Sewing at Modern Domestic!

This months sewing night will be September 11th from 6-9 pm at Modern Domestic.

I hear there will be a little raffle!  Lupine and crew always like to give away something you'll want!

Come hang out, get some UFO's done, check out the new sewing machines and get tips and tricks for your fellow quilters!
PMQG Sewing Night at Modern Domestic 3/27/10

Bring a friend, some snacks and enjoy time with fellow like minded friends.
You can prepay here.
Leave a comment and let us know you'll be coming!
I'll make treats too.

Modern Quilters: growing and learning together

As the officers of the Portland Modern Quilt Guild gather information from members, one thing is crystal clear: Portland Modern Quilters want to be inspired, have fun, meet other quilters, and learn and grow together.  

Molly's Wonky Log Cabin/Joan Callaway
Some have experienced strong support and encouragement from other quilters in the past, but some have felt discouraged by quilting instructors or shop owners along the way.  Jacquie (Tallgrass Prairie Studio) has a must read post on her blog today featuring her reaction and response to the questions and discouragement of a new sewer/quilter.

Have you been discouraged rather than encouraged by a more experienced sewer/quilter?  Are you mentoring/encouraging new sewers/quilters?  

Free Motion Commotion

Fifty-three Portland Modern Quilters attended the August 19 meeting at PNCA.  Christina started the meeting off with a presentation on free motion quilting on your home sewing machine.  After a powerpoint presentation 



and some discussion,



Christina sat down at her sewing machine for a demonstration.  Thanks to PNCA, a camera recorded her stitching and the picture was projected onto the wall for all to see. 

Christina demonstrated a variety of stitches, including writing words in cursive.

And then members got to try out their own skills at one of several stations.
Here Traci has fun practicing her technique.

The FMQ giveaway was won by Anne.


Show and Tell brought out a lot of beautiful quilts, laughter, and even a few tears.

Elsa shared this quilt top from the 20s.

Jill made this version of Elizabeth's New Wave quilt with vintage sheets that her parents owned before they were married.

Jill also brought the doll quilt she made for her daughter to match painting on her bedroom walls.

This is Megan's version of the New Wave quilt and is her first quilt with free motion quilting.

This is Tania's woven quilt, based on a Kaffe Fassett design.

Kristen made this quilt with the Kona Cotton solid charm squares that she won at a previous meeting.

Lisa made a Halloween version of the New Wave quilt and a pillow to go with it

and this baby quilt top.  Unfortunately the niece for whom this was intended was never born, so Lisa is donating it to a member who will finish it for charity.  

Gail made this quilted hexagon pillow cover, including the screen printing.

Liz showed this quilt top, originally started by her grandmother and finished by Liz and her mother.

Elizabeth put together this quilt top with blocks from a quilting bee.
It is sashed with light pink on the front

and red on the back.

This is Katie's quilt-as-you-go quilt.

Heather showed what can be accomplished with an AccuQuilt system, 

as well as her Swiss Army quilt.

Jeri made this quilt using Elizabeth's Paint Box pattern.

Becky's baby quilt.

Christina made this quilt with friends.

Lee stepped out of her comfort zone to make this I-Spy quilt in primary colors for her niece's bedroom.

Jen shared this quilt made from vintage sheets

and this wedding quilt made with blocks designed around the couple's initials (S & P).

Tamara made this quilt for her son from a Honeycomb pattern designed by Lee.

After show and tell, we swapped 1" hexagons:




and helped ourselves to fabric samples donated by Free Spirit.
Thank you so much, Free Spirit!


ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Elizabeth gave an announcement about Project Modern.

September Sewing Night:
September 11 (one week later due to Labor Day)
There will be a giveaway.

September meeting:
September 16 -- Elizabeth will demonstrate how to dye fabric in cups.

Keep on stitching, Portland Modern Quilters!

Note:  I have tried to link to blogs whenever possible.  If there is a photo of you and your quilt above and it is not linked to your blog, please let me know and I will add it.
joanhcallaway@comcast.net


Giveaway at PMQG Meeting 8.19.2010

Hi all-

Since our next meeting is all about quilting on your home machine, I thought I'd put together a little giveaway to help out one lucky person!

To win: come to the meeting and put your name in the "hat"! That's it!

