July Guild Meeting Recording

View the transcript here

We were very excited to welcome David Owen Hastings to our July meeting. He is the previous president and an active member of our wonderful neighboring Seattle MQG, as well as a graphic designer and a prolific artist, working not just in textiles, but also on paper, canvas, and wood. From fine art exhibitions in galleries to his modern quilting practice inspired by architecture, travel, and photography, his artwork has an energy and vibrancy that instantly draws you in. In addition to creating art and working in graphic design, David stays busy teaching virtually and in person. David presented us with a wonderful lecture on history, inspiration, and exercises to try at home for your own quilt practice. He was a lovely speaker and we were lucky to have him present to our Guild this month. You can find the Q&A portion of his presentation in the video, posted in the Members Only section of our website. David wanted us to share the following links with our members:

MODERN QUILT RESOURCES:

Souls Grown Deep Foundation — Gees Bend Quilters:

https://www.soulsgrowndeep.org

Flickr – Fresh Modern Quilts:

https://www.flickr.com/groups/freshmodernquilts/pool

Book – Modern Quilts, Designs of the New Century:

https://www.modernquilts.com/the-book-1

THREE INSPIRING ARTISTS:

Carson Converse:

https://www.carsonconverse.com

Carson Converse at Quilt National:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrUBJ6tlBTE

Erick Wolfmeyer:

https://ewolfmeyerquilts.com

Seven Quilts by Erick Wolfmeyer: gallery walk through

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DxLVzkFBdk

Pamela Wiley:

https://www.laneycontemporary.com/artist/pamela-wiley

Pamela Wiley with West Elm:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Kz0dDeoZFI

DAVID’S LINKS:

David Owen Hastings — Open Enrollment Workshops & Lectures:

https://davidowenhastings.com/events/list/?tribe_eventcategory%5B0%5D=45

David Owen Hastings — Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/davidowenhastings/

UPCOMING OPEN ENROLLMENT CLASSES:

Northwind Art:

https://ptschoolofthearts.org/classes/online-visible-mending-with-david-owen-hastings-july-22

Quilting Mayhem:

https://www.quiltingmayhem.com/module/class.htm?classId=407226

World Quilt Show Online:

https://www.quiltfest.com/register/world-quilt-show-online/workshops-by-instructor/david-owen-hastings-modern-quilting/

Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza:

https://www.quiltfest.com/register/pennsylvania-national-quilt-extravaganza/virtual-zoom-workshops-lectures-by-instructor/david-owen-hastings-modern-quilting/

June Guild Meeting Recording

May Guild Meeting Recording

Find the Meeting Transcript here.

April Guild Meeting Recording

Transcript available here.

March Guild Meeting Recording

Transcript available here

February Guild Meeting Recording

Transcript available here

Nude is Not a Color

In 2014, Bianca Springer, a sewist and blogger from Pearland, Texas, contacted a popular artisan clothing brand that she had supported in the past after it released a line of pale beige garments that it called “Nude.” Thinking perhaps they had done so thoughtlessly, Bianca explained that the color they had chosen to call “nude” represented only people with lighter skin tones and left out everyone who was not beige hued. She hoped the company would be receptive and work to fix something that was bound to make many of its customers and admirers feel excluded and invisible, but they dismissed her and declined to make a change.

Bianca discussed it with her friend, quiltmaker Hillary Goodwin, and with Bianca’s blessing, Hillary decided to take action to bring this slight, which many paler-skinned people had probably never even noticed, to the attention of the sewing community. She reached out to fellow quiltmakers on Instagram, and asked them to make blocks, using Carolyn Friedlander’s Shirts pattern and Denyse Schmidt’s Hope Valley fabric, with the color of the shirt representing the color of their skin or that of a loved one.

PMQG member Tamara King answered the call, and made two shirts, both in the peachy olive skin tone of her half-Italian son.

Tamara King’s shirts

The quilt took a few years to arrive at its final layout, and Hillary collaborated with long arm artist Rachael Dorr, who created a thread portrait of Bianca on the quilt, in addition to other spectacular quilting.

[Photos by Rachael Dorr]

Nude is Not a Color was recently acquired by The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and is part of an exhibit entitled What We Wore. You can read about the quilt’s story and see the contributors and read their statements here. The quilt is displayed so that both the front and back are in view. The Museum describes the quilt as “a statement in fabric designed as a response to racial bias in the garment industry.”

[photo by Kristin Barrus]

[photo by Hillary Goodwin]

Bianca Springer and Hillary Goodwin at QuiltCon 2020 (quilt by Marla Varner)

The contributors and their statements [photo by Lynn Carson Harris].

Telling Our Quilts' Stories - a PMQG community event, Thursday, March 11!

We are so lucky to have such an active, wonderful guild, and one of our biggest goals this year is to build community together. Our amazing VP of Membership, Renee Pype, sent a PMQG quilt label as happy mail to each 2021 member, and we would love to have you join us for a Telling Our Quilts’ Stories event, this Thursday, March 11 at 6 pm! The link and info for this special Quilter Filter is all on the Members page here on our site - please email the guild with any questions.

I wanted to share some tips on labeling your quilts - these photos are from my process of using a brand-new PMQG label to tell the story of one of our special guild-made quilts from 2012, Improv! This beautiful quilt is one of three in a series, made with 16 blocks sewn by our incredibly talented members for a Michael Miller Cotton Couture challenge. More on the story in a minute, let’s get to the basics of getting that label on your quilt - whether it’s from this month or nine years ago!

Let’s start at the beginning - preparing and writing on your label. The PMQG labels are a nice quality cotton from Spoonflower that takes handwriting beautifully. I recommend using something grippy as a base when you’re writing on fabric - either a fine/medium grade sandpaper, or freezer paper. This will stabilize the label and make the pen flow more smoothly instead of catching on the fabric weave or skipping around. For pens, I recommend a Micron in the size of your choice. I personally like the 05 size in dark brown or black. It’s wonderful quality and available for $2-3 at art supply stores (I buy mine at collage). Any archival/acid-free pen will work fine, though!

Now for what to write… this is so personal, and totally up to you. The basics are its name, your name, any collaborators’ names, the date/year, where it was made, and anything else you’re excited about! Leave at least 1/4” space around your writing on all sides for a seam allowance - a bit more is better. For this quilt, there’s lots of detail to share, so I hand-wrote a draft on paper to get all the information down. I wanted to share the gift of fabric from Kathy Miller, the eight colors we chose for members to work with, and the timeline, and hopefully capture a bit of the excitement we all felt working with these beautiful solids for the first time!

Since 16 members contributed blocks, I added an extra mini-label to name each of them, in rows reflecting their block placement. This is great for a bee or collective quilt or if it’s shown in multiple places, won awards, or has other backstory you don’t want to skimp on.

I’ll go over this whole process in more detail at our event, but one of my favorite methods of adding a label is to back it with plain white fabric or muslin. (There are a couple simpler options too I’ll mention later!) Place your label face down over the backing fabric and stitch around the perimeter with a scant 1/4” seam allowance, leaving an opening on the bottom edge to turn it later. Clip the corners and press.

I wanted to include a detail of the extra label that’s just written on plain white quilting cotton to show the same kind of process, whether it’s a printed label or not. Carefully turn the label right side out, using a pencil or chopstick to open out the corners. Press, tucking the raw edges inside the label sandwich evenly so they are straight and smooth.

