QuiltCon Block Challenge Reminder

BAMQG, with Ruth as leader of this project,  has decided to participate in the QuiltCon Block Challenge. The "challenge is to use the colors of the QuiltCon logo to make a quilt block that reflects what modern quilting means to you."
These guidelines (from the original QuiltCon post) to follow when constructing and submitting your blocks:

1. Blocks should be 12½” tall x the width of your choice. That could mean 12½” x 5”, 12½” x 24”, or anything wider, more narrow, or in between. Be creative!
2. Blocks should be machine pieced. Any piecing style is welcome, but please avoid using hand sewing, applique, embroidery, fabric markers, or any other embellishments.
3. Please use only “quilt shop quality” 100% cotton or cotton/linen fabrics in colors consistent with the QuiltCon logo (tangerine, gold, citrine, lime, aqua, turquoise, white, and gray).  Please feel free to include as many or few of the logo colors as you like, but avoid adding additional colors. Both print and solid fabrics are welcome.
4. Use your own judgment when selecting thread. Our preference is white or light gray 100% cotton thread, but any coordinating thread of good quality will do.
5. Each quilter may submit up to 3 blocks.
6. Each submitted block must be accompanied by a Block Challenge Entry Form. Please send your finished block(s) and entry form(s) by August 15, 2012 to: QuiltCon Block Challenge
   c/o Elizabeth Hartman
   PO Box 2309
   Beaverton, OR 97075

 Please send only finished blocks. Partially completed blocks, additional fabric, or other supplies will hamper the process.

For more information about the QuiltCon Block Challenge, please refer to The MQG website.

No blocks will be returned!
Buy fabric bundles in the QuiltCon logo colors from our sponsors!
Sew Modern
Marmalade Fabrics
Fat Quarter Shop
ChéFAB
Pink Chalk Fabrics

An additional challenge with the same type of blocks to make a BAMQG guild banner is going on at the same time.

June Meeting on Sat, June 2, 2012!!!

We have a meeting coming up on Saturday, June 2, 2012 , and we hope you will all make it.  As always, we will have the meeting between 1-3pm and open sewing from 3-5pm.

Logistics and Particulars

DATE: Saturday, June 2, 2012

TIME: 1pm-5pm
LOCATION: Redwood City Public Library, Main Branch

Agenda

We have another great meeting planned. NOTE: this agenda is subject to change

• Workshop Announcement
• Quilt Market Recap
• Design Presentation
• Stud & a Dud Swap
• Show & Tell
• Sewcial 

If you've never been to a meeting, come and join us!! The first meeting is free. 

If you want to see a glimpse of what goes on at our meetings, read the post for new people.

Swaps and Challenges
How are you doing on the May swap  "Stud and a Dud"?


Quiltcon block challenge is ongoing. Have you designed your block yet?


BAMQG block challenge is ongoing. Have you made one with the BAMQG colors?

Stuff To Bring:

• Name tag
• Show & Tell
• ABC Blocks for June. June's block names should start with Q & R. Bring your current blocks only as we are overwhelming the design wall because of such awesome participation!
• Charity Blocks (Instructions)
  
• Extra WHITE Fabric, batting big enough for a quilt, or orphan blocks for the Charity Bin (at the moment our fabulous charity people have enough scraps and fabric for the moment)
• Giveaway donations (see post)
  
• Project to work on during sew time
  
• Supplies for your project such as sewing machine, extension cord, etc
  
• Snacks to share

Needs:
Our  fabulous charity coordinators need batting and white fabric. If you haven't used that Joann coupon, perhaps you could use it to buy a package of batting, or a yard or two of white fabric? The charity project is so successful! Let's keep up the good work.

Diana needs people to be responsible for the Keurig coffee maker, bringing an iron and ironing board to meetings June- September. If you are willing to help out (and what could be easier???), please contact Diana or see the forum post to sign up.

