QUESTION OF THE WEEK

We had a great tutorial at our Saturday meeting! We learned how to use prairie points to add a little pizzazz to tea towels. I'm going to be making some for Christmas and hostess gifts! What quick gifts are you making for Christmas this year?

Upcoming Meeting and Other Fun Stuff

Our next meeting is Saturday, September 15th, 2:00 - 4:00, at Strawberry Patches. Christy has been making an adorable Halloween quilt using Spider Web blocks. She will be showing the rest of us how to make this fun, easy block! During our show 'n tell, you'll have a chance to share the project you've made with the Perfect Polaroid Blocks we swapped at the last meeting. Pam has made another pillow, using Halloween themed Polaroid blocks. It's a fun, whimsical piece, and she'll be teaching the class at Strawberry Patches on the 17th @ 10:00. We are so blessed to have such talented and creative members in our group!

Our sew-in for this month will be held on the 22nd at Bolts to Binding, from 10:00 - 4:00. If you want to bring your lunch, we have use of the frig and microwave in the kitchen area. There are plenty of places nearby to go and pick up something. Bring a snack to share and a project to work on, and enjoy the fellowship and fun that this group has to offer! If you've never attended one of our meetings or sew-ins, a sew-in is a great way to check us out!

If you are making a quilt for the Bolts to Binding color challenge, the quilt has to be turned in by October 1st. The color for this challenge is a particular orange solid that the shop carries. The quilts will be displayed, and customers can vote on their favorite quilt. The winner will receive a gift certificate to spend at the shop. If you need more information, you can call Bolts to Binding at 661-873-4691.

QuiltCon opened for registration last week, and several of our members will be attending. What a great opportunity to be in the thick of things at the first convention of the Modern Quilt Guild! If you want to find out more about QuiltCon, visit their website at http://www.quiltcon.com.

I'll be on vacation for the next couple of weeks, so I'll miss the meeting and the sew-in. As much as I'll miss everyone, I'll be enjoying the company of my son. I haven't seen him since March, and I'm needing some face time! Enjoy the meeting, sew-in, time with fellow quilters, and be good to one another.

Until next we meet,

Lynn
President

Swap Reminder

We have just about a week and a half to finish up our Scrap Bag Swap projects. Put those finishing touches on your project(s), and be ready for the big reveal! Our meeting is on Saturday, June 16th, at Strawberry Patches, from 2:00 - 4:00. Don't forget to bring your show 'n tell projects and the blocks you are working on for the QuiltCon Block Challenge! See you soon!


Lynn
President 

Meeting Wrap Up

Last Saturday's meeting was all about adding Piping Hot Binding to your projects. Susan Cleveland has an awesome ruler for measuring and trimming your piping, and it's well worth having in your basket of nifty gadgets! Susan has also created a couple of great video tutorials on YouTube. Be sure to watch both tutorials to learn the tips and tricks of adding this fun trim to your quilts! 

As always, we also had a great show 'n tell! Cindy made an opportunity quilt for Relay for Life. She used all of the soothing colors of water and added some appliqued water lilies to it. On the back, she added a panel that lists all of the things that cancer cannot do! What a great, encouraging piece of art!

Nicci shared her Daisies and Bubblegum quilt. It's a beautiful girly quilt! The tutorial for this quilt can be found on the blog of Cluck Cluck Sew. 

Liz is expecting a little boy in July, and he was more than happy to serve as mama's design wall! Liz drafted the block pattern and is using luscious Kaffe Fassett fabrics. 

Mark your calendars for next Saturday, April 28th, for our monthly sew-in. We will be meeting from 10:00 - 4:00 at Strawberry Patches. Bring a project, something to snack on, and join us for a day of fun! 

Until next we meet,

Lynn

President, BMQG

A New Modern Quilting Magazine in the Works

I'm so excited to share this news! There is a new modern quilting magazine in the works, and it's going to be fabulous. I know the magazine owner, and she will do an awesome job of representing the modern quilting community! The magazine is already a sponsor for QuiltCon. Keep your eyes peeled for Modern Quilts Unlimited in the near future! 