Pin your label (in this case, labelS!) to the back of your quilt, positioning it so it’s parallel with the bound edges. I like to add my labels in the bottom right corner but it’s totally up to you! Pin each side down securely, especially the bottom with the opening in the stitching.

Slip-stitch around the perimeter of the label (similar to how you might hand-bind), taking special care with the bottom to securely close the opening with your hand stitches. I use a regular sewing needle and white or off-white Gutermann thread. Knot securely at the back, under the label.

On the left bottom corner you’ll see our original 2012 label (when the quilts went to NW Quilting Expo and Sisters), with the finished 2021 labels on the right. I love the contrast between the creative approach sharing the most important but minimal information (we hadn’t even voted to choose the name yet - it was a busy year!) and the new one with so much more of the story included. It’s really so satisfying to see it all together.

I recorded lots of these details in my 2012 sketchbook (I was PMQG president that year). Our amazing board planned the challenge out in February with the generous support of Kathy Miller, got the bolts of Cotton Couture in early March, met up to cut and fold scores of fat eighths at Nancy’s studio, and gave every paid member a surprise beautiful stack of solids at our March meeting!

These are swatches of the colors we chose as a board - and my planning for my own block (which ended up in Improv’s sister quilt, Graphic!).

We got 47 beautiful blocks back at our April meeting - it was incredible to see them all together taped up on the wall! (Trying to find a photo of that to add!) The board met at Nancy’s studio again and organized them into three themes to design cohesive quilt tops - evolving into Improv, Graphic, and Linear. I quickly captured everyone’s name (first at least!) in the order of the final blocks layout. There’s one block that didn’t have a name with it (a circular design in the second row of Graphic) and we never succeeded in tracking it down. I still hope that we’ll find the maker, though!

Here is Improv, hanging at Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show in our first guild special exhibit there, among quilts from dozens of our members! It was so exciting to see it in the show, and so many of us made the trip to celebrate.

I’ll be labeling Graphic on Thursday as part of our Telling Our Quilts’ Stories community event, and would love to see you there! Thank you to the many members who contributed blocks to these beautiful quilts, and all who have joined us since to create our lively, vibrant, amazing guild. We are so lucky to be together in such an isolating and lonely year!

P.S. I mentioned some alternate ways to add your label - here is a quick look at some of those.

•You can machine-stitch the pressed and backed label down instead of hand-stitching it - a great option for a bed quilt that will be washed and dried, if you don’t mind the perimeter stitching showing on the front of the quilt.

•For a wall quilt that won’t be washed or used often, you can do the same basic technique using fusible interfacing as a backing, then turn right sides out and iron it down without stitching.

•For a quicker one-layer label, clip corners, press each edge of the label under 1/4”, pin it carefully in place (it won’t be as stable as a two-layer label) and machine-stitch down.

•Stitch your label down (or even piece it into your back before quilting), stitching the binding right over the side and bottom of the label if you like.

-Susan Beal, PMQG historian + 2021 Programs Coordinator for Meetings

January Meeting Recap

Transcript available here.

At January’s guild meeting, our speaker was Jacquie Gering. Jacquie spoke to us about the ways in which she finds inspiration for her work; concept, events, artists, environment, and shape. She described her daily working habits in which she starts with a small quilt (5x7) each day in the morning and also uses craft foam to start the process and ignite her creativity. She has two domestic machines which she uses for piecing and quilting all done on her own. Jacquie described how she has drawn inspiration from her family life while growing up, living in Chicago and observing gun violence, the shape of the Drunkard’s Path block, and Verner Panton and wild colors from the 70’s. Her talk was very open and honest and enjoyable. She lives by the motto, ‘take a risk and expect nothing’. Her website is www.jacquiegering.com and her fabric collection Mend, can be found at the following shops:

Hip Stitch in Albuquerque

Equilter

Blue Bar in Wisconsin

Hannah Johnson Fabrics in Minnesota

Mend patterns - free downloadable PDFs on the MM site!

MEND pattern

Stitched Together

---

Tricia Royal

Coming up in February we have a presentation from Tricia Royal of Bits and Bobbins. Her workshop is currently sold out, and we have a waitlist available. In March we will welcome Sandra Johnson who will give a presentation and host two workshops. Tara Faughnan will present in April and host two workshops as well. We look forward to these amazing and talented makers coming up soon!

Business Meeting:

We now have 250+ members in the following areas:

• Oregon: 29 Cities

• Washington: 12 Cities

• California, Arizona, Illinois, New Jersey, Idaho, DC, Georgia, Minnesota, Maine and New York!

• Canada: Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia

Goals for 2021

The 2021 Board has decided on the following goals for 2021.

• Increase volunteerism

• Increase accessibility via continuing to live stream after we’re able to meet in person, incorporate closed captioning for meetings, and keep our workshops affordable.

• Continue to work with the DEI committee and increase diversity within the Guild; as PMQG’s mission which has a strong community component; encourage and engage a diverse community of quilters within our Guild. We will also be bringing a diversity and inclusion training to the Guild as a part of our programming.

New for 2021:

Raffle Prizes are postponed for now - historically we sold extra raffle tickets for prizes as a way to raise money for scholarships, but with so many members out of state, we worry about gambling laws and so we will pause raffles for now.

Business Member Highlights - each meeting we will feature a business member as an added benefit to them.

New Member mixers - we will be in touch with more information about getting new members together virtually in small groups to welcome them.

Members Only section on website - please visit our site to find Members Only content, including Zoom links for all meetings, and more, at https://portlandmodernquiltguild.com/members-only

We want to see your work!

Follow us on instagram @portlandmqg and if you would like us to feature your content on our Instagram, please use #pmqg to give us permission to do so. Any photos tagged before 12/21/2020 will not be used without permission.

Volunteer of the Year:

In past years, we have honored our outstanding volunteers with a Volunteer of the Year award. 

2018: Cath Hall for her work with our charity quilt program
2019: Anne Matlak for her work with our library

In 2020, we named Sam Hunter, Kimberly Bennefield and Susan Beal as Volunteers of the Year. Sam has raised over 1,800 pairs of panties for local charities, is Cath’s right hand woman in the PMQG Charity program and has served as an invaluable resource for the guild.

Kimberly has served on the board twice, as president in 2018 and 2019’s Programs Coordinator for Meetings. She has also served as the coordinator for PMQG’s exhibit at Sisters Outdoor Quilt show which involved not only organizing the information about or quilts, but to drive our quilts back and forth from Sisters, OR for the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. She has also served as one of the leaders of our new DEI Committee.

Susan has served on the board a whopping four times! Once as President, once as Programs Coordinator for Workshops, and twice as Programs coordinator for meetings. She is a founding member of the guild and has worked hard on the Fabric Fundraiser (which has raised over $7,000 for local chairities in the three years we’ve run it!) and continues to serve as our Guild Historian.

We will be extending the offer of a lifetime membership to all of these amazing volunteers without whom we could not accomplish our mission.

Small Groups Survey:

Please fill out the survey to help us keep track of existing small groups and form more small groups.

2021 BOM:

We have a block of the month pattern created by Tara Evans of Taralee Quiltery. The finished quilt is called Mother. You can find the code and link to buy in our Members Only area for a discount. The cost is $10 for the year.

UFO Club:

Sign-ups are now open. The entry fee is $10. Each completed UFO will get you one raffle ticket.

