Events

Upcoming Events

April Open Sew
Saturday, April 4th
9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Fabric Depot

Bring your machine, tools, projects, cutting mats, iron, and extension cords/power strips for a fun day of sewing. Free for members, $10 for guests. 

April Guild Meeting
Thursday, April 16th
7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
St Andrews Church
806 NE Alberta St.

April Charity Sew 
Thursday, April 23rd
10 am to 4 pm
Modern Domestic
1408 NE Alberta

MD supplies machines and tools, PMQG supplies fabric, so all you have to do is show up ready to sew for charity, no need to bring anything other than a spool of neutral thread!

May Open Sew
Saturday, May 2nd
9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Fabric Depot

Bring your machine, tools, projects, cutting mats, iron, and extension cords/power strips for a fun day of sewing. Free for members, $10 for guests. 

May Charity Sew 
TBA
Modern Domestic
1408 NE Alberta
MD supplies machines and tools, PMQG supplies fabric, so all you have to do is show up ready to sew for charity, no need to bring anything other than a spool of neutral thread!

May Guild Meeting
Thursday, May 21st
7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
St Andrews Church
806 NE Alberta St.

May and June Weekender Bag Workshop with Kimberly Lumapas
Saturday, May 30th and Saturday June 6th
9:00 a.m. to 3 pm
St Andrews Church
806 NE Alberta St.
Sign ups coming Soon

July Modified Letty Bag Workshop with Sam Hunter
Saturday, July 25th
9:00 a.m. to 5 pm
St Andrews Church
806 NE Alberta St.
Sign ups coming Soon

 

2015 Fabric Depot Sew Days

First Saturdays of the month, 9 am to 9 pm unless otherwise noted

Fabric Depot Sew Days are for Open Sew. Bring your machines, machine cords, extension cords, projects, rulers, cutting mats and irons. Tables, cutting counters, and ironing boards are provided. Free for PMQG Members and $10 for guests. 

PMQG members will now receive a 25% off coupon to use on their purchases during Saturday and Sunday of Open Sew weekends! Go to the special orders counter to receive your coupon (must show membership card) and be sure to mention the coupon when getting fabric cut.

April 4
May 2
June 6
Sunday July 5th (please note, 1st Sunday)
August 1
September 5
October 3
November 21st (please note, 3rd Saturday)
December 5th

Madrona Road Challenge

We are really excited to launch the Madrona Road challenge hosted by the National Guild and Michael Miller! As a guild and along with Violet Craft we have assembled an exciting challenge for you, here are the guidelines:
UPDATES 1/10/12 Projects that are posted to the MQG Madrona Road Challenge Flickr Pool by Thursday January 31st will be considered for the Michael Miller Quilt Con Booth. Please do not email the guild your photos as previously requested. Thanks and Good Luck!


As Violet was inspired by her story, we'd like each of you to make a wall or art quilt inspired by a word or story.

• Smaller than 36 inches on any sides. 
• Must include Madrona Road, you may add any solids that you like.
• Include the word that inspires this quilt. Could be pieced within the quilt, appliqued, embroidered, quilted, any technique that you would like to try :) 
• Please post your progress photos & finished photos within the MQG Madrona Road Challenge Flickr Pool, (feel free to add it to our PMQG flickr pool too!)
• If you did not get fabric, but would like to participate in this challenge, we will have a few more sets available at the January meeting, however, feel free to get started if you have your own Madora Road fabric. 
• Deadline: If you'd like your quilt to be considered for the Michael Miller booth at QuiltCon, you must send us (portlandmodernquiltguild at gmail dot com) a photo of your completed quilt by Tuesday, January 29th. Also, please bring your quilt (or work in progress) to the January meeting, on January 21st. 

If you have any questions, please leave them here in the comments. Thanks so much! 

Here's some inspiration for how to include a word into your quilt! 

Improv Letters from Michelle Freedman's improv bee

Ale's free motion words - she was kind enough to write directions here!

Heat N Bond fabric, cut out letters and iron on! Via Ale's Christmas present to her swap partner. 

