Monday, November 10, 2014

October Meeting Wrap Up!


Hi Everyone!  I'm sorry I'm so late getting a post out about our last meeting.  My computer was shot but is now fixed and back where it belongs!  So here we go......

First, thank you to all of those who came to visit with us in October!  It is always nice to see new faces.  We hope you enjoyed your visit and will come hang out with us again!  Also, welcome to our new members!  We had three new members join us last month.  We are so glad to have you all!

Check out some of the great finishes that were shared with the guild during our Sew and Share time! 






Here is our next BOM.  Since we don't have a "real" guild meeting in December, you can either bring it with you then, or you can finish it and bring it to the meeting in January.  So, don't make yourself crazy trying to get it done with all the holiday stuff going on.  Here is a link for a free tutorial on how to make this block:    Modern Maple Leaf Tutorial




Now some more fun stuff!  Our next meeting will be our Christmas Party on December 11th.  The get together will be held from 6-8pm on the 7th floor of the Dowd YMCA.  We will have an ornament swap and share in some good  food and fellowship!   For every ornament you bring you will be able to swap for one to take home!  Also, I created a Sign-up genius for the party.  


Please head over there and sign up for something to bring!   Christmas Party Sign Up



Don't forget that Carol Doake has offered $20 off her new Craftsy class "paper pieced stars"  here is the link to receive that discount.  Discount for Class



One last thing....one of our guild members, Beth, wanted to let us all know about the Quilt Auction being held by Sari Bari this Spring.  It is time to get started if you would like to particpate:  Here are some links for you to follow:    Sari Bari  (this is their main site)    Quilt Auction Info  (this is a link to some information about the auction)   and here is an email if you would like to get involved:  quiltauction@saribari.com   Below you will find a letter from the Quilt Auction Coordinator.  It gives you all the details.  

In May 2015, we will hold the 4th annual Sari Bari Quilt Auction.  We are excited for the opportunity, through quilting, to connect both the materials and the stories of Sari Bari with your own stories and passions as quilt artisans.  Thank you for your partnership!


This year Sari Bari will produce 10 large quilts and we hope to have 10-20 more quilts from gifted quilters like you.  The auction will potentially engage churches, schools, and our friends around the globe attracting thousands of participants to help us raise funds for a building purchase.

Please read the following carefully for all the information you need to be a part of this year’s auction:

1. Materials for the quilts:
o   Sari Bari will provide saris in a color scheme of your preference, with enough fabric to complete your quilt as well as plenty for future personal projects.
o   Available colors are reds, greens, blues, browns, yellows, oranges.
o   All saris sent will be recycled. 
When working with recycled saris, be aware that they are quite thin, soft, and stretchy.  They will be washed before they are sent to you, but you may want to wash them again before you work with them.
o   We consider your participation a donation of your time and quilting supplies as partnership with the women finding freedom with Sari Bari. Sari Bari will provide saris and cover shipping expenses.
2. Auction timeline: 
November:  Send out Sari Materials to Quilters
March 31: Quilts completed and mailed to distribution point
April 1-30:  quilt auction promotions, quilt shows, photo shoot of quilts
May 1-10, 2015: Sari Bari Quilt Auction online
3. The next step for you:
Please confirm your participation by cutting and pasting the following into a reply email. Please reply by November 15 for late November delivery of your saris:
Name:
Address:
Phone number
Email
Color preference: Choose two or at most three colors from the list below. We will do our best to accommodate your color preferences based on color availability. 
o   Reds, greens, blues, browns, yellows, oranges.
Quilt size:  Twin, Queen, King, Baby
4.  We will need the following information from you at a later date. We will advise you on when this information is due:
Personal or group bio:  250 words or less
Quilting materials:  batting type, thread type and material, other materials used, backing material,
Exact measurements of the quilt:
Quilt design and a description of the quilt:
Quilt name preference:

From all of us at Sari Bari, thank you so much for sharing your quilt skills for freedom.
Your 2015 Quilt Auction Coordinator,
 Natalie Cook


I hope that covers everything!  If you have any questions, please ask!  We hope to see you in December! 

