St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild

Flickr Feature Friday #12

2012-03-02T03:53:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it's already March? While Mother Nature sure has given us a taste of Spring recently, let's continue the trend and check out another great mosaic filled with color.

#12

Here's the code:

1. quilt show, 2. String quilt, quilted and bound, 3. FLQS finished, 4. Improv chevrons!!, 5. Oodalolly.... version 4, 6. Tree Wall Hanging, 7. Done and stuffed, 8. "80's rock star" for dqs9, 9. Complete!, 10. Modern circles pillow cover (2), 11. "Downtown" - completed, 12. Prism Detail

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This week's Flickr Feature Friday is brought to you by Kelly S.

Randomness #6

2012-02-27T19:44:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since we did one of our Randomness posts; and since there are alot of things happening we thought you would enjoy a recap.

First up for all you St. Louisians, the Bits 'n' Pieces Quilt Show "Fanfare of Quilts" is Saturday/Sunday March 17 and 18th at Queeny Park. There will be 400+ quilts, vendors, special exhibits (including some of our STLMQG Solids Only Challenge Quilts), and demonstrations. If that wasn't enough, there will be door prizes and raffle items too. No matter what style of quilting you enjoy, there is sure to be something here for everyone. Let's show our support for not only our STLMQG members; but for the St. Louis Quilting Community.

Tickets for each raffle are $1.00 each or 6 tickets for $5. All raffles will be drawn on Sunday afternoon of the show. You do not need to be present to win.
Babylock Sofia 2 embroidery and sewing machine, donated by Jackman's Fabrics, MSRP approximately $1000.00.
Bits raffle quilt, "Sunset over the Valley" -- a beautiful queen size batik with amazing machine quilting.
Ticket raffle for charity, this year 100% proceeds go to the Humane Society of Missouri. Lots of nice hand-made items and donated items -- small quilts, decorating items, gifts and so on.
Multi Purpose Cutting Table, donated by Unique Sewing Furniture (vendor with Cobblestone Cupboard at the show). This table (MSRP approximately $1100.00) will be in the ticket raffle for the Humane Society.

If you didn't sign up for the MQG Newsletter, then you may have missed out on the huge annoucement that went out last Monday, introducing QuiltCon.

This inaugural convention and quilt show by and for Modern Quilters happens February 21-24 2013 in Austin, TX and will feature top modern quilting instructors and will attract attendees from around the world. You can read all about QuiltCon on the official website found here. For all you STLMQG members, we have some exciting news to share with you during next month's meeting...stay tuned.
Have you been paying attention to the MQG 100 Days of Modern Quilting series? You may have noticed a few familiar names appear recently. A handful of your fellow STLMQG members have been featured on the site. We've created a collection of their links here. Stay tuned because there are more STLMQG members coming soon.

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We'll have another Flickr Feature Friday contributor later in the week and then announce our meeting agenda next Tuesday. Until then, we hope that you are finding a few minutes to Quilt...and/or working on your Secret Pouch Swap that is due in a few weeks.

Flickr Feature Friday #11

2012-02-24T04:23:00.000-08:00

About this time each week, I'm always so excited to see what wonderful images will be included in our Flickr Feature Friday segment and this week is no different. I hope this scrappy collection brightens your day.

#11

Here's the Code:

1. Leila's scrappy leaf key fob pattern!, 2. Heroes Helping Heroes Quilt, 3. teacher thank you gifts, 4. Ringo PIe--October--Amy, 5. Hexagon Bag, 6. herringbone quilt., 7. Pretty Little Pouch Swap Sent!, 8. Scrapbuster Swap - Depression Block 10, 9. A Zig and a Zag clutch

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This weeks' Flickr Feature Friday is brought to you by Mary Claire

Fall/Winter Charity Event Conclusion

2012-02-21T04:46:00.000-08:00

We came. We saw. We made pillowcases!

227 to be exact.

Did you get that?

Two Hundred and Twenty Seven.

Dear St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild members - our hearts overflow with gratitude!

How wonderful that we will be touching the lives of 227 people!

Our sincerest thanks to everyone who contributed.

About 1/5th of the pillowcases were delivered to Hospice Compassus where they will bring joy to patients and families in Hospice Care. A huge thank you to Nancy for suggesting this donation and making the delivery!

Nancy reports that the staff was thrilled to receive the pillowcases!

The remaining pillowcases were donated last Friday to the kids at the St. Louis Children's Hospital. Up until now the only children receiving pillowcases were cancer patients and so our donation has allowed the Hospital to extend the service to other patients as well.

Lets not forget our amazing sponsors!

Robert Kaufman Fabrics

Elizabeth Williams Jewelry

We were able to give away some fun prizes at the February meeting!

Westminster Fabric scraps!

Elizabeth Williams Jewelry!

Zakka Style Book!

Scrap Republic Book!

Reliable Irons!

Both of these wonderful members walked away with a Reliable Iron thanks to their
contribution of 20 pillowcases a piece.

Flickr Feature Friday #10

2012-02-16T19:58:00.000-08:00

This is our 10th edition of Flickr Feature Friday here at the STLMQG. We hope that this tradition helps bring a little inspiration to help jump-start your weekend.

#10

Here's the code:

 
1. Joseph's Coat Quilt Top, 2. Ned's Quilt, 3. Hand quilted Baby quilt, 4. Turquoise and black spirals, 5. IMG__2701, 6. Mosaic, 7. Merrill's diamond stars, 8. prada quilt finished, 9. Pattern envy, 10. zigzag quilt -- Ziggy, 11. PTS6 finished front, 12. abstract mini inspired by Yoshiko Jinzenji

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This week's Flickr Feature Friday is brought to you by Lynne

Pouch Swap Information

2012-02-13T19:58:00.000-08:00

We are very pleased that the Member's Swap/Challenge Committee has announced their 1st activity...a Pouch Swap. Jessica introduced all of us to these delightful little containers on Saturday, and showed how they can hold a wide range of items from left-over change, and knitting supplies, to travel accessories.

Since you are making a little pouch for someone and someone else is making a pouch for you...maybe you want to help steer them in the right direction, and a Mosaic is great for that. Here is an example of a Mosaic filled with lovely little pouches.

If you'd like to make a Mosaic all your own, check out BigHugeLabs. If you are unfamiliar with this tool, this tutorial might help. We'd love for you to share your Mosaic with the other STLMQG members, so feel free to upload it to our Flickr Photo Pool.

Need some further inspiration, tutorials or patterns...here are some ideas to get you started.

Noodlehead:

http://www.noodle-head.com/p/tutorials.html

KeykaLou:

http://keyka.typepad.com/my_weblog/tutorials/

Quilted Pouch:

http://luannkessi.blogspot.com/2009/12/quilted-zipper-bagtutorial.html

Triangle Pouch:

http://www.myinnocentia.com/2010/10/triangular-pouch-tutorial.html

Boxy Pouch:

http://prettymodern.typepad.com/its_a_pretty_modern_life/2009/08/zippered-box-pouch-pattern-and-tutorial-fully-lined-with-photos.html

Pleated Pouch:

http://www.skiptomylou.org/2010/04/27/pleated-pouch-tutorial/

Patchwork Pouch:

http://ayumills.blogspot.com/2010/08/tutorial-patchwork-wristlet.html

Round Pencil Case:

http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/2010/08/back-to-school-pencil-case/

Embroidered Pouch:

http://www.sublimestitching.com/zippered+pouch+tutorial

There are hundreds of tutorials and patterns out there, so don't feel limited to just the ones above. Let your creativity run wild, just remember it's a pouch, not a totebag.

Can't wait to see your finished pouches next month!

Meeting Recap (February 11th, 2012)

2012-02-12T12:49:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who ventured out in the cold today to attend our meeting, it was another packed house as we swapped magnets, collected pillowcases and discussed some upcoming activities. Stay tuned to this blog for more information regarding those upcoming activities; but in the mean-time here is what transpired.

Lynne, Secretary-extroidinaire, announced that we were at or near 60 members when we started the meeting today. Yet, she was super busy collecting renewals and signing up new members, so the final #s will be in next month.
Jamie, Cara and Mary Claire showed off some notions, new fabric and a book during our "You Oughta Know" segment. If you'd like to participate next month, make sure that you sign up here.
We agreed to amend our By-Laws; which can be found here, or in their permanent home in the About Us/Contact tab at the top of the Blog.
There was a discussion of adding some Speakers to our calendar. Patty Young and Aby Garvey were both mentioned and you can learn more about them by clicking their names above. Please let us know your thoughts as we will be making a decision soon.
During January's meeting, the topic of Social Media resurfaced and we felt like it would be beneficial for our membership to learn about the ways in which they can stay connected to not only our guild; but the modern quilting community as a whole. We will be offering a Presentation/Workshop combo in March and April and hope that you'll bring your questions as well as your enthusiasm. If you are interested in being a Demonstrator, please contact us at stlmqg@gmail.com
Wendy and Nancy talked about the Bits & Pieces "Fanfare of Quilts" Show that is coming up March 17th and 18th. You can read all about it here.
The Members Swap/Challenge Committee was introduced. Jessica, shared with all of us their 1st activity; which is a Pouch Swap. Check our blog on Tuesday, as we will be providing lots of links and tutorials to get those creative juices flowing. As names were secretly swapped, Jessica mentioned how you could "stalk" your Partner; by checking out their Blog, Flickr Favs, etc. If you would like to make a Mosaic to help aid your partner too, we have created this handy tutorial on how to use BigHugeLabs. We encourage you to upload your Mosaic to our Flickr Group Pool.
Our members have been working in miniature the last few weeks making their Itty-Bitty Magnet. Wouldn't you like to have some of these little cuties on your fridge.

Finally, we waited in anticipation as Mary Claire, our VP and Charitable Committee Chair, announced whether or not we had met the pillowcase goal that we had set for ourselves. As you all know the pillowcases we were collecting were part of the American Patchwork & Quilting 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge. When all was said and done, we had shattered our goal (150) thanks to our members' extroidinary generousity...they made an astounding (227) pillowcases. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

Come visit our blog on Tuesday as we share lots of inspiration for the Pouch Swap, and later on Friday for our Flickr Feature Friday segment.

Meeting #18 - February 11th, 2012

2012-02-05T21:00:00.000-08:00

Hello Modern Quilters,

Our meeting this Saturday is jam-packed with lots of activities, announcements, etc...so let's get right to it.

Date: February 11th, 2012
Time: 10am - 12:30pm
Location:
The Heights
8001 Dale Ave.
Richmond Heights, MO 63117

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Agenda:

     -Welcome & Guild Business
          :: Membership #s for 2012
          :: Financial Information
          :: Special Announcements/Quilting News
     -ByLaw Review & Discussion
     -Speaker Proposal Discussion
     -Social Media Needs & Conversation
     -You Oughta Know "Notions/Gadgets"
     -Member's Swap/Challenge Committee Introduction & 1st Activity Announcement
     -Fall/Winter Charitable Gathering (Pillowcases are Due)
     -Itty Bitty Magnet Swap (Have you made yours yet?)
     -Show & Tell
     -Questions/Comments
     -Mix & Mingle

**Show & Tell is back, please bring no more then 2 items (books, fabric, WIP, Quilt, etc) and remember we are a Modern Quilting Guild.

**Make sure to wear your nametag...and if you haven't made one yet, what are you waiting for. It can be any size, should include your first name and the more unique the design the better.

**In preparation for the ByLaw Discussion, Here are our currently approved ByLaws and Here is what we are proposing changing them to. We will be discussing the proposed changes at the meeting; but wanted to provide you with the above documents so you could review them. The reason we are reviewing our ByLaws is to make sure that they resonate with our Guild's current practices and don't include unnecessary "red-tape".

**Additionally, if you haven't already signed-up for the MQG's new newsletter, we would encourage you to do so. They are hoping to send out their 1st edition soon and want to make sure that as many MQG members are signed-up as possible.

We'll see you Saturday!!

Flickr Feature Friday #9

2012-02-03T04:56:00.000-08:00

Here we are again with another fabulous edition to Flick Feature Friday. We hope you enjoy this explosion of color.

Here's the code:

1. Ringo PIe--October--Amy, 2. Poem Quilt, 3. finished lion for gather here, 4. Quilt on a line - Ringo Pie Bee, 5. A Day at the Aquarium Front, 6. Block for Darci, 7. Mug Rug finished, 8. Pillow Talk Swap 6, Finished, 9. Oregon born, NC bound, 10. Shattered, 11. Pacman_Ghosts_DQS10, 12. Ferris Wheel Ticker Tape

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This week's Flickr Feature Friday is brought to you by Juli Ann

Itty Bitty Magnet Swap

2012-01-25T06:08:00.000-08:00

We announced our fun Itty Bitty Magnet Swap at the January meeting and thought we'd check in with a post to see how everyone is coming along!

We first saw these cute magnets on Flickr by Nova and Rashida Coleman-Hale and most recently in the book Zakka Style compiled by Rashida Coleman-Hale.

How could we resist such a cute idea?

Mary Claire brought in a sample magnet made from the pattern in the Zakka Style book to get your creative juices flowing. If you want to get the book and use the patterns that's great, but it's certainly not a requirement. Feel free to explore your imagination and make your own interpretation of the Itty Bitty Quilt Block Magnet!

All we ask is that your magnet is around 1.5 inches in size.

If you missed the January meeting and didn't get a magnet, just make sure you use one that is strong enough to hold up the patchwork and a few pieces of paper underneath. These are the ones we handed out.

We can't wait to see what cuteness you create; remember they are due at the February 11th meeting!!

Fall/Winter Charity Event Upate

2012-01-22T15:12:00.000-08:00

We are checking in with just one month to go; there is still time to make a pillowcase!

We are working towards our goal of 150 pillowcases to donate to the

American Patchwork & Quilting One Million Pillowcase Challenge

by the February 11th meeting.

For each pillow case you make you will receive one entry into our fabulous prize pool drawing!

You could win:

a $30 gift card from Sew Mama Sew (donated by Kristy)

Sarah Jane Children at Play Panel (courtesy of Michael Miller)

Sarah Jane Children at Play Panel and scrap pack (courtesy of Michael Miller)

a selection of scrap packs (courtesy of Michael Miller)

a copy of Zakka Style by Rashida Coleman-Hale (donated by MC)

The member who donates the most pillowcases by February 11th will win a Reliable V50 Iron

(generously donated by Reliable)

IF we hit our goal of 150 pillowcases (we are currently have 80) the following prizes will also be up for grabs:
two pair of earrings by St. Louis artist Elizabeth Williams

a copy of Scrap Republic by Emily Cier (donated by MC)

A special thank you to our sponsors!

Westminster Fabric has made a generous donation to our guild's effort that allowed us to make over 60 pillow case kits available to our members.

Michael Miller has made an amazing donation of wonderful modern fabrics! We've made over 40 pillow case kits with fabrics such as Sarah Jane Children at Play and Violet Craft's Peacock Lane!

Reliable Irons has donated a V50 iron to be used as a prize for our charity drive!

Our deepest thanks for your support of our charity event!