Billboard Quilt Along by Elizabeth Hartman

Refrigerator Magnets Quilt Blocks Pattern by Elizabeth Hartman

December Party

We can't wait until THIS Thursday, the 13th to celebrate the Holidays and end of the year! We will meet in Room 101 at 7pm!  We will be providing beverages (wine, cider, and water) served by a server from PNCA. Please remember to bring a sweet or savory appetizer or dessert to share.

Ale's Christmas Pillow

If you swapped fabric with a secret buddy last meeting, our Holiday swap will take place too, so don't forget to sew up that gift for your partner. (Perhaps even this weekend!)

Also, we are really excited to announce that we will be holding a raffle at this party for two prizes....our Michael Miller linear and improv quilts!! We will have two different colored tickets (coordinating to the quilts), each ticket is $5 and at the end of the night, two lucky winners will walk home with a beautiful quilt! All proceeds benefit Bradley Angle House and Children's Relief Nursery.
We will be accepting, cash, check, and credit cards via (square).

Finally, we'll have a special membership drive for next years membership (Nancy will have a post up on Monday explaining the details). As a reward and because we've loved serving you this year, we'll have lots of special end of the year prizes for everyone who signs up for membership for 2013!

Hooray! Can't wait to see you all and your Christmas sewing projects!!

Sew Day - Saturday

Get those Holiday projects ready and come on out to Sew Day at Fabric Depot this Saturday, Dec. 1st from 9am - 9pm. Irons, ironing boards, and cutting mats are provided. Please bring everything else you'll need for a fabulous day of sewing!

Also, I'm excited to announce that our Michael Miller Collaborative Quilt - Graphic won our poll and will be entered into the Quilt Con show. Thanks to over the 130 people who voted!

Finally, don't forget about our Holiday swap!! Remember to make a special something for your partner and bring it on December 13! If you can't come, please try and give it to someone who can deliver it for you. Email us (portlandmodernquiltguild at gmail dot com)  if you need help with that. Thanks!

November Meeting Reminder

Don't forget that this month's meeting - Nov. 15 - 7pm in Room 101!

 This month's meeting we have a very talented group of ladies sharing with us all things related to pattern, book, and magazine publishing! Ever wondered how a book idea becomes reality? Have a pattern that you wrote that you'd love to be in a magazine? Let's chat! Shelly from Figgy Patterns, Christina from The Sometimes Crafter, and our very own Michelle Freedman and Susan Beal will be sharing their experiences with publishing & quilting in this panel. Do you have a question for them? Leave your question in a comment on this post. 

We will announce and introduce next year's board, it's truly a stellar group! 

Room Update! We will be meeting in our old room (to some of you it will be new)...room 101! It's located in the main campus PNCA building on the first floor,  past the front desk, on the left hand side. We'll have a sign up directing everyone as well. 

Finally, don't forget to bring your fabric for the Holiday Swap. We passed out sandwich baggies at the last minute, if you weren't there or forgot yours, here's the info: 

Holiday swap!

Fill a sandwich size bag with your favorite fabric to be used in a gift made especially for you! Bring your filled bag to the November meeting with the following information attached to it. 

Your name: 

Blog/Flickr: 

Ideas: 

At the November meeting we will switch bags and then bring your gift to the December meeting! 

Which Quilt Should Go to QuiltCon?

Quilt Con is around the corner and the deadline for entering quilts into the quilt show is only days away! As a guild, we are entering one of the collaborative quilts we made this year to be shown in the Group Quilt Category. But we need your help deciding which quilt we should enter! Please vote for your favorite below.

Also, don't forget to enter some quilts of your own for the biggest Modern Quilt Show! Deadline is November 30!

1. Linear Quilt

2) Graphic Quilt

3) Improv Quilt

Graphic Quilt Wins!! Thanks for over 130 votes!! You guys are amazing! 

October Meeting Announcements

For those of you who couldn't make it, or want to mark your calendars or donate to this months charity...Here are the October Announcements!

All-Day Sew Oct. 20! Fabric Depot - 9am - 9pm - Stop on by any time throughout the day! Bring your machine and projects! 

Call for 2013 Officers! Click here for details on each position. Deadline for applying is November 1.

