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

Registration for QuiltCon Opens Tomorrow!

Just a quick reminder that registration for QuiltCon opens tomorrow morning. Details are on the website at http://www.quiltcon.com under the heading of Conference. 

August BMQG Meeting

President Lynn started the meeting by announcing that the Kern County Fair is September 19-30, and a couple of our members have entered quilts. We know they'll do well!

Lynn also announced that the guild will soon be accepting volunteers for the positions of President, Vice President, Secretary and Program Chair. We are a small but enthusiastic group, and we'll need people to step up and help out in these positions if we want to survive as a guild.

Lynn shared several books about modern quilting, and some modern magazines as well.

Several members had completed projects for show and tell (see photos below).

Jane demonstrated the Hickory Nut ruler/template set. These tools work well for mug rugs, or to sew the "nuts" into a larger item.

A door prize was drawn, and Gwen was the lucky winner!

Pam showed some great uses for the Polaroid blocks that have become so popular lately, such as a pillow with regular binding and an envelope closure. Blocks can be set at an angle for more interest and movement. Several members brought bags with a number of Polaroid blocks in them, and each person drew a block from each bag. Lynn suggested that each participants make whatever they like with the blocks and bring that item back for show and tell at the September meeting.

Lynn reminded everyone of the monthly sew-in at Strawberry Patches on Saturday, Aug. 25.

Next meeting: Saturday, September 15, 2-4 p.m. at Strawberry Patches.

 

A Monday Morning Question

BMQG member, Nicci, asked a question on our Facebook page, and I thought I'd share it with you. Chime in and tell us what you do!

When you make a snuggle quilt for someone, do you wash it before giving it to the recipient? 

Saturday Sew-In

Just a reminder that our guild sew-in is this coming Saturday, 10:00 - 4:00, at Strawberry Patches. Bring whatever you want to work on and a snack to share. There are a few places within walking distance to grab something to eat, and of course, Sweet Surrender is just across the parking lot! Looking forward to having some sew time with my BMQG friends! 

August Swap and September Challenge

Our July program included a hands on tutorial by Pam, showing us all how to make the Picture Perfect Polaroid blocks. These little blocks are a lot of fun to do, and they go together rather quickly! This seemed like the perfect opportunity to do a fun swap and follow it up with a challenge! For the August meeting, each member is to bring a minimum of 10 completed Picture Perfect Polaroid blocks, contained in a paper bag. We will then choose one block from each bag. The challenge for the September meeting, is to reveal a completed project using the PPP blocks. You can make a wallhanging, mug rug, mini quilt, baby quilt, pillow, etc. If you wish to bring more than 10 blocks, you are welcome to do so. Please make sure that the number you bring is in increments of 10, and each batch of 10 has its own bag. It's very important that you DO NOT trim the blocks! Instructions for making these blocks can be found here. Please use Kona Cotton in white, for your block sashing. Here is a pillow that Pam made and shared with us at the July meeting:

These are the block I've made for our swap:

Our August meeting will be held at Strawberry Patches on Saturday, August 18th, from 2:00 - 4:00. I can't wait to see all of the little blocks that everyone makes! 

Until next we meet,

Lynn

President

QuiltCon Call for Entries

Call for Entries

The QuiltCon quilt show will feature more than $10,000 in cash prizes. Quilt show entries open August 1 and are open to international entries.

QuiltCon will have new quilt show categories created with modern quilters in mind. A complete definition of categories is available on our categories page in addition to a blog post showing examples. You can preview the categories definitions, rules, fees and online entry form here.

Major awards include:

• Best-in-Show, $5000 prize, sponsored by American Quilter’s Society

• People’s Choice, $1000 prize, sponsored by Andover Fabrics

• Coats & Clark Quilting Excellence award, $1000 prize, sponsored by Coats & Clark

• Best Machine Quilting, $1000 prize, sponsored by Quilting Arts and Stitch

Two challenge categories, each with a $1000 cash prize, will be part of QuiltCon:

• Modern in Miniature Quilting Challenge sponsored by Modern Quilts Unlimited

• Maasai Mara Fabric Challenge sponsored by Dear Stella

First place category awards are $500. To view a complete list of the prizes, please click here.