Meeting Recap (January 14th, 2012)

2012-01-16T19:29:00.000-08:00

On behalf of the other Officers and myself, let me send a Big Thank You to everyone who attended Saturday's meeting at our new venue, The Heights. It was a full house...I mean, seriously we had nearly 50 people in attendance, I cannot think of a better way to kick off the new year.

Lynne, our Secretary, discussed our membership #s which were at 36 prior to that day's meeting...and presumably are closer to 50 now. She gave recognition to those that had a Birthday in January and even had a little drawing to celebrate.
Rene, our Treasurer, announced how much we raised during December's Ticket Raffle and continued to provide us with other financials as well.
As part of our ongoing series about Notions/Gadgets, Nancy and Callie shared with us a notion they couldn't live without.
Mary Claire, our Vice President, talked about the Charitable Collection we are doing as part of American Patchwork & Quilting's 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge. All of the pillowcases are due at February's meeting and we hope to reach our goal of 150 by then. There are some great prizes at stake including an Iron, a fabric store gift certificate, and even some scrappy fabric bundles. If you have any questions about this project, just check out the Charitable Activities tab along the top of our blog.
We discussed several of the events that are already planned this year including 4 Sew-In Saturdays (March 31st, April 28th, July 28th and September 29th) as well as a few swaps and challenges that our Swap/Challenge Committee is cooking up. We also wanted to get our member's suggestions and opened the floor to discussion. Here are a few of the suggestions that we received:

Shop Hop
Retreat
Social Media Presentation/Demonstration
Various Demonstrations
Opportunities to get to know the other members
Etc

Mary Claire announced our next swap which is due in February. It's an Itty-Bitty Magnet swap inspired by the lovely little ones that Nova created. The only rule/suggestion is that your magnet stay around the 1 1/2" range. We can't wait to see the lovely little creations everyone makes.
Show & Tell was exciting and we saw a variety of items from recently finished quilts to quilt tops and even some blocks.
We closed out the meeting with introductions from our new faces and established friends. It was certainly nice to hear everyone talking about how much they love our STLMQG and how it has challenged them to step outside their comfort zone, try new techniques and meet new people.

Here are a handful of the things that were mentioned during the meeting or are happening around the net.

100 Days of Modern Quilting::: No matter if you are new to Modern Quilting or gleefully call yourself a Modern Quilter, it's certainly worth checking out the MQG's series and you might just see some of your fellow STLMQGers recognized.

MQG Newsletter::: While you are visiting the Modern Quilt Guild's website, make sure you sign-up for their newsletter. Right now, they are still in the beginning stages; but it sounds like a pretty cool way to find out more once things get under way.

Tangerine Tango Challenge::: If you love orange, or want to be challenged by it, this is a great opportunity to show everyone how creative you can be. Check out this Flickr group to learn more.

Swoon-Along::: Do you love the Swoon? Have no idea what it is? If you want to learn more and join in the fun, head on over to the Swoon-Along Flickr group and quilt-along with the other 400+ who are venturing to make a Swoon Quilt.

Solstice Stars Series::: Fresh Lemons is starting a new series this week showing you how to make a handful of star blocks. If stars are your thing, head on over to Faith's blog.

Sparkle Punch Quilt-Along::: Oh, Fransson! is starting another Quilt-Along.

SewCalGal::: If Freemotion quilting isn't your thing; but you'd like to learn more, a member suggested you check out this site.

Fanfare of Quilts::: The Bits & Pieces Quilt Guild is hosting a big quilt show March 17th & 18th at Queeny Park. There will be a special exhibit showcasing some of our STLMQG member's quilts as part of our Solids Only Challenge last year. Mark your calendars.

We all have lots of things on our plate and are continually juggling several projects as well as family, careers, etc. Even if you don't have time to participate in any of the above right now, sometimes it's good to bookmark them for later reading.

To help you in that endeavor, our guild has started a Pinterest account.

For those of you not familiar with Pinterest, here's how it works: Pinterest is a great site that allows it's users to create "boards" which you then use to "pin" things you find on the internet. For example, you just came across a photo that is great inspiration for a quilt, or maybe you found a recipe that sounds super yummy. While you can save the file to your hard-drive, imagine a month or so from now when you want to remember what blog or site that recipe was on...well, with Pinterest, it remembers that for you. It's free to use, just request an invite, and within a few short days you can start pinning everything/anything.

Head on over to http://www.pinterest.com/ to check it out.

We'll see you next month!

Meeting #17 - January 14th, 2012

2012-01-09T19:04:00.000-08:00

Hello Modern Quilters,

Welcome to 2012. It's our first meeting of the year and the first in our new location. We hope that you'll schedule us in this Saturday and come celebrate this meeting of firsts with us.

Date: January 14th, 2012
Time: 10am - 12:30pm   ***Note this is a new time***
Location:
The Heights
8001 Dale Ave.
Richmond Heights, MO 63117

**Parking is available in the huge Parking Lot adjacent to the building. Someone in the Lobby will direct you to our room. If you plan on taking Hwy 64/40, there is not a direct exit to Hanley. I encourage you to visit our Meeting Info tab for a map, or use your favorite online mapping service. Additionally, there is no Glass containers allowed at The Heights.
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Agenda:

     -Welcome & Guild Business
          :: Membership #s for 2012
          :: Financial Information
          :: Special Announcements/Quilting News
     -You Oughta Know "Notions/Gadgets"
     -Fall/Winter Charitable Gathering Update
     -What's Going on in 2012
     -First Swap of the Year Announced
     -Show & Tell
     -Questions/Comments
     -Door Prizes
     -Mix & Mingle

     **Show & Tell is back, pls bring no more then 2 items (books, fabric, WIP, Quilt, etc) and remember we are a Modern Quilting Guild.

     **Pillowcases are due in February; but we will gladly collect any finished ones you have ready.

     **Make sure to wear your nametag as we will will have some Door Prizes.

     **If you haven't yet paid your 2012 Dues, they are $30. We accept cash and checks (made out to The St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild).

We'll see you Saturday!!

Flickr Feature Friday #8

2012-01-06T02:00:00.000-08:00

What better way to start off the New Year then with a return to one of our favorite features, Flickr Feature Friday is back.

Here's the code:

1. PPS - 2 front, 2. ftlos-2, 3. Package sent to my For the Love of Solids swap partner, 4. for the love of solids. sent., 5. a quilt for harry., 6. herringbone block tutorial., 7. Swanky Squares Quilt block, 8. Retro Flowers no. 2, 9. For the Love of Solids Swap, 10. finn's quilt, 11. finished - modern drunkard's path, 12. Place mats!

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This week's Flickr Feature Friday is brought to you by Laura.

What's happening in 2012 ?

2011-12-26T18:51:00.000-08:00

As we prepare for the New Year festivities,

we wanted to share with you some points of interest for 2012.

Did you hear that Pantone, the world's color authority, has selected it's "Color of the Year" for 2012. It's Tangerine Tango. On the heel's of this announcement, Erin and Ali, created the Tangerine Tango Quilt Challenge. You can read all about it here and here, and if you want to get in on the fun, check out their Flickr Group here.
You may remember us announcing that The International Quilt Festival was hosting a Modern Quilt Guild Showcase and was looking for MQG members to submit some of their best work for possible consideration in aspecial exhibit shown during Quilt Market/Festival. Registration opens Jan 6th, 2012 and closes March 2nd, 2012. It's not too late to start something.
The Sewing Summit, a blogging and sewing conference; which Cara briefly talked about at our November meeting, is happening again in 2012. If you'd like to learn more or are interested in attending, make sure that you sign up for information. It will be October 11th - 13th in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Let's not forget that the Bits 'n' Pieces Quilt Show "Fanfare of Quilts" is March 17-18th at Queeny Park. This is a huge Quilt Show; which the STLMQG is proud to be a small part of, as some of our members will be showing their Robert Kauffman "Solids Only" Challenge quilts. No matter what style of quilting you enjoy, you can surely find something to appreciate at this event.
Quilt Market 2012 is coming to a town (sort of) near you...in Kansas City. It's May 18th-20th and there is likely going to be a MQG Market Meetup. We are in talks with the KCMQG to co-host the casual event, which brings together lots of people from the Modern Quilting Community for an evening of drinks, food delights and dishing on everything Modern Quilting. Sounds like a great time for a weekend getaway.

Did you enjoy our STLMQG Sew-In Saturdays? Well, get excited because they are back and better then ever. We were able to secure 4 fun-filled Saturdays in 2012 (March 31st, April 28th, July 28th, and September 29th) and are you ready for the big news...doors open at 9am and close at 9pm. Yes, that is 12 full hours of nothing but quilting, chatting, and munching with your closest STLMQG friends. Sew-In Saturdays are of course for due-paying members only and reservations will be required...stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.
We are continually blown away by the creativity of our members and look forward to seeing what you'll be sharing with us in 2012. Do you love Swaps and Challenges as much as we do? Not only will our Members' Swap / Challenge Committee be hosting their swap and Challenge; but both Mary Claire and I will be too.

On behalf of your STLMQG Officers, we would like to wish you and yours a

Happy and Safe New Year!!!

Meeting Recap (December 10th, 2011)

2011-12-11T14:22:00.000-08:00

A BIG Thank You to everyone who attended our meeting, I hope that it was a great close to a great year. I and the other Officers (Mary Claire, Lynne and Rene) would like to Thank everyone for continuing to make the 2nd Saturday of the month, a day to look forward to.

We started off the meeting with collecting Ticket Raffle donations and as expected...our members were very generous. We definately raised some money for our guild and had fun along the way. This event will certainly be coordinated again in the latter part of 2012 and Rene will give us an update in January of how much we collected.
Candy and Jamie shared with us a few notions that they couldn't live without as part of our "You Oughta Know" segment.
The remaining pillow kits were distributed as part of our Fall/Winter Charity Event, and I was thrilled to see that our members already started coming through. We collected 28 completed pillowcases already...putting us 19% towards our goal of 150 by February. WooHoo!!!!
We've created a separate Charitable Activities tab at the top of our header; which will give you quicker access to the current events we are participating in and what we have done in the past.
Paper Pieces, a company based in Sycamore Illinois generously donated some Hexagon sample kits for our members to try. Be sure to check out their website where you can find several different shapes and kits.
We announced that this coming week was SewMamaSew!'s bi-annual Giveaway Day...which due to its popularity has now been extended to an entire week. Make sure you hop over to their blog starting on Monday, December 12th to learn how you can participate in this event.
Several of our members participated in the extended edition of Show & Tell, where we saw lots of great quilts and completed quilt tops.

We want to give a special Thanks to the Kirkwood YMCA and especially Judy. Thank You for allowing our guild to meet in your facility. We've appreciated having a place to call home the last couple of months.

Starting in January, our STLMQG meetings will be held at The Heights and our meeting time has changed to 10am-12:30pm...allowing our members to get a jumpstart on their afternoon. Hope to see you all in 2012.

Happy Holidays!!

Meeting #16 - December 10th, 2011

2011-12-02T07:17:00.000-08:00

Hello Modern Quilters,

It's that time of year, where we have given Thanks to all that we have in our lives and now we start the holiday season celebrating with Family and Friends. We hope that you will join us at this month's meeting, where we close out 2011 with a Bang!

Date: Saturday, December 10th

Time: 10:30am-1pm
Location:
Kirkwood Family YMCA
325 N. Taylor
St. Louis, MO 63122
Map

**Remember, if you cannot find or don't want to hassle with street parking, there is a big FREE parking lot, behind the Church lot; which is accessible from Jefferson, 1 block south of the YMCA.

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Agenda:

- Welcome & Guild Business
- Special Announcements / Quilting News
- You Oughta Know "Notions/Gadgets"
- Ticket Raffle
- 2012 Dues
- Show & Tell (Extended Edition)
- Remaining Questions / Comments
- Door Prizes
- Mix & Mingle

**We will be collecting 2012 Membership Dues, which are $30 a year.  Please remember cash or your checkbook.

**As Mary Claire, our VP and Charity Rep, mentioned in this previous blog post...Thanks to a generous donation from Michael Miller Fabrics we will have more pillow kits available for those who want to participate in our Fall/Winter Charitable Event.  Those that did not pick up a kit at November's meeting and want one, will have first opportunity.  Remember, you don't need a kit to participate and in order to reach our Feb 2012 goal of 150 pillowcases, we'll need your help.

**It's Ticket Raffle time. All the info you need can be found on this blog post. Remember to bring your donations, small (address size) stickers with your full name if you don't want to write your name over and over on your tickets, and some extra cash if you want to buy more tickets (3 for $1).

**Show & Tell Extended Edition is sure to be lots of fun. What have you been dying to share with our group? Maybe it's your newest modern quilt, maybe some new Fat Qtrs you just got in the mail, or maybe it's some news.  Gather up to 5 items that you would like to share with our members...and don't forget your camera. As always, remember we are a Modern Quilt Guild.

Happy Holidays!!

Ticket Raffle - The Ins & Outs

2011-11-22T06:17:00.000-08:00

Come join us as we end 2011 with our 1st ever Ticket Raffle.

Goal:
--To have fun and make a few extra $$ for the STLMQG; which will go towards Rental Space, Speaker's fees, Workshops, Retreats, etc.

Tickets:
3 for $1

Donations:
--Donations should be things that you would like to win. We appreciate all types of items; both quilting/craft related and non. Be creative! While there could be more excitement surrounding certain items, we love all of them equally and appreciate you generous support of our STLMQG.

Ticket to Donation Exchange Rate:
If the estimated Retail value of your entire donation is…
$10 or less = 5 Tickets
$11 - $30 you receive 10 Tickets
$31 - $50 you receive 15 Tickets
$51 and up = 20 tickets
**While we know that the #s above to not equate to selling tickets 3 for $1. We are happy to have your support and while you will feel warm and fuzzy inside, we also wanted to provide you with a little something in return for your donation. Keep in mind that this is a fund-raising effort for our guild, so we hope that you'll buy tickets as well.

Raffle Directions:
Buy your tickets, or use the ones you received in exchange for your donation. Write your full name on the ticket, or make up small stickers (Return Address size) to place on the back, if you don't want to write your full name over and over. Find the item/items you wish to take a chance on, place your ticket into the corresponding bag and cross your fingers. There is no limit to the amount of tickets that you can place into each bag, so if you really want an item…put “all your eggs in one basket”. Winners will be randomly selected. There is no limit to the amount that you can win.

Misc:
If you have any questions, do not hestiate to ask.

------Exciting News------

We already received the following donations:

Pretty in Patchwork, donated by Lark Needlearts

2 "Charm Packs" of Echo by Lotta Jansdotter,
one of which was donated by Missouri Star Quilt Co.

Modern Mix by Jessica Levitt

Sew Darn Cute by Jenny Ryan

Last Minute Patchwork & Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson

1/2 yd bundle of various DS Quilts prints

Fat Qtrs of various Tula Pink's Parisville prints

...not pictured 8" Gingher Shears w/tin and cover

$10 iTunes Gift Card

Handmade Quilt

...more to come

Flickr Feature Friday #7

2011-11-18T03:00:00.000-08:00

Step away from the Thanksgiving Grocery List for a minute and come enjoy a little bit of inspiration by way of Flickr Feature Friday.

