Orlando Modern Quilt Guild

March 7th, 2012 Meeting Minutes

2012-03-09T21:07:00.001-05:00

March 7th, 2012
Maitland, Florida
10 A.M. - 12 Noon

Present at the meeting- 20 members and 4 visitors

I. Meet and Greet

This is a noisy, happy time for everyone to catch up before the meeting begins.

II. Membership Renewal

Our year starts again every March. 16 of the attendees renewed their dues with another 4 to mail in their payments.

III. Block of the Month

The March Blocks of the Month were won by Ede.

Beth and Rene show a sample of the April Blocks. They are a modern take on the churn dash which can be completed with patterned fabric on the main block pieces or alternately on the background. See Rene's tutorial for details.

IV. Thanks to Officers

Officers were surprised with thank you gifts for their service to the guild.

V. Raffle Basket

Lisa won the raffle basket. $29. was raised with the March raffle basket. Since starting last August, the Sew Day Demos and the Raffle Baskets have contributed $303. to our education fund.

VI. Upcoming Events
Alejandrina announced the upcoming class with Valerie Goodwin on May 9th at the Dr. Phillips Library (officially the Southwest Branch of the Orange County Library System).

Alejandrina also announced a field trip to The Quilt Place in Rockledge on April 28th.

Our next Sew Day is March 17th at the Southwest Library from 10 a.m. until 4:45 p.m.

VII. MQG Block Challenge
The Modern Quilt Guild (or The Mothership as I have heard Rene say) has announced the first Modern Quilt Guild conference in Austin, Texas from February 21-24, 2013. For more info on this please see the QuiltCon website.

The Modern Quilt Guild and QuiltCon have introduced the QuiltCon Block Challenge. The challenge is to make a quilt block with the colors of the QuiltCon Logo and to design it in such a way that it reflects what modern quilting means to you.

VIII. Charity Quilts

Jodi is our Charity Quilts Leader. If you have proposals to make about charity projects please make them to Jodi who will present them to the OMQG board members.

OMQG has decided to create a quilt as a fund raiser for a local non-profit, The Comraderie Foundation.
They provide support for re-deployed or deployed personal and their families from all branches of the military. Members can choose to make an 8.5 inch unfinished sampler block or a chevron block. See Jodi's tutorial for making Chevron Blocks. Interested members are to bring their completed blocks to the April meeting.

IX. Show and Tell

X. Lunch Trip
About a dozen people attended lunch after the meeting at Bahama Breeze.

Jodi's Chevron Block Tutorial

2012-03-09T08:38:00.000-05:00

Chevron Block tutorial

Start with four 5 inch blocks – two white (or light colored) blocks and two that are red or blue.

Place one white block and one red or blue block (I am using the red block in this example) right sides together. Then draw a diagonal line on each block.

Next stitch a scant ¼ inch seam on both sides of the line. Do this for both sets.

Then cut the block in half on the line between the two seams.

Now press each block open and trim to 4 ½ inches. (Please excuse the switch in fabrics in the next pictures.)

Now layout your blocks like the photo below and sew the horizontal pairs together using a scant ¼ inch seam allowance.

Press seams to the side with one seam going to the left and one seam to the right. Pressing your seams in opposite directions makes for less bulk in the next step.

Sew the two rectangles together, matching up the center seams. Press seams to one side. Your block is now finished and should measure 8 ½ square inches.

April 2012 Block of the Month

2012-03-07T08:39:00.000-05:00

When making this month's block you get two for the price of one! Monica aka Happy Zombie put a new twist on the churn dash block and gives instructions for what she calls her Funky Wrench Nuts and Bolts.

Nuts block

The block Monica makes in her tutorial is for a 6" block, but if you scroll to the bottom of the tutorial, you will find information to make the block in other sizes. For our BOM (which is for a 12.5" unfinished block), use the 12" block measurements shown in blue.

Bolts block

Leave a comment here or send an email if you have any questions on making this block. Certain steps in the tutorial are presumed, such as making half square triangles with your 4 7/8" squares and piecing the 2 1/2" squares before sewing to the rectangles, so I am happy to help answer any questions.

Remember our block finishes at 12" so make sure you follow those directions! Bring your block(s) to the April meeting for the OMQG block lotto!

Many Thanks!

2012-02-29T16:27:00.001-05:00

The Orlando chapter of the Modern Quilt Guild would not exist without the perseverance and hard work of the founding member, Rene Martinez. She has served as our guild president for two years and as she transfers her leadership role to the next president we want to take this moment to acknowledge Rene.

You know that Rene is ready to share the responsibilities when you see that her OMQG cubby is nearly empty. Many many thanks to you, Rene!

February 2012, Sew Day Sew fun

2012-02-26T16:55:00.000-05:00

As usual we were busy quilting, eating and talking. And we talked about everything under the sun. What a great time. I am sew glad I was there! (Sorry for being sew corny.)

QuiltCon

2012-02-26T14:43:00.000-05:00

The Modern Quilt Guild was founded in Los Angeles in October 2009. Through blogs and the Internet, word spread quickly and in less than three years, modern quilt guilds can be found all over the world. There are over 1,000 members and 100 guilds worldwide.

Our guild, the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild (OMQG) was founded in March of 2010 by Rene' and has over 25 members. We enjoy monthly meetings, member demonstrations, show-and-tell, BOMs, challenges, monthly Sew Days, field trips, workshops, trunk shows, fabric shop discounts, and also participate in community charity projects. All levels of quilters are welcome and we enjoy the camaraderie and talent our members are so willing to share.

The Modern Quilt Guild, which Rene' affectionately calls "the mother ship" has announced its inaugural conference and show, QuiltCon, being held February 21-25, 2013 in Austin, Texas. QuiltCon will be the first modern quilt show and conference of its kind. There will be a juried quilt show (with cash prizes), vendors, lectures and workshops from top modern quilters, including Denyse Schmidt, Anna Maria Horner, Elizabeth Hartman, Malka Dubrowsky, Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr.

Conference registration opens August 30, 2012. For more information and updates, sign up for the Modern Quilt Guild's newsletter.

February Sew Day

2012-02-22T10:18:00.002-05:00

Saturday, February 25th is our next Sew Day. We will meet at the Dr. Phillips/Southwest Branch of the Orlando Public Library from 10am to 4:45pm. Beth will give a paper-piecing demonstration; bring coordinating fabric scraps if you are interested in participating.

If you've never been to an OMQG event, Sew Day is a great way to start. Bring your sewing machine and sewing projects and join us in a great big room for an afternoon of sewing. It is a great time to make some headway into that long list of projects that you have and get to know the members of the OMQG. As always, your first meeting is free.

It is helpful to leave a comment if you plan to attend and what shared item (extension cord, cutting mat, food, iron, ironing board, etc.) you will bring.

February 1, 2012 Meeting Minutes

2012-02-02T11:00:00.001-05:00

Orlando Modern Quilt Guild Meeting

February 1, 2012

10 AM to 12 Noon

Sewing Studio in Maitland, Florida

I. Sign in, Meet and Greet

22 members and guests were in attendance.

II. Build Basket Raffle

The winner was Alejandrina.

III. Blocks of the Month

Terry won the spool blocks.

Rene presented the March string Block of the Month for which directions are posted on the OMQG website. The color scheme is spring colors on a white background.

IV. Parade of Priority: Alzheimer's Quilts Made for Crayon Challenge

Members made 15 quilts to donate to AAQI. The colors used were based on two crayon colors selected by each quilter in a blind drawing at an earlier meeting.

V. Other Guild Business

New Officers effective March 2012

President: Beth

Vice President: LInda

Secretary: Kathryn

Treasurer: Michele

Program Coordinator: Alejandrina

Charity Chair: Jodi

Information to Share: "Faces of Color", portraits by 19 national artists, will be held at Mary Mcleod Bethune Performing Arts Center from February 3 - March 30, 2012. 6 or 7 of the artists work in fabric. The curator is quilter, Juanita Yeager. Opening reception is Feb. 3 from 6 to 8 pm.

Beth has initiated after meeting lunches. 8 attended the Feb. 1st lunch.

VI. Show and Tell

March 2012 Block of the Month

2012-02-01T22:47:00.002-05:00

March's block is a 12.5" string block to finish at 12" square. Use white for the background fabric and bright, cheery fabrics for the strings. Following is a brief rundown on how I made the sample block. More detailed instructions can be found on Leigh's blog for making the string X block.

This is basically a four patch block. For each section, you will need a bunch of strips and a 4" square of white fabric. My strips varied in width between 1.5 and 2.5 inches wide and were 5 to 6 inches long. Sew the strips together into one long strip until it is about 11 inches long.

Press and trim the long strip to 4.5" wide and 9.25" long.

For one 12.5" block, you will need four 4" squares of white fabric.

For each section, cut your 4" square in half diagonally.

Find the center of the long strip by folding it in half and either marking with a pin or by creasing. Center a triangle on either side of the long strip and sew right sides together. It should look like this.

Press open the white triangles to the side. Your block should now look like this.

Trim your block to a 6.5" square.

Repeat three more times until you have four 6.5" square blocks.

Sew your blocks together carefully matching the corners where the strip meets the background fabric.

You can sew your blocks using the X block layout shown above or the O block layout shown below.

Have fun! Be sure to bring your block(s) to the March guild meeting.

February 2012 Meeting

2012-01-29T09:28:00.000-05:00

Our next guild meeting is Wednesday, February 1st at The Sewing Studio in Maitland from 10am-12pm. Bring your February blocks for the BOM drawing. Rene' will be collecting the Priority: Alzheimer's quilts made for our AAQI Crayon Challenge. If you haven't made one yet, it's not too late to get started! See this post or go here for more information. Also, don't forget to bring money for the quilt basket raffle and items for Show and Tell. See you Wednesday!

