Winter Extravaganza Palooza Sew Day and Party Tomorrow!

The Winter Extravaganza Palooza Sew Day and Party will be held, tomorrow, December 9, 2017 from 10-4.
Schedule:
Sewing time: 10-1
Party and Show & Tell: 1-4

Meeting place:

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

Sewing Time Information:

Time: 10-1

Please bring your own projects, but feel free to continue sewing pillowcases for the Happiness is a Warm Quilt drive for the fire victims in Napa and Sonoma Counties.  As you might remember, they are also asking for quilts (bed sized only) in addition to the children's pillowcases. There is additional information here Happiness is a Warm Quilt info.

Bring your own fabrics. Contact Peggy or Michelle if you want to use the charity fabric to make pillowcases.

Please bring:
- Your sunny smiling self

Plan to bring your own:
- Sewing machine
- Cutting tools (your own personal mat if you want)
- Fabric and other project parts

We provide:
- Ironing Boards (2)
- Irons (2)
- Cutting Mats
- Extension Cords (but you should pack one just in case!)

No donation needed! Unless you want to be generous of heart.

If you can, please get there early and help Mary set up!

Also, remember to clean up after yourself. Put your chair and table back (unless you are sharing a table!), if you leave early. If you stay to the end your help is greatly appreciated in putting away all the tables and chairs. Many hands make light work! THANK YOU!

Join in the fun at this extra Sew Day!  

Winter Extravaganza Palooza Party Information

Time: 1-4

Alison is coordinating the food. Please bring the dish for which you signed up OR contact Alison about contributing.

Bring your swap gift wrapped in a pillowcase. All pillowcases will be donated to victims of the  Wine Country fires.

Ideas for swap gifts can be found on the Winter Extravanganza Palooza post from October.

vol·un·teer

vol·un·teer

ˌvälənˈtir/

noun

1. 1.

   a person who freely offers to take part in an enterprise or undertake a task.

   synonyms:

   subject, participant, case, patient; informalguinea pig "each volunteer was tested three times"

verb

1. 1.

   freely offer to do something.

   
   

   "he volunteered for the job"

Gift bag for outgoing VP Gerre, made by Kelly. Photo by Gerre Davis.

According to the Corporation for National and Community Services, volunteering provides health benefits in addition to social ones.

“Perhaps the first and biggest benefit people get from volunteering is the satisfaction of incorporating service into their lives and making a difference in their community and country.

The intangible benefits alone—such as pride, satisfaction, and accomplishment—are worthwhile reasons to serve. In addition, when we share our time and talents we:

• Solve Problems
• Strengthen Communities
• Improve Lives
• Connect to Others
• Transform Our Own Lives”

https://www.nationalservice.gov/serve-your-community/benefits-volunteering

Research has established a strong relationship between volunteering and health: those who volunteer have lower mortality rates, greater functional ability, and lower rates of depression later in life than those who do not volunteer (full report here: https://www.nationalservice.gov/pdf/07_0506_hbr.pdf).

In BAMaQG, we know the importance of volunteering to support our guild! Whether it’s chairing the BAM meetings as President, heading up the Charity Committee in making quilts for the NICU and wheelchair bound seniors, or piecing those 2.5 inch squares, we appreciate and need you!

Charity quilts sewn in the Cobalt Room, 2016 retreat. Photo by Anna Lapid.

Volunteering can have other benefits as well. For example, BAM members recently showed their appreciation of 2016 guild officers by making and then filling up some very nice goody bags (if I do say so myself).

Gift bag for outgoing VP Lynette, by Jaime. Photo by Lynette Bartel.

BAMaQG is run ENTIRELY by volunteers! volunteering is fun, improves your health, and can have additional benefits like free candy and fabric! Sign up to assist in any way you can and help make out guild a better place for everyone!

March Meeting Notes

The March meeting was very fun. WOW! We had a lot going on and welcomed several visitors and new members. Hope you were there and were able to enjoy it as well.

1. Getting to Know You Question: To what music do you listen while quiltmaking? OR what TV show do you watch while quilting?

The answer were fun and surprising. Not everyone listens to something while sewing. Yes, we have a few silent quiltmakers.  Many listen to the radio and enjoy stations and shows such as KFOG, Wait! Wait! Don't Tell Me!, NPR, Coffee House on Sirius radio, Marketplace on NPR, the Giants' games and, surprisingly, we have two members who enjoy sports radio!

The TV watchers love NetFlix and watch various shows there. Others love romance comedies, Sex in the City, the E Network, House of Cards and other 'grownup' TV shows. Drop Dead Diva was mentioned as was Star Trek: The Next Generation.