Giveaway Donations: see Angela if you have a really nice modern quilting, sewing books or patterns that you've already used, but are too nice to just give to the thrift store or used book store. A good amount of modern fabric left over from that gorgeous quilt project you just finished that you know you won't use would be great as well? All of these can be door prizes. Angela.will work with you.

Reminders:

Charity Sew Day: June 16. See forum post for more information.

Sew Day: July 21 10am-11pm (Los Altos)

QuiltCon Block Challenge: Blocks due August 15. See information in the post dedicated to this subject.

BAMQG Block Challenge:  Blocks due at the July Meeting. See information in the post dedicated to this subject.

QuiltCon:  February 21-24, 2013 in Austin, Texas.  QuiltCon will feature a juried show.  Quilt entry opens July 1, 2012 and closes October 31, 2012.  There will be more information in May regarding pricing and speakers/instructors.


If you have any questions, contact me (or any of the other officers). See you Saturday!

BAMQG Block Design Challenge

We need YOUR creativity and help. Have you designed your block yet? Made it?

Like the QuiltCon Block Design Challenge, we are having a BAMQG Block Design Challenge.

For the local challenge, we are asking you to duplicate your Quiltcon block submission in the Bay Area Modern colors of orange and teal.  If you need to brush up on the QuiltCon challenge guidelines, you can find tons of info here, here, and here.  Solids and prints are both great to use.  If you would like to use solids, we recommend the following shades:

• Kona:  School Bus, Orange, Jade Green, Bahama Blue, White, Medium Grey, and Coal.
• Moda Bella:  Turquoise, Orange, and Robin's Egg Blue, White, Slate, and Charcoal (no really good match for light orange)
• Art Gallery Pure Elements:  Burnt Orange, Fresh Water, and Tile Blue (no really good match for light orange)
• Free Spirit:  Peach Blush, Caribbean Sea, and Jade (no really good match for dark orange)

Please use whites & greys for your neutrals, rather than creams or tans (just like the QuiltCon block).  See the above banner for a visual of the colors.


You can make up to 3 blocks for this challenge.  Some people have mentioned that their QuiltCon block design doesn't translate well to the reduced number of colors in the local palette.  While it's great to get a 2-for-1 deal, it's also fine to modify your design or create a new one.  Be creative!

We will show our challenge blocks at the July meeting (although if you are running late, we will only heckle you a little if you bring them in August or September).  The submissions will be used for a fantastic (and still to be determined) guild project. 
No blocks will be returned!

A-B-C Challenge: Q & R

We are nearing the end of the A-B-C Challenge. It isn't to late to join the fun. The challenge is still going strong and in the home stretch! Bring your ABC Blocks for June to the June 2 meeting. These blocks should start with Q & R

Q was hard! Your editor found only one Q block in the Around the Block! Fortunately, if you need an easy one. Some examples of Q blocks are:

1. Quilt in Light & Dark, Around the Block Again, pg.99.
2. Quatrefoils is a great looking block. It is all squares except for a house shape that will prepare you for Jaye's version of the Swoon pattern. ;-)
3. Queen Charlotte's Crown has a great name. I'll have to look up Queen Charlotte sometime and learn her story. This 10" block uses some half square triangles.
4. Queen's Crown has a lot of pieces. They are mostly squares, but if you are doing a 6" block, I would look elsewhere for inspiration. The pattern makes a 15" block, which would be a great medallion for your challenge.
5. Quilter's Cache claims that the Quills & Arrows block is an original. Again, this 14" block has a lot of pieces and would make a great medallion. It requires a lot of half square triangles, so if you need some quick piecing tips for HST's check out the tutorial.

I didn't find Electric Quilt to be very helpful in locating blocks by name if I didn't know the name, e.g. by letter. I did search for "qui" and "quo", being the most likely starting combinations and was really only moderately successful. I need to contact them and find out if there is a way to only find blocks that start with 'Q' for example.

