Richmond Modern Quilt Guild

New Round Robin!

2012-02-02T18:45:00.001-06:00

RMQGJanuary 2012 Challenge/Exchange

THE word, YOUR word

Come up with a word -- a single, descriptive word -- that will help you defineyour dreams, goals, and aspirations for the year 2012.

This word will form the foundation of your center block, both figuratively andliterally. Your block should measure 11" x 14" and should containyour written word but also images and graphics that further illustrate yourword, e.g., growth could be represented by a seedling, a child's measurementchart, a city map, etc.

When the block is passed, the group member will add two 6" x 14"strips to either side of the center block, once again building on the worditself and the images it evokes. The main block is due at the February meeting.We will pass projects four times with the blocks being returned and revealed inJune.

The completed piece will make for a lovely table runner, wall decor, thebeginning of an even larger effort, or wherever you like -- your choice!Finishing it in June will allow for the projects to be developed at yourleisure over hte summer and returned to the group for a future show and tell --what fun!

There will be a check out log for the blocks each month so that we will alwaysbe able to track the location of a block at any given time. Please continue tobe considerate of other participants by either delivering your block each monthor sending it in with another member or guest.

Thank you all so much for your wondrous support in this effort and keep comingup with those beautiful creations that make all our members simply beam withdelight!

The Swirly Girls visit NYC

2012-01-19T16:47:00.000-06:00

(The RMQG Board asked us to share our trip to New York on the blog and we took 200 pictures, so I'm going to split this post into two parts - Susan Emory)

Christine and I took the train from Richmond to Penn Station in NYC. We love taking the train and would highly recommend it! We have stayed at the Affinia Manhattan Hotel during our last two trips to New York. It is right outside Penn Station, so you get off the train, walk across the street and check-in. It couldn't be more convenient!

Here are some pictures of our room. I really like the modern wallpaper.

Here is the view from our window:

After checking in at the hotel, we took a cab to Purl Soho (http://www.purlsoho.com/).

This store is fantastic and their website and blog are too.

I found several tutorials on their blog that I will be working on.

I keep resisting the urge to take up knitting and it's shops like this that are hard to resist.

The staff was super-friendly and the place was packed!

I put on the blinders to get through all of the yummy yarn and headed to the quilting section. I bought some fabric and Christine picked up some wool, a pattern and some silk thread.

Here are some more shots:

Next we cabbed up to Tinsel Trading Company (http://www.tinseltrading.com/).

This store has an amazing history - you should definitely check out their website.

Tinsel Trading inspired the book "Treasured Notions" by Kaari Meng from French General.

I don't even know if there are enough words to describe this bright, shiny, vintage, inspiring store - so check out the pictures:

This place is a crafter's dream and we didn't leave empty handed...

I bought buttons (I need an intervention) and Christine scored some spools

of metallic thread and other goodies.

After the inspiration overload that afternoon, we went to Macy's and shopped before heading to dinner. We ate at Tir Na Nog, an Irish Pub, near our hotel (http://www.tirnanognyc.com/). A woman on the train recommended this local favorite and she was right - it was delicious and a great atmosphere. It would have been perfect if the older couple sitting directly behind Christine hadn't been making out the entire time...

So there you have it, day one in NYC. In my next post I will tell you about our day at Michael Miller Fabrics, as well as visiting The City Quilter and Times Square.

Have you been on any quilting-related trips lately? We would love to hear about it, and see pictures, of course! Post any time on our Facebook page, or email richmondmqg@gmail.com.

Don't Look Now Applique Bee

2012-01-13T19:50:00.002-06:00

The first meeting of the Don't Look Now applique bee was held on January 8th. Everyone got right to work tracing and fusing their projects. Here they are:

Ann's Love Birds pattern. Love the fun, bright flowers:

Catherine's Little Monsters pattern. Naturally, Catherine will be adding scotty dogs, and not monsters, to her version. Can't wait to see it in black, white and red!

Cheryl is very ambitious! This is her Meg's Garden pattern:

Debbie chose a pillow project. Here is her pattern, How Does Your Garden Grow?:

Here is the beginning of Debbie's pillow. She is using a creamy linen background and gorgeous dyed fabrics. She is inspiring all of us to make this pillow, too.

