Paris Landing Retreat Recap

This month our guild went on our first sewing retreat!  I'd be lying if I didn't say that we were all very excited for a weekend away to just sew to our heart's delight!

We all took different travels from around Middle Tennessee and ended up in Paris, TN on Friday afternoon, and a lot of us just dove right in and started setting up and getting out sew on!  A lot of us stayed up and sewed well into the night!  I was personally tickled that everyone made my birthday special for me, thanks ladies! <3

Saturday everyone was back at it!  There were tons of projects going on, from binding quilts, to a LOT of Elizabeth Hartman patterns, to quilting and piecing, every step of a project was in full swing!  We all had a great time listening to some sew jams and drinking some sew juice (aka a variety of adult beverages) and really took advantage of a weekend with no pending errands, no family interruptions and all the free time you could want!  We also had really nice weather, so some of us took a little walk around the park, too.

Sunday we were all leaving, but that didn't mean there wasn't any sewing.  We all wrapped up a variety of sewing projects, winded down the weekend and all headed back to our homes.  Everyone was so wrapped up in our projects we didn't get a group picture in front of the Eiffel Tower, but I think we all had a great time anyway!  Hopefully we can make this an annual event!

February 2016 Meeting Reminder

Good morning!

I wanted to make a quick reminder that this month there will NOT be a regular meeting at our regular meeting space!  In lieu of our regular meeting, we're having a retreat in Paris Landing!  Just a reminder, if you haven't already paid your invoice for the retreat, you have just under 2 weeks to take care of that.

The next time we will be meeting up at First Presbyterian will be March 19!  In March we'll be having the first part of a two part, two meeting project!  In March, Marcia Reel will be showing us the quilt as you go method.  Then in April we'll be using those quilt as you go pieces to make a zipper pouch!  We'll have a list of what to bring out before both meetings.

Thanks!

Ashley Gomez

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!

December Meeting/Holiday Party THIS SATURDAY!

Please don't forget that THIS SATURDAY at 10am is our year-end party!  I hope everyone will be there.  

Here's a list of things to know:

(1) We will be back in the Barr Conference Room (at First Pres Church in Franklin, at the corner of Mack Hatcher and Franklin Road).  If you have not been here before, check for directions under the Meetings tab above, and look for our signs when you get to the church.  

(2) If you are a member, please find the potluck sign-up below.  If you are a guest, feel free not to bring anything, or bring whatever you like in the way of sweet or salty finger food. 

MCMQG Holiday Party Potluck

				MCMQG Holiday Party Potluck Please indicate the finger food you plan to bring to the party. If possible, avoid vague listings like TBD or I don't know. This will hopefully eliminate duplicatio...
				View on www.signupgenius.com	Preview by Yahoo

(3) If you participated in the Secret Santa Swap, please remember to bring your gift!

(4) If you would like to participate in the Dirty Santa Fabric Exchange (and you do!), please wrap the equivalent of one yard (yard, 2 half yards, 4 FQs, or charm pack) of modern fabric that someone would indeed want (i.e. not joke fabric).

(5) Don't bring your sewing machine but make sure to bring your show and tell!

(6) Don't forget to be there!  

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!!!

Big thanks to those who came out in October to sew and help us plan our calendar for next year!

It's time to mark your calendars for November's meeting: Saturday, November 21 at 10am.  This is the Saturday BEFORE Thanksgiving.

As we have done for several years, we will sew infant smocks for the NICU at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.  The smocks are sized for preterm infants and designed for them to wear while receiving all necessary treatment and monitoring.

This year, as in the past, Kelle Boyd of Ann Kelle Design has generously donated loads of her darling children's fabric for our project.  We LOVE to work with these fabrics, hoping they may bring cheer to worried parents.  Watch here for a second blog post showcasing the fabric.

Member Chelley Black found this touching short video featuring the smocks we make.  I hope you'll watch it, because it shows how this tiny item can sometimes make a big impact in a family's life.

Will you join us for this fun, fulfilling day?  We'll have lunch, treats, door prizes, and the usual general merriment.  Visitors interested in the Music City Modern Quilt Guild are ALWAYS welcome to come check us out.  But today I'm also appealing to others: those of you who sew but don't quilt, those of you who quilt but may not be interested in joining the guild, those who might like to join guild but your schedule or the distance does not permit.

I have reserved the large fellowship hall for this event in the hope that you ALL will come help us give back to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital!  If you can make it, bring your machine and basic sewing supplies including off-white or cream thread.  There will also be non-sewing ways to participate (cutting, ironing, and sorting/organizing).  Guests please let me know you are coming in the comments below and see the Meetings tab above for directions.

Stay tuned for a post about the Ann Kelle fabric donated for this project AND a post about member Lindsay Conner's very special smock fundraising effort that has yielded absolutely overwhelming results!