October charity: Treats 4 Troops, supporting the 697th Engineer Corp. out of Fort Hood, currently deployed to Afghanistan. Shauna McCain of St. Helens is requesting gifts of small quilts, one for each of the 40 members of her husband’s platoon – any donations greatly appreciated. The shipping deadline is the second week of November.

Cotton Couture Challenge
As part of Quilt Con, we will be entering one of the three Michael Miller quilts into the collaborative quilt category of the quilt show. We will have a poll on the blog soon, to see which one we should send! There are many more categories with amazing prizes - click here to check it out!

Holiday swap!

Fill a sandwich size bag with your favorite fabric to be used in a gift made especially for you! Bring your filled bag to the November meeting with the following information attached to it. 

Your name: 

Blog/Flickr: 

Ideas: 

At the November meeting we will switch bags and then bring your gift to the December meeting! 

Michael Miller Challenge!

Everyone's projects were jaw-dropping and inspiring!! More pics coming soon to the meeting re-cap! 

As always, if there are any questions, please email us: portlandmodernquiltguild at gmail dot com

Thanks!

Book Review & Meeting

October is in full swing! For us quilters, it also means that Angela Walters is coming to our PMQG meeting! We will be meeting in the Stagecraft building at 7pm, don't forget to bring your amazing Michael Miller Stripe Challenge project!
*Also, (as a reminder) we have Sew Day this Saturday, Oct. 20 at Fabric Depot from 9am - 9pm.*

I was given the opportunity to read & review Angela's first book "Free-Motion Quilting with Angela Walters."

First of all, I've always been intimidated by free-motion quilting, I had the misconception that there were only a couple of patterns that were attainable with my limited free-motion abilities. This book blew wide open that misconception. Angela has 28 designs that are easy to follow and use on our own quilt. She includes variations and modern alternatives for many of the designs.  I love the step-by-step illustrations clearly showing the pattern and offering techniques for execution.

Being a fan of any mid-century design, I was thrilled to find many patterns that appeal to that aesthetic. Here's a look at some of the designs I tried out: 

Definitely got better as time goes on! That's what Angela encourages throughout this book, practice! I found it extremely fun to just focus on the quilting pattern, rather than piecing. Have you ever done this? Buy the book and try it out! 

Finally, Angela devotes a few sections to answering the age old question "How should I quilt this?" She also gives many wonderful suggestions for how to best use quilting designs to enhance modern piecing designs. I really learned from this book how much the quilting of a quilt can really enhance the overall design. I'm really excited to put some of these designs to use with my current quilting projects. I'd highly suggest that this book needs to be in your quilting library! 

Angela is bringing a few copies for sale to our meeting, so if you haven't picked it up yet, you can do so on Thursday night. Also, thanks to Stash Books for giving us a review copy and also a book to giveaway!

2013 Officers

I know it's hard to believe, but 2012 is coming to a close, faster than we think! In preparation, it's time to start planning and thinking about what PMQG will look like in 2013. In January, we will hand over the PMQG reins to a new group of seven leaders. As we grow, we think that it is essential that the board grows with us and adequately represents our diverse community of quilters. All officers work together on guild ideas and decisions, additionally each of our 2012 officers (Susan, Heather, Petra, Nancy, and Ale) had individual duties. Here is an overview of each role:
  

Board Officers

President   

• Arrange for, schedule and facilitate meetings for Monthly Officers meeting and PMQG meetings
• Assist/Coordinate in planning monthly PMQG meetings
• Assist in maintaining Blog, Google Docs, and Flickr, and regularly check and respond to guild email
• Primary function is to see to the smooth running of the entire guild, including outreach and greeting of new members.
• Qualifications: must feel comfortable speaking in front of a large group of people, organization is necessary and follow through is a must.

• 
  

Vice President

• The vice president will perform the duties of the president if needed, including running the monthly meeting. Assist in anyway needed.
• Maintain all online media (blog, Flickr, etc)
• Help prepare for board and guild meetings
• Qualifications: experience blogging, comfortable speaking in front of a large group of people, organization and follow through is a must.