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Meeting this Thursday!

Meeting this Thursday

Don't Forget the Guild Meeting this Thursday, October 30th!

We meet at the Dowd YMCA
from 6-8
on the 7th floor
400 E Morehead St Charlotte, NC 28202
Hope to see you there! 

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Belated September Meeting Re-Cap


First let's check out some of the great finishes that were shared with the group! 

















Block in a Bag finishes!  Well done ladies!   Those sure are some beautiful blocks!





Now to business!  First, both ballot issues passed unanimously.  Xandi wants to make sure to thank everyone for sending ballots or coming to vote so that we could meet quorum to decide on these issues.  She also wants to ask that everyone have a little patience with us as we go through the steps needed to become MQG members. As the information is made available, they will present the benefits and tools that are available to the guild.  

At the September meeting Kelleigh presented our new charity quilt program/system.  We would like to make quilts as a guild to donate to charitable organizations that want them. We know that many CLT MQG members have groups that are dear to their hearts and we want everyone to have a chance to share them with the group and have the group donate a quilt we all made. There is now a form for people to nominate a group, which I'm working at getting attaching so you can just print one out. As soon as I get it linked up you will see it here: Charity Quilt Nomination Form Until then, we passed them out at the guild meeting and will always have them at meetings as well. You can nominate as many groups as you want at any time. We will draw one form from the pile and that will be the charity we are working on next - this way we can make sure that the BOMs we are all making can be appropriate for any color/pattern/age/sex requirements. When there are enough donated and coordinating blocks for a quilt Jenn will let us know and somehow it will magically turn into a quilt. 

The BOM link to the tutorial for the October block is below.  This block is called Granny Squares (the easy way!) Jenn and Vicki had a great time making these and they hope we all have just as much fun!  It sure is a pretty block.  



Margaret will be teaching us how to make a quilted ornament at the October guild meeting, in case we want to whip one up for the ornament swap at our holiday get together!  AND, don't forget our swap this month is the Key Fob Swap, there are many, many links below to get you started on your key fob! 


Key Fob Swap Links



Lastly,  Don't forget about the Sew In!

OCTOBER 18th

Carmel Presbyterian Church - Ligon Hall
2048 Carmel Rd.
10am -  10pm 
(Come any time and stay for whatever works for your schedule)

Ligon Hall is the building behind the church and beside the playground. You can park right at the building and easily bring your things into the hall. 

There is a small kitchenette with a refrigerator.  A lunch order from Brixx will be picked up around 11:15 if you would be interested in ordering lunch let us know so we can include you in the order.  

Also, please remember to bring all of your basic sewing supplies and a power strip may come in handy as well! 

We hope to see you there!  







Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Meeting this Thursday!

Meeting, Thursday September 25th
7th Floor of the DOWD YMCA
6-8pm

Please come join us!
We will have a presentation on Making String Quilts Modern
Scissor Case Swap
Turn in BOM and new block for next month
Sew and Share Time
AND

TIME TO VOTE!

Please remember that we are voting tomorrow night to approve/disapprove joining 
the National Modern Quilt Guild 
and also to to pass the By-laws. 

IF you will not be there tomorrow night, please send in your votes by midnight tonight using cltmqg@gmail.com  

Monday, September 15, 2014

Please Don't Forget to Vote!

I  wanted to remind everyone that we are voting at the September meeting on whether or not to approve the new By-laws and also on whether or not we should join the national Modern Quilt Guild.

We know that many of you may not be there to vote in person so we want to make sure that you are aware that you can vote by email.

We would really like you to take just a moment to send in your vote if you are not going to be at the meeting.  You have until midnight on the 24th to send in your vote to be counted.

