabric to bring.  In determining how much material to bring, consider how fast you sew and if you want to work on something big to finish later or something mini as a sample.  Bring enough quantity for creative freedom, but probably no more than five yards is necessary.  Don't worry, whatever you bring will be enough to make do with!
• You don't need to spend tons of money on new fabric for this (unless you want to - it's a good excuse to buy more fabric), scraps and other fabric from your stash will work.

If you have questions, please contact us at pittsburghmqg@gmail.com.

PghMQG