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

We have decided to start posting a question each week, to see what everyone thinks or knows about a particular topic. If you have questions you'd like to see asked, e-mail them to bakersfieldmodernquiltguild@gmail.com. Our first question of the week is:

When did you start quilting, and what prompted you to start?

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

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!

Meet Christy!

Welcome to our first ever BMQG Member Feature! Every month we will have a special blog post featuring one of our amazingly talented members. Each member has been given a series of questions to answer so that we can all get to know each other better.

And now, without further ado, we are pleased to now turn our attention to our own, Christy Hall!

Christy was born April 10, 1966 and has been married to her husband, Richard, for 10 years. She has an 8-year old son, Nathan, two cats (named George and Moose), and one naughty puppy named Harry. Let's give it up for Christy!

BMQG: How many years have you been quilting?
Christy: Off and on for about 15 years.

BMQG: What inspired you to start?
Christy: Many years ago, someone gave me a copy of Make a Quilt in a Day by Eleanor Burns. I knew how to sew and the steps seemed simple enough for me to follow. I made queen-sized quilts for my Aunt and Grandmother. I've learned a lot since then.

BMQG: What is your favorite part of quilting?
Christy: I love picking out fabric. If I could just skip from picking out fabric to having a quilt complete, I'd be very happy. :)

BMQG: What is your least favorite part?
Christy: Basting. It gets harder and harder to crawl around on my knees pinning quilt layers!


BMQG: Do you have a specialty?
Christy: I'm good at anything WONKY.

BMQG: Do you enjoy any non-quilty sewing?
Christy: I like to make tote bags and crayon rolls for gift giving. I also like to make shorts, pajamas, and fleece hoodies/jackets for my son.

BMQG: Have you been featured, received recognition, or won any awards?
Christy: I volunteer for Optimal Hospice's Seamstress program. Last year they asked me to make a Memory Quilt for a woman who had recently lost both of her parents. She loved the quilt and I was featured in Optimal's monthly newsletter.

BMQG: How did you find out about the Modern Quilt Guild?
Christy: I can't remember exactly. I read quite a few craft blogs and I think I saw it mentioned on one of them (and I cannot tell you how happy I am to have found it!).


BMQG: What about modern quilting are you most drawn to?
Christy: I really like that so much of it is up to your own interpretation. I love using fresh vibrant colors. I'm learning to see inspiration everywhere. I think modern quilting is helping me to look at things differently, to see quilt possibilities in different places, such as architecture and nature.

BMQG: Is there anything else we should know about you?
Christy: I'm a perfectionist and tend to be very critical of my own work. Also, I really want to do free-motion quilting, but it scares me!

Thank you so much for sharing with us, Christy! Oh, and for anyone who doesn't know, Christy makes the BEST coconut macaroons...yum! Stop by and visit Christy on her blog Mama Said Sew.

Announcements for BMQG

Thank you to everyone who made it out last Saturday for our very first Sew-in Day over at the Quilt n sew quilt shoppe. I know that weather came into play that day in surrounding areas for a few of you as well as some sickies. We hope that everyone is feeling back up to par for our next sew in on March 12th from 10 am - 4 pm. I will share an official announcement when the day gets closer.

Robin hooked us all up with complimentary donuts, and had cutting tables, ironing boards, and everything we needed to start sewing, Thank you Robin for the fabulous space that you provided. Everyone was extremely impressed.

A few announcements on inquiries that people asked about::

1. Here is the link for the tutorial on how to sew hexagons without paper piecing them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQG0V42O0fI&feature=player_embedded

For those of you that love the paper pieces (much easier) The Strawberry Patch can order you any size you need at a great price.

2. For those of you who are interested in selling handmade goodies and having your own table at a craft show in October. (we talked about this on Saturday) Please email me for details. The place is here in Bakersfield set up for October selling.

3. Suzanne at the strawberry Patch now has Robert Kaufman's Essex linen in Putty and Natural for those of you who asked her to order it. this is fantastic stuff people !!!

4. Books we talked about at the sew in

Modern Basics

The Practical guide to Patchwork

Quilts Made Modern

These books can also be purchased locally in your quilt shops without shipping charges. If stock is out they can certainly order them for you, they are great books!

If I missed anything that you were interested in please remind me and I will be happy to post about it.

Can't wait to see you all on the 12th