The music crowd likes a wide variety including Jazz, Country Western, classical, ColdPlay, Adel and the dance channels.

There were some outliers who don't watch TV or listen to music in additio to the radio listeners. These outliers listen to podcasts, audiobooks and one member is trying to learn Swedish while she quilts!

This is a fun way to get to know each other better so we hope all of you will feel comfortable answering the question when attending the meeting!

2. Opportunity Quilt: the ticket sales at the Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association show went well. Amanda reported that we made $240 on the sales. Many tickets were given away, as mandated by the guild's tax status. This turned out to be a great marketing opportunity as many people were willing to stop for a minute and talk. The drawing will be at the November meeting and Amanda is looking for venues to show the quilt and increase sales.

3. Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association show went well. BAMQG has 3 bays of quilts, which held about 15 quilts. The Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association show committee reported a slight decrease in attendance (under 10%), but BAMQG members who attended reporting liking the quilts and the vendors.

4. Make it Modern Challenge (Alternative Grid): <Members should check the forum for more info>. the challenge is due at the May meeting. There is some information on the MQG blog about alternative gridwork.

5. Sew Day: due to Easter and Passover there will be no Sew Day in April. Get together with a friend, if you are free, and sew some Charity quilts. The next Sew Day is May 2, 12-8 in a new location in Sunnyvale. Look for Peggy's post about it with more details and information.

6. Charity: there are a number of small and large quilts to quilt. Kits are available for the postage stamp blocks or you can make your own. The Charity Girls needs the LeMoyne Star blocks back, so if you have one bring it to the next meeting in whatever form it is in. The LeMoyne Star block pattern was the special charity block pattern from a few months ago.

7. Cat Beds: Check the email sent out before each meeting to find out if Amanda is taking schnibbles. If you are making cat beds, be sure to double stitch each seam as they get hard use and. The cat beds that come apart after being donated to the shelters are thrown out, which we don't want. Cut your schibbles to 3"-5" or less and ~11" long by less than 1.75" wide for strips.

8. Several members talked about their QuiltCon attendance. The best part for almost all of the attendees was connecting with people they know from social media. There was an amazing swag bag given out. One member took a class from Bill Kerr who reminder her (and us by proxy) not to let the quilting distract from the design. He also gave the definition of "modern quilts are quilts that relect the times in which we are living" to modern quiltmaking. One member mentioned a good blog post on judged quilts. Christaquilts blog reviewed the judges' comments on her QuiltCon quilt entry.

Advice was also given:

• don't take classes the whole time. Leave time to meet people
• take one class because it is a fun way to channel all the inspiration. It is also a good way to meet people
• arrange in advance to meet with people

9. Quilty Happenings

• SF Quilters Guild Show was last weekend. None of could go because we were all at the meeting. The show was not held on Sunday
• Saturday was also National Quilting Day
• TQS had free shows all weekend
• Stitch Modern Show is from March 27-April 25 at the Piedmont Center for the arts. Times vary, so check more info on their blog.
• Abby Glassenberg podcast, While She Naps
• Peninsula Quilters fabric sale on May 2 at the Lion's Club building in Washington Park in Burlingame, 12-3.
• There was also a fabric and craft rummage sale in Los Altos over the weekend
• The C&T Warehouse sale was over the weekend.
• The Ventura Modern Quilters are having a guild meetup, to which you are all invited, on April 18.

10. Destash Party: there was a ton of stuff people wanted to give away and most of it went to new good homes. You had to see it to believe it.

11. Show and Tell was fabulous as usual! What great work our group does! Photos are posted on Flickr and the forum.**

12. Next meeting: April 18, 1pm at Redwood City Library in the Community Room









**If you want to view the forum, you need to be a member. Send your $40 dues via PayPal to: bamodernquilt@gmail.com

February 2015 Meeting

It was a good meeting last Saturday.

Mike, the MQG Liasion, gave us a tour of one section of the MQG. The goal is to get us more familiar with the benefits of that site since our BAMQG membership includes an MQG membership.

Karen, the 2015 Challenge Coordinator, gave us a small lecture on "What is Modern?". Stop with the eye rolling! It was interesting and a little off the beaten track. She took some principles of 'modern quilting' and showed us these elements in modern quilts as well as 'non-modern' quilts, including quilts from the 1980s and 1990s as well as vintage quilts. It was a cool presentation! Some of the elements she included were:

• Improv
• Pictorial
• Graphic
• Negative Space
• Bright Colors
• Alternative Grid (drop an element to mess up symmetry, space elements oddly, irregular spacing between element, etc)
• Text was added in during the discussion.

