Sew-In Saturday

It's time for Sew-In Saturday! Woot woot! If you've been wondering what the Bakersfield Modern Quilt Guild is all about, pop into the sew-in and find out! Bring something to work on, or just drop by to visit. We are a very relaxed and friendly group, and we welcome sewers and quilters of all levels and styles. Tomorrow's sew-in is at Strawberry Patches, 6433 Ming Avenue, from 10:00 - 4:00. Be there or be square! ;-)

Question of the Week

What author, designer, book, pattern, or person in your life, influenced you the most in your evolution as a quilter?

Big News in the MQG World!

All of the social media sites are buzzing with excitement about Quiltcon! Quiltcon is the inaugural conference and show of the Modern Quilt Guild. It will be held in Austin, TX, February 21 - 24, 2013. Denyse Schmidt will be the keynote speaker, and there will be teachers that have been the movers and shakers in the Modern Quilt Guild movement! This is going to be fabulous! For more details, go to http://www.quiltcon.com, and sign up for the newsletter.

February Meeting Recap

Last Saturday's meeting was so much fun! VP Christy got the meeting going with a couple of games of quilt bingo. It was a great way to get the meeting started! Our primary topic was the Sewing Summit. Christy did an awesome job of educating us on what the Sewing Summit is, what she enjoyed about going last year, and why it's definitely something to consider going to in the future. Information about the Sewing Summit can be found at http://www.sewingsummit.com.

Last month's challenge was to take a traditional block and make it modern. It was fun to see how everyone put a modern spin on traditional blocks, whether it be by using more modern fabrics or by tweaking the block pattern a bit to make it modern. I think we, as a group, are all challenging ourselves to step out of the box, and we are enjoying it!

Show 'n tell is always awesome!

To wrap up the meeting, I set up a hands-on tutorial on using crayons to embellish a quilt label or to make blocks. Each member got to create something, and it was great fun to see everyone enjoying the process! After all, how often do we get to play with a box of crayons? I think we should all do that more often!

Quilt done with crayon colored faces.

Next month's program will include a hands-on block tutorial taught by Pam. You'll all need to bring your sewing machines and basic tools. We will be putting a supply list on the blog, so check back. Members also need to bring a quart sized baggie full of scraps. We will be swapping baggies. We are to use the baggie of scraps to make something for the person who brought it to the meeting. The only requirement is that you have to use 75% of the scraps for the project. There are no size limitations. Baggie projects are due at the May meeting.

The next sew-in is Saturday, February 25th, 10:00 - 4:00, at Strawberry Patches. If you are interested in finding out more about the BMQG in a very relaxed atmosphere, come to a sew-in! We have a great bunch of quilters, and everyone is always so giving with their time and talent. I never leave a sew-in without learning something new! Bring a snack and something to work on, and join us for a fabulous day of sewing fun!

Happy stitching!

Lynn