Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Meeting Notes for October 22, 2016

Hello!

Well, if you weren’t there, you missed a great meeting! About 40 of our usual suspects (members and officers) were in attendance. In addition, we had four guests. I like to think of them as future members! Thanks for coming. We hope you enjoyed yourselves and will visit us again.  Guests are always welcome!

We started off with guest speaker Mel Beach. Mel is a fabulous quilter, and a former member of BAM as well. It was great to welcome her back. She delighted us with her Trunk Show, and a whole lot of inspiration. She showed us how much we could stretch ourselves by doing quilt challenges 

Show and Tell

After Mel’s great talk, more inspiration followed in the form of Show-and-Tell. I didn’t capture notes on everything, but here are some highlights:
  •  Annemarie showed charity quilts she made from a huge cache of recently donated fabric. Heads up: There is a lot more fabric left and we’ll be making use of it at a Charity Sew Day in February. 
  •  Karen brought her completed her Cargo Duffle Bag, started at the recent workshop given by Jamie. She used BAM colors – orange and turquoise. 
  •  Guest Tami, of Lemon Tree Quilting, (Welcome, Tami!!) showed an improv quilt based on one of the scores in Sherri Lynn Wood’s book “The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters: A Guide to Creating, Quilting, and Living Courageously.” 
  •  Catherine showed us her quilted pillow. But wait! There’s more! She pulled out the pillow’s stuffing, and, lo and behold, now it’s a quilt! She called it a “Quillow.” 
  •  Amy showed off the Crown from our retreat. Amy was the maker of the Crown, and at the retreat, as each person finished making something, they got to embellish the Crown and wear it until someone else wrapped up a project. It was very fitting that Amy ended up with the fully decorated head-piece at the end. 
  • Jamie showed three quilts that were paper-pieced using a pattern from Elizabeth Hartman. Two quilts had butterflies, and one had bears. All three quilts were made to give away. 
  •  Joelle brought a quilt that she referred to as a “moldy oldie”, made from upcycled shirts of assorted fabrics including cotton, poly, and cotton-poly blends. Yikes! It was quilted by our very own Cyndy Church. 
  •  Jaye is all ready for Thanksgiving! She brought in embroidered napkins and table runners. And that’s not all! She showed us a bag she had made, with many customized features. And she showed a HUGE “food quilt” that she made for one of her nephews. Last but not least, we got to see her beautiful “Quilt of the Year” for 2015. It contains a rectangle of every fabric she bought or used during the year. Stunning! 
  •  Joy-Lily brought in a very interesting new fabric that is intended to be used for sashing and borders. The fabric is available from SashingStash.com. She says that many modern quilters are using the fabric in very creative ways. 
  •  Ruth made some adorable little bags, and a handsome light-weight baby quilt made with Minky on the back and no batting. 

News, Announcements, and Quilty Happenings

Amanda is looking for someone to take over the Charity Cat Bed work. If you’re interested, contact Amanda via the Forum.

Kudos to the Retreat Committee that put on a fabulous retreat at the Wild Palms!! Thanks to Jamie for teaching a second session of the Cargo Duffle Workshop. She was fabulous!

Want to make a Sew Together bag in a group setting? Come to the November 5th sew day. See the Forum for more information.

Ruth took sign-ups for the annual Winter Extravaganza Palooza Swap. If you signed up, she will email you more information. If you’d like to get going early and need some ideas, look check out this blog post.

Quilts for the Minimalist challenge are due at the December meeting. Criteria: at least 30” by 30”, fewer than 10 colors, solids only.

Do you live in Redwood City? Are you available on the first business day of October, 2018? Would you like to help the guild by reserving our meeting room? If so, see Joelle.

A really cool craft supply store recently reopened in Mill Valley. The name escaped the note taker. Ask Allison for more information.

Charity Update 

The charity committee took in 24 finished quilts this month!! They delivered 19 baby quilts to the Stanford NICU, and 5 quilts to JW House (jwhouse.org). Altogether, the guild has finished 110 quilts in 2016, and the year isn’t even over yet!

Friday, October 21, 2016

Meeting Tomorrow!

Join us  Saturday October 22, 2016, for our monthly guild meeting! Join us at 1:00, at the Redwood City Library, in the upstairs community room.

