Modern Quilts requested for Stitches in Bloom quilt show

Hey Oregonians, a show of quilty goodness is coming to Silverton right in the middle of winter, when we'll need it most. Mary, the show coordinator, says she would love to see lots of modern quilts in this January show.

Read more and find links for quilt entry at the Oregon Garden website. The deadline is January, so there's plenty of time to finish up whatever you're working on now!

Is your eye on the Modern Quilt Guild?

Just a little reminder to our members and readers.... the Portland Modern Quilt Guild is a branch of the Modern Quilt Guild. We hope you check in on the Modern Quilt Guild's site regularly for news about current and upcoming awesomeness.

Did you know that the Modern Quilt Guild will be kicking off a "100 Days of Modern Quilting" event in January?
Did you know they are organizing a quilt showcase in Fall 2012? The deadline to enter will be early March 2012. Read more here and think about what you will submit to the show!

And if you want a little bit of Modern Quilting every day, be sure and check out their Facebook page.

Thanks for bringing us together MQG!

We want your 10 minute Tutorial

We are looking for PMQG members to share their knowledge, we are looking for your ten minute tutes.

The ten minute tutorial; It can be hard to know if your tutorial can be done in ten-minutes but don't worry too much - it is a general guideline, a way to say "this doesn't have to be crazy-involved". It can be hard to know if this object or technique you know is known by everybody but don't worry too much - sure some of us might already know it, but some of us might not. Our guild is made up of every skill level and doesn't it feel awesome to share a tidbit of knowledge. You might open eyes to an entirely new way of doing the same thing, since there is always more than one doing things…. So far we have seen new methods of quilting with a walking foot (more than straight lines!), zipper installation (just one method, among many), pillow making, notebook covers, hand quilting, glue basting and surely I'm forgetting a few.

Do you have an idea for a ten-minute tute? Something you'd be willing to share with fellow PMQG members or even something that you'd love to learn in a ten-minute tutorial, please let us know by emailing portlandmodernquiltquild@gmail.com. At the moment we are hoping to hear about your favorite quick sewn gifts; but all ideas are welcome all the time and we will work with you to figure out the best time to present them.

Come on and speak-up, we are waiting to hear from you.

Meeting 091511

ANNOUNCEMENTS/EVENTS
• September 22–24, NW Quilting Expo, Portland Expo Center
• September 30–October 2, Quiltopia, Willamette Heritage Center, Salem, OR
• October 6, Marie's Show Room of Quilts, sabbatical project, BedMart 1039 NW Glisan Pearl District
• October 8–9, Santiam Scrappers Quilt Guild Show, Sandridge Charter School, Lenanon, OR
• October 8–9, Biennial Quilt Show, Tuality Hospital, Hillsboro, OR
• October 14–15, Old Aurora Colony Museum Annual Show, Aurora, OR
• October 22, All-day Sew, Fabric Depot
• January 27–28, Stitches in Bloom Quilt Show, Oregon Garden
• Pendelton Woolen Mill Store Sale, fabric, yarn and more

PRESENTATION Studio Art Quilts Associates by Kathy Blondell
Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc is a membership organization with over 2,800 members in 31 countries. Its mission is to promote the art quilt through exhibitions, publications and education. SAQA defines an art quilt as the contemporary artwork exploring and expressing aesthetic concerns common to the whole range of visual arts: painting, printmaking, photography, graphic design, assemblage and sculpture, which retains, though materials or technique, a clear relationship to the folk art quilt from which it descends. via Facebook

Kathy shared a slide show of the currently traveling truck show of 50 8"x8" art pieces (six shown above). The pieces possessed a range of media: zippers, plant dye, lace, paper, photos, hand sewing, color pencil, netting, printed fabric, wool, beads, applique, french knots, tinted fabric, rusted fabric, composted fabric, natural dye, gauze, raw edges, machine quilting, satin stitching, net overlay, etc. Imaginative, beautiful, inspiring!

Next up Kathy brought her personal collection of larger art quilts:

















"If there is an element you really like exaggerate it." –kathy

Ale brought everyone a block sandwich, thread and a needle to practice the basic running stitch technique. Her tool preferences include Crewel needles, Dritz leather & plastic thimble and Thread Heaven conditioner and protectant. If you missed Ale's live tutorial here's an online seven part video tutorial. Above quilt has been in Ale's family for generations—entirely hand quilted!

