Flea Market Fancy by Denyse Schmidt

 

It seems that all the buzz lately has been about the re-release of Denyse Schmidt's fabric line, Flea Market Fancy. Denyse has updated the colors a bit, and I think they are lovely! One of our local quilt shops, Strawberry Patches, has received 14 of the fabrics, with the remaining prints expected in the shop over the next few weeks. You can purchase a fat quarter bundle of the 14 fabrics, and add your name to the list of customers wanting the remaining fabrics. 

 

One of the great things about buying it this way, is that you can spread your purchase between paychecks! I'm always up for  creative financing! 

March Meeting Recap

Blustery weather didn't deter a small but mighty group of quilters from our monthly meeting on Saturday, March 17 at Strawberry Patches!

Lynn announced that the Modern Quilt Guild will hold its first QuiltCon convention in Austin, TX February 21-24, 2013. The MQG is having a block design challenge using the QuiltCon logo colors. Several online shops have bundles of the fabrics available if anyone is interested in designing and entering a block. Closer to home, the Best of the Valley quilt show will be held April 13-15 in Lindsay.

Several door prizes have been donated to the Bakersfield MQG by our members. Thanks to all for your generosity!

Our sew-in has been moved one week later to accommodate Bolts to Binding's move to their new, larger location at Wible Road and Wood Lane (930 Wible Road). They'll be in the space that was formerly the JM's for Children store. Bring your machines and supplies and check out B to B's new space on Saturday, March 31 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Strawberry Patches has received 14 of the 22 prints in the Denyse Schmidt line. The other eight prints are supposed to arrive in the next few weeks. Since the whole line is not in yet, our guild will not start a challenge project using the fabric at this time.

We had a quick show-and-tell of members' projects, and then Christy led us in a Name the Quilt Block word scramble game, which was harder than it looked but fun! Next, we had a hands-on session where Pam taught us how to sew a kaleidoscope block and make those points come together!

Christy and Nicci were in the St. Patrick's Day spirit with their socks ...

... and we helped each other select fabrics for upcoming projects!

Our next meeting will be on Saturday, April 21st at Strawberry Patches, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Lynn will teach us how to add piping to our quilts for that extra bit of pizzazz. See you there!

~ Laura ~
BMQG Secretary

Question of the Week

 

It's that time again! As a longarm quilter, I have found it interesting that the focus on quilting in the MQG world leans toward minimalist, utilitarian types of quilting, with the quilt makers doing their own quilting. When I have been asked to quilt for the BMQG members, it's because their quilt is too big for them to want to wrestle with it on their domestic machines. This week's question is: Do you quilt your own quilts, or do you send them out to a longarmer to be quilted? What determines whether or not you quilt your own quilt?

Rainy Day Meeting

Woke up to the heavens giving up some much-needed rain! I'm talking about a gully washer! (Thanks for the term, Laura) It's the perfect day for getting together with quilty friends and learning something new! Pam will be teaching us how to make a kaleidoscope block, with a great tip for getting all of those center points to meet, while distributing the excess bulk. Bring your sewing machine and regular quilting supplies, as this is a hands-on class. Pam will be supplying the pre-cut pieces for the blocks. If you have a portable ironing surface and iron, please bring those along with you.

We are also having a scrap bag swap. Bring a quart-sized baggie full of useable scraps. Make sure your name is on the baggie. We will swap baggies today, then return a completed project for the owner of the scraps, at the May meeting. The only rule is that 75% of the finished item has to contain some/all of the scraps in the baggie. You can make a mug rug, pot holder, pin cushion, pillow top, mini quilt, etc. Have fun with it!

I hope to see you today at Strawberry Patches from 2:00 - 4:00, and don't forget to wear your green!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Lynn

Question of the Week

This question comes from Christy, our BMQG Vice-President. She wants to know: Do you pre-wash your fabrics or not? I know that there are very strong opinions about this topic, so let's here them! 

QuiltCon Block Challenge

By now, most of you know about the Modern Quilt Guild convention next year, called QuiltCon. There is a block challenge associated with the convention. Detailed information is posted on the Modern Quilt Guild website.  Wouldn't it be great if all of our members got involved? Yes!

March Meeting Activities

It's almost time for our guild's monthly meeting! I don't know about the rest of you, but I live for our get togethers! I always leave a meeting and/or sew-in feeling energized, inspired, and happy! For those that may not know, our meetings are held the 3rd Saturday of each month at Strawberry Patches, 2:00 - 4:00.

This month's meeting will include a hands-on tutorial on how to make a kaleidoscope block. Pam will be bringing some Happy Moochie Yum Yum fabrics, already cut and ready for sewing. If you'd rather use your own fabrics, just bring enough to make a block. Also bring your sewing machine and usual quilting tools. We will learn how to get all those points to come together in the middle!

We are also having a swap this month. Bring a quart-sized baggie full of scraps. Please think about how the scraps will work together, and make the pieces big enough to handle. Mark the baggie with your name. We will be swapping these baggies, and the recipient will be making something from the scraps, i.e. a pouch, mug rug, pot holder, mini quilt, etc. Use your imagination, and make it fun! Keep in mind that 75% of the finished project must contain the scraps contained in the baggie. Finished projects will be returned to the baggie owner at the May meeting.

Shop news: Strawberry Patches is expecting the Flea Market Fancy line, by Denyse Schmidt, to arrive at the shop this coming week. Get your name on the waiting list if you want some of this yummy fabric! Suzanne has promised a give-away and a challenge, so stay tuned!

Bolts to Binding will be moving to their new location on the weekend of the 23rd. Therefore, our sew-in date and location has been changed. We will be meeting at the new location, 930 Wible Road, on Saturday the 31st, 10:00 0 4:00. The new location is where JM's for Children used to be, on the corner of Wible Road, just south of Belle Terrace Avenue. After this month, we will be meeting for our sew-ins on the 3rd Saturday of each month, as usual.

See you all on Saturday!

Lynn