The result of this fabulous presentation is a challenge quilt due in July (??) using an alternative grid. Charity presented two completed quilts and a new charity block. You can download the Stair step piecing directions (PDF) or go to the guild website and look at the directions.




Some of the Hawaiian quilts are finished. Angela handed out binding and talked about the quilts. I think she got some other people who couldn't attend the Sew Day to take some pieces and parts and finish them.

Joy-Lily is the 2015 Swaps Coordinator and the first swap will be in April. We are each to bring a quilt book with which we have finished and trade with someone else for one. In the future, there will be a 'Sew As You Go" bag swap.
 Upcoming events:

• Amish Exhibit at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles ends 2/28/2015
• Manteca Quilt Show, March 7-8, 2015
• SCVQA Show-March 14-15, 2015
• Playcrafts has a challenge going using the Pantone Color of the Year, Marsala

Binding Bee: After the meeting ended, a bunch of us sat around finishing up the binding of the guild's opportunity quilt. The quilt is a monster, but it is also an amazing monster.

Ruth designed it and the design is very unique. Marci Gore designed the quilting and stitched it out on her computerized longarm.

The first opportunity to buy raffle tickets will be at the Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association Show. It was fun. People would walk up and comment that it was just like an old fashioned quilting bee. The next Sew Day will be at The Intrepid Thread, which will be dangerous. ;-)

Meeting Tomorrow!

Hope to see you all at the meeting tomorrow!

A quick reminder about our meeting:

Saturday, February 21, starting at 1:00 pm -- we'll be meeting at the Redwood City Library, in the upstairs community room. 

Things to bring:

*Show 'n Tell

*Something that represents the Color of the Year (Marsala)

*Your name tag

*Charity blocks and quilts

*Small Group projects (Tula blocks, Hand Quilting)

*Schnibbles -- Amanda will be collecting these for cat beds

*Checkbook -- dues are, well, due now. Also, you'll want to sign up for the retreat!

*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 me at the meeting.

July 2014 Meeting Notes

Next Meeting is August 15 from 1-5pm. Plan to stay and sew (or cut or chat).

Exhibits
Amish exhibit will be from early November to January or February.

Workshops, Demos and Speakers
Claire did a demo for us on adding piping to quilt bindings and pillows. She did piping for her dad's upholstery shop when she was a kid. You'll need a zipper foot for your machine. You can find the continuous binding/piping directions tutorial on Whip Stitch.

Jacquie Gehring Workshop will be next weekend. There is still some space in the Building Bridges class so get in touch with Amanda to reserve your space. Any anonymous benefactor bought a space in the class to raffle off. That happened at the meeting on Saturday, so one lucky person gets to go.

Anne Sullivan of Playcrafts will speak to us about color in September

Kevin Kosbab of Feed Dog Designs will speak in November about mid-Century Modern quilts

Charity
The next Sew Day is August 2d and it will be a charity Sew Day in Los Altos. The charity block of the day will be an Improv block. The guild will have some solids, but bring your favorite fabrics to pair with solids.

• September 6 is the next regular Sew Day.
• October 4 is another Charity Sew Day

Mark your calendars.

FYI: The NICU at Stanford likes to receive square quilts that measure 30"-40". They cover the incubators nicely.

The Cat Bed project is on hold as the Homeless Cat Network can't take anymore beds at the moment. Amanda is looking for a new place that will either give the beds with adopted cats or sell them to raise money for the care and adoption of cats. Smaller charities are usually better candidates for these beds. If you know of a place, please contact Amanda. She has a flyer that will give the organization more information.

Amanda has a few cat beds that still need filling, so get a bed from her and fill it with your schnibbles while we try to find a new place for our donations.

MQG
We are now a part of them. If you have not received an email to join their site, let Kelly or Amanda know.

Opportunity Quilt
To raise money for the guild, the group will start to make an opportunity quilt in August. Ruth is creating the design, which will be revealed in August. The idea is to take it around to shows and sell raffle tickets. We need your help:

• Make blocks
• Sit at shows and sell tickets
• Sell tickets to your friends and colleagues

More details to come.

Swap Challenge Swap Extravaganza
Angela headed up the SCSE, which most of us called the Orphan Block Challenge. People turned in their small works today. Angela will send them off to St. Louis soon. If you have something for the swap and couldn't get to the meeting, get in touch with Angela right away!

