December 2016 Meeting : Sew Day at The Quilt Company

This meeting announcement is a quickie so you can get back to perusing the internet for sales all while sitting on your couch in your jammies.

First, the December meeting is this Saturday (12/3) form 9am-4pm at The Quilt Company in Allison Park.  An eVite went out in November with the details and you can RSVP straight from there.  Check you trash and spam folders, just in case.  The December meeting will be held at 1pm if you want to stop by for that.   

Second, because the Quilt Company is on the smallish side, we are holding the vote for the by-law changes until the January General Meeting.  We usually have a great turn out for that meeting and we'll be back at the Pittsburgh Project where we can accommodate everyone.

Third, don't forget about our newest thing- the Upcycled Clothing Challenge!  Those mini quilts will be due in February.  You can get more info on the challenge here.

Four, if you have been consistently making your Inspiration Challenge blocks from the beginning, you should be half done!  Congratulations!  Take a minute to reflect n where you began, where you thought you would be and where you are.  Here is the original post.

Five, we are going to be voting on new officers in January.  Consider taking on a bigger role within the guild.  Talk to any current officer or Pam.

October 2016 Meeting: Applique

The October meeting is less than a week away!  The topic will be applique, but before we get to that, let's get a few reminders out of the way.

~The FMQ workshop is October 22nd.  See you there!

~The QuiltCon Charity Quilt sew day was a success!  As of today, Zsofia is ready to hand off the top for the next step of the construction.

Ok, writing about myself in the third person feels weird, so I am just going to write normally.

I wanted to do something different with applique.  I am also going to be going over quilt-as-you-go methods in November, and I wanted to get back to doing a project during the meetings.  I came up with this plan.  In October, I have created a pattern that I will share with you and the several ways I think you can use it for holiday, or geometric-inspired blocks.  (You can use these blocks or your own orphan blocks in the QAYG meeting in November.)  I am going to cover applique methods, what has worked for me and what has not.  I am also going to go over the tools specific to applique, like interfacing, threads and templates.  Because applique is not limited to quilting, we will also go over combining different weight fabrics.  You can use this information in the many handbag and wallet patterns that are out there, or to enhance your inspiration challenge blocks!  Because I have really been enjoying the way we all share our own experiences in the icebreakers, PLEASE feel free to bring questions and stories about what has and has not worked for you.  Finally, I will show you some examples from social media of creative examples of applique methods.  I have a few photos that we will discuss and how to approach turning them into applique designs.  To be clear, you will work on the applique between the October and November meetings.   

At the end of the class, you will receive guidelines to prep and quilt your applique blocks (or an orphan block) to be ready to use in the quilt-as-you-go meeting in November.  We WILL be sewing in November.  If you are going to be at the FMQ workshop, this would be a perfect chance to get those stray blocks, or your applique design block, all quilted up for November.  If you aren't going to the workshop, that's cool, too!  You'll be able to easily get it done between the meetings.  You do not have to do any blocks before hand to do the QAYG.  We will cover 4 methods, and you will still be able to participate.  Stay tuned!                  -Cheralee

August 2016 Meeting Recap

There was SO much going on in July!  We had QuiltCon charity blocks, Inspiration Challenge blocks, our mini swap with the Capital Area Modern Quilt Guild and more.  Let's start with some updates, shall we?

June 2016 Meeting: Making Traditional Designs Modern

It's that time again... Meeting announcement time!  June's meeting is all about taking traditional blocks or designs and tweaking them until they feel modern.  The best part is that decision is solely yours.  Everyone has a different threshold for "modern".  Sally is going to walk us through several traditional blocks and cover the different ways that you can alter them until they feel right to you and still honor the original intent.  On the other hand, you might want to steer away from traditional piecing, but you need a starting point.  Using an orphan block or traditional design in an entirely new way might help you get there.  Feel free to bring paper, crayons, pencils, etc to play around with designs. Sometimes the input from the quilter next to you is exactly what you need. :)  

PLUS, it's Paint Chip Challenge Time!  Bring your mini quilts and your entrance card (if you are entering) to the June meeting.  Amanda's last email covered adding the colors to the card and labeling the mini to ensure that you get it back.  They will be hanging at Spool and judged by the public.

All partner emails for the PAMQG Mini Swap have gone out.  Remember, the information you received is for the person you are creating FOR.  If you have any questions, ask Cheralee.  

2017 QuiltCon Charity palette

Last, but not least... The latest QuiltCon Charity Quilt Challenge has been released.  Bring your ideas (drawings if you have them) and your enthusiasm.  We are going to be voting on the coolest one!