Shirley is doing a great quilt with flowers and cats. Her pattern is Rainbow Lollipops:

I chose a smaller project - just a pillow for me. Although, I won't be surprised if it turns into a wall hanging. My pattern is called Memories:

Here are my fused shapes. Can't wait until next time to start stitching them down!

Thanks to Shirley for sharing the photos!

Ask anyone who was there and I bet they will recommend starting or joining a bee - we are having the time of our lives!!

For more information, or to start a bee, contact the Bee Keeper, Becky Miller at radford83@comcast.net.

Have a wonderful weekend - Susan

Fantastic January Program

2012-01-12T15:12:00.000-06:00

Julia Pfaff is coming to Richmond Modern Quilt Guild

and you're invited!

Please join us for a presentation by local quilt educator and studio artist, Julia Pfaff. She will be giving her lecture "Making It Your Own" at our January meeting at Mount Pisgah Methodist Church, 1100 Mount Pisgah Drive, Midlothian on Friday, January 20th. Meet and Greet begins at 6 p.m. and the meeting and presentation will start at 6:30 p.m.

Julia will explain how to incorporate Bedouin cross stitch embroidery, copper plate etching, Japanese Shibori and embroidery from India into your projects. This inspirational lecture will take you on a journey from the temples of Greece to a fabric printing studio at VCU.

Julia will also be providing information on her "Drawing with your Sewing Machine" workshop on March 17th - you won't want to miss it.

Non-members are invited to attend one meeting, at no charge, before joining RMQG. Come and check us out!

For more information, please contact richmondmqg@gmail.com.

--
Richmond Modern Quilt Guild
RichmondMQG@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/Richmondmqg
http://richmondmqg.blogspot.com/

Quickie about Friday's party

2011-12-18T21:36:00.001-06:00

Forgive the brevity of this post -- I'm in the midst of holiday travels. But Shirley has posted some photos of the round robins on her blog. You'll find a link on the right side of this page. I'll post photos as soon as I have a chance to get them off the camera. Thanks to all for such a wonderful evening!

New space!

2011-12-02T15:38:00.001-06:00

I just wanted to post a photo so you could get an idea of our new space (if you weren't at the November meeting)! It's huge! This shows the space we were taking up, but we actually had confined ourselves to a small portion of the room. We had about 40 people at the November meeting; we could easily hold four times that many without feeling cramped. I'm so excited!

Speaking of excited, are you psyched about the upcoming December festivities? We'll be having our silent auction, our gift exchange, our round robin reveal and of course, food! More info to come in an email.

Any questions or comments? Send them to the email address RichmondMQG (at) gmail.com.

See you in December!

November meeting!

2011-11-14T17:56:00.001-06:00

Hi ladies! The November meeting is coming up on Friday and I'm so excited. It's about one of my favorite topics: machine quilting! Did you know that I used to teach a machine quilting class at Quilting Adventures? In all the years I taught it (it was a confidence-building class), I never met a sewing machine that couldn't do machine quilting. If you can drive a car, you can do your own quilting! And believe me, it's a wonderful feeling to look at something you've created and know you've done the ENTIRE thing.

In December, we'll be having our big end of the year festivities. This includes our round robin reveal, a silent auction and a gift exchange. Here's the scoop:

Round robin reveal: We finally get to see our masterpieces!

Silent Auction: Bring in something to be auctioned off (and be prepared to buy something if you can) to help earn money for the group! I've heard something about wanting to buy a bus, but I would settle for a projector, myself!

Gift exchange: Bring something you made (or something sewing-related if you just can't get it together to make something). Be sure it's wrapped! We'll exchange them during the meeting. Can't think of something? Here are some ideas: Pincusion, jewelry, coasters, ornament, cookies, ... if you have other ideas, leave them in the comments!

Meeting tonight!

2011-10-21T07:44:00.005-05:00

Okay, so someone (that would be me) dropped the ball on getting information out this month. I'm so sorry! My floor has been torn up which has pretty much put my entire household into chaos. That, and the month just got away from me.

So, onward! Tonight's meeting is sure to be a good one, with a demo on beading. Don't forget your round robin blocks! I really enjoyed putting this one together! I can't wait for December, can you?

Our meeting will be held tonight at 6:00 pm at Mt. Pisgah Methodist Church in Midlothian. The address is:

1100 Mt. Pisgah Drive, Midlothian, Virginia 23113

Bring a friend! It's never too late to join!

