June meeting

Our June meeting was so fun and informative! Kristal Evens of dawnstitches came and gave a presentation about her trip to Bali. She showed lots of beautiful photos and brought different tools for us to check out. I think we all appreciated knowing about all of the labor involved in making batiks!

Now on to show and tell! First up is Alma with her adorable quilt

This is the back -- it's hard to see in this photo, but her grandson's picture is in the train engine!

 

And a matching pillowcase....

 

And two more quilts! She has been busy!

 

 Betty showed her wonderful flag quilt (just in time for the 4th of July)!

A nightgown, which I was disappointed she wouldn't just model for us, but you can't win them all...

 

And a fresh, modern pinwheel quilt

Here's the back of the pinwheel quilt. I love interesting quilt backings!

And look at all the applique on this tree skirt!

 

Last but certainly  not least is her submission from the Snip and Rip challenge. This adorable hippo!

Here is Cheryl's Mommy Poppins bag, a pattern by SewFearless.com. She was inspired by a post on the Badass Quilters Society blog.

Jackie is hiding behind this adorable quilt.

 

Okay, here she is, showing her completed Snip and Rip project!

 

Kelly made this cute sailboat quilt...

 

And a bag!

 

Check out Margaret's work! She has been busy....

 

This is made of leftovers from the Michael Miller Cotton Cotoure challenge. Don't you love the tiny gray square?

 

 

And this is a fantastic quilt in blues...

Phyllis made a quilt from the "Words" challenge. Everyone ended up with a long strip, but she made hers in to a quilt (her favorite colors, too).

Sue made this colorful crazy quilt...

 

... and another crazy quilt block in black and white. This one is embellished with machine stitches.

Susan is peeking over this strippy quilt.

 

Check out Theresa's lion!

... and bags!

 

Tracy showed her handiwork from her Michael Miller challenge...

 

 

I have a confession. I am not 100% sure who made this quilt because she is behind it! But I think it's Tracy again. I'm sorry if I'm wrong!

 Here is Trish's Snip and Rip.... nearly finished!

 

 

--- check out her big stitch hand quilting!

 

Finally, we have Truda's row quilt she completed as part of an online sew-along.

Wonderful show and tell, everyone!

Round robin!

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!

Summer's here!

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?