Workshop on Saturday

2012-01-19T09:07:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder, that Saturday is the Mary Sorensen workshop for registered members. An email has gone out with specific directions to the Windermere Library. It would be helpful to leave a comment with any food item you plan to share.

Please also leave a comment if you did not receive the email or have further questions. See you Saturday!

February 2012 Block of the Month

2012-01-07T10:30:00.000-05:00

February's Block of the Month is once again a 12.5" square to finish at 12". This block is a simple yet bold block named Spool, and an example can be found in the book Modern Blocks.

For our purposes, the background should be a dark gray, black, navy or other fabric that reads as such, and a solid white fabric used for the thin strips. Good choices for the center square (thread) fabric include large-scale modern fabrics, graphic prints, or tone-on-tone textured type fabrics.

Two different examples have been shown here. Have fun making these blocks, and let me know if you have any questions. Bring your block(s) to February's meeting for an opportunity to win them all!

January 4, 2012 Meeting Minutes

2012-01-06T16:06:00.003-05:00

Meeting Minutes

January 4, 2012

Sewing Studio

Maitland, Florida

10 AM til 12 Noon

I. Sign In, Meet and Greet

There were 17 attendees at the January meeting.

II. Guild Basket Raffle

As the December Basket Raffle winner, Rene provided the Basket full of goodies for the January Raffle. It was won by Kathryn, who will provide the February basket. The purpose of the Raffle Baskets is to raise additional funds for guild programs and workshops.

III. Block of the Month

The January Blocks in Blue, Green and Blue Green were won by Alejandrina who promptly withdrew her name. The second drawing resulted in Judy winning the blocks.

Rene announced the block for February. It will be a 12 1/2 inch block unfinished in a color combination of grey, navy or black with white. A sample block will be posted on the website.

IV. Flickr Demo

Jodi gave a very detailed and useful demo on Flickr. She talked about the pros and the cons, how to get started, how to add your photos to groups, how to find the OMQG flickr group as well as showed how quilters are collaborating and inspiring others through the use of Flickr. Some of the Flickr groups for quilters that she shared included Quilting Bee Blocks and Fresh Modern Quilts. We also had a brief introduction to Pinterest.

V. Mary Sorensen Workshop

The workshop will be held at the Windermere Library on January 21. You can arrive as early at 10 am to get set up. The workshop begins at 10:30. If you have not signed up yet, there are a few slots left, so contact Alejandrina for information and Michele for arranging for payment.

VII. Other Guild Business

AAQI - The next OMQG challenge is to make and bring your Alzheimer's donation quilt to the February meeting. Part of the challenge is to use the colors of the two crayons drawn by each participant at an earlier meeting. The maximum donation quilt size is 9 by 12 inches. For more information on donation quilt requirements and sleeve suggestions visit the Donation Quilts page of AAQI site.

Elections - Our guild's year starts in March, so elections will be held in February for President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. If you have an interest in or questions about a leadership position please phone or send Rene an email no later than January 11th.

VII. Show and Tell

January Guild Meeting

2011-12-29T18:06:00.000-05:00

Our next guild meeting is Wednesday, January 4th at The Sewing Studio in Maitland from 10am-12pm. We will have a drawing for the January Blocks; Jodi will lead a discussion on Flickr; pick up your copy of our Member Directory. Also, don't forget to bring money for the quilt basket raffle and items for Show and Tell. Contact Rene' if you are interested in serving in a leadership role when our third year begins in March. This post has information on roles and duties. See you Wednesday!

December Sew Day

2011-12-18T22:11:00.002-05:00

The December Sew Day was extra special as we used it to celebrate the holiday season. The food was better than ever. To take a peek at a sampling of the wonderful food you missed check out Michele's blog.

Some of the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild members participated in a blind exchange of handmade gifts.

Some of the time we sewed (in between eating and chatting) and some of the time we watched a great film, Stitched, the Film, and much of the time we multi-tasked and did several things at once.

Beth and Michele won door prizes.

It really was a wonderful day of friends, food, and laughter.

December 2011 donation

2011-12-14T08:49:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday, 12/13/2011, four of our members went to the Orlando Veterans' Nursing Care Center to donate quilts for our annual charity event.
Donna, Linda, Leslie and Beth took 27 handmade quilts and 3 crocheted blankets to the center, and passed them out to resident veterans. The quilts were well received, and "made the day" for a number of the residents.
It was a wonderful feeling to do this for our vets, and I will remember it for a long time.

January Sew Day

2011-12-14T08:35:00.000-05:00

Saturday, December 17 is our Holiday Sew Day!!!! We will meet at the Dr. Phillips/Southwest Branch of the Orlando Public Library from 10am to 4:45pm. In addition to the usual working on our projects, we will show the DVD Stitched The Film, Behind Every Stitch, there's a Story. If you would like to participate in a gift exchange bring a small item you have made (such as a zipper case, mug rug, etc.) wrapped so no one knows what's inside.

It is helpful to leave a comment if you plan to attend and what shared item (extension cord, cutting mat, food, iron, ironing board, etc.) you will bring. Sure hope to see you at this holiday-themed Sew Day!!!!

January Block of the Month

2011-12-13T08:14:00.000-05:00

This month's block is a chance to make a 12.5" block (to finish at 12") of your choice in the analogous colors of green, green-blue, blue.

In Color Order has an informative post on the topic of choosing fabrics in analogous color schemes.

Bring your block(s) to the January 4th guild meeting for a chance to win all the blocks!

Meeting Minutes, December 7, 2011

2011-12-08T21:27:00.002-05:00

Orlando Modern Quilt Guild
Meeting Minutes
December 7, 2011 from 10 am - 12 Noon
Sewing Studio, Maitland, Florida

There were 12 people in attendance.

I. Welcome and Meet and Greet

II. Guild Raffle Basket
The raffle tickets are sold to benefit our Education Fund. The basket for December was donated by Michelle and won by Rene.

III. BOM
The Block of the Month for January is quilter's choice. Make any 12.5 unfinished block in the analogous color scheme of blue, blue green, and green. For more info on the use of analogous colors see: In Color Order

The December Blocks of the Month were won by Linda.

IV. Flickr Discussion

Jodi's discussion on Flickr has been postponed until January due to a lack of a viewing screen.

V. Charity Quilts

Beth updated the group on the charity quilts (many were shared at the December meeting) which will be delivered to a local VA Nursing Home on December 13. Any remaining "female" quilts, will be donated to several residents without families at a Winter Park nursing home.

VI. Other Guild Business

Sorensen Workshop-16 people are signed up for Mary Sorensen's January 21st Sew Day workshop. The SouthWest Branch Library (of the Orange County Library System) is not available for our use on that day due to the Supervisor of Election's need to use the meeting room. The Windermere Library may be the new location for the workshop; more information should be available soon.
December 17th is the next Sew Day-Members are encouraged to bring special dishes to share as this is our Holiday Sew Day. Provided a screen is available we will have a showing of the DVD, Stitched The Film, Behind Every Stitch, there's a Story. Please still bring your sewing machines and projects to work on. If you would like to participate in a gift exchange bring a small item you have made (such as a zipper case, mug rug, etc.) in a brown paper bag.
We had a useful discussion about pre-washing fabrics to avoid colors running on completed quilts.
We shared our farewells with Heather as it was her last MQG meeting in Florida
February Guild Challenge-Members who would like to participate in the February challenge are to make quilts of any type no larger than 9 x 12 to donate to AAQI. It is preferable to use fast finish triangles in all four corners of the back of these donation quilts.

Example of an AAQI Quilt

VII. Show and Tell

A sampling of the Show and Tell items shared:

December Guild Meeting

2011-12-03T20:04:00.001-05:00

Our next guild meeting is Wednesday, December 7th at The Sewing Studio in Maitland from 10am-12pm. We will have a drawing for the December Blocks. Also, don't forget to bring money for the quilt basket raffle, charity quilts for the Orlando VA Community Living Center and items for Show and Tell. See you Wednesday!

November 19, 2011 Sew Day

2011-11-21T00:21:00.000-05:00

Sew day kicked off with a demo by Kathryn on printing on fabric.

We had a good size group and the room was humming with conversation.

Members shared their experience and knowledge.

Some worked on donation quilts while others worked on individual projects.

It was Heather's last sew day before she moves out of state. We will miss her greatly.

December Sew Day

2011-11-16T08:36:00.001-05:00

Don't forget this Saturday, November 19th is Sew Day! As usual, we will meet at the Dr. Phillips/Southwest Branch of the Orlando Public Library from 10am to 4:45pm.

You know the drill: Leave a comment if you plan to attend and what shared item (extension cord, cutting mat, food, iron, ironing board, etc.) you will bring. Hope you can make it as Sew Day is always a great day!

December Block of the Month

2011-11-09T09:50:00.001-05:00

December's Block of the Month is called Scot's Plaid and comes from the book 501 Rotary-Cut Quilt Blocks. The size of the block when pieced should be 8.5" square to finish at 8" square. Colors for this block are to be warm, earthy tones with a neutral fabric for the large corner piece.

I made two sample blocks in two different warm color schemes.

Jelly rolls work great with this block as, besides the one neutral piece, all other pieces are 2.5" wide. For one block, you will need one 4.5" square of a neutral fabric, two strips 2.5"x4.5" of a medium fabric, one 2.5" square of a dark fabric, two strips 2.5"x6.5" of a light fabric, and one 2.5" square of a medium or dark fabric. Remember to use warm, earthy tones.