May 2016 Meeting Announcement: Sew-In Time!

Hopefully you remembered to get your RSVP for the May 7, 2016 Sew-In on time.  If not, you can always drop by just for the meeting portion of the day at 1:00pm. 

Here are the details about the Sew-In...

The Sew-In will be at St. John's Lutheran Church (the same location as last year).  It will run from 9am-9pm.  Sally will be in contact with those people who responded to the poll about helping to set up and break down the tables.  Side note:  it might seem like a great idea to bring your own iron, but last year we had breaker overload problems. There will be irons and ironing boards available.  Please leave your own at home. Thanks!  Lunch is a potluck affair at noon, and the general May meeting will be at 1pm. Bring some cash if you want to chip in for dinner.  Last I heard, pizza was on the menu. The Sew-In is free for PGHMQG members and $20 for non-members.

Aside from a great day spent sewing (duh), here's what you can expect at the meeting...

• Money for the June Fat Quarter Club will be collected. I (Cheralee) will be choosing the fabrics.  Suggestions or requests are welcome. The cost is $12. 
• Any questions that might need answered about the Paint Chip Challenge introduced last month can be addressed at this meeting.  Here's a link to the info - Click here...
• We are kicking off the Pennsylvania Modern Quilt Guilds Mini Swap!  We are partnering with the Capital Area Modern Quilt Guild and the sign up link is live now.  Click here...
• We will be discussing our favorite sewing gadget.  You'll come away with a ton of new ideas and more reasons to go shopping.  :)

The Pennsylvania MQG mini swap is here!

Hi!  Thank you for your interest in the Pennsylvania Modern Quilt Guilds Mini Swap!  (We’re going to use #PAMQGminiswap from here on out.)  This swap was created in the hopes that modern quilt guilds across our state could interact with, influence, and introduce each other.  If you haven’t ever taken part in a mini swap, that’s OKAY. It’s easy, and fun. We are honored to have the Capital Area Modern Quilt Guild from Harrisburg participating with us!

April 2016 Meeting: Color, Value and Prints

Join us April 3. 2016 from 1pm-4pm at The Pittsburgh Project where member Barbara Cain will present A QUILTER'S GUIDE TO COLOR, VALUE AND PRINT SCALE.


Have you ever asked:

            What is wrong with my quilt?
            Why didn’t my quilt turn out like I expected?
            What is it about that other quilt that I like so much?
            Why do some quilts look great and others fall flat?


Chances are that the answers to these questions have something to do with the quilt’s color, value and/or pattern scale. During this presentation, we will gain an understanding of these three crucial aspects of quilting and we will learn how to use this understanding to our advantage! We will examine both good and bad examples of color, value and pattern scale. We will practice what we have learned with a fun collage exercise and we will kick off our Paint Chip Mini Quilt Challenge!


Please bring the following items to the meeting that will be needed for the practice exercise:

• Fabric scraps (solids and different scales of prints)
• Colored paper scraps
• Old magazines
• Scissors
• School glue and/or clear tape, double sided if you have it

We will also be kicking off the Paint Chip Challenge at this meeting!  If you would like to participate, you will choose two paint chips at random and add a third color of your choice.  You will then construct a mini-quilt (24 inches square or smaller) using these three colors (plus neutrals).  The minis will be due at the June 5th meeting.  They will be displayed at Spool and the winner (who will receive a $50 Spool gift card) will be determined by the voting public.  That sounds fun, right?

Dates to remember:

• Salvation Army's Annual Fabric Fair is April 9th, 2016
• North Pittsburgh Quilters Guild Show is April 15-17, 2016

March 2016 Meeting Recap

The March meeting took place during the Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.  New member Barb Grossman (also the founder of the festival) invited us to take part in a creative block challenge Creativebug sponsored.  We decided to trek "dahntahn" to have a look.

Establishing a Modern Quilt Guild in Pittsburgh



Modern Circus Baby Quilt


Hello! I am relatively new to the Pittsburgh area and would like to establish a local Modern Quilt Guild with anyone interested in modern quilting. Please visit the Modern Quilt Guild website to learn more information about modern quilting.

This post is my first step in establishing the Guild. I am also currently working up setting up a meeting to take place in April or May 2012 at a locally-owned fabric/quilt store. Basically, I am following these guidelines and am eager to find modern quilters interested in getting together to share our work, learn from one another, and make amazing modern quilts.

If you happen to come across this new blog site, please shoot me an email if you are interesting in getting involved and making this happen. Thanks. Jodi