What a wonderful meeting!

2011-09-19T00:13:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to say THANK YOU to all three of our wonderful speakers at Friday's meeting: Tiffany Sherman, who showed Shibori; Catherine Etter, who gave a great live demonstration of discharging; and Cheryl Mathre, who showed her beautiful examples of low water immersion dyeing. For those of you curious about the book Cheryl showed, it was Color By Accident by Ann Johnston. I'll get Christine to post some of her photos soon!

I plan to post more in the coming weeks about things like Tour de Quilt (including a possible van rental), our silent auction and gift exchange, and other exciting topics.

I hope everyone's round robins are going well. I know I can't wait until December to see the big reveal!

New location starting in September (yes, that's this month)!

2011-09-09T12:41:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone,

In case you weren't at the meeting last month, we have found a new, permanent (at least for the next year -- does that still mean it's permanent?) location. We'll be at Mt. Pisgah Church in Midlothian. It's just about 1/2 mile east of Quilter's Corner.

Here's a link to a map showing where Mt. Pisgah is!

Quilter's Corner has been great in letting us use their space so far, but we're starting to get a little crowded in their classroom. Moving to Mt. Pisgah allows us to not sit on each other's laps! Also, we will be able to use the other spaces for classes and events.

Our next meeting is Friday, September 16, at 6:30 pm. We start gathering at 6:00.

Hope your round robin is going well! Remember, if you have problems, contact an officer!

Round robin!

2011-07-20T10:54:00.003-05:00

July's meeting was great! It was wonderful to see all of the different postcards everyone made and to see the beautiful Swirly Girls Design studio!

I hope everyone is excited about our next challenge: a round robin quilt. If you've never done a round robin before, they are a great way to stretch your quilting legs. And this one is small, so it won't cost you much in fabric. Here is the way it works:

1. Everyone makes a center square. The square should be 6 inches finished, so be sure to include a 1/2 inch for seam allowances. Put the square into the envelope you received at the meeting (if you weren't there, it's fine; we'll have more at August's meeting).

2. We'll swap envelopes. You will add a border to the block you get.

3. We'll swap again. Lather, rinse, repeat until December when...

4. You get your original block back with four borders (or other additions) by new friends!

Here is a link to my personal blog -- this is everything I've posted in the category "round robin." You will see some completed quilts and some rows or blocks that I did individually. Keep in mind that some of the round robins I've been in have been row quilts, so instead of a bunch of borders, you'll see rows done by individuals and then put together. I'll be sure to bring some samples of round robins to the next meeting. If you have some samples of your own, please bring them for show and tell!

Here are some questions I thought might come up:

Q. Do I have to include fabric in my envelope?
A. Only if you want to.

Q. What if I can't come to a meeting?
A. Send it along with someone else or drop it in the mail to our PO Box. Just make sure you mail it at least a week before.

Q. What if I really don't want a certain color/style?
A. Just note it on the envelope. Try to not put too many restrictions on it, though. It's more fun when the sky is the limit. A quick "no Thimbleberries" or "I love batiks!" is fine.

Q. I'm new and don't know what to do!
A. One of the officers would be happy to meet with you and go over some ideas. Round robins are supposed to be fun, not stressful. Of course, you want to make sure you are putting your best effort into what you're making.

Any questions I didn't cover? Post a comment and I'll add it here.

Let's go!

ATTENTION - Venue change for July

2011-07-03T17:19:00.003-05:00

Hey RMQG buddies, I will be sending multiple emails this month, please bear, or would that be bare (tutu funny) with me, as I just want to make certain the word gets out about our change of venue for July........ We are so very fortunate to have the opportunity to meet in a conference space adjoining the Swirly Girls Studio, great thanks to Christine for making this happen at no cost to the membership - YEAH Christine!!!!!

The address is:

10825 Midlothian Turnpike, Richmond, VA 23235

and is across from Johnston-Willis Hospital, SE corner Midlothian Turnpike & Southlake Blvd., just beyond Wachovia. Pool and Spa business on the 1st floor and we'll be meeting on the 2nd floor with a tour of the Swirly Girls Studio following the meeting. If available, you might want to bring an extra folding or lawn chair as we will have some seating but you KNOW how we've been growing.............