Here's the code:

1. In A Spin ~ Quilt top, 2. Charming Triangles Quilt Top, 3. Neptune bento box quilt, 4. stlmqg habitat challenge, 5. "time traveler" quilt, 6. Sweet Daisy Quilt, 7. Five Frames, 8. hope valley quilt 1, 9. Flora & Fauna Quilt, 10. quilt #2 (waiting for a good name!), 11. Pink, 12. Love in Wonky Stars with do. Good Stitches

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This week's Flickr Feature Friday is brought to you by Tracy B.

Fall/Winter Charity Event

2011-11-14T05:12:00.000-08:00

As the weather cools and we spend more time indoors,

do you think you could whip up a pillowcase or two for a good cause?

For our Fall/Winter Charity Event we've decided to participate in the

American Patchwork & Quilting One Million Pillowcase Challenge!

We've set ourselves a lofty goal of 150 pillowcases by February 2012.

You can grab this button (and others) for your blogs here!

Free patterns are available here!

For every pillow case you make you will be entered into our prize drawing!

You could win:

a Reliable V50 Iron (generously donated by Reliable)

a gift card from Sew Mama Sew

Sarah Jane Children at Play Panel (courtesy of Michael Miller)

Sarah Jane Children at Play Panel and scrap pack (courtesy of Michael Miller)

a selection of scrap packs (courtesy of Michael Miller)

check back as more prizes will be added!

Westminster Fabric has made a generous donation to our guild's effort that allowed us to make over 60 pillow case kits available to our members. 50 kits were snatched up at the November meeting; thank you!!!We'll bring the remaining kits and hopefully a few more to the December meeting!

Michael Miller has made an amazing donation of wonderful modern fabrics! We've made over 40 pillow case kits with fabrics such as Sarah Jane Children at Play and Violet Craft's Peacock Lane! These new kits will be available at the December meeting!

As always, our deepest thanks for your support of our charity events!

Meeting Recap (November 12th, 2011)

2011-11-13T07:32:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who attended our meeting yesterday, and for our regulars who couldn't make it...you were missed. Let's hop right into what happened.

Our Fall/Winter Charitable Gather will be making pillowcases as part of the American Patchwork & Quilting One Million Pillowcase Challenge. Westminster Fabrics graciously donated bolts of fabric; which our VP, Mary Claire, cut into kits. Please keep your eyes here tomorrow for a blog post about our goals, links to tutorials, prize incentives, etc. Pillowcases are due in February 2012.
Cara, back from her visit to Salt Lake City, gave us a recap of The Sewing Summit and topped it off with some giveaways. Weren't you all loving her DIY messenger bag?
We *tried* to play Rob Your Neighbor; but no one wanted to steal from one another...finally, after some gentle pushing and prodding, we had a quick game and it was over before we knew it. Note to self: don't play this game again :-)
Our members starting paying their 2012 dues. Rene, our new Treasurer, had a line of "customers"; which is exciting to see. YAY!!!
Finally, we discussed what was on tap for December's meeting which will include an extended edition of Show & Tell where each person is encourage to bring up to 5 items to show-off. Additionally, we discussed the Ticket Raffle and showed off a few of the items that have already been donated. We'll have a blog post up next week giving your more information about how you can participate in this event.

Finally, here a few other things that were mentioned that you might want to know about.

Nancy P. shared 2 postcards that she got from Houston Market; which she felt captured the Modern Aesthetic. Abbey Lane Quilts and SUCH Designs
I let you all know that Sharon Bailey, Coordinator for the Quilts of Valor Foundation, will be coming up from Arkansas to do a community outreach program. There is no cost for the workshop, which is December 10th from 1-4pm at the Missouri History Museum. It is open to the public, and she'd love for local quilters to show up to support their foundation's efforts to cover our wounder warriors with quilts. Sharon will be teaching whoever wants to learn, how to make a string block.

See you all next month. Let's keep the conversation going on our STLMQG Flickr boards.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Meeting #15 - November 12th, 2011

2011-11-08T11:48:00.000-08:00

Hello Modern Quilters,

It's supposed to be really nice Autumn weather on Saturday. Hopefully, you can steal away a few brief hours and come to our next meeting. We have some announcements and fun stuff planned.

Date: Saturday, November 12th
Time: 10:30am-1pm
Location:
Kirkwood Family YMCA
325 N. Taylor
St. Louis, MO 63122
Map

**Remember, if you cannot find or don't want to hassle with street parking, there is a big FREE parking lot, behind the Church lot; which is accessible from Jefferson, 1 block south of the YMCA.
==================================================================

Agenda:

- Welcome & Guild Business
- Special Announcements / Quilting News
- You Oughta Know "Notions/Gadgets"
- Fall/Winter Charitable Gather Announcement
- Sewing Summit Recap
- Rob Your Neighbor "Fabric Swap" Game
- December Meeting Information and Events
- Show & Tell
- Remaining Questions / Comments
- 2012 Dues
- Door Prizes
- Mix & Mingle

**Our Photography 101 Discussion will be postponed until January 2012.

**If you want to participate in the Fabric Swap Game, pls bring a 1/2 yd or 2 FQ of a modern-style fabric or solid in an unmarked brown paper lunchbag, and join in the fun as we "Rob Our Neighbors".

**We will begin collecting 2012 Dues, which are $30 a year. Please remember cash or your checkbook. Additionally, for those who are already due-paying members...please check your email for more information.

**Please feel free to bring a Show & Tell item and remember we are a MODERN quilt guild.

**Don't forget your STLMQG nametag

Flickr Feature Friday #6

2011-11-04T02:00:00.000-07:00

We hope that you've had fun the last few weeks, checking out several of the HABITAT Challenge quilts that were shown during October's meeting. Now that it's Friday, do you know what that means? Yay! It's Flickr Feature Friday once again.

Here's the code:

1. Finished Hootie Hexagon Quilt, 2. Black bird & hexie pillow, 3. 92.the quilt, she is done!!, 4. Doll Quilt swap 10 Finished, 5. quilted pillows, 6. DQS11 finished, 7. Freshcut Spiderweb Quilt, 8. Modern Meadow Colorbrick Quilt, 9. Joel Dewberry Aviary 2 Quilt

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This week's Flickr Feature Friday is brought to you by Carolyn Cleveland.

HABITAT Challenge Results --Part 2--

2011-10-24T20:11:00.000-07:00

If you are just joining us, please make sure that you check out our HABITAT Challenge Part 1, found here. Otherwise, if you are looking for Part 2...Welcome!!

This is our 2nd post regarding the HABITAT Challenge that our guild participated in, as sponsored by FreeSpirit Fabrics. Everyone that finished their quilt did such an amazing job.

Nancy P.

Wendy

"Nests" by Nancy S.

Marianne B.

(Front on Left, Back on Right)...lots of little pixels

Kristy Daum

Thanks to everyone who participated!

HABITAT Challenge Results --Part 1--

2011-10-18T19:34:00.000-07:00

I could not be prouder of our STLMQG and what we did with the HABITAT Challenge, sponsored by FreeSpirit Fabrics. Each participating member was given 6 different Fat Eighths of Jay McCarroll's HABITAT collection. Our guild's rules were pretty simple:

You can only use HABITAT fabric and any additional solids that you choose
You must make a quilt that is larger then 36 x 36 and bring it completed to the Oct. 8th meeting.

Our members certainly brought their A-game to this Challenge and we want to share with you the results of all their hard work. There is just too much goodness to go around so we'll be featuring our member's quilts in 2 parts. Here is Part 1.

Those members that participated in this Challenge and would like their quilt featured here, please make sure that you send me a photo, upload one to Flickr, or let me know if the photo that Mary Claire took during the meeting works for you. I'll be writing a Part 2 next week.

Thanks Again to FreeSpirit Fabrics for allowing us to have fun!

Flickr Feature Friday #5

2011-10-13T21:37:00.000-07:00

Today's Flickr Feature Friday is extra special because there is a little bit of news

at the bottom of the post that I encourage everyone to check out.

Here's the code:

1. Striped Quilt, 2. Big Birthday Improv Quilt, 3. For the Love of Solids -- Completed!, 4. wip, 5. CC Baby Quilt, 6. GIrl Blanket Reds and Browns Front jpg, 7. Stairway to Heaven Quilt Top, 8. colorblock plusses - a baby quilt, 9. Blue and White Split Log Cabin Quilt

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This week's Flickr Feature Friday is brought to you by Kristy Daum.

<----------------Extra, Extra...Read all About It--------------->

It you check Flickr regularly, then you probably already know about this...sorry,

not such a surprise. Yet for those of you who don't, I ask you to stand up and be counted.

The Modern Quilt Guild has sent out a survey and would like everyone's participation. It goes pretty fast and asks questions about you as a quilter, about your participation in your local MQG, and your thoughts on a possible future MQG Convention.

We (Modern Quilters) don't have opportunities like this often...so step right up and fill it out. Additionally, we are partnering with the Kansas City MQG and the Chicago MQG to shout "Loud and Proud" about how a midwest convention would be perfect. Great hotel rates, equal travel times from both coasts, etc.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YXFBTJZ

Thanks a Million!!!

Meeting Recap (October 8th, 2011)

2011-10-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

Wow!!! That's the best way to describe our meeting yesterday. One unbelievable moment after another after another, everyone pulled out the stops with the HABITAT Challenge and it made for a fantastic meeting. Thanks to everyone who attended and made it a great day!! A shout-out to Andi, President of the AtlMQG, who found time to join us while she was in town visiting family.

Here's some thing you may remember or could have missed:

Our "You Oughta Know" segment was a hit with Jackie sharing her AquaDoodle tips, while Grace brought her Heramarker and some interesting needles. Marianne discussed the benefits of using slotted rulers and templates.
We then started the HABITAT Challenge reveal and by the time it was all said and done, there were a total of 28 quilts shown. This was the epitome of a Challenge as many of our members stepped out of their comfort zone and it definately showed, as each of the quilts were unique and exquisite. Mary Claire was taking photos and has uploaded them to our Flickr page. We will be doing a separate showcase here on our blog, over the next week or so, so I encourage you to send us a photo of your finished quilt. Otherwise, we will be using the photo that Mary Claire uploaded. If for any reason you choose not to have your quilt shown, please let us know that as well.
Mary Claire and I were happy to announce that we have a full cabinet of Officers for 2012, as well as some additional support staff. All of which will help make the STLMQG a stronger and more vibrant guild not only within the St. Louis community; but within the MQG as a whole. No election was necessary due to the number of people that ran; which made things easy. Here is your STLMQG Leadership:

                                                President:   Kristy Daum
                                                Vice-President:   Mary Claire
                                                Secretary:   Lynne
                                                Treasurer:   Rene


                                                Social Media/PR:   Cara
                                                Charitable Committee Rep:   Mary Claire
                                                Members Challenge/Swap Committee:
                                                                Grace, Juli Ann, Jessica, Wendy,
                                                                Candy, Judy, Marsha, and Cindy
                                                Election Officiant (Aug-Oct):   Jamie Mueller

We had time for a brief Show & Tell; which allowed many of our members to see some quilts up close and in person that had previously only been shown on blogs or Flickr.
An announcement was then made highlighting some of the activities we have planned for the rest of the year. We hope that you'll join us as the more people we have participating the better. Here's what is on the agenda:

November Meeting:

Photography 101 & Best Locations to take photos: Need Volunteers to speak about their experiences with taking quilt and even block photos...lighting, camera, etc. Additionally, we need your favorite locations around town. They can be parks, an old building, a random gas station wall, etc. Send us the stats and sign-up if you want to be on our panel.
Sewing Summit review: Cara represented our guild at this event; which was the first of it's kind held in Salt Lake City this weekend. We know that Twitter was rocking with all sorts of updates and we are bound to see blog recaps too. We can't wait to hear Cara's personal experience and maybe if we ask really nicely, she'll show us some of the goodies she received for participating.
Rob Your Neighbor Swap: All those wanting to participate bring a 1/2 yd or 2 FQs of any Modern fabric in a brown-paper bag. We will then take turns stealing and swapping bags with one another. It's sure to be lots of fun.

December Meeting:

Ticket Auction: We are looking for donations of notions, fabrics, books, patterns, or even handmade goods. Everyone who donates receives X-amount of tickets which they can then use as chances to win other donations or prizes. Everyone can purchase additional tickets at 50cents a piece. So dig through your stash, consider picking up something on your next visit to your favorite shop, or if you are someone who enjoys making things...we would love something handmade.
Show & Tell + : We will be hosting an expanded edition of Show & Tell this month allowing everyone to bring in multipe items, talk a little more indepth about a special project they are working on, what they hope for the future of the STLMQG, etc.

Finally, please check out the following Quilt or Quilting-related events around town this month:

Quilt National at the Foundry Art Centre in St. Charles (Oct 2nd - Nov 4th) $5 admission. As stated during the meeting, St. Louis is lucky enough to have the exhibit in it's entirity, as it will be broken into smaller pieces as it begins it's journey to other cities.
Quintessential Quilt Exhibit at the University City Library (Oct 2nd - Oct 28th) Free admission. A juried quilt show sponsored by the Circle in the Square Guild.

==========================================================

If Mary Claire and I could shout from the rooftops we would...THANK YOU!!!

Not only for your generosity; but for your sincerity, willingness to try new things,

and most importantly your friendship.

We are glad that we have made the STLMQG a place where talent shines,

friends are made and laughter reigns supreme.

Meeting #14 - October 8th, 2011

2011-10-03T19:10:00.000-07:00

Hello Modern Quilters,

I hope that you are spending your spare minutes/evenings/days enjoying the cooler weather and maybe fitting in a little extra quilting time. I can't wait for this month's activities and to share with you what we have on tap for the rest of 2011 too. Looking forward to seeing you at this month's meeting.

Date: Saturday, October 8th
Time: 10:30am-1pm
Location:
Kirkwood Family YMCA
325 N. Taylor
St. Louis, MO 63122
Map

**Remember, if you cannot find or don't want to hassle with street parking, there is a big FREE parking lot, behind the Church lot; which is accessible from Jefferson, 1 block south of the YMCA.
==================================================================

Agenda:

   - Welcome & Guild Business
   - Special Announcements / Quilting News
   - You Oughta Know "Notions/Gadgets"
   - Free Spirit HABITAT Challenge Reveal
   - STLMQG Leadership & Committee Structure
   - Activities planned for Nov & Dec
   - Show & Tell (if time allows)
   - Remaining Questions / Comments
   - Door Prizes
   - Mix & Mingle

**Don't forget, if you are participating in the HABITAT Challenge, your quilt is due Saturday.

**Please feel free to bring 1 Show & Tell item; but know that if our meeting runs long, we may pull this feature this month. Additionally, remember we are a MODERN quilt guild.

Flickr Feature Friday #4

2011-09-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

We are just rolling along here with our 4th installment of Flickr Feature Friday.