Sisters 46th Annual Outdoor Quilt Show:

PMQG’s 2021 Theme: Renewal

• Minimum size 40 x 40, with a maximum of 102” on any one side

• Submissions are now open! 

• Submission form on the Sisters page (“Get Involved” tab)

• Last day to submit is April 30

https://www.soqs.org/ 

Events:

Peacework 2020: Racial Justice Through Protest and Handcraft

Exhibition Dates: October 21, 2021 – January 3

2022 Artwork Entry Deadline: March 1, 2021

Email PMQG for more details

With This Needle: Women, Words, and Quilts 2/6

Saturday, February 6, 2021 - 7:00pm to 8:00pm

Portland quilt maker (and PMQG former president) Tamara King discusses the ways women have used the art of quilt-making over the years to add their voices to the social and political discussions of the day.

https://www.ci.oswego.or.us/loreads/needle-women-words-and-quilts-26 
Pre-registration is required.

Merch:

Holographic stickers on sale now! T-shirts coming soon!

https://portlandmodernquiltguild.com/shop/pmqg-holographic-stickers

Reminders:

February meeting is one week early on February 11th, 2021 and Quilter Filter is cancelled for February.

December Meeting Recap

PMQG is now on YouTube! Make sure to subscribe to be able to see the most up to date information here.

December Presentaton:

Chawne Kimber joined us for her “When the Cotton Is High” lecture on December 10th. We last hosted Chawne in 2018 and were very excited to have her speak to us again! Her award winning textiles use “the full English language” and have been exhibited in many quilt shows and museums around the US. Her lecture showed us historical examples, and subversive examples, of embroidery and quilting, and explored many important and relevant topics such as social justice, politics, identity, and censorship. Chawne’s lecture was informative and also moving. Find out more: https://cauchycomplete.wordpress.com/

GUILD ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Upcoming 2021 Programs:

January 21- Jacquie Gering, Lecture

February 11- Tricia Royal, Lecture

February 13- Tricia Royal, Workshop

March 18- Sandra Johnson, Lecture

March 20-21- Sandra Johnson, Workshops

April 15- Tara Faughnan, Lecture

April 17-18, Tara Faughnan, Workshops

May 20- Pantera Saint-Montaigne, Lecture

May 22- Pantera Saint-Montaigne, Workshop

Elections

Ballots went out in November for Board positions and bylaw amendments. The DEI Statement and Values has passed and can be viewed here. The amendment to the Guild's 5.2 bylaw has been adopted and can be read here. 

The 2021 Board includes:

• President: Chris Batten

• VP of Membership and Procurement: Renee Pype

• VP of Technology and Social Media: Erin Case

• Secretary: Anne Jenkins

• Treasurer: Angel Van Note

• Programs Coordinator for Meetings: Susan Beal

• Programs Coordinators for Workshops: Carole Seubert and Michelle Fitzgerald

2021 Memberships are on sale now! 

Please click here to purchase your membership.
We are also offering membership scholarships. Click this link to apply.

Virtual Fabric Fundraiser

This year we took our Fabric Fundraiser online to Instagram. We raised a total of $2600 for Project Lemonade and Rose Haven! Thank you to our organizers for their hard work in running this amazing fundraiser!

Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show 2021

The Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show is planned for July 10, 2021 in Sisters, OR. The theme for our PMQG special exhibit at Sisters is Renewal. We are looking for member quilts that are 40” x 40” and up to 102” on any one side. More details about submitting your quilt is coming soon!

Free Table and Coat Drive

We collected coats for Neighborhood House at our Free Table on Dec. 12 & 13. If you were unable to make it to the free table, and would like to make a donation please do so here. 

UFO Club

Juline Bajada was the winner of half of the UFO Club pot, $95! The other $95 went to the PMQG Scholarship Fund. Congratulations, Juline!

2021 Quiltcon Community Outreach Quilt

The 2021 QuiltCon Community Outreach Quilt, "Stronger Together" has been completed and submitted to QuiltCon. Thank you to everyone who helped to design and piece the quilt. Special thanks to AnnMarie Cowley for organizing and quilting!

Show and Tell

Our members shared some amazing recent finishes, you can see them on our Instagram posts this month.

Coming in January

Join us for our next meeting via Zoom on January 21, 2021 for an evening with Jacquie Gering!

We are also excited to have Tara Evans design our 2021 Block of the Month! More details coming soon!

November Meeting Recap

Our guest speaker for the November meeting was Audrey Esarey of Cotton & Bourbon. Audrey is from Kentucky and began quilting in 2005 when a relative invited her to a quilting class. Audrey had sewn before, but never quilted, and she was soon bitten by the quilting bug! She set out to exhibit her work in a juried quilt show in 2018 and has been featured at QuiltCon--you can find a list of her awards and published quilts here. Audrey was a fun and engaging presenter who took questions live as members asked them. We enjoyed her presentation very much! Her Watercolor Quilt workshop was sold out with a long waitlist. Another Watercolor Quilt workshop will be offered in January, find out more at our December meeting!

Guild Announcements

Virtual Fabric Fundraiser

This year we took our Fabric Fundraiser online to Instagram. We raised $2500 for Project Lemonade and Rose Haven! Thank you to everyone who donated and placed bids on items. A special thank you to Free Spirit Fabrics, Oliso, Quilters Dream and Alison Glass for their generous donations.

Guild Elections

Ballots went out in November for Board elections and bylaw amendments. Results of the elections will be shared at the December Guild meeting.


Virtual Retreat Volunteers

We are looking for volunteers to be the Virtual Retreat Leaders for 2021. Contact the guild for more information. 

Charity Quilt Drop Off/ Pick Up

Charity Quilts - Drop off/Pick up: Email the Guild for location. Donations go to Doernbecher!

QuiltCon Community Challenge Quilt

Our 2021 PMQG QuiltCon Community Outreach quilt has been named “Stronger Together”. Thanks to everyone who voted!

2021 Membership

2021 Memberships are on sale now! You do not want to miss out on the stellar programming that we will offer in 2021 (More information below!)  Memberships can be purchased here. We are also offering a limited number of membership scholarships, please follow this link to apply. 2021 Memberships include our December 10th meeting!

Upcoming Speakers and Workshops

We are excited to welcome back Chawne Kimber as the speaker at our December Guild Meeting. Chawne is an award winning textile artist who has exhibited quilts and embroidery in galleries and festivals all over the United States. When not manipulating cotton, she is a professor of mathematics at a small liberal arts college in the Northeast.

The December meeting will take place via Zoom on December 10th. Due to differences in time zones with our featured speaker, this meeting begin at 6 pm PST. All current 2020 and 2021 PMQG members will have a Zoom link emailed to them before the meeting.

2021 Programs and Workshops

January 21, 2021
Jacquie Gering will be our featured speaker.

February 11th and 13th 
Tricia Royal will lecture on the 11th and and offer a workshop titled, "Raw Edge Applique Tour: Confetti Fabric and More".

March 18th, 20th and 21st
We are excited to host Sandra Johnson for a lecture and two workshops!

April 15th, 17th and 18th
The featured speaker will be Tara Faughnan. She will also offer two workshops, "Color Interaction" and "Diamond Log Cabin".

May 20th and 22nd, 2021 
Pantera Saint-Montaigne will offer a lecture and workshop on block printing!

You can find more information about all of our upcoming workshops via our events page!