Hand quilted by Ale.

SHOW AND TELL
Maurice, english paper piecing (first time!)


Tomme, computerized quilter

Jolene

Cherri, vintage stripped sheet quilt

Violet, made for her daughter to take to summer camp

Anne, castle peeps and almost a rainbow (won a blue ribbon at the fair)

Susan, woolen cross pillow

Marilyn, 30th wedding anniversary quilt for her husband

Nancy, wedding quilt



Molly, daughter's baby quilt, grand-daughter's quilt and recycled sweater quilt

Cheran, April Showers, "Felt moved to make something happy and orange. The floral and the grey pindots make me think of Spring."


rounded up 12x12 blocks for habitat quilt

September Meeting Reminder

Yup, it is the third Thursday of the month THIS Thursday! You know what that means? Portland Modern Quilt Guild's September meeting is at PNCA (1241 NW Johnson St) this week on September 15 from 7-9 pm. We look forward to seeing you there.

Habitat Challenge blocks have been showing up in the PMQG Flickr Pool and we are looking forward to seeing lots more - Please remember to bring your Habitat Challenge blocks to our September meeting so we can pass them along to our quilt coordinator and turn these blocks into a charity quilt. Take a look at a some pictures I pulled from our Flickr Pool (credits and links below the photo).


Additionally, we need four volunteers to bring snacks for the September meeting. Please comment if you can bring a snack. And finally, as usual bring a cup for water and a quilt if you want to participate in show n tell.

All Day Sew this Saturday

We will meet this Saturday for an all day sew starting at 9am at Fabric Depot (700 SE 122nd Avenue)! This event is free for members and $10 for non-members. But really, wouldn't you rather just join PMQG? Of course you would!

Remember, all that is supplied at this event are tables and excellent good company. We will try to have irons and extension cords but if you can bring one of these items please do! Remember your machine, machine pedal, pins, scissors, thread, presser feet and any other items you may need for all the awesome projects you're going to burn through on Saturday. See you there!

If you're looking for info about tonight's meeting, it's here.

Meeting this Thursday

We're back at PNCA this Thursday, please join us from 7-9 pm in room 101! Meetings are always free and open to members and non-members alike. This month we have an intriguing report from the Tokyo International Quilt Festival!

What to bring:
A quilt for show and tell, in any stage of completion
A scrap of fabric showing your favorite color (or your favorite color that day)
A snack if you'd like, to share (I've got "natural" Cheetos covered!)

We'll have news of coming swaps, and of course, your favorite quilters, all gathered together.

The Jay McCarroll Habitat Challenge

If you were able to pick up your free fabric bundle of for the Jay McCarroll Habitat Challenge at our July picnic, great! If you weren't able to make it you will be able to get yours at the August meeting.

Just a reminder that if you've taken a fabric bundle you should turn in a 12.5" (12 inch finished) block in any design at the September meeting. You are free to add any solid fabric you like, or any other fabric from the Habitat line, but no other print fabric please. These blocks are going to be assembled into quilt for donation to a local charity. We can't wait to see how they look together!

When you've made your block (and whatever else you decide to make from this great fabric!) please consider posting a picture in the Flickr group for the challenge.

Happy quilting everyone!

Meeting 072111

Lots of quilts in the park! What a great turnout—husbands, kids and members-to-be.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Sunday, August 14, 4–8p
Quilts for Quake Survivors Thank You! Sewing party with BBQ potluck, music and quilt showcase
Staver Locomotive, 2537 NW 29th Avenue
For more information contact Susan.

Our next sew day will be Saturday, August 20, 9a–9p

At Fabric Depot, 700 Southeast 122nd Avenue in southeast Portland.

FREE to members! $10 for non-members

GIVEAWAY/CHALLENGE
Members got their Habitat fabric for the Jay McCarroll Habitat Challenge!

SHOW AND TELL
The weather held and we are able to get in our monthly dose of sewing inspiration.
See the lovelies below:














Meeting this Thursday! AT THE PARK!

This Thursday is our picnic meeting!
We will meet at Laurelhurst park in SE Portland from 7-9. We are Picnic Site E between the pond and the restrooms off SE Ankeny Street. Don't worry, it's not hard to spot quilters in the park.

