Destash Party in October

It's that time again, time to start preparing for the Destash Party, or Restash, depending on your perspective!  One of our popular BAM events, this is a chance to get rid of fabric, tools, notions, books, and other crafty supplies you no longer use or need. As a bonus you go home with all new ones!  

Start cleaning out your current stash and gathering up items you want to rehome, because at our October 2018 meeting we will set it all out by type and those who brought items will get first dibs.  As always, anything left over after the initial grabbing, pushing, shoving and general mayhem will be up for grabs to anyone in attendance at the meeting with slightly less mayhem.

Anything not taken by the end of the meeting will be donated or cut up for cat beds, so no waste and you go home with new fun stuff to play with!
So start cleaning!

December Meeting Minutes

The 'meeting' was mostly a Sew Day and Party. The meeting minutes are slim pickins'. regardless, we had a great time and a lot of Winter Extravaganza-palooza gifts were exchange while collecting pillowcases for fire victims.

Thanks to Allison and her team for organizing the food.

Minutes:

• Some help will be needed with Hexies in 2018
• Rhonda talked about the the Social Justice Sewing Academy embroidery small group/ project she will lead
• Bring Michelle-Nicole's Color My Quilt shards in January
• Bring your Color My Quilt shards in January if you want to work in a group to put them together
• Sue S will be in charge of challenges starting in January. Stay tuned for some new and exciting projects.
• Minnie Maw, a physical therapist will speak to us in January about hand health, hand issues. She will also teach us some exercises.
• Quilty Happenings: 12/16 Craneway Pavillion Craft Fair, SJ Holiday Fair - sjmade.com - will be held at the South Hall in San Jose. Check website for details.
• Scissor Sharpening: Peggy's friend will come to Sew Day to sharpen scissors - Jan 6 and Feb 3.

Charity quilts donated for the year: 175
Pillowcases collected today: 41

Next Meeting is Jan 13.

Happy New Year!

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.

November Meeting Minutes

We had a great meeting on Saturday. Hope you were able to make it. Here is a recap:

1. Question of the Day: What size cut of fabric do you buy if you will stash it (don't have a specific project) and you don't know what you will use it for?

As per usual, there were a myriad of answers and the answers changed as people heard the answers and logic behind the answers of other members. Most notably was the 'yard and a quarter' answer. Catherine W said she buys a yard and a quarter because it is square. Many members who followed her said something along the lines of 'well, I usually buy a yard, but may change that to a yard and a quarter'. Other answers:

• 7 people buy half yards
• One person had a good reason for buying 5/8 yards
• One person said she buys 3/4 yard of small scale prints
• Another person buys 3/4 yards in general because she can't do anything with a half yard, that turns into 16" by the time it is washed and trimmed
• That same person said she buys 1 yard of prints
• Many people buy 1 yard in general, especially if they are shopping online
• By the time everyone had introduced themselves, 1.25 yards was very popular
• 4 people are confident in their purchases of 2 yard cuts
• One person said 2.5 yards of a big print
• 3 people said 3 yards
• 3-4 yards of Kaffe/Philip Jacobs flower prints
• One person said 4 yards if it is a staple
• 4-6 yards, which shocked your editor, was not an uncommon answer
• 5-6 yards is easy to buy online, because you don't actually see what is in your basket
• 6 yards also came up more than once
• One member commented that you can make anything out of 7 yards!
• Some ad an extra 1/8th just to get a bolt discount or to get free shipping when shopping online
• Others buy what they can afford
• Some have no rhyme or reason to their purchasing patterns-they just buy what they feel like buying
• Some buy more in person, others buy more online
• One person only buys for a specific project
• A few people are on fabric diets and are trying to use up their stash
• A few people mentioned that they change their amounts based on how good the sale is

2. Dues are DUE in January. Look for more information coming soon.

3. Technology survey

The Executive Board was very grateful to members for taking the time to fill out the survey created by Christina and the Tech group. 49 people out of 60 paid members responded. That is a phenomenal response.

4. Executive Board and Elections
Member-at-Large is a position that represents members on the Board and supports members in various aspects. Elections were held and the following people were elected:

Meeting Organizer (President): Gerre D.
Events Organizers (VP): Mary C and Amy
Treasurer: Nancy A
Member-at-Large: Alison

There were no nays or abstentions.

5. Other Volunteers
Blog content: Pam
Challenges: Sue S
Guild Tech Admin: Tim H
Guild tech Chair (head of committee looking into a better, more integrated tech system): Tim H
Hexinator: Cheryl
Library: Lee Ann
Ongoing Outreach Coordinator (pet beds + coordinating getting items such as pillowcases to where they need to go) : Shoshanna
Photographer: Marty and Cyndi
Random Number Generator: Cheryl
Retreat Committee Chair: Bonnie
Sew Day: Mary C.
Swaps: Shoshanna and Rhonda


6. Merit Hexies

Gerre announced a few new Exclooooosive merit hexies, including for giving a trunk show and the call for quilts for Las Vegas.

Gerre asked if people wanted to continue the merit hexies into 2018. People were unanimously in favor.  She said she needed help and some members agreed to help make merit hexies.