Door Prizes

This month we had three door prizes. Congratulations to our winners!

Raffle A:

Book: Sweetly Stitched Handmades by Amy Sinibaldi from Tuva Publishing

Fabric: Figo Fat Quarter Bundle of 10 FQs from Figo Fabrics

Pattern Card: Lil’ Zip Tease from Morris Textiles

Notion: Quilter’s Select Free Fuse Basting Powder from Quilters Select

Raffle B:

Book: Lovely Little Patchwork by Kerri Horsley from Tuva Publishing

Fabric: 4 Mini Charm Microchip packs (total 100 Mini Charms) from Figo Fabrics

Fabric: 2 Mini Charm Packs – Moda Fabrics

Pattern Card: Honey Bee and a bonus download from Dear Stella and QuiltCon

Notion: Quilter’s Select Free Fuse Basting Powder from Quilters Select

Green PMQG Insulated Tumbler from Portland Modern Quilt Guild

Raffle C:

Book: Quilt Petite by Sedef Imer from Tuva Publishing

Fabric: Birch Fabrics Fat Quarter Bundle of 7 FQs from Birch Fabrics

Pattern Card: Lil’ Zip Tease from Morris Textiles

Notion: Triangles on a Roll for 2” Triangles from a Guild Member

Green PMQG Insulated Tumbler from Portland Modern Quilt Guild

October Meeting Recap

This month Joe Cunningham presented to our guild as he made his way to the Nebraska Quilt Museum. He spoke about his background in quilt-making, his mentors, and answered many specific questions about his quilting process as well as showed us many of his beautiful quilts. Joe said, [when making a quilt,] “I’m making a blanket to warm you against the cold of the universe”. Find more information on Joe at his website, http://www.joecunninghamquilts.com/.

Guild Announcements and Reminders:

Membership

Our guild membership is now at 283 individual members and 13 business members! We continue to grow!

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Update

Our DEI team has been meeting and is working on drafting a PMQG Values Statement. In November, Guild Members will be asked to vote to approve the statement and update all bylaws as they relate to our values.

2021 Board Elections

Board Elections will take place in November. Ballots will be emailed to members. Look for an email later this month detailing the candidates running for each position. We currently have candidates for each position, but they are running unopposed. We encourage you to volunteer for a position if you are interested in being a part of the 2021 board. Please email the Guild at portlandmodernquiltguild@gmail.com by November 1st, to get your name added to the ballot.

Virtual Fabric Fundraiser

This year our Fabric Fundraiser goes virtual with a sale on Instagram. If you have fabric, tops, or materials to donate, upload photos and information to this form or email PortlandMQGSubmissions@gmail.com. We encourage direct donations to Rose Haven, a day shelter for day shelter and community center serving women, children and gender non-conforming folks experiencing the trauma of abuse, loss of home and other disruptive life challenges, and Project Lemonade, an organization inspiring self-esteem in foster youth.

More information about the fabric fundraiser can be found here.

Quilt Donations for Fire Victims

To The Point Quilting reports that in 30 days, we have collected 1967 quilts, some complete and some still to finish! These will be distributed to wildfire survivors as comfort quilts. Thanks to ALL who have donated.

Zoom Meetup Changes

Hand Sew Happy Hour is now Small Group Sunday. We will host this event from 2:00pm-4:00pm on Sundays. All are welcome to drop by!

Quilter Filter will meet the first Thursday of the month from 6:00pm-7:00pm. November 5th’s topic is “Going Big, Going Small”. We’ll talk about the challenges of both kinds of projects.

Charity Quilts

The next drop off/pick up of charity quilts will be November 14th. Contact the guild for the address. All donations go to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.

Block of the Month

A new improv block by Judy Livingston is available now! Check out the PMQG block study program for fantastic patterns made by PMQG members!

Do you have a pattern that you would like to share to members? Please email the Guild with your submission!

2020 Panty Raffle Quilt

Guild members donated over 800+ pairs of underwear to Raphael House this year! Thank you to everyone who donated. The winner of the quilt was Brittany Scott, who also worked on the quilt. Congratulations! 

A special thanks to Sam Hunter, the Lucky 13 mini group and Just Quilting for creating and donating this beautiful quilt.

2020 Virtual Retreat

Our 2020 Virtual Retreat takes place November 6th-8th via Zoom. The cost is $25 for a goodie bag. Sew with your friends all hours of the day or night! You can drop in or stay for the entire time. There will be Raffle Prizes, Bingo, Show and Tell, Demonstrations, and fun! Sign up here: https://portlandmodernquiltguild.com/shop/virtual-retreat-fall-2020 

QuiltCon Community Challenge Quilt

We need a name for our QuiltCon Community Challenge Quilt. Please vote here for your favorite!

Upcoming Speakers and Workshops

 We are excited to host Audrey Esarey at our November 19th Guild Meeting via Zoom. Audrey will host a workshop for her WaterColor Quilt on November 21st, via Zoom.

Important Dates:

• On sale to PMQG members only on October 21st for $40 (any non-members who purchase will be automatically refunded)

• On sale to all (if spots available) on October 28th

Unfortunately, Libs Elliot is no longer able to present or lead classes in December. However, we are very fortunate and excited to announce that Chawne Kimber will present on December 10th at 6:00pm. Please note the earlier date and time. This meeting will not be recorded, nor will there be guest passes sold. We look forward to this great presentation by Chawne!

Door Prizes

This month we had three fantastic door prizes! Congratulations to Melanie Chu, Deb Henry and Carol Parks.

Raffle A:

• Fabric: 2 yards from FabricWorm & QuiltCon

• Kimberbell Set of measuring tape and thread scissors from a Guild Member.

• Pattern for Embroidery/Quilting small project: A Pair of Quilty Witches From a Guild Member

• PMQG Insulted Tumbler from @portlandmqg

Raffle B:

• Fabric: FQ Bundle from Figo Fabrics

• Kimberbell Set of measuring tape and thread scissors from a Guild Member 

• Alison Glass Pattern: Timber from Alison Glass & QuiltCon

• Triangles on a Roll for 3” Triangles from a Guild Member

Raffle C:

• Fabric: 2 yards from FabricWorm & QuiltCon

• Pineapple Quilt Block Foundation Paper from Fat Quarter Shop 

• Kimberbell Set of measuring tape and thread scissors from a Guild Member

• Alison Glass Pattern: Timber from Alison Glass & QuiltCon

• Quilting Safety Pins from a Guild Member

The Cut It Up! Challenge Reveal

We had a new kind of UFO challenge this year - the Cut it Up! Challenge. The Chattanooga Modern Quilt Guild did it in 2018, and kindly allowed us to do our own version in 2020. Abandoned blocks and projects were exchanged in February at our last in-person meeting, and finished quilts were shown via Zoom at our September meeting.

Thirty-eight members took a plain paper bag with someone’s abandoned blocks and 28 of them cut them up and turned them into something totally new. You can see all of the projects at the Cut It Up! Challenge page.

Beth Wells

Tamara King

Melanie Chu

PMQG + Black Lives Matter Embroidery - Building Community, One Stitch at a Time

Portland Modern Quilt Guild believes that Black Lives Matter. We are proud to host a new series of online stitching events inviting our guild members and friends to come together, raise funds for racial justice, and amplify the voices and outreach of organizations doing this crucial work. Our first community embroidery event is this Sunday, September 27, from 12 noon-2pm Pacific time, and we’ll be stitching this beautiful design together! You are welcome to join us live, or stitch along at your own pace at home any time.

