Saturday Sew Day

Saturday, May 18 was Sew Day at the library. There were plenty of pretty projects being worked on.

And also plenty of delicious food to eat. Marge brought cinnamon cheesecake bars, which were a big hit. You can find the easy recipe here.

Yanick brought her AccuCut die cutting machine and taught us how to make a braid with half hexagons.

Beth experimented with shaving cream fabric painting.

And Susan rigged her free motion quilting foot to work more efficiently.

There were plenty of little quilts for our charity project. The animals are going to love these.

A few of June's BOM were created. Our next Sew Day is Saturday, June 15, but there is talk of having an extra Sew Day each month. Stay tuned for details.

May 1, 2013 Meeting Minutes

MEETING MINUTES
MAY 1, 2013
10:00 AM TIL 12:00 NOON
SEWING STUDIO
MAITLAND, FLORIDA

26 Members and Guests in Attendance

I.       Meet and Greet

II.      Introduction of Guests

III.     Raffle Basket
Debra presented the items in the new basket.

It was won by Judy.

IV.    Orphan Block Project
Jodi reviewed the donation quilts to be inspired by the donated/traded orphan blocks.

The quilts are to be donated to Harbor House for the pets that come with the families seeking safe shelter. Please bring the pet quilts of any size to the June Meeting.

V.     Jacquie Gering Classes
Members are asked to vote (on facebook on the OMQG website) or by email by Friday (May 3) as to which two Jacquie Gering classes they would like to take on August 23 and 24.  Please vote only if you plan on attending. Seven different class options are listed on Jacquie's website.

Members who plan to attend Gering classes are expected to pay for the classes by the June 5th meeting as that will allow the OMQG to open the classes to other guilds if there are any remaining openings. The cost per each one day class is $40.00 for members and $60.00 per class for non-members. There is a maximum of 20 people per class and the classes will be held at Wandering Stitches.

VI.    Budget
Treasurer, Michele, reviewed the OMQG Budget with membership.

VIII.  MQG Questions
There was general discussion about the upcoming decision to be made about whether or not to officially join the Modern Quilt Guild "mothership."

IX.    BOM
The May blocks were won by Zonetta.

Alejandrina and Debra introduced the June Block of the Month which was suggested by Debra. Instructions are posted online.

X.     Survey Results
Secretary, Kathryn, reviewed the trends found in the March Membership Survey. Challenges and Classes were the favorite guild activities listed followed by Meetings and Sew Days. The most commonly stated interest was the desire to learn or improve machine quilting skills.  Another items which generated discussion was that in answer to "What other suggestions do you have to make the OMQG work best for members" a number of people indicated they wanted activities that would make it easier to get to know other members better. Beth welcomed any suggested to help achieve this and she asked members to make name badges that would more prominently display their names.

XI.  To Boston With Love and Quilts for Boston
There is a short turn around time if you are interested in participating in either of these projects.  There is info posted on the OMQG website.  Contact Beth to make arrangements for pick up or delivery of completed items.

XI.    Demo
Yanick presented the monthly demo on how to make a braided quilt section as well as on several other similar techniques. She will repeat the demo at Sew Day (May 18) so that attendees can try out the techniques after the demo.

XII.   Show and Tell

XIII.  Wish I Had Made That was won by Guest, Christine.

June 2013 Block of the Month

This ultra-easy block comes to us thanks to Debra Jalbert. Here is her version:

Cheerful and fresh, no?

Here is my version and how I put it together. First, select a white or black background. The block will be 12 1/2 inches but it's safer to start with a larger piece so you can be sure there is enough background around the color pieces.

Next, pick the smallest bits from your scrap heap in bright colors, cut them (NO RULER!) into rough squares or rectangles:

You want to cut between 2 and 4 squares out of the same material. Group them loosely until you like the arrangement:

Before sewing, I pinned them all to the background so the arrangement was preserved:

Make sure there is an inch or more of background all around before heading to the sewing machine, where you will just sew them around the edges:

I sewed about 1/8 inch from the edge with a neutral thread and a 1.5 mm length, but I'm not sure anyone will notice... When you are done, square to 12 1/2 inches. That's it.

Debra's pieces are an inch or less around and her version is less structured than mine...It all fits together so do whatever feels good to you. Also, the quilt would be more interesting if some blocks had more background  (say 2 inches or even 3 inches) all around. This means putting less squares on the block.

Remember, if you have an idea for a block, or you've seen an interesting one on the web or a magazine or whatever, please let us know!!!

Tuesday's Tips and Tricks: Tutorials to Help

Let's talk tutorials.  Did you know the OrlandoMQG has a Pinterest board full of links to tutorials?!  If you aren't already following us on Pinterest be sure to click here to see our boards and to follow.

Here are a few recent tutorials that have peeked my interest:

HappySewLucky's Love flag tutorial
Happy Sew Lucky's Peace Hexie pattern
This post on the VancouverMQG's website has links to two free pattern downloads as well as links to other heart related tutorials.

Quilters are generous by nature and the online quilting community doesn't hesitate to answer a call for help.  Right now I am aware of two projects currently asking for help from quilters for Bostonians.  Below is some information with links if you'd like to contribute your quilty skills.

First is the "To Boston With Love" effort spearheaded by the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild to collect flags to string in a public exhibit to show feelings of love, peace and healing.  Please note the deadline of the flags to be received in Boston has been moved up to May 21st.  More information about the date change can be found on Amy's blog.



Second is the "Quilts for Boston" campaign organized by the BostonMQG to collect quilt blocks for assembling into quilts for those in need of comfort.   They are requesting blocks 12.5" tall and any width (similar to the QuiltCon block challenge) in the colors of blue, yellow, gray and white.  The deadline for the receipt of these blocks is May 24th.

All information regarding these two projects can be found in the links referenced above.  Additionally, there are Flickr groups already overflowing with pictures of flags and blocks made for inspiration.

What Happens at Sew Day...

Our monthly Saturday Sew Day was tons of fun. We met at our usual haunt, the Dr. Phillips library community room. The room is gigantic and offers great lighting, design walls, tables and chairs. There's even room to dance if you feel like dancing.

There's always a dessert table to sustain us through the day.

Okay, we sometimes eat healthy stuff too. Everyone brings something to share and we nibble all day long.

There was plenty of quilting progress being made. Quilting quilts, various charity projects, curved piecing, hand applique, collaborative projects, and much more. It's fun to see what everyone is working on and to get advice and helpful tips from members.

Beth brought her rescued bird and everyone took turns feeding him/her every hour or so. Birdy happily chirped along with the sewing machines and napped in its coffee mug home. Later in the day, the bird was rescued again by animal control who will transport it to a refuge.

And here's a sneak peak at our June Block of the Month, which promises to be fun and scrappy. Stay tuned...

Our next Sew Day is Saturday, May 18 at the Dr. Phillips Library from 10 am to 4:45 pm. Hope to see you there!