7. Small Groups in 2018: new groups will be starting:

• Color My Quilt design group
• SJSA hand stitching projects will be added on to the hand stitching group

8. Calendar and Quilty Happenings

Nov 30: last day to enter quilts in QuiltCon
Dec.2: Sew Day, 10-4 at Grace Lutheran
Dec.9: Sew Day and Winter Extravaganza Party, 10-4 at Grace Lutheran
Jan. 27: Local Quilt Shop Day

9. Charity

• 35 pillowcases were made at Sew Day. Thanks to Karen M. for bringing her serger and serging many pillowcases. Thanks to everyone else who helped that day and participated in the assembly line. The organizers plan to make 5,000 pillowcases so every child gets one. Many more are needed.
• an additional 15 pillowcases were made and brought to the meeting to be donated
• Quilters in Petaluma are seeking blocks in 6x6, 9x9 and 12x12 sizes to be made into bed sized quilts. They can be sent to: Sonoma Strong C/O NorCal Sew & Vac, 909 D Street, San Rafael, CA 94901
• 164 quilts have been donated to our charities this year
• 25 walker bags were donated this year
• Charity patterns are now posted on this site. Find them on the Charity page. Michelle and Peggy have created a new pattern, which will be available soon. In the meantime, take a posted pattern and make some quilts! The group will be making Chevron blocks before the party on Dec.9
• There are a lot of quilts to be quilted, so grab one at the next meeting.

10. Color My Quilt

Melinda received several  chunks/shards/blocks in the raspberry, blueberry and blackberry colors she requested.

Michelle-Nicholle's Color my Quilt shards will be due in January. Check the forum if you did not get a sheet.Gerre has posted most of the colors and prompts.

11. Giveaway

Michelle B won! Yay!

12. Challenges: Strip Challenge

The strip challenge was due at the meeting. People showed their challenge pieces at Show & Tell. Jaye won the award for the best reaction. She made a donation top from the leftovers of her Carpenter's Wheel quilt and someone pointed out that it was strips, so it counted for the challenge. She didn't even realize it and was thrilled.

13.  Holiday Party Sign-ups
If you were not able to make the meeting and want to bring something for the party, please contact Alison.

14.  Holiday Swap

Sign-ups are closed and assignments have been sent out. If there is a problem, talk to Cheryl. If you signed up, be sure to make your item and a pillowcase for wrapping and bring it to the Winter Extravaganza party

15. Other
People want pictures associated with forum accounts so they have an easier time putting names together with faces. If you need help with the forum, see Alison.

Nancy Zieman passed away on Tuesday November 14. Her obituary is posted. She leaves a large family and a legacy of sewing behind. Make donations in her name to Wisconsin Public Television in lieu of flowers.


There was plenty of time after the meeting to socialize. Thanks to everyone who helped make the meeting a success.

November 18 Meeting is Tomorrow

We look forward to seeing you, tomorrow, Saturday November 18, 2017, for our monthly guild meeting! Join us at 1:00, at the Redwood City Library, in the upstairs community room.

Reminder about our BAM Merit Hexies challenge! Participation is the key to winning your hexies!

Things to bring:

• Color my Quilt pieces - this is Melinda's month
• Show and Tell - this is a great way to get to know people and we LOVE to see your stuff!!!
• Your name tag (hexie available!)
• 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 

Volunteer Opportunities:
Guild volunteer opportunities have been posted in the forum. Your guild is only as good as the volunteers who participate. Please pick out a job and let Gerre know how you will contribute. Many hands make light work and new and creative ideas are always needed.

Upcoming Events:
Our Sew Day, Meeting and Holiday Party will all be on the same day - December 9th. Details to follow.

Other Reminders:

1. Make sure you check off your charity and service accomplishments and collect your BAM Merit Hexies.  Don't forget, there are EXCLOOOOOOOSIVE Merit Hexies for special projects, such as dropping off Pet Beds, VA Sew Day, San Mateo County Fair, UFO Swap, FiberShots, and the Triangle Challenge. Gerre has announced a new hexie for working on Quilts for Las Vegas.
2. Remember to take away uneatened snacks and unclaimed items off the free table. Thanks! 
3. Check out the October Meeting Minutes.

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

November Meeting Saturday

We look forward to seeing you Saturday November 18, 2017, for our monthly guild meeting! Join us at 1:00, at the Redwood City Library, in the upstairs community room.

Reminder about our BAM Merit Hexies challenge! Participation is the key to winning your hexies!

Things to bring:

• Color my Quilt pieces - this is Melinda's month
• Show and Tell - this is a great way to get to know people and we LOVE to see your stuff!!!
• Your name tag (hexie available!)
• 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 

Volunteer Opportunities:
Guild volunteer opportunities have been posted in the forum. Your guild is only as good as the volunteers who participate. Please pick out a job and let Gerre know how you will contribute. Many hands make light work and new and creative ideas are always needed.

Upcoming Events:
Our Sew Day, Meeting and Holiday Party will all be on the same day - December 9th. Details to follow.

Other Reminders:

1. Make sure you check off your charity and service accomplishments and collect your BAM Merit Hexies.  Don't forget, there are EXCLOOOOOOOSIVE Merit Hexies for special projects, such as dropping off Pet Beds, VA Sew Day, San Mateo County Fair, UFO Swap, FiberShots, and the Triangle Challenge. Gerre has announced a new hexie for working on Quilts for Las Vegas.
2. Remember to take away uneatened snacks and unclaimed items off the free table. Thanks! 
3. Check out the October Meeting Minutes.

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

October Meeting Minutes

The group had another fun-filled and informative meeting at the Redwood City Library Community Room. We were ably led by Gerre D. Amy, Nancy and Mary. A whole host of volunteers helped to make this meeting happen.

Upcoming events:

• November 4: Sew Day
• November 11: Sarah Goer Workshop
• November 18: November Meeting
• December 9: December Winter Party
• January 6: Sew Day
• January 13: Meeting Date

1. Question of the Day: What Color is LEAST represented in your stash?

• Beige - 3
• Black - 4
• Brown - 9
• Green - 1
• Grey - 1
• Orange - 3
• Pink - 4
• Red - 6
• Tan - 2
• Teal - 1
• Yellow - 6

As usual, some of the comments were hilarious:

• Regarding teal, the member who said that was she she had least of in her stash remarked that she knew she was swimming against the guild tide.
• Regarding brown, one member said there was nothing wrong with brown
• Another member said that she did not consider brown a real color

2. Membership - see Nancy and Annemarie to get set up

3. Merit hexies - be sure to pick up your awards.

4. 2018 Meeting dates and Sew Days are posted on the Meeting page.

