Stick A Fork in It

Thanks to all of the members of the unguild for the kind words of encouragement.

I finished my friend Adina's quilt.  I was able to sew like the dickens to get it ready for this year's NJ State Fair August 3-12.

I can hardly wait to see it hanging in the rafters in the Richards (Blue) Building.  Please come out to see it. ~ksp

Another Challenge for QuiltCon!

This one is sponsored by Dear Stella and it might be a fun challenge for you to enter.
Go here to read about it and click on the links to learn more if you're interested. 

Thanks to all of you who came to the last meeting - it was great to see your work!  I didn't get very good pictures and I'm still waiting for Beth to send me the ones she took so we can post them here.

Remember, the next meeting is August 23 at 7:00 at Rock Paper Scissors.  Bring your finished challenge blocks!

See you then.

NEWS about QUILTCON

 If you are even vaguely thinking about going to QUILTCON in February, the MQG newsletter is packed with information, rates, schedules, etc.  Go here to find out what's happening!

I'll be back soon with another post.  Meantime, happy reading!

The Lonely Crayon

Hi all, my name is Amy. 

I blog over at The Little Beansprout. 

I was so excited after our first meeting that I 

went home and thought about our very first block. 

The Lonely Crayon

I couldn't wait to get started. 

this is most likely the fastest I have 

ever completed a homework 

assignment. (I had it done the next day)

I loved that we were to choose the least used color in our crayon box.

I choose golden yellow 

Although I use yellow I always tend to use a pale variation of the color. 

but this yellow sang to me. 

It reminded me of the  golden rod that we would find in fields as kids. 

We would bring it home to mom and she would put it in a simple vase. 

This block was my first wonky star. 

and now I am hooked. 

I paired it with a 30's repro

they are about my favorite fabrics ever. 

I am absolutely in love with this block. 

i adore how it all came together. 

I have never designed a block before and I loved the entire process. 

I was so inspired I stitched this one up as well. 

 Happy Quilting. 

Amy

Calling All Quilters - An Invitation

Hi everybody.  I'm Kelli and am writing this guest post for the North NJ Modern Quilt Guild..."the unguild guild".

First, a little bit about me.  I was born and raised in Essex County, NJ and have loved fiber arts since my childhood.  My first love was cross stitch, then garment sewing and more recently spinning, knitting and quilting. If you'd like, you can peek into my zany pursuits on my blog, here.

Rayna was so gracious to extend me an invitation to guest post on the NNJMQG blog because I want to invite all of you to participate in the NJ State Fair®.

It's an annual event celebrating all that is NJ; the mission of the New Jersey State Fair® / Sussex County Farm and Horse Show is:

• To showcase New Jersey’s agriculture;
• Provide safe, family-friendly entertainment;
• Present educational activities;
• Promote youth development;
• Give financial support to charitable non-profit agencies

There is a large section of the grounds which showcase resident artists in many mediums including photography, canning, baking, beer-making and yes, quilting.


For quilters, there are juried and non-juried categories for consideration. The general rules can be found here. You can download and print the 2012 application and event calendar at this link.  There are three classes of quilt competitions (form) ranging from: hand or machine pieced quilts to Civil War reproduction theme quilts to Quilts of Valor (for injured service men/women).

So, please consider entering an item in the fair or completing a group project for donation to the QOV program.  Last year was my first year putting a quilt in and, while it was a nerve-racking proposition, I had a lot of fun.  If you are not able to have a piece in the show, please consider coming out to the fair.  It's very family-friendly and the funnel cake is awesome.

I wont be able to make July's meeting (work obligation) but I hope to see you all at the fair. ~ksp

...And the winner is....FRESH!

At our inaugural meeting I asked you to guess how many MQG chapters there are--147!!!--and a prize went to Cara for her lucky guess of 148--, and I asked you what one word came to mind when I said the words  Modern Quilting.  That question elicited 23 different words, with the most popular being fresh, clean, fun, and freedom.

This brings me to a wonderful point:  while other quilting styles may have distinct descriptions and terms, modern quilting does not (yet).  I hope it remains that way for as long as possible, allowing us to individually and collectively push our creative boundaries, and find inspiration in the broadest range of sources. We encourage you to look at things differently, whether it's your color choices, design process, or fabric selection and block design.

As promised, here is a link to Sightlines, the show at the Morris Museum by the artists of SAQA (scroll down to see the exhibit description) From the site: "Sightlines explores a unique conversation between and among some of the most provocative fiber artists working in the field today." The show runs until August 5, and the museum is free on Thursday nights. 

Thought for the week:  "The purpose of art is to give shape to life." Shakespeare

Another "Unguild" is Born!

Rayna did a great recap, so this is just my two cents. Hooray to those, who, out of interest, curiosity, or plain boredom, showed up to support the new chapter. Rayna and I loved our NY chapter so much that we wanted to build a group with that vibe across the river, and for the first meeting I'd say we succeeded. Beth Rowan's store, Rock, Paper, Scissors, offered an inspirational and intimate setting, and the meeting provided time to mingle and shop. We shared ideas and group goals, and many people came and said "thank you". I say back at ya, and we look forward to our journey together. As you make those 'Lonely Crayon' collaboration blocks, post them! I'd like to make a request for next month's meeting. Please make a name tag of your own design and share it during show and tell. Your name tag will give you a chance to win a special prize next month. A reminder email of our next meeting will be sent prior to our next meeting on July 19. We'd like the group to start thinking about a logo for the guild that we can use on the membership cards, too! I'll post pics later today.