 
Secretary

• The primary duty of the PMQG secretary is to take notes during officer's meetings and communicate these to the officers. 
• Take photos at all monthly meetings, coordinate Show and Tell, photograph the quits and post to the blog.
• The secretary assists in maintaining the blog/website by contributing posts (e.g., writing about other guild events such as shop hops, sewing nights, charity work, etc)
• Qualifications: good writing and organizational skills, plus attention to detail

 
Treasurer 

• Maintain bank and PayPal accounts including preparing monthly/quarterly statements for PMQG, pay bills in a timely manner, including expense reimbursements to members. 
• Transfer funds between accounts as needed. 
• Collect membership dues, respond to new and renewing members by sending out membership welcome and discount information to all members.
• Update PayPal form on website for correct year and membership fee. 
• Maintain membership data, create and send out laminated membership cards and welcome letters and emails.  
• Help create and maintain PMQG's online documents and calendar.  
• Qualifications: organizational ability, can handle collection of money and keep finances recorded and in order.

Program Coordinator

• Supports the planning, implementation, maintenance, and documentation of PMQG’s public programs and educational initiatives.  
• Develops monthly meeting presentations and recruits program participants
• Actively works on future month's meetings: content, lectures, social events, sewing projects etc. 
• Coordinate giveaways or further challenges or events based on the program presented
• Contact businesses and manufacturers to donate to our guild 
• Helps and oversees Special Event Organizer and Quilt Show Coordinator
• Qualifications: can actively seek new information from people and groups, organizational ability, creativity for our meetings.

Board Members

Special Event Organizer (new!)

• Organize and attend Sew Days, responsible of set-up and take-down of room
• Coordinate mini-lessons/demos for Sew Days
• Organize and plan special events (e.g. Pacific Northwest Modern Quilt Guild Meet-up, and any additional outings)
• Reports and works closely with Program Coordinator
• Qualifications: organizational ability and can actively seek new information from people and groups

Quilt Show Coordinator (new!)

• Manage the timeline, procurement and execution of quilt shows 
• Organize all details for Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, Pacific Northwest Quilt Expo, and any other shows that may arise. 
• Reports and works closely with Program Coordinator
• Qualifications: organizational ability

We are so excited to see who wants to be a part of the 2013 board! If you are interested, please email us at portlandmodernquiltguild at gmail dot com, by November 1st. Be sure to tell us which position you would most like to fill and why. 
Thanks so much for considering and we look forward to talking with you more!

October Meeting // Angela Walters

We are thrilled to announce that Angela Walters will presenting at our October 18th meeting! She will be sharing with us many of her quilts in a trunk show. If you're unfamiliar with Angela, she is an amazing quilter, and loves the process of long arm quilting.
Recently, she wrote a book entitled, Free Motion Quilting with Angela Walters. We will have a giveaway at the meeting!

Angela just came out with her first fabric line, Textures, through Art Gallery Fabrics.

Currently, she also has a Craftsy Class: How to Machine Quilt Negative Space.

She is coming to Portland to speak and teach at Machine Quilting Expo and has many classes still available if you'd like to sign up!

If you're ever been stumped on how to quilt your quilt, this will be the perfect opportunity to be inspired. Make sure to mark your calendars!

Member Spotlight // Amber Wilson

PMQG: 1) How long have you been making quilts? What was your learning process like?

Amber: I’ve only been making quilts since January of this year. My learning process was looking over a couple books that a friend let me borrow, consulting Google a lot, and then texting nonstop questions to Jen Bailly. She’s been walking me through the steps, and she’s been very patient with me 

How long have you been a PMQG member?

January 2012 was my very first PMQG meeting and I became a member shortly afterwards.

What inspires your designs/quilting?

Inspiration for me comes from anywhere and everywhere. A platter at Target with a really cool geometric pattern, the shapes and pattern of apartment windows, a tissue box, artwork, stamps, the list is endless. Part of what I’ve really enjoyed since I began quilting is how I see everything differently now...anything can become a quilt!

How many quilts do you think you've made in your life?

I’ve finished one quilt! However I have 3 other WIP that I’m working on at the moment.

Why do you quilt? What do you enjoy most about it?