Please respond with your answer to both of the following questions: 


1.  The Charlotte Modern Quilt Guild should become a member of the national Modern Quilt Guild:

Please respond:     I agree      OR       I disagree


2.  The Charlotte Modern Quilt Guild 2014 proposed By-laws should be approved: 

Please respond:      I agree   OR         I disagree


You can send in your vote to cltmqg@gmail.com  Make sure you send your vote in by midnight on the 24th!


Thank you and as always, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

Saturday, September 6, 2014

August Meeting Wrap Up


It was great to see everyone last month!  Here is a quick glimpse at a few of the great projects that were shared with the group!   Don't forget to check on Instagram, #cltmqg for a look at some of the other projects as well! 




Xandi put together a wonderful presentation on the different ways to take the traditional Churn Dash block and Make it Modern!  You can find her presentation at the link below:

Churn Dash Presentation




Below you will find a link to the September Block of the Month.  It is called the Antique Tile Block and Jenn put together two examples.  One from the same fabric and also a scrappier version.

Antique Tile Block link:   http://www.freshlemonsquilts.com/?p=1740

 


Jenn said this block was very easy and quick to make, and scrap friendly.  Don't forget that she will be bringing  white background for the guild to purchase and distribute at $5.00 a yard.



Scissor Case Swap for September Meeting:  Here are some links:


In October the swap will be a key fob or a lanyard.  Remember that Margaret has some webbing for the keyfobs in lots of pretty colors that she will bring with her to the September meeting.  So, if you are having a hard time finding some or just want to pick it up from her, bring a couple of dollars and buy some from her! 

In December we will have an ornament swap, and a little program at the October meeting to teach us how to make a round quilted ornament.  

Also, please take note!  Our swap captain wants to remind you, if you have taken part in the Block in a Bag Swap, bring it with you to the September meeting!  They are need to be handed in, No Exceptions!  



September Program

In September our program will be:  String Block:  Make it Modern!  Elizabeth suggested that we gather up a bunch of our stringy scraps and bring them along in a sandwich sized zip lock bag.  Strings about 1- 2 inches thick and as long as you have, you can always cut them down. 




Important Dates To Remember

September 25th:  Guild Meeting
October 18th:  Sew in 
October 30th:  Guild Meeting


One last thing!  Don't forget that we will be voting on whether or not we will be joining the MQG at the September meeting.  If you can't be there but would like to vote, you can email your vote by September 24th at midnight, as per the CMQG Bylaws. 


I think that covers everything!  If you have any questions please send and email to us and we will get right back to you!  



Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Meeting this Thursday!

Just a quick reminder: 

We are meeting this Thursday, August 28th!


Don't miss out!


We will be on the 7th floor of the DOWD YMCA
from 6-8 pm

We would love for you to join us.  We hope to see you there! 

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Social Media Survey

Hi Everyone! I am wanting to get ready for our little Social Media portion of the meeting coming up on the 28th so I put together a little survey. When you get a moment will you please fill out the brief survey below? Thanks so much!



Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Monday, August 4, 2014

July Meeting Wrap Up

It was great to see everyone last Thursday night!  We had another great meeting, covering a lot of information and sharing our latest finishes!  We also had a few new visitors and some who returned for their second meeting.  We are so glad you decided to join us!  It's always wonderful to meet new people who love quilting as much as we do.

Check out some of the finished projects from our guild members:



Wait, there's more!




We also spent  some time discussing our membership in the Modern Quilt Guild.  The vote on whether or not we should join will be taken at the September meeting.  We went over the pros, cons, and unknowns of joining and came up with the following:





Please continue to think about joining the Modern Quilt Guild and if you have any more pros, cons, or unknowns to add to the list.  We will have the lists up at the August meeting and you are welcome to add any of your thoughts to them.

Also, Elizabeth presented the amendments to the Bylaws.  The link below will take you to the proposed Bylaws.  We will vote on the amendments as well at the September meeting.