Questions and answers:
Is there a backup plan for rain? Yes. If it rains we will meet at PNCA. We will make the call by 5:30. If you are in doubt, check the blog. We will update here by 5:30 if we are going into rain mode. It's not raining! See you at the park!
Can I bring my family? Yes!
Should I bring food for myself? Yes!
Should I bring a picnic quilt? Yes!
Will there be drinks? Yes! Of the non alcoholic type.
Can I bring my own single serving alcoholic beverages? Yes! BYOB beer and wine only are permitted in Portland Public Parks.
Will there be show and tell? Yes!
And also...paid members can pick up their fabric for the Jay McCarroll Habitat Challenge!
See you soon!

Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show

Every year I tell myself that I'm going to go to Sisters for the quilt show and every year I don't make plans. This year, with PMQG being part of a special exhibit I knew I had to get myself there, so I bought a bus ticket from Fabric Depot (and saw two fellow members, though they ended up on the other bus). So this was my first time attending Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show and while I thought I knew what to expect, quilts hung all over the buildings in town, I was not prepared for the amazing site of a town covered in quilts. Not only were there quilts all over outside, but there were quilts all over inside the shops too. And lots of people, there is just no getting around standing in line for things during the show, but lines go quickly and there is almost always a quilt or three to view while you wait.


Inside a coffee a shop

And simply hanging everywhere

I brought my water battle and a few snacks, but it wasn't actually necessary since there were enterprising kids selling water bottles all over town (I heard it was some sort of fundraiser too), multiple stands with kettle corn and other treats. We lucked out with a beautiful day, bright sun, light breezes and the temps only reaching the low 80's (I've heard it is often a good 10 degrees warmer this time of year). When I arrived in town, show hosts/volunteers were handing out Sisters, a newspaper magazine devoted to the show which included a map, a list of the special exhibits and an article on us, Portland Modern Quilt Guild, (it's on page 26). I spent my first two hours just wandering around town, taking in all to see along Cascade Ave (which is closed to cars for the day), stopping into the packed The Stitchin' Post, stopping by the tree exhibit and occasionally admiring the mountains.





Around noon I found our guild's exhibit, and what a great location, a nice grassy spot between two buildings we even had a few chairs, some shade and a nice breeze. Lots of people were milling about and Cherri (one of our members who volunteered their time to host our exhibit) told me we were getting a lot of positive feedback.

And I finally get to see the PMQG quilts sent to Sisters, some I had seen before during previous meeting's show and tells, some I had never seen before and they all looked awesome.

Kaci's Quilt

Kaci's quilt

Katie's Project Modern Challenge 1 quilt

Jen's quilt

Rachel's quilt

Cherri's quilt

Susan's quilt

Jill's Project Modern Challenge 2 quilt

Monica's quilt

Violet's quilt

Christina's Project Modern Challenge 2 quilt

Heather's quilt

Petra's quilt

Megan's Project Modern Challenge 2 quilt

Monica's quilt

Nancy's quilt

Kristen's Project Modern Challenge 1 quilt

Lara's quilt

After taking a nice little break at our cozy exhibit, I started wandering the town some more. I found Cherri's quilt in the general show (thanks to a hint from Jill who spotted it earlier) and just enjoyed the day.


Cherri's quilt in the general show


PMQG gives a big thank you to Jen for organizing our participation in Sisters Outdoor Quilt show; to our members who volunteered to spend part of their day hosting our exhibit; to Katie for a great job on our banner; and Nancy for quilting our banner (you must check it out at the upcoming picnic).

The official PMQG banner!




To Sisters she goes—as everyone is in route to the annual Sister's Quilt Show we'd like to thank all of our members who contributed blocks! Special thanks to Nancy for quilting (everyone has GOT to see her work on this—oh the variety), Cherri for donating the most perfect binding and backing fabric and Jen for hauling it to Sisters. If you aren't able to see it at the show this weekend it will be at the July 21st picnic and pretty much everywhere PMQG goes from here on out. Travel safe quilters!

Have a quilty summer

Excitement is building because the Sister's Outdoor Quilt Show is right around the corner, this Saturday! Come enjoy a day of sun and quilts and be sure to stop by the special PMQG exhibit. We will be in the courtyard between Paulina Springs Books and Jennifer Lake Gallery. We hope to see you there!