Some examples of R blocks are:

1. Rolling Stone - Around the Block Again, pg. 104
2. Rolling Squares is a slight variation on Rolling Stone and can be found, also in Around the Block Again, on pg. 103.
3. The Rail Fence block is a frequent part of sampler classes and is very easy. It is great for beginners and for those of you (everyone?) pressed for time. The pattern is for a 12" block.
4. Railroad Crossing includes four mini versions of our original charity block. The pattern given is for the 12" size.
5. Road to California includes squares and half square triangles. It is a classic.
6. Ribbons and Stars is another 12" block and will give you some practice on your Flying Geese.
7. Are you from Rhode Island? Making a quilt with blocks from all 50 states? The 12" Rhode Island block is for you. it is a great Sawtooth Star within an Ohio Star. The block is paper pieced, but it probably could be done, with care, using regular piecing.
8. Rally 'Round is very effective. It looks a lot harder than it is. The instructions make a 9" block.
9. Rainbow Wheel is a 7.25" paper pieced block that would make a wonderful color wheel for your studio.

Below are a few of the many block resources available to inspire you:

• 1000 Great Quilt Blocks by Maggi McCormick Gordon
• Around the Block with Judy Hopkins: 200 Rotary Cut Blocks in 6 Sizes by Judy Hopkins
• Around the Block Again: More Rotary Cut Blocks from Judy Hopkins by Judy Hopkins
• The Civil War Love Letter Quilt: 121Quilt Blocks Inspired by Love and War by Rosemary Youngs
• The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt: 55 letters and the 111 Blocks they Inspired by Laurie Hird
• Japanese Quilt Blocks to Mix & Match by Susan Briscoe
• Judy Martin's Ultimate Book of Quilt Block Patterns by Judy Martin
• Modern Quilt Blocks: 99 Quilt Blocks from your Favorite Designers by Susanne Woods
• Once More Around the Block by Judy Hopkins
• The Quilter's Album of Blocks and Borders by Jinny Beyer (out of print)
• The Quilter's Album of Patchwork Patterns: 4044 Pieced Blocks for Quilters by Jinny Beyer (2009) - you NEED this book if you don't have it.

So, go forth and make blocks. You can do it. Have fun, use great fabric. Enjoy!

Featured Photo

Here is a photo from the last meeting. Colleen (l), Peggy (m) and Adrianne (r) were all winners of doorprizes, but isn't this a wonderful photo of happy BAMQG members? You can be a happy BAMQG member, too!

The first meeting is free and guests are just $5. bring a friend.

Swap #2: A Stud & a Dud

by Amanda
Have you ever had the feeling that you've taken home a DUD?  Are you longing to know what it's like to bring home a STUD? Well, here's your chance!

That's right, my quiltbabies, it's time for SWAP NUMBER 2 at our JUNE 2nd meeting!  Go ahead and clean out your bookshelves, pull out your wallets, and do a little shopping on AMAZON!! (or your other favorite local book or quilt shop, of course!)

What in goodnesses' name is a STUD and a DUD, you ask?  Well, my quiltbabies, as I pondered over how to make a fun swap, one that was low-key and gave you a month off from working your fingers to the boney-bone-bones, Rhonda our rockin' retreat-and-demo queen piped up, "How about a book swap?"  To which our fabulous founder Ruth shouted out, "A Stud and a Dud!" And voila, my quiltbabies - your next swap was born.

So here's the nitty-gritty, the juicy-juice, the low-down at SWAPTOWN if you choose to accept this mission:
THE STEPS
1) You will bring in TWO books to swap with your BAMQG members, and you will go HOME with two books: that's right, a STUD and a DUD!

