Quiltcon - Group Quilt Entry Instructions!

For those who weren't able to join us at the August meeting, we discussed the upcoming Quiltcon convention in Austin.  Quiltcon is the first convention for the Modern Quilt Guild, our umbrella organization!

Quiltcon is hosting a BIG quilt show, and they have a call for entries!  Group quilts are one of the categories, and it would be fun to submit a South Florida Mod quilt for consideration!  We are not guaranteed to get into the show, but it is a great opportunity for fun and member collaboration.

Accordingly, here are the instructions for making a quilt block:

--FABRIC:  We have chosen the above beautiful citrus-y Kaffe Fassett print for our "focus fabric."  It is Florida-ish while still staying modern.  Use the "focus fabric" as part of your block, and add your own coordinating fabrics as well!  Think Floridian and modern!

StitchCraft has a bunch of fat quarters available.  Just ask them (it is about $3.00 per fat quarter).

--SIZE:  Make a block either in a 4.5" square, 8.5" square, 12.5" square or 16.5" square unfinished block size.  We will piece them together like a jigsaw puzzle after we receive the blocks.

--PATTERN:  Make at least one "Modern" block of your choice.  Extra blocks are great.  Wonky, non-wonky, etc. are fine.  Think about "what modern quilting means to you" as an inspiration!

--ENTRY:  Please finish your blocks no later than the October meeting (preferably by the September meeting). We need to enter photos of the quilt by November 30th, so time is ticking!

Please feel free to contact me with questions!  Happy sewing!

August's "Things to Bring"

For August's meeting, here are the "Things to Bring:"


1.  Chicken Block!  Members are each bringing in one paper-pieced chicken blocks (in colors and fabrics of their choice) for August.  We will be making the completed blocks into small quilts to donate to Project Linus.

You can print the free pattern HERE.  For the beak and eye, feel free to applique or draw in those areas.

Sample block.

2.  A "Favorite Thing" that you use for quilting or sewing, for show-and-tell!  This can be a favorite piece of fabric, favorite notion, favorite pattern, etc.  Share your best find with your fellow quilters!

3.  An apron for show-and-tell.  This will be an ongoing Apron Challenge for the summer!

As always, please also bring the standard items found HERE to each meeting.  See you soon!

From the Mailbag

Here are a few items we received from this month's email inbox:

1.  How to Label Quilts:  this post has seven great ways to label your beautiful quilts!  Quilt labels are not the most exciting part of a quilt, but they are an important way to keep track of your quilts and preserve their history for years to come!

Sample quilt label (photo linked from the post below).

Check out the post HERE.

2.  Quilting Tutorial Pinterest Board:  Pinterest (a great, free website) has a ton of interesting quilt tutorials!  Charlotte suggested one in particular for some great options that will keep you busy for a long time!

Check out the Pinterest board HERE.

3.  OUR Pinterest Board:  Don't forget, we have our own Pinterest board!  Use it to view our projects and inspirations.  If you want to contribute (feel free to add as many pins as you like!), please start following the board and then EMAIL ME to tell me that you want to contribute.  If you don't email me, I won't necessarily know that you want to contribute to the board! 

You can see our Pinterest board HERE.

July Meeting Roundup!

We had a great turnout at July's meeting and welcomed some new members into the guild!  Here is a quick recap of the meeting:

1.  The new members introduced themselves and talked about how they got into quilting.
2.  We discussed the zipper swap and using zippers on sewing projects.  Everyone made great items!

Some of the zippered items.

Great quilting on the zippered pouch!

3.  We had two mini-tutorials:  one on how to make self-binding blankets, and the other on how to paper piece quilt blocks!

Here is a video tutorial on self-binding blankets:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqwdNqMZ8Ro
Here is a video tutorial on paper piecing:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uaW26igygE

Explaining the self-binding quilt

Sample of the paper pieced block used in the demonstration.

4.  Quilt News and Events:
--The Boca Raton Museum of Art will be hosting a show called "Politics Not as Usual:  Quilts with Something to Say," starting in September!
--The Gold Coast Guild is hosting a contemporary quilt show at the Highland Beach library from August 1st to October 26th!
--Quiltcon (the Modern Quilt Guild's first convention) will be hosting a quilt show in February.  We discussed making a Florida-themed group quilt for entry.
--StitchCraft is hosting its summer sewing challenge!  Stop into the store for a free piece of fabric, turn it into something wonderful (quilts, bags, etc.), and win prizes!

5.  We discussed the Round Robin quilt (didn't get a photo) and the Bee Blocks for June and July.  Love the granny squares!

6.  We discussed the new Pinterest board for the South Florida Modern Quilt Guild, which you can find here:  http://pinterest.com/patchworkduck/south-florida-modern-quilt-guild-projects-and-insp/

7.  We discussed the "Things to Bring for August":
a)  A completed paper pieced chicken block, which we will turn into quilts for Project Linus!  You can find the pattern for printing here:  http://www.yvonnes.dk/chickenpattern.htm
b)  A "favorite thing" for quilting (notion, fabric, pattern, etc.), to discuss at the meeting!
c)  An apron for show-and-tell!

8.  We had our zipper swap and a beautiful show and tell!

We look forward to seeing everyone at the August meeting, on Saturday, August 18th from 10am to 12pm!

And SAVE THE DATE for an exciting guided tour of the Boca Raton Museum of Art's quilt exhibit!  We will have an abbreviated meeting on Saturday, September 22nd (11am to 12pm), with the tour directly afterwards at 12:15pm!  More information to follow.