Monday, August 24, 2015

PIQF Help Needed!!



Hello All!
PIQF (Pacific International Quilt Festival) is coming up in October from the 15th - 18th at the Santa Clara County Convention Center (10am - 6pm Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and 9am - 3pm on Sunday).  

The BAMQG will be showing our Opportunity Quilt there and selling raffle tickets.  Please see the post on the Ning Forum for details about signing up - we need volunteers!  And.......we have prizes!  The top two people who volunteer the most hours will win prizes!  So go and sign up for a slot or two or three today!  All slots are 2 hours shifts - both Opportunity Quilt Ticket selling, and White gloving.  Help spread the good news of our Bay Area Modern Quilt Guild! :)
Any questions, or if you want to sign up with me directly, comment below or on the Ning post
Thanks much!
Amanda

Friday, August 21, 2015

The "Yes, And" Improv Round Robin (IRR)

The "Yes, And" Improv Round Robin (IRR) was mentioned at the last meeting. You can find a thread on the Ning. We are providing some information here.

Supplies:
-Fabric (see page 43)
-a piece of your 'signature' fabric
-Bag or bin labeled with your name
- BSK
-Sewing machine in good working order
-etc

Sherri Lynn Wood has written a book on improvisational quiltmaking. We will be using her information to work on a guild-wide round robin. In this exercise, each person will be taking the piece you have been given by someone else, and adding on- conversation style. We are modifying this to fit into a once-a-month exchange round robin for the guild rather than the one day workshop as described in the book.

 Note: that anyone participating in this round robin must have a copy of Sherri Lynn Wood’s The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters as we will be referring to this book (and out of respect for the author’s original, hard work).

You can certainly work on this at home, but we are a social group so we would like to encourage people to stay after the meeting and do their rounds together. This means that we can time each round, do the centering together, etc. Remember, it’s only 20 minutes!

 So, get your fabrics selected and let’s do some improv!

The Score:
1.       Select a group of fabrics: see page 43 in the book for suggested amounts/types. These will be the building blocks of your quilt that everyone will use to build with. Place in a bag or bin with your name and email address on it to keep everything together.

2.       Choose your “signature” fabric that you will add to everyone’s quilt. You will keep this fabric.  Don't stress too much about this because it's impossible to choose a fabric that will "go" with everyone else's fabric choices.  Don't worry, it'll work out, just choose something you like!

3.       Read page 43 for the rules, techniques and mind-clearing methods. Remember that this is a ruler and template-free process!  Center yourself right before beginning each round.

4.       Round 1: using your own set of curated fabrics from #1, begin the quilt “conversation.” Suggested time limit: 20 minutes. Place your starter and your curated fabrics into your bag or bin and bring to the next guild meeting for exchange with other members of the round robin! Keep your signature fabric.

5.       Round 2 and beyond: after receiving someone else’s piece, add to the conversation using their fabrics, adding your own signature fabric, and using the same rules, techniques, and mind-clearing methods as before. As pieces get larger, the time limit can increase (30 minutes suggested) but don’t spend hours agonizing!  In fact, it's encouraged to NOT look at the piece at all until right before you start your 30 minutes. Remember, this is improv and is a "yes, and conversation"! The number of final rounds will depend on the number of participants.

6.       When you get your final piece back after the rounds, do any final additions to the piece that you feel it needs.
(Draft) Timeline (subject to change):
August 2015: Introduce IRR. Sign-ups at meeting and on ning
Sept 2015:  Starters due, exchange of first bins amongst members
Nov 2015:  Round 2 due, exchange
Feb 2016: Round 3 due, exchange
April 2016:  Round 4, or final exchange, or take your final piece home to finish up
…Continue as needed…

NOTE: this is meant to be FUN and FREEING. While we would like to keep the rounds going at a reasonable pace, if you must miss a month don’t worry too much. We do not want people to be afraid to participate.

Find Sherri Lynn's website at: http://daintytime.net/

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Sherri Lynn Wood Workshop

Join in the fun!
After that fantastic talk at our last meeting, we are all excited to try out the scores from Sherri's book, so we are having a workshop with her!!!

