And A Good Time Was Had By All!

Last Saturday, the BMQG hosted a color theory class taught by Nancy Rink, of Nancy Rink Designs. I'm happy to report that it was a smashing success! We had 17 students in the class, and we filled the classroom at Strawberry Patches!

Nancy started the class by sharing some of her award-winning quilts and explaining the color scheme involved in the creation of each one. She does amazing work, so getting a mini trunk show was an extra treat for the class! After enjoying all of her quilts, she set about teaching us how to use the 3-in-1 Color Tool by Joen Wolfrom. Many of us already owned the color tool, but we had no idea how to use it. Finally learning how to use the tool and gain confidence in choosing fabrics for quilts, was worth the cost of the class! Everyone brought a variety of fabrics for the class, and it was great fun to stand back and watch everyone digging, sorting, sharing, and thoroughly enjoying the entire process of creating blocks to fit each color scheme. Nancy was great about getting to each student, giving everyone one-on-one help and encouragement.

Part of Nancy's instruction included going through the quilt shop and pulling bolts of fabrics. Nancy asked students to use their color tools to choose coordinating fabrics for the print chosen. What a great exercise! Everyone, from the beginning quilter to the advanced quilter, learned something new! There were several comments about how great the class was, and Nancy said she thoroughly enjoyed teaching such a warm and enthusiastic group! Thank you, Nancy, for such a great class! Thank you also to Christiane' Marzi, for being a great 'Vanna White' and making sure that everyone got to see each quilt up close.

Thank you to Strawberry Patches, and their awesome staff! They went out of their way to help pull everything together, and they were very patient about us wandering the store and pulling all of those bolts of fabric. Becky, Kara, Marissa, and Andie... you ladies rock! Thank you, Suzanne, for always being so supportive of our group and hosting us in your shop!

May you all be enjoying some wonderful holiday sewing,

Lynn and Nicci

Officer Elections for 2012

This past year has been one of both challenges and growth, as we all worked to establish our young guild. We tried meeting on a couple of different days of the week, which also meant changing meeting times. We lost our sew-in location, so we had to find a new one. We also had some changes on the Board. All of these "bumps" are normal when forming a new group, and we are thankful that all of you continue to support such a wonderful group of quilters and sewing enthusiasts! As we approach our second year, we feel that there won't be too many more changes, as far as locations and times are concerned. Now it's time to elect a new Board for the 2012 calendar year! If you are considering serving on the Board, be assured that there will be plenty of help and support from past Board members. We also have a tentative program schedule for the first couple of months, to help get the year started. Below, you will find descriptions for each Board position:

BMQG President

-Primary function is to see to the smooth running of the BMQG. Organization is necessary and follow through is a must.

-Arrange, schedule and facilitate monthly meetings of the BMQG, as well as for officers of the BMQG.

-Assist in maintaining Blog, Google Docs, and Flickr, and other duties as necessary.

- Take suggestions from all members under advisement. Works with individuals as needed.

-Prior to officer and BMQG meetings, the President, with input from other BMQG officers, is to prepare an agenda. This is to be emailed to all officers before the monthly meeting. In addition, a brief general description of upcoming activities/meetings is to be posted on the blog.

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BMQG Vice President

-The vice president will perform the duties of the president if needed, including running the monthly meeting.

-Assist in maintaining all online media (blog, Flickr, etc)

-Attend monthly guild meeting. Arrive 1/2 hour before BMQG meetings to assist with meeting set up and stay for clean up.

-Attend monthly board meetings. Actively participate in guild leadership and making decisions regarding activities and growth of the BMQG.

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BMQG Secretary

-The primary duty of the BMQG secretary is to take notes at all monthly BMQG meetings and officers’ meetings. In a timely manner, a summary of these meetings will be sent to all Board members. The secretary will also assist in posting pertinent guild information to the blog/web page, including announcements, guild business, presentations, show and tell, shop hops, sewing nights, charity work, etc. Picture taking at monthly meeting is also helpful, and this responsibility will be shared by everyone on the board.

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BMQG Treasurer

-Maintain bank account including preparing monthly/quarterly statements for BMQG, pay any bills that may incur, including reimbursements to members.

-Collect membership dues, collect new membership forms, maintain membership spreadsheet, collect teacher/speaker fees, and keep financial records updated. Membership information is to be shared with all BMQG Board members.

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BMQG Program Coordinator

-Supports the planning, implementation, maintenance, and documentation of BMQG’s public programs and educational activities.

-Actively recruits a guest speaker and/or arranges group activity for each BMQG meeting. Works with the speaker on presentation, offering help, encouragement and support.

-Actively works on future month’s meeting: content, lectures, social events, sewing projects, etc.

-Coordinates give-aways, challenges, swaps, and guild activities.

-Encourages members to be involved in presentations.