Then our July meeting will be a picnic in the park, on our regular meeting date, July 21st. We will be at Laurelhurst Park in SE portland. Bring a picnic quilt and whatever you'd like to eat or drink. Families are welcome! More details to come...

Happy quilting everyone!

Meeting 061611

ANNOUNCEMENTS

  • Our July meeting will be a picnic, once the location is confirm we will announce further plans
  • Sisters Quilt Show is next month (July 9) and 18 PMQG member quilts will be displayed there.
  • Members, please watch out for a survey email coming to your inbox soon.

10 MINUTE TUTE by Michelle: One seam notebook covers
Michelle showed everyone how to make a basic notebook cover that requires zero hand sewing and only one seam.
PROGRAM Quilt Market Recap
Kristin of Sew Mama Sew, Monica of Happy Zombie (designer of Happy Mochi Yum Yum fabric), and Traci of Hip Fabric of gave us their perspective and recap of Spring Quilt Market.
  • Quilt Market is a trade show; Kristen and Traci go there to buy fabric and fill their days with appointment with fabric company reps
  • Monica goes there to promote her fabric line (authors and designers are another group that goes to Quilt Market)
  • QM is great for scoping out new fabric, patterns and books that you haven't seen
  • QM helps fabric retailers see trends, and get fabric/patterns to make store samples
  • QM is also great for swag giveaways; some of which Kristen, Monica and Traci shared with PMQG as giveaways
  • Schoolhouse is the day before Quilt Market and filled with 20-minute slots for companies/designers/lines to tell you about their products in more detail; sometimes these are short classes but those are geared towards brick & mortar stores
SHOW AND TELL

Petra showed us an old family quilt and her the father's day gift she made for her husband (oh no, that picture was blurry!)

Ale showed us Pinwheels & Postage Stamps she made for her mom. She recommended the Missouri Quilt Company half square triangle method.

Marcia showed us an untitled quilt

Rachel showed us her interpretation of wheat fields (and we got to compare it to Kristen's interpretation of wheat fields from Project Modern Challenge #1)

Cathy showed us her Bernina cozy

Anne showed us her signature quilt (she used a micron to write on kona cotton)

Heather showed us her Trip Around the World

Suzanne showed us a recent quilt



Cherri showed us the stage cover she made for Portland "Nofest": fabrics included pieces of belly dance costumes, shower curtains, curtains, and more


Jill showed us her lawn-chair quilt top


Jen showed us her "It better get sunny in Portland or I'll kick its butt" quilt that used up every last bit of yellow fabric in her stash, she used a variegated yellow to quilt it

SCRAP SWAP
We filled a table with scraps as we came in to the meeting and before we left everyone dug through to grab stuff they liked. That was A LOT of a fabric

June Meeting

The June PMQG meeting is this coming Thursday, June 16th from 7-9 pm at PNCA (1241 NW Johnson Street). But we forgot to put a sign-up sheet for snacks this month. Could four people please volunteer to bring snacks this month? Let us know in the comments if you plan on bringing a snack to share. And everyone, remember to bring a cup if you'd like to take advantage of the water pitcher we will have on hand. Finally, if you didn't get a chance to contribute a 6" square to the PMQG banner that Katie is making you have another chance since she is accepting blocks at our June meeting.

And our June swap announcements: scraps! Feeling overwhelmed by an overflowing scrap bag/basket/box? Come share your quilting fabric scraps with fellow quilters. Bring whatever scraps you feel need a new home and leave with some new inspiring fabric bits.

We look forward to seeing you there!

New PMQG sponsors!

We'd like to give a warm welcome to our newest PMQG sponsors: SewPo and Lark Cottons!

Both of these local fabric stores have offered a 10% discount to current members of PMQG. SewPo is a bricks and mortar store in NE Portland, just show your card when you check out for the PMQG discount.  Lark Cottons is a locally run online store, with a local pickup option. To receive your discount, please enter the code listed in our online discount document. We know our members will be thrilled to see what these great stores have to offer.

Thanks to both of these friendly and energetic stores for spreading the love of fabric and quilting! And thanks again to our other sponsors:

Joann Fabrics (registration required here)
PNCA
The Ribbon Jar 

Charity Quilting

I really enjoyed my time quilting with others at various Quilts for Quakes Survivors bees. I keep meaning to start doing more charity quilting. And as luck would have it,there is another bee this week to work on quilts at the Portland Etsy Craft Party this Friday, June 10. The bee is just part of the event, so check out the details at I Heart Art: Portland or the Quilts for Quake Survivors blog. The quilt raffle and sale is still happening via Modern Domestic too.