Just yet another sign of all the wonderful opportunities to grow and become more and we'll have lots of excitement at the meeting with our postcard reveal, the announcement of our next challenge and as always, a simply faboo show and tell from YOU, our spectacular membership!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy 4th everyone, talk soon, as ever, Catherine

Friday's meeting (June)

2011-06-14T13:54:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone!

If you're still working on your postcards for this month's swap (I know I am), here is a link to a postcard back.

Don't forget to wear your name tags to this month's meeting. There might even be a little something in it for you (as in a special drawing)!

We'll be enjoying the company of Susan and Christine of Swirly Girls Design on Friday night. I can't wait to see their beautiful quilts in person!

If you're interested in becoming a Special Interest Group leader, please let me (Cheryl) or another officer know, preferably before Friday. If you have an idea of where you'll have your first meeting, if there is a size limitation to your group, if it's a short project or ongoing, etc., we'll announce it at Friday's meeting to get you rolling. You can email us at RichmondMQG (at) gmail.com. If we have more than one volunteer for a particular group, we'll let you duke it out.

We'll have a few handouts at the meeting, too: a membership roster and membership cards!

Summer's here!

2011-06-01T08:09:00.004-05:00

The calendar may not say so, but the weather sure has! I don't know about you, but when the heat gets unbearable, I like to get into my nice, cool sewing room and do some piecing.

Have you been following our parent group, The Modern Quilt Guild? They have a challenge going on now with the theme organic. The judge is Pokey Bolton (from Quilting Arts TV and magazine) and some fabulous prizes. The deadline is June 30, so you still have time!

Our June meeting will be Friday, June 17th and will feature a trunk show and book signing by our very own Susan and Christine from Swirly Girls Design!

Have an idea for a demo you'd like to do? Email us!

How are your postcards coming?

YEAH for us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-05-22T12:00:00.003-05:00

Yet another simply faboo fun filled meeting of the RMQG!!!!!!!!! Guests, updates, new product info, demos, show and tell, loads o' ideas and inspiration and with Kay as our treasurer and Emily as our secretary, WOO-HOO, we're ready to officially rock and roll!!!!!! And while at market, Tiffany Sherman, the new owner of Quilter's Corner, found us a couple of options for our Sister City so now we can anticipate and start planning challenges, swaps, even a road trip between the two, WOW, great times ahead, be sure and pop in to experience what all the excitement is about!!!!!

As always, Pres to the Modern stars, Catherine

Friday, Friday ...

2011-05-17T10:30:00.002-05:00

Okay, I promise not to post any song lyrics. But I'm getting excited about Friday's meeting! It will be at Quilter's Corner at 6:00 pm. I sent out an email about the meeting this morning, so if you didn't get it, it means I probably misspelled your email address. Please contact me at RichmondMQG@gmail.com if you joined but didn't get the email.

So, I'll be talking about English Paper Piecing. Catherine will bring some samples for next month's postcard swap. And we'll have lots of show and tell by members!

If you know someone who would be interested in joining us, please bring them to the meeting. We're always open to new members!

Now I just have to remember to bring my camera this time...

May meeting

2011-05-11T08:03:00.002-05:00

The date for our May meeting is coming up! It will be Friday, May 20th at Quilter's Corner in Midlothian. We'll start gathering at about 6 pm, with the official meeting starting at about 6:30.

If you're new to our group, welcome! We'd love to have you join us!

What to bring? Well, there's always time for show and tell and snacks! And I will be doing a demo on English Paper Piecing. If you like to have a little hand work to do while watching TV, this is a great one. It's an old technique that can really be made modern with fabric choices. I'll have some supplies if you want to try it out, but if you would like to try it with your fabrics instead of mine, that's okay with me! We'll be using fabric (scraps are fine -- at least 2 inches square should do the trick), scissors, a hand needle and thread to match your fabric.