Charlotte Modern Quilt Guild Proposed Bylaws



A few more things to remember: 

Dates for upcoming meetings: 

August, 28th
September, 25th
October, 30th


Possible Sew-In Date:

Saturday, August 23rd
or
Saturday, August 30th
10am-10pm
This date is up in the air and as soon as it is solidified, I will post the information.  Check back soon!


A separate post with the BOM instructions and links for the Apron Swap is up!  If you just scroll down, you will find all the information you need to participate.












August BOM and Links for the Apron Swap


Jenn and Vickie made three different samples (actually they went a little crazy having too much fun and made 5 blocks, but only three different ways).
Here are the instructions they followed when making their blocks.  For the block, they used: 


(1) 7" x 7" white as the center block
(2) 3.5" x 7" 
(2) 3.5" x 13

(The red strips in the attachment are what their 3.5" strips are for).
Cut the bock in half (at the 6.5" mark) and again to come up with the four pieces, sew with white blocks in the corners.  

The examples shown below are:

1 block using all the same border
1 block using only two colors (the same colors on the 7" strips and the same on the 13" strips)
1 block using all four different colors

The link below will take you to a tutorial for this block: 









Also, Cindi presented our next swap for us!  If you would like to participate in the swap here are some links that will help you get started. Bring your finished apron to the August meeting and swap it out for another lovely one made by a guild member!  




Monday, July 28, 2014

Meeting this Thursday!

Don't forget there is a guild meeting this Thursday, July 31st
The meeting is from 6-8 and is on the 7th floor of the Dowd YMCA

We hope you can make it to the meeting, we have a lot going on!


The program for the evening will be presented by one of our own guild members, Margaret McCullough, who will be teaching us a ruffled binding technique.

We will also have the Open Wide Zippered Pouch swap and will be turning in our completed blocks for this months BOM.

There will be a new swap announced for next month as well as a new BOM, so come and find out what fun stuff we are going to be putting together!

Also, and this is the important stuff, we will be getting some business done at this meeting and you don't want to miss it!   We will take some time to present and discuss the pros and cons of joining The Modern Quilt Guild.  In addition, we will also be presenting and discussing some amendments to the guild Bylaws.

Of course, as always, please bring what you have recently finished working on to share with the group during the Show and Tell time! We all love to see what everyone has been up to!

I haven't even mentioned the Sew-In date, the Charity Box and the new program for next month!  Check back here to find out more after the meeting....or better yet, come and join us on Thursday night!  We would love to see you there.


Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Looking Ahead and What About that BOM?

Hi Everyone!

Just a quick update on what you can look forward to at the July meeting!

One of our lovely guild members, Margaret McCullough, will be doing a program on how to complete that wonderful ruffled binding she showed us back in May.  See that sweet binding at the bottom of the apron that Margaret shared with us?  We are going to learn how to just whip one of those right up!



I also wanted to give you all a little more direction on the BOM, as there have been some questions.

First, since these blocks are all going to be made into a sampler type quilt for charity, they do not all have to be the same color.  For example, this month Jenn and Vickie shared the BOM with us in a blue color scheme.  However, we may or may not get enough blocks to make an entire quilt with just July's blocks and will need to include previous Block's of the Month into this quilt in order to complete it.  For example, we only received two completed blocks for June, and those blocks will need to be combined into another quilt. June's colors were yellow or purple and this month blue....so please feel free to make a block in any of those colors OR any color that will compliment the over all scheme at this point, possibly red or green.

Second, the link I shared with you;  Bitty Scrap Around Block, was for a completed 6.5 inch block.  If you refer back to the picture in the previous post, you will see that Jenn and Vicki combined four of these blocks to make one completed 12.5 inch block.  So, make four 6.5 blocks and sew them together to complete the BOM for July!


Our next meeting will be:   Thursday, July 31st


Don't forget to keep working on your Open Wide Pouch for the swap!  I've seen some pictures on InstaGram of some of the pouches heading to guild and you are not going to want to miss out!  

