July Wrap-up

Hi, everyone!  Our July meeting was the first one run by our new leadership team, and it was exciting!

Lots of great show and tell this month, but first, some news and announcements:

Bylaws are in their second draft, and when complete, will be presented to the guild for an approval vote.

Garden State Quilters are having Victoria Findlay Wolfe on 11/11/13 and have extended an invitation to our guild!  Thanks! More info will follow.

We will be having monthly challenges starting next month!

There have been two more calls for flags in the style of "To Boston with Love".  The first is for Lac-Megantic in Quebec Canada, where a train explosion devastated the town.  It is requested that flags be in the colors of blue and green and other cool colors so as not to remind victims of the flames.  These flags are due on 8/12 and can be dropped off at RPS. The second is for more "To Boston with Love" flags to be hung at the UN on International Peace Day.  These flags are due at our next meeting.

To make flags, follow the tutorial at the Vancouver MQG site.

Victoria Findlay Wolfe and Simplicity are doing a double wedding ring challenge...just in case you were interested.  You can find more info here Double Wedding Ring Challenge.

Philly Sew-Down is 9/6-9/8.  I think there are a few spots left!

Free motion quilting class Thursday 8/1 @ 6:30 pm.  Call RPS for more info.

Welcome to our guest Sharon!  We hope you enjoyed your visit.

Reminder if you didn't make it to the July meeting:  existing members please bring $8 to our August meeting to cover dues for our affiliation with the national Modern Quilt Guild.

Now for some amazing show and tell this month:

Andrea showed off some super cool mini quilts.  The first was from Rayna's class with the Warwick guild about slashing up a block and making it into something new.

The second was her puzzle block "Don't be a Square".  This super cute block uses beads between the puzzle pieces to keep them floating. (This block was really a crowd pleaser and a 3rd prize winner in a quilt show).

Next up was her Frank Lloyd Wright window block (So modern!).

An alphabet challenge block: "Crazy Colorful Circles Colliding Create a Chaotic Constellation".

Crossed canoes is another prize winning (1st!) mini quilt that was hand quilted.

Last, but not least, this amazing mini quilt with cathedral windows, flying geese, and appliquéd hexagons.  Amazing work to say the least!

Josie made a one-of-a-kind super meaningful gift for her mom in this gorgeous photo quilt.

Michelle showed off a wall hanging from her class with Kaffe Fassett at NJ Quilt Fest.

 She also whipped up some adorable little bags with her free fabric from Cloud 9!  So adorable!

Lucky Betsy attended Quilting by the Lake where she worked with Katie Pasquini Masopust and actually painted first and then slashed and sewed the canvases.  For someone who has never painted before, these were awfully impressive!

Peggy showed off an adorable NYC themed wine holder which she made for her godson who is moving to Prague.  She also showed off her first quilt that she has completed in 35 years!  This was her solids challenge quilt from the newbees group, and Peggy completely free motion quilted it!  It was amazing!

Daniela brought in a super soft, super pretty Nani Iro lap duvet.  She also spoke a little bit about her blocks from an improv class with Denyse Schmidt.  It was a real learning process, and something that I think a lot of us could use.  Not having enough time to over-think a block, but just to sew and make it work.

Jo Ann brought in a little sample showing how cathedral windows can be done by machine.

Pat showed off her 120 piece quilt.

Melissa shared some improv patchwork from the Makerie class with Heather Jones.  She pointed out how the neutrals help to make all the colors relaxed and pretty.  I agree!

Sue showed off her pool bag made with lamintes from RPS.  She also showed off her challenge quilt for the NYMQG: what "metro" means to you.  This beauty was done in all hand dyed fabrics.

Dawn showed her pumpkin wall hanging that won to ribbons and a 1st place in a Vermont quilt show! Someone is looking forward to fall!

Caroline donated a magazine (thanks!) and showed off her black and white quilt.  So pretty!

Jane made a great quilt using some 2" squares that she had that "sat on a shelf for years".  Way to stash bust, Jane!

Annette had a stunning Madrona Road quilt to show us.  Way to use that challenge fabric!

Melanie showed off her Pigeon quilts for her boys.  Those are two lucky boys and two good looking quilts!  I mean really, who doesn't love the pigeon!?

I think I have thought of a name for my show and tell.  I'm going to call it my Fit Quilt, because after buying a new home and painting and spackling when I should have been piecing and quilting for a month, I was going to have a hissy fit if I didn't just sit and sew.  This was a break for me and my "everything just so" habits.  It felt pretty good to just let go and let it grow.

Next meeting is August 22, 2013 7pm @ RPS.  See you then, and bring something good for show and tell!

Jess

Floating on Cloud9

Beth will have plenty of information in her recap at tomorrow's meeting, but here are some pictures from yesterday's field trip to Cloud9 Fabrics in Cranford, NJ.

The office space was just gorgeous. On the wall were favorite framed fabrics.

Gina and Michelle kindly told us all about their business, from how fabric is made and manufactured, to how a collection can grow from a single idea. Our members had some great questions about quality, distribution and how to pick just the right color way.

Here, Michelle shows the evolution of an upcoming collection. Check out the gorgeous quilt on the wall behind her!

We got to fondle all the gorgeous samples.