Things to bring:

  • 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 

Saturday, October 22 BAM Meeting Agenda

Introductions (Joelle)
  • Sign in sheet reminder for door prize
Welcome visitors

Guild leadership (Joelle)
  • You can make a difference! BAM needs volunteers to run the guild in 2017
  • Many hands make light work
Upcoming dates- Joelle
  1. Sew day November 5 (Sew Together Bag)
  2. November 12: Workshop with Mel Beach. Cheryl will take sign ups and payment at the break. $45/members, $85/non-members
  3. Next meeting: Nov 19
  4. December Meeting will be at Grace Lutheran Church in Palo Alto.
Introduction of Speaker, Mel Beach- Joelle

Door Prize

Break

Guild business:
  • Charity Update- Michelle/Peggy
  • Workshop report- Thanks to Jaime
  • Retreat- Thanks to Cindy and committee
  • Guild Library- Kelly
  • Announcement of Holiday swap- Ruth
  1. See list of Winter Extravaganza-Palooza swap ideas and links on the blog
  • Challenge: Minimalist challenge due at December meeting 
  • Additional news or information (Joelle) 
Quilty Happenings- Joelle
  • Reports on PIQF?
Show and Tell

Other

Wrap-up (Joelle)

Stay and sew, visit

If you have any questions or want a space on the agenda, please leave a comment, or see an officer at the meeting.

Members can visit the BA Modern forum.  

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

BAM BOM Revisited


Linda's BAM-BOM front

Your blog team was recently contacted by a member of the Central Florida MQG, Linda, who lives in Florida. She found our BOM and decided, with other members of her guild, to follow along. She recently completed her BAM-BOM and wanted to share it with us.



Linda's BAM-BOM back

Linda writes that her Bay Area Modern quilt is 47-1/2” X 58-1/2". She domestic machine quilted it with Aurifil 50-weight thread over double batting: Quilter’s Dream Request Poly and Quilter’s Dream Wool. The layout was planned during an “Alternate Grid” workshop with Lee Heinrich of Freshly Pieced. The quilt back includes several orphan blocks from the BOM, and a few others in my stash. My favorite BAM BOM block was the first one - the filmstrip block - which just couldn’t be worked into the quilt front. :-( She thanks us all for this fun opportunity! 



 If you would like your quilt showcased, please contact the editor. It should be related to a challenge, swap or other BAM project, but your blog team is always looking for content, so contact us!

Monday, October 17, 2016

Meeting Saturday!

Join us  Saturday October 22, 2016, for our monthly guild meeting! Join us at 1:00, at the Redwood City Library, in the upstairs community room.

Things to bring:

  • 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 

Saturday, October 22 BAM Meeting Agenda

Introductions (Joelle)
  • Sign in sheet reminder for door prize
Welcome visitors

Guild leadership (Joelle)
  • You can make a difference! BAM needs volunteers to run the guild in 2017
  • Many hands make light work
Upcoming dates- Joelle

  1. Sew day November 5 (Sew Together Bag)
  2. November 12: Workshop with Mel Beach. Cheryl will take sign ups and payment at the break. $45/members, $85/non-members
  3. Next meeting: Nov 19
  4. December Meeting will be at Grace Lutheran Church in Palo Alto.


Introduction of Speaker, Mel Beach- Joelle

Door Prize

Break

Guild business:
  • Charity Update- Michelle/Peggy
  • Workshop report- Thanks to Jaime
  • Retreat- Thanks to Cindy and committee
  • Guild Library- Kelly
  • Announcement of Holiday swap- Ruth
  1. See list of Winter Extravaganza-Palooza swap ideas and links on the blog
  • Challenge: Minimalist challenge due at December meeting 
  • Additional news or information (Joelle) 
Quilty Happenings- Joelle
  • Reports on PIQF?
Show and Tell

Other

Wrap-up (Joelle)

Stay and sew, visit

If you have any questions or want a space on the agenda, please leave a comment, or see an officer at the meeting.

Members can visit the BA Modern forum.  

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

BAM Pulse Quilts

The Orlando Modern Quilt Guild updated their meeting minutes and included a detailed description of their Pulse Project. The scale of the project is mind boggling. I was amazed at what they have accomplished, especially when I saw the numbers of quilts and what they did to blocks and pieces and parts they received. The outpouring of love is amazing.


They also posted some photos of the first distribution on the OrMQG Instagram feed.


Cheryl recently posted photos of the quilts she sent that were made by YOU!

Friday, October 7, 2016

Sew Day TOMORROW!!!

The next guild Sew Day is on Saturday October 8, 2016. That's TOMORROW!!!, in case you were wondering.

Location: 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)
  • Small amount of cash for a donation for the space
Reply to the Ning discussion or here to let Mary 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)
Get there early and help Mary set up.

RSVP by the Friday before each sew day to Mary C. RSVP today so Mary has an idea of how many will be there.

Thank you Mary for setting this up!

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Winter Extravaganza-Palooza Swap

The Winter Extravaganza-Palooza Swap is coming soon. It is time to get started. Even if you don't have your swap partner yet, take a look at some of the ideas below so you can check out tutorials that might seem interesting and be ready to start making as soon as you get your swap partner.