Meeting Place
We love the Library for its convenience, large space, proximity to Whole Foods and Starbuck's.The guild needs a meeting place that we can schedule farther ahead that the year we are allowed by the Library so that we can schedule speakers and events farther out. Some speakers are already booking into 2016. If you know of a possibility, please call, get the details and let Amanda know what you found out.

Quilty Happenings

• The class schedule for Houston is out. The show is in October
• PIQF has sent out packets for entries and registration. Online entry and registration is available. Dates: October 16-19, 2014. Theme: The Whole Nine Yards.
• Peninsula Quilter's guild meets on the 3rd Wednesday. Even months they meet in the evening and odd months they meet in the morning.
• Quilting By the Bay Quilt Show, September 20-21, 2014 in Menlo Park, 100 Terminal Avenue, Menlo Park, CA 94025. Admission $10.
• Quilting in the Garden, Alden Lane Nursery, Livermore, September 27-28, 2014
• Renegade Craft Fair was at Ft Mason in San Francisco this past weekend.
• Ultimate Pi Day, March 14, 2015. Fabric project to make a long ribbon of fabric showing the numbers making up Pi (3.1415....). You can make numbers and participate <URL to follow or be added later>

News
Michelle S has a quilt in the AQS Show in Michigan
Linda C has a new book out called "Contain It". You know you want it!
Ruth and Linda will be welcoming new additions to their families soon.

Thanks
The guild only runs because people participate and help out. We appreciate everyone's assistance. Lynette was honored at the meeting for taking and picking up quilts at the San Mateo County Fair. She really made people's lives a lot easier. Lynette also shows up at meetings, participates in swaps and challenges and recently worked on a charity quilt that Kelly to took to the UK for donation. Thanks Lynette!

Volunteers
If you have a little bit of time to contribute, please see Kelly or Amanda. All amounts of time can be accomodated.

Ideas and Inspiration
We have recent and forthcoming babies. We thought it would be fun to give you some ideas for baby gifts. Baby gifts are small, usually require less time and materials commitment and give an excellent opportunity to use some of the cute Modern prints that are popular. Baby gifts can be made for charity also. Check the blog in the near future for ideas for baby gifts.

BAMQG Meeting Tomorrow!!!

Ready for some fun tomorrow?

Meet us at the Redwood City Main Library!

Details:
Date/Time: Sat, July 19, 1pm – 5pm

Where: Redwood City Library, 

Address: 1044 Middlefield Rd., Redwood City, Ca 94063.
We meet upstairs Community Room (the elevators are on the far left of the entrance).

(map) more details»  copy to my calendar

Bring:

• Name tag
• Show and Tell (we all want to see!)  - All projects are welcome.
• Enthusiasm and a positive attitude
• Orphan Block Challenge piece (go make something!) See what Jaye made). Our pals at the St.Louis Modern Quilt Guild revealed their projects last weekend.
• Charity blocks and quilts
• Small group projects (Tula Pink City Sampler, Hand quilting, Amish inspired design)
• Information about local/national quilty happenings
• Non-messy snacks

UFO-ers! Remember to cross off your completed UFOs and be entered in the drawing this month!


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! 

Consider the Jacquie Gehring workshop.

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!

Hope to see you there!

Meeting Saturday: Get Ready to Sew!

Ready for some fun on Saturday?

Meet us at the Redwood City Main Library!

Details:
Date/Time: Sat, July 19, 1pm – 5pm

Where: Redwood City Library, 

Address: 1044 Middlefield Rd., Redwood City, Ca 94063.
We meet upstairs Community Room (the elevators are on the far left of the entrance).

(map) more details»  copy to my calendar

Bring:

• Name tag
• Show and Tell (we all want to see!)
• Enthusiasm and a positive attitude
• Orphan Block Challenge piece (go make something!) See what Jaye made). Our pals at the St.Louis Modern Quilt Guild revealed their projects last weekend.
• Charity blocks and quilts
• Small group projects (Tula Pink City Sampler, Hand quilting, Amish inspired design)
• Information about local/national quilty happenings
• Non-messy snacks

UFO-ers! Remember to cross off your completed UFOs and be entered in the drawing this month!


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! 

Consider the Jacquie Gehring workshop that is coming 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!

Meeting tomorrow

Ready for some fun tomorrow?

Meet us at the Redwood City Main Library!

Details:
Date/Time: Sat, June 21, 1pm – 5pm

Where: Redwood City Library, 

Address: 1044 Middlefield Rd., Redwood City, Ca 94063. We meet upstairs Community Room (the elevators are on the far left of the entrance).