I quilt because I love to make. When one is done and I stand back and think to myself “I made that!” 

the mistakes disappear and I’m content. Bringing ideas and fabrics to life in a quilt is something I will 

NEVER tire of.

What is your favorite quilt that you've made?

My favorite quilt so far is the one I’m making for my son. It’s so close to being done, and I’m hoping to 

share it at Show and Tell soon!

Fill in the blank: "When I'm quilting, I feel _______"

When I’m quilting, I feel free and content.

While you're quilting, what is the environment like? 

My environment while quilting varies depending on what time I’m doing it. If it’s during the day, I 

could have kids hanging on my back, or sew for 5 minutes to increasingly louder arguments and/or 

racket in another room, have to stop and come back to it later, or if it’s at night or the weekends when 

said argument and general racket-makers are out playing with their Dad I usually put on Pandora to a 

new favorite station and just lose myself in the process. There’s always music involved though...

Lastly, could you give us a peek into your sewing space? It's always inspiring to see! 

My sewing space is spread out throughout my house at the moment. Fabric storage is in the kids’ 

playroom, and my sewing table is in the living room. To quilt I move over to the kitchen table for the 

extra space. Cutting usually takes place at the table also. I get a lot of exercise when I sew 

Flickr: AGypsiSoul

Pinterest: AGypsiSoul

Instagram: agypsisoul

Thanks for sharing with us, Amber!! 

September Announcements Details!

NW Quilting Expo

Our special exhibit & meet-up - Come join us Saturday morning at 10am, main entrance! We've made a facebook event if you'd like to RSVP there!

Pennar Ash Winery Trip

Thursday, September 27 - meet at Pennar Ash Winery at 11 am for wine tasting, picnic, and the change to photograph quilts in a beautiful setting! Thank you to Anne Woodman for arranging this lovely outing! 

Sew, Swap, & Sell! 

We are excited to announce that we're bringing back Sew, Swap, & Sell! We'd love to have you bring any fabrics you've fallen out of love with to swap or sell. Need to de-stash? We want your fabrics! If you would like to sell, please make sure you have marked and assigned a value to your fabrics to avoid confusion. Got a project you no longer love? Bring it and swap it? Maybe someone else will be the fresh eye to get it finished.  

Details: 

Who? All PMQG Friends!

When? Sunday, October 7th 11am - 4pm

What? To sew, swap, sell, or if you just want to come by and chat, that's great too! 

Where? Staver Locomotive 2537 NW 29th Ave. Portland, OR 97210 

How? Because we will be limited on space, you must reserve your space by simply filling out the form below. Sewing machine space is limited, I'll make a note here on this post when sewing spaces are full, it's first come first serve on the google doc. Feel free to bring a quilt to bind! 

What to bring: 

- Finger food/small dish to share for lunch

- Fabric to swap/sell

- All sewing supplies that you'll need for your sewing project (please rsvp ahead of time!) Irons & ironing boards stations will be provided by board members. 

Any questions, please email us at portlandmodernquiltguild at gmail dot com! 

Michael Miller Stripe Challenge

Following the success of our last challenge, the PMQG will again be teaming with Michael Miller Fabrics to showcase their new Stripes Collection. 

“Stripes” is a collection of large and small-scale stripes and chevrons. MM signature rich colors and an unusual blend of scale make these essential stash fabrics worthy of stealing the show!

Since we’ll take any excuse to play with new fabric, we’re happy to announce the STRIPES!!!! Home Dec Challenge.

The Juicy Details:

1) Paid members will be able to choose between the warm or cool colorway and a bundle of coordinating solids. You can mix in additional cotton couture solids, but please, no additional prints. The stripes should be the focus of your design.

2) When you’ve picked your bundle, get to brainstorming! We’ve decided to ask that you create something in the home dec category, and the more creative your use of the stripes, the better! We’d love to see what new patterns and designs emerge once you start slicing and dicing! For example, bags, mug rugs, wall hangings, table runners, pillows, storage bins, cozies, etc.

3) Once all of the items are finished, we’ll collect them at the October meeting or drop them off at Nancy's Studio before hand. Then, we'll photograph them and he folks at Michael Miller will select their favorite pictures (and possibly some of their favorite items!!) to showcase in their booth at the Fall Quilt Market.