5. Charity - Michelle & Peggy

• they will bring fabric to Sew Day so members can make pillowcases for Sonoma and Santa Rose fire victims
• The guild (thanks, Michelle!!!) now has labels for charity quilts
• There area a few MassdDrop FQs left for charity projects.

Also, the money we pay to Grace Lutheran for the space goes to a fund at the church that has helped to build and stock a health center in the Sudan.

6. Pet Beds

• last count: 60 donated

7. Library - Lee Ann

• was available at the meeting

8. Retreat Wrapup

• retreat was great
• small gifts were given to Retreat committee members

9. Sarah Goer Workshop had 4 spaces left

10. Quilty Happenings

• Thru 4/1/2018: Gees Bend Quilts at the DeYoung as part of another exhibit
• Textile Tuesdays in SSF at the SSF library, 1.3
• FabMo boutique 10/28

11. Meet Your Neighbor - Lee Ann interviewed Mary C.

Mary was born in Connecticut and grew up in Wisconsin. She moved to California to marry her husband of ~30 years, Mark. They have lived in Palo Alto for 27 years. Mark happens to be Marti's brother. 

Mary can't remember not sewing. She started with dolls, Kleenex and paper towels. A neighbor taught her how to sew. She worked on costumes for plays all through high school, then studied costume design in college. She worked for the Palo Alto Players for 6 years and made costumes for her children's high school productions

She is all about speed in sewing. Mary also makes wedding dresses and ball gowns. She considers them "costumes with demanding actresses."

She started quilting about 12 years ago. She also likes puzzles, games, dominos and watching (bingeing on) movies). She likes to travel and thinks that no matter where you go, you'll have good stories. 

Quick Questions:

• Prints or solids? Prints leaning towards solids
• Casserole or BBQ? BBQ
• FMQ/Walking Foot? Walking foot
• Curves or triangles? Curves
• Wine or beer? Wine

Next month Mary will interview Tim H

12. Elections in November - see a board member if you want to run. Email Gerre whether you will continue your guild job for next year.

13. Forum notifications need to be coddled. If you are not getting notifications:

• Login to the forum (http://bamodernquiltguild.ning.com/)
• Click forum
• Scroll all the way to the bottom 
• click follow
• You may need to toggle on/off, if you have done this step in the past.
• You can also look into the options for email/RSS feed.

14. Baby Beeby Burpoff

We held a mini-baby shower for our founder, Ruth. She opened and graded beautiful burp cloths, pouches and other small baby gear and a gift card.

15. Color My Quilt - Melinda

Hope you are all caught up! Melinda is next up. She likes things as they morph, transitions and Escher. Her favorite color is raspberry.

16. The Holiday Extravaganza Palooza Swap is coming

• Signups through Nov.1 Contact Cheryl via the forum thread.
• Theme is kitchen
• It is a regular swap with a theme
• Wrap the gift in a pillowcase, which will be donated to the Santa Rosa/Sonoma fire victims
• Swap will happen at the holiday party
• Ideas are posted on the blog

17. Holiday Party will be 12/9 and will be organized by Alison and Michelle S.

18. Trunk Show. Sarah Goer

She has sewn as long as she can remember. She made her first quilt in 2002 and learned never to trust patterns. The directions  in Quilting for Dummies were wrong. She made her next quilts starting in 2010 using Very Hungry Caterpillar fabric. She uses a lot of Karlee Porter inspiration in graffiti quilting. She participates in challenges and has learned to work small. She has a new (and very popular, according to members) machine binding tutorial on her blog.

Meeting Tomorrow for October

We look forward to seeing you Saturday October 21, 2017, for our monthly guild meeting! Join us at 1:00, at the Redwood City Library, in the upstairs community room.

Reminder about our BAM Merit Hexies challenge! Participation is the key to winning your hexies!

Things to bring:

• Color my Quilt pieces - this is catch up month
• Show and Tell - this is a great way to get to know people and we LOVE to see your stuff!!!
• Your name tag (hexie available!)
• 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 

Volunteer Opportunities:
Gerre needs someone to organize the Winter Extravaganza/Holiday Party. She needs:
1) Gift Swap - we'll need to have the parameters by the Oct. meeting. Please note that ideas have already been posted.

2) Party Food - November meeting for guidelines. You can organize however you wish, including a pot luck. There is a budget for this.

Our Sew Day, Meeting and Holiday Party will all be on the same day - December 9th. Details to follow.

Other Reminders:

1. Make sure you check off your charity and service accomplishments and collect your BAM Merit Hexies.  Don't forget, there are EXCLOOOOOOOSIVE Merit Hexies for special projects, such as dropping off Pet Beds, VA Sew Day, San Mateo County Fair, UFO Swap, FiberShots, and the Triangle Challenge. Gerre has announced a new hexie for working on Quilts for Las Vegas.
2. Remember to take away uneatened snacks and unclaimed items off the free table. Thanks! 
3. Check out the May Meeting Minutes.

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

Meeting October 21

We look forward to seeing you Saturday October 21, 2017, for our monthly guild meeting! Join us at 1:00, at the Redwood City Library, in the upstairs community room.

Reminder about our BAM Merit Hexies challenge! Participation is the key to winning your hexies!

Things to bring:

• Color my Quilt pieces - this is catch up month
• Show and Tell - this is a great way to get to know people and we LOVE to see your stuff!!!
• Your name tag (hexie available!)
• 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 

Volunteer Opportunities:
Gerre needs someone to organize the Winter Extravaganza/Holiday Party. She needs:
1) Gift Swap - we'll need to have the parameters by the Oct. meeting. Please note that ideas have already been posted.