Sew one 2.5"x4.5" strip to one side of the 4.5" square, and press towards the strip; sew the other 2.5"x4.5" strip to the dark 2.5" square, and press towards the strip; trim if necessary and sew these two sections together as shown above matching seams.

Sew one 2.5"x6.5" strip to the other 2.5" square, and press towards the square.

Sew the other 2.5"x6.5" strip to the top of the block in progress as shown above; press towards the block.

Sew the pieced 2.5"x6.5" strip and 2.5"square to the right side of the block as shown above, matching seams. Trim to 8.5", if necessary.

Stand back and admire your beautiful block! Repeat all steps as many times as you please to improve your chances of winning all the blocks ;-)

Let me know if you have any questions on assembling this block.

OMQG Meeting of November 2, 2011

2011-11-03T15:33:00.000-04:00

Guild Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
10 am - 12 noon
The Sewing Studio in Maitland, Florida

I. Sign in: meet and greet.
17 members and 2 guests were in attendance.

II. Guild Basket Raffle

Donna, who won the October gift basket, shows three Molas from which the winner of the November basket may select one.

Michele demonstrates the mola she selected as winner of the October basket. $40.00 was earned for the guild's educational fund from the gift basket raffle tickets.

III. November Block of the Month

Beth won the November BOMs and promptly donated them to Rene.

December Block of the Month

Rene announced the December BOM. The color theme is neutral background with warm earthly colors. The unfinished blocks are 8.5 by 8.5 inches. She said that 2.5 inch jelly rolls work well with this block design for which directions will be posted on the OMQG website.

IV. Holiday Charity Project

Beth updated guild members on the holiday charity project. The VA nursing home prefers that quilts be 50 by 60 inches, and lap and wheel chair size quilts are also welcome. These quilts are to be turned in at the December meeting.

V. Mary Sorensen Workshop

Alejandrina gave details for the Mary Sorensen needle turn workshop which will be held in place of our January Sew Day. The location is the Dr. Philips location (SouthWest Library) of the Orange County Library System on January 21. The workshop begins at 10:30 and please arrive by 10:00 for room set up. The workshop is limited to 20 people. Interested meeting attendees signed up and paid ($25.00) for the workshop. Paying guild members have first priority and if there are any places left over, the workshop will be opened up to non-members for a $50.00 fee. If you are interested and have not yet signed up please contact Alejandrina.

VI. Other Guild Business

Guild Directory-Rene presented a copy to each meeting attendee of the guild directory listing the name, photo, and contact info for each member. If anyone would like to change the picture that is used in the directory please email a photo to Rene.

December Sew Day-The food of the December Sew day should be more winter/holiday themed and we will show the movie, "Stitched, the film." Rene will check with the library to make sure there is the needed equipment for showing the DVD. We will also have a swap for anyone who is interested. Bring a small item you have made, such as a pin cushion, mug rug, zipper pouch, or pot holder, just for a few examples, in a brown paper bag to exchange.

February AAQI Challenge

The guild challenge for February is for participants to make an Alzheimers Art Quilt Initiative donation quilt. "Rules" related to size, sleeving methods, etc. were distributed to meeting attendees. For additional information feel free to contact Rene, our AAQI goddess.

Door Prize: Pretty in Patchwork Doll Quilts, Lark Books.

The door prize was won by Kathryn.

VIII. Show and Tell

November Guild Meeting

2011-10-31T12:07:00.003-04:00

Our next guild meeting is Wednesday, November 2nd at The Sewing Studio in Maitland from 10am-12pm. We will have a drawing for the November Blocks of the Month (rose blocks). Also, don't forget to bring money for the quilt basket raffle and items for Show and Tell. See you Wednesday!

October Sew Day

2011-10-24T00:07:00.001-04:00

Another Sew Day with fabulous friends and food...

...and many projects in the works...

...all under the watchful eye of our mascot for the day, The Wonderful Lizard of Oz by artist Elaine LeCours.

October Sew Day

2011-10-19T14:28:00.002-04:00

Don't forget this Saturday, October 22nd is Sew Day! As usual, we will meet at the Dr. Phillips/Southwest Branch of the Orlando Public Library from 10am to 4:45pm.

Modern Quilt Guild News

2011-10-16T17:14:00.000-04:00

As you know, the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild is a branch of the Modern Quilt Guild. Well, the MQG has been busy planning quite a few future events. Here's a brief rundown of the latest:

Check out this survey the Modern Quilt Guild has compiled to learn more about ALL modern quilters. As members of a modern quilt guild, it is important to share YOUR thoughts and input. The survey only takes a few minutes. Based on the questions asked, I believe the MQG has some exciting plans in the works!

The Modern Quilt Guild is organizing a quilt exhibit at the Fall Market 2012! This link has more information regarding the registration of quilts. Start thinking of what quilt you'd like to enter (or what quilt you will make); the deadline for entries is March 2nd, 2012.

Beginning in January, the Modern Quilt Guild will present 100 Days of Modern Quilting on their website featuring modern quilts and tutorials.

November Block of the Month

2011-10-06T00:00:00.000-04:00

November's Block of the Month is the liberated rose. Blocks should measure 9.5" square unfinished.

Use at least three different fabrics in similar shades for the rose petals (which do not have to be red) and green fabrics for the leaves.

I highly recommend you check out this post from Sophie Junction which not only gives clear instructions for constructing the block, but also provides tips on making your rose look like a rose.

Bring your block(s) to the November 2th guild meeting for a chance to take home all the blocks!

Meeting Minutes, October 5, 2011

2011-10-05T16:55:00.000-04:00

AGENDA

October 5, 2011

10:00 - 12 Noon

Sewing Studio

Maitland, Florida

I. Meet and Greet.

There were 18 attendees for today's meeting including three guests.

II. Jay McCarroll Habitat Challenge

The challenge yielded numerous fun and modern blocks. We plan to use these blocks to make a charity quilt. Beth has volunteered to assemble the blocks and finish the quilt. Members also used the fabric to make other items. Pictures are below in Show & Tell. Thank you to FreeSpirit Fabrics for donating this fabric to the Modern Quilt Guilds.

III. Guild Basket

The basket was won by Donna Croff. Raffle ticket sales from the monthly guild basket total $98 as of October. This money will be earmarked for our education/workshop fund. Our Sew Day demos have netted $74 toward the fund.

IV. Charity Projects

Our December charity, The Orlando Community VA Center has requested 50" x 60" quilts. Other project ideas include: wheelchair quilts, lap quilts and walker bags. Plan to have your projects completed by the December 7 meeting. We will visit the center in December to present our goodies.

The Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI) is always accepting 9" x 12" or smaller quilts for their organization. Several of our members make quilts for this charity. Rene' has volunteered to register quilts for us so all we have to do is make little quilts. We would like to challenge everyone to make a quilt (or three!) and have a batch of quilts to send in February.

V. October BOM Lotto

Jodi won the colorful house blocks this month.

VI. Workshops

We have tentatively scheduled an applique workshop with Mary Sorensen for Saturday, January 21, 2012 from 10 am to 4:45 pm. The workshop will be held at our Sew Day location at the southwest branch (Dr. Phillips) library. Workshop cost and materials list will be available soon. At least 12 members expressed interest in the workshop at today's meeting. Beth is also looking into a workshop with 2010-11 OMQG member Marga Korioth. Marga uses dyes, paints and recycled materials to create beautiful wearable art and quilts.

VII. Flickr 3x6 Sampler Quilt Mini Bee

Jodi (aka Queen Bee) provided information and inspiration for her 3x6 Sampler Quilt Mini Bee on Flickr. Four times a year, the hive members make six 12-inch quilt blocks for their hive partners in their colors. Jodi has made and received beautiful blocks in the bee and invited all OMQG members to join in the fun. For more information, click on the link above. Heather joined the swap last quarter and had a blast.

VIII. Other Guild Business

Cabin Fever Quilt Guild will show the documentary film "Stitched" at its January 2012 meeting (time and place to be determined). If you are interested in seeing this film, leave a comment on this post and we'll send you the e-mail address for RSVPs.
Upcoming meeting presentations: November: Color Theory by Heather; December: Flickr by Jodi. If you have something to share with the group, please volunteer.
Sew Day Demos: To be determined. Volunteers are also needed for short demonstrations. Our next Sew Day is Saturday, October 22 from 10 am to 4:45 pm at the Dr. Phillips library.
November's Block of the Month will be a scrappy flower blossom. A link to a tutorial will be on our sidebar.

VIX. Show & Tell

October Guild Meeting

2011-09-29T19:13:00.002-04:00

Our next guild meeting is Wednesday, October 5th at The Sewing Studio in Maitland from 10am-12pm. We will have a drawing for the October Blocks of the Month (house blocks). If you received the Jay McCarroll Habitat fabric, bring your completed 10.5" charity block and any bonus project(s) made with the donated fabric. Also, don't forget to bring money for the quilt basket raffle and items for Show and Tell. See you soon!

September Sew Day

2011-09-27T14:02:00.001-04:00

At our last sew day, Beth gave us a demo of a time saving technique.

As usual there was plenty of food and conversation, which may explain why I had a great time, but did not get much sewing done.

I think everyone else did a better job at talking and sewing as evidenced by all their lovely work.

Sew News Giveaway!

2011-09-23T17:10:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone,
I'm so prleased to announce an appearance in the Sew News magazine blog! They are hosting a giveaway of the La Todera Kafflower Pattern here:

Just leave a comment to enter the drawing. Actually, they give away stuff every Friday, so don't forget to bookmark the Sew News site!

September Sew Day

2011-09-20T20:19:00.004-04:00

Don't forget this Saturday, September 24th is Sew Day! As usual, we will meet at the Dr. Phillips/Southwest Branch of the Orlando Public Library from 10am to 4:45pm. Beth will present a demonstration on making HSTs so bring 5" squares of fabric if you'd like to participate.