1st Official Swap!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-04-30T17:17:00.001-05:00

The first Official/or not so much ('cause that's the kinda' gals we are!!!!!) Richmond Modern Quilt Guild Swap
and the crowd roars, YIIIIIIPPPPPPEEEEEE!!!!!!!
So, for our very first swap, I wanted to kinda' ease into the whole thing and decided that Post Cards would fill the bill nicely and the rules (remember, we have NONE!) are uber simple so won't everyone get their creative feet wet and start our swaps on a high note and simply come and play along?????? Dimensions - 4" x 6", quantity - 6 would be simply lovely, techniques - any and all, mediums - any and all as well and I DO MEAN any, whether it be paper, fiber, metal, dimensional, transparent, hey, hows' 'bout fabric???? WOO-HOO bigtime, EVERYTHING and ALL THINGS are welcome, please prepare whatever you wish to share with the group and let's blow a few brain cells, otay???? Bring them with you to the June meeting in a plain brown wrapper, tutu funny, with your name on the parcel and I will collect and then redistribute them at the July meeting, how's that????? I will also get some samples to Cheryl to post on the blog and bring some in May just for a looks-see and please feel free to bring along some of your own for everyone to enjoy. I for one am super-duper excited and can't wait to have six treasured bits from my newest and most MOD pals, perhaps in the future we could work this concept into an auction, silent or not to help raise funds once we get an incredibly super instructor in our sights or to even help offset a simply fab road trip, oh my gawsh, the possibilities are endless.................. Can't wait to see you all in May,

your ever lovin' Pres., Catherine Etter

Our first swap

2011-04-26T08:09:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone! If you weren't able to come to the first meeting, or just needed a refresher on what we plan to do, here's some information about our first upcoming swap.

First, if you're unsure of how to make a fabric postcard, look here. The idea is to basically make a small, stiff quilt that could feasibly be mailed. One side would have the design, while the other has space for an address. Fast2fuse, Timtex, or Peltex are common materials that will add stiffness. Other than that, the sky is the limit! You can piece, applique, quilt, bead, add embellishments, paper, metal, anything you want. They can be simple or complex.

You should plan to make at least six postcards measuring 4 x 6 inches and have them ready by the June meeting. One way to make postcards quickly is to make a larger quilt sandwich and then cut it up into your 4 x 6 pieces. Catherine will gather them at the June meeting and then redistribute them in July.

Catherine will bring samples to the May meeting and I'll post some photos here on the blog soon. If you have some existing fabric postcards, bring them to the May meeting and we'll show them off to get the creative juices flowing!

Photos from our first meeting...

2011-04-21T17:09:00.006-05:00

Here are a few photos from our first meeting! Please send any additional ones to the guild web address and I'll post them!
I haven't forgotten about our upcoming challenge. More info on that to come!

Great meeting!

2011-04-17T18:17:00.004-05:00

The meeting Friday night was so much fun! It was great seeing so many people (nearly 50!) and sharing some ideas. If you took photos and don't mind them being posted, please send them to the email address (richmondmqg {at} gmail.com). I'll post them here!

I'll post more information about our first swap in a day or two after we get something succinct written up.

If you want to become a member and didn't get a chance to sign up on Friday, please let me know and I'll email you a membership form. You can mail payment to our PO Box.

If you didn't make it to the first meeting, be sure to attend our next one, which will be Friday, May 20th.

Getting excited!

2011-04-14T12:16:00.004-05:00

I hope you're as excited as we are about our first Richmond Modern Quilt Guild meeting that's going to happen tomorrow night (April 15th) at Quilter's Corner in Midlothian, VA! If you're not sure how to get there, QC is located in Sycamore Square on Midlothian Turnpike. It's about 2 miles east of 288 and about 3 miles west of Chesterfield Towne Center Mall. Click here for a map.

This meeting is open to the public. We'll discuss membership during this meeting and I'm super excited about Catherine Etter's beading demo!

Be sure to bring show and tell and invite your quilting and sewing friends! All are welcome!

Our first meeting!

2011-04-08T12:04:00.002-05:00

The first meeting of the Richmond Modern Quilt Guild is scheduled! We'll be meeting at Quilter's Corner in the Sycamore Square shopping center in Midlothian. We'll start at 6:00 and we will have refreshments available. This meeting is free, so bring your friends and show and tell! We'll have some great door prizes and Cathy Etter will be on hand to give a fabulous beading demo to get your inspirational juices flowing!

Welcome!

2011-04-07T13:20:00.004-05:00

Welcome to The Richmond Modern Quilt Guild! Our first meeting will be Friday, April 15 from 6:00 until 8:30 at Quilter's Corner in Midlothian, Virginia! Subsequent meetings will be every third Friday.

More information on how to become a charter member will be posted soon!