2) Party Food - November meeting for guidelines. You can organize however you wish, including a pot luck. There is a budget for this.

Our Sew Day, Meeting and Holiday Party will all be on the same day - December 9th. Details to follow.


Other Reminders:

1. Make sure you check off your charity and service accomplishments and collect your BAM Merit Hexies.  Don't forget, there are EXCLOOOOOOOSIVE Merit Hexies for special projects, such as dropping off Pet Beds, VA Sew Day, San Mateo County Fair, UFO Swap, FiberShots, and the Triangle Challenge. Gerre has announced a new hexie for working on Quilts for Las Vegas.
2. Remember to take away uneatened snacks and unclaimed items off the free table. Thanks! 
3. Check out the September Meeting Minutes.

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

September Meeting Minutes

We had a great time at the meeting, though attendees were much more unruly than usual and Gerre had to put on her teacher voice to keep the meeting moving. ;-)

Gerre, Amy and Mary did a great job moving us through a long agenda that started with Introductions and Question of the Day.

1. QotD: Do you prewash or not and why?
21 people prewash
17 people do not prewash

Some people said they do it sometimes, or if they feel like it or if the fabric has been sitting around awhile. There was a lot of good discussion around this topic. Almost everyone prewashes flannel at least once. People don't like the feel of unwashed (prewashers) or washed (not prewashers) fabric. Some people don't like to iron after prewashing, but then there were those who prewash, but don't iron after. One person doesn't prewash because she doesn't like the frayed edges. Old fabric, fabric stored in the garage and Kona solids were the main reasons for prewashing. Some people don't plan ahead to sew, so they can't possibly prewash. Some prewash, because it is part of the process or like to handle the fabric as much as possible. Christina, our resident comedienne doesn't prewash because she doesn't actually sew, she only buys fabric. Amy was with her and got big laughs. One prewasher zigzags the edges of her yardage to keep it from fraying.

Two products mentioned were Synthrapol and Retayne, both available from Dharma (no affilliation).

2. Dues are $25 at this time of year. See Nancy (to pay) and Annemarie (for introductions, information and orientation) about membership.

3. Merit Hexies - there are two exclooooosives this month for the Hexie Swap and the Triangle Challenge. Gerre also gave out, one time only, bonus hexies.

4. Ongoing projects

• Charity: Peggy and Michelle: had some patterns available for making charity quilts, which will be posted here soon. We have given away at least 120 quilts to various charities.
• Pet Beds: Angela was available to collect pet beds
• Library: Lee Ann had the library available

5. Fabric Donations, etc - Annemarie evaluates all donations in consultation with the Board, then coordinates with the person offering.

6. Retreat - Starts on Sept 29. There is one commuter spot left, 4 massage spots. People who have not provided emergency contacts should get in touch with the committee.

7. Photography - WANTED: extra photographer needed for guild meetings and the Retreat.

8. Meet Your Neighbor - Nicki interviewed Lee Ann, who was born and raised in Willows, Calif, which is the county seat of Glenn County. She still has cousins there and is heading up tonight for a visit. Lee Ann works in the biotech community in drug research and development and is currently looking for a new opportunity. Her favorite job, however, was when she worked in Yosemite for 3 months. She lives with her DH of 28 years and has no kids or pets. She started sewing in 4H with garments and started making quilts in high school. Her first quilt was made out of sewing fabrics from garments. She bought her first machine from the Quilting Bee when it was on Castro Street in Mountain View. She really started to quilt a lot when she joined the guild. Lee Ann had done a lot of other crafts including embroidery and stained glass. Other activities she enjoys when she is not quilting are swimming, yoga and Pilates.

Quick Qs:

• Solids or Prints
• Improv or Blocks
• Triangles or Curves
• Machine quilting or hand quilting
• Walking foot or free motion quilting

Thanks, Lee Ann and Nicki!

11. Anna was the winner of the giveaway

12. Scrap Attack Strips - Challenge #3- strips including curved strips

Helen showed some slides with ideas on what type of quilts to make. Use your scraps! There is no minimum or maximum size. The quilt or item is due at the November meeting.

13. Joelle got her Color My quilt pieces and they are fabulous.

14. Jaye gave a trunk show. She has made over 130 quilts and showed us a fraction of them including ALL of her Fabric of the Year quilts. Jaye likes to work in a series and she showed us several quilts that were variations on a them. Check out her blog, especially the quilt gallery.

14. Hexie Swap - the people who participated in the Hexie swap got their gifts today. Cheryl did a great job organizing.

Thanks, everyone! See you next time.

Calendar: 

• 9/23: Karen Foster Workshop
• 9/23: Bay Area Sewists Meeting at Canada College. Sandra Betzina will be speaking
• 9/24: Quilting in the Garden, 9-4, Alden Lane, Livermore 
• 9/29-10/1: Guild Retreat!
• 9/29: MassDrop quilting community meeting at Hello Stitch in Berkeley
• 10/7: Sew Day at Grace Lutheran
• 10/12-15: PIQF
• 10/21: October Meeting

September Meeting, Tomorrow!

Our next meeting is tomorrow, Saturday, September 16th!

Redwood City Library, Community Room

1044 Middlefield Road

Redwood City, CA 94063

1-5 pm

Here are things to know about this meeting:
- Joelle's Color My Quilt "chunk" is due!
- Sign up for Karen Foster's Class (Sept. 23rd)  Karen Foster's Class. there are still a couple of spaces. (Note:  This class is labeled Improv Abstraction but it is a skill building class because she focuses on mild and severe curve piecing)
- Retreat!  There are a few spots left.  Talk to Christina or Nancy about payment and what spaces are left. 2017 Retreat Info

Things to Do:
1.  Along with your smile please bring your NAME Tag!
2.  Make sure you check off your charity and service accomplishments and collect your BAM Merit Hexies.  EXCLUSIVE Merit Hexies for VA Sew Day, San Mateo County Fair, UFO Swap and FiberShots. New Hexie for Triangle Challenge!
3.  Light Snacks - PLEASE bring snacks. Also, please take home any uneaten snacks.