October Block of the Month

2011-09-10T15:35:00.002-04:00

October's block of the month is a 12.5" by 12.5" unfinished house block using a white/neutral fabric for the background and bright modern fabrics for the house.

The tutorial I used for the above sample block is from Quilt Story and can be found here: http://quiltstory.blogspot.com/2011/07/house-blocks.html, but feel free to use another pattern or method. Bring your block(s) to the October guild meeting for a chance to own all the October blocks made.

- Posted using BlogPress from Rene's iPad

Minutes of the Meeting on Sept. 7, 2011

2011-09-08T00:15:00.000-04:00

AGENDA

September 7, 2011

10:00 -12:00 Noon

Sewing Studio

Maitland, Florida

I. Sign in, Meet and Greet.

There were at least 19 members in attendance.

II. The Guild Raffle Basket was won by Terry.

III. BOM

Everyone had the chance to show off their September blocks of the month before the drawing. They were won by Jodi.

IV. September mini quilt swap.

The following photos show the receiver in the swap holding the mini quilt while standing next to the quilt maker.

V. Other Guild Business

Habitat Challenge blocks are due Wednesday, October 5, 2011. Rene showed several challenge blocks that were turned in early.

Charity Project. We would like to have the lap size quilts, wheel chair size quilts and other projects for men and women to be donated at a local VA nursing home by the November Meeting.
Rene announced the little houses block of the month for the October meeting. She will post a link to one set of optional instructions. The blocks should be 12 1/2 inches unfinished and should have a white/neutral background.
Rene is our guild's contact person for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (www.alzquilts.org). She gave general instructions on how you can register your donation quilts and she has offered to accept donation quilts once a month from members to register them for anyone who does not want to go through the online registration process.
Mary Sorenson will provide a full day needle turn applique workshop on January 21, 2012. More info will be forthcoming.
Stitched: The Film, a documentary (http://www.stitchedfilm.com/) following three quilters preparing for the International Quilt Festival is going to be shown in Orlando in October. When we learn of an additional information we will share it with OMQG members.
Rene gave tips on using the OMQG flicker sit at www.flickr.com/groups/omqg/.

VI. Show and Tell

September Guild Meeting

2011-09-04T10:09:00.001-04:00

Wednesday, September 7 is our guild meeting at The Sewing Studio in Maitland from 10am-12pm. We will have a drawing for the September Blocks of the Month. If you'd like to participate in the mini quilt swap, bring in a 9"x12" or smaller quilt wrapped in a brown bag for swapping. Also, don't forget to bring money for the quilt basket raffle and items for Show and Tell. See you soon!

- Posted using BlogPress from Rene's iPad

Sew Day, August 20th, 2011

2011-08-21T18:39:00.000-04:00

We had a good turn out for the August Sew Day.

There was a feeding frenzy over donated fabric.

As usual there was an abundance of food, chatter and laughter. Everyone had projects to work on. Some worked busily while ...

...some took a very relaxed approach to the day. :)

August Sew Day

2011-08-17T10:25:00.000-04:00

Don't forget this Saturday, August 20th is Sew Day! As usual, we will meet at the Dr. Phillips/Southwest Branch of the Orlando Public Library from 10am to 4:45pm.

September Block of the Month

2011-08-05T12:06:00.000-04:00

The theme for September's Block of the Month is funky Christmas trees. Make a block(s) any size between 8" and 15" featuring a Christmas tree. Below are two blocks I made as samples and a mosaic of other ideas.

September funky Christmas trees

Tree Mosaic

1. Block for Joan - Bee Unique Bee Knotty, 2. for Joan - Bee Knotty, 3. Bee Happy - Alison's blocks for Katie, 4. Bee Happy June block for Katie, 5. Christmas Tree, 6. Bee Happy-July

Hope this block gets your creative juices flowing! Bring your block(s) to the September guild meeting for chances to win all the blocks. Have fun!

August 2011 Meeting Minutes

2011-08-04T18:20:00.000-04:00

Orlando Modern Quilt Guild
Meeting Minutes
August 3, 2011
The Sewing Studio, Maitland, Florida

I. Welcome
21 members and guests were in attendance.
Membership cards were distributed. Most local quilt shops offer guilds 10% off purchases. The Sewing Studio gives us 15% off regular priced merchandise on meeting days.
The bank balance is $1,143.33 which includes a $65 deposit of funds received from Sew Day demos. The funds will be earmarked for our education fund.

II. Guild Basket Raffle Drawing
As another way to build our education fund, we raffled off a basket filled with goodies. Terry launched our guild basket drawing by providing the first basket. Leslie was the lucky winner of the basket and we raised $34 for our education fund. Leslie will fill the basket for the September meeting.

III. Blocks of the Month
We had two months of BOMs to show off. July's block was a disappearing four patch in red, white, and blue.

Rene' was the winner of the July blocks.

August's block was a wonky star in black and white and primary colors.

Leslie was the winner of these fun blocks.

Linda C., who won the May blocks, put them all together into a beautiful quilt with a custom label.

The September block will be a wonky tree in a holiday theme. More details will be available under a separate post.

IV. Jay McCarroll Habitat Challenge
Details of the challenge were outlined and fabric packages were distributed. Thank you to Free Spirit Fabrics for donating to the Modern Quilt Guilds. We love free fabric!

Challenge participants are making a 10.5" (10" finished) block of their choice that will be combined with other member blocks into a charity quilt. As a bonus challenge, we'll be using the leftover fabric to make a mug rug, pincushion, mini quilt, needle book, or other small project of your choice. The challenge deadline is October 5, 2011 (our October meeting).

V. September Swap
Since the May Mug Rug Swap was so popular, we're doing another swap for September. To play, make a 9" x 12" (approximate) mini quilt to trade. Bring the mini in a brown paper bag to the September meeting and you'll get to go home with a mini made by a fellow OMQG member.

VI. Other Business

Project Modern: Challenge 4 is the fourth and final challenge for the Modern Quilt Guild. The theme is "Find Your Own Voice." Participants are encouraged to make a quilt using their own design. There are awesome prizes and a chance to win a Janome sewing machine.

100 Days of Modern Quilting begins in September. Participants are asked to submit a photo of their modern quilt along with the story behind it. Also, if you've found a great online tutorial, they're looking for those too. Submissions are due by August 30, 2010.

There is a sign-up sheet for member meeting presentations and Sew Day demos. If you have something to share, please let us know.

A young woman named Sara came by the meeting to donate two large boxes of her mother's fabric. She asked that we make something beautiful with them and share the photos with her. Rene' will sort through the boxes and distribute the fabric.

VII. Show and Tell

The August Sew Day will be held Saturday, August 20 from 10 am to 4:45 pm at the Dr. Phillips Library. Our next guild meeting will be held Wednesday, September 7 from 10am to noon at The Sewing Studio.

August Guild Meeting

2011-07-30T20:40:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, August 3, 2011 is our next guild meeting at The Sewing Studio from 10am-12pm. Since there was no guild meeting in July, there will be drawings for the July Block of the Month (disappearing four patch) as well as the August Block of the Month (wonky star). Specifics for the Jay McCarrollHabitat Challenge will be discussed and fabric will be available to participating members. Don't forget to bring money for the quilt basket raffle and items for Show and Tell. See you soon!

July Sew Day

2011-07-20T12:31:00.000-04:00

We had a small group, but had lots of fun. Terry taught us how to make her easy placemats. (I got 4 done). As usual, the food was great, too.

July Sew Day

2011-07-14T11:31:00.000-04:00

Don't forget this Saturday, July 16th is Sew Day! As usual, we will meet at the Dr. Phillips/Southwest Branch of the Orlando Public Library from 10am to 4:45pm. Terry will show us how to make her "Quick and Easy Placemat". If you are interested in making one, please refer to this post for more information on supplies needed.

Leave a comment if you plan to attend and what shared item (extension cord, cutting mat, food, iron, ironing board, etc.) you will bring. Hope you can make it as Sew Day is always a great day!

July 16 SewDay Demo

2011-07-04T11:42:00.000-04:00

Terry will show us how to make her "Quick and Easy Placemat".

For EACH placemat you will need: 
   * One piece of batting measuring 13" x 18" 
   * One piece of accent fabric about 11" x 16"

* One piece of background fabric 19" x 24"
Whatever size you want the placemat to be, the background fabric needs to be

6" longer/wider than the batting. 
Whatever size you want the placemat to be, the accent fabric needs to be a 
bit smaller than the batting.

You can probably make a set of 4 in one day.

August Block of the Month

2011-07-01T12:05:00.000-04:00

The block of the month for August is a Wonky Star. Your block should measure 12.5" square unfinished when done. The color scheme for these blocks is black and white with a primary color thrown in.

To make mine, I used the Silly BooDilly's tutorial which can be found here. When choosing the 13 squares of fabric, keep in mind that the background squares are to be white and the fabric for the center square and the star points can be any combination of black and white along with a primary color. For the sample block, I used red as the primary color, but yellow or blue may also be used.

Bring your August block(s) to the August 3rd meeting at the Sewing Studio. For each block you make, you will get a chance to take home all the blocks!

Sew Day Fun, June 18, 2011

2011-06-20T20:06:00.000-04:00

We had great attendance for our June Sew Day.

Beth gave the demo on machine binding.

We had a wealth of food to share and an abundance of quilt projects to share as well.

June Sew Day

2011-06-16T20:05:00.000-04:00

Don't forget this Saturday, June 18th is Sew Day! Again, we will meet from 10am to 4:45pm at Dr. Phillips/Southwest Branch of the Orlando Public Library. Beth will demonstrate her method of machine binding a quilt. If you would like to participate, please refer to her email regarding suggested supplies or leave a comment here with any questions.

