January 2017 Meeting : General Meeting

If you only make it to one meeting this year, this is a good one to shoot for.  We will be voting on the by-laws, swapping scraps, electing officers

and getting member feedback for programming this year.

Cross your fingers that the QuiltCon quilt will also be ready for its big reveal!

*Members bringing scraps get first choice, of course.

*Don't forget that we will also be having a January sew day independent of the general meeting.

Since it's a fresh, new year - a blank slate - why not assess those UFOs you have and bring them to the meeting?  Get some input from your quilty friends and find some motivation to get it done or get rid of it!  (Sometimes, finished IS better than perfect.) We will be running a UFO Finish Along in 2017 to keep you motivated. We will log your UFOs at this next meeting and as you finish them throughout the year you will get a ticket for each one to enter in an end of year prize drawing. UFOs must be at least partially started for this event. 

See you January 8th at 1pm at the Pittsburgh Project!

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.

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

QuiltCon Charity Quilt 2017 - Paolo Scirpa

The QuiltCon Charity Quilt committee has come up with a plan!  If you recall from the June recap, there were a handful of ideas percolating and a decision has been made.  After meeting, the group chose a Paolo Scirpa-inspired design.  Paolo uses the circle, square and 60 degree triangle with light and mirrors to simulate infinite art.  Many of the Italian artist's works use repetition and three-dimensional factors.

Here are the results for a quick search of his art. 


At the July meeting, a block from the outer portion of the quilt was available to look at.  Here's a sneak peek from Instagram.  (What's really cool is that there is a bunch of textures, too - Essex linen, chambray, denim!)

Hey @pghmqg - here's the sample block for the background for the #quiltconcharityquilt .

A photo posted by Lauren Jonkman (@ljonkman) on Jul 4, 2016 at 11:50am PDT

One of the things we wanted to avoid was an abundance of fabric left over, like we had with The Bridge Quilt.  The small packets of blue fabrics that could be picked up in July are just enough to finish your block.  We did not purchase any additional yardage if there are hiccups in your assembly. Also, if you take a packet, we definitely need a block made.  Take a couple, there are a ton to make.  ;) 

If you did take a packet, the blocks are due at the September meeting.  If you haven't picked up any, packets will be available at the August meeting.

Here are the instructions for the blue background block.    It is an improv technique, but Lauren has clearly pointed out little hints to make things cohesive from block to block, like stitch length and trimming.  Don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions!

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!

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.

March 2016 Meeting: Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Festival

They put us at the front entrance!

The March meeting has a few things that you need to know, so if you have ANY questions, don't hesitate to let us know.

WHO:

The Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival graciously offered to hang the Bridge Quilt.  The founder, Barb Grossman, attended our last meeting (and became a PghMQG member!) where she suggested we should have our meeting in the Festival's Creative Open Studio.

WHERE:

The Festival is on the 3rd floor of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center downtown. Here are the details for directions and parking.  Don't forget parking might be a fee, too, depending on how you arrive.  We will be meeting in room 315.  There will be skein winding, coat check and concession services plus a marketplace! 

WHEN:

Because of the Festival's program, our meeting time is going to shift just a bit.  We are starting at 11:15am (in room 315).  The doors open at 8:30am and the close at 3:30pm. You are encouraged to go check out the other cool stuff.  The Festival runs from Friday, March 4, 2016 through Sunday, March 6, 2016.

WHAT:

• We will have a QuiltCon recap provided by those that attended.  It will also give us a chance to see the Bridge Quilt hung "in the wild" (in public) and see the reactions from the other attendees.  
• Amanda will have the FQC bundles to hand out.  The Show & Tell and business portions of the meeting will be condensed to a quick couple of minutes.  
• Barb said that the Creative Open Studio is full of machines provided as test models, so don't feel obligated to bring your own if you don't want to.  

• At that point, we have been invited to take part in their block challenge.  "Creativebug is sponsoring a Creative Block Challenge, featured in the new Creative Open Studio. You are invited to create a 12 x 12 inch block with a variety of materials (yarns, fabrics, fibers, scraps, silks, notions, ribbons). All of the machines are graciously provided by Babylock,Brother, Innova Quilting Systems and Janome, as well as FeltLOOM®. These machines as well as a variety of cutting tools will be available for your use the entire weekend. All materials will be provided for you and 3 winners will be selected by Creativebug with a special prize awarded to each winner. Test your skills, challenge your creativity and have fun in this year’s new Creative Open Studio. This is free with your admission and is open for everyone creative, regardless of your skill sets."

• The blocks can be donated after the festival for charity quilts for the East End Cooperative Ministry or returned to you.

WHY:

The opportunity to take part in more "maker" concentrated activities was too good to pass up.  The positive attention that the Bridge Quilt has brought to the guild has been a blessing as far as building bridges (ha!) to other communities who create.  We can support our knitting and crocheting brethren and help grow the modern quilting presence in Pittsburgh.  The logistics might be a little complicated, but the payoff is seeing firsthand the faces of the people who Ohh and Ahh over our work.  (As I write this, I am flooded by Instagram images of people who are taking their photos with our quilt in Pasadena.  That is SO cool!)

HOW:

The admission to the Festival can be found here.  There are multiple options depending on how many days you want to attend.  If you are only coming to the festival for the meeting, the cost is $10.  Amanda sent out an email on February 2nd titled "Some Random Tidbits" with instructions on how to get $5 off your Sunday admission or a combo discount on a class and admission for Friday, Saturday AND Sunday.  If you need that email again, post here and I will forward it to you.  Here is the full schedule for you to check out. 

 

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