June BOM

June has arrived!

This has been a strange year to date so I thought it would be fun to work on a block that allows for few rules, a lot of creativity, and the use bold colors.

This month, we will work to create our own unique improv block using a tutorial found on the MQG site: Improv Tutorials

  

The MQG site provides a link to Victoria Findlay Wolfe from Bumble Beans Inc’s  Waverunner Quilt Tutorial.

As you read through the instructions, pay attention to how she first auditions colors then edits the ones that don't blend well. You'll also find how she prepares her strips of fabric, sews them together, then presses them flat.

For our block(s), you'll need to:

• Go to your scraps or pull out new fabric.
• Use solids only. No black, white, gray, or brown. (Think bright instead of neutral.)
• Avoid making your seams too straight. Perfection is not required.

You can choose to make your final block(s) either:

• 12.5 by 12.5  (make 1)
• 6.5 by 12.5    (make 2)
• 6.5 by 6.5      (make 4)

Have fun sewing and make as many as you wish. Each set will count as an entry in the block lotto drawing. The lucky winner will get to slice, arrange, and piece a unique quilt top with everyone's various colors.

I hope you'll find inspiration to try other blocks and patterns also listed on the MQG page.

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***Would you be willing to mail blocks to winners if we conducted a drawing in future online meetings for the BOM?
If you did not get a chance to complete the survey, please take one minute to do so this week so we can plan for the summer. 

Click here to respond to a one-question survey.

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May BOM

Greetings from home!

Hope you and your loved ones are well.

Staying home while social distancing is the perfect time to develop your quilt-block construction skills. This month's challenge will include curves and use the MQG website patterns which are available for all current members. 

In May, we are making a modern "Strawberry Wild" block. You'll find the pattern on the MQG site HERE. 
(Remember you will need to be logged into your account to download and view the pattern.)

Select these colors in solids or blenders for your finished block. Mix and match as long as you use 3 distinct colors: 

blues for the fruit 

greens, yellows, and teals for the top and background

A variation of colors will allow the winner to make a fun design including the Strawberry Blue Quilt also found on the MQG site. You'll need to log into your account and download the pattern if you are the lucky winner or want to make your own quilt!

Click on the link under the photo for the complete pattern.
Remember to respect the designer because these patterns are for members only. 

We are in discussions to choose winners for each month we cannot meet in person. Would you be willing to mail blocks to winners if we conducted a drawing in future online meetings for the BOM?
Click here to respond to a one-question survey.


Wishing you a wonderful month until we meet again!

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April 2020 BOM

April 2020 BOM

Hope you are well and staying home. If you do have to go out, keep your distance, don't touch your face, and wash your hands.

This month, we will celebrate spring and create a block using pastels. You can use various soft colors in any order. Choose low volume or solid white fabric as your background. If using a print, make sure it reads as a solid pastel from far away. Avoid large motifs since the strips are very thin.

Strut Block

We are stepping up our skills by adding a little precision work. Take your time (since you're staying home anyway), check your quarter inch seams, and cut the final block pieces using their paper template provided.

Remember to log into the Modern Quilt Guild site to view detailed directions, print off the template, and read explanations on how to create interesting designs should you be the lucky winner of the BOM raffle.

Important Tips:

• Practice with scrap strips so you can sew each pairing with accurate 1/4 seams (true 1/4 and not scant). Mark your machine with tape to help you stay consistent if you don't have a 1/4 foot.
• Print out the template first to help with accuracy and alignment. Remember to print at 100% so the winner will have the correct sizes to put together. (Use clear tape for piecing the template and line them up using the symbols provided on each page. It prints with a faint grid to help with matching them up correctly. Each box should be an inch when printed.)
• Press seams open to reduce bulk when adding the top section.
• Use pins or clips since there may be some bias when aligning the two parts together. This step will also help keep those open seams flat.
• Line up your blocks in the correct order and not like I did on my first attempt:

It should be short to tall going left to right. The template is your friend.
(If you do make this error, you can unpick the short strip then unpick every other seam.
Flip remaining strip sets and sew them back together.)

• When you add the top section to the bottom strips, it may be helpful to starch and iron each half first. You can also try using a scant 1/4 here if you have trouble making it square.

Flat seams and a scant 1/4 might help match both halves.

If you're off just a bit, carefully unpick, starch then press flat.

You can use these blocks with a lot of negative space to create movement like the options below.

Since everyone will make a variety of colors it will have a fun scrappy look when all are put together.



Click HERE to watch the video on how to sign into the MQG site if needed.
*Remember that MQG patterns are for current members only and should not be shared.

Every three months, blocks will be chosen from easy to more challenging. Our goal is to keep you motivated by learning various techniques related to programming topics.  Let us know if you have any questions!

Stay safe and healthy until we meet again.

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Keep Calm and Sew On !

If you are a member of the Modern Quilt Guild , you should have received an email about this , but they have announced that they have added some great webinars , starting Friday, March 20 . The first one is a deep dive into all of the resources available to Modern Quilt Guild Members;  a visual tour .
Others include "Sew All the Curves" class Jen Carlton Bailey, and "Color Theory & Technology" with Steph Skardal.