We hope you are enjoying the inspiration; each carefully selected by a

different STLMQG member each week.

Here's the code:

1. square in there_Monster 2, 2. lightning 2.0, 3. wonky zigzag pillow, 4. Joel Dewberry Aviary 2 Quilt, 5. castle views quilt, 6. Jewel Box, 7. DSC00317, 8. innocent crush pillow, 9. Pretty {little} Pouch Swap Finished!, 10. crosswalk quilt, 11. Wonky Star Quilt - Pieced Together Bee, 12. Our new quilt and pillows!

--------------------------------------------------

This week's Flickr Feature Friday is brought to you by Rene S.

A New Look

2011-09-20T18:56:00.000-07:00

So it's finally official, the STLMQG has a brand new look, courtesy of Juli Ann.

She created our fabulous new logo; which our members selected as our

new identity. I don't know about you; but it's pretty sweet.

As you'll notice we've updated our guild's button too; which you can find on the right sidebar. I would like to ask all members that have blogs, if you wouldn't mind updating the STLMQG button on your blog, it would certainly be appreciated.

============================================

We are excited to announce that you can now buy STLMQG Logo merchandise.

Thanks to Mary Claire who spent hours setting up shop and getting things "just right".

Head on over to our CafePress shop and check out the selection.

http://www.cafepress.com/stlmqg

Happy Shopping !!!

spring/summer quilt gather 2011

2011-09-18T01:30:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the generosity of our wonderful members, we were able to create twelve modern, child size quilts during our 2011 Spring/Summer Quilt Gather!

{applause here}

Thank you to all who contributed; you made our first big charity project a success!

Six of the quilts have been donated to the St. Louis chapter of Project Linus.

Six have also been donated to The Quilted Garden's Love Quilt Project that is currently collecting for residents of Joplin, MO.

Our hearts sing when we think about what these quilts might mean to their new owners.

Once again, our deepest thanks to our volunteers!

Modern Quilt Guild Showcase

2011-09-15T23:55:00.000-07:00

Have you heard the wonderful news?

The International Quilt Festival is featuring a Modern Quilt Guild Showcase; premiering at Quilt Festival/Market (October 26-Nov 4th, 2012). Yes, that's 2012.

This showcase will bring together the talent of all the MQG's around the world, by allowing all members to participate in a Call for Entries.

If you don't already have a modern quilt in mind to submit, now's a great time to pull out all the stops and make something truly fantastic.

All those who are interested in participating will have tons of time, as entries are not due until March 2, 2012…with registration opening January 6th, 2012. Each member can submit a total of (5) quilts. All of the information you need can be found here http://callforentriesmodernquilts.com/

I encourage all of our members to consider participating in this juried event, let's show the rest of the world the wonderful talent that the STLMQG has in its midst.

----------------------------------------------------------------

For anyone that needs a brush-up on their Modern Aesthetic, would like more information on a technique, or just wants someone to root them on...Don't hesitate to ask a fellow guild member, or bring up your question at one of our meetings. We are a group that is full of unique talent and someone might just have the answer and support you are looking for.

We'll certainly be cheering on those that decide to participate.

Shout Out!

2011-09-13T04:50:00.000-07:00

We are so fortunate to have such a talented group of quilters! Just look at some of the recent accomplishments/offerings by some of our members…

Were you at the sew-in? Did you oooh and aaaah over Cara’s God’s Eye string quilt? Did you know she is offering the pattern and two others on her blog for free? Check it out!

Photo Courtesy of Me? A Mom?

Cindy has a great quick pillow tutorial on her blog. Perfect for all that fabric you’ve been hoarding. Cindy also participated in the Designer’s Challenge in the most recent issue of Fat Quarterly. Fat Quarterly is subscription based online magazine full of patterns and information!

Photo Courtesy of Hyacinth Quilt Designs

Jamie is teaching her machine pieced cathedral windows over at The Quilted Fox. If you’d like to learn how to make this lovely pillow, check out this link!

Photo Courtesy of Jamie Mueller

Did you see Kristy’s Puzzled quilt over on the Moda Bake Shop blog? Head on over to get the instructions on how to make this clever quilt and leave a comment to congratulate Kristy on her accomplishment!

Photo Courtesy of Kristy Daum

Mary Claire recently won a spot in Pam and Nicky Lintott’s Spring 2012 release Jelly Roll Challenge book. Hers is one of 12 quilts selected from 70 to be featured in the book. The top three winners will be announced at the Houston Quilt Market this October.

Several members have taken Marsha’s paper piecing classes and had great things to say. If you don’t like ripping the paper off after you paper piece then you need to check out Marsha’s class!

If we’ve missed any recent publications, awards, tutorials or classes by other members please leave comments on this post so we can learn more about them. For future publications, tutorials, awards, or classes please drop us a note so we can include it in a future Shout Out! blog post!

Meeting Recap (September 10th 2011)

2011-09-10T19:13:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone to came out to our meeting today. We hope you had fun and learned alot.

Here's some things you might remember or could have missed:

Mary Claire announced that our Cross Block Gathering created a total of 13 quilts which will be split up and donated to help comfort those in Joplin, MO with the other 1/2 being given to the local chapter of Project Linus. This was our first charitable event, and I am just floored at the outpouring of support everyone showed...I mean 13 quilts, that's AMAZING!!!
As part of the "You Oughta Know" monthly segment, Judy H. and Jamie Mueller shared with our guild some of their favorite or most used quilting accessories.
Who would have thought that a Scrap Swap could turn into a Sporting Activity; but that's exactly what happened once the 8 oz. bags of scraps were collected and Mary Claire broke out her pitching skills. Maybe next time we'll ask members to bring a Glove, just like one would do at a Cardinals game. We'll definately have to do this Scrap Swap again...it was a blast.
We'd like to give a big Thanks to Tonie Covelli, from Creative Fitness Solutions LLC, who shared with us her talents in Personal Training. Our members were guided through a series of stretching activities; which are imperative to add to one's Quilting routine, so you can ward off the typical aches and pains associated with long hours sitting at one's machine or standing at the cutting table/ironing boards. It was exciting to see our members participate in this activity.
Our final Sew-In Saturday for 2011 is only a few weeks away...September 24th from 9am-6pm. You must be a due-paying member to attend, the fee is 1 Modern FQ, and most importantly you must RSVP as space is limited. Sign-ups begin now and will end Sept 21st or until we fill-up; which after last month's turnout will likely happen relatively quickly. To sign-up all you have to do is find the Sew-In Saturday button along the right-hand side of our blog, click it and you'll be taken to a form where you answer a few questions. Easy!!
Another Thank You goes out to Alex (Wendy R. son), Lynne M., Mary Claire and Juli Ann D. for providing the wonderful STLMQG Logo options we voted on today. After the ballots were collected and counted, the winning logo was announced. Congratulations to Juli Ann D.

Over the next week, we'll be rolling out the new logo throughout our many sites (Blog, Flickr, Twitter, etc), providing you with ways to add the logo to your own blog, and finally giving you information on how you can show your love for the STLMQG by having a personalized Totebag, T-Shirt, Coffee Mug, etc. made.
Finally, the business part of our meeting ended with a lively discussion of our Leadership Structure and how you can be a part of the future of the STLMQG by running for office. Google Docs is being a pain tonight, so I can't upload the PDF file...I'll be emailing it to everyone instead. It is a breakdown of all of the Officers responsibilities, as well as accompanying positions and committee opportunities. If you would like to run, please contact Jamie Mueller (our Election Officiate) no later then October 1st, so she can make sure that you are on the ballot. Additionally, if you would like to nominate someone, please let Jamie know immediately so she has time to contact the nominee. If you have any questions or would like more information about a specific role, please contact Mary Claire or I as we can provide further insight. Elections are November 12th, and the candidates will be revealed the week prior. Please note that each candidate will have the opportunity to say a few words before voting actually occurs.
Our meeting ended with some wonderful expressions of Modern Quilting through the return of Show & Tell.

Here are some things that are going on around town:

Meeting #13 - September 10th, 2011

2011-09-06T05:03:00.000-07:00

Hello Modern Quilters,

It's that time of the month again (no, not what you are thinking; but I got you to giggle anyway)...it's time for our next meeting. We have some interesting things planned this month, hope to see you there.

Date: Saturday, September 10th
Time: 10:30am-1pm
Location:
Kirkwood Family YMCA
325 N. Taylor
St. Louis, MO 63122
Map

==========================================================

Agenda:
   - Welcome & Guild Business
   - Special Announcements / Quilting News
   - Stretching Session with Tonie Covelli   MPH, CPT and of course STLMQG member
         *We are excited that Tonie will be showing us some important stretching techniques which are essential for those who spend long hours at the sewing machine or cutting table. Participation is encouraged; but certainly not mandatory. Handouts will be available and of course if you'd like to learn more about Tonie, keep reading below.
   - Blog Renovation (Logo Contest Voting)
   - You Oughta Know "Notions/Gadgets"
   - Free Spirit HABITAT Challenge
         *We still have a few bags left if anyone wants to get in on the Challenge; due October 8th
   - September Scrap Swap
         *Remember to bring a Quart Size Ziploc bag with 8 oz. of modern fabric scraps if you wish to participate.
   - STLMQG Leadership & Committee Structure
   - Show & Tell
   - Remaining Questions / Comments
   - Door Prizes
   - Mix & Mingle

**Show & Tell returns this month...YAY!! To get us back in the groove, we are allowing each member to show 1 item. Please be respectful of each other's time and keep to the allotted quantity, additionally remember we are a MODERN quilt guild.

**If you would like to learn more about Tonie Covelli, who will be leading our Stretching Session, she can be found here.
      Tonie Covelli   MPH, CPT
      Creative Fitness Solutions, LLC
      9842B Manchester Rd.
      Rock Hill, MO 63119
      314-971-3597
      tcovelli (at) gmail (dot) com

================================================================

Here are the wonderful logos that were submitted, and of course don't forget our current logo too. Keep in mind that whichever logo we choose to go with will be adapted so it can be used both as a sidebar button as well as our Blog Header.

All of the due-paying members that attend Saturday's meeting will be given a ballot
to vote for their Top 3 Favorite Logos.

Thanks to Mary Claire, Wendy R. (and her son), Lynne M. and Juli Ann D for creating the above artwork.

Flickr Feature Friday #3

2011-09-02T00:05:00.000-07:00

Here we are once again with another installment of Flickr Feature Friday.

We hope you are enjoying our weekly bits of inspiration; which are carefully selected

by a different STLMQG member each week.

Here's the code:

1. Anniversary Crosses, 2. tin roof single quilt, 3. She gave me white toast with sugar, 4. Virtual Quilting Bee - January, 5. baby Ingrid in progress, 6. sea glass wall hanging, 7. pincushion, 8. Sharla's Quilt, 9. Castle views

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This week's Flickr Feature Friday is brought to you by Hannah T.

Sew-In Saturday

2011-08-30T00:05:00.000-07:00

So what did you do this past Saturday?

25 of our STLMQG members spent nearly an entire day sewing up a storm, chatting, laughing and snacking. I'd call that a productive Saturday.

Here's some highlights...

The Room...isn't is perfect?

The Entry "Fee" Fat Quarters

Some of the various snack stashes found around the room

What I didn't take a picture of was Cindy's super-yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies...

We are going to need the recipe for those, so Cindy if you read this, email me and I'll forward it to everyone.

Some of the Charity Quilts finished...aren't they wonderful.

Special thanks to Jamie, Cindy and Mary Claire for finishing these up.

Also, while not pictured...Juli Ann was working on some of these quilts too.

If I missed giving anyone a shout out, let us know.

Some of the our lovely STLMQG members, keep in mind this is only 1/2 the room.

We didn't want to share photos of specific projects that were being worked on because there were a handful of Habitat Challenge quilts being made and we wouldn't want to ruin the surprise. There were also some baby quilts, a wedding quilt or two, various other gift quilts, etc.

Our final Sew-In Saturday for 2011, will take place on September 24th; which actually isn't too far off. If you'd like to join in on the fun, make sure you check your email and this blog as sign-ups will open soon.

Thanks to everyone who attended!!!

Flickr Feature Friday #2

2011-08-26T00:05:00.000-07:00

Welcome Modern Quilters to the 2nd edition of our new feature called Flickr Feature Friday.

Each week a new STLMQG member will share with you some inspirational photos from Flickr;

which they've put together in a handy mosaic.

We hope that this "eye candy" will put a smile on your face.

Here's the code:

1. Paprika, 2. thoroughly modern country, 3. DQS11 Angel Quilt #2, 4. Birds of a Feather ~ Quilt, 5. J Rogers Quilt, 6. Babyquilt Summer Song, 7. Ruby's Crystal Rainbows, 8. Wedding quilt - finished!, 9. Ingrid Press Festival Of Quilts 2009, NEC Birmingham

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This week's Flickr Feature Friday is brought to you by Nancy Lee {...with thread in hand...}

Randomness #5

2011-08-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Here's some things going on that you might want to know about.

If you visited the STLMQG Flickr page this morning, Mary Claire mentioned the 100 Quilts for Kids campaign. There will be giveaway opportunities and best of all, it's all for a great cause. If you would like to learn more about this campaign, please click on the button below.

Have you heard about the Modern BOM (Block of the Month) going on over at Sew, Mama, Sew! Alissa from Handmade by Alissa, will be presenting a new block tutorial each month. It's a great way to learn some new techniques and create some interesting blocks. Head on over and check it out. There is also a Modern BOM Flickr Group if you'd like to share photos of your finished blocks.

The new DS Quilts Collection, titled "Sugar Creek" has started showing up at several Jo-Ann's locations around town. You can see a preview here.

You might remember us talking about The Sewing Summit; which is a Sewing and Blogging conference in Salt Lake City, taking place on October 7th-9th. To learn more about this event and it's organizers (Erin from Two More Seconds and Amy from Amy's Creative Side) click here. Recently in cooperation with The Sewing Summit (Megan from Canoe Ridge Creations and Jeni from In Color Order) have created a fun series called Travel Handmade. This series is about bags of all varieties and is filled with tutorials, pattern reviews and additional information to satisfy the sewist in all of us.

Our 2nd Sew-In Saturday is this weekend (August 27th) and it's sure to be a blast. We have 27 attendees expected; which I believe is more then double our 1st Sew-In back in May. If you missed the opportunity to sign up, or could not make it because of a prior engagement...we have good news. We will have 1 more Sew-In this year. Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 24th from 9am-6pm. Sign-Ups will open in a few weeks and again will be "First Come - First Reserved".

Flickr Feature Friday #1

2011-08-19T00:05:00.000-07:00

Welcome to a new feature here on our STLMQG blog, called Flickr Feature Friday.

Each Friday a STLMQG member will create a mosaic of things that they found that week on Flickr, or a collection of favorites they want to share with you. We hope that you enjoy the goodies and take a minute to checkout the photos in more detail by clicking on the below links. Who knows what you might discover.