This lovely Black Lives Matter embroidery sampler was designed by Laura Lupin Howard of Bugs & Fishes and is available as a free downloadable PDF on her blog. She has generously offered it for both personal use and to raise funds for racial justice organizations, so we’re grateful for her encouragement to share her design. PMQG 2020 Programs co-coordinator Susan Beal made hand-transferred samplers on vintage fabrics for 50 of our stitchers. Thank you, Laura! We were so honored that Sara Trail of Social Justice Sewing Academy gave a talk and workshop series for PMQG in June, and now we are thrilled to support SJSA with donations in exchange for these handmade samplers, or the use of Laura’s pattern.

original stitching, image, and pattern by Laura Lupin Howard

Sara will join us on Sunday, September 27, at 12 noon to share more about SJSA’s work, and we’ll stitch together until 2 pm! Please sign up here, whether you’ll have a sampler ready to go or just want to learn the basics with us!

Eight of the 50 transfers Susan made for our community stitchers in exchange for a suggested donation to SJSA!

For Sunday’s meetup and after, Susan wanted to share tips and techniques for making an iron-on transfer, setting up your hoop, and the two suggested stitches for this design, backstitch and French knots. Note: If you only want to create one embroidery piece, instead of making multiple transfers, you can also trace the design directly on your fabric from the paper using a lightbox or window - there are lots of great tutorials for this method.

MAKE YOUR OWN IRON-ON TRANSFERS

To make any printed or hand-drawn design into an iron-on you can make multiple transfers from, I suggest using a 1mm Sublime Stitching bold transfer pen. I found mine at collage in Portland. There are also fine-tip 0.5mm pens, but I found the lines were not as dark and clear. You can use this method for your own original drawings, children’s artwork, and any other purchased or copyright-free PDF designs! I’ve been wanting to figure this out for years and it was really an amazing process - each one is different, and it can give an imperfect result rather than crisp, perfect lines, but your stitches cover everything anyway, right? One of my favorite PMQG sayings is “Your quilt is just one wash away from perfection.” In this case, I’d say the samplers are just one stitch away from perfection!

Laura’s original printed PDF design - use the regular version for tracing, and the mirrored version (on the right) for iron-on transfers!

Print out or draw a clean copy of your design. For Laura’s BLM embroidery design, I printed it enlarged at 110% to fit nicely in a 7” hoop. Be sure to mirror any text so it reads backwards on the paper page as shown on the right above (I used Adobe Acrobat to instantly reverse the entire design) and then carefully trace over all lines using the transfer pen.

First tracing of the sampler design in progress, I ended up layering 4 tracings on this same sheet of paper over a month of making samplers for so many folks.

This is a very meditative and calming process, it does take awhile, but is a nice way to connect more deeply with a special design. I trace the whole design, working in the same direction, with the paper held in place on a clipboard. Be sure to leave generous margins on all sides of the transfer instead of trimming away extra paper (as you can see, this one is centered on a 8.5 x 11 piece of paper) so you can hold it in place easily while you press it with an iron.

Fully traced design - now it’s an iron-on transfer for any fabric!

For a design to stitch in a 7” hoop, I used 10” - 12” squares cut from vintage sheets, and made a total of 50 transfers to send out, working in batches. My first tracing of the pattern was good for about 10 good-quality transfers, and then when it started to fade, I re-traced the design on the same paper, exactly the same way, and ironed a new round of fabrics with it again, a total of 4 times. This method makes a very solid and steady line with the previous layers of transfer ink still adding strength along with the new ones, so consider re-tracing instead of starting fresh with a newly printed pattern each time!

Once you have your iron-on ready, prepare fabrics for transfer. Set your iron to hot with no steam (I use the wool setting for a blend like most vintage sheets, or cotton setting for 100% quilting cotton). Press your square of fabric first so it’s warm to the touch and ready to take the ink transfer smoothly.

First transfer ready to iron on, with the pattern face down over the warm fabric - you’ll see the traced letters read normally from the back of the paper.

Place your paper transfer pattern on the warm fabric, with the right (inked) side of the pattern facing the right (print) side of the fabric, and set a timer for 25 seconds. Place the preheated iron on the central part of the design, letting it rest in place for the first 8-10 seconds of the transfer time.

Place the iron on the central part of the design first, then carefully move it to the left and right to heat through first one side and then the other.

Holding an edge of the paper steady so it stays in place, smoothly bring it to first one side and then across to the other, to cover each 1/3 of the design for about the same amount of time. Don’t let the iron sit in place any longer than that since it can scorch the paper, and of course don’t leave it unattended. At the 25-second mark, carefully lift the paper up at one side to check how even and dark the transfer lines look, and if it’s light or inconsistent, continue pressing over those areas the same way until the lines are clear and distinct. Try not to move the paper at all or your lines can blur and thicken.

Finished transfer! I didn’t stop to take photos until my tracing ink was starting to run out - you’ll see a little fill in here and there on this one. Read on to learn how I add missing elements back into a partial or too-light transfer.

When you’re pleased with the transfer, put the paper off to the side, let the sampler fabric cool down, and prepare your next fabric square the same way. Note: I found that fabric blends with a high polyester content did not take the transfer as evenly and the lines weren’t as dark, so I kept pressing at the same heat setting for longer until it looked better. It can also be harder to get a crisp and clear result as your transfer is running lower on the ink. If you end up with light or blank areas for any reason, here’s how to fix those too!

FILLING IN INCOMPLETE TRANSFERS

Here’s one example of an incomplete design as that tracing’s ink was running low - I needed to go back in to fill in some of the details for stitching.

I re-drew missing areas on this poly blend fabric, layering it over a piece of sandpaper to make it much easier to write and draw on.

I placed the partial-transfer fabric over a piece of fine-grade sandpaper on a clipboard and used an acid-free 0.5 Micron pen to draw the lines in, using the paper printed design for reference. You can also pull the fabric taut and tape the edges to the back of the clipboard if it’s shifting around.

PREPARING THE HOOP FOR STITCHING

For vintage sheets or any other lightweight fabric, I recommend layering the design fabric over a second piece of white or neutral muslin so you’re stitching through 2 layers of fabric total. It will give your embroidery more stability and body, and will hide any threads at the back rather than showing through. Smooth the two layers together and place them into an adjustable embroidery hoop. You’ll also need good light, scissors, embroidery floss or perle cotton (I suggest size 8), and a sashiko or embroidery needle. I also suggest a needle threader, which makes it so much easier. I used DMC 310 black perle cotton for my stitching, and Laura used 4 strands of the 6 for hers (shown on white fabric at the beginning of the post!).

Muslin layer behind the fabric to embroider. This is another light transfer I kept for myself since I knew the design so well! For sending to another stitcher, I filled in the lines with a Micron pen as shown above.

Cut a piece of floss or perle cotton that’s about 18” and separate the strands of floss by gently easing one at a time out of the twist of 6, setting it aside, then going back for another strand. When you have the desired number of threads separated, align them nicely together and thread your needle with them, working as if they’re now one strand together. For perle cotton, you’ll simply use the single strand as-is.