Here are the details:

What:  Improvising From a Score with Sherri Lynn Wood (http://daintytime.net/)
Date:  Sunday, October 11, 2015, 10am-4:30pm now at
9:30am-4:30pm!!!
Location:  Always Quilting, 4230 Olympic Ave, San Mateo
Cost:  $80 per person (does NOT include lunch)

With jazz music, a score, or lead sheet, indicates basic chord changes and arrangements of a song without specifying how the song should be performed. Now imagine a score written to perform a quilt!  In this ruler-free improv workshop participants will explore the FUNDAMENTAL concept to flexible patterning and improvisational process: How to set limits that support your creative flow. This is the KEY principle for creating and following your own patterns. Finding your flow not only feels super good, it actually replaces the need of having to work from a plan.

There will also be a separate guild-wide round robin using this book. Please purchase it.

If you're interested in attending, there are still a very few spots left.  Please reply to this post or send me an email or Ning message and I'll add you to the list or waiting list.

Please note that if you have already signed up, but not yet paid, I will contact you once PayPal is set up, or you can bring a check or cash to the next meeting.

Monday, August 17, 2015

August Meeting HUGE Success!!!

Upcoming Events:

  • September 19 - Guild Meeting
  • October 11 - Sherri Lynn Wood Workshop 
  • October 17 - Guild Meeting
  • October 17: Low Volume challenge projects due!
  • November 7 - Charity Sew Day
IRR Schedule (see post on Friday for more detailed info)
  • August 2015: Introduce IRR. Sign-ups at meeting and on Ning
  • Sept 2015:  Starters due, exchange of first bins amongst members
  • Nov 2015:  Round 2 due, exchange
  • Feb 2016: Round 3 due, exchange
  • April 2016:  Round 4, or final exchange, or take your final piece home to finish up

Meeting Notes:

Angela and Cheryl headed the meeting on Saturday as our Fearless Leader was absent and very much missed. Angela and Cheryl stepped in and did a fantastic job running the meeting.

1. Getting to Know You Question: What Style of Quiltmaking Best Describes Your Style?
  • Fast & Furious
  • Steady as she goes
  • Whatever
  • Prim and Proper Precision
As you can imagine, there were a lot of variations on this theme. There was a lot of "whatever", especially people evolving from another description to "whatever". True to form, members, also, culd not pick from the list and had to make up their own including:
  • Start and stop
  • Overambitious
  • None of the above (HA!!!)
  • Slow and steady
  • Slow, tries to be precise
The best part was that there was a lot of laughter. This is a great way to get to know each other and I always see someone new as we go around the room.

2. Opportunity Quilt
The fabulous, Amanda, needs help selling tickets at PIQF, Thursday October 15 - Sunday October 18. The shifts are two hours and we are also responsible for putting in some white gloving time for the general PIQF show. Please contact Amanda through the Ning Forum to sign up. You will need to buy your own tickets to enter the show, but you can enter throughout the show to view quilts and shop with your ticket.

Prizes are being offered to those who volunteer for (and show up for!!) the most shifts. A first and second prize will be awarded. This means that if you have 20 hours and the next closest person has 19, you will win a fabulous prize. sign up NOW to get your choice of shifts.

3. Pacific International Quilt Festival
As mentioned, PIQF is coming to the Santa Clara Convention Center,  Thursday October 15 - Sunday October 18.There is a Mid-Century Modern Contest and the entry date has been extended, so enter your quilt. There is also a new modern quilt category. This has been added to freshen up the show.

4. The Sherri Lynn Wood Workshop will be coming to a guild near you on October 11.

What:  Improvising From a Score with Sherri Lynn Wood (http://daintytime.net/)
Date:  Sunday, October 11, 2015, 10am-4:30pm
Location:  Always Quilting, 4230 Olympic Ave, San Mateo
Cost:  $80 per person (does NOT include lunch)
5. Guild Improv Round Robin Coming Soon
Cheryl and Jen will be organizing a guild-wide round robin based on Sherri Lynn Wood's "Improv is a YES conversation" concept. You will be taking what someone else has done and adding to it. This is an interesting opportunity to discover things about yourself. You must have a copy of the book.
Stay tuned for more details, which will be posted on the Forum, but purchase the book in the meantime so you can get an idea of what we will be doing.

6. Charity
  • Postage Stamp blocks are still ongoing
  • There are a number of quilts that need to be quilted
  • Bow Tie kits are still available
The Charity Sew Day was a big success. participants sewed large rectangles together using the QuiltCon 2015 challenge colors. Lynette won the Sew Day prize.