-Have on-hand filler material or a ten minute tutorial on hand in case a meeting runs short, and/or program changes.

All positions require the require the following:

-Officers are expected to represent the guild in a honorable manner, in all communications and interactions related to the BMQG.

-Ability to speak in front of a group

-Can actively seek new information from people and groups, via internet, phone, etc.

-Organizational ability and attention to detail

The time commitment for each position is about 10 hours per month, which includes monthly BMQG meetings and monthly officers’ meetings.

This is an exciting time for the Modern Quilt Guild movement, and we are so thankful to be a part of this fun and supportive group of quilters. We think that 2012 will prove to be a very successful year for the BMQG! If you are interested in serving, or if you have any questions regarding any of the positions, please contact Nicci at nino9969@gmail.com.

In stitches,

Lynn and Nicci

Color Play Class With Nancy Rink

Award-winning quilter, author, designer and teacher, Nancy Rink, will be teaching a color theory class for our guild on Saturday, December 10, 10:00 - 3:00, at Strawberry Patches.

If you have signed up for the Color Play class and don't yet have your supply list, please e-mail me at LongarmLynn@aol.com, and I'll e-mail it to you. The Ultimate 3 in 1 Color Tool by Joen Wolfrom, is required for the class. The Joen Wolfrom book, Color Play, is recommended, but not required. As of this morning, Strawberry Patches had 8 of the color tools and one copy of the book left. The class is a half day, hands-on workshop, and lunch will be provided. (The class is full) *Please bring small/medium cutting boards, as we will be sitting 4 to each table. If you don't have one small enough, there will be a few extras available.*

I look forward to spending time with my BMQG friends, learning skills that we can all use in our future quilting adventures!

Lynn

Your Friendly Neighborhood Program Coordinator

November Wrap Up

November has been a very busy month, and the BMQG activities were no exception! At our monthly meeting, we enjoyed swapping hand-made pin cushions, a hands-on demo of the Slice cutting machine, lovely show 'n tell, and had a discussion about setting quilting goals for the upcoming year. Our monthly sew-in was held just after Thanksgiving, and it was obvious that everyone needed the day out to enjoy the fellowship of other quilters. We had a packed house! This is an awesome group, and I'm thankful for each and every one of you!

Suzanne, owner of Strawberry Patches, gave us the details on the Slice cutting machine. Pam did an awesome job of preparing fabrics so that everyone got to cut out some fusible applique pieces, using her Slice cutter. Thank you, ladies!

Our pin cushion swap bags. Great surprises were contained in these little bags!

Show 'n Tell

Pam used The Ghastlies fabrics by Alexander Henry, to embellish a pre-made canvas bag.

Lynn's batik stars quilt.

Nicci's t-shirt quilt.

Liz is mug rug crazy!

Sew-In at Bolts to Binding

Nicci worked on her zig zag quilt.

Laura worked on a holiday table runner.

Pam could only stay a little while, but we always enjoy her company!

Jen, Lana, Christy, Lynn & Meg

Bob and Jae popped in for a bit.

Our December program will be the Color Play class taught by Nancy Rink, Saturday, December 10th, 10:00 - 3:00, at Strawberry Patches. Lunch will be provided. This is the only activity on the December calendar for our guild.

Our January program will include sharing our goal boards for 2012. I shared one that I made and challenged members to share theirs at our January meeting.

Include pictures, lists, quotes, etc. Make it yours!

January Elections

In January, we will hold elections for guild officers for the 2012 year. Positions include President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Program Coordinator. If you are interested in serving on the BMQG Board, e-mail Nicci at nino9968@gmail.com.

May you all find some time to nourish your quilting/sewing souls,

Lynn

Your friendly neighborhood Program Coordinator

November Guild Meeting

Can you believe it's almost Christmas already? The excitement has been building over on Face book about our up an coming meeting, this Saturday November 19th from 2pm-4pm over at Strawberry Patches. There will be a fun demo on the new cutting machine called the Slice. For those of you that love embellishing, scrap booking, or applique, this is the perfect opportunity to see what the possibilities are.

You will have the chance to play with the machine in a group activity, so bring your fabric scraps to play around with. The Go! Baby Machine will also be there for everyone to enjoy. This should be a great mingle event if your new to the guild.

Things to bring to our meeting::

Fabric scraps

Pin cushion (for swap) in a concealed bag

Show and Tell

Remember these are coming up::

Sew-In Saturday November 26th at Bolts to Binding

Officer Elections (January) Think about what position you would like to run for

December 10th color Theory with Nancy Rink (Our class is now full)

We hope to see you all on Saturday.

Saturday Sew-In

This month's sew-in will be on Saturday, November 26, 10:00 - 4:00, at Bolts to Binding, 2437 Oak Street. If you want to bring your lunch, the shop has a frig and a microwave that we are free to use. There are also places nearby to get a bite to eat. People come and go throughout the day, so drop in at any time!

