January Meeting Wrap Up

First let's just say, it was great to see everyone again!  What a nice way to start the New Year.  Thank you to Jenn and her employer, Trane, for allowing us to borrow their wonderful conference room.  It was a great space and we enjoyed having our meeting there!  Thank you so much.  

Now, speaking of great space, we have a new meeting space for the foreseeable future.  We will be meeting at Saint Gabriel's Church at the corner of Providence and Sharon Rd.  The address is: 3016 Providence Rd. Charlotte, NC 28211.  We will be meeting in Room D on TUESDAY, February 24th from 6-8 pm.  Please note the change in the day of the week....we will now be meeting on the last TUESDAY of each month instead of Thursday.  We worked very hard at trying to find a place that would accommodate us on our usual evening, but we were unable to do so  without a substantial fee.  As our guild is fairly young, a free space is really what we need.  Thank you to Dee for securing a place for us a St. Gabe's.  We will be working on some projects for them in the future, making some items for the church to auction off at a future event.  

One last bit of business before we can jump into the fun stuff.  We are now officially members of the Modern Quilt Guild.  Some of you, those who are members in good standing, have received an email from the Modern Quilt Guild inviting you to join.  At the meeting we played a video tutorial from the MQG that walked you through the process of setting up your profile on their site.  If you weren't there and are not sure where to start, please watch the video at the following link:   MQG Database Signup

Now onto Swaps!  Fun times!

Next month is an easy one, I think we all can participate in this one.  

• We will be having a book swap in February.  Just bring one of your quilt books and you can swap it with one that someone else has brought.  If you bring two, swap for two and so on! I actually have some duplicates in my collection, so I will definitely be bringing some books to swap! 
• In March we will be making a needle book. Check back in February for some links to make a needle book for the March swap.
• In April we will have a fabric swap.   

Next, The BOM for February will be these cute little sailboats below!  Aren't they the cutest? Thank you Jenn and Vicki for putting them together for us to see.  Here is a link for you to check out how to piece these sweet blocks.  http://www.quiltmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Final-Nautical.pdf

If you are wondering what happens to the Blocks you make for the BOM, this little quilt below will serve as an example.  This quilt was put together from blocks donated for a BOM.  The top was finished and quilted by Jenn and Vicki at the Quilted Thimble Cottage (thank you) and was donated to charity.  A charity was drawn from those nominated by members using the charity nomination form that you can pick up at any guild meeting,  This quilt will be donated to A Child's Place.  This is an organization in Meck County that serves homeless children in our area.  Please check out their website for more information about this amazing organization and how you can help them achieve their goals.  Thank you to all of you who pieced blocks and gave your time to make this donation possible.

Vicki and Jenn presented a program about baby items that we can easily make for gifts.  The first project was presented by Vicki and was how to make self-binding baby blankets.  (There is a picture of the amazing pile of blankets she has completed in the collage below)  These little blankets make great gifts and don't take the time and effort a full blown baby quilt takes.  Here are some links you can go to find some examples and instructions:  Missouri Star Quilt Co. Video,  Mamaging Blog Tutorial   and Sew Much Ado Blog Tutorial  Vicki also made a great diaper clutch.  I will make sure to bring copies of her great and detailed handouts to the next meeting so you can grab one, or you can email me and I will send you a PDF copy of the handouts.  

Jenn showed us how to make burp cloths.  She has made many in her day and says that the chenille used in this tutorial is the most absorbent of all the varieties she has tried.  So, here's the link:  Dana Made It, Burp Cloths

Since we were on the topic of great baby gifts, Bianca pointed us toward a great tutorial for a hooded baby towel.    She has made this several times as a quick, go-to baby shower gift and it looks easy and adorable!

Now to Sew and Tell!  As usual, there were some beautiful projects shared with the group!

There are a few last things to take note of.

First, y'all are just going to need Margaret's email.  She has so much going on, and if you are wanting to participate, you are going to need to get in touch with her.

• On the first Friday of each month, starting at 10 am there will be an open sew time at Quilt Patch Fabric in Stallings.  If you are interested in attending, please get in touch with Margaret.  The cost is $2/person, but is waived if you spend $15 in the store while you are there. 
• Threads of Love is an organization that collects little bitty blankies for babies in the NICU. They are typically made of  2 fat quarters, cotton or flannel and can be given to Margaret at a guild meeting and she will get them to the lady in charge of the donations.  There are specific instructions to NOT wash any of the fabric.  If you are interested in donating, please talk to Margaret. 
• Also, Margaret is going to be teaching two classes at a Quilted Thimble Cottage in the near future.  One is the Mondo bag that is pictured in the left hand corner in the collage above.  The other is the citrus colored quilt in the collage above that (bottom row, middle).  If you are interested in either class....guess what?  Please get in touch with Margaret!  

Here is her email:  puttchen10@yahoo.com

Whew.....that was a lot of information for one post.  If you have any questions, please email us and let us know!  We will be happy to help.  

See you next month at St. Gabe's.  On TUESDAY, February 24th!