If you weren't able to come to the meeting tonight and would like to pick up your fabric, please contact Nancy at portlandmodernquiltguild at gmail dot com, to arrange to pick up at her studio! 

Here are a few interesting and different ways to play with stripes! Thanks again so much to Michael Miller for generously donating so much fabric!  

Big Stripe Hexagon

Mighty Stripe

Stripes and Squares

Furrowed Fields by Rosemary Cromer

Bev's Quilt by Drury Girl

Home Dec Ideas & Tutorials:

Travel Handmade Pinterest Page - Assembled by Sewing Summit - Tutorials made by many bloggers

Fabric Scrap Basket by The Sometimes Crafter

Open Wide Zipper Pouch by Noodlehead

Patchwork Tote Bags by Susan Beal

Let's Have Cake! by Ellison Lane Quilts

Penner Ash Winery Quilt Excursion

Take a few hours on September 27th to come enjoy food and wine with other quilters, and take pictures of your own quilts at Penner Ash Winery outside Newburg. Pack your favorite picnic lunch and your favorite quilts and head to Newburg.  At 11:00 AM we will be gathering for wine tasting in the foyer at Pennar Ash and then enjoying our food on the patio. We are then invited to spread take pictures of our quilts on the grounds or at different locations around the winery for our blogs or for posterity.

Penner Ash is a modern winery with clean lines and a lovely garden, modern quilts will look fabulous in this setting. The wine tasting will be $15 but you're welcome to come and not taste as well.  Of course you may want to buy a bottle or two of something that you can’t live without and share with friends over lunch, although please drive safely.  Hope to see everyone there.

Please leave a comment if you plan to attend so that we can give the staff at Pennar Ash an estimate of how many people to prepare for. Click here for directions.

Back to School!

Here at PMQG, we're all about sharing knowledge! In the past, we've tried to announce classes PMQG members are teaching or would be interested in. However, lately we have so many amazing members doing so many amazing things, we haven't been able to squeeze in all of the information into the announcements. Here is a list of some amazing quilting and crafting classes coming up. If you know of others, please leave a comment letting us know!

Quilting Classes

Modern Domestic 

1) Beginning Quilting by Heather Davidson starts September 15th

2) Cat's Game Quilt by Michelle Freedman starts October 1st

3) Text Quilts Workshop by Elizabeth Hartman starts October 6th

4) Beginning Quilting on a Frame by Rachel Kerley starts September 17th & September 23rd

- - - - - - - 

Pendleton Woolen Mills

Wool Baby Quilt taught by Susan Beal - September 29th at 10 am to 12:30 pm
Make a simple coin-style wool baby quilt, choosing from lots of colorful, pretty wool fabrics for your favorite combination. Register at this link or by calling the store, 503-535-5786. 

- - - - - - -

Hand-Stitching with Hexies taught by Teresa Coates  at Cool Cottons - Sept. 17 - 7-8:30pm - Click here to sign up!

Learn several hand stitches while working with hexies. We'll work on stitching them for seamless and strong connections that will allow you to use your hexies for a variety of other projects. 

Crafting Classes

OSMI is hosting a Portland Mini Maker Faire! It should be a really fun event. 

Susan Beal speaking on the panel, "Cultivating the Portland Craft Scene" at noon on THIS Saturday, Sept. 15th. She will also teach a free comics magnet demo from her book, World of Geekcraft at 2pm in the OMSI tent.

- - - - - - - 

Portland Flea

Come on out to Portland Flea THIS Sunday, September 16th. Come out for vintage furniture and home goods, plus I'm (Heather) teaching a few craft classes. One of my favorites being recovering vintage lampshades. 

Reupholstering Lampshades - Sun. Sept 16th at 2:30 - 4pm - Click here to sign up!

Monogram Stamp Collage - Sun. Sept. 16 - Noon- 1pm - Click here to sign up. 

Vintage Ephemera Jewelry - Sun. Sept. 16 - 10:30-11:30am - Click here to sign up. 