Some ideas for projects were posted at the September 2015 meeting. Your editor has expanded on that list (below) and there are numerous other sources with multiple projects, including:
The following list contains a few ideas. Where patterns are listed, it is for ease of use. Patterns have not necessarily been tested. Also, there may be other patterns and tutorials out in the blogosphere that are just as good or better. Not all patterns listed below are free.  The guild, generally, has no affiliation with the sites or vendors listed.

Apron
  •  Sew4Home's Festive Half Apron with Extra Large Pockets tutorial
Backpack
Bath bombs tutorial 
Bionic Bag
Board/ruler bag
Boxy bag
  • Snappy boxy pouch tutorial from Clover & Violet
Bunting
Camera case wristlet - pattern
Camera pouch - pattern
Camera strap - tutorial by ikatbags.com
Catch All Caddy by ByAnnie
Car trash bag - pattern 
Car ditty bag - tutorial
Cargo Duffel 2 - Noodlehead revised tutorial on the Robert Kaufman site 
Casserole carrier- pattern
Chair bag - tutorial 
Changing pad - pattern (make sure your giftee has a baby!)
Checkbook cover tutorial from SewVery
Clipboard (fabric covered) - tutorial from SewVery
Clutch bag - pattern from Clover & Violet
Coasters
Coin purse - tutorial from Clover & Violet
Cold pack tutorial from SewVery
Composition book cover tutorial from Hip to Be a Square
Craft organizer tutorial 
Cup holder/ coffee cozy
Cushion
eReader and Tablet bags and cozies
  • Book Style Kindle cover tutorial from Clover & Violet
  • eReader sleeve with zipper closure - pattern
  • Scrappy Striped Tablet bag pattern
  •  
Eye pillow
Fabric basket (One Hour Basket)
Fabric boxes (tutorial)
Floor pillow - tutorial from SewVery
Garment bag tutorial from Sew4Home
Glasses case
Grocery bag -
Hanging toiletry Basket (pattern found in In Stitches book)
Happy Birthday banner
Heating pad/ rice pack
Holiday banner
  • Charm square bunting tutorial from Hip to Be a Square
Idea pouch (pattern by Michelle Patterns) - holds notebooks, pens, pencils, etc
iPad Cover - (pattern by Michelle Patterns)
Iron Caddy
Jewelry
  • Starburst wrapper bracelet pattern
Jewelry roll
Journal cover
Keychain
Lanyard (tutorial)
Light switch plates (covered) - tutorial from Craft Buds
Luggage tag tutorial from Clover & Violet
Manicure roll-up bag tutorial from Hip to Be a Square
Mask
Mini ironing table (pattern/tutorial)
Mini quilt / wall hanging
Mug rug
Name tag
Napkins
Needle safe
  • Kantha Stitched Needlebook pattern  
  • Sew4Home's Full zippered Sewing (& More) Case tutorial
One Hour Baskets pattern/tutorial
  • Friends of the One Hour Basket pattern (for purchase)
Pattern weights (tutorial/pattern)
Pencil case
Pencil roll (Pink Chalk has an excellent pattern, but the shop is closed. Contact them for more info)
Pencil pouch - tutorial from Craft Buds
Pillowcase
  • Artquiltmaker Guide to the burrito style pillowcase pattern
  • Clover & Violet French Seam pillowcase pattern
  • Reversible pillowcases pattern  
  • Romantic Floral pillowcase with decorative cuffs tutorial from Sew4Home
Pincushion resources
Phone sleeve (tutorial)
Placemats -
Potholders
Project bag
Purse
  • Wristlet Cora purse pattern from Clover & Violet
Purse organizer (tutorial)
Remote control organizer
Retro Rucksack pattern from Radiant Home Studio 
Sash with Beaded Fringe (pattern found in In Stitches book)
Scissor Sheath (tutorial)
Sew Together Bag
Sewing machine cover
Sewing Organizer Bag - handwork tutorial  Sleeping mask  (pattern found in In Stitches book)
Softie
  • Stuffed fox with antlers pattern by Imaginegnats.com
Stitching folder
Table runner
Tablet cover
Tea cozy
Thermal cup holder
Thread catcher/pin cushion - tutorial
Tissue box cover tutorial from Craft Buds (you might want to include a box of tissues so the giftee knows the size) 
Tissue holder
Tote bag
Triple zip pouch (tutorial)
Water bottle strap
Wrist pin cushion
Zipper bag

I am sure you can find many other patterns on the web. Not every pattern or tutorial listed above is free. Leave a comment with any great tutorials you find and I will add them to the list. Please don't complain about broken links. This is an all volunteer organization and complaints are not helpful. We are doing our best. ;-)

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Guild Positions Available

This call comes around every year and is vital to the health of the guild. You can make the position your own.


