January Meeting Minutes

If you weren't there, you missed a fun meeting!

Bonnie T did an excellent job as President for the day. She survived to tell about it and loved the experience so much she encouraged everyone else to do it.

1. The Quilty Question this time was "what is the smallest quilted item you have ever made". Answers, as usual ran the gamut. Some answers were:

• table topper
• Fimo earrings with quilt block themes
• placemats
• 12x12 paper pieced block
• mug rug
• Go cutter heart door hanger
• coffee cozy
• pincushion mice
• pyramid chicken
• coaster
• journal quilt
• potholders
• nametag
• Christmas ornaments
• eye patch (no joke!)
• Barbie bikini (sewn not quilted, but still tiny!)
• Tooth Fairy pocket
• postcard

Don't you want a pattern for a pyramid chicken?

2. Dues are due. Pay using PayPal by sending $40 to bamodernquilt@gmail.com. You can also pay by check. Contact Claire for more information.

3. New Officers  and Volunteers were introduced
During the first 6 months of the year we will have President for the Day. Ruth B will help with coordinating the agenda during this time. In July, Joelle will take over as President from July to December.
Lynette B and Gerre D are co-VPs
Annemarie has taken over (and is doing great so far!) as membership coordinator
Peggy and Michelle will stay on as the Charity Girls
Cindy C and Jessica H are Retreat Coordinators
Ruth B, in addition to coordinating the agenda, will act as Swap Coordinator
Karen M will continue as Challenge Coordinator
Mike will continue as MQG Liaison
Anna started as photographer (and already posted the photos to the Ning!)
Ann S and Alison S will work on the Opportunity Quilt
Angela is Workshop Coordinator
Jaye will continue writing blog posts
Cheryl will act as Random Number Generator
Amanda is now the Coffee Queen
Mary agreed to be Sew Day Coordinator

There are still volunteer opportunities available. You do not have to do jobs yourself. You and a friend can share. You will get a lot out of volunteering, because people appreciate your work and tell you so. Also, you get to meet a lot more people. Please sign up to do something! The Guild needs:

• Secretary/official notetaker
• more writers for the blog 

If you want to volunteer, leave a comment or contact an officer

4. Next meeting date: Saturday, 2/13/16 from 1:00pm-5:00pm. See the full list on the meeting date page.

5. Demo Series
A series of demos on design will start at the next meeting. In February, Ruth will talk about  positioning elements on a field of negative space. If there is a topic about which you want to learn, contact Ruth B.

6. Small Groups are still going strong

• City Sampler (on hiatus, but still alive)
• Hand stitching - contact Rhonda
• Improv (IRR) - contact Cheryl
• NEW! Mighty Lucky Quilting Club (you must have purchased the series to be a member) 

7. Mighty Lucky Quilting Club
This a new program from  Lucky Spool publishers is independent of the guild, but a good way to improve your skills as a quiltmaker. Also, you can have fun comparing notes with your fellow guild mates. Each month you will receive a challenge from a 'name' modern quiltmaker. The first month is about bias tape!

8. Library
Kelly arranged with Lucky Spool Publisher to receive a seed box of books for the guild. She will be the new guild library person and has devised a checkout system for the books. You are requested to post an honest review on Amazon of the books you borrow. Books are due at the next meeting.

9. Charity
 Amanda brought parts for cat beds, which were quickly taken.

There are a number of quilts that need to be quilted. Batting and backs are provided.

A ton of postage stamp blocks are available to be put together into tops.

Directions for Wheelchair quilts are available

10. Library Show at the Los Altos Library
Was put up in December and will be taken down January 31.

11. Quilty Happenings
Oakland Museum has an Eli Leon show up through Feb 21
Sherri Lynn Wood will be at Books Inc in Alameda on Friday Jan 15 at 7:30 for a free ruler free demo 
Joy-Lily is teaching at Scruffy Quilts this month on borders and next month on a 'mortgage free' house block. Check the Scruffy blog for details

January 19, 2016  at SFQG • Sheila Collins From Fashion Designer to Graphic Designer to Fabric Artist. See their calendar for details


12. MQG Website demo
Mike showed us how to renew as individual members and transfer all of our information

13. Challenges

All the participants in the Carol Van Zandt/Crayon box challenge showed their work. 

The next challenge is about Scale and Structure. Karen M did a presentation on what that means:

• Larger scale design, e.g. blow up a block to a large size
• One block quilt
• Architecture Displays Structure, e.g. think of lines not color
•  Literal interpretation, e.g. very linear, structural
• Incomplete structure, e.g. a block where some pieces are missing; parts drop in and out. An example is Victoria Findlay Wolfe's Double Wedding Ring quilts where parts drop in and out. 
• Highlight the structure

The challenge is to highlight the structure and make that the focus of the quilt:

• take a block and make it larger
• take a block and recreate it
• remove elements of a block or quilt 
• create a new structure

Challenge pieces are due in April

14. Kirstyn Cogan sent us 5 prizes. She is an author and fabric designer. Rules are that you must be present to win. Prizes included books and fabric.




Join us for our next meeting on Saturday, 2/13/16 from 1:00pm-5:00pm.

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

Take a look at our Flickr stream for photos of show and tell and other guild activities as well as member work.