Giveaway PMQG

Included in this is:
1 package of 90/14 Organ Needles
1 pair of hot looking blue grip gloves
2 packages of curved safety pins for basting
1 70 byk 90 Warm and White Batting (this was originally in our 1st giveaway that was won by Alison of Cardygirl. However, since she had already won a prizes and lives in Australia,she graciously donated it back to us. Thanks Alison!)

Again, make sure to RSVP and come spend a few hours learning and sharing ideas on Free Motion Quilting and Quilting at home!

Meet Jill -- A Portland Modern Quilter

(If you are looking for August meeting information, it's HERE.)

Jill

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Jill, and I’m 34 years old. I’m married to a great guy, and the Mom of two adorable yet challenging kiddos, and a sweet furry dog. I have 2 degrees in Architecture – a field I have since decided I have no interest in working in. I’ve worked in a few different Architecture offices and I now realize that I’m not cut out for a fast-paced business life. I like to think about things before I do them, and I don’t like to do things that I don’t agree with. Right now I stay at home with my kids and pick up contract drafting/design work when I can. We live in a beautiful old craftsman style home that was built in 1904, and has been in my husband’s family since 1919. I have a lot of pent up creative energy since leaving work and have found sewing to help me release that.

How long have you been quilting/how did you get started?
I’ve really only been quilting for about a year, and not consistently. I have been sewing for awhile though. I learned in middle school, and have dabbled in it at different times in my life. I started a quilt that I never finished about 10 years ago, and finished my first quilt for a friend’s son about a year ago. Since then I have made a quilt for each of my 2 kids, and a couple more as well. I’ve also made several quilted pillows. I still feel like I’m just learning about the whole process. I have made a lot of handbags also, that was what got me back into sewing a few years ago. I also have a big obsession with fabric, and quilting is a great use for all those pieces of fabric that I just can’t pass up!




Why do you quilt?
I think quilting is a good use of my creative side. I get to design something, then make it, and I end up with a useful object. It’s therapeutic for me as well, it’s something that I can work on, then let sit and pick right back up where I left off. It doesn’t whine at me, tug at my pant legs, or keep me up at night. I can do it with my mind racing or resting, and either way it helps me to find a balance. I always feel relaxed and even keeled after a sewing session.


What is your favorite and/or least favorite part of making a quilt?
I really love designing and visualizing a quilt. I often draft quilt patterns out in AutoCAD. Picking out fabric and laying it out in different groupings, I can do this all day. I’d have to say cutting and ironing are my least favorite parts, and basting isn’t all that fun for me considering I have to move furniture and roll up a rug, then vacuum to do it. The actually sewing part is very fun and relaxing for me. Opening up the pieces and laying them flat after each seam is so gratifying, and I love that first time I get to flip the binding over to the back and see what the quilt will look like finished.

What inspires you?
I’m inspired by a lot of things. Certain fabric can sometimes just call out to me and tell me what it needs to be made into. I’m inspired by color, geometry, and architecture. I see patterns in a lot of things. I do get inspired by other quilters work, and sometimes like to try my hand at other designer’s patterns – but not knowing how to really use a pattern, I usually draw a similar one up for myself with AutoCAD so I can really understand it. (This is where those free online patterns come in handy!) I’ve also been known to make acrylic rotary cutting templates/rulers for any shape I need to cut more than 1 of – this helps my dislike of cutting immensely.

What are you working on right now?
I’m now finishing up binding on a wall hanging / doll quilt for my daughter’s room. I made the pattern for this one based on the painting we did on her walls. I also made a diamond template to cut with. I have a pattern designed and fabric picked out for a couch quilt for each of my kiddos to work on next, along with a bag for a good friend. Then onto Christmas presents. Yikes!


Jill, Thank you so much for sharing a little bit about yourself and your very inspiring work!