Reminder: There will not be a sew-in for the month of December.

Upcoming Activities

At the meeting of November 19, we will be swapping hand-made pin cushions. There are dozens of free patterns online, and the local quilt shops carry several patterns, too! If you want to participate, bring your hand-made pin cushion to the meeting in a plain paper bag. Anyone who brings one, gets to take one!

Our December program will be a color theory class taught by award winning quilter and pattern designer, Nancy Rink. The class will be held at Strawberry Patches on Saturday, December 10, from 10:00 - 3:00, with a short break for lunch. We still have openings, and you don't have to be a member of the BMQG to sign up for the class. The fee for the half-day class is $20.00. Suzanne, at Strawberry Patches, is ordering the books and tools you'll need. If you want to sign up for this class, contact Lynn at LongarmLynn@aol.com.

Looking forward to seeing everyone at the BMQG meeting on November 19, 2:00 - 4:00, at Strawberry Patches!

Your friendly neighborhood program director,

Lynn

October Recap - Habitat Challenge.

Our reveal was a huge success!

Thank you to everyone who completed quilts to show at our October meeting. For those of you that were absent or have not yet finished, please bring them to show and tell at the next meeting. we would still love to see them.

Here was the goodness revealed

Bob Miller

Lana Elfstrom

Pam Gavin

Nicci Pannell

Jane Mulligan

Terri Harlan

Christy Hall

Laura Haywood

(hers was Awesomely quilted but we did not get a clear picture of the finished quilt) So sorry Laura

The team

Thank you again for the wonderful turnout.

On the agenda for next meeting is an introduction to the Slice machine. Bring your scraps to play with the Slice and Go Baby Machine!

Also don't forget we are doing our next swap - Pincushions!  Bring a handmade pincushion to the next meeting. Wrap in a concealed bag for the swap at our November Meeting on the 19th. If you bring one, you get to take one home.

Important Announcements::

- Pincushion swap swap next meeting in November

- Sew-In Schedule had been made switching between two wonderful shops. Here is the Sew-In Schedule

We also welcome two new members

Debbie and Jennifer

Welcome to the group.

See you all soon!

Sew-Ins Schedule - See shop name next to date

November 26th - Bolts 2 Binding 10-3pm

December no sew in it's Christmas Eve

January 28th Bolts 2 Binding - 10-3pm

February 25th  Strawberry Patches - 10-4pm

March 24th Bolts 2 Binding - 10-3pm

April 28th Strawberry Patches - 10-4pm

May 26th Bolts 2 Binding - 10-3pm

June 23 Strawberry Patches - 10-4pm

July 28th Bolts 2 Binding - 10-3pm

Please also Remember that our New Scheaule for Meetings is on Saturdays at Strawberry Patches. Here are the next few dates.

Meeting Schedule - All Held at Strawberry Patches

November 19th  - 2-4pm

December 10th - ?? (class time)

January 21st  - 2-4pm

February 18th - 2-4pm

March 17th - 2-4pm

April 21st - 2-4pm

May  19th - 2-4pm

June  16th - 2-4pm

July  21st - 2-4pm

Saturday Sew-In

We are having a sew-in this Saturday, October 29th, at Bolts to Binding, 2437 Oak Street. The shop is located behind the car dealership that sits on the northwest corner of Oak and 24th Street, and opens at 9:00. We have a blast at our sew-ins, and it's a great way to get to know each other! There's plenty of room to cut out a project, sew something, do handwork, or just sit and visit a spell! See you on Saturday!

October Meeting Habitat Challenge Reveal!

We all started with a project that most of us thought " what do we do with this".  Watching the transformations of this "out of our element fabric", forming into quilt projects has been quite an amazing journey for our guild. Creative genius came out of each member with an interpretation of what this fabric spoke to them, and resulted in the best eye candy a quilter could ask for.

Our next meeting Saturday October 15th from 2pm to 4pm over at Strawberry Patches quilt shop will be just that. The long awaited reveal of this several month long project. We are very excited for everyone to share the story of their journey making these quilts.

We also have a new swap reveal planned so come on down for a bit of fun, and bring a snack if you'd like to. We can't wait to see everyone on Saturday!

September Meeting Program

Our focus topic for the next meeting of the BMQG will be tips, tools, and notions! Do you have a favorite book or magazine that you regularly refer to? How about your favorite pattern? What notion do you think you couldn't live without! Have you picked up a great tip along your quilting/sewing journey? We will have a round robin style of discussion, so this is your chance to share what you know about. I'd love to have everyone participate! Looking forward to seeing all of you at our next meeting on Wednesday, September 7th, 6:30 at Strawberry Patches on Ming Avenue!

Member Feature- Meet Nicci!

