January 16 2016 Meeting

Happy New Year everyone!

A new year means new meetings!  Get ready for our January meeting on Saturday the 16th at 10am.  We're having an open sew, so feel free to bring anything you'd like to have a few hours to work on.  However, we'd like to encourage everyone who hasn't already made one to make a quilted name tag.  Here is a blog post with a tutorial by member Jayne Willis on how to make a Polaroid Block, which is popular for these "teeny tiny quilts."  As our guild grows and grows, it'll help everyone remember every member's name.  It's tricky if you only see each other maybe once a month!  We're also hosting a "yard sale" so if you have any sewy items that you feel like it's time to part ways with, feel free to bring them along.

A new year also means...membership dues!  If you haven't already, please click here to head over to the membership tab and scroll down to the bottom until you see the "Buy Now" button.  There you'll be directed to PayPal where you can pay your dues, OR if you'd like you can bring a check to this month's meeting.

What to Bring

• Sewing machine, notions, etc & project
• Show and Tell - Anything you've finished and want to share!
• Extension cord/ Power strip (Just in case, you may be able to share with someone else)
• Extra sewy items for the yard sale!
• A happy attitude :)

We hope to see you!

November Meeting Recap

Our November meeting this month was HUGE!  So huge, we overflowed our normal meeting space!

We got together this month and sewed NICU Smocks for Vanderbilt, and we actually had so many come in through Lindsay Conner's Craftsy Blog drive that we had over 1,000 come in, and we over flowed into Centennial and St Thomas Midtown's facilities.  Our group finished a total of 96 smocks on Saturday.  The guild was also mentioned in the Tennessean over the holiday!

96 sweet smocks sewn! (Picture courtesy of Jayne Willis)

We also had some drawings to keep us on our toes!  

Elizabeth won a gift card to Craft South!

Marcia won a fun Fall fabric bundle and some matching Fall floss donated by Jayne Willis

Ann won a sweet holiday jellyroll donated by Stitcher's Playhouse

Christine won a Mixology Linens bundle donated by Cotton Bliss

We have these sews each year, and  often more than once a year.  If you'd like to help us with this great cause please send us an email, find us on Facebook or reach out to us somehow!  Even if you aren't a sewer, there's plenty to do to help out with these events.  Big thanks to everyone who came out to help us sew this month!

October Meeting Recap

This past month we had a fun open sew meeting!  Everyone brought out some projects we were all working away on and just needed some sewing time to catch up.  We also had elections for our guild's office positions, as well as calendar planning for 2016!  It looks like it's shaping up to be another fun year!

We all loaded up and spread out for a fun day of sewing!

Jayne set up a station to put together our NICU smocks to get a jump start on our November sewing event for Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.

Our member Vickey brought her sister Sandra along and she brought this adorable baseball themed patchwork quilt!

She had Vickey quilt it with cute bats, mitts, and other baseball themed quilting.  She used minky for the back.  This quilt looked SUPER snuggly!

Jayne showed off her quilt she made using a quilt block pattern she developed for a blog hop!

The backs of Jayne's quilts could easily work as the fronts, they're always so creative!

Our member Joanne brought some show and tell that she made from some curtains and things that were just around the house!

She told us that while she didn't like it her husband did!  That's a feat in itself!  We were all impressed!

Libby brought us some amazing Dresden plate blocks she's been working on.

Trudy brought in some show and tell of some scarves she's been working on.  They are so cozy and lush!!!

September Meeting

This month we're having a Pre-Cut sit and sew.  Bring in a pre-cut pattern to work on, either printed or digital, we won't judge!

For inspiration try searching The Moda Bake Shop or Fat Quarter Shop's free pattern section.

A pre-cut pattern is one that takes advantage of pre cut fabrics, such as fat quarters, charm packs, mini charms, layer cakes, or jelly rolls.

Feel free to bring in any size project you'd like to work on, and we'll see you Saturday!