For better views of Jill's lovely quilts, visit her flickr photostream:

August Meeting Room 205

Meeting Agenda
  • Opening comments-5 minutes
  • Free Motion Quilting Presentation by Christina of A Few Scraps-30 minutes
  • Station Rotation, watching and practicing free motion quilting-30 minutes (Tracie, Jenn, Kristen MacDonald , Heather, and Kimberly)-Hopefully!  Still waiting to hear back from a few of you!
  •  Show and Tell-30 minutes
  •  Blind hexagon swap-10 minutes
  • Giveaway-5 minutes
  • Wrap up announcements for next meeting-5 minutes
Hexagons!
Hope you are all loving and enjoying them.  They can be a little addictive, but what a great activity for the bus, a long car ride, camping, etc.  If some of you are still wanting to learn more about them, or are having issues, let me know and we will work something out!
For the Hexie Swap
All you need to do is:
Make 15 hexagons 1 inch in size (not sew together)
Put them in a paper bag
Bring them to the meeting!

There will be a table that we will put them on and then we'll all chose a bag towards the end of the meeting.  Just like we did for the pot holder swap.

If anyone has any questions, don't hesitate to leave a comment!  One of us will get back to you ASAP.
As always, please make sure you RSVP for the meeting so we have enough hand outs, chairs and room!


    Heather Ross!

    You love her fabric, you love her designs now come listen to her speak at PCNA!

    Heather’s Week


     
    This week Fabric Design with Heather Ross begins!  In addition to her class, Heather will be giving a free presentation about her work, process and approach to design that is open to the community.  

    This will be held Friday evening 7:00pm-8:00pm at the PNCA main campus (1241 NW Johnson Street).

    All About Hexagons

    We had another beautiful summer evening for our July meeting at PNCA, with 47 stitchers eager to learn and/or share All About Hexagons.  President Jen started the meeting off with a brief history of hexagon quilts, which was followed by a show and tell of hexagon quilts old and new and other recently finished projects.  Show and tell is always a favorite part of meetings, and it's easy to see why....

    Marcia already has a beautiful queen-sized quilt top made from charms from our May charm square swap.

    Heather shared this quilt of beautiful Amy Butler fabrics,

    this Cherry Pie quilt, and

    and this Thimble Blossoms quilt.

    Lee shared her Egg Drop Soup quilt

    and this quilt with black and white and color gradations.

    Shayla shared a vintage Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt top and blocks in pastels.

    Janet's mini Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt.

    Marie shared a large stack of Grandmother's Flower Garden blocks that have been stored away for some time.   We'll have to wait and see if a little inspiration from last night's meeting is just what Marie needed to turn her UFO into a finished quilt.

    This hexagon WIP was shared by Kate.

    Christina shared her hexagon creatures which were inspired by thumbprint drawings by children's author, Ed Emberley.


    There are more pictures of Christina's blocks on the Portland Modern Quilters Flickr group.

    Violet displayed her Heather Bailey quilted duvet cover.

    Jill's hexagon pillow.

    Gorgeous vintage English paper pieced quilts.

    Show and tell quilts and projects inviting closer inspection after the meeting.

    Christina (The Sometimes Crafter; on the left in the black top) gave a presentation on her Adventures In Hexagons, comparing and contrasting different methods and materials.
     Even if you couldn't join us last night, you can read all about it on her blog post here.

    Stitching and chatting in the small groups.

    !!!THANK YOU!!!

    Many, many thanks from PMQG to Mettler and YLI for generously donating thread for our hexagon stitching pleasure.

      Jill made and donated the hexagon paper templates for everyone.  Your time, effort, and generosity are much appreciated, Jill!  (To make your own templates like the ones Jill made for us: http://www.etsy.com/shop/TabSlot).

    And a big thank you to Rachel for putting together and donating two giveaway bags -- and I won one!

    Flea Market Fancy, thread, and scissors.  Ready, set, HEXY!


    I'll close this post with these lovely hexies stitched and dressed up by Heather for Mo in Mo's Party Dress fabrics.

    Keep on stitching, Portland Modern Quilters!

    Note:  If I missed your quilt at the beginning of the meeting, please send me a photo and I will add it to the eye candy.  Also, I have tried to link to blogs whenever possible.  If there is a photo of you and your quilt above and it is not linked to your blog, please let me know and I will add it.
    joanhcallaway@comcast.net

    July 15th Meeting! Hexagons via the English Paper Piecing Method

    This Thursday is our fifth meeting and it's all about Hexagons or Hexies as some like to refer to them.