Here's the code:

1. happy camping front, 2. PLPS - Round 2 complete!, 3. Pink Windows, 4. Loulouthi Crosses Drape, 5. a block for penny., 6. shooting stars!, 7. Hexagon Quilt Back, 8. seaglass quilt top, 9. DQS11 complete

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This week's Flickr Feature Friday is brought to you by Cara {Me? A Mom?}

Rip Up Wrap Up

2011-08-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

Can we just say the reveal of our Rip Rip Ripping Challenge at August's Meeting was fab-u-lous!

The St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild sure knows how to rock a challenge!

Bravo and thanks to everyone who participated!!

We're going to feature a handful of crowd favorites here on the blog, but if you are a member of our Flickr Group you can see all the project's here!

First up is this tessellating pinwheel quilt by Jan O. Aren't you loving her mix of fabrics and colors?

Well done!!

Elizabeth created this beautiful shadowed patchwork quilt! Everyone loved the back as much as the front; make you sure you go check it out in our Flickr Group!

Gina's birds were a big hit. Love those pinks and oranges!

Cara wowed us with her half square triangle quilt. The colors and fabrics really make this traditional design modern! Inspiring work Cara!

Our clever members pulled out all the stops with this challenge!

Look at some of the goodies that were made!!

Who made these items and pattern info (if available) is located with each picture on our Flickr Site!

Thanks for making our guild great!

Meeting Recap (August 13th 2011)

2011-08-14T13:15:00.000-07:00

New place, new faces, new ideas...I'd call that a good day. Today's meeting was the start of our 2nd year. We saw some amazing things during the Ripping Challenge reveal and had some laughs along the way.

Here's some things you might remember or missed:

Our Sew-In is Saturday, August 27th and sign-ups close on Monday, August 15th. We currently have 26 members attending and only 14 spots left...so if you are thinking of joining in on the fun, make sure you RSVP. The button to do so is along the right-hand side of the blog. You must be a due-paying member to attend and remember, the "fee" is only 1 modern-style Fat Quarter.
Let's not forget the 100 Days of Modern Quilting, that will be highlighting some of the great works that our fellow quilters have made. If you'd like to learn more about this online event, visit the Modern Quilt Guild's blog. It would be great if we got some STLMQG members to participate. The deadline to submit a quilt is August 30th.

We will be starting a new meeting event called "You Oughta Know..." which is an opportunity for 2 people to talk about a great notion, book, fabric line, etc. for a few minutes during each meeting. Our group includes all levels of expertise, so there isn't much that you couldn't share...someone is bound to have learned something. If you are interested in getting on the list, please email us.
Some more members signed up to participate in the HABITAT Challenge, and some others swapped out one of their fabrics for the back-ordered one that finally arrived.

We discussed some new renovations being made to the blog over the next few weeks. We are going to create a Member Directory allowing you to more easily connect with your fellow quilters; but also put a name/face/part of town to our growing membership. Also, we are going to highlight the great presentations and information from meetings past that will provide a sort of RoadMap to Flickr tutorials, Fabric Designers, etc.
Flickr Feature Fridays is the name of our new feature here on the STLMQG blog. There are so many wonderful photos posted on Flickr each and every minute that we want to capture a little bit of that and share it with you here. With the help of BigHugeLabs, you can get in on the fun too and post a mosaic of things that caught your eye. Look for more information in your email coming soon.
We all adore the logo that Mary Claire has created and we proudly stand behind it. Yet, we wonder if we need something more graphic vs. photographic...so we've decided to host another logo contest. All entries must include STLMQG and/or St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild; must be no larger then 4"x4" and of course resizeable and readable at all levels. Finally, make sure that it is something which represents Modern Quilting (of course); but is also something that we can proudly share with the whole world. All designs need to be emailed no later then September 3rd. We are working behind the scenes to figure out the best method for voting. **And of course continuing with our current logo is also an option too**

There was some discussion about the Golden Ticket Bus Tour happening Sept. 23-25th. Shannon (owner of Fabric Nosherie) has confirmed that the bus is over half full already and while there are still some seats available to purchase, she and Kathy (who is in charge of the Bus Tour) are very impressed with the turnout. I just wanted to make sure that everyone had the information directly from Shannon herself. If you would like to be a part of the "Rockin" Party Bus that is going to tour 5 states, click on the link above for more information.
Some of you might remember a few months back the Rip, Rip, Ripping Event where for some reason we struggled to rip a piece of fabric and pass it to our neighbor. Today was the big reveal of the items that were made with those random pieces of fabric. We saw quilts, pillows, some bags, fun table toppers and every other variety of goodie one could imagine. If you haven't already uploaded a photo to our Flickr photostream, don't forget to do so. Mary Claire has uploaded some photos that she took as well
Have you heard of a Quilting Bee? This once popular gathering of quilters is resurging once again, both online and in guilds across the country. If you'd like to learn more, I would highly suggest checking out Quilting Bee Blocks here and here; which by the way includes over 15,000 photos. I would also recommend the book Block Party (as pictured below) as it gives you further insight and ideas. We shared with you some quilt blocks that were made as part of the "Meet Me In St. Louis Bee". It is our hope that you'll be inspired to get together with some of your fellow STLMQG members and start your own bee. If you have any questions about how to do this, please don't hesitate to ask.

Mary Claire shared with you our next swap which will be due in September. It's a no headache, Scrap Swap. To participate, fill a Qt. size Ziploc bag with 8oz. of modern-style fabric scraps, ranging in size from 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches and up. Let's not forget what Mary Claire said "Scrap onto others, as you'd have scrapped onto you."
If you are interested in running for Office or being a Committee Chair, keep a lookout on this blog for a list of the opportunities available to you, as we'll be posting some brief descriptions soon. Elections are in November; but you must inform our Election Officiate (Jamie Mueller) no later then October 1st, so we can get your name on the ballot. And remember, nominations are good too.
Finally, if you are donating your time to put together any of the Quilts we are donating to Project Linus and for the residents of Joplin, MO...please make sure that you bring them to either the August Sew-In (if you are attending) or finished to the September meeting. We would like to wrap this up and get the quilts into the hands of their new owners. Thank you to everyone who had a hand in this.

Finally, Thanks to everyone who turned out today for our 1st meeting at the Kirkwood YMCA. I know that there were some temporarily-lost members, seating-flubs, etc...it's all "Growing Pains"; but in the end I hope that it was worthwhile. We had an enormous crowd of over 50 people; which is our largest to date. Don't forget to check out our blog as we'll be posting lots of interesting things in the coming weeks.

Meeting #12 - August 13th, 2011

2011-08-01T19:25:00.000-07:00

Hello Modern Quilters,

This meeting is new in a few ways. First, it's the official start of year #2 for the STLMQG. Second, it's the first time we are meeting at our new home, the Kirkwood YMCA. Finally, we have some changes coming (All Good, nobody freak out) that we are looking to implement to make the meetings, STLMQG Blog, Flickr even more interactive.

We have a Challenge Reveal, a swap you're going to love and new things to talk about. So, mark your calendars, take note of the new meeting time, print off your map (if you need one) for our new location and join us.
Looking forward to seeing everyone !!

Date: Saturday, August 13th
Time: 10:30am-1pm
Location:
Kirkwood Family YMCA
325 N. Taylor
St. Louis, MO 63122
Map

Parking: Kirkwood is filled with free parking and street parking...all of which are clearly marked. As some of our members mentioned, there is a huge church parking lot across the street from the YMCA, there is also a free parking lot on E Jefferson; which is right next to the church lot (you can walk through the church lot if you park on E Jefferson).

==========================================================
Agenda:
   - Welcome & Guild Business
   - Special Announcements/Quilting News
   - Rip, Rip, Ripping Challenge **Big Reveal**
   - Free Spirit HABITAT Challenge (Questions, Comments, etc)
            *I did receive the back-ordered print, so if you haven't cut into 1 of your Fat Eighths and want to switch one out for this new print, bring it with you. Also if you want to play, you can pick up your fabric.
   - Blog Renovation
   - All About Bees (not the Honey-kind)
   - Swap Secret...it's an easy one
   - Leadership & Committees
   - Next Meeting Date (September 10th)
   - Questions/Comments
   - Closing Remarks
   - Door Prizes
   - Mix & Mingle

**Please note that we will NOT be holding Show & Tell this month due to the very busy schedule and Challenge Reveal. Show & Tell will return in September.

**If you are participating in the Rip, Rip, Ripping Challenge...remember your item is due this month.

**Please make sure that you wear your Modern-Style Handmade nametag, as we will have some door prizes to give away.

**If you missed the email that was sent Sunday night, the Surprise Sew-In (August 27th) Sign Ups have started. Look along the right hand side for the Sew-In button, press it and you'll be taken to the registration form. Remember, STLMQG due-paying members only. We have a capacity of 40 people, so if you are thinking of coming, don't wait to register. If you want to know who is already signed-up, if you have questions, etc...check out the Flickr discussion thread, or send us an email.

Did you hear??

2011-07-26T11:10:00.000-07:00

So did you hear about the 100 Days of Modern Quilting that will be

taking place over at The Modern Quilt Guild.

It's a Call for Submissions, so make sure you head on over to The Modern Quilt Guild
to learn about how you can get involved.

Let's put St. Louis on the map and show those other MQG what we already know.

Randomness #4

2011-07-14T18:07:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to let you know about a few things that are going on, in case you want to participate, know about, etc.

Wendy shared with me this site: Generation Q Magazine. It's a modern/contemporary Quilting eZine. This all started because Quilting Home Magazine is no more after Aug/Sept issue, so let's all rally behind Generation Q Magazine and show them that Modern Quilters need to be counted and are excited that a Magazine is finally noticing us. Thanks Jan for the update.

We now have a Twitter Account....yay! Check us out @STLMQG and if you have a Twitter account, go follow us. We are a little slow with the tweets as we are still learning, so bear with us.

Are you looking for more HABITAT fabric? Go check out the Challenge tab along the top header of our blog, it will link you to some shops that carry some. For those due-paying members who weren't at July's meeting and want to play along, I'll be bringing the fabric in August.

The Modern Quilt Guild has announced Project Modern Challenge #4. This one could be the hardest of them all; but the most fun to make because it is called "Find Your Own Voice". Click here to check out the rules and what it's all about. FYI, Denyse Schmidt is the judge this round and September 30th is the due date.

If you missed the announcment in June, all of our meetings will now take place at the Kirkwood YMCA, there is a time change as well. We are now meeting at 10:30-1pm. I'll be sending out an email reminder and highlighting this when the August Agenda is created. Thanks to everyone for bearing with us during this transitional period. I met with the Facilities Director earlier in the week and we are good to go. The space is great...here's a sneak peek. Oh, and the parking situation...we got that covered. As some of our members mentioned, there is a church parking lot across the street, and behind/connected to it is a free parking lot too. There should be more then enough parking; but as always, if you can carpool...I would advise it :-)

Did you hear the news, Shannon from Fabric Nosherie, wants to know what you want her to carry in her modern fabric shop that is opening in Webster Groves later this fall. You can leave a list in her "suggestion box", found in the comment section of her blog post...or you can hop on over to Flickr and leave a list there, as she asked us to pull one together too as a group.

Did you get caught up in the Denyse Schmidt craziness when it premiered at Jo-Ann's Fabrics a few months back. Well, get ready...because she has another line coming out called Sugar Creek. See a sneakpeek here.

If you are like me, you always want to participate in Quilt Alongs; but you have enough on your plate right now. Regardless I wanted to share with you one that is starting soon, in case you want to save it for later.

- Summer Sampler Series

I think that's it for now, if you have something you'd like to share with the group, let me know.

Meeting Recap (July 9th, 2011)

2011-07-10T17:32:00.000-07:00

Another fun-filled meeting, literally...I mean cake, giveaways and everyone walked home with a little something from Moda. Who could have asked for a better way to celebrate our 1st Anniversary.

We started the day with 62 due-paying members and ended it with 70. Hi ! New Members

Here's how it all went:

Sign-ups for the Surprise Sew-In (August 27th) will open August 1st. To sign up, visit our blog and click on the Sew-In button that will appear. Due-paying members only and the entrance fee is 1 Modern-style Fat Quarter.
It's not too late to get in on the Golden Ticket Bus Tour (September 23rd-25th), starting at Fabric Nosherie in Webster Groves (opening in September) and travelling across several states.
Mary Claire shared with us some tops that were already put together using some of the blocks that were collected for the Cross Blocks Gathering. The guild did an amazing job, and we are now looking for donations of batting, and of course time. If you are interested, please contact Mary Claire. The Sew,Mama,Sew! $20 Gift Certificate was won by Candy G.
Fabric Folding & Storage Solutions Part 1, included Cindy Lammon and Gina S. showing some of the techniques that they learned from In Color Order and Turning*Turning. There was a discussion which followed where several additional storage ideas popped up. Part 2 of the program was a blog post which included contributions by Cindy Lammon, Gina S., Nancy L. and Candy G. If your scroll to the post before this or click here, you can check it out. Thanks Everyone!!!
The HABITAT Challenge has officially started. Fabric was shown and distributed, rules were given and the response was overwhelming. We currently have 33 participants; but it's not too late to get in on the fun. If you missed July's meeting, I'll have the fabric with me in August too. If you need a reminder of the rules or are interested in where you can buy more of the HABITAT fabric, check our the Challenge tab at the top of the page. Here's what the fabric looks like for those that missed it.

Cake Time!!! Thanks to Jessica and Linda for cutting and prepping, and the other ladies who helped distribute.
As mentioned in the Big Surprise post, we had some lovely prizes to give away.

Bindings, Borders & Squares donated a copy of the Block Party book, a Heather Bailey pattern and a Bananafana pattern
The Quilted Garden donated 2 Gift Certificates each worth $15, along with a basket of other goodies
The Quilted Fox donated a skein of Japanese embroidery floss and another variety of embroidery floss
Mary Claire had some "Favorite Things" to giveaway to several winners
I donated some Fat Quarter bundles
Moda/United Notions donated mini-charm packs of Flurry and Countdown to Christmas to all of the members in attendance yesterday.

While the 1st anniversary celebration was wonderful, it was certainly time to have a Reality Check, just to reinforce that all of this just doesn't magically happen. As Mary Claire put it, it "takes a village". I would be most honored to continue as your President for however long you'll have me, and Mary Claire would love to be involved for however long you'll have her too; yet don't let that deter you from running. We are just 2 people and when elections happened last year our group was still relatively small; yet as I mentioned earlier in this post, we are now 70 strong.

We agreed to change our By-Laws allowing for an Election Officiate to collect names of those wishing to run for office/committees/etc. Jamie Mueller is now that Election Officiate for this year. If you'd like to have your name on the ballot, please notify Jamie no later then October 1st. After which she will provide all names to Mary Claire and I, and a ballot will be created. Campaigning and Elections will happen at the November meeting (11-12-11) in case you are wondering. You must be present to campaign and vote in the election, as there are no absentee ballots. More info can be found here on the process, positions, etc. After reviewing the information if you have additional committees you think we need, or have questions as to the roles please contact me.
There was a discussion around guild involvement and how important it is to follow your fellow member's blogs, connect on Flickr, upload photos, comment on other's blogs/photos/etc. Here is some information regarding this topic

Finally, the future of the STLMQG was briefly discussed. It is my hope that we can continue to do more charitable block collections, that we can go on retreats and have tons more Sew-Ins, that we can host Speakers that appeal to the modern quilter, and one day have a quilt show that is truly our own. One of our members even challenged us to be the best Modern Quilt Guild outside of LA...and why the hell not. Yet, none of this is possible if we do not have a strong foundation and group dynamic.