Leave a comment if you plan to attend and what shared item (iron, ironing board, extension cord, cutting mat, food, etc.) you will bring. See you Saturday!

String Quilt Donated

2011-06-09T09:48:00.000-04:00

I want to share with you an email and photo sent by Julia regarding the charity string quilt made by members of the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild:

After several weeks of phone tag and a re-schedule we have gifted our string block quilt. Susan and Julia visited the VA community living center in Orlando on Wednesday,June 8th. We met with a resident named Joann, she is a reitired Army Colonel and served our country as a nurse. She is a very sweet lady and doesn't have any local family at all. She was THRILLED with our quilt and when she opened it she said that red, white and blue are her favorite colors:) The meeting was set up by Natalie, a patient representative at the living center. For privacy reasons we were unable to take a photo of Joann, but we did get this shot of Julia, Susan and Natalie. Thanks to all the members of the Quilt Guild who contributed blocks, and especially Beth, who provided our supplies and did the quilting! Joann said that she had been feeling sad that morning, but we had made her day and she felt very happy.

June 2011 Meeting Minutes

2011-06-02T15:52:00.000-04:00

Orlando Modern Quilt Guild

Meeting Minutes

June 1, 2011

Sewing Studio, Maitland, Florida

I. WELCOME

23 members and guests were in attendance.
May Minutes were approved without discussion.
Treasurer's Report. Bank Balance on June 1, 2011 was $1178.33

II. BOM FOR JUNE

The June Block of the Month was any block of your choice in blue.

And the winner was...........Linda!

III. BOM FOR JULY AND AUGUST

We are not going to have a regular meeting in July. (We will still have the July 16th Sew Day. See Sew Day dates posted online.) We decided that we will still do a Block of the Month for both July and August and they will be due at the August meeting. Rene posted instructions and guidelines for the July BOM (Disappearing Four Patch) on June 2nd and in the near future will post instructions for the August block.

Terry discussed how she made a Disappearing Four Patch Block.

IV. Hexie Demo

Michele provided a demo on how to make Hexagons.

Alejandrina provided a link to Bruce Seeds website as an example of a quilter using hexagons.

V. Other Business

Charity Project - Guild members made a variety of suggestions for the 2011 charity project. Beth will gather additional information and present a plan to the guild in the near future.

Free Spirit Challenge - The Guild will participate in a fabric challenge using the Free Spirit Habitat line by Jay McCarroll.

Survey Results - Kathryn shared the results of the May Survey on programs and there was lengthy discussion of the various options covered by the survey including a number of fundraising ideas. The suggestions will be discussed at more length in the next Board Meeting. A motion was made and passed that guild members will provide optional demos for a small fee (such as $5. to $10. and a kit fee if needed) on Sew Days. All demos on regular meeting days will continue to be a regular (for no charge) agenda items.

The Door Prize was won by Donna.

Next Sew Days are June 18th and July 16th.

Julie took information from guild members as to who needs a name badge and who needs membership cards.

VI. Show and Tell

July Block of the Month

2011-06-02T11:17:00.000-04:00

July's Block of the Month is a Disappearing 4-Patch block made in red, white and blue fabrics. When completed, it will measure 8.5 inches square. This block is really simple to make, but when finished looks like a complicated block. There are various tutorials and methods for making this block (here for instance); I will show you how I made mine.

Start with two sets of five inch square blocks and make a four patch block. Make sure you have good contrast in your fabric selection. The color scheme is red, white and blue, but you do not necessarily have to use patriotic themed fabric. After this step, if you use a scant 1/4" seam, your block should now measure 9.5 inches square.

The next step involves making four cuts without moving the block or the cut pieces. It helps if you use a small mat that you can turn, a table that you can walk around or a revolving cutting mat. Use the center seams as a guide, measure out 1 inch, and make your first cut. Measure 1 inch on the other side of the seam, and make the second cut. Rotate the block and repeat, measuring and cutting 1 inch from the center seam on each side.

Block will look like this after the four cuts.

The above picture shows what the block will look like after the four cuts. Next, leaving the center block and four corner blocks as is, rotate the four center outside sections 180 degrees using the below photograph as a reference.

Your block should look like this after rotating the sections.

Your block should now look like the above picture. You now have a nine patch block. Sew the sections together using a scant 1/4" seam. Square your block to 8.5".

Stand back and admire your beautifully simple, yet complicated Disappearing Four Patch Block! Repeat as many times as you'd like;-) Since there will not be a guild meeting in July, bring your July blocks of the month to the August meeting. Look for a different block of the month to be posted soon for August.

As a side note, this block can also be made starting with a nine patch block, but I really like the way this block comes out using the four patch block. Different looks can also be obtained by varying the width of the cuts made from the center seam.

June Guild Meeting

2011-05-29T09:30:00.003-04:00

When: Wednesday, June 1, 2011 10am-12pm
Where: The Sewing Studio, Maitland, Florida
What to Bring: Blue block(s) if participating in Block of the Month
   Copy of Agenda (sent via email)
   Show and Tell
   Needle and thread for mini hexies demo
Agenda:
-June Block of the Month turn in and drawing
-July Block of the Month sample
-Member Demo of Hexies
-Discuss Free Spirit Challenge, Charity Project and Survey
-Other guild business
-Show and Tell

Please help with planning by leaving a comment or emailing if you plan to attend so we will know how many chairs to set up and demo supplies to bring. See you Wednesday!

May Sew Day

2011-05-15T18:20:00.002-04:00

The May Sew Day group was a little smaller than the typical sew day, however, as usual we worked all day on projects, shared tips and techniques as well as plenty of laughs and snacks.

May Sew Day

2011-05-12T08:29:00.000-04:00

Saturday, May 14 is another fun opportunity to get together with fellow quilters for a day of sewing. As a reminder, Sew Day will be held from 10am to 4:45pm at the Dr. Phillips/Southwest branch of the Orlando Public Library. Leave a comment if you plan to attend and any shared items (food, ironing board, extension cord, etc.) you will bring.

Meeting of May 4, 2011

2011-05-04T17:48:00.002-04:00

OMQG Meeting Minutes
May 4, 2011
10 AM - 12 Noon
Sewing Studio in Maitland

AGENDA

Beth conducted the meeting and there were 22 people in attendance.

Welcome to members, new members and guests.

The June BOM will be a block design of the makers choice in blues, a 10.5 inch square unfinished.

The May Block of the Month Drawing for 24 red and white blocks was won by Linda.

The group Veteran's quilt will be donated to a VA nursing home in Orlando. Julia will handle the donation.

Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative - Beth talked about the requirements of the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative and how the mini quilts are sold online.

Programs - Alejandrina talked about the possibility of a needle turn applique class. Other options such as a workshop with Valerie Goodwin were discussed. There was a great discussion about what are "modern quilts" and "art quilts." The group consensus was that they would like to participate in a new survey of what members would like to learn, what members would be willing to teach or demo to the group, and what skills/methods does each person want to learn. A survey is to also include questions about how much would a member be willing to pay for a special workshop bringing in someone from out of town to teach. One suggestion was the members provide a demo before Sew Day begins at a small charge and that the fees are saved to help bring in teachers. Alejandrina and Kathryn agreed to work on the survey, and Beth strongly encouraged that everyone was needed to respond to the survey in order for it to be useful to the guild members. We also discussed a field trip to a local long arm shop, and we agreed to wait until fall for the visit due to summer travels.

Treasurers Report- Current Balance of funds with some bills still to be turned in is $1444.93. There had been 23 members with an additional 3 people joining today for a total of 26 paid members.

The Door Prize of Rene's Mug Rug was won by Mary Ann.

Mug Rug Swap - any member who brought a mug rug in a bag could swap with other members.
In the following photos members pose with the mug rug they won in the swap.

Show and Tell

May Guild Meeting

2011-05-02T14:26:00.000-04:00

When: Wednesday, May 4, 2011 10am-12pm
Where: The Sewing Studio, Maitland, Florida
What to Bring: Your mug rug placed in a brown bag if you are participating in the mug rug swap and your
   red and white block(s) if participating in the Block of the Month.
   Copy of Agenda (sent via email)
   Show and Tell

Agenda:
-May Block of the Month turn in and drawing
-June Block of the Month sample
-Swapping of Mug Rugs
-Discuss Veteran's quilt
-Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative
-Other guild business
-Show and Tell

Please help us out by leaving a comment or emailing if you plan to attend so we will know how many chairs to set up. Looking forward to seeing you Wednesday!

Unruly Quilters

2011-05-01T10:19:00.000-04:00

Tonya Ricucci led the unruly quilters of the OMQG on our all day Unruly Quilting workshop.

Tonya shared examples of her beautiful quilts to inspire us.

We shared our fabric scraps.

By noon we had enough letters to create a small quilt. By afternoon we added more letters, x's and o's, and wonky stars.

We had a great time and a number of people walked away at the end of the day with the beginnings of new quilts done the unruly way. :)

Unruly Workshop

2011-04-27T11:38:00.000-04:00

Don't forget this Saturday is our workshop with Tonya Ricucci (FOR REGISTERED PARTICIPANTS) from 10am to 4:30pm at the Dr. Phillips/Southwest branch of the Orlando public library. There will not be a Sew Day this day. An email went out to all registered participants with last minute details and reminders. If you registered for the workshop, but did not receive an email, please let me know.

Remember to email the group with the shared items (food, drink, cutting mat, iron, etc.) you plan to bring. Can't wait for this workshop!