4.  Plan to Stay and Sew after our formal meeting ends. This is a great way to get to know your fellow guild members! Work on a project - or just visit with your friends.



Upcoming things to remember!
- Cheryl's Modern Hexie Swap due at this meeting.  Here are the details: BAM Modern Hexie Mini Swap.


See you tomorrow!

September Meeting Saturday 9/16/2017

Our next meeting is Saturday, September 16th!

Redwood City Library, Community Room

1044 Middlefield Road

Redwood City, CA 94063

1-5 pm

Here are things to know about this meeting:
- Joelle's Color My Quilt "chunk" is due!
- Sign up for Karen Foster's Class (Sept. 23rd)  Karen Foster's Class. there are still a couple of spaces. (Note:  This class is labeled Improv Abstraction but it is a skill building class because she focuses on mild and severe curve piecing)
- Retreat!  There are a few spots left.  Talk to Christina or Nancy about payment and what spaces are left. 2017 Retreat Info

Things to Do:
1.  Along with your smile please bring your NAME Tag!
2.  Make sure you check off your charity and service accomplishments and collect your BAM Merit Hexies.  EXCLUSIVE Merit Hexies for VA Sew Day, San Mateo County Fair, UFO Swap and FiberShots. New Hexie for Triangle Challenge!
3.  Light Snacks - PLEASE bring snacks. Also, please take home any uneaten snacks.

4.  Plan to Stay and Sew after our formal meeting ends. This is a great way to get to know your fellow guild members! Work on a project - or just visit with your friends.



Upcoming things to remember!
- Cheryl's Modern Hexie Swap due at this meeting.  Here are the details: BAM Modern Hexie Mini Swap.


See you Saturday!

August Meeting Minutes

We had a great meeting Saturday. The Board is doing a great job not only leading meetings, but planning for the future as well.

Calendar:
Aug. 29 - PIQF Entry Deadline (see online entry instructions and forms or register to attend the show)
Sept.2 - Sew Day at Grace - 3149 Waverly, Palo Alto
Sept. 16 -  BAM Meeting (Bring your friends!!)
Sept. 16 - Modern Hexie Swap due at meeting
Sept. 23 - Karen Foster (capitolaquilter) Workshop - curves and improv ($35)
Oct. 12-15 - PIQF Show at Santa Clara Convention Center
Nov. 11 - Sarah Goer Planned Improv Workshop - signups start at September Meeting ($35)

1. Question of the Day: What kind of workshops do you like / not like?
This question was directly from the Board presented not only as an icebreaker, but also to glean information about what interests members as the Board plans for workshops.

• techniques
• not projects or "buy this book and make this pattern"
• people wanted to leave with an almost finished item - not another UFO
• Improv
• want space with good lighting
• color 
• hands on
• circles, curves
• learn something hard to do by yourself
• Catherine Redford
• mixing block sizes
• big stitch
• bags, hard bags like the Cargo Duffel
• techniques and skills I can't figure out myself
• Cristina Camelli
• Design (Lorraine Torrence)
• Slash & Burn Quilts
• vale
• fabric painting
• NO hand applique'
• thought process, how quiltmakers get there
• something new I haven't done before
• FMQ - Melody Johnson or Sue Nickels including using monofilament
• Hard weird bags, Cargo Duffel 
• Skill building 
• making templates for curves
• Susan Cleveland - perfect binding
• must have good teaching skills, not all quiltmakers can teach
• Ashley Nickels
• new stuff, hard stuff
• thread painting - Melissa Averinos?
• Rami Kim - 3D techniques

Your ideas are still welcome. Contact Gerre, Amy or Mary if you have more ideas.

2. Membership
Nancy was at the meeting taking dues, workshop fees and Retreat fees. Please get in touch with Nancy if you owe money.

There are still two membership scholarships available. If you have financial difficulties talk to Gerre or Nancy.

3. Planning
The Executive Board is planning for the future. They want to get a plan in place that helps the guild and future Executive Boards. Their goal is to create continuity. To that end, they requested a member-at-large to join the Board. Alison volunteered, Claire moved to make it official and the vote carried. They also want someone to get the documents of the guild in order. Tim H volunteered to be Historian. He was approved as well.

If you have ideas or suggestions, please let Gerre, Amy or Mary C know.

4. Merit Hexies
Gerre gave us a presentation and some ideas about what to do with the merit hexies we are collecting. Gerre has a Pinterest Board, which she showed and you can look at as well. Along with the regular Grandmother's Flower Garden type layout, there was a hexie necklace, some hexie animals, a mug rug and many other inspirational images. Take a look! What will you make?

Bonus levels (like in a video game) are coming.

See the details on earning merit hexis in the January Meeting Minutes.

5.  Trunk Show
Erin gave a trunk show of her like in quilts. You can be the star of a meeting as well! Check with Gerre on putting your name into the hat.

Erin started sewing in about the 5th grade. She has been attending guild meetings since before she was born as her mom is one of the founding members of the Kansas City Quilt Guild. Erin has been in the guild for about 5 years. She is married with four kids (how does she find time to sew?????) She is thrifty, buying her fabric at a thrift store in Ann Arbor for $1/yard or from the Joann sale bin. She works mostly in solids, because she find they don't look dated.

The first quilt she made is still at her mom's house. She showed the second quilt she made, which she took to college. It is very modern looking and tied not quilted.

She took a break from sewing and quilting during college until after she was married. After college she found a paper pieced starburst pattern and made up a small piece, which got her back into the game.