Beth and Stephanie admiring the Tsuru Geranium dresses.

 Daniela loved the voile from the Koi collection.

We toured the warehouse

Group shot! (sorry for blocking you, Sue and Melissa)

A few of us lucky groupies got to take home some fat quarters.

Thanks again to Michelle and Gina for having us, and also for Beth for arranging the whole trip. We hope to have lots more fun off-site events in the coming months.

June Wrap-up

Hey all, Jessica here with a wrap-up of our last meeting, which was pretty exciting.

Big things are in the works for the North Jersey Modern Quilt Guild!  As you all know by now, we voted overwhelmingly to join the national MQG. Our officer campaign went so smoothly that every candidate ran uncontested and was nominated and seconded without a hitch.  So, in case you missed it, without further ado, here is our new leadership team:

President: Melanie T.
Vice President: Peggy K.
Program Coordinator: Beth R.
Secretary: Ashley H.
Treasurer: Jessica F.

We were much more excited than we look in the picture...I swear.  Oh, and Beth is missing because she was already out trying to get some programs for us! (Now, that is dedication to the job!)

Aleeda shared some pretty interesting stats from our survey.  81% of us consider ourselves "modern" quilters.  25% consider ourselves advanced beginners with 44% as intermediate.  As you will see in the  following pictures, I would say we have a modest bunch!  We hope to share the rest of the survey with you soon.

In other news, Margy highly recommends the Brooklyn Museum of Arts exhibit "Workt by Hand": Hidden Labor and Historical Quilts.  If you are in the area, be sure to stop in.  You can find more info here http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/quilts/

As always, its time for a special shout out to our visitors : Janet, Francine, Sally, Nancy, Diane, Rory and Alex!  We hope you enjoyed your visit with us!

There was lots to show and tell at this meeting...gorgeous stuff folks.  Enjoy!

Melanie showed off one of our lonely crayon quilts that is being sent to victims of the Oklahoma tornadoes.  How adorable is the backing!? That's just one piece of fabric!

 

Rachel's daughter spent some time teaching in an American school in Gambia.  She is now getting married, and her mom made this amazing wall hanging for her out of all Gambian fabric as fabric is a traditional wedding gift.

JoAnn showed a wall hanging from her craft room.  All of the flowers were free cut, fused and stay put by the quilting.  Isn't it cheerful?

JoAnn also showed us a quilt made for a challenge from Hoffman fabrics.

Sally's granddaughter will be a receiving a handmade quilt that tells all about her.  She has wanted to be a nurse since she was 6 years old, so Sally is incorporating Lorelai Designs panels of nurses.  She is using other fabrics and designs that tell all about her granddaughter.  What a sweet, personal, meaningful gift!

Nancy showed off some beaded sunbonnet sue blocks. A classic!

Lorraine made her very first quilt in Melanie's beginners quilt class at RPS.  Lorraine was very excited, and Melanie very proud.  Great job, Lorraine!

Sue showed off an absolutely adorable dress she made for her friend's 2 year old daughter with Olivia the pig fabric.  Sew sweet!

Ok, hold on to your hats for this one...this is Courtney's first quilt. FIRST quilt people!  The first floor of her mom's beach house was destroyed in Sandy, and Courtney chose all nautical themed fabrics to decorate the rebuilt room.  I just love it!

Since also taking Melanie's class, Ashley has been on a roll!  Although she has made several quilt tops, this is her very first finished quilt.  Can't you just see how excited she is?  This quilt is called "mine", as Ashley doesn't plan on giving it away.

Ashley made the Lilly Quilt for a cousin's baby.  The straight line quilting on this was outstanding.  Nobody would ever believe that Ashley is new to this.

Melanie has finished her Pop Strong quilt.  I'm sure the recipient is going to love it.  It is an extremely thoughtful work of art.

Betsy always has something amazing to show.  This quilt is called Summer Sorbet and it was displayed in the Garden State Quilt Show.  It was created for a McCalls challenge.

Judy had three different pieces to show us.  I particularly like the first which was inspired by a Kleenex tissue box!  Judy used Madrona Road to recreate the design which she faced with mitered corners.  It just goes to show that inspiration is everywhere!

Judy's second piece was from a class that Rayna did with the Warwick guild.

Her last was a slash block that used black and white half square triangles, and if I remember correctly, the purple was from an old bathing suit!

Mary showed off some cheerful pillows: one from Rayna's class about slashing up an ugly less desirable block and making it into something better and one that was liberated log cabins.

Mary also showed off this bag she made.

Josie showed off her twisted sister quilt.  It is just so happy!

Janet showed off some art quilts: Seeing My Journey,  a quilt inspired by a beach photo in sepia, Mixed Laundry (I'm not 100% certain that is the correct name) and Florida Rain.

Our meeting ended with a reminder from Aleeda that we all need to stop being so hard on ourselves and pointing out the flaws in our quilts. While not about quilting, a video by Dove called Real Beauty Sketches helps reinforce this idea.  Nobody will see the flaws unless you point them out.  Here is the video:

Keep your eyes peeled for exciting news and upcoming events as the new leadership team gets to work!  Reminder next meeting July 25th!  Until then, stay stitchin'!