First Evening Sew Day

2011-04-12T13:33:00.000-04:00

OMQG held our first ever evening time Sew Day. I think I got almost as much done in one evening as I usually do in a longer daytime sew day. As always it is great to have a chance to consult and laugh with other quilters as we work on our projects.

Sew Evening

2011-04-10T10:02:00.000-04:00

Don't forget we are having a Sew Evening this month, and it is tomorrow!!!!

As with our Sew Days, we will meet at the Southwest/Dr. Phillips branch of the Orlando Public Library. However, this time we will meet from 6pm to 9pm.

Hope to see you there! Leave a comment or email if you plan to be there, and let us know if you can bring an iron and/or ironing board. Sure hope I'm not sewing alone ;-)

Mug Rug Swap

2011-04-10T09:55:00.000-04:00

As discussed during the April meeting, we are having our very first swap!

If you want to participate, make and bring a mug rug to the May 4th meeting wrapped in a brown paper bag, and you will take home a mug rug created and made by a fellow OMQG member! Easy and fun!

Mug Rug Mosaic

1. a drink & a snack, 2. Selvedge Mug Rug, 3. camp 1, 4. IMG_4935, 5. After 5 Mug Rug, 6. Ticker tape mug rug, 7. Mini Quadrilateral Quilt Mug Rug, 8. My Mug Rug Collection - Sue made me this one, 9. Tweethearts_2

What is a mug rug you ask? Basically it is an oversize coaster.....a cute spot to set your beverage of choice and a snack. As you can see from the above pictures, mug rugs are not just for coffee ;-) The mug rug I brought in as a sample was about 6" by 10", but they can range in size anywhere from 4"x6" to 6"x10". You can make your mug rug square, rectangular, round, heart shaped, egg shaped, etc.; you can sew a binding on it or use the pillowcase method; you can machine quilt or hand stitch it. Whatever you choose to do, enjoy the creative process!

The mosaic above is just a sampling of some of the great mug rugs showing up on Flickr. While browsing for mug rug pictures to share, I noticed a blog that hosted a week of Mug Rug Madness. This would be a good place to visit for tutorials, questions about mug rugs, or if you want more inspiration.

I can't wait to see what our members create!!!!

May Block of the Month

2011-04-09T10:11:00.001-04:00

Please note: This post has been edited to correct the block size.

May's block of the month is a red and white offset stacked strip block. (Suggestions for a shorter, more clever name are welcome.) Lately, combinations of red and white quilts have shown up everywhere! I am sure the recent Infinite Variety exhibit has something to do with that. If you have not seen these gorgeous quilts, I encourage you to visit this link. They are incredible! There is also a free app available for iPod and iPad.

May Block of the Month

This month's block is ~~10"~~ 9 1/2" square unfinished and made with red and white fabrics.

In keeping with our fun, easy, and can be made with scraps on hand approach, here is how I made my block:

From your stash, pull out strips/scraps of red fabrics and solid white fabric. Cut strips of red fabric 6 1/2" by 2". Your white fabric should also be 2 inches wide and can vary in length from 4 -6 inches long.

For each block you will need six strips of red fabric and two sets of six white strips.

Using a SCANT 1/4" seam, sew a white strip and red strip together along the 2" end. You will do this for all six red strips. It goes faster, if you chain piece the strips.

Sew the other set of six white strips to the other 2" end of the red strips. The above picture has been cropped, but you will have six sets of strips with the red fabric in between two strips of solid white fabric.

Arrange your six strips in a way that is visually pleasing. You want the red strips to be offset somewhat, keeping in mind that the red fabric should be mainly centered and there is enough white on either side to make the block ten inches when trimmed.

Once you have decided on your layout, sew the six strips together along the long edge and trim to a ~~10"~~ 9 1/2" square. Use a SCANT 1/4" seam for this block or you may run into trouble ;-)

Note you will have more to trim from the sides (depending on how you centered your red strips and the length of the white strips) but not the top and bottom.

Participation in the Block of the Month program is optional. You can choose to make one block, two or more blocks or no blocks. Participating members, bring your block(s) to the May 4th meeting. Each block you bring gives you a chance at the drawing for all the blocks.

Please feel free to email or comment with any questions you may have.

Just one Star block QOV

2011-04-07T16:08:00.000-04:00

Moda is participating in "just one star", to make blocks for QOV. This is great way to contribute, without having to make an entire quilt. Here is the link for their pattern and info.
http://modafabrics.blogspot.com/2011/03/just-one-star.html

April 6, 2011 Meeting Minutes

2011-04-07T12:04:00.002-04:00

15 people were present for the April Meeting at the Sewing Studio in Maitland. The Meeting was held from 10 am until 12 noon.

I. Welcome

-Since the treasurer could not attend the meeting, there was no treasurer's report this month.

-The minutes from the March meeting were posted online, and there were no questions or comments about them.

-The Block of the Month drawing was held for the green and white mosaic blocks, and they were won by LInda Mullins.

II. Rene presented the Block of the Month for the May Meeting. The strip block is to be completed in red and white, and the instructions will be posted on the OMQG web site.

III. We will have a Mug Rug swap at the May Meeting. There are no specific requirements for this. If you want to participate bring one with you to the May Meeting in a brown paper bag. Make them larger than a coaster and smaller than a placemat. The sample Rene showed was roughly around 8 by 10 inches.

IV. Favorite Quilting tool or notion discussion.

-There were so many interesting favorite tools, notions, and tips on how to do things easier that we have added a page to the web for you to comment about your favorite tools. Please add to the comments if you shared something at the meeting. Even if you were not at the meeting we welcome you to add to the discussion.

V. Other Guild Business

-The workshop with Tonya Ricucci will be held on April 30th in lieu of our regular Saturday Sew Day. The workshop, in which she will cover several techniques, will run from 10:00 am until 4:30 pm at the South West Branch Library (Dr. Phillips) of the Orange County Library System. The cost for members is $15.00 and the cost for non-members is $30.00. Attendees are not required to purchase Tonya's Book, Word Play, to attend the class, however if you are interested it is currently available through Amazon. You can read more about Tonya and her work here. If you plan to attend you must notify Michele and get payment to her no later than April 20th.

-We have the library meeting room at South West (Dr. Phillips) booked for OMQG for April 11 from 6 pm until 9 pm. Our president, Rene, asked if we would like to hold an alternate sew evening on this date and time. Since a number of people indicated that they would attend, that will be our first ever Sew Evening.

-During Show and Tell Beth showed everyone the OMQG's long arm quilted patriotic donation quilt. Alejandrina will add the label and then it will be ready to go. We decided that we would utilize a personal contact from the Veterans Hospital in Tampa to select an injured military person to receive the quilt in conjunction with Memorial Day.

-Beth requests that if any guild member decides to make a donation block for Quilts of Valor take a photo of it and contact Beth who would like to show the blocks made by OMQG members.

-The door prize was won by Sonia Kennedy.

V. Show and Tell

Post our favorite tools.

2011-04-07T09:48:00.000-04:00

We had some really great tools presented at the guild meeting. Lets post them here, and we'll have a central place to look for them.

Mine is: my small, blunt tipped scissors, on a retractable holder, clipped to my shirt.
My second is: my stackable tool/thread holder to carry my sewing/quilting stuff around.

April Guild Meeting

2011-04-04T11:33:00.000-04:00

Here are the details for April's meeting:

Sample Mug Rug

When: Wednesday, April 6, 2011 10am-12pm

Where: The Sewing Studio, Maitland, Florida

What to Bring: If participating in the Block of the Month, your mosaic block(s) Info here

Your favorite/can't live without quilting tool/notion

Cash or check for renewing membership if haven't already

Cash or check for April 30th workshop-more details at meeting

Copy of Agenda (sent via email)

Show and Tell

Agenda:

-April Block of the Month turn in and drawing

-May Block of the Month sample

-Mug Rug Swap for May

-Favorite quilting tool/notion discussion

-Discuss upcoming workshop with Tonya Ricucci/Unruly Quilter

-Other guild business

-Show and Tell

Please help us out by leaving a comment or emailing if you plan to attend so we will know how many chairs to set up. Looking forward to seeing you Wednesday!

Our First Sew-cial

2011-03-27T13:14:00.000-04:00

On March 21, we held our first Sew-cial. It was an opportunity for our members to get together to celebrate the end of our first year as the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild.

We invited friends and prospective members to join us and enjoy some examples of our quilt projects.

We provided information about our guild, and

about various charity projects different members have participated in.

We displayed examples of some of our favorite quilt resources.

We had colorful and varied samples of our work.

The results of the Robert Kaufman Challenge were a big hit.

Thanks to our guests for coming and making our event sew special and thanks to all of the guild members for your efforts in creating and attending our first Sew-cial. A special thank you from all of us to Marty for the beautiful and delicious donation of cheese and fruit.

BIG sale!!

2011-03-23T19:48:00.000-04:00

The Ultimate Sewing Place, (Quilt store in Titusville), announced today that it is going out of business.
Effective immediately, all fabrics and notions are 50% off. This place has a VERY nice selection of quality fabrics, and they won't last long.

Sew Day was Sew Much Fun

2011-03-20T19:34:00.002-04:00

We had our March Sew Day yesterday, March 19th.

This is a small sampling of all the projects in the works during Sew Day.

And as usual it was sew much fun!

Happy National Quilting Day!!!

2011-03-19T09:46:00.000-04:00

Happy National Quilting Day to everyone!!!

Again, this auspicious occasion falls on OMQG's Sew Day...can't wait to see all the creativity that results from spending a full day sewing with friends!