Perfect example by Jayne Willis, this was made using charm squares!

August Meeting

I hope your calendars are marked for our next meeting -- August 15 -- because it's less than two weeks away! I had tons of fun at our Community Service Sew in June and the Shop Hop in July, but I am delighted to remind you that August is an Open Sew. Bring whatever project you'd like to work on and whatever you need to do it. Also pack a lunch or snack so you can stay for a while if your day permits.

Don't forget your Show & Tell! I am so excited to see what everyone's been working on. We need to see what everyone's been working on lately!!  If you participated in the Riley Blake Fabric challenge, bring in your project!  Are you working on the Michael Miller Fabric Challenge?  Bring that too!

The MQG Quiltcon Charity Challenge committee will meet and finalize our design plan. If you are interested in joining the committee, please let Jenny Parker know and Ashley Gomez will get you in the loop.

Shop Hop!

Can you believe we've never done a guild shop hop?!  Me either!  Well that's all going to change this month!  We're going on an all day quilter's dream of a shop hop!

July 18th our guild members will have a day full of going to a variety of shops around the Middle Tennessee area and shopping and having fun all day!  Maybe filling out stashes to the brim?  Maybe, but probably not.  There's always room for more fabric! 

I'll take one of each please!

If you're interested in joining our guild click here and you can join in the fun that we're having!  Don't forget to also fill out this form to ensure your transportation and lunch!

Deadline to sign up is July 15, 2015!

February 15 Meeting

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Stef submitted the paperwork for our 501(c)3 status and will keep us posted on its progress.

Linda will teach hand sewing for our March meeting. She gave us a basic introduction of tools needed and what to expect next month.  Here are a few samples of Linda's hand sewing.

  
These are the materials that will be needed for Linda's class next month:

• Project cut out and ready to sew (e.g., charm pack, block pattern pieces)
• Sand paper board - keeps fabric from stretching when making 1/4" markings (go here to see what one looks like)
• Ruler with 1/4" markings
• Straight pins
• Sewing Needles - sharps/applique
• Needle threader (if needed)
• Sewing thread (Linda prefers gray)
• Mechanical pencil

SHOW & TELL

Betty shared her "Red Rocks" quilt made up of wonky log cabin blocks that were cut apart and mixed with other pieces.  It's hard to believe that this masterpiece was her first 'go' at improvisational quilting! When she was finished it reminded her of the red rocks in Colorado Springs, where she's taken many trips.

Here's another one of Betty's quilts, which reminded Christine of birch trees.  Betty was pleased to hear that because the inspiration for this quilt came from a simple photo of some aspen trees that she loved.

Mimi shared this crazy quilt wall hanging with us.  She purchased the wool from WoolyLady.  Make sure you zoom in and check out all her amazing embellishments on this quilt!

Angela shared her Double Windmill (left) and Flying Kite (right) blocks from the Fat Quarter Shop's "Wishes Quilt Along".  We're excited to see the finished project, but 'no pressure' Angela!

Here are some of Angela's Trip Around the World Pumpkin Patch blocks.  

Here's a fun scrappy quilt top that Trudy made.  Make sure you zoom in to check out all the fun fabrics in this Quilter's Attic Block of the Month Quilt for 2013.  We're excited to see how Trudy quilts this.

And here's Jenny's Road Trip Case by Noodlehead.  Jenny loves trying projects like this because she always gets to learn new things.  This time she learned how to take apart a zipper.  Don't you just want to jump into the car and get on the road, right now? 

November 16, 2013 Meeting

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Remember that our December meeting, the Holiday Luncheon, will be held on December 14th at 10:00 AM.

• As it gets closer, there will be a signup for sweet and savory finger foods.
• Dirty Santa Swap - Bring wrapped gifts: one yard or two 1/2 yards of fabric, or a charm pack.
• Swap Exchange - If you participated in the swap, make sure to bring your creations for the big reveal!