My name is Nicci Pannell and my birthday is January 21. I am a single girl (should I make the quilt?) with no kiddos, but two pretty cute pups. I love travel, cooking, gardening, reading, camping, most anything outdoorsy, my yoga practice and volleyball (hoping to get back to that soon), hanging with friends, learning new things and having new experiences, long walks on the beach,  yadda, yadda, yadda.

                                     With my sis, Mindy, hanging with the balbals in Burana, Kyrgyzstan)

How many years have you been quilting?

I made my first quilt about 15 years ago.

What inspired you to start?

I was first inspired to start quilting by a sweet bundle of 1930’s fat quarters from Strawberry Patches. I had a nephew on the way and was trying to figure out what to do for a gift.

This seemed like a good thing. Here’s the finished product then….…

and now…

It’s a bit faded, but still used very regularly. Not bad for a tied quilt with the binding folded over from the back. Hey, it works!

What is your favorite part of quilting?

Planning the quilt is awfully fun. Picking the fabrics and visualizing the finished project really gets me inspired. But I would have to say that binding the quilt is my favorite part. I guess it is like frosting the cake….you know that you are close to getting to the good part. Enjoying it!

What is your least favorite part?

Oooh, if I could skip basting my quilt, and sometimes quilting it, I would be in heaven!

Do you have a specialty? (HST, appliqué, any specific technique?)

I don’t know if I am accomplished enough yet to claim a specialty. I will say that I am really enjoying expanding my skill sets at the present time. In the last week, I added the starch method of applique and foundation piecing to my list of skills (that need lots of practice).

Do you enjoy any non-quilty sewing? (garments, bags, etc.)

I used to be an avid counted cross-stitcher and sewed many of my own clothes. Now, the closest I get to that is an occasional apron, potholder, coaster or one of those great zipper pouches Suzanne at the Patch inspired me to try. Thanks Suzanne!

Have you ever entered a quilt show, etc?

 Nope. I read somewhere once that the author felt she could point out more mistakes in her quilts than any judge. She didn’t feel the need for someone else to do that for her. I kinda feel the same way. I sure do enjoy seeing others’ work, though. Maybe I should look at it differently and share the love!

Have you been featured, received recognition, or won any awards?

Nah, but my MQG friends sure are supportive, encouraging and say really nice things. That’s good enough for me.

How did you find out about the Modern Quilt Guild?

 I happened to be cruising online sometime around the end of the year and started to wonder where the closest MQG was. I thought, for sure L.A. and possibly Fresno. Much to my surprise, the BMQG popped up in my Google search and the blog had just been posted within the last couple of days. What luck! My life has been forever changed. J

What about modern quilting are you most drawn to? (What inspires you?  What would you like to try?)

The freedom of self-expression is the aspect of modern quilting that most appeals to me. If you view my flickr page, I don’t think that I have a particular style. I love trying new things and mq lets me do that. I would love to learn to long arm and when I upgrade my machine, I will move beyond straight-line quilting.

Is there anything else we should know about you?

We have some really talented people in our group, and I am so happy to have met such a great group and I truly appreciate their generous tutelage. 

August Meeting Recap

Thank you to everyone who came out for our August meeting over at the Strawberry Patch quilt shop. We learned quite a bit from a master longarm quilter, on how to prepare your quilt for the quilting process. So many things that many of us never even think of . I know I will be keeping these ideas around when getting ready to send my next quilt off.

Thank you Lynn for a fantastic presentation, and thank you to Christianna as well for stepping in and helping her.

We also had a little minature quilt show and tell session that included a few habitat projects for the quilt challenge.

Lynn showed off her gorgeous star blocks

Jane showed off this beauty that she says was way out of her box, however it looks like it came compleatly natural. I wanted to take this one home with me :)

Pam showed us some progress on her habitat challenge as well, and asked for some group ideas on how to complete the piecing.

we loved seeing this beauty that Bob sewed up for a little baby girl..

So much thought went into this little gift, and I am sure it will be treasured forever.

Christy just finished quilting her vintage sheet quilt and let me tell you it's quite the stunner.

Laura also finished a gifted quilt top in a very manly contrast of blues, borwns and greens

Jen showed off her Heather ross collaberated quilt top, done with a few other sewers around the internet. Perfect little baby gift.

And Terry Showed us that embroidery can be modern with her Jetson's like patterns that she will include in her challenge quilt.

And thank you to everyone who helped us greet a new sewer to the group, Holly. Overall there were many laughs, we all learned something new, and we came together as a group of sewers and friends alike.

Thank you for another successful meeting. See you in September.

Info to remember from meeting::

Dues start at septembers meeting. for details or questions please contact Nicci

Our challenge has been pushed back to Octobers 5th's meeting

Our sew In is this coming Saturday August 13th 10 am - 4pm