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

September meeting recap

The beginning of Fall seemed to bring new and old members to the September meeting. Twenty people were in attendance. After introductions the meeting proceeded.

Amanda has done a great job breaking down our QuiltCon challenge project into manageable blocks for the members to complete. Packets were distributed to all who felt that they could contribute. The packets included fabric, a portion of the bridge to be represented and hints on how to do this. There are a handful of blocks left to be claimed, so please email Amanda if you would like to help out. There will be a sew-in at Quilt Company on Saturday, October 17th from Noon-4:30 to work on these blocks together. More details about this will be coming soon! The finished blocks are due at the November meeting.

Kathy delivered the PghMQG raffle quilt to Quilter’s Corner who will display it and sell tickets for the month of September. Quilt Company will do the same for the month of October, and we are still seeking a storefront to host it in November. The drawing will be held at our December meeting. Tickets are $1 each or 6 tickets for $5. This is a fundraiser for our guild, so please see Kathy about picking up tickets to sell to your family and friends. 

PghMQG 2015 Raffle Quilt

Quilter’s Corner also donated 6 yards of solid fabrics to the guild as a “Thank You” gift for the pillow cases that members donated at the August meeting.Thank you to everyone who participated in this worthy cause!

Mona and Stephanie distributed the September offering of the Fat Quarter Club. Head over the FQ Club page on this site to check out their cool selections. We are looking for a volunteer to choose fabric for the December offering.

Show & Tell:   

Gerry showed a small quilt that she had made after our paper piecing meeting. Don't you love how that white pops? So fresh!

Melissa, a brandy new member, showed a lovely quilt top using circles. So cool!

Karen showed Lauren the bag that she had made using several of the pieces of fabric that Lauren had shared with those at the July meeting.

Lauren showed us her Carolyn Friedlander Collection Quilt BOM that she is working on.  She is using distinctive fabrics that she has collected on her many trips to far and distant places.

Sally showed a table runner made using Aboriginal fabrics. This color combo is so great!

To see all the photos from show and tell please check out the guild's Flickr page.

The skillbuilder for this month was Alternate Grids, led by Sally. The discussion began by looking at the quilt that Gerri made using the blocks that she won at the May retreat.
Her approach was to use a design wall and then arrange her blocks in positions that she liked. From there she determined how to frame them with background fabric to produce the final quilt top. 

Gerry' s alternate grid placement

Sally showed a more systematic approach where a grid is in fact created and marked out using tape. The blocks are then placed within the grids in different positions. The grid can then be shifted to achieve the desired look.   

Sally's grid placement in progress

The blocks are then created using the focus block and the background fabric. Cut a piece of background at least ¾ of an inch greater than the distance measured from the focus block to the outer boundary of the grid block and the length of the focus block. Proceed in this way, almost log cabin style, until you have a block the size of the grid block made of background and focus block. 

Here is the completed piece. Neat!

Attendees then played with the block for the upcoming Pittsburgh Project charity quilt.  We looked at several possible arrangements, and Sarah will now put it together!!
 

Playing with layouts (Psst, the first one, amirite).

The group then headed out to the opening of the new fabric shop Spool located 816 E Warrington Ave, Pittsburgh 15210  (Allentown). The store was very active and has a very modern vibe. It's a small store, but has lots of great offerings for the modern quilter.  Our members seemed to find quite a few irresistible pieces. The cookies were to die for!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Sunday, October 4th: 
Noon-7:00pm, Sherri Lynn Wood workshop at the Pittsburgh Project. A few spots are still available.  Check the website for details.

Thurs-Sat, October 8-10th: 
The Beaver Valley Quilt Show, check out their website for all the details. Several members will be showing! 

Saturday, October 17th^: 

Noon-4:30, Sew-in for the QuiltCon project at Quilt Company (3940 Middle  Rd, Allison Park, PA 15101). The regular October meeting will be held during the sew-in.

 

Spool storefront opening! September meeting time adjusted!

Local Pittsburgh fabric shop, Spool, is having the grand opening of their first brick and mortar store on Sunday, September 13th from Noon-4:00. "But wait!", you say. "The PghMQG September meeting is at the same time! Oh noes! How do I decide?". Well, now you don't have to! We are moving the time of our meeting up to Noon-2:00. After Sally has presented the skillbuider on Alternate Grids we invite you to take a field trip with us to the new Spool storefront at 816 E. Warrington Ave, Pittsburgh PA. You can check out Spool's website and look for them on Facebook for more information.

We look forward to seeing everybody at the meeting and don't forget to sign up for the Sherri Lynn Wood workshop! Registration closes on Sept. 18th! 

PghMQG