She showed a high school and college t-shirt quilt which has  different sized and shaped blocks.

A Yellow Brick Road quilt is her wedding quilt. It was mostly made a a wedding shower with her family. People brought fabric to the shower, cut pieces, sewed, arranged blocks and pressed. They completed about half the quilt that day. Erin finished it and then her aunt had it quilted by an Amish friend who hand quilted it as a wedding gift.

The group thought her aesthetic was consistent.

Thanks, Erin. Next trunk show will be by Jaye.

6. Charity
The guild has donated at least 160 quilts this year to various charities including the NICU at Stanford.

The charity girls have a lot of fabric from recent donations. They will hold a raffle at the next meeting. For a $1 per ticket, you can get some fabulous fabric pieces.

They will also put packets of fabric together so that you can make quilt tops and not just blocks. Bring quilt tops!!!

There were a number of packages of tops, backs and batting to quilt.

Patti heads up the Days for Girls aspect of the guild's charity efforts. 600 liners were distributed to the DfG representative in Beijing for distribution in southeast Asia (not China, however). There was corporate sponsorship of this donation. The company of the SE Asia rep's husband underwrote all the shipping and distribution costs.

7. Sew Day at Grace
3149 Waverly, Palo Alto on September 2. Mary appreciates the help setting up and cleaning up. When the help is no longer forthcoming, no more Sew Days will beheld at Grace.

8. Retreat Update
Retreat is September 29- October 1.

All fees were due at the meeting. If you own money, get in touch with Nancy immediately. Check for spots available. There may be one commuter spot available.

Check the Ning for opportunities to get a massage.

9. Meet Your Neighbor
Alison S interviewed Nicki M.

Nicki was born in Portland, Maine, but grew up in Cupertino and now lives in San Jose. Her dad was accepted at Stanford in a Master's program and was offered a job at Lockheed when she was five weeks old, thus the move West. Her first job was stringing necklaces for her mom's beading business.

She has been married to Bob for 33 years. She has two sons, Michael and Sam. as well as a cat. Her cat will sit on any quilt. If your lap has no quilt, she won't sit in it, but put a quilt on it and she will join you. Nicki has tested this theory.

Nicki does all crafts - embroidery, crewel, crochet, beading, etc. She started quiltmaking when her kids were little because she needed to find something she could do in small snatches of time in her lap. She learned to quilt from a hand piecing class at Whiffle Tree Quilts in about 1990. Her first quilt was purple and green and the shop ladies tried hard to dissuade her from using those colors.

Nicki knits when she is not quilting. She also enjoys hiking, gardening, museums. She goes to visit her favorite pieces when she goes to certain museums.

Her favorite trips were to Japan, where she visited with former exchange students, and Fiji, where her parents had a sail boat rental company for several years.

Come to the next meeting and meet next month's neighbor, LeeAnn.

10. Challenges
Triangle Challenge was due at the meeting.

11. Color My Quilt - Amy
Everyone turned in their color my quilt shards for Amy. Joelle distributed sheets for her month. Joelle's shards are due at the September meeting.

12. Special Show and Tell
George (7YO) and Rebecca (5YO0 Goer showed us quilts that they have made.

13. Giveaway
YAY Diana! She won this month.

Check out July's minutes.

August Meeting Tomorrow!

Our next meeting is tomorrow, Saturday, August 19th!

Redwood City Library, Community Room

1044 Middlefield Road

Redwood City, CA 94063

1-5 pm

Here are things to know about this meeting:
- Scrap Challenge #2 - Triangles, is due!!! It can be a finished quilt, a quilt top or a chunk
- Amy's Color My Quilt "chunk" is due!
- Sign up for Karen Foster's Class (Sept. 23rd)  Karen Foster's Class. (Note:  I know it is labeled Improv Abstraction but I call this a skill building class because she focuses on mild and severe curve piecing.  I've long admired her curves, quilt curves that is!!!  It should be a good class.
- Retreat!  There are a few spots left.  Also, final payment is due. 2017 Retreat Info
- PET BEDS - Angela will not be at this meeting so please hold off bringing yours unless you know someone is taking them.  Thanks.

Things to Do:
1.  Along with your smile please bring your NAME Tag!
2.  Make sure you check off your charity and service accomplishments and collect your BAM Merit Hexies.  EXCLUSIVE Merit Hexies for VA Sew Day, San Mateo County Fair, UFO Swap and FiberShots. New Hexie for Triangle Challenge!
3.  Light Snacks - PLEASE bring snacks. Also, please take home any uneaten snacks.

4.  Plan to Stay and Sew after our formal meeting ends. This is a great way to get to know your fellow guild members! Work on a project - or just visit with your friends.



Upcoming things to remember!
- Cheryl's Modern Hexie Swap due in September.  Here are the details: BAM Modern Hexie Mini Swap.
- Bonnie has kindly provided information for us about PIQF.  The entry deadline is August 29th.  Here is the info:  PIQF Entry Info

See you tomorrow!

Guild Meeting Saturday!

Our next meeting is Saturday, August 19th!

Redwood City Library, Community Room

1044 Middlefield Road

Redwood City, CA 94063

1-5 pm

Here are things to know about this meeting:
- Scrap Challenge #2 - Triangles, is due!!! It can be a finished quilt, a quilt top or a chunk
- Amy's Color My Quilt "chunk" is due!
- Sign up for Karen Foster's Class (Sept. 23rd)  Karen Foster's Class. (Note:  I know it is labeled Improv Abstraction but I call this a skill building class because she focuses on mild and severe curve piecing.  I've long admired her curves, quilt curves that is!!!  It should be a good class.
- Retreat!  There are a few spots left.  Also, final payment is due. 2017 Retreat Info
- PET BEDS - Angela will not be at this meeting so please hold off bringing yours unless you know someone is taking them.  Thanks.