BACKSTITCH

I used backstitch for the majority of the stitching in my sampler, which creates a smooth, even, and very durable stitching line. Laura’s great advice is to make smaller backstitches on the curves so they flow smoothly. Here is a video from Vanessa of the Crafty Gemini showing basic backstitch - I’ll also be showing how to do it on Sunday as a demo.

FRENCH KNOTS

French knots are a bit intimidating at first, but once you get the technique down, they are so fun to make - and bring a beautiful 3-D pop of texture into your design! You can vary the size and height by how many times you wind the floss or perle around your needle before completing the stitch. Laura used 2-4 wraps for her French knots, and I used 3 on mine. Here’s Vanessa’s video on making French knots!

FINISHING THE DESIGN

We’ll be sharing some ideas for special ways to spotlight or “frame” your embroidery on Sunday, so look for a follow-up post after the event! Thank you to everyone who is stitching Laura Lupin Howard’s beautiful design with us, in support of Social Justice Sewing Academy!

-Susan Beal, 2020 Programs team

September Meeting Recap

This month we held a special Zoom gathering with not one, but all FIVE of the designers of Ruby Star Society. Melody Miller, Alexia Abegg, Rashida Coleman-Hale, Sarah Watts, and Kimberly Kight are leaders and innovative entrepreneurs in the design industry and have grown more and more successful and resilient as they continue to break new ground. The conversation focused on friendship, creativity, fabric design, new projects, and the fabric design industry.

If you missed the meeting, please email the Guild (portlandmodernquiltguild@gmail.com) for a link to view the meeting via YouTube by Thursday, September 24. The recording will not be available for viewing after this date. You must be a current PMQG member to view this content.

 More information about Ruby Star Society and each of the designers can be found here:

Ruby Star Society https://www.instagram.com/rubystarsociety/?hl=en 

Melody Miller https://www.instagram.com/missmelodymiller/?hl=en 

Rashida Coleman-Hale https://www.instagram.com/rashida_coleman_hale/ 

Sarah Watts https://www.instagram.com/wattsalot/?hl=en 

Alexia Abegg https://www.instagram.com/alexiamarcelleabegg/?hl=en 

Kimberly Kight https://www.instagram.com/kmelkight/?hl=en 

In addition to these fantastic speakers, Tamara King presented the results from the Cut It Up! Challenge. 38 members signed up for the Challenge, and 28 have completed their Cut It Up! Challenge projects. We saw some absolutely amazing work from our members. Keep your eyes out for a PMQG blog post with photos from the Challenge and follow #PMQGcutitup on Instagram to see the evolution of the Challenge quilts.

Guild Announcements and Reminders:

Membership is UP! We have many new members from across the US and Canada! 

PMQG Membership Dues are pro-rated for a half-year membership, and are only $25. You can add membership to the national MQG for an additional $12. PMQG Only Memberships can be purchased here: https://portlandmodernquiltguild.com/shop/2020-halfyear-individual-membership-hj3n9, and you can add MQG membership here:  https://portlandmodernquiltguild.com/shop/mqg-add-on-membership  Please note, both PMQG and MQG memberships run from January - December.  

Donations are now being accepted for the Panty Raffle Quilt! “Show Up” by Hunters Design Studio and Lisa Congdon was stitched up by the Lucky 13 Mini Group and quilted by Nancy Stovall of Just Quilting. Each ticket costs one pair of women’s size medium or larger pair of new underwear. The underwear will be donated to Raphael House. Sam Hunter is collecting panties now through October 10th. You can find more information about where to send your panties here.

This Sunday, Sept. 27, PMQG is hosting a special BLM embroidery Hand-Sew Happy Hour from 12 noon-2pm in support of Social Justice Sewing Academy. We will be stitching a beautiful design by Laura Lupin Howard, and will share tips and techniques on transfers, preparing your hoop, and the basic embroidery stitches. It's open to all, so feel free to share with friends! Sara Trail of SJSA will join us to share more about their amazing work. Sign up and get more info at the event page or email portlandmodernquiltguild@gmail.com with any questions!

Do you have unused quilts or unfinished quilt tops looking for a new home? Please consider donating them to people affected by the wildfires in the Willamette Valley and Southern Oregon. More information can be found here: https://portlandmodernquiltguild.com/blog/2020/9/pmqg-gives-back-comfort-quilt-drives-for-wildfire-survivors

Coming in October: 

Our charity program needs your help! Do you have extra sewing time? Have you lost your sewjo and are looking for a way to get it back? Are you looking to practice your quilting skills? Please consider sewing some wonky stars or completing quilts for our charity program. Cath Hall is hosting a Charity Quilt drop off/pick up on October 10, 10am-1pm. You can pick up wonky star kits and quilts that need binding or quilting. All quilts go to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital! Please email the Guild for details of the location.

The Charity Fabric Auction is coming up! We will be donating all proceeds to two fantastic programs: Rose Haven, a day shelter for women and children and Project Lemonade, which works to inspire self-esteem in foster youth. If you have materials or projects to donate, please send photos to PMQGSubmissions@gmail.com. 

Coming in November:

Virtual Retreat, November 6-8, via Zoom.

Sign-ups are now open! https://portlandmodernquiltguild.com/shop/virtual-retreat-fall-2020

Speakers and Workshops Update:

We have an amazing lineup of workshops and guest speakers coming to PMQG! 

Joe Cunningham will be presenting at our October 15th Guild Meeting via Zoom. Joe will be hosting a workshop on October 17. To register please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/quilt-freedom-workshop-50-the-quilt-processor-tickets-121871311373 

We are excited to host Audrey Esarey at our November 19th Guild Meeting via Zoom. Audrey will host a workshop for her WaterColor Quilt on November 21st, via Zoom.

Important Dates:

• Scholarships open to applicants on October 10th

• On sale to PMQG members only on October 21st for $40 (any non-members who purchase will be automatically refunded)

• On sale to all (if spots available) on October 28th

Our December 3rd meeting speaker will be Libs Elliott! 

PMQG will be hosting two workshops with Libs via Zoom, on December 5th & 6th. 

Important Dates for the Libs Elliott Workshops:

• Scholarships open to applicants on October 31st

• On sale to PMQG members only on November 7th for $50 (any non-members who purchase will be automatically refunded)

• On sale to all (if spots available) on November 14th

Elections

Elections for 2021 PMQG board members for 2021 will be held in November. We’re looking for volunteers for:

•  President

•  Vice President for Social Media and Technology 

•  Meetings Programs Coordinator.

Please email the Guild if you’d like to be part of the team!  This is a great way to get to know PMQG members!

Door Prizes

Door prizes included Three BladeSaver Thread Cutters donated by  @purplehobbies. (https://www.purplehobbies.com/#/), FQ bundles that were donated by @figofabrics (https://figofabrics.com/), @birchfabrics (https://birchfabrics.com/), and Fabric Depot, Flatter Spray from @soakwash, Angel Batting from @quiltersdream, a Paper Piecing Kit – Mini Mums of Love from @paperpiecesepp and @yazziicraft, Pineapple Quilt Block Foundation Paper from @fatquartershop and quilt labels donated by a Guild member.

PMQG GIVES BACK: COMFORT QUILT DRIVES FOR WILDFIRE SURVIVORS

So many people have lost their homes to the terrible wildfires in the Willamette Valley and Southern Oregon, and we wanted to share some ways for our generous PMQG members to help. Please reach out to organizers for more information, and let us know if you have more resources to share!

