Hearts for Orlando

Sewing Table 1

As mentioned briefly in the meeting notes, we stayed after to make blocks for the victims, families and first responders in Orlando, Florida. You can find more information about the project and how to help on the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild blog. Wednesday's post has all the details for mailing, what they need and how you can help. Monday's post has the pattern and some preliminary details.

First group of blocks laid out

After our business meeting, a bunch of us sewed for an hour and a half. We made 41 blocks. That is not quite enough for two quilts, but people decided to take them and make the tops and more blocks at home.

Chuck marking and Mike sewing

Karen M. got us all going and kind of coordinated. We had kind of an assembly line going. Some pressed fabric , some people cut backgrounds and others cut foregrounds, some marked and some sewed. Other people pressed blocks and eventually a few people started laying out blocks to make a top. I gave advice at Table 2 as I had made a few blocks, but generally we all worked together.

In the photo above, you can see the cat bed ready to receive schnibbles (top right) and Angela giving advice on the layout. Chuck is marking patches and then handing them off to Mike who is sewing (top left). My background cutting station is in the lower middle.

You can see from the photo above that some of us used some artistic license for the blocks. I think the quilts will be just as great with plump fat hearts and skinny, pointy hearts.

June 2016 Meeting Notes

WOW! What a great meeting. We really had a good time. I know I always say that, but it is true.

About 40 people attended and Helen H. acted as our last President for a Day. She did a great job. Joelle, who is now retired (since Wednesday!) will take over as president for the rest of the year.

The question of the month was: What Does Stitch Happiness Mean to You? Members offered up lots of great answers:

• fun to see a pile of fabric turn into something useful
• when a project works
• good looking FMQ
• giving a quilt to someone
• playing with color
• creating something someone enjoys
• anything with fabric and thread
• a place I'd like to be more often
• empty house with no interruptions
• finally sewing an old project together
• quilt top a friend turns into a quilt
• the space between buying fabric and a completed project
• using my hands
• coming to BAM
• new needle
• mistakes turn into something creative
• image in my mind turns out better than I imagined
• cutting strips and making bigger and bigger quilts
• when the project turns out
• idea of time to myself to get into the zone
• design inspiration
• thinking of a person I like/love and giving them a quilt
• handwork
• making things my girls will enjoy
• cleaning off surfaces
• sewing with friends
• get out of bed, sit down right away at the machine
• being recipient of what my daughter makes
• turning a pile of scraps into something even better
• mastering a new technique
• seeing pictures of people with the quilt I gave them
• sitting at machine and listening to the machine as I sew
• quilt workshops
• when I am unsure of fabric choices and the project turns out great

What is your Stitch Happiness? Leave us a comment!

Ongoing Projects (Lynette)

• Bring your Library books next time
• Sew Day will be July 9 at Grace Lutheran from ~10-4pm 

Challenge (Karen)

The curve challenge projects are due in August. Project (quilt, bag, pillow, mugrug, etc)  should have curves in it.

Finished quilt from Charity Sew Day

Charity (Michelle)

• Four quilts were made at the Charity Sew Day for the victims of the Sunnyvale apartment fires. Michelle B. designed the pattern (see above) for the Charity Sew Day. It was Quilt-As-You-Go, which cut down the quilt making time by a lot! About 30 quilts have been collected so far for the 78+ families who lost everything. See Michelle S. if you want to donate a quilt.
• Stay after the meeting to sew Hearts for Orlando
• Michelle is still working on the QuiltCon 2017 charity quilt project

Workshops (Angela)

• Molehills workshop with Latifah Saafir was last Sunday. A good time was had by all.
• Jaime will be leading a bag workshop on August 6, starting at 9:30, using the Noodlehead Cargo Duffle bag pattern (free). There is a $10 fee for the room rental. Jaime has a lot of tricks and tips as well as useful additions to the bag, so you will definitely want to contact Angela ASAP to sign up. Jaime and Angela will have handouts at the next meeting do you will know what your homework is. Yes, there will be a lot of cutting and fusing homework to do before class so plan accordingly.

Quilty Happenings

• Fixit Clinics are starting to happen around the Bay Area. They are about fixing your stuff rather than buying new in order to keep broken and torn items out of the landfill. Alison S. will be volunteering at one in the East Bay. You can volunteer to help people fix stuff.
• Palo Alto Repair Cafe is the same sort of idea.
• The San Mateo County Fair is on through tomorrow. Michelle B, Jaye, Bonnie T, Leanne F, and CeCe M all won prizes for their quilts. Lynette will pick up the quilts on Monday and will bring them to Sew Day and to the next meeting. Contact her if you need your quilt sooner.
• Quiltworks is in a bit of turmoil, but righting the ship. They want volunteers to work in the shop on a regular basis. 
• PIQF is in October. Entries are open and there is a modern quilt category again. The theme again is mid-century modern, but Nicki said just to enter because the theme was interpreted very broadly last year. Entries due August 30. Kaffe Fasset will be teaching and lecturing.
• The Mancusos also have a modern quilt symposium. It will October 5-7 in Palm Springs.
• The Kaffe exhibit is still up at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles through July 3.