Things to Do:
1.  Along with your smile please bring your NAME Tag!
2.  Make sure you check off your charity and service accomplishments and collect your BAM Merit Hexies.  EXCLUSIVE Merit Hexies for VA Sew Day, San Mateo County Fair, UFO Swap and FiberShots. New Hexie for Triangle Challenge!
3.  Light Snacks - PLEASE bring snacks. Also, please take home any uneaten snacks.

4.  Plan to Stay and Sew after our formal meeting ends. This is a great way to get to know your fellow guild members! Work on a project - or just visit with your friends.

See you Saturday!

Upcoming things to remember!
- Cheryl's Modern Hexie Swap due in September.  Here are the details: BAM Modern Hexie Mini Swap.
- Bonnie has kindly provided information for us about PIQF.  The entry deadline is August 29th.  Here is the info:  PIQF Entry Info

July Meeting Minutes

Saturday's meeting was fun and wonderful, as usual. A great time was had by all! Thanks to the Board for their hard work on making the meeting happen. If you haven't been to a meeting try and make one.We would love to see you!

Upcoming Events:
7/22 - Fibershots Gala, 6-9pm at the San Jose Quilt Museum
Sew Day August 5 in Palo Alto
8/12 Tara Faughnan workshop
8/19/2017 August BAMaQG Guild meeting
9/16 - September Meeting
9/16 - Hexie mini swap items due
9/23 - Karen Foster - Improv Abstraction workshop
9/29-Oct 1 Retreat
11/11 - Sarah Goer - Planned Improv workshop

Question of the Day: What is your favorite fabric company and why?

• Alexander Henry because it is printed in Japan and the colors are really bright. Also a brother / sister team designs their fabrics.
• Joy-Lily - she makes and uses her own hand-dyed fabrics
• Kaffe Fassett - bright
• Cloud 9 - organic
• Kaufman solids - so many colors....
• across the board
• Liberty of London
• do I have to pick just one???
• Hoffman - mom keeps sending me subscriptions
• whatever's in the shop and strikes me
• Marimekko because it is bright
• Robert Kaufman novelties - love the novelties
• dots by anyone
• Essex Linen, because it is shiny
• Art Gallery, Michael Miller solids
• fabrics from my stash
• Cotton & Steele - their story and the fact that they are all female designers
• Moda just seems to end up in my collection
• Scraps
• Birch, because they are organic
• Art Gallery
• whatever is on sale
• same as everyone else
• Modaluna - cute and organic
• Quilting Treasures
• Rowan
• Westminster
• Rifle Paper Co.
• Michael Miller
• What all y'all said

It was great to hear what everyone likes and how diverse our group is!

Tara Faughnan was the speaker. Look for a separate post about that talk.

Membership

• Remember to fill out the form and select your hexies
• Pet Beds - deliver pet beds and get a special hexie
• Library was available. See LeAnn
• Charity: 
• Kits for postage stamps are available
• Kits for chevrons are available
• Peggy & Michele have quilts to be quilted

Retreat

• 4 spots left
• Roommates will be assigned in August for people who don't have a roommate

Social Justice Sewing Academy Donations

• They are fostering change through art. 
• They have a list of items they need on their website.

Hexie Mini Swap (Swap #2)

• The modern hexie mini swap was introduced at the meeting by the fabulous Cheryl.
• Make something with a hexie on it. It does not have to be hexagonal
• Due at the September 16 meeting
• Cheryl will not me micromanaging hexiness. 
• Wrap your item up in paper or fabric or something

Meet Your Neighbor - Alison S

Maria interviewed Alison in a very Terry Gross kind of way. Alison is married with a  stepson, a cat and a mom that has been to our meetings and Sew Days. She was a costume designer for many years in Hollywood, then went to work as a technical editor at C&T. She is now a freelancer who works on various patterns/books

Alison became a part of the MQG when she signed up as soon as the website went live and was the third member of the LAMQG. She went out for coffee with Alisa Haight Carlton and became friends.

She is proud to have had a quilt displayed at the 2011 MQG exhibit in Houston sponsored by Moda.

Alison likes to travel. She has driven across the country and backpacked across Europe, but hasn't gotten much travel in during the last 10 years. They now have a travel trailer and are enjoying it on the weekends.

One of her craziest experiences was when Minnie Driver threw Spanx at her right before a very emotional scene.

Thanks, Alison! the next neighbor is Nicki M!

Giveaway

• Shoshana was this month's winner

Color My Quilt

• Michelle S received her shards
• Amy M gave out her sheets and inspirational fabric slices

See you at the next meeting on August 19!

June Meeting is TOMORROW!!!

We look forward to seeing you Saturday June 17, 2017, for our monthly guild meeting! Join us at 1:00, at the Redwood City Library, in the upstairs community room.

Reminder for those of you on the fence about coming this weekend!
Tara Faughnan will be our guest speaker this month, so don't this meeting! This will be your preview as she will be teaching a class for us in August. It is full right now, but you can get on the waiting list in case someone has to back out!! 


Reminder about our BAM Merit Hexies challenge! Participation is the key to winning your hexies! New EXCLUSIVE Merit Hexies for VA Sew Day, San Mateo County Fair, UFO Swap and FiberShots.

Michelle S is this month's Color My Quilt queen and your piece for her is due Saturday. (hexie available!)

Things to bring:

• Color my Quilt piece
• Show and Tell - this is a great way to get to know people and we LOVE to see your stuff!!!
• Your name tag (hexie available!)
• 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 

Other Reminders:

1. FiberShots Campaign Gala, July 22th, 6-9 pm.  The SJMQT has posted the names of the FiberShot contributors on their website.  If you submitted a FiberShot you get in FREE!
2. Make sure you check off your charity and service accomplishments and collect your BAM Merit Hexies.  Don't forget, there are EXCLOOOOOOOSIVE Merit Hexies for special projects.
3. Remember to take away uneaten snacks and unclaimed items off the free table. Thanks! 
4. Check out the May Meeting Minutes.