All of these organizations are accepting donations of unused quilts. TO THE POINT QUILTING is also collecting quilt tops, binding, backing, and batting. See below for more information on how to donate.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

MY QUILTING LOFT: Collecting finished quilts for those in need in Clackamas County

Please bring finished quilts to our PMQG business member, My Quilting Loft in Troutdale to distribute as comfort quilts for wildfire survivors. They are partnering with Quilts for Riverside Fire Survivors (Clackamas County, Oregon).

Contact: Kristi of My Quilting Loft, Kristi@MyQuiltingLoft.com, 971-292-2991

Mail or deliver to: 253 E Historic Columbia River Hwy, Troutdale, OR 97060

MORE DETAILS FROM QUILTS FOR RIVERSIDE FIRE SURVIVORS:

“We are a group of volunteers who want to help people who have lost their home in the Riverside Fire by gifting their family members with a handmade quilt. My Quilting Loft in Troutdale is one collection site and can accept donations during open hours.

Volunteers and donations are welcome and every bit will go directly to making, assembling, quilting and gifting. Also postage for out of state mailing.

If you have donated or plan to donate quilts, PLEASE label your quilts even with a pinned piece of paper (it’s helpful to include the size of the quilt and that you are part of PMQG) so I can put in our spreadsheet to track them and thank you later!

Thank you!”

TO THE POINT QUILTING: Collecting finished quilts, quilt tops, binding, backing or batting for those who lost their homes in the Beachie Creek and Santiam wildfires.

“To The Point Quilting here in Stayton, Oregon is reaching out to ask for quilt donations for those affected by the Beachie Creek Fire in the Santiam Canyon communities of Idahana, Detroit, Gates, Mill City, Lyons, and Mehama, Oregon. With the new and even more devastating information of 516 homes lost, we are hoping to distribute 800 quilts so each residence lost gets one quilt per couple/head of house and each child gets their own quilt. In 6 days we have collected 206 quilts in varying degrees of completion!”

Contact: Heather of To The Point Quilting, tothepointquilting@gmail.com, (503) 539-0870

Mail or deliver to: To The Point Quilting, 1221 N Evergreen Ave, Stayton, OR 97383

A local Portland-area volunteer can collect quilts, tops, and backing fabric to mail together - please email portlandmodernquiltguild@gmail.com to make arrangements.

MORE DETAILS FROM TO THE POINT QUILTING:

What we are requesting:

1. Completed quilts, unused - throw size or children’s size preferred but all will be happily accepted!

2. Quilt tops that need to be finished. (It would be great if you could send the backing and binding.)

“We will gladly donate the batting and quilting, and have a wonderful team in place to get them completed. We also have backing fabric that will be donated if needed.

Please put your name and telephone number in the box with donations.

We will be contacting all the communities up the canyon that have been affected to reach as many people as possible. When our local need has been met, we will continue giving quilts out as long as we have them. We will direct our efforts secondly in Phoenix and Talent, Oregon as they have had devastating fires go through their area as well.

Thank you for all your generous donations! Together we will cover these victims in warmth and love!

Please direct monetary donations to other local charities and relief efforts such as the local volunteer fire departments of Detroit-Idahna, Gates, Mill City, Mehama, and Lyons, Oregon. They could really use monetary donations at this time!”

BOLTS TO BLOCKS: Collecting quilt tops and finished quilts to support those in the Phoenix & Talent areas

Contact: Barb of Bolts to Blocks, boltstoblocks@gmail.com, (541) 704-0386

Mail or deliver to: Bolts to Blocks, 950 SE Geary St., Ste C, Albany, OR 97322

MORE DETAILS FROM BOLTS TO BLOCKS:

“Update on what is going on with this amazing quilt drive. This is a picture I took after my husband and I organized tops into stacks those needing binding and those needing backing and binding and those that are ready to quilt. Four volunteers will be in the shop tomorrow measuring and cutting backings and bindings, sewing labels on, quilting, and helping me to run our small business. Individuals throughout our quilting community will be picking quilts up to bind and to wash. Thank you everyone.

Pete and I drove to Monmouth this evening to drop quilts off that are headed to 7 families in the Phoenix and Talent areas tomorrow. Each individual in those families is receiving their own quilt. We are doing the best we can to match the sizes of quilts that are requested along with the colors that the individuals like, we are taking extra care with this when it comes to the children! 

We are asking for any quilts that you no longer need or use and or any quilt tops that you can donate so that we can get them into the hands of those who are in need. When you bring in a quilt top for this cause Pete and I will donate the backing and batting and will quilt a quick meander so that we can get them ready to go. We will need volunteers to help machine bind. With Covid being an ongoing part of our lives I will also need individuals that are willing to wash and to place quilts in bags that can either be tied or sealed. We will place a note with them so that the receiver will know that everything has been done to help prevent the spread of the virus. I have some quilt tops that I will begin on this morning that have been previously pieced for another community project (thank you Camille and Janet). We ask that you look around and take a moment to be thankful for everyone and everything that you have. We love you all! “-Barb

Raffle prizes for the June 2020 Meeting

To enter raffle post to Instagram with one of three hastags: #pmqglovedones, #pmqgshowandtell or #pmqgshowmeyourrainbow

 #1

• Book: Sweetly Stitched Handmades by Amy Sinibaldi from @TuvaPublishing

• Pineapple Grove Flatter from @SoakWash

• 8 Fat Quarters - donated by a Guild Member

• #2

• Book:  Urban and Amish by Myra Harder

• 10 Fat Quarters - Lucky Charms and Perfect Day - from @FigoFabrics

• $30 in QuiltFolk Gift Cards from @Quiltfolk

#3

• 60 Degree Ruler & Triangles on a Roll - donated by a Guild Member

• 8 Fat Quarters from Birch Fabrics

• Quilter's Select Free Fuse - Semi-Permanent Fusible Powder from @quiltersselect_

How to Use Instagram

Many Quilters are using Instagram to connect and share ideas. This is a great resource for seeing what new fabric is coming from a favorite designer or the new fun pattern. One can see what is going on in the world of quilting from the comfort of your home. With Instagram you can make new friends, join in on a sew along, be a part of a mini swap #makeaminimakeafriend, and post about current projects. Sometimes there are even fun giveaways and you could win some new fabric. Who doesn’t love some new fabric.

Getting started on Instagram can be a challenge. For which there is help. Fellow quilter Leila Gardunia has made an easy step by step guide to getting started on Instagram. And before you know you too can be posting pics and hashtaging with the best of them.

Here is the link to Leila Gardunia’s blog post all about getting started on Instagram for Quilters. #quiltlife

Click Here to go to the blog post.

New Small Groups in Vancouver

The Vancouver Small Group has recently started and is open for new members.

This group meets the last Friday of the month from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The first meeting was January 31, 2020 so there is time to join the group for the next meeting at the end of February. The group will rotate meeting locations with each member taking a turn to host. If you would like more information about this small group or would like to join please contact Erin Case by email at EksRN2002@gmail.com.

Antique Quilt Lovers is a new small group starting in March

The group will meet bi-annually on the last Saturday of March and September at 12:30 pm at O’Della Kelley’s house in Vancouver, WA. RSVP required. To RSVP please contact O’Della at 425-215-6819. Enjoy meeting new friends whom share your interest in collecting or restoring antique quilts. Bring show and tell of family quilts and newest purchases or receive feedback about dating and repairing antique quilts.