Next Charity Sew Day: November 7 at Peggy's Community Room

7. Volunteering
The guild operates because of volunteers. We are successful because of volunteers. We are all busy, but many hands make light work. What will you do? We need volunteers to sell Opportunity Quilt tickets at PIQF and we need volunteers for all positions for 2016.

Step up and make a difference!

8. Swaps
Swap Coordinator, Joy-Lily is putting together a list of blogs. Add a link to a blog you like on the Ning thread and Joy-Lily will create a list to be distributed at the December meeting. It will also be posted on this blog.

Also, Gift-a-palooza is coming to the next meeting. Gifts will be made for other participants and swapped at the Holiday Extravaganza. Think about colors and gifts you would like.  Look for more details at the next meeting.

9. Quilty Happenings

10. Challenges
Karen gave a great lecture explaining to all of us what Low Volume prints are:
  • NOT size of fabric
  • NOT 'loudness' of fabric
  • What percentage of fabric is white or light
  • Malka Dubrowski is credited with the first definition and the term 'low volume'
    • white or light based background with a print
    • print needs a secondary design
    • light is at least 50% of the overall fabric color. (Karen showed us the threshold tool on Photoshop where you can see the percentage of white vs color in a fabric)
    • Perhaps: fabric needs to read as light, but this is in dispute
    • Not a solid
    She showed us examples of the Threshold Test results so we could look at the fabrics and see how much light they contained.

    Karen reminded us that low volume was not necessarily a new concept and had some examples of antique or vintage quilts that read as low volume.

    15 Years ago most lights were beige. Now there is much more availability of lights in brighter whites and other colors. There are a lot of prints with light backgrounds. The low volume concept looks nice as a background.

    This leads us to challenge #2:
    • design or make a low volume quilt or project (bag, pillow, etc)
    • 50% of the fabrics should be low volume
    • 1st 32 participants picked up a FQ of low volume fabric, which they can, but are not required to use
    •  No size restrictions
    • Due by October meeting

    As usual, Show and Tell was a huge success. We want to see you and your projects. Come join us at the next meeting!

Friday, August 14, 2015

Meeting Tomorrow!

WHAT: Bay Area Modern Quilt Guild Meeting!!!
WHEN: Saturday, August 15, starting at 1:00 pm (That's tomorrow!!)
WHERE:  we'll be meeting at the Redwood City Library, in the upstairs community room. 

WHAT things to bring:
*Show 'n Tell
*Your name tag
*Michael Miller Challenge Fabric if you want to swap
*Finished Hawaiian quilts!!
*Charity blocks and quilts
*Small Group projects (and ideas for new Small Groups!)
*Information about local/national quilty happenings
*Non-messy snacks
*Enthusiasm and a positive attitude! 
Please note: this list is not necessarily all-inclusive. It's quite likely there's something important that's been left off, so if you think of something that should be added, please speak up! 
There will be lots of time to visit, too, especially after the meeting. So plan to stick around and have some fun! Meet new friends, chat with old friends, and eat some yummy snacks!
If you have any questions, please reply here, or see an officer at the meeting

Members can visit the BA Modern Ning site. Join to become a member!!!

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Meeting Saturday!!

WHAT: Bay Area Modern Quilt Guild Meeting!!!
WHEN: Saturday, August 15, starting at 1:00 pm 
WHERE:  we'll be meeting at the Redwood City Library, in the upstairs community room. 

WHAT things to bring:
*Show 'n Tell
*Your name tag
*Michael Miller Challenge Fabric if you want to swap
*Finished Hawaiian quilts!!
*Charity blocks and quilts
*Small Group projects (and ideas for new Small Groups!)
*Information about local/national quilty happenings
*Non-messy snacks
*Enthusiasm and a positive attitude! 
Please note: this list is not necessarily all-inclusive. It's quite likely there's something important that's been left off, so if you think of something that should be added, please speak up! 
There will be lots of time to visit, too, especially after the meeting. So plan to stick around and have some fun! Meet new friends, chat with old friends, and eat some yummy snacks!
If you have any questions, please reply here, or see an officer at the meeting

Members can visit the BA Modern Ning site. Join to become a member!!!