Our next meeting will be August 13th, at our new location. The Kirkwood Family YMCA. Our meeting time has changed too, it's now 10:30am - 1:00pm. Address and directions can be found on the Meeting Info tab along the top of our header. Of course, I will send out an email and make special note of this when it gets closer as well, we don't want any members going to the wrong location, do we? The Rip, Rip, Ripping Challenge is due that month as well.

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Lastly, as our 1st year comes to a close, I wanted to take a quick trip down memory lane.

We started online 7/30/2010 and literally that same day, a few crazy people jumped onboard (Mary Claire, Jamie and Cara).

Our1st meeting was 9/11/2010 and as you can see in the photo below, while a few had left before Mary Claire took our 1st photo (See photos are always the last thing we think of)...our group was quite small. I think we only had 13 attend that first meeting.

Photo courtesy of Mary Claire

Here we are a month later, October 9th.

And here we are today:

Photo courtesy of Mary Claire

You cannot know how much you all mean to me, you have challenged me, pushed me to do things that I was previously uncomfortable doing, and allowed me to grow and learn new things...and I thank you all for that. I am continually inspired by all of your talent and hope that the longer we stick together, the more it will rub off :-) A special Thanks goes out to Mary Claire, for being my Quilty-WingWoman and for sharing your ideas and listening to my crazy ones. I certainly could not have done it without you.

Looking forward to many, many more years.

See you all in August!!

July Program: Fabric Folding & Storage Solutions

2011-07-09T13:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone, and welcome to what I like to call being a fly on the wall.

I’d like to thank Nancy, Cindy, Gina and Candy for allowing us a peek inside their sewing rooms and for sharing with all of us the solutions they have found for that pesky problem...Storage.

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First up is Nancy, whose room is so bright and cheery.

Her hubby rigged up an ironing board surface along the wall on the right.

They added some wire drawers underneath so as to not lose any precious space.

That sewing machine extension table is to die for and look…more table space, a whole 6 feet of it.

What you may or may not have noticed is the way in which Nancy organizes her thread, on the wall and out of her way. The same is done with her scissors. One Christmas her husband received a magnetic strip for the wall that is usually for screwdrivers; but Nancy now uses it for her scissors.

Did you see the batting? I didn’t either right away; but it’s in the last photo up top in that clear tub. She has a wire shelving system spanning the perimeter of the room and keeps stuff she doesn’t use on a regular basis up and out of the way.

It looks great Nancy, Thanks for sharing!!

==================================================================

Cindy is up next. She has a large ironing station too, are you seeing a trend here?

This is definitely something that you can make yourself if that standard ironing board you are using isn’t enough space. Cindy says that she just bought a regular wire shelving unit, then purchased a 20x60 piece of MDF board and covered it in batting and fabric. The shelving unit not only supports the MDF board (which isn’t attached by the way); but also offers a lot of storage, and as you can see she even uses S-Hooks for hanging other ironing necessities. Now let’s all look closely at Cindy’s fabric…see how it’s folded, you might have remembered her demonstrating this during the meeting today. The process was learned from Jeni's blog: In Color Order. She has some great videos on how to fold fabric of varying sizes as well as how to organize and build a fabric stash.

Thanks Cindy, for sharing a great Do-It-Yourself solution.

==================================================================

Gina has a lot of ideas to share with all of you readers, so sit back and enjoy.

This is Gina’s room; the wall unit and cutting station are from St. Louis Closet Company

Now let’s zoom in and check out these great little baskets which hold all of her in progress projects.

Here is how Gina organizes her fabric, by color and in a drawer that is easily accessible. She uses a method from Turning*Turning for folding her fabric; which she too shared with us during the meeting.

Lastly, here is how she wrangled those pesky; but useful scraps. She even organized them by color.

Gina has all of her scrapbooking, giftwrapping supplies, etc. organized too in the same room. So if you want to ~~steal~~ borrow some of her ideas, you should ask her about it.

Thanks Gina, it looks great.

==================================================================

Candy rounds out the bunch and it’s funny because she said that she was “embarrassed” as her fabric was organized not only by color; but also fabric type, etc. Well, Candy…you are in good company here with us.

Here is her wall of wire drawers, and yes everything is organized so nicely. These drawers are great, because

as she says, if she wants to look through all of it, she can pull the whole drawer out and

take it to her cutting table.

Candy, thanks for sharing.

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Before I close this post, I wanted to share a few quick photos of my studio and how I wrangle my fabric.

That center drafting table is where I do everything, sew, cut fabric, and when it’s time to iron,

I break out the "dorm-room sized" tabletop ironing board and press away.

This is where all of my fabric is stored, in an old filing cabinet.

Fat Qtrs are in that clear drawer system sitting to the right.

This is what is hiding inside the drawers…surprise!

While I’d love to be able to have my fabric on a shelf so I could see all of it at once, due to a drastically slopped ceiling that wasn’t in the cards, the filing cabinet was my solution. i too used Jeni's method to fold my fabric, although I get lazy about it sometimes and I end up having to refold it all anyway.

==================================================================

Again, a big Thanks to all of the participants.

Nancy

Cindy

Gina

and Candy

No matter if you have a dedicated sewing room, corner of the living room, share the basement, or even a garage; it’s finding the solution that is best for you. I hope this gave you a few ideas.

If any of this spurred further questions or you have a comment to share, ask away or hop on over to Flickr to continue the conversation.

Meeting #11 - July 9th, 2011

2011-07-05T21:26:00.000-07:00

Hello Modern Quilters,

I hope everyone's 4th of July Holiday was grand, that's actually why this agenda is coming to you a little later then normal; but I'm sure you won't mind, considering the special occasion it celebrates.

Looking forward to seeing everyone Saturday!!

Date: Saturday, July 9th
Time: 9:30am-Noon
Location:
Bindings, Borders & Squares Quilt Shop
325 Droste Road
St. Charles, MO 63301

**Please consider carpooling. When parking, please do not park in the 3-5 spots directly in front of the shop, those are for customers***

==================================================================
Agenda:

   -Welcome & Guild Business
   -Special Announcements / Quilting News
   -Cross Blocks Gathering (Blocks Due)
   -Program: Storage Solutions & Fabric Folding
   -Free Spirit Habitat Challenge (starts in July, ends in October)
   -STLMQG 1st Anniversary Celebration
   -STLMQG Reality Check
   -Next Meeting Date (August 13th)
   -Questions / Comments
   -Closing Remarks
   -Mix & Mingle

**Please note that we will NOT be holding Show & Tell this month due to the very busy schedule.

**Remember to bring your Cross Blocks, as they are ALL due this month. Don't forget every block gives you a chance at the $20 SewMamaSew! Gift Certificate drawing...and let's not forget the purpose for this block gathering: Quilts for Project Linus and Joplin, MO.

**How are we coming on the Rip, Rip, Ripping Challenge? Remember your item is due next month (August 13th).

**If you missed the Big Announcement, make sure you scroll down to the previous post.

**If you are participating in the Program this month (Fabric Folding & Storage Solutions), expect an email from me tomorrow (Wednesday) night confirming your participation.

Big Announcement -- Revealed

2011-07-01T00:02:00.000-07:00

About 20 days ago, I posted this image with nothing but the words Coming Soon....

Well, it is July 1st and you probably want to know what all the Hoopla is about, am I right?

It's actually a two-part surprise...

Part 1...for those of you who routinely log-on and check Flickr, you'll note that I mentioned our guild's 1st year anniversary is July 30th, 2011. It has been an amazing first year and we wanted to celebrate it with all of you, so we will be having a party, and not just any party...one with giveaways. Mary Claire and I have been in contact with several people and are pleased to announce that we have secured some donations from The Quilted Garden, The Quilted Fox, Moda/United Notions, as well as a special surprise from both Mary Claire and myself.

We look forward to seeing all of you Saturday, July 9th at Bindings, Borders and Squares Quilt Shop...make sure you have your party pants on...hehehe

Part 2...in honor of the outpouring of support that you all have already shown and will ultimately show during July's meeting when all of our Spring/Summer Charity Blocks have been collected (remember they are all due next meeting), I've been able to secure something that all of our due-paying members will want to know about. Ready...

Yep, that's right folks. I've scored us another Sew-In Saturday. Our first one back in May was a blast and while our next one on September 24th is still on schedule, I've now added a Surprise! Sew-In Saturday. So all due-paying members, mark those calendars.

Location: Brown Shoe Company - Clayton, MO

Times: 9am - 6pm

Date: Saturday, August 27th

Registration Required, Sign-ups begin in early August

That's it, there is the Big Announcement...or in this case Announcements (stressing the s). I hope it lived up to the anticipation.

RK Solids Only Challenge

2011-06-27T20:10:00.000-07:00

June's meeting was color overload in the best way possible, as the Robert Kaufman Solids-Only Challenge quilts were revealed. If you missed out on this meeting, there is no way to recreate the excitement; but I will share with you a sampling of the quilts that were revealed that day.

Jamie *Photo provided by Nancy

Jean *Photo provided by Cindy

Jessica (Won 1st place)

Juli Ann (Won 3rd place)

Marianne

Rene *Photo provided by Cindy

Rene

Tracy

Wanetha (Won 2nd Place)

Kristy

------------------------------------------------------------------------

We even tried to stand on chairs to capture the loveliness in 1 frame; but it too was impossible.

Photo provided by Cindy

Thanks to Robert Kaufman for providing the Kona Charm Packs and sponsoring this challenge.

Also thanks to Cindy and Nancy for uploading some photos for those members who are not on Flickr. If you want to see what the other MQG across the country are making, check out this Flickr group.

--------------------------------------------------
Update: We are featured on Robert Kaufman's blog The Swatch and Stitch, check it out here.

Coming Soon.........

2011-06-20T11:45:00.000-07:00

Meeting Recap (June 11th, 2011)

2011-06-11T19:16:00.000-07:00

Thank You ! Thank You ! Thank You ! to everyone who came to today's meeting. We had a packed house with 43 people in attendance...our biggest showing yet, YAY!

You could feel the excitement in the air as people began filing into the room, before I knew it there were beautiful charity blocks being hung up on the walls, people were buzzing about the Solids Only Challenge and a certain surprise that was teased for those who follow us on Flickr. We even had a special guest drop by {{Hi, Shannon}}.

So, let's get right to it. Here's the recap:

We have an amazing 62 "official" members as of today's meeting...how awesome is that, considering that our anniversary is next month. 1 year and 62 members, such a wonderful thing and I thank each and every one of you for following along on this journey with me.
Shannon Robinson, owner of Fabric Nosherie, the Modern Quilt Shop opening in late Aug/early Sept stopped by to talk about her shop as well as the Golden Ticket Bus Tour. It's a 5-state tour of what can only be considered the "Best of the Best" Quilt Shops. The event is Sept 23rd-25th and registration opens today. The cost is $239 ($199 if you pay in full by Aug. 24th) and includes Deluxe Hotel accommodations including all meals, cocktails, and of course a ticket on the First Class Executive Black Bus. You know you want to party like a Rock Star!! Here is the link to Shannon's blog which describes more about it. If you want to register, please contact Shannon so she can get you on the list. It's sure to fill up fast. If you missed any of Shannon's short presentation about Fabric Nosherie, here is a link to the information.
As I mentioned earlier, those charitable cross blocks have begun showing up in large numbers. Due to recent events, half of the quilts that are made will be donated to Project Linus (as originally planned) but now the other half will be given to a group collecting quilts for Joplin, Missouri. The due date is the July 9th meeting. Challenge your friends, to see who can make the most...or challenge yourself. Can you make 2, 5, 10?? You can learn more here. Don't forget, for every block you donate you are entered into the drawing for a $20 Gift certificate to Sew,Mama,Sew!
Solids Only Challenge as sponsored by Robert Kauffman. We had an amazing number of participants for our 1st challenge and I was completely blown away at the amount of creativity and talent seen today. I need everyone's help to upload/email me the photos you have taken of your quilt, as I'll be writing a special blog post in a few weeks, you won't want to miss it.
Our July meeting will include a program titled Fabric Folding & Storage Solutions. If you have a nifty trick or way of organizing your fabric, we'd love to have you participate in our program. Alternatively, if your sewing room is fantastic for reasons x, y and z and you want others to know about it, please drop me a line as we'll be writing a blog post about our member's "Storage Solutions".
I introduced a new sponsored challenge that due-paying members can participate in starting next month. FreeSpirit is offering up some of Jay McCarroll's HABITAT line. Fabric, rules and fun to start in July.
I have a challenge for you...how hard is it to get 30 Quilters to sit in a circle and pass fabric to their left. The answer might surprise you-hahaha. We started our Rip, Rip, Ripping Challenge today with a game that hit several roadblocks along the way; but in the end should make for some interesting creativity. I have updated our Challenge tab above to include the official rules. It all started today and is due in August.
Finally, I wanted to touch upon a topic that I've been researching and working on the last few months. I've been on the hunt for a new location for our meetings. The BBS Quilt Shop in St. Charles has been a wonderful location; but we have quickly outgrown it's walls and trying to reserve rooms at local libraries has been a challenge to say the least. The good news is that we have found a location and for those in attendance today, I hope the open forum gave you a chance to express your thoughts and feelings on this matter. Now that I have the group's "blessing" I can confirm the details and get things finalized. It is our hope to make this change in August; so keep checking your email and make sure that you visit our blog for the latest news. I'll be posting ALL details as soon as I can.

I hope you all had fun today, thanks for your enthusiasm.

Meeting #10 -- June 11th, 2011

2011-06-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

Hello Modern Quilters,

Ever since the Solids Only Challenge was revealed in January of this year, I've been loving all the sneak peeks and dying to see the finished quilts. Well, June is finally here and the quilts will all be revealed...aren't you excited?

If seeing 40-something unique quilts made by our members isn't enough, let me tell you...this month's meeting is jam-packed with awesome-ness. See you all there!

Date: Saturday, June 11th
Time: 9:30am-Noon
Location: St. Louis County Library -Oakbend Branch
842 South Holmes Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63122
Map

**Updated: Please note that there is ALOT of construction going on this weekend. I think the Poplar Street Bridge has lane restrictions, Hwy 270 @ I-44 has construction, etc. Please make sure that you plan your trip accordingly.**

==================================================================
Agenda:
-Welcome & Guild Business
-Special Announcements/Quilting News
-Solids Only Challenge **Big Reveal**
-Show & Tell
-Secret Surprise for due-paying members
-Rip, Rip, Ripping Challenge (starts in June, is due in August)
-Next Meeting Date (July 9th), Location (Bindings, Borders & Squares Quilt Shop)
-Questions/Comments
-Closing Remarks
-Door Prizes
-Mix & Mingle

**Remember if you want to participate in the Rip, Rip, Ripping Challenge you need to bring 1 yard of a modern fabric to this meeting. Rules here. Please note that they have changed slightly to allow for more creativity.