    We have some pretty cool things happening:
    1. Donations from Tab Slot-1 inch card stock hexagons
    2. YLI donated silk thread
    3. Mettler donated thread
    4. Rachel from 2nd Avenue Studios has two kick butt giveaway packages
    5. Christina from The Sometimes Crafter will be joining us and doing a presentation all about her adventures in teaching herself about Hexagons.

     Here's a little eye candy to help inspire you.  Some of you might even recognize a few things!
    My creation

    Now, for the meeting please try and bring the following supplies:
    1.  Fabric you'd like to turn into hexies
    2.  Scissors
    3. Thimble if you have one
    4. Sewing Needles
    5. Anything that you have done with hexagons for show and tell!

    I will have extras of everything above in-case you don't have something.  Also, if you are so inclined, please bring extra.

    Please RSVP so we can make sure that there are enough pre-cut hexagons, chairs and snacks!

    UPDATED To include directions on how to RSVP
     --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    To RSVP for the meeting:
    1. Under the map on the right hand side of the  page click the "Join This Site"

    2. Under the right hand corner of the new pop up page click the "follow" button if you have any of the following accounts: Google, Twitter, Yahoo, AIM or Netlog, sign in. If not, hit "Create a new google account".

    3. Follow sign in directions. After the super easy sign in it will take you back to the event, click "I'm going" 
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    If you'd like to do a little pre-work, below are some links from Christina's web site!

    I came across lots of helpful sites while reading up on Hexagons. I’d like to share them here and if I come across any new links in the future I will add them as well. Let this be your hexagon resources post.


    1. Posy Gets Cozy – Hexagon Piecing (Writes about her experience in hexagon piecing) 
    2. Postcards From Panama – Hexagon Quilt Tutorial (suggests using glue stick) 
    3. Craft Passion – Basic Hexagon Quilting Tutorial (links to hexagon pincushion project) 
    4. Thimble Blossoms – Hexagon Quilt Tutorial (Great tutorial and photos) 
    5. All Buttoned Up – Oh snap! That girl doesn’t baste. (Awesome alternative to basting) 
    6. The Jax Collection – Traditional English Hexagon Patchwork Demonstration – Video 1 and Video 2. (Great videos demonstrating how to make and connect your hexagons) 
    7. Incompetech – Hexagonal Graph Paper PDF Generator (generate your own hexagons in any size you need) 
    8. Paper Pieces – Hexagon Cutting Guide (how big to cut your squares of fabric and also a great spot to buy paper hexagons)
    9. Texas Freckles - Hexagon Fussy Cut Template (A how-to for creating a template)
    And that’s what I've learned so far. I have some more ideas, but we’ll have to wait to see what comes of them. You can be sure I'll share more as I learn more. I hope that all of this information is useful to you and that you find something to make piecing these a little easier for you. Happy hexagon sewing!

    Get Pinned!

    (Moved from Ning)

    From Katie Sciarrino (the super awesome talented lady who designed our banner/logo/button!)

    "Amber and I have decided the name tag buttons, I presented at the May meeting, will cost $1 ea. Please leave a comment below with your name as you wish for it to appear on your button and bring $1 to the July meeting Thursday the 15th. We'll keep this an ongoing process until we have everyone "pinned.""
    Our Club Button!


    While you are at it...RSVP for the July meeting -- All About Hexagons!  We want to make sure we have a big enough room and enough chairs for everyone!

    Meet Kristen -- a Portland Modern Quilter

    Welcome to the first installment in an ongoing series,
    Meet a Portland Modern Quilter:

    Kristen 
    Tell us a little bit about yourself.
    My name is Kristen, and I'm 27 years old. I live with a roommate, and my cat Fritz. I work as a Print Production Artist for a small graphic design firm. I like going to the movies, playing video games with my friends, and of course, quilting.
    How long have you been quilting/how did you get started? 
    I haven't been quilting all that long, I started in 2008 after I graduated from the Visual Communications Program at Chemeketa Community College. I was unemployed for awhile, and I was bored. I'd always wanted to try quilting, so I got a quilting magazine and went from there. I picked a pattern that had colors that I liked, and didn't really pay attention to difficulty levels. It turns out that the pattern was considered advanced, but it was totally possible to just follow the directions and make it work. It was a real testament to whoever wrote that pattern that it worked out as well as it did, because I didn't know anything about quilts, or quilting. Or even sewing really. I had to watch a youtube video to figure out how to thread my mom's old sewing machine.