When you start looking there our so many different opportunities to give your quilts for good. Some drives are prompted by natural disasters and others are ongoing. Another event prompting a quilt drive that caught my eye: Craft Hope's Project 13: quilts for tornado survivors (with a nearing deadline of June 15). Craft Hope seems like an interesting place to keep an eye on, as each charity project they take on has a timeline. Another group collecting quilts for Joplin Tornado victims is Ackfeld Manufacturing, they might also have a deadline but I'm not sure. A quick search turned up a couple people organizing quilt drives for those in Alabama: Bama Bound Quilts and Julia of Green Quilts. I've probably missed a few.

Closer to home, with a bit of googling, I found Quilts from Caring Hands (and their list of resources seems like a great start).
I know that several PMQG members regularly work on charity quilts (Mary Anne works on Quilts for Kids quilts; Rachel quilts with.. oh dear I forgot the organization's name...)

What charities are you quilting for?

Meeting 051911

ANNOUNCEMENTS
• PMQG business cards available to hand out and spread the word (obtain at meetings).
• "Quilts For Quakes" quilts are being sold and raffled along with grab bags at Modern Domestic.
• There will be not be a PMQG Sister's Quilt Show bus. Transportation available through Fabric Depot and other avenues.
PROGRAM Long Arm Quilting by Rachel and Nancy

quilters can pay to have a long armer baste


examples of long arm quilting



Various Long arm and quilting links:
http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com/
Long arm rentals: Robins Quilts Nest, Boersma's (look up Robin), A Common Thread, Pioneer Quilts, Sharons Attic

Batting options: 100% cotton (hangs flat) 80/20 (med loft, inexpensive), 100% wool (nancy's fav batting, doesn't crease, flat, more expensive), bamboo (good loft, drapes, Joanns and Fabric Depot), 50/50 bamboo/cotton (more drapery), 100% linen, silk; Can pre-wash batting, spritz with water, roll in towel to disperse, hang dry.
Membership Only Raffle
Our first member's only raffle was a gift certificate to have a quilt long-arm quilted by Nancy!

Swap-it Solids Challenge

Show and Tell












PMQG Banner Blocks
(left) Maurice shared an image of a community quilt shown at the 2011 Tokyo Quilt Show. The block theme was flowers. (right) Blocks submitted by PMQG members for the banner. If you have a 6" block you'd like to ad please mail (by June 4th) to:

Portland Modern Quilt Guild
P.O. Box 6431
Portland, OR 97228



Two PMQG events this week

First up: The Portland Modern Quilt Guild's monthly meeting is this Thursday, May 19 from 7-9 pm. As usual, we meet at the PNCA at 1241 NW Johnson Street but this month we will be in classroom 205. This month we conclude our solid's challenge; please remember to bring your finished swapped solid's project. Additionally, Katie will be collecting the blocks for our PMQG Banner. Gail Weiss, Petra Anderson, Angie George-Pendleton and Cathy Fowler you are signed up to bring snacks to the May meeting. Everyone, please bring your own cup to take advantage of the water pitcher at the meeting. Finally, please RSVP to this post so we have an idea of how many chairs to set up.


And our second event: We also have another All Day Sew on Saturday, May 21st. Join us for sewing and socializing from 9 am to 5 pm at Fabric Depot, 700 SE 122nd Avenue in southeast Portland. The sewing day is FREE to members! If you're not a member but you'd like to join us, you can come for just $10.

What to bring:
Your project and sewing machine (don't forget the pedal, cord and machine feet!) A power strip or extension cord if you have one. Sewing tools. We will provide a couple ironing boards and irons and a couple of cutting mats but the rest is up to you! Remember rulers, rotary cutters, scissors, thread and pins! Consider labeling common items so they don't get mistaken for someone else's. Drinks and snacks as desired.

Please help us plan and set up appropriately by RSVPing to portlandmodernquiltguild@gmail.com if you're planning to come to the All Day Sew. We can't wait to spend a day enjoying laughter and the happy hum of sewing machines!