(map) more details»  copy to my calendar

Bring:

• Name tag
• Enthusiasm and a positive attitude
• Your personal challenge for the month: hand quilting
• Charity blocks and quilts
• Small group projects (Tula Pink City Sampler, Hand quilting, Amish inspired design)
• Information about local/national quilty happenings
• Non-messy snacks 
• Retreaters! Please bring your mystery quilt!

UFO-ers! Quick reminder to cross off your completed Os and be entered in the drawing this month!

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!

 

Meeting on June 21

Ready for some quiltimaking on Saturday?

Meet us at the Redwood City Main Library!

Details:
Date/Time: Sat, June 21, 1pm – 5pm

Where: Redwood City Library, 

Address: 1044 Middlefield Rd., Redwood City, Ca 94063. We meet upstairs Community Room (the elevators are on the far left of the entrance).

(map) more details»  copy to my calendar

Bring:

• Name tag
• Enthusiasm and a positive attitude
• Your personal challenge for the month: hand quilting
• Charity blocks and quilts
• Small group projects (Tula Pink City Sampler, Hand quilting, Amish inspired design)
• Information about local/national quilty happenings
• Non-messy snacks 
• Retreaters! Please bring your mystery quilt!

UFO-ers! Quick reminder to cross off your completed Os and be entered in the drawing this month!

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!

Other Things to Think About:

• Jackie Gehring workshops- space is available
• Prepare your entries for the Amish inspired Modern quilt exhibit at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles in November. Exact dates TBA.

March Meeting TODAY in Los Altos

Here's a friendly reminder that our Bay Area Modern Quilt Guild meeting will be held today, March 15, at the Los Altos Library. The meeting is scheduled to start at 1:00. Please note: this is also a BAM Sew Day, and you may arrive as early as 10am and stay until 11pm to work on projects. 

Things to bring:

*Show 'n Tell

*Personal Challenge Item (Paper Pieced project)

*Triangle Challenge Projects

*Your unwanted fabrics/notions/threads for the Destash/Restash Party!

*Your name tag

*Charity blocks and quilts

*Non-messy snacks

*Enthusiasm and a positive attitude! 

Please note: this list is not necessarily all-inclusive. It's quite possible there's something important that's been left off, so if you think of something that should be added, please speak up! 

The Charity Committee will have a project for us, too, 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 Kelly at the meeting. 

Holiday Party RSVP

If you will be attending the Holiday Party, the fabulous party planners need an RSVP from you. Please click on the link to RSVP.

You are invited to the Bay Area Modern Quilt Guild December Meeting and Holiday Party!

Date: Saturday, December 1st, 2012 

Time: 1pm - 3pm (plus sewing time)

Address: Los Altos Library Community Room (left side of the foyer), 13 S. San Antonio Road, Los Altos, California, 94022

     Please RSVP via the link

 *** NOTE THE CHANGE OF VENUE ***

In order to avoid the parking problems we experienced last December in Redwood City, this year's December Meeting and Holiday Party will be held at the Los Altos Public Library  located at 13 S. San Antonio Road, Los Altos, California, 94022.

SCHEDULE

10 am to 1 pm - Early Bird Sew

 1 pm to 3 pm - Meeting and Holiday Party

 3 pm to 11 pm - Sewcial

SNACKS

The BAM Party Committee will provide a variety of tasty snacks and drinks for the Holiday Party.  No need to bring anything but your appetite.

WHAT TO BRING

- Name Tags

- Sewing machine and sewing stuff if you plan to sew before or after the meeting

- Fat Quarters for Fat Quarter Swap

- Quilts for Show & Tell *

- ABC Quilt Finished Tops *

- Charity blocks*, tops*  and finished quilts*

- Cat beds*

* These items are KLIPPIE-Eligible.  Last chance to pick up KLIPPIES before the

Door Prize Drawing  (Read on!)

DOOR PRIZE DRAWING

Everyone who attends the December meeting will get one entry in the hat for a chance to win a fabulous Door Prize.  In addition, you will receive one more entry for every 5 KLIPPIES you turn in!  So don't forget to BRING YOUR KLIPPIES!

Don't miss it!  This will be a very fun meeting and a good chance to mingle with all your favorite quilters and spread some holiday cheer! Non-members are welcome and should RSVP. First meeting is free, additional meetings are $5 (you really should just join. ;-)   )

If you will be attending the Holiday Party, the fabulous party planners need an RSVP from you. Please click on the link and let us know to look for you.