2) BOOK #1, THE STUD: This is an AWESOME MODERN QUILTING BOOK, published in the last 5 years.  It is one that you would buy YOURSELF if you didn't already have it - or who knows, maybe you'll chance it and buy it for yourself, too!  It is a DREAM, a REVEALATION, an INSPIRATION, and it makes you wanna SEW SEW SEW!  In short, you would be married to this book if you didn't already have a significant other.  [And yes, it is a-okay if you read this book before bed, ignoring your significant other into blissful dreams of quilty-plums dancing in your head!] FYI, to widen our book choices a little bit, this book can be a sewing book - not TOTALLY quilt-focused - but must have at least ONE quilt pattern in it.  Please bring this book in UNWRAPPED, open, for all other quiltbabies to see with their bright and shiny peepers!

3) BOOK #2, THE DUD:  Find an absolutely horrible, awful, no good, very bad quilting book.  It can be off your shelf ("I'm SO tired of this book!"), it can be from a thrift store or book store ("ooh, this looks like good punishment for the unlucky recepient!") or anywhere else you can find it ("Mwah-ha-ha-ha-ha!").  THEN, wrap it up in some pretty lil' paper to make it just SLIGHTLY more appetizing.....

4)) Now BRING THOSE BOOKS into the June 2nd meeting, because we have a special, sneaky, sly, you're-gonna-love-it swap planned so you can leave with the book of your dreams, and tolerate the DUD you got stuck with (which you can always donate to the library if you  REALLY hate it!).

Tips:
Blogs are a great place to look for books, of course - I'm sure we all already are tuned in there.   Another good spot I've found is AMAZON.com and type in "Modern Quilting" in the search field.  That will give you a lot of good choices.

Anyone can participate as long as they bring a stud and a dud. We hope this swap will encourage non-members to join us. ;-)

And please, my sweet fabulous quiltbabies, reply to the forum post to let us know if you are UP FOR THE ADVENTURE!!

 

May Meeting Notes

The meeting was fun with lots of great information and show and tell.

Peggy's Demo
As mentioned, the Charity Girls have a new pattern, so Peggy helped them out and gave a demo on the Quilt-as-you-Go method of putting a quilt together.

The trick is to cut the batting the right size so that you don't have to trim when putting the blocks together. Of course, there is a lot more to it. If you missed the demo, talk to Peggy about a personal demo.

Thanks to Peggy for taking the time to prepare and give the demo! We are so fortunate to have such talent in our group.

If you want to do a demo on one of your talents, no matter how small, contact Rhonda.

A-B-C Block Challenge
This month's letters for the challenge were O & P.


Diana is showing off her A-B-C Challenge blocks, which are looking good! the colors are very striking.

Rhonda is catching up with the rest of us! She didn't start out doing the challenge, but decided to jump on board.


Lynnette brought a few blocks and Kathleen, our fearless leader, has great looking blocks in red and black.

Next month, bring blocks with names that start with Q & R.



San Mateo County Fair Entries

Amanda coordinated a group entry of quilts from the Kona challenge to the San Mateo County Fair. People who agreed to enter their quilts brought them to the meeting for Amanda. She kindly agreed to drop them all off at the Fair later this month.

Show & Tell part 1

I plan to write another post about Show & Tell. There is so much great work that one post cannot do it justice. Here are a few wonderful pieces to whet your appetite!

 Adrianne called this Kathleen's Screamin' Green quilt (left). The green is very effective in setting off the scrap blocks.



Ruth used a pattern from the book Sew Liberated to make this apron (right). Love that fabric! As an added bonus it is two sided!


Adrianne made a Zakka Style Zigzag tote. We look froward to seeing you at the next meeting!



Reminders:

QuiltCon:  February 21-24, 2013in Austin, Texas.  QuiltCon will feature a juried show.  Quilt entry opens July 1, 2012 and closes October 31, 2012.  There will be more information in May regarding pricing and speakers/instructors.

QuiltCon Block Challenge: Blocks due August 15. See information in the post dedicated to this subject.

BAMQG Block Challenge:  Blocks due at the July Meeting. See information in the post dedicated to this subject

Charity Sew Day June 16!

by Diana

We are planning a June 16 Charity Sew Day!

Please RSVP to this post in the forum if you are coming, so we can get a general head count.