Mini Quilt Swap June 2016

Mini Quilt Swap

• Ruth showed the original picture and the maker showed the quilt and presented the quilt to the recipient.

Retreat

• Signups were last month. Four people are on the waiting list

Drawing

• Amy won the drawing!

After the above part of the meeting we had the DESTASH PARTY! There was a ton of fabric and lots of good books, notions. It was amazing.

About 12 people stayed to sew Hearts for Orlando. Total we made 41 blocks. Two people brought blocks home to make them into quilts. Keep making those hearts!!!

Next meeting is July 16, 2016. Be there or be square!

Meeting tomorrow!!!!

Once again it is time for our next guild meeting! Join us TOMORROW at 1:00, at the Redwood City Library, in the upstairs community room.

Reminders for this month:

• The small group for the Quiltcon 2017 charity project will be meeting to work on the quilt.  If you want to read the details, you can find them here.
• Destash party is this month

Things to bring:

• Destash items - all items should be clean and in good repair
• IRR Round Robin bins and bags 
• Lucky spools work
• Show and Tell
• Your name tag
• Charity blocks and quilts
• Small Group projects (and ideas for new Small Groups!)
• Information about local/national quilty happenings
• Non-messy snacks
• Sewing projects for after the meeting

If you have any questions (or if I forgot something!), please reply to Ruth, or see an officer at the meeting

Hearts for Orlando

By now most of us have heard of the horrendous massacre in Orlando. In true quiltmaker fashion the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild has started a quilt drive to create quilts for the victims and families of the slain. There is some discrepancy between the IG post and the blog post as to whether they are collecting quilts and blocks or just quilts. I *think* if you want to send blocks, send them to Intrepid Thread. The SV MQG based there will make them into quilts.

The overall  idea is to make heart blocks in bright, rainbow colors to represent everyone affected, and obviously represent the love we are sending them. Use the tutorial from Cluck Cluck Sew to make 10" blocks in rainbow of bright colors, with a low volume background. The quilts should be no smaller than 5 blocks wide and 6 blocks long. You're more than welcome to make them larger, they'd like to keep them at the very least lap sized.

Overview:
Pattern: Cluck Cluck Sew Hearts
Size: 10"x 10"
Colors: varying rainbow of prints with low volume background
Send quilt to Orlando MQG (check blog for address)
Send blocks to Intrepid Thread
Timeframe: ASAP!

A lot of questions were brought up in the comments on the Orlando MQG post, so keep an eye on that blog for more information and the information on where to send the quilts.

Julie is hosting a get together this weekend to make blocks and quilts. Contact Julie at the Intrepid Thread for more details. If you have any other questions, please email alissalapinsky [at] gmail [dot] com. She is the president of the Orlando MQG.

June Meeting is Saturday

Once again it is time for our next guild meeting! Join us Saturday at 1:00, at the Redwood City Library, in the upstairs community room.

Reminders for this month:

• The small group for the Quiltcon 2017 charity project will be meeting to work on the quilt.  If you want to read the details, you can find them here.
• Destash party is this month

Things to bring:

• Destash items - all items should be clean and in good repair
• IRR Round Robin bins and bags 
• Lucky spools work
• Show and Tell
• Your name tag
• Charity blocks and quilts
• Small Group projects (and ideas for new Small Groups!)
• Information about local/national quilty happenings
• Non-messy snacks
• Sewing projects for after the meeting

If you have any questions (or if I forgot something!), please reply to Ruth, or see an officer at the meeting

Charity Sew Day Tomorrow

Grace Lutheran Church
3149 Waverly Street, Palo Alto, CA 94306
(Corner of Waverly and Loma Verde Street)
Please bring:

• Light non-messy snacks
• Irons (3)
• Ironing boards (3)
• Large cutting mats (need 2)
• Design walls (need 2)

Reply to the Ning discussion or here to let Peggy and Michelle know what you will bring.

Plan to bring your own:

• Extension cord and/or power strip
• Sewing machine
• Cutting tools (your own personal mat if you want)

RSVP by the Friday before each sew day to Mary C.

Thank you Mary for setting this up!