Dues for next year will be $40 ($25 for our guild, $15 for MQG)

We voted for our 2014 officers and will be announcing the results in the near future.

SHOW AND TELL

Royce is so amazingly creative.  She inspires us all with her whimsical free-style approach to creating.  The first three pieces are about the size of place mats and the two bottom pieces are postcard quilts.  Studying her work is like going on a scavenger hunt.  In fact, see how many of these things you can find:  stones, metal, wire, interesting fabric textures that she has created, old watch parts, polymer clay pieces, and last but not least, parts of Stefanie's old screen door.  Royce told us that she trades fabric with the wife of a watch repair guy who sends her all the old watch parts that would've gone into the trash.

Trudy made this scrumptious chenille scarf out of four layers of fabric.  You can use a cutter like this to make all those tiny cuts.  The foot keeps you from cutting through your bottom layer.

Ashley, our newest member, made this super hero quilt for a friend's son.  He's going to love cuddling up in this, with its lofty batting and minky backing.

This is Stefanie's version of the Dilly Dally Pattern by Thimble Blossoms.  She used Vanessa Christenson's Simply Style fabric line.  This sounds cheesy but it's true, Stefanie does not dilly dally when it comes to cranking out quilts.

Jayne is making a set of place mats for a friend.  At first glance it looks like she found a great wavy print.  On closer inspection you can see that each color is a different fabric and that she sewed all those wavy pieces together.

This is the wallet that Jenny made for a swap friend.  She used this wallet pattern by Oliver + S.  What a lucky swap friend to receive such a cute wallet!

October 19, 2013 Meeting

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Holiday Party will be held on December 14, 2013 at 10:00 AM.  

• As it gets closer, there will be a signup for sweet and savory finger foods.
• Dirty Santa Swap - Bring wrapped gifts: one yard or two 1/2 yards of fabric, or a charm pack.
• Swap Exchange - If you participated in the swap, make sure to bring your creations for the big reveal!

We brainstormed ideas for our 2014 meetings.  We will continue meeting at the First Presbyterian Church, but will look into renting a smaller room.  Here are our tentative program ideas for 2014:

• January - Charity Sew
• February - Hand Piecing Class by Linda
• March - Free Motion Quilting Class
• April - Volunteer at SewDown Nashville or go to Paducah
• May - Paper Piecing by Kathy
• June - Hand Quilting by Linda
• July - Binding Techniques
• August - Dyeing Your Own Fabrics by Jayne
• September - Upper Cumberland Quilt Festival?
• October - Planning for 2015
• November - Elections
• December - Holiday Party

We nominated officers for 2014.  We will hold elections at our November 16th meeting.

BLOCK OF THE MONTH

Chelley shared her raw-edge applique block with us.  She cleverly cut out shapes that echoed the large-print fabric in this collection (not shown here) and appliqued them over the heart with artistic flair.

 SHOW AND TELL

Chelley has been cranking out loads of these pillowcases with crocheted edges.  We were glad we finally got to see some in person.

Each month Jayne brings a finished quilt or two, each made from her hand-dyed fabrics.  This quilt reminds her of a city sunset and the little gray patches conjure up images of city sidewalks.  We're hoping to find a way to learn how she dyes her fabrics at our August 2014 meeting.  We're sure it will be fun and messy! 

Here's a great blend of traditional blocks made with modern batiks.  Linda is making this quilt for her aunt.  Here challenge was to find batiks that didn't have blue in them - her aunt doesn't like the color blue.  We're sure that Linda's aunt will love cuddling up in this, knowing all the thought and effort that went into making it.

Stefanie learned lots of new techniques while making this Craftsy block of the month quilt.  We all gasped when she showed us the back, thinking that she'd pieced all those circles.  It turns out she used what she called a cheater quilt fabric.

Here's another amazing quilt by Stefanie.  She participated in the Moda Mystery Block of the Month.  She warned us that while it was mysterious and fun, it also got very pricey.