Charity sewing will be from 10am-5pm.
Any project (charity or personal) is welcome from 5pm-11pm.

The goal of our Charity Sew Day is to make some quilt tops and complete quilts (from current WIPs) by the end of the day.  We will have 2-3 block challenges, a team challenge, and demos (including Amanda's cat bed demo) scheduled through the day.

A special thank you to Pat Bravo who sent some lovely Art Gallery Fabrics studio scraps for our block challenges!


Location:
Los Altos Library
13 S. San Antonio Road, Los Altos, California, 94022
http://g.co/maps/kvpkt

Shout out if you can bring these items to share:

• Light/non-messy snacks
• Design Walls (need 2) (Editor comment: the more the merrier)
• Irons (need 3 total) - have 4 - Thanks!
• Ironing Boards (need 3 total) - have 3 - Thanks!
• Large Cutting Mats (need 2) - have 2 - Thanks!

Plan to bring your own:

• Extension cord and/or power strip
• Sewing machine
• Cutting tools/mats (you might want a personal one)
• Charity sewers should bring either white, cream or grey thread, and any white batting they wish to donate (scraps 8" square and larger welcome).
• Scraps - if you plan to sew a cat bed, please bring bits to stuff inside it.

The Charity Coordinators will bring string block kits, as well as any fabric needed for blocks.

We will be in the Community Room of the Los Altos Library.  It's the large room on the side of the library nearest San Antonio Rd.  There are two sets of double doors on the outside of the library - both lead into a foyer area, and the Community Room door is on the left part of this foyer, the checkout desk is on the right.
If you arrive late (after 6pm when the library closes), knock on the doors closest to the Community Room, and someone should be able to let you inside.

We will need to set up and take down tables and chairs, which are available at the library. Please plan to help with this.  Also please try to keep your floor area clean.

Coffee and other light snacks are available in the foyer of the library.

People often pick up meals from a local restaurant. There are many places - most frequently we visit Rick's for lunch (http://rickscafelosaltos.com/menu) but that may not be the case every time.

Questions? Contact Diana.

May Meeting: TOMORROW!!!

We have a meeting coming up tomorrow, Saturday, May 5, 2012, and we hope you will all make it.  As always, we will have the meeting between 1-3pm and open sewing from 3-5pm.

Logistics and Particulars

DATE: Saturday, May 5, 2012

TIME: 1pm-5pm
LOCATION: Redwood City Public Library, Main Branch

Agenda

We have another great meeting planned. NOTE: this agenda is subject to change

• Quilt National Tour Recap
• Show & Tell
• Free Sew

If you've never been to a meeting, come and join us!! The first meeting is free. 

If you want to see a glimpse of what goes on at our meetings, read the post for new people.

Swaps and Challenges
New swap for May is a "Stud and a Dud". Stay tuned for more info at the meeting!


Quiltcon block challenge is ongoing. Have you designed your block yet?


BAMQG block challenge is ongoing. Have you made one with the BMAQG colors?

San Mateo County Fair Entries
Amanda is coordinating a group entry of quilts from the Kona challenge to the San Mateo County Fair. If you agreed to enter your quilt, please bring it tomorrow for Amanda and she will drop it off at the Fair later this month. Please bring:

• filled out entry form (Amanda will have some blanks available)
• $2 for entry fee
• quilt

Stuff To Bring:

• Show & Tell
• ABC Blocks for Mary. March's block names should start with O & P. Bring your current blocks only.
• Charity Blocks (Instructions)
  
• Extra WHITE Fabric, batting big enough for a quilt, or orphan blocks for the Charity Bin (at the moment our fabulous charity people have enough scraps and fabric)
  
• Project to work on during sew time
  
• Supplies for your project such as sewing machine, extension cord, etc
  
• Snacks to share
• Kona Challenge quilt

Needs:
Our  fabulous charity coordinators need batting and white fabric. If you haven't used that Joann coupon, perhaps you could use it to buy a package of batting, or a yard or two of white fabric? The charity project is so successful! Let's keep up the good work.