January Meeting Recap

January Guild Meeting Recap - January 16, 2020

Our January meeting was focused on our Business Member Showcase and Membership Renewals. The weather cooperated (the earlier snow forecast was not realized, it was cold but not snowing) and we had a good turnout for our first meeting of the new decade!

Co-Presidents Renee Pype and Claudia Jakim started the meeting by thanking the 2019 Board for their service with a gift of Scandinavian stars and again introducing members to this year’s Board, listed at the bottom of this message.  2019 Volunteers were thanked and given a FQ.

The 2019 Board made and presented two quilts to honor outgoing officers. 

2019 President Erin Case was thrilled to receive this Trellis quilt (pattern by @cluckclucksew)

And Kimberly Bennefield (wearer of so many hats) was honored with this Wonder Woman themed Quilt, also made by the 2019 Board members. Kimberly was unable to make this meeting.

We then honored Guild Librarian  Anne Matlak as VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

Accomplishments:

•Creation of our Library

•Contains - Books and Templates

•Creating a Scavenger Hunt to help play & learn

•Bring items to view

•Bring requested items for take out and return

•Hosting a table so we can learn & understand

•Expanding our knowledge

•Contributing to make us a better guild

2020 Volunteers Needed:

• Closers for Sew Days

• Host for East Side Hand Sew Happy Hour

UFO Club

Jesta Evens is hosting this year’s UFO Club: Sign up and pay $10 for up to 10 quilts - get a raffle ticket for each completed project, December meeting we draw the tickets for half the pot, the other half goes to charity.

Workshops

Anna Maria Horner - Still some open spaces for two of the three classes

Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show

 - Bauhaus theme - still waiting to hear the dates, then we can give timelines

Spring Retreat

Opening Sat Feb 1 at 10am -  - $275 in a shared room + meals hosted by Tina and Laura H

2020 PMQG Fabric Challenge

Moongate by Christina Cameli

Signups in February, fabric distributed in March

Tamara King spoke on two topics 

Meetup of PNW Modern Quilt Guilds - 

Tamara is on the committee. The Planning Committee for the 2020 Meet Up of the PNW Modern Quilt Guilds is hard at work and would love your input -- please take their short survey here: [button with link]. They would appreciate your participation to help them decide on when (August or September) what kind of workshops to offer and more. They are also look for members willing to host meetups or out of town guests. 

Cut it Up Challenge

Coming in February and March - see our website too: Cut It Up Challenge

HOW IT WORKS:

• February Meeting: Bring orphan blocks or a UFO in a brown paper bag with a signed note inside telling the story of your abandoned project

  • If you're a new quilter or a finisher quilter, and don’t have any abandoned blocks, not to worry!

  • If you have multiple projects to contribute, bring them

• Everyone who brings a bag will take a bag; then anyone who did not bring a bag but wants to participate will choose a bag

• March Meeting:  If you just can’t work with the project you took, bring it back and we’ll do another swap. 

  • If there were more bags than participants at the February meeting, we’ll throw those in

  • If you were gone for February (like, at QuiltCon) you can bring/choose in March as well

• July Meeting:  Cut It Up! Challenge projects are due and we’ll have a special Show and Tell of our finished projects

                                                             #PMQGCutItUp      

•  This was challenge was designed by the Chattanooga MQG, ( shared with permission) and one of their Cut It Up! Challenge quilts traveled with 2019 Best of QuiltCon.  

• Here is the story of Kelly Spell's Felicitous Pickle.  

• Our website has a link to some more of their reveals, check it out!

• Questions? - Email portlandmodernquiltguild@gmail.com with subject Cut It Up Challenge and Tamara will answer them.

QuiltCon - February 20-23 in Austin, TX

If you are going to QuiltCon, email portlandmodernquiltguild@gmail.com with subject QuiltCon Meetup - tell us your name, phone, email and what hotel you are staying in (or what part of town if at a private home or AirBnB) as Robin is trying to organize a Happy Hour or other meetup.

Break - Visit Business Member Tables

More Announcements:

Rachel Cook let us know that with the wildfires in Australia, they have received so many physical donations they don’t want more sent, what they really need is more money. So on Sunday January 19th, the Quilt N Tilt group will be making things to sell for the animals.  If you would like more information email her at rachelcook3000@gmail.com

Quilt N Tilt meets on the 3rd Saturday of the month at the American Legion Post #1 at 1830 SE 122nd Avenue, Portland. Sewing at 10am but if you get there at 9am they have a good breakfast. Sewing is upstairs.

Lions Vision Gift is looking for helpers to Help Make a Block  - You would be assisting people who have received or families who have a family member who has donated corneas to make blocks for their Threads of Life Quilts. They are looking for volunteers January 18th & 25th from 1-5pm 

More information: Caden Crowston  crowston@oshu.edu       503.494.3525  

Charity Projects

General Charity Project information

Zipper Bags Project Led by Sam Hunter

Charity Sew Support at Montavilla Lake Oswego location - led by Cath Hall. They are always looking for folks to FMQ on the charity quilts

Other Guild Activities

Open Sew Days - 1st Saturday of the month at Mill End Store Beaverton from 9:30am to 5:30pm

• BYOM - Bring your Own Machine

• 1-4pm focus on new members and folks who need help

Hand Sew Happy Hours - Still in Need of East Side volunteer

Vancouver group invites us to join them Brewed Awakening 1st & 3rd Sundays 1-4pm

Raffle Drawings

#1 - Won by Diane Kantor OR Diane WIlson OR Diana Ruiz

Aurifil thread collection from Aurifil

Lucky Charms from Figo Fabrics

Warm & Natual Batting from the Warm Company

Rainbow Fat Quarter Bundle from Daily Hand Dyed Textiles

#2 Won by Ellen Faber

Warm & Plush from the Warm Company

Quilters Select Rotary Cutter from Quilters Select

Fat Quarters from Fabric Depot

Ty Penninton mini roll from a guild member

#3 Won by Jesta Evens

80/20 Warm from the Warm Company

Pineapple Grove 3 oz Flatter from Soak

Row by Row Kit from guild member

Daily Hand Dyed fabric from Daily Hand Dyed Textiles

Show & Tell 

We had about 17 folks get up and show their work this month, starting with Tamara King showing us the finished PMQG QuiltCon Charity Quilt:

Name:   No One Is Free

Designed by:  Tamara King and Gail Weiss

Made by:  Tamara King and Gail Weiss and members of the Portland Modern Quilt Guild

Quilted by:  AnnMarie Cowley

Dana Huntington  says he has ‘Graduated from the feet in my wife’s quilt pictures’ - with his quilt “Breakers”

Jesta Evens showed Baby swoon - Paintbrush studios Suzy Ultman line ‘Step Right Up’ (circus theme)

Your 2020 Board

• Co-Presidents:  Renee Pype and Claudia Jakim 

• Secretary: Robin Healy

• Treasurer: Angel Van Note - Judy Livingston is staying on as Bookkeeper

• Meeting Programs: Lindsey Oldani

• Membership & Procurement:  Jolene Knight

• Social Media & Technology: Laura Broughan   

• Workshops:  Lori Thibiodeaux & Laura Hazen

• Retreats: Laura Hazen

To contact board members - email portlandmodernquiltguild@gmail.com and use a descriptive subject line and we will make sure the appropriate person gets it.