If you have any questions concerning swaps, BOM, programs, or anything guild related, please don't hesitate to ask!  Email us at cltmqg@gmail.com



Saturday, June 28, 2014

June Meeting Wrap-Up

It was great to see everyone at the June Meeting!

If you were one of our visitors this month, we just want to say thank you again for joining us and hope you had a wonderful time.  We are so glad you decided to come and check us out.

We covered a lot of ground at the June meeting, including sharing some of these great swap projects that were started a few months ago.  The projects below were part of the WIP swap.  It was amazing to see what was created from other guild member's left over odds and ends!


There were also some great finished projects shared during our "Sew and Share" time:


We also did a good bit of housekeeping at the meeting, and I want to take a minute to run down some of the details for those who weren't able to attend.


  • If you are interested in volunteering for the AQS show that is coming to Charlotte at the end of July, they are still in need of volunteers.  You can volunteer through the Charlotte Quilter's Guild.  If you are interested, you can get in touch with Kelleigh and she will give you the phone number of the person you will need to get in touch with. 

  • We discussed the possibility of joining the Modern Quilt Guild.  Instead of voting at the meeting, it was decided to get more information regarding the benefits of being a MQG member, specifically the type, number and availability of the webinars as well as other issues brought up at the meeting.  Please be on the lookout, either here on the blog or in your email, for more information regarding these issues sometime in July, as we will be voting at the July meeting.  

  • We also introduced the new Charity Box, which goes hand in hand with our BOM program.  We will each be putting the name of our favorite charity in the box, and as we receive enough blocks to complete a quilt top, we will draw a charity from the box and the quilt made from the BOM blocks will go to that charity. This will give us the opportunity to give completed quilts to charities that are near and dear to our guild members and will also give us the chance to get to know one another better as we discover why that charity is so special!  


Our BOM this month is  the Bitty Scrap Around Block  that Jenn and Vicki shared with us at the meeting. Just click on the link and you will find the tutorial for the block.   Here are two pictures of the block so you can see a  super scrappy version (2nd below) , or one that is a little more symmetrical with the opposite sides having matching fabric (directly below).  You can make either version, it is totally up to you which you prefer!






We will be making the open wide pouch for our next swap project.  You can find the link to the pouch right here: Open Wide Pouch Tutorial.   Isn't that convenient?  Bring your finished pouch to the meeting in July and you will have the opportunity to swap yours for one of the lovely pouches the other guild member's have completed!  Elizabeth B. completed one and shared it with us this month, isn't it adorable?!


Also, thank you to Elizabeth and Jenn for their presentations on Making it Modern: Flying Geese and Paper Piecing.  I will get links up to those power point presentations very soon, so you can have access to all the great information they presented us with.  Thank you to Vicki and Jenn for providing us all with a free kit to take home and try for ourselves!   Thanks ladies, you were awesome! 

That just about covers it! Thanks again to all the visitors for coming and spending the evening with us, we would love to see you next month.  





Wednesday, June 25, 2014

See you THIS Thursday night!

Hi Everyone! 

Don't Forget, our Guild meeting is this Thursday night, June 26th !  We can't wait to see you there.  

We will be meeting, as usual, on the 7th floor of the Dowd YMCA, starting at 6pm.

At the meeting we will be having a workshop/presentation on the "Modern Aesthetic".  Elizabeth B. will be talking to the group about what makes something "modern" and Jenn will be sharing a modern sewing project with us, complete with a kit to take home and try on our own!  

We are looking forward to seeing you all there.  

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Hi Everyone!  Just a quick reminder about the block for the BOM that is due in June:


The BOM for June is called Herringbone by Bijou Lovely.  Here is the link for the tutorial:
http://www.bijoulovelydesigns.com/2011/03/herringbone-block-tutorial.html


Jenn did her block in all purple, but wanted to remind you that you can choose any color for the block (such as a block of all blues, or a block of all yellows, etc)


There will be a demo at the June meeting of the paper pieced block pictured below.  There will also be a free kit for everyone to take home to practice with!  