Reminders:

QuiltCon:  February 21-24, 2013in Austin, Texas.  QuiltCon will feature a juried show.  Quilt entry opens July 1, 2012 and closes October 31, 2012.  There will be more information in May regarding pricing and speakers/instructors.


If you have any questions, contact me (or any of the other officers). See you tomorrow!

BAMQG Block Design Challenge

Quilty Peeps:

The group would like to create a project for use at different events in we anticipate participating in the future. We need YOUR creativity and help.

Like the QuiltCon Block Design Challenge, we are having a BAMQG Block Design Challenge.

For the local challenge, we are asking you to duplicate your Quiltcon block submission in the Bay Area Modern colors of orange and teal.  If you need to brush up on the QuiltCon challenge guidelines, you can find tons of info here, here, and here.  Solids and prints are both great to use.  If you would like to use solids, we recommend the following shades:

• Kona:  School Bus, Orange, Jade Green, Bahama Blue, White, Medium Grey, and Coal.
• Moda Bella:  Turquoise, Orange, and Robin's Egg Blue, White, Slate, and Charcoal (no really good match for light orange)
• Art Gallery Pure Elements:  Burnt Orange, Fresh Water, and Tile Blue (no really good match for light orange)
• Free Spirit:  Peach Blush, Caribbean Sea, and Jade (no really good match for dark orange)

Please use whites & greys for your neutrals, rather than creams or tans (just like the QuiltCon block).  See the above banner for a visual of the colors.


You can make up to 3 blocks for this challenge.  Some people have mentioned that their QuiltCon block design doesn't translate well to the reduced number of colors in the local palette.  While it's great to get a 2-for-1 deal, it's also fine to modify your design or create a new one.  Be creative!

We will show our challenge blocks at the July meeting (although if you are running late, we will only heckle you a little if you bring them in August or September).  The submissions will be used for a fantastic (and still to be determined) guild project. 
No blocks will be returned!

QuiltCon Block Challenge

 BAMQG, with Ruth as leader of this project,  has decided to participate in the QuiltCon Block Challenge. The "challenge is to use the colors of the QuiltCon logo to make a quilt block that reflects what modern quilting means to you."
These guidelines (from the original QuiltCon post) to follow when constructing and submitting your blocks:

1. Blocks should be 12½” tall x the width of your choice. That could mean 12½” x 5”, 12½” x 24”, or anything wider, more narrow, or in between. Be creative!
2. Blocks should be machine pieced. Any piecing style is welcome, but please avoid using hand sewing, applique, embroidery, fabric markers, or any other embellishments.
3. Please use only “quilt shop quality” 100% cotton or cotton/linen fabrics in colors consistent with the QuiltCon logo (tangerine, gold, citrine, lime, aqua, turquoise, white, and gray).  Please feel free to include as many or few of the logo colors as you like, but avoid adding additional colors. Both print and solid fabrics are welcome.
4. Use your own judgment when selecting thread. Our preference is white or light gray 100% cotton thread, but any coordinating thread of good quality will do.
5. Each quilter may submit up to 3 blocks.
6. Each submitted block must be accompanied by a Block Challenge Entry Form. Please send your finished block(s) and entry form(s) by August 15, 2012 to: QuiltCon Block Challenge
   c/o Elizabeth Hartman
   PO Box 2309
   Beaverton, OR 97075

 Please send only finished blocks. Partially completed blocks, additional fabric, or other supplies will hamper the process.

No blocks will be returned!

For more information about the QuiltCon Block Challenge, please refer to The MQG website.


Buy fabric bundles in the QuiltCon logo colors from our sponsors!
Sew Modern
Marmalade Fabrics
Fat Quarter Shop
ChéFAB
Pink Chalk Fabrics An additional challenge with the same type of blocks to make a BAMQG guild banner is going on at the same time. More information about that later.