**For those of you who participated in the Solids Only Challenge, please don't forget to bring your quilt.

**Don't forget your handmade nametag, otherwise you won't be entered into our door prize drawing.

**While our Spring/Summer Charity Block Gather isn't due until July...if you need further information on how you can get involved, please scroll down to the previous post, or click here.

Spring/Summer Charity Quilt Block Gather

2011-05-24T18:51:00.000-07:00

If you missed the announcement on our Flickr page or didn't make the May meeting then you might want to know about our Spring/ Summer Charity Quilt Block Gather!

We thought it'd be wonderful to make some items for local charities as a guild and our first project will be to make two cross block quilts (or more depending on the block turnout) for the St. Louis branch of Project Linus.

Cross Block Quilt Example by Cut.Sew.Iron.Repeat.

Here are two tutorials to give you an idea on how to construct the blocks, just remember ours will need to be

12.5 x 12.5 inches.

Sew Mama Sew

BettyNinja

Since we're making two quilts we'll do two different color schemes:

one in aqua and greens and the other in pinks and oranges.

So what can you do? Make one (or more, we won't complain!) 12.5" improv cross block in either aqua/green or pink/orange.

Solids or patterned fabric; either is great!

You can do one big cross or a 12.5 square with multiple crosses, the choice is yours!

We'll collect blocks up to the July meeting so you still have time to dig through those scraps and make a block or two.

For every block you donate you will be entered into a drawing for a SewMamaSew 20 dollar gift card!

We can't wait to see what you make!!

Randomness #3

2011-05-18T19:59:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Just wanted to share some cool things that are going on that you might want to be a part of, take advantage of, know about, etc. Remember, if you find something that you think the group would like to know about, send me an email.

SewMamaSew!
Not only are they having a great big sale on alot of great fabric right now; but next week starts Giveaway Day. Giveaway Day is a week long event where you can enter to win some awesome giveaways of all varities, just by checking out the participating blogs, reading their posts and commenting.
On the flip side, if you write a blog and want to participate, it's super-simple. It's a great way to connect with tons of new readers and possibly get yourself a few new followers along the way. Plus, who doesn't like prizes. Everything you need to know, can be found here. If you want to sign up to host a giveaway, the deadline is this Friday...so hurry up.

QuiltHome.com
Rene forwarded an email to me that all Moda Fabrics are on sale by using coupon code QHAMF25 at checkout. The coupon expires on Monday, May 22nd at 11:59pm (Pacific)

Fabric Nosherie
As discussed during the last meeting, later this Fall a modern fabric shop will be opening in Old Webster Groves (Can we get a big round of Applause). You can read Shannon's blog: Fabric Nosherie to check out the progress. In similiar news, I've invited Shannon to attend one of our meetings to talk with our members...I'll let you know when she plans on attending.

Quilt Calculator
If you are anything like me, you don't have ready access to any sort of Quilting Calculator, or Yardage Calculator...so you might do it old school on graph paper, or use Adobe Illustrator, Excel or even PowerPoint. I've done a little Google searching and came across this gem. Now there might be better ones out there; but I've been looking for a while. This one is pretty cool and even shows a cutting diagram.

That's it for right now; but remember to check in here and on Flickr. You never know what you'll find.

Thanks!!

Meeting Recap (May 14th, 2011)

2011-05-14T20:38:00.000-07:00

I want to thank everyone who came out today for our meeting; while the misty rain and grey skies might have tempted you to stay home. We'd like to say a fond farewell to Ely S. who will be moving later this month to Utah. It's been great having you as part of our group, and we wish you all the best.

Here's a recap of our meeting:

Our 1st Sew-In Saturday (May 7th) was a big success, we had 16 members join us for sewing, way-too-much food {{YUM}} and conversation. Some members even took part in a Jelly Roll Race. If you'd like to learn more about how you can make your very own race-quilt, visit here or Google 1600 Jelly Roll Race for lots more info and even videos.
We talked a little about the Secret Mission that 5 members (Mary Claire, Juli Ann, Jamie, Lynne and I) took on, in cooperation with Laura Gunn. Photos of the quilts can be found on our Flickr Page.
If you are finding sewing/quilting items that you no longer want...consider bringing it to our meetings for the Freebie Table. It's always nice to know that a fellow quilter will put it to good use.
Mary Claire talked about our Spring/Summer Charity Quilt Block that we are collecting as our donation to Project Linus. She will be writing a blog post on this soon; but in the meantime there is some information on Flickr to get you started. The block request is for Cross Blocks in either a pink/orange combo or a teal/green combo. Remember the size we need is 12.5" x 12.5". For each block you donate you'll be entered into a drawing to win a $20 Gift Certificate to Sew,Mama,Sew!
We saw some great Show & Tell items, and the Photo Policy was discussed. If you have not already read/heard the policy, you can find it here. Please note that this policy is not created to discourage taking photos that you use personally for inspiration; but rather to protect the quilters, artists and designers.
Our Challenge for the 2nd half of the year was revealed today. It is called: Rip, Rip, Ripping Challenge. The fun starts in June and the finished item is due in August. If you don't finish, you won't be entered into the Grand Prize Drawing. Think of that as added incentive :-) You must be present at the June meeting in order to play, so mark your calendars and don't miss out. You can find the rules here. **Please note that the rules changed slightly to allow for lots more creativity.
Did you swap your Noodles today? Most of our members brought their fabric Noodles (5" cuts x width of fabric-selvedge to selvedge) and pulled names from a tub, swapping with their partner. It was our first time playing the game so there were a few bumps along the way; but we got some good ideas on how to keep it more lively and maybe even a little more mischievous the next time around.

Finally, I wanted to touch upon something that was brought up today in regards of emails being sent out whenever there are big events and opportunities that arise, since not everyone participates on Flickr or reads our Blog regularly. As an example, most recently, I have sent emails for events such as the Sew-In; yet I only posted the Secret Mission on Flickr and an FYI heads-up on the Blog (encouraging you to visit Flickr).

We would like to offer some additional support. First, I would like to say that part of the Modern Quilting DNA is that its participants remain connected in the online world. This is not to say that everything is done online; but to get the full experience, one must remain "plugged in". In order to help our members stay in touch and know what is happening at a moment's notice, we have added 2 new features to our Blog.

On the right hand side directly under where it list our Group's Leadership, you'll find two icons. I encourage you to review the brief descriptions below and select the one that best suits your needs.

This options allows you to subscribe to our post and/or comments by using your favorite Reader application (ex: Google Reader, myYahoo!, etc). Google Reader, for example, is a application that collects the blogs you subscribe to and gives you one centralized place to read all of the posts instead of having to seek out each link in your Favorites folder. If you are not familiar with Google Reader and it's cousins, you can always learn more by doing a Google search or by asking someone to walk you through the quick and painless process.

For those of you who don't visit our Blog regularly, I would suggest option 2. If you enter your email address and press the Submit button, a window will pop up asking you to review your subscription to that Blog's posts. If the answer is Yes (and we hope it's Yes...because you love us so), you'll receive an email asking you to click on a link which confirms your request. By signing up, you will receive an automated email whenever a new blog post is uploaded, helping you to stay connected and not miss out on big events.

I will certainly try and reach out to our membership on a larger scale when applicable; but I cannot guarantee that everything will be duplicated in email, on Flickr, and on our Blog.

Also, I'm including a link to Jamie Mueller's PowerPoint presentation that she gave in January, as it includes some helpful step-by-step information on how to navigate Flickr, create a blog, etc. Link Here

*********************************************************

Next month's meeting on June 11th is at the Oakbend Library. It's the BIG reveal of the Solids Only Challenge Quilts which we've been working on since January...so if you haven't started, what are you waiting for?? There will be some prizes too, so don't miss out on the fun. And if you want to join the 2nd STLMQG Challenge, remember you must be present to play.

Until then...Happy Sewing!!

Meeting #9 -- May 14th, 2011

2011-05-09T21:30:00.000-07:00

Hello Modern Quilters,

I'm so excited to see everyone this Saturday, as I was out of town celebrating my Brother's Wedding last month. Of course a big Thank You goes out to Mary Claire, who stepped in during my absence to run the meeting and host what I hear was an excellent presentation on Modern Fabric Designers with the help of several fellow members.

I'm also very excited to see the new members that joined in April, we love new faces.

Needless to say, we have much to cover at this meeting, I hope to see you there.

Date: Saturday, March 12th
Time: 9:30am-Noon
Location:
Bindings, Borders & Squares Quilt Shop
325 Droste Road
St. Charles, MO 63301

**Please consider carpooling. When parking, please do not park in the 3-5 spots directly in front of the shop, those are for customers***

==================================================================

Agenda:

   -Welcome & Guild Business
   -Special Announcements/Quilting News
   -Charity Quilt Block Gathering (sneak peek on Flickr)
   -Show & Tell
   -Next STLMQG Challenge (the fun starts in June; but I know you are dying to know what's next)
   -Noodle [Fabric] Swap
   -Next Meeting Date (June 11th), Location (Oakbend Library - Big Bend @ Hwy 44)
   -Remaining Questions & Comments
   -Closing Remarks
   -Door Prizes
   -Mix & Mingle

Don't Forget:

   -Your handmade nametag, otherwise you won't be eligible for door prizes

-Remember to bring FIVE 5 inch by the width of fabric strips (selvage to selvage) to participate in a fun   fabric swap! You can bring five of the same strips or five different ones; it's up to you. We'd love to see some fresh modern fabrics so bring the types of fabrics you'd love to receive!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also, if you visit our Flickr site regularly, I ask that you check out the Picture Policy that I posted there.

Painter's Canvas: A Mission Possible

2011-04-26T22:24:00.000-07:00

There has been alot of chatter and excitement behind the scenes at the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild, all of which has lead to a wonderful opportunity for those members who chose to accept a "Secret Mission".

I am here to reveal the big secret; but I want to start by saying that none of this would be possible if it wasn't for Elizabeth, one of our wonderful members who happened to run into Laura Gunn.

If the name rings a bell, it's probably because you have come across Laura's fabric collections (Lantern Bloom, Poppy, Magnolia Lane and Painter's Canvas). Lucky for us, Laura lives right here in St. Louis.

Michael Miller Fabrics will be showing her new lines Magnolia Lane and Painter's Canvas at the International Quilt Market in less then three weeks. Laura contacted our guild and proposed a crazy idea. Would any of the STLMQG members be interested in making a modern quilt using her Painter's Canvas line. The quilts will be photographed, shown at market and later returned to the owner. Of course the answer was YES!where do we sign up.

Five brave souls accepted the challenge to make a lap-size quilt in two weeks and are hard at work planning their design and selecting their color palette as we speak.

The "Secret Agents" as I like to call them are none other then...

Mary Claire
Jamie Mueller
Lynne M.
Juli Ann D.
and Me, Kristy Daum

Keep a lookout for in-progress photos popping up on Flickr and on our blogs.

In the meantime, rush on over to check out Laura Gunn's fabric collections and her blog. Let's show this local Gal and Fabric Designer extraordinaire some love!

Magnolia Lane

Painter's Canvas

Paint in My Hair...Laura's blog

Colette Pillow Photo - sent to us by Laura Gunn

Virginia Pillow Photo - sent to us by Laura Gunn

And if you have read this far, I encourage you to visit our Flickr page NOW, RIGHT NOW
to learn how you could meet Laura Gunn. Look for the Discussion Topic: Secret Mission Part 2

Flickr, Flickr, Who hasn't visited Flickr lately...

2011-04-22T15:36:00.000-07:00

STLMQG Members...

If you haven't visited our Flickr page in a while, I encourage you to get on over there.

St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild

Not only do I give information on how to sign up for our Sew-In Saturday (which is Saturday, May 7th); but there is a special discussion thread you won't want to miss out on. Hint Hint Nudge Nudge

-Your Politely-Nudging President

Kristy

Meeting Recap (April 9th, 2011)

2011-04-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful group of quilters we are! I hope everyone enjoyed April's meeting and is already looking forward to May!

Thanks to everyone for putting up with my not-so-formal style, flushed face, and jabber in Kristy's absence. =)

Gotta shout out a huge thanks to our Who's Who volunteers (Laura, JuliAnn, Tracy, Jamie, Cindy, Linda, Rene, and Cara)!

Here's a quick re-cap of our meeting:

Make sure to stop and take a look at Nancy's Member Spotlight. You can scroll down to the next post or click here. If you'd like to be a part of our ongoing Member Spotlight just let us know!

We had over 35 members attend May's meeting, including four new members! Welcome!! We are now up to 58 due paying members!

Remember to mark your calendar for our guild's 1st Sew-In Saturday (May 7th, 9am-6pm at Brown Shoe Company in Clayton, MO). This is an opportunity for due-paying members to get together, work on an unfinished project, start something new, and be inspired by what your fellow guild members are making.

Sign-ups will begin online, Saturday April 16th and will be open through Saturday April 30th. Reminders will be sent out to everyone so you don't forget about this fun opportunity!

The Modern Quilt Guild has announced their 3rd Challenge! Click here to check it out!!

Our awesome guild members made 28 star blocks for Moda's Just One Star effort! Way to go ladies; I am so thrilled with the turnout for this great cause! I'll be mailing our blocks off on Monday. If you didn't have a chance to make a block, there is still time; details can be found at the Just One Star link above!

I know I learned a lot during our Who's Who of Modern Fabric Designer's presentation. Our volunteers did a great job and we had lots of fabric eye candy to drool over! If you'd like to look at our presentation again or easily access all the link's, please click here to download!

A special thanks to Patty Young for generously sending along Hummingbird Quilt patterns for everyone and thanks to Cindy for contacting her!
Here are the questions and answers I asked Denyse Schmidt (that she kindly answered) but didn't include in the presentation document:

Why a resurgence in quilting and sewing these days?
I think these things are very cyclical, and after the overall slickness and high design of the 90's and early 2000's, it doesn't surprise me that we are in the midst of an interest in handcraft. I think it has to do generally with a reaction to the nature of our culture. Everything seems to change and evolve so quickly these days, and much of what we experience today happens remotely. Making something with your hands is a direct, slow experience that is counter to our drive-through, virtual, fast-paced environment. To be involved in the origins of objects we use every day, and bring a personal connection and authenticity to the things that surround us, is an antidote to the shortcomings of the world we live in today.
Some of my favorite fabric designers?
I love Anna Maria Horner's designs and color sense. She has lead the way for the rest of us designers in utilizing new substrates – it can take an enormous amount of energy to push the manufacturers to explore new products, and she's been tireless and consistently positive. Heather Ross is a great friend and I love her fabrics. They tell an entire story and I love her sense of humor. Fabrics from Kokka are consistently fabulous, and I love using many of the reproduction fabrics (such as Barbara Brackman's civil war prints).
What is inspiring me to create right now?
Besides deadlines? I went to see the Red & White quilt show that was on view at at the Park Avenue Amory in NYC recently. The exhibition, organized by the Folk Art Museum, featured 651 red and white quilts collected by Joanna Rose. Her husband organized the show for her as an 80th birthday celebration. I've always loved the graphic simplicity of two-color quilts, so this show was like candy.
Anything we need to be looking forward to from you?
I've just about completed work on a new book, due out next spring with STC Craft. It features twenty traditional quilt patterns. This might be surprising to my MQG fans, but my designs have always been rooted in traditional patchwork. In fact, part of what inspired me to start my business in 1996 was that the antique quilts I felt drawn to – quilts the seemed very modern to me though they were over a hundred years old – were not being made by contemporary quilters. Books and patterns featured traditional designs, but they didn't have the simplicity or austerity of the originals. I wanted to show that quilts – especially traditional designs – could feel very modern.
I'm also looking forward to getting back on track with our own DSQ patterns this year, releasing more patterns for McCall's, and continuing to design more fabric!