- - - - - - - 

Have you heard of ADX? If not, check it out! It's an amazing shared workspace with access to many hi-tech tools. They are also offering classes.

Button Jewelry at ADX, taught by Susan Beal, October 14 at noon to 2pm
Learn to make a super-personalized button charm bracelet, necklace or earrings using basic wirework skills and your favorite vintage or new buttons! Click here to sign up!

Don't forget about Collage! They offer over five classes each week! Click here to see the full list! 

- - - - - - - 

If you know of other fun classes & events happening, we'd love to hear about them!  Please share them in the comment section, and we can update it on the site. Thanks! 

Member Spotlight // Heather Lott

Meet Heather Lott! 

PMQG:  How long have you been making quilts? What was your learning process like?

Heather: I have been making quilts for about 11 years.  My friend and her mom liked to quilt, and I thought it was for "old ladies."  It wasn't until I walked into my friend's mom's studio that I changed my mind on that!  She had cabinets full of fabric, beautiful quilts on the walls, and shelves full of patterns.  My friend gave me her old sewing machine, her mom gave me some fabric, and a pattern, and I was on my way!!  I taught myself a lot from books, and after 5 years of quilting, I took my first quilting class at my church, where I learned how much I didn't know, and quickly got better.  I recommend taking classes for sure!  I now sew as much as possible, it's the best kind of therapy.

How long have you been a PMQG member and how did you find us? 

I joined the PMQG in 2010, a few months after it started up.  I heard about it through blogs.  

What inspires your designs/quilting?  

Mostly color.  I love playing with color.  

How many quilts do you think you've made in your life?  

I would say around 40 or 50?  

Why do you quilt? What do you enjoy most about it?  

I was a fine arts major in college, mostly working with oil paints.  When I had my kids, I stopped painting and drawing.  Having children in the house is not conducive to a relaxing environment.  I picked up cross stitching, and then quilting, which kids can't really harm.  I find working with fabrics is a lot like working with paints, you can mix colors, layouts, it's very creative.  It also has a rewarding and useful outcome.  AND, my quilting friends are the BEST!!  I love them.

What is your favorite quilt that you've made?  

That is a tough one!  Right now, today, my favorite one would be my Ocean Boardwalk Quilt.  It was the first time I've used all solids to make a quilt, and it was super fun.  Plus, the colors are blues and greens, my favorites.

Fill in the blank: "When I'm quilting, I feel _______"  

Satisfied

While you're quilting, what is the environment like?  

I sew in the master bedroom.  We have a small home, and our bedroom is big, so I set up a large table in there and have a nice view out the windows, I love it.  I keep my fabric stash in bins under our bed, and in the closet.  My husband says we'll have to use a ladder to get on the bed soon, as the fabric under there seems to be growing quickly...  Someday I'd love to have a dedicated room for it.

Lastly, could you give us a peek into your sewing space? It's always inspiring to see! Sure!  

Make sure to check out Heather here, too! 

blog: www.quiltorstitch.blogspot.com

flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/47863394@N04/

Instagram: oregonsurfers

Thanks for sharing with us, Heather! 

Member Spotlight // Petra Anderson

Meet Petra Anderson! Be sure to check out her blog at Sew Paint Create! creativemompdx on twitter & instagram, and Creative Mom2010 on flickr!

PMQG: How long have you been making quilts? What was your learning process like?

Petra: I technically made my first quilt for my son so 11 years ago but I really started quilting in 2009. I grew up sewing with my Mom and had a business making knitting needle holders for awhile so I had basic skills but I really didn't have any idea what I was getting into. 

What inspires your designs/quilting?

I am usually inspired by the recipient of a quilt and go from there with fabric choices and designs. 

How many quilts do you think you've made in your life?

Hmmm lets see you know I used to keep track but have no idea now. I don't think it's a huge number but I'm not ready to scour my blog to figure it out.

Why do you quilt? What do you enjoy most about it?

I have a background in fine arts and was always trying to figure out how to get back to painting and drawing. When I started quilting all of that creative energy and obsession came flooding back and I realized I didn't need to paint right now because quilting makes me so happy. I really enjoy the whole process from design to quilting, binding not so much. 