We can't wait to see you on Thursday, June 26th for the meeting.  We meet from 6-8pm at the Dowd YMCA on the 7th floor in conference room #4.  See you there! 



Friday, May 30, 2014

May Meeting Wrap-Up

We had a great time at our May meeting; spending some time sharing a meal, playing some games (with fabulous prizes) and sharing our projects with each other!

Here are just a few of the amazing projects some of our guild members have completed or are working on:











At the June meeting we will be having a workshop/presentation on the "Modern Aesthetic".  Elizabeth B. will be talking to the group about what makes something "modern" and Jenn will be sharing a modern sewing project with us. 

Xandi wants to remind you all that our WIP swap will wrap up in June.  If you took a WIP home in April, and have made something from it, please bring it to our June meeting for a little show and tell.  I cannot wait to see what everyone came up with!  For those who missed the kick-off, WIP's are "Works in Progress", those bits of things you have lying around that you don't think you will ever get to finishing.  Those who wanted to get their old WIP's off their hands brought them to the April meeting to pass on and have re-purposed.  The projects didn't have to start out as quilts and don't need to end as quilts.  If you took a WIP in April you still have time to turn it into whatever you want; a tote bag, journal cover, pin cushion, mug rug, mini quilt, place mat or anything else you can think of.  Just bring it with you to share at our June meeting!

As always, if you have something to share with the group, please bring it for Sew and Share!  

Can't wait to see you all in June! 

June Meeting
Thursday, June 26
6:00-8:00pm
DOWD YMCA, 7th Floor


Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Meeting this Thursday 5/22

Don't forget that our May meeting is one week early this month.  We hope you can join us for our "end-of-the-year" party this Thursday 5/22 at 6:00.

Bring an appetizer/sweet/any food item to share and come have some fun.  We will be welcoming the new board and committee members that will start at the June meeting.

MAY MEETING
THURSDAY, MAY 22
6:00 - 8:00
DOWD YMCA - 7TH FLOOR



Let's have fun with some games and prizes!
Bring a food item to share with the group.
Bring sew-n-tells.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Sew-In This Saturday

Ready for a fun DAY of sewing!!!  Come join us at the Super Sew-In this Saturday.


Saturday, May 10
Carmel Presbyterian Church - Ligon Hall
2048 Carmel Rd.
8 am - 8 pm 
(Come any time and stay for whatever works for your schedule)



Ligon Hall is the building behind the church and beside the playground.  You can park right at the building and easily bring your things into the hall.

There is a small kitchenette with a refrigerator.  Feel free to bring your lunch or any snacks you may want to share.


Sunday, May 4, 2014

CORRECTION for May date

I had the wrong date for our May meeting. The correct date is May 22.

May Meeting
Thursday, May 22
Dowd YMCA
6-8

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Upcoming dates & events

Thank you to Amanda and Elizabeth B. for the binding program at our April meeting!  I really liked seeing the different techniques and having several options for binding projects.  Elizabeth mentioned several good blog posts regarding binding and forwarded those to me:






UPCOMING DATES:

Saturday, May 10:     Super Sew-In
Carmel Presbyterian Church - Ligon Hall
8 am - 8 pm (Come any time and stay for whatever works for your schedule)




Carmel Presbyterian Church - 2048 Carmel Rd.
Ligon Hall (Building behind the church and beside playground)





Thursday, May 22 End of the Year Party

NOTE CORRECTED DATE! Meeting is May 22

Dowd Y - 7th Floor Conference Room
6 - 8 pm

May is the end of our membership year.  (In June we will be welcoming our new board!)
Let's have fun with some games and prizes!
Bring a food item to share with the group.
Bring sew-n-tells.

Hope to see you there,
Karen E.