    I didn't want to take a class, or let anyone know that I was making a quilt. I don't like being a beginner, or having basic things explained to me, I like to figure it out myself for the most part. I even bought all the fabric at Wal-mart because I was sure no one would ask any questions about what I was making or why. For some reason I was nervous that someone would tell me that I couldn't do it. I don't know why I thought so, everyone I've met through quilting is super nice, and very supportive.
     
    Why do you quilt?
    I quilt because it's a great creative outlet. It's interesting to me that quilting is the creative outlet that stuck most with me. I've dabbled in a lot of creative type things, like painting, drawing, piano etc., but I never really pursued them outside of a class. I enjoyed making art that way when a teacher would look at and evaluate my work, but it wasn't something I did in my free time. Quilting, however, I do all the time. I'm always thinking of a new quilt idea, or working through a quilt. I find it very satisfying. It helps that my roommate plays a lot of video games and ties up our TV. It leads me to find other ways to fill my time. :)
    What is your favorite and/or least favorite part of making a quilt?
    I always have this fantasy that I'll become a famous quilter, and have studio assistants to do all the things I don't like in quilting. I usually have this fantasy when I'm doing something I don't particularly love, like winding bobbins, or ironing a million seams, or doing bindings. Then I imagine it would be nice to have someone do the cutting for me, and maybe the pinning too. I don't really mind these things that much though, as they make up almost all of quilting. The one thing I would love to have done for me though, is making the quilt sandwich. It's hands down my least favorite part of the quilting process.

    My favorite part of the quilting process is the seeing the progression of the quilt. I like doing things where you can physically see the progress of what you are making. Quilting is wonderful that way. Each set of tasks you complete is as important as the last, and each one brings you closer to a cool finished project.
    What inspires you?
    The question should be what doesn't inspire me! I see quilts everywhere. The worst is when I see something inspiring when I'm driving and I have to try and keep my eyes on the road while jotting down whatever has struck my fancy.  I love working with solid colors. I struggle with prints. It's not that I don't like them, or find them beautiful, because I really, really do. I like seeing quilts that other people make with prints very much, but I just have trouble using prints that other people have created. They've already done the fun part! My creative outlet is in creating new shapes and colors through the quilt.
    What are you working on right now?
    I just finished a quilt inspired by the Dear Jane quilt, and feel pretty good about it. It all happened so quickly, and I finished the top in about month and a half. My job was going through a slow point, so I was sewing all the time. It was a very intense period of creativity for me, both in physically sewing it all together, as well as drafting all the blocks, and researching possible blocks. I'm very happy with how it turned out. The Portland Modern Quilt Guild has been very good for me in that respect, as it gives me timelines to complete work if I want to show it off.
     Thank you, Kristen!  Your enthusiasm and can-do attitude are very inspiring!

    Winners of Our First Blog Giveaway!

    This was so much fun, and I loved reading all of your comments!  

    The two winners of the sets of hexagon templates and papers from Jill of Made on Main Street are:

    Vicki @ Dotty Jane &
    Just Jenn

    The next five prizes were donated by Christina, The Sometimes Crafter.

    The winner of the Orange Sherbet pattern is:

    ledamewood

    The winner of the fabric boxes tutorial is:

    elena

    The winner of the Patchwork Memories quilt pattern is:

    jeri

    The winner of the colored pencil portfolio is:

    Mary on Lake Pulaski

    The winner of the coffee press cozy and coffee sleeve is:


    kaiolohiakids

    The winner of the Little Monsters quilt pattern (from Don't Look Now) donated by Robin Christensen is:


    cardygirl

    And the winner of the Warm & White batting donated by Jen (Betty Crocker Ass) is ALSO:


    cardygirl

    The final prize, a selvage pincushion from Cindy of Live a Colorful Life goes to:


    KTMae

    Congratulations to all our winners!
    I will be emailing you soon to gather information toward getting you your lovely prizes.  And some of you will need to contact me because you didn't leave or link to an email address. 

    Thank you to all who donated prizes, entered, and became followers!