What is your favorite quilt that you've made?

I think it's a tie between my Untitled linen quilt I made for the 2011 Sisters show and my scrappy + & X quilt which was so much work but totally worth it!

Untitled Linen Quilt

Scrappy + & X Quilt

Fill in the blank: "When I'm quilting, I feel _______"

Happy!

While you're quilting, what is the environment like? do you listen to music? enjoy the humming of the machine? watch re-runs of Downton Abbey? 

I listen to music and catch up on episodes of Car Talk and other radio shows using the NPR ap. When I am binding though I am in front of the tv.

Petra's Studio Space: 

PNW MQG Meet-Up

Once upon a time we were a new guild board who thought it would be fun to get together for the weekend with some neighboring guilds. The other guilds might have already been thinking the same thing and it was met with cheers all around.  Suddenly after months of planning our weekend arrived, the Pacific Northwest Modern Quilt Guild Meet-up! Yes its a mouth full but totally worth it. 

A meeting of the Vancouver BC, Seattle, and Portland Modern Quilt Guilds with over 60 people in attendance. The weekend bagan with a Meet and Greet Friday with tote bags and giveaways from our generous sponsors. 

Saturday we had a Sew in at Island Quilters where we completed 8 baby quilt tops that were distributed between the three guilds for different charity's. The Modern Cross tops were lead by Portland President Susan Beal from a pattern from her book. The Stitch and Flip tops were lead by Seattle President Katie Pendersen from her book. The day was so much fun with sewing, shopping, yummy lunch, shopping, and giveaways. It was a hot day in the shop but we made it through and the ferry ride back to Seattle offered a welcome breeze. 

Okan Arts

Our weekend ended with a shop hop and even us Portlander's found plenty of items for stashing!  Thank you so much to our amazing sponsors for donating to this event!! It wouldn't have been as awesome without our giveaways and goodie bags!

Heather and Pétra

Meeting Reminder

It's meeting time!! For those of us who went to Seattle, you don't have to get over separation anxiety! 

This Thursday, August 16th at 7pm in the Stagecraft Building of PNCA, we have lots of fun things planned. Here's are a few hints of what we have up our sleeves: 

Herringbone Line by The Quilt Engineer 

Ruby Star Shining Whole Cloth Quilt by Jen Carlton Bailly

Don't miss out! 

Sisters 2012

 

The day started without a cloud in the sky for the 37th Annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show and there was a big turn out. The Portland Modern Quilt Guild was invited to have a Special Exhibit for the 2nd year in a row and here are our quilts. 

We were also fortunate to meet up with the Eugene Modern Quilt Guild and the Central Oregon Modern Quilt Guild. There was a great turn out and we all cooled off with some watermelon and snacks. It seems like we were too busy socializing to take photos which really is a good sign.

Then for the first time in 37 years the show was rained out. The volunteers for the show got down over 1200 quilts in a remarkably short amount of time with what I hear was a minimal 10-20 quilts getting wet. Susan and I were on duty and with the help of fellow members got the 30 or so quilts in our zone safely out of the rain just in time for a torrential downpour. 

Thank you to our member volunteers that helped throughout the day and during the rain.

Cris Pera, Jen Carlton-Bailly, Amber Wilson, Rachel Kerley, Kimberley Lumapas, Heather Davidson, Susan Beal, Gail Weiss, Michelle Freedman, Jill Collins, Jolene Knight, Michelle Marcus Boyer, and Marcia Mersky.

Pétra and Heather

Reminder! Sew Day

If you're anything like me, I can't believe that the summer is flying by this fast! I just took a double-take of my calendar and saw that Sew Day, this Saturday, was staring back at me! Hopefully, it's been on your calendar too!

Here are the details:

When: THIS Saturday, August 4th, 9am - 9pm - pop in and out or stay all day!
Where: Fabric Depot in the classroom corner
Why: To enjoy each other and sew together! ;)
To bring: You must bring your own machine, cutting tools, and projects. Fabric Depot provides cutting mats, irons (although some people like to bring their own too), and ironing boards.

Hope to see you there!

*Also, please mark your calendar for the next Sew Day, Saturday, October 13th*