I think everyone loved the mug rugs we exchanged and I encourage everyone to take a picture of your new goodie and add it to our Flickr group!

Show and Tell was awesome, as usual! Here are some links to patterns or quilt-a-longs that were mentioned or shown today!

The Noodle Fabric Swap Game is coming to our May Meeting! Remember to bring FIVE 5 inch by the width of fabric strips (selvage to selvage) with you in May to participate in a fun swap! You can bring five of the same strips or five different ones; it's up to you! We'd love to see some fresh modern fabrics so bring the types of fabrics you'd love to receive!

Our next meeting is Saturday May 14th at Bindings, Borders, and Squares Quilt Shop! Hope to see you there!

Member Spotlight #5

2011-04-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

Name: Nancy Lee

Flickr Name: sewingnancyl

Blog: www.withthreadinhand.blogspot.com and www.tenacresandapond.blogspot.com

Area of Town: Troy, MO but rehabbing our retirement home in Williamsburg, MO

Misc: Married with two married daughters and one son still at home and 5 grandchildren

What brought you to the STLMQG?

---I saw a message on the Quilted Fox newsletter that there was to be an informational meeting…I called a friend and we decided to check it out.I am so happy we did..I am so inspired at every meeting..

Do you participate in other guilds or bees?

---I belong to one other guild, Pike-Lin Quilt Guild in Clarksville, Mo and a redwork embroidery group.

When did you start quilting?

---I taught myself to sew in 1972 when my husband and I used our first tax refund money to buy me a small cheap sewing machine, pins and a pair of scissors. I made a pair of “slacks” (that’s what you called pants back then) out of brushed denim.. Not knowing what I was doing I pinned the pattern on, cut them out and sewed them together following the pattern instructions. No one told me that brushed denim had a nap to it so when they were finished, one leg looked darker than the other. ( they did fit perfectly though!!) I haven’t made an item of clothing since. Years and years later I made a baby quilt for my sister’s second child. No one told me that gingham probably wasn’t a good choice of quilting fabric and all the seams just shredded as soon as it was quilted… I never could fix it.. Then my sister-in-law took me to Paducah 15 years ago during the Quilt Show I was overwhelmed, but fell in love with the large applique and Primitive style of Pat Sloan and Jan Patek .…and then a few years ago I stumbled across Oh’Fransson and I was hooked. After finding the modern movement I was surprised to find that I had slowly been integrating the modern fabrics into my stash without even realizing what I was doing....

Why do you quilt?

---That’s like asking why do I eat?

What was your most recent fabric purchase?

---I bought some RJR solids in light gray and dark gray for my next quilt…and I just won ½ a layer cake of Sherbet Pips with a pattern and I can’t wait to use them.

What is on your "I want to make this" List?

--- My list changes every time I browse through flickr…I would however like to finish the Civil War Love Letters quilt I am making my husband. It is 121 paper pieced 6 inch blocks and I am working on the sashing…

What is something you struggle with?

--- Finishing…I have so many UFO’s…Once I bargained with myself to not start a new project until I had finished a UFO…but it didn’t work.. I am such a pushover.. And I can't make anything that is stuffed ... they always come out looking weird..

What do you do when you aren't quilting?

--- I love to do hand embroidery and read. My husband thinks I like to drywall and paint..but he would be wrong..

ooo-----------------------------------------------------------------------ooo

Here are some photos that Nancy wanted to share with you

Meeting #8 -- April 9th, 2011

2011-04-04T20:47:00.000-07:00

Hello Modern Quilters,

The weather has finally turned and it looks like Spring is here to stay-YAY!
I am so excited for all of wonderful things that our group has planned for this Saturday's meeting and I know that it will be lots of fun with Mary Claire at the helm. So grab your nametag, hop in the car and head on over.

Date: Saturday, April 9th
Time: 9:30am-Noon
Location: St. Louis County Library -Oakbend Branch
842 South Holmes Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63122
Map

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Agenda:
-Welcome & Guild Business
-Special Announcements
-Moda "Just One Star" Blocks info here
-Mug Rug Swap Reveal
-Who's Who Program
-Show & Tell
-Next Meeting Date (May 14th), Location (Bindings, Borders & Squares Quilt Shop)
-Questions/Comments
-Closing Remarks
-Door Prizes
-Mix & Mingle

**Remember to bring your "Just One Star" blocks, something "Modern" for Show & Tell if you would like to participate, also don't forget your Mug Rug (and the person to whom it belongs to).

**Finally, don't forget your handmade nametag so you are eligible for Door Prizes.

Randomness #2

2011-03-29T20:18:00.000-07:00

Here's a few Quilt related things that are going on that I thought you'd want to check out.

1. Nancy L. sent me an email with this interesting Sew-In idea. Yet, just to clarify it turns out that Nancy P. sent it to Nancy L. first...then to me. Thanks Ladies!!!

What is 1,600 inches long when it starts and finishes 48” x 64”? The Jelly Roll 1,600 Quilt!

Click on the link above to be taken to the Heirloom Creations Blog where the article and

accompanying video can be found.

2. Nancy from Westminster Fibers (with brands such as FreeSpirit Fabrics and Rowan) sent me the following link to Tina Givens' newest fabric line Pernilla's Journey, as she thought our members would love to see what's new and upcoming. To learn more about Tina Givens and to check out her newest line, click here.

Also if you are interested in sewing clothes, there is an online sewing class being held which features Jennifer Paganelli (from Sis Boom). You can find out more info here.

3. Have you seen the photos from Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red & White Quilts, an exhibit held in New York right now. No matter if you are a Modern Quilter or Traditionalist, the shear size of the exhibit and the way in which they are displayed is worth appreciating. Brige S. shared the below links on our Flickr page.

Photo from NyLovesNYC blog

HERE and HERE are some articles; but I imagine Googling the exhibit name will give you many as well.

4. If you haven't visited our STLMQG Flickr page recently, people are uploading photos of their "Just One Star" blocks and a handful of Mug Rugs have appeared too. Discussions have surfaced around what to look for when buying a new sewing machine, sewing machine repair, etc.

5. Mary Claire shared information on the Spring Shop Hop that is happening this weekend (actually Thursday thru Sunday) at several quilt/fabric shops around town. There are prizes to be won and of course fabric to be bought. Remember if you pop into a shop that doesn't carry Modern Fabric, ask for it, start a conversation. Let's show these Shop Owners that there is a market in St. Louis.

6. If you haven't satisfied your Solid Fabric happiness yet, there is a Modern Solids Quilt Along that is just starting right now over at PatchworkSquared. You can pick up the kits at Fat Quarter Shop or any other Kona solids for 20% off by the way(use coupon code kona20)...or you can pull your own collection of solids and join in the fun.

7. A heads up that The Quilted Fox has uploaded their Kona Solids inventory to their website. Just search for "Kona Solid" in the search field. As Marsha said, if you are local...remember to head on over to the shop too. Maybe you have a Solids Only Challenge to work on and need a last minute solid :-)

8. Finally, we've all seen the horrific videos and photos of the devastation that continues to torment Japan and many of us have want to do something; but don't know what. The American Red Cross comes to mind first; but also know that there are several grassroots movements going on too. Check out Modern Relief and Quilter's Newsletter for more information.

If you have some other quilt-related news, let's hear it. Visit our STLMQG Flickr page and tell us about it.

Just One Star

2011-03-16T18:20:00.000-07:00

Have you heard about Moda fabrics Just One Star challenge?

Moda has a goal of donating 100 quilts to the Semper Fi Fund by June 14th, 2011 and they need your help!

All you have to do is make one star block!

Easy right?

Just follow this link to view details of the challenge and the star block pattern instructions.

Bring your finished block to the April STLMQG meeting and we'll mail it for you!

But wait; there's more!

Jamie Mueller has generously offered to host a give-a-way for those who participate!

We'll randomly choose one participant to receive a surprise quilt pattern from Sunflower Quilts!

Looking forward to seeing your blocks!

Meeting Recap (March 12th, 2011)

2011-03-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

Saturday's meeting returned to Bindings, Borders and Squares in St. Charles; where we quickly got down to business, and learned some new skills all while having fun...as always. Our numbers continue to grow, as we signed up 4 new members; bringing our total membership to 54.

A special THANK YOU to our 5 Mini-Demo Demonstrators (Grace, Jamie, Marianne, Sally and Marsha), who opened our eyes to many new and interesting things.

Below you will find some highlights and important info:

If you haven't already checked out Jamie Mueller's Member Spotlight, scroll down below this recap or click here. As always, if you'd like to participate just let us know.

Since we have had many new members join us over the past few months, it's important to remind everyone that if you haven't already done so, you should make a nametag for yourself. Not only does it allow you the chance to be entered into the door prize drawings (when you wear it); but it's a nice way to show your creativity in the "modern-style".

Please mark your calendar for our guild's 1st Sew-In Saturday (May 7th, 9am-6pm at Brown Shoe Company in Clayton, MO). This is an opportunity for due-paying members to get together, work on an unfinished project, start something new, and be inspired by what your fellow guild members are making. More information to come, so check back here over the next few weeks. Sign-ups will be required.

We are happy to report that we have created our first committee, led by our very own VP, Mary Claire. She is heading up the Charity Quilt Committee and said a few words on the subject. More information to come; but in the meantime, if you know of Non-Profit organizations and such which could use quilts, please get in touch with Mary Claire so she can start gathering information. If you are a member, you can find her info on your roster...otherwise send our guild an email and the info will be forwarded.

Do you drink coffee? Do you enjoy milk and cookies? Do we have a swap for you. All interested members selected a name "from the hat" and will be making a Mug Rug for their secret partner (due in April). There is a Mug Rug craze spreading all over Flickr (as seen here), online (here) and even in other quilt guilds across the nation. Remember it should be bigger then a coaster; but smaller then a placemat...and of course, dare I say it - considered modern :-)

We saw alot of great quilts during Show & Tell. Here's some of the Quilt-Alongs and Tutorials that were mentioned and/or used.

Cherry House Quilts Quilt-Along (The quilt that Tracy B. made)

Moda Bake Shop: Building Blocks Quilt pattern created by Cindy Lammon

Moda Bake Shop: Ruffle Quilt pattern created by Jamie Mueller

Shadowbox by Mountainpeek Creations (The quilt that Linda O. made)

It has come to our attention that the directions for the Solids Only Challenge differ between the paper rules and the online rules, as it relates to the size of the finished quilt. The paper says 120-160 and online says 120-180. So, in order to be fair to anyone who may have used the larger size...please note that the size that WILL be allowed is 120-180. Thanks!!!

Our next meeting is April 9th at Oakbend Library. Mary Claire will be presiding while I'm in KC for a wedding. She and some fellow members will be hosting a Who's Who of Designers and Manufacturers...you won't want to miss it.

Here's a few other Sites/Links/Organizations that were mentioned during the meeting:

QuiltsforKids.org

Just One Star

Member Spotlight #4

2011-03-12T12:00:00.000-08:00

Name: Jamie Mueller

Flickr Name: Jamie Mueller Blog: www.jamiemueller.blogspot.com and www.sunflower-quilts.com Area of Town: Farmington

Misc: I am married to my wonderful husband Jon of almost 4 years who fully supports my quilting addiction. We live with our three cats who love to lay on all of the quilts I make!

What brought you to the STLMQG?

---I love modern fabrics and the fresh outlook Modern quilters and designers have on quilting. I live in Farmington where there isn’t a huge selection of quilt shops that carry modern fabrics. I wanted to be a part of a FUN, inspirational group of crazy quilters like myself to hang out with and share ideas with! After our first meeting I was HOOKED and wanted to keep coming back for more. I get so inspired after our meetings and LOVE the people I’ve met through this guild. Kristy, our President, and Mary Claire, our Vice President, come up with awesome swaps, challenges and activities that keep this guild interesting!

Do you participate in other guilds or bees?

---I sew on Monday nights at my church and we work on quilts for World Relief.

When did you start quilting?

---I’ve quilted and sewn off and on for my entire life. My Grandma does the most amazing embroidery and my Mom is the most talented quilter I know and I am so blessed to have them in my life! My family owns SunFlower Quilts in Houston, Texas so you can say quilting is in my blood! J

Why do you quilt?

---This is a tough question and it took me a while to be able to put it into words besides just to say that I love it! Quilting is a family tradition for me and I don’t want that tradition to end! I want to share the art of quilting with everyone that I come across! The process of turning a silly little idea in my head into a beautiful quilt is so much fun and amazes me to this day! Quilting is what I enjoy doing and God keeps leading my heart and hands towards it!

What was your most recent fabric purchase?

---Amy Butler Soul Blossoms yardage.

What is on your "I want to make this" List?

--- Geez my to-do list goes on and on and really doesn’t end…I’ll share a couple things

-Spiderweb Quilt

-I want to reinvent the Dresden Plate (not sure how yet, but I want it to happen)

What is something you struggle with?

--- Time!! Not only do I have my blog and Flickr to keep up with, but the shop’s blog/Flickr/Facebook/Twitter as well!! Writing patterns is so time consuming and the hardest part of quilting for me! I love quilting and it’s just so hard to find the time to do all the sewing I want!
What do you do when you aren't quilting?

--- Besides all of the Internet stuff that I have/like to do, I love watching sports and being outside. I have a large family and love seeing them! There always seems to be something going on, whether a birthday or a sporting event. I love watching my little sister Erica play basketball and run track. I love playing with my nephews and watching them grow up! My family keeps inspiring me with new ideas of things to make and having a big family is a great excuse to make more stuff J
Anything else you want to say?

I love hexagons!

I love cats!

Baseball is my favorite sport!

I’m from Texas!

I could eat steak and a baked potato everyday!!

I’ve designed 4 projects so far for Moda Bake Shop and the last one was just on March 9^th called Sugar Baby! We currently have a giveaway going on through March 16^th on my blog (www.jamiemueller.blogspot.com) and the shop’s blog (www.sunflower-quilts.blogspot.com) for a FQ bundle!! Go and check it out!!

Also, through March 16^th on www.sunflower-quilts.com we’re having 10% OFF your entire order so be sure to check that out!!

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Here are some photos that Jamie wanted to share with you