March Meeting Recap

We had a very exciting meeting in March. Sandy and Sally had a great presentation on Getting Started in Modern Quilting. Before the presentation each member placed themselves on the continuum line to see how modern we each think we are:

 During the presentation we talked about what makes a quilt modern: asymmetric design, increased negative space, improvisational piecing, minimalist design, alternate grid, bright colors, just to name a few techniques. Sandy included many quilt photos from QuiltCon in her presentation to show a wide variety of interpretation in different categories.
After the presentation Nikki announced our new quarterly challenge: use the Drunkard's path block to make a modern quilt. There are no restrictions on size or fabric but the inspiration is the Drunkard's path block. Have fun with it. If you post on social media make sure to use #pghmqg and #pghmqgmodernpath hashtag so we can follow along. We will have another blog post with tips for sewing curves, check back soon!



- Karen updated us on our Tree of Life First Responder quilt. The top is complete we have batting,  backing and binding to finish the quilt. Quilt presentation is pushed back to mid summer.

- Members are encouraged to visit the MQG website. There are lot of resources and webinars and patterns for free (it is included in your membership fee) . You can also connect with other modern quilters from around the world. Or just check us out on Instagram  @PGHMQG

-Our POP ART INSPIRATION mini quilts were due by the March meeting. If you completed your quilt and showed it at the meeting you received a raffle ticket for our end of the year drawing! If you missed the meeting or did not finish your mini there is still time to do so. These minis will be included in the Mt Lebanon Library Exhibit this summer and PGHMQG Exhibit at the Pennsylvania Quilt Extravaganza in September. Great opportunities to have your work displayed!

Show and Tell

- Good news: Our MEMBERS ONLY over night retreat is full! There are still tickets for all you can sew days with food, no overnight. If you are a member of the PghMQG and you did not receive an invite to the retreat, please contact leadership: pittsburghmqg@gmail.com.

Our next meeting is on April 14th in Millvale. Please note the meeting date! We are meeting on the 2nd Sunday of April because our retreat falls on the first Sunday. Our meeting topic will be all about rulers. If you have a ruler that you love and would like to share with the guild during the meeting, please contact Courtney: pghmqg.programs@gmail.com.  We hope to see you there!

Drunkard's Path Challenge

At the end of our March meeting we announced the next challenge, to create a quilt using the Drunkard's Path block as inspiration. There is no restriction on size, colors, design, etc! For more information regarding the challenge, including some quilty inspiration, check out this file.

These challenge quilts are due at our meeting on Sunday, June 2nd.

Remember that each challenge quilt you complete this year will earn you a chance to win a free spot at our retreat in 2020!

June Meeting Recap

 Our June meeting was held on June 2nd. We had a busy meeting with lots of announcements, many quilts shown during show and tell and a very informative and fun presentation by Courtney on Taking Better Pictures.

Announcements:

- The Riley Blake fabric challenge closed on May 31st. 3 of our members entered their quilts in the challenge. 

- Spring Barn Quilt Workshop is rescheduled for tomorrow, June 8th, from 10am-2pm. There is still time to register on the workshop site: www.workshoppgh.com

- On the MQG website all members can find lots of free resources: webinars, patterns, articles etc

   Also the MQG has a call for entries in different categories : patterns, blocks and quilts for special      exhibits. Log into your account and check them out.

- The MQG announced the QuiltCon 2020 guild challenge colors and them. Bring your ideas to the        August meeting!

- Our Tiny Town quilt won 3rd place at the Three Rivers Quilt Show in group category!! We are looking for suggestions for where to donate our quilt. Contact leadership with any suggestions. We will vote on recipient at the July meeting.

- We are very excited for our Fall Workshop with Melissa Averinos : Making Faces
More information coming soon!

- Upcoming guild exhibits: 

   -Mt. Lebanon Library POP ART Exhibit: Minis will be displayed at the Mt Lebanon Library for the month of July. 

   -Quilt Company East Show: our QuiltCon 2019 quilt (Tiny Town) was accepted into the show.

   - Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza: we will have 2 exhibits in this show - POP Art and collection of members quilts  

    

- Great news! Our 2020 Retreat is booked for May 15-17 2020 at the Martina Spiritual Retreat Center. We hope to see many members there. It is a fun weekend with lots of sewing a fun.

-Note from the treasurer: We voted in favor of raising annual dues from $40 to $50.  Annual dues are due at the July meeting. You can pay with cash or check at the meeting or through Paypal.

-Our Make it Modern! challenge concluded at the meeting. We used the Drunkard's path block as inspiration. It was fun to see all the different quilts you can make from one single block idea.

- Nikki announced our new challenge: Wholecloth quilt

    Create a modern wholecloth quilt. It can be any size, color or fabric. NO pieced or appliqued elements can be used. Have fun stitching. Make sure you use the  #pghmqgwholecloth hashtag on social media when posting progress pictures.

Show and Tell

Courtney put together a presentation about Taking Better Pictures. She shared lots of useful information about layout, light, colors / saturation. Discussed how to take photos indoors and outdoors. She also showed us tricks on how to edit / enhance pictures.

Our next meeting:
Sunday, July 7th from 1pm-4pm
 Holy Spirit cafeteria in Millvale
Topic: Using a free vector design app
Presented by Ailish

Ailish will be using the free app Vectornator, feel free to download it to one of your Apple devices so you can play along during the meeting. If you are an android user, the app Skedio may be a good substitute. We hope to see you there!