Creativity

2011-03-18T10:51:00.000-04:00

I have been using my computer program on the LA machine, and am getting a grasp on it. (I LOVE IT!!)
I have done 2 quilts for ladies at the Titusville quilt guild, and they both loved the designs I used. Well, there goes the creative aspect of LA quilting for me.
However, I have now decided to "create" something each day. (This is NOT easy for me). I really am comfortable with lines matching, following patterns, and at least attempting to follow rules. But I am hoping that as I try new things each day, I will "learn" to be creative. (And maybe even do something decent some day).
I will post pics as soon as I figure out how again. LOL
I am sew looking forward to Saturday Sew Day!

March 2, 2011 Meeting Minutes

2011-03-02T22:10:00.002-05:00

The March Meeting was held on March 2, 2011 from 10 am until Noon at the Sewing Studio in Maitland. There were 24 members and guests present.

I. Rene welcomed members and guests. She explained the Block of the Month, January Meeting Minutes were approved and Michelle gave the Treasurer's Report. As of 3-1-11 the Guild fund balance was $217.65. March marks the start of the new Guild Year and so members are asked to renew their memberships by paying $50.00 in annual dues.

II. Rene gave a detailed and helpful powerpoint presentation on the OMQG blog and Flickr group, including how to utilize them and how they extend and connect our local quilters to the quilt community on a national and international level.

III. Alejandrina discussed her work to line up several programs or workshops for this year. The first one will be held on April 30th (our April Sew Day) with Tonya Ricucci from South Florida. Alejandrina passed around a list of Tonya's workshops and asked meeting attendees to indicate which workshop by Tonya they would be most interested in attending. Tonya is the recent author of Word Play Quilts: Easy Techniques from the UnRuly Quilter. Tonya has flickr groups for her quilts plus one for Word Play Quilts. You can read more information about her on her blog.

An exciting possibility for an additional workshop is Valerie Goodwin of Tallahassee, Florida. For information about her work see her website. I believe she has been featured several times in Quilting Arts and you can see one of these articles here. Or check out her quilts on Facebook.

Alejandrina is also working out a possible field trip to visit Lisa Mullins at her long arm quilt studio named Wandering Stitches Quilting Studio in Orlando.

IV. BOM
Alejandrina was the winner of the Block of the Month drawing.

V. Other Guild Business
Renewing Members were given one of the new tote bags with the guild logo.

The upcoming Sew-Cial was discussed. The hours of the event are 6:30 til 8:30 pm on Monday, March 21st at the Southwest (Dr. Phillips) Branch of the Orange County Library System. Members are asked to come by 5 pm to assist with the room set up and to contribute the quilts and resources you plan to share. Please rsvp so that we can get a reasonable estimate of the number of members who will be present. Let Hope know which quilts you plan to make available to display (think modern) and any resources (books, magazines etc.) you would like to loan for the event to display as favorite resources. We will also display our Kauffman Challenge quilt tops at the Sew-cial. Please invite any of your friends you think might be interested in becoming members and if you need flyers to display please contact Hope.

Door prizes were won by Sylvia and Leslie.

VI. Show and Tell: The pictures tell it all.

Mosaic Tile Block

2011-03-02T21:00:00.000-05:00

April's Block of the Month is a mosaic tile block. The pattern is from Oh Fransson's mod mosaic pillow tutorial and can be found here. {She has a link to a pdf file with the pattern. Please note that her pattern is for a floor pillow. It is just the technique that you will be following.}

Sample mosaic tile block

As with the previous BOM (block of the month), this can be made with scraps you already have on hand. Use a white/neutral fabric for the 1" strips and green fabrics for the "tiles". Your block should be 5" by 7" unfinished.

Participation in the Block of the Month program is optional. You can choose to make one block, two or more blocks or no blocks. Participating members, bring your block(s) to the April 6th meeting. Each block you bring gives you a chance at the drawing for all the blocks.

Please feel free to email or comment with any questions you may have.

February Sew Day Recap

2011-03-01T05:45:00.000-05:00

February's Sew Day was held Saturday, February 26 at the Dr. Phillips branch of the Orange County Public Library. One Saturday a month we meet together for a full day of fun. Everyone enjoys sewing together and there are lots of tips, tricks, and laughter shared throughout the day.

Mary Ann was hard at work on her Hoffman Challenge quilt. It's going to be a stunner. Margaret and Rene' are in the background concentrating on their projects.

We had eight members sewing, chatting, and eating Saturday. We bring everything but the kitchen sink, but only because there's a kitchen sink already there!

Julie has channeled her inner geek and is making a Super Mario quilt for a colleague. It was fun to see her put the design together in our big library room. It's the perfect room for big projects.

The patriotic string blocks everyone made from our string goody bags are put on the "design floor" for layout. Don't they look great? Hope has the honor of putting the top together. I'm sure the guild will find a good home for this quilt.

Hope and Heather are having fun with their pretty fabrics. Sew Day was relaxing and fun. If you haven't had the chance to join us, please do. The next Sew Day will be Saturday, March 19 from 10 am to 4:45 pm. If you need an excuse to get out of the house, that day is National Quilting Day! See you there!

March Guild Meeting

2011-02-27T22:30:00.000-05:00

The Orlando Modern Quilt Guild is about to kick off its second year! Time sure does fly, doesn't it? Thank you to all our members for making OMQG's inaugural year a great one! Are you ready to get started on an awesome second year? Here are some details regarding the March meeting:

OMQG tote bag and name tag

When: Wednesday, March 2, 2011

10am - 12pm

Where: The Sewing Studio, Maitland

What to Bring: If participating in BOM, your cross block(s) Info here

cash or check for renewing membership

Show and Tell

Agenda:

-February BOM turn in and drawing

-New OMQG tote bags and name tags for renewing membership

-March BOM sample block

-Blogs and Flickr presentation

-Other Guild Business

-----Robert Kaufman challenge

-----National Quilting Day

-----March Sewcial

-Show and Tell

Sew Day on Saturday

2011-02-23T12:06:00.000-05:00

February's Sew Day is this Saturday, February 26th from 10am-4:45pm at the Southwest/Dr. Phillips branch of the Orlando Public Library.

For those of you who have not been, come check it out. The library provides a large private room with big tables and plenty of chairs. There is great lighting, and we also accomplish quite a bit while enjoying each other's company and creativity.

Please add a comment if you plan to attend, what snacks you are bringing, and if you are bringing an iron or ironing board.

OMQG First Anniversary SEW-cial on March 21

2011-02-22T16:16:00.002-05:00

Hello Quilters!

It's time to plan our SEW-cial event to celebrate Orlando Modern Quilt Guild's one -year anniversary!

The event will be held on Monday night, March 21 from 6:30 - 8:30 pm at the Dr.Phillips/Southwest branch of the Orange County Library System. (it will be in the same room that we have our Sew Days) The goal of this event is to celebrate and socialize, introduce ourselves to the community and prospective members, and to hopefully welcome that evening any new members who may want to join our group!

The planning committee is coordinating flyers to promote the event, a notice in the Southwest Bulletin ( local comm. newspr.) room setup and refreshments, table-top displays highlighting our first year including our charity quilts as well as an informational brochure to be given out to prospective members that evening.

What we need from YOU, our members is the following:

1. Your attendance! Please rsvp now and commit to being there to help us celebrate!

2. Let us know what quilt(s) or other quilted items you'd like to bring for our displays...we will have some wall space to hang quilts as well as table top areas. When trying to decide what to bring for display - remember to keep it MODERN! Please include your Kauffman solids challenge piece - we'd like to have a special area just for those pieces.

(we will also have a small demo area going on, that Beth will coordinate, but we really want to have lots of completed work to show, as we all know - seeing is believing!)

3. We plan on having a resource table showcasing our favorite publications and periodicals, if you've got a favorite book or resource to share that evening, please let us know and bring it along!

4. If you live near or frequent a a particular local quilt shop (LQS), let us know and we'll get some SEW-cial promotional flyers to you, that you can ask the shop to display.

*we are purchasing light refreshments for this event, so thanks in advance but we do NOT need you to bring any snacks, etc.

We are hoping for a great turnout from our OMQG members as well as interested newcomers. Please share this info with your friends and family and tell them to "save the date"!

Thank you and congratulations

2011-02-06T17:27:00.000-05:00

I want to congratulate all new officers, and thank all the returning officers. I love this guild, and look forward to a great 2nd year. I love the Sew Days with all the socializing, and seeing the ideas everyone brings. I hope we continue to grow, and bring many other talented people into our group. Thank you everyone.

Meeting Minutes, February 2,2011

2011-02-02T20:38:00.000-05:00

GUILD MEETING

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2011

10 AM -12 N00N

THE SEWING STUDIO

I. Welcome and Introduction

15 people in attendance

Approval of January Meeting Minutes

No Treasurer's Report as the Treasurer was unable to attend the meeting.

There were no birthdays in February so no February Birthday Fat Quarters to distribute.

II. Introduction of Officers for the new Year, March 2011 through February 2012

President: Rene

Vice President: Beth

Secretary: Kathryn

Treasurer: Michele

Membership Coordinator: Julie

Program Coordinator for Workshops: Alejandrina (If you have suggestions send to Rene who will share with Alejandrina)

Program Coordinator for Meetings: Rene (If anyone would like to volunteer for this position please contact Rene.

Charity Coordinator: Beth

III. Guild Block of the Month

We are going to start having Block of the Month beginning with the March meeting. A block is announced with general guidelines. Participants put their block or blocks in a drawing. You get as many chances to win as the number of blocks you bring to the meeting. Winner takes all blocks. The first Block of the Month is a 6 inch unfinished cross block on a white back ground. Information and instructions are already posted on the OMQG website. These are to be brought to the March Meeting.

