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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Cre-active Club Q&A

Do you have questions about the Cre-Active Club?  I've tried to think about a few, but if you have more leave a comment or e-mail me.

Q - I have 29 projects, can I still join?

A - Yes, you can.  However, you will have to make some choice.  There’s only 6 slots on the list.  Which ones matter to you most?

Q - I have only 3 unfinished projects, can I still join?

A - You are probably a very fast maker, a super organized quilter, a very focus person… Whatever is  your super-power, you’re already a winner.  Back to the question, Yes, you can join.  You will get some off months, and less opportunity to win, but we’ve established that you are already a winner (and I really want to learn about your superpower).

Q - I have missed the registration deadline.  Can I still join?

A - Yes, you can.  You’ll enter less projects and wait for the beginning of the next 2-month period to start working on your projects.

Q - I can’t come to every meeting, how will I know which number has been drawn and on which project to work?

A - After each meeting, I will send an e-mail to all the participants in our friendly group.  There’s also going to be a post on the blog to celebrate our successes, and let you know which number is up next.

Q - I can’t come to the meeting, but I’ve finished my project.  Can I still participate to the drawing?

A - Yes, send me a picture of your finished beauty, remember we love to ‘ooh and ah’, I will add your picture to the blog post and put your name in the drawing.  Well done you!

Q - I can’t come to every meeting.  How can I see what others have achieved?

A - Nothing compared to seeing a quilt in ‘real life’, but don’t worry if you can’t make it to the meeting we will post pictures of our beautiful finishes on the blog.  Also, we all love to see work in progress,  we sometimes need advice on design ideas, so why not posting on Instagram (#OrlanodMQG #creactiveclub) or on the Guild Facebook page.  Seeing others progress, exchanging ideas is such a nice motivator.Q - I’ve been super busy for the last couple of months and couldn't finish my project.  What is going to happen?

A - You haven't finished your assigned project, as a fine you will have to bring the prize for the other members of the group.  No, just kidding!  Life happen and we get it, unfortunately you’re name  will not be entered to this month drawing.

Q - I have this project which only needs biding.  It is not going to take me 2 months to do it.  Can I still enter it to my list?

A - Yes, you can.  You might finish it early which is nice, I’m sure you've got other project you're itching to start.  If you want an extra challenge, why not grouping this project with another fast one and entering both in one entry line?  You’re the boss of your list.

Q - I have this project from the 80’s, it has a sentimental value but I’m not sure I’m in love with it.  Shall I enter it?

A - Yes, you can.  However, if you’re not 100% about it, just wait a bit we might have a special challenge/group coming soon.  Stay tune!

Q - I sketched this incredible on paper/EQ/Illustrator (whatever is your tool of predilection), can I enter it?

A - Unfortunately, the answer is No.  We have to draw the line somewhere (punt intended!).  Only projects where fabric has been involved in some way (a block made, fabric cut…) can be entered.

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Cre-active Club

We (almost) all have UFOs/WIPs and we all feel different about them.   Some of us enjoy the process of piecing but have no interested in the quilting process, some of us get excited with the next pretty line of fabric, clever pattern design, some of us (myself) are slow makers.  All of this is OK, it’s part of the creative process.

Now, most of us have some projects that we will really like to finish (I am not speaking about the wedding quilt for your twice-removed-cousins who have divorced since you started it, or the baby quilt for your co-worker’s baby who has graduated since then, or the quilt you started with this fabric that now you wonder what were you thinking when you bought it…).  Some projects are special and need our love.  So this year, we would like to give you a bit of nudge to finish some of them.

The concept

You’ll be asked to:

• Pick up 6 projects that are very close to your heart and you are yearning to finish.
  
• Write each project next to a number on the attached document; make the list pretty, add doodles, colours - it is not a something that should nag or haunt you, it’s proof that your life is creative.
  
• Put it somewhere visible in your sewing studio, in your crafty nook, in your planner, on the fridge… anywhere where you can see it and remind you that quilting is a wonderful passion.
  
• Take a picture of it and send it to me (carolinejanny@hotmail.com) by the end of April or before May’s meeting. I’m going to make a list of the participants and their projects.

What will happen next?

1. During May’s meeting, we will pull a random number between 1 and 6, you will go back to your list of lovely projects and start working on the project listed next to the drawn number. Easy!
   
2. From there, you have 2 months to work on your project, post some pictures if you want to, bring it to show-and-tell during the Guild meeting if you feel like it.  At the end of the 2 months, we will draw a new number and it will to be the next project you will work on, and so on for the next 12 months.
   
3. As you finish a project, the list will be updated and we will have a prize drawn every 2 months amongst the participants who have finished, and have presented their lovely finished projects at show-and-tell.

Some easy rules

To qualify,  your projects must have been started in some ‘fibery' way: one block already made, or the fabric already cut, or the top almost finished and in need of quilting, or only the binding needing to be sewn - it’s entirely your choice.  Shall you feel that 2 months to sew a binding is excessive, your can combine 2 projects into one entry.  If you think that finishing a whole quilt in 2 months will stretch you too much, then put this project under 2 different entries, giving you 4 months to do it.

The whole idea is to have something which is manageable for you and to get you to some finishes.  Should you join the challenge, I know I am, we will be around to support and encourage each other.  We all love to ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ at each other quilts, so let’s do this.

And if you still have too many UFOs by the end of the year, you might want to ask yourself how do you feel about them?  You love them, they provide insulation!  You feel bad about the ‘wasted’ fabric, then it might be time to pass them on to somebody who will enjoy finishing them (the Guild Auction is coming next month).  Remember with all UFOs, WIPs or finished quilts you learnt something and you brought creativity in your life and in others and this is a beautiful achievement.

Remember

• Print the list,
• Pick your projects,
• Fill the list,
• Take a picture and send it to me carolinejanny@hotmail.com

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