BAM NEEDS YOU!  Please consider volunteering for a position, or even "co-volunteering" - sharing the load with someone else.  Elections will be held in November if necessary.  Below are the listed positions, the associated duties and approximately how much time they can take per month. If you have an interest in a position not listed, we can create it for you!  The current 2016 position holder’s name is indicated in parentheses so that you may ask them for more details.  A bold comment at the end indicates that the position is open or that assistance is needed by someone who has volunteered. Contact me, reply to the Ning post on this subject or email me if you would like to help continue to make this a great guild.
Guild officers (6-10 hours per month):
Meeting Chair (President)-  (Joelle) Responsible for meeting content, officiates meetings, and is the official face and highest individual authority of the guild. OPEN
Events Chair (Vice President) (Lynette and Gerre with Angela taking on workshops this past year)- Responsible for non-meeting activities like field trips, speakers, and workshops.  Back-up to the president with regards to authority.  Coordinates or delegates and manages volunteers coordinating special events. OPEN
Treasurer  (Claire)- Responsible for reconciling bank statement, reimbursement of members for guild related expenses and for collecting dues. Prepares yearly and interim budgets, submits yearly returns to IRS and FTB.  Reports to meeting chair & head of events.  CLAIRE WILL CONTINUE UNTIL MID 2017 AND WILL NEED SOMEONE TO TAKE OVER BY THAT TIME.

Medium level commitment volunteer positions (4-6 hours per month):
Charity Committee Chair (Michelle Boyd and Peggy)- Head of charity committee.  Responsible for coordinating charity kit schedule with the board, keeping the board updated on charity activities, and ensures that charity spending is matched to the approved charity budget. CAT BEDS HAVE BEEN A PROJECT OF AMANDA'S AND AS SHE WILL NOT BE WITH US NEXT YEAR, SOMEONE WHO IS INTERESTED MAY VOLUNTEER FOR THIS ASPECT 
Retreat Committee Chair  (Cindy Church)- Head of retreat committee responsible for organizing yearly retreat.  (Retreat committee chair is a 3-6 month position, not the entire year, but hours are higher during retreat “season”  around 10-20 hours per month).  
Retreat Committee Member (Michelle-Nichole, Bonnie, Amy, Mary Cravens, Rozanne) - help organize yearly retreat (3-6 month commitment, around 5-15 hours per month).  SEVERAL OPENINGS
Social Committee Chair (None)-Head of social committee, which is in charge of greeting new members, parties, social media, and meeting notes & pictures.  Depending on interest, this person could also be responsible planning & making changes to our social media to make it easier for people to use. OPEN.
Opportunity Quilt Chair (Alison, Ruth, Ann Smith)– help organize the yearly opportunity quilt.  This includes securing places to display it and sell tickets (mainly quilt festivals), and planning, or creating a group to plan, the following year’s opportunity quilt. OPEN

Lower level commitment positions (About 2-4 hours some months):
National MQG liaison (Mike)– acts on behalf of the guild to liaise with national for getting new members onto the National site.  Communicates with National regarding making sure national activities are available to local members when necessary. Reports to local President and Vice President with updates and issues.
Swap coordinator (Ruth)- organize 2-3 swaps per year. OPEN.
Challenge coordinator (Karen)- organize 3-4 challenges per year, including arranging sponsorship when possible. OPEN.
Meeting activities coordinator (None) - works with meeting chair to plan meeting content, including organizing speakers, demos, and group activities.  Keeper of projector.  OPEN
Sew Day Coordinator (Mary Cravens)- schedules sew days and arranges snacks & supplies.
Charity committee member - making charity kits, putting on charity events, and arranging for tops to be finished.
Membership coordinator (Part of social committee) (AnneMarie )- greets new members and provides them with info, collects, distills & reports results from membership forms.  Accepts new members on the forum.
Meeting note taker (Part of social committee) (Jaye)  - prepares notes & publishes them on the blog  JAYE WOULD LIKE ASSISTANCE WITH THE BLOG.
Photographer (Part of social committee)(Anna Lapid)- Takes pictures at meetings and events & uploads them to Ning and Flickr account or arranges for someone to do so. OPEN
Librarian (Kelly)- Keeper of books donated by Lucky Spools and others.  Keeps track of where books are at any given time. 
Securer of Guild Meeting place-(Amanda)-  Must be resident of Redwood City.  Secures meeting room on October 1st of each year. OPEN
Coffee pot baby sitter (Amanda)- OPEN
Random number generator(Cheryl)
We need you. Many hands make light work. Get involved!!  Thanks, Joelle

Monday, October 3, 2016

October Sew Day

Hey kids! Get ready for another Sew Day on Saturday October 8, 2016. That's this coming Saturday, in case you were wondering.

Location: 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)
  • Small amount of cash for a donation for the space
Reply to the Ning discussion or here to let Mary 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. This week that is October 7.

Thank you Mary for setting this up!