IV. Spiderweb Block Demo

This month's demo was on how to make a spiderweb block and was given by Rene. A tutorial can be found online at A La Mode.

V. Other Guild Business

--Patriotic Blocks were collected as this is the final date for them to be turned on for this donation quilt. We have a total of 27!

--Robert Kaufman Challenge. The final reveal for these quilts (finished or quilt tops) is the Sew-cial on March 21st.

--Alzheimers Quilts-Rene shared her participation in this project and answered questions for others who might be interested in getting involved. For information go to the website of the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative.

--Reminders about other guild quilt shows were given. Feb. 11 and 12th the Space Coast Quilters host a show in Titusville at the Brevard Community College, March 3 and 4th the Mount Dora Lake County Quilters hold their show in Mount Dora. March 10-12th there is the Seaside Piecemakers Quilt Show in Melbourne.

--Next Sew Day is Feb. 26.

--Sew-cial to be held on Monday, March 21st was discussed. The Dr. Phillips Branch meeting room has been reserved for 6 to 9 pm. Input was requested by the group. Many good suggestions were noted. Hope, Julie and Kathryn will be heading up the planning for this event. Plus Julie and Michele will work on fliers.

--Door prize was won by Sonia!

VI. Show and Tell

The pictures tell the story...

February's Block

2011-02-02T09:32:00.002-05:00

We are implementing a new and fun Block of the Month program. Each month will feature a different block. The block chosen will be fun to make, require materials that can easily be found in your stash, fit our modern theme, and when put together results in a fabulous quilt. At the next month's meeting, a drawing will be held from members who make blocks, and one lucky person takes home all the blocks!

February's block is a cross block. Block size is 6" unfinished, 5 1/2" finished. Tutorials can be found in various places including here and here. Your cross can be wonky or not, made with solids or prints.
To ensure everyone's blocks play well together, use a white (or neutral light) fabric for the background....and think modern ;-)
Here is how I made mine:

You will need two outer strips (mine are white) approximately 3 inches wide and 6 inches long. You will sew a contrasting strip in between. My strip is 2 inches wide. Yours can be narrower or wider. It is up to you.

This is how it should look at this point.

Use your ruler to cut the block in "half". Have fun here...you can cut in exactly in half or not...straight across or at angle.

I cut mine at an angle and not quite at the midway point.

Sew a strip in between these two sections. Again, I used a solid purple 2 inches wide.

You will have a block that looks something like this.

Square up your block to 6 inches, and pat yourself on the back!

See how differently the block looks if the cut is not quite so wonky?

Have fun trying out different fabric combinations, widths of the cross strips and angle of your cuts!

How this will work: Each month bring your block to the meeting and add it to the design wall; for each block you make, enter your name for the drawing; the winner of the drawing will receive all the blocks.
This BOM is entirely optional... make one block, two blocks, three blocks, etc. or no blocks at all. Sound like fun?

Some Details

2011-01-20T12:12:00.000-05:00

This Friday and Saturday is the Florida Cabin Fever's Quilt Fever 2011 quilt show. If you'd like to enjoy the show as a group, meet inside the entrance (after purchasing your ticket) at 10:00am on Saturday. At 10:15 we will get started, so if you come after that, you'll have to find us ;-)

The quilt show is located at the Central Florida Fairgrounds, 4602 West Colonial Drive, Orlando, Florida.

**************************************************************

The Modern Quilt Guild has announced the details of the second Project Modern Challenge. Click on the links to read about the monochromatic challenge and the chance to win a Janome Horizon sewing machine.

*************************************************************

It's not too late to consider taking a leadership role in the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild. Email your interest (or questions) in being the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Program Coordinator, Membership Coordinator or Charity Chair by January 31st.

************************************************************

Planning ahead, we'd like to hear your suggestions on guest speakers and workshops. What types of speakers and workshops interest you? Is there a specific teacher you would like to see?

Please leave a comment if you plan to meet up with us at the quilt show so we'll know who to look for.

Sew Day So Fun!

2011-01-18T11:20:00.000-05:00

Our January Sew Day was so much fun, which is no surprise to those of us who have been attending. We had a chance to talk and eat and collaborate....

to play with new toys...

to design new projects...

design new quilts...

to trim...

iron and cut...

sew by hand...

and by machine.

:) And one of us anyway feels like she keeps bringing back the same unfinished projects every month,

while others are really knocking the projects out!

OMQG January Sew Day

2011-01-13T21:15:00.000-05:00

Date: Saturday, January 15, 2011
Time: 10am-4:45pm

Location: Southwest Branch of the Orlando Public Library

7255 Della Drive
Orlando, Florida

Bring: sewing machine
   project to work on
   tools needed-rotary cutter, rulers, scissors, etc.


RSVP by leaving a comment. Let us know what snack you are bringing and if you can bring an iron, ironing board, extension cord or cutting mat.

Robert Kaufman Sponsored Solids Challenge

2011-01-10T12:14:00.000-05:00

Robert Kaufman has generously provided our guild with their Dusty Palette charm packs for a solids challenge. Details were discussed at our January meeting and charm packs distributed.

Inside the charm packs are a rainbow of fabulous colors! See below for a sampling and go here if you'd like to see them all.

Kona® Cotton
K001-1065 Celadon

Kona® Cotton
K001-1069 Champagne

Kona® Cotton
K001-1080 Coal

Kona® Cotton
K001-1255 Nutmeg

Kona® Cotton
K001-1099 Deep Rose

Kona® Cotton
K001-1123 Dresden Blue

Kona® Cotton
K001-1285 Periwinkle

Kona® Cotton
K001-1294 Plum

Kona® Cotton
K001-1306 Raffia

What are you going to make with your charm pack? Here are the guidelines for the challenge:

*Use the donated charm pack to create your idea of a modern quilt.

*You may add an additional 1/2 yard of fabric if you so like.

*There is no set size required, but the focus of the quilt should be the solids provided.

*This is not a competition; no judging will take place.

*The big reveal will be Monday, March 21st at our one-year anniversary SewCial event!

If you would like to participate, but haven't received your charm pack yet, please leave a comment.

Can't wait to see everyone's interpretation and final quilt top!!!

January 2011 Guild Meeting

2011-01-06T13:23:00.002-05:00

10 members were present for the January 5, 2011 meeting held in Maitland at the Sewing Studio from 10 am until Noon.

Agenda

I. Welcome

-Rene welcomed everyone to the first meeting of the year.

-The Minutes of the December 2010 Meeting were approved.

-Michele provided the Treasurer's Report. Our current balance of funds is $496.25

In March, paid members will be given OMQG logo tote bags and membership cards.

-Birthday Fat Quarters were given to Judy.

II. Quilt Challenge

Robert Kaufman is sponsoring a solids challenge for interested chapters of the Modern Quilt Guild. OMQG members who are interested in participating are being given Charm packs of 44 solids. Kauffman asks that we take photos of the challenge results and blog about our participation. Our plan is to reveal the completed quilts (or quilt tops) at our evening Social Event on March 21st. We want to have as few rules as possible so we have come up with the following: By accepting the charm packet you are agreeing to use the packet (some or all) to create an example of what modern quilting looks like to you and to bring it to the March 21st evening social event. You are welcome to add another 1/2 yard or so of fabric to the charms if you wish. This is not a competition but simply a challenge to enjoy and share with your fellow quilters.

Here are some of the Kaufman Charm packets.

III. Kathryn shared the member survey results. Thanks to each of you for your participation. It is so important that we have member feedback so that we can plan for the future. An overview of what we discussed about the survey includes why people joined (networking, learning opportunities, and project participation), what members have enjoyed the most in the first year of the guild (networking, learning opportunities and sew days), and what everyone would like to participate in during the year ahead (meetings, sew days, charity projects, demos, workshops and show and tells). Members also expressed opinions on what types of learning opportunities we should provide in the future (long arm machines, fabric printing, stamping, painting and dying as well as applique and specific quilt block projects). Members were also asked about how to use membership dues (supplement the cost of workshops, charity projects and a small gift to members with the OMQG logo).

Sample of the group logo on a t-shirt.

IV. Quilt Books and Tools
Members shared stories, samples and photos of quilt related Christmas gifts including various books, software and tools.

V. Other Guild Business
-The March 19th Sew Day happens to be National Quilting Day
-A social event, pot luck will be held on March 21st. We have the library meeting room that evening from 6 til 9. We are interested in inviting members of the public who would be prospective members to come and meet us and to see what we have been working on in the last year. Michele will work on fliers for this event.
-The Florida Cabin Fever Quilters Guild Show is to be held on January 21 and 22 at the Central Florida Fair grounds. We decided that we would attend as a group on the second day of the show, Saturday, the 22nd. We will meet at 10 am (show hours that day are 9-5) just inside the entrance after paying your entrance fee ($7.00). We will wait until 10:15 for members before starting our journey through the show and the vendors area.
-Job Descriptions were discussed and all members are encouraged to seek a leadership role. It is a great way to help make the group what you would like it to be and it is a wonderful opportunity to better know your fellow members. Please send your interest in any of the positions and/or your questions to Rene by email no later than Jan. 31. We will be seeking to fill those slots during the Feb. 2, 2011 meeting.
-Reminder-our 8.5 inch Patriotic Blocks done strip paper piecing are to be brought to the Feb. 2nd meeting.
-For planning purposes we need to know both specific teachers members would like to have for workshops and specific topics for workshops. Rene will put out a call to members with this question through email. The recommendations will be considered based on survey results, members interests, cost and availability.
-Members share various useful (fee based) online tutorials including the Quilt University at http://www.quiltuniversity.com/ and Lynda at http://www.lynda.com/

VI. Show and Tell

VII. Door Prize

The door prize donated by Rene was won by Lisa.