Here is the link to the MQG site,  https://www.themodernquiltguild.com  but you must log into the member portal to sign up for the webinars. I have included a partial calendar screenshot at a glance, so you can see what's coming up . They are currently working on more webinars , and even a kids class!  Please check it out .

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March 2020 BOM

This month, we are starting off simple. This versatile block can create many variations depending on placement. 

You’ll find the pattern here:

Wall Block*

How to access the March BOM on the MQG Site.

We are replacing the colors from the original pattern.

Navy →→→Black

Teal →→→ White

Light Green →→→Bright Green

You can use solids and/or low volume fabrics.
Remember that the fabric must read as that color from far away.
Avoid using fabrics with too many colors in a small area.

So many possibilities when arranged in different ways:

Reach out if you have any questions!

*Remember that MQG patterns are for members only and should not be shared.
You must log in through your account to find detailed instructions.

Here’s video help to access the site: MQG Log in directions

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What's new with The MQG......

Wondering how to keep up with The MQG? Are you currently receiving The MQG newsletter? Do you have any MQG questions and you don't know where to look? Beginning with the April meeting Debra Jalbert will help keep us up to date if there are any new announcements by ensuring we are all getting the newsletter and keeping us informed. This month we will be reviewing The MQG website, how to sign up for the newsletter and the Resource Page. If you have any questions, email or text me. My contact information is on the roster available to all Orlando MQG members.

Here's how to login from a smart phone:

1. Go to the website themodernquiltguild.com

2. On the very top right you will either see 'login' or 'logout name'.  Click the login or logout button.

3. If you are currently logged in, skip to the next step, if not click 'create new account' tab. You MUST use the same email address you gave the Orlando MQG to login. 

4. Once you have created your account or logged in you will see the screen above. 

5. Scroll down to see 'Communication Preferences', ensure both boxes are checked, click 'Update' You can also see that your Membership is with the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild here. 

If you have trouble logging in or are unsure of the email address you used please contact Debra. 

6. Now that you are logged in as a member, you have access to the Resources Page. Go to the menu and select Resources.

7. This is where you will find all of the Webinars, Quilts/Blocks of the Month, Reports and the new Fresh Quilting Series. 

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Take the Poll!

We want to know if you'd be interested in joining a Bee within the OMQG. Depending on the number of interested members, we'll create small hives that will work to make blocks for their hivemates.

The idea is that at the end of a certain time frame, you'll make blocks for others and you'll receive a set of blocks. (These will be separate from the guild's BOM lotto blocks. We want you to still make those blocks to win, too.)

If you've participated in online Bee exchanges, you know the fun of getting blocks in the mail to put together. The beauty of forming hives within our guild is that you'll save on postage while expanding your creativity. The board also hopes it will also be a way for members to get to know each other even more.

We are working out the exact way we will order groups based on an estimate of how many of you may want to join.

We are planning a rotating schedule of bees you may want to join (i.e. solids only, mod fabrics, scrap busters, mini blocks) so be on the lookout for a specific survey via email soon.

Log in to the MQG site to record your vote.

Take our poll now!

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Tuesday's Tips and Tricks: Navigating the MQG site

As you know the Orlando MQG has officially joined the Modern Quilt Guild and all paid members should have received an email by now from the MQG welcoming you and providing a link to the main site where you can set up your profile. If you have not received this email, please contact Rene' or leave a comment here, and we will make sure you get set up.

The website an be a little tricky to navigate at first, but I encourage you to take a little time to browse the site and familiarize yourself with the various tabs.  Quite a bit of chatter and useful information is available in the Forums, and we can add what we would like on our own group page.  To help us customize our page, please leave a comment on topics you would like to see discussed on our group page as well as other features desired.

If you haven't already, I recommend subscribing to the MQG newsletter by email to ensure you do not miss any important benefits.  Since our guild has joined, one free pattern has already been released for download.  This will be a regularly monthly feature in 2014.

Below are a few helpful links on the MQG site:

• The direct link to our Orlando MQG group guild page:  http://community.themodernquiltguild.com/groups/orlando-mqg-0 Please make sure you "Join" the Orlando MQG as well as clicking to "Follow".  If posts are public (as most of ours are now), you will be allowed to comment even if you haven't joined.  I have noticed that some members have activated their profile but not joined our group.
• "Community Site How-To Webinar" can be found here: http://community.themodernquiltguild.com/groups/community-site-how-webinar
• "Join/Subscribe to your group" help topic: http://community.themodernquiltguild.com/forums/help
• "How to Use Forums" help topic:  http://community.themodernquiltguild.com/groups/how-use-forums

Have fun exploring the Modern Quilt Guild site and let us know what you want to see on the Orlando MQG page!

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Modern Quilt Guild FAQs

As discussed during our April meeting, the Modern Quilt Guild will require membership dues for all Modern Quilt Guilds by December, 2014. The link below directs you to the most frequently asked questions regarding the transition.

Modern Quilt Guild FAQs

Members of the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild will vote in the Fall whether or not to join. If you have any questions you would like us to ask the Modern Quilt Guild, leave a comment below or e-mail.

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QuiltCon

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.

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Modern Quilt Guild News

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.

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