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


Members can visit the BA Modern forum.

June Meeting is Saturday!

We look forward to seeing you Saturday June 17, 2017, for our monthly guild meeting! Join us at 1:00, at the Redwood City Library, in the upstairs community room.

Reminder about our BAM Merit Hexies challenge! Participation is the key to winning your hexies!

Annemarie is this month's Color My Quilt queen and your piece for her is due. (hexie available!)

Things to bring:

• Color my Quilt piece
• Show and Tell - this is a great way to get to know people and we LOVE to see your stuff!!!
• Your name tag (hexie available!)
• 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 

Other Reminders:

1. Make sure you check off your charity and service accomplishments and collect your BAM Merit Hexies.  Don't forget, there are EXCLOOOOOOOSIVE Merit Hexies for special projects.
2. Remember to take away uneatened snacks and unclaimed items off the free table. Thanks! 
3. Check out the May Meeting Minutes.

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


Members can visit the BA Modern forum.

May Meeting Minutes

We had a great time at the meeting on Saturday. Hope to see you next time, if you weren't able to make it.
1. Question of the Day: When you have a creative block, what do you do to get out of it? Some of the answers were entertaining and most were very helpful

• look through quilt books
• drink some wine
• clean up
• sideways move
• set aside project and think about it
• give up/ come back later
• start a new project
• pick up an older UFO
• look at pictures of quilts in books, magazines, on Pinterest, other online sources
• revisit the UFO closet
• work on a charity quilt
• pick up a mindless project
• channel quilt
• read magazines, book
• remind yourself quiltmaking is supposed to be fun
• don't work on it
• move to knitting
• hang project on design wall and keep it in view for a few days
• let your mind process the problem while sleeping
• will let you know
• Cut up 2.5" squares or another useful unit
• deadlines motivate
• thumb through books at the bookstore
• go to a museum
• mindlessly chain piece useful units (4 patch, 9 patch) that you might be able to use later

2. Treasurer
The baton has been passed to Nancy. While Claire will still be doing the taxes, she will be getting a much deserved rest. Two dues scholarships are available. See Gerre for details.

3. Charity
The guild has been able to donate 100 quilts already this year. There are many quilts to quilt and you will receive 5 merit hexies if you get one from the Charity Girls and finish one of them.

4. Fibershots (SJ Quilt Museum)
Due to Mary by June 3.  10x10 works of art used to fundraise for the museum.

4A. Modern Meetup at the Museum on June 17 (same day as June BAM meeting) 9:30-11am. You'll get a hexie for showing up.

5. Retreat
The Retreat will be at Wild Palms again, Sept 29-Oct 1. Signups are coming soon. there will be space for 30 people and the configuration will be a little different.

6. Workshops
Indigo to Go - Sue S announced that Joy-Lily will be teaching this class at Sue's house on August 26. there are 15 spaces available. You will need to commit by august 7 with a $50 check to Sue.

Tara Faughnan - signups for her workshop will be in June meeting. She will also be the speaker at the July meeting. Workshop will be on August 12.

Karen Foster - September 23 - details to follow

7. San Mateo County Fair
Cyndi collected entries and will drop them off. The Fair is June 10-18.

8. Quilty Happenings
Crate and Barrel is selling Marrimekko fabric for $4/yard at their outlet. PIQF is 10/12-15 and entries are due by August 29.

9. Meet Your Neighbor
Today Gerre interviewed Cheryl, who told us a lot of about her work restoring wetlands as well her many pets.

10. UFO Challenge
The UFO challenge was due at the meeting. Members who participated did a fantastic job.

11. Color My Quilt
Gerre received hers and Annemarie gave out sheets for her preferences. Bring Annemarie's chunks to the June meeting

12. Destash Party
Erin did a great job organizing the destash party. People brought and took away lovely bits and pieces to liven up their own fabric collections.

WOW! Look what is upcoming!!!

Calendar:
5/30-31 - San Mateo County Fair dropoff
6/3 - Fibershots Due
6/3 - Sew Day
6/10-18 - San Mateo County Fair
6/17 -  Modern Meetup at the Museum 9:30-11am
6/17 - June meeting 1-5pm
6/17 - signups for Tara Faughnan workshop
6/17 - Color My Quilt due for Annemarie
8/7 - Commit to Indigo to Go workshop (check to Sue S.)
8/12 - Tara Faughnan workshop
8/26 - Indigo to Go workshop
8/29 - Entries due to PIQF
9/23 - Karen Foster workshop
10/12-15 - PIQF

May Meeting Tomorrow

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow, Saturday May 20, 2017, for our monthly guild meeting! Join us at 1:00, at the Redwood City Library, in the upstairs community room.

May's Destash Party is tomorrow!  If you haven't started your Spring sorting you had better get busy! See more information and details on the blog.


Reminder about our BAM Merit Hexies challenge! Participation is the key to winning your hexies!

Gerre is this month's Color My Quilt queen and your piece for her is due. (hexie available!)

Things to bring:

• Color my Quilt piece
• UFO Challenge #1 piece
• Show and Tell - this is a great way to get to know people
• Your name tag (hexie available!)
• 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 

Other Reminders:

1. Make sure you check off your charity and service accomplishments and collect your BAM Merit Hexies.  Don't forget, there are EXCLUSIVE Merit Hexies for special projects.
2. Remember to take away uneatened snacks and unclaimed items off the free table. Thanks! 
3. Check out the April Meeting Minute.

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


Members can visit the BA Modern forum.