Category: Challenges

Raffle Quilt and More

At the August meeting, we shared the quilt that we’ll be raffling at the Expo show. Thanks to everyone who made this happen: guild members who voted for the Eudaimonia quilt pattern, everyone who helped put it together, Karen for the gorgeous quilting and Carolyn for binding it and creating the beautiful label.

We’ll be selling raffle tickets at our September meeting and then at the Expo show. Tell your friends!

We had some beautiful quilts (as always) at the August meeting. Take a look:

We also enjoyed seeing everyone’s versions of the Art Deco project. Thanks again to Linda for pulling it all together for us. Don’t they look great?!

There are a few more Art Deco pieces in the works, so be sure to join us at the September meeting to see them all (Thursday, 9/11, at the Salem Church Library, doors open at 5:45, meeting begins at 6:00). See you there!

Trunk show and Expo news

This month’s meeting (Thursday 9/12) is a busy one!

Local quilt artist Lorie McCown will be presenting a trunk show of her art quilts. If you saw her quilt exhibit at the Fredericksburg Library last year, or follow her online, you know we’re in for a treat! Here are just a few pieces to whet your appetites. Her use of color and the way she incorporates recycled fabrics into her pieces make for some powerful work.

The Block of the Month, led by Linda, is due at the meeting. This is our first paper-pieced block. It’s always fun to see the different colorways people use, and one lucky winner will get to take home all the entries.

We have a booth at the Expo at the end of the month, where we will spread the word about our guild, raffle off our lovely quilt (a fundraiser for our guild), and display members’ modern quilts. If you haven’t yet signed up for a shift at the booth, there are still a few openings, and volunteers get free admission to the show! Sign up here.

The raffle quilt is here:

If you’re planning to have a quilt in our exhibit, remember to include an artist’s statement (short and sweet is fine) and a hanging sleeve. We can’t wait to see all the quilts you’ve created over the last year or two. You can drop them off at this week’s meeting or at the sew-in on Saturday, or contact us at fredericksburgmqg@gmail.com to make other arrangements.

Finally, we have reserved the library on Saturday, September 14, from 9:00 to 4:00, for a sew-in. Drop in and out as your schedule allows, bring your sewing machine, handwork, or whatever you’d like to work on, and meet and greet other members. See you there!

Lots of Guild news

A few updates as we look forward to our June meeting on the 13th!

First, did you know that the Guild hosts virtual sew-ins twice a week? They are scheduled for Mondays from 1-3 and Thursdays from 6:30 -8:30. Log on and join the discussion for advice, feedback, quilty news, and anything else that comes to mind. You can work on whatever you like, handwork or machine. Drop in and out as your schedule allows. All members are welcome. Members, check your email for the link.

Second, don’t forget to bring your first Art Block of the month (BOM) to the meeting. This is the project that Carolyn is leading for us, based on Jane Davila’s The Art Quilt Workbook (available at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library). The Art BOM should be 9 x 12 using your choice of theme and color palette. You may make more than one piece if you desire. We would like to display your creations at the quilt expo this September.

Attached are examples made by Carolyn using the theme of flowers and colors found in nature.

Finally, we have plans afoot to create a modern quilt to raffle off at the expo. This is a fundraiser for the guild as well as a fun group project. We are basing it on this design by SwirlyGirl Quilts, but with our own color palette. We plan to start working on it at our in-person sew-in on Saturday, June 22, from 9:00-4:00 at the Salem Church Library. You can work on whatever you’d like at the sew-in, but we would love you to join us in creating it. More details at the meeting and at the sew-in!

August meeting notes

We had a great show and tell, with lots of challenge quilts among other Works in Progress and new creations.

Four takes on the Maximalist challenge

Challenge from another guild to use “ugly” fabric in a table runner

Page 20 challenges (turn to page 20 in any magazine or catalog and use what you see as inspiration)

Renee’s fabulous star, from a Mid-Appalachian quilter’s workshop at Gettysburg

Wonky star made from 1930’s blocks with Mary Kerr at a workshop at the Stitch Fest in Lancaster

Two sweet little blocks from Lori

Baby quilt with walking foot quilting

Remember that you can register for workshops and lectures at QuiltCon starting at 10:00 on Tuesday, August 15th. Make sure you can sign in ahead of time so that you’ll be all ready on Tuesday. Pro tip from Jan: you can put workshops in your cart and then easily sign up for them right on the dot of 10:00. Sessions fill up fast!

Note our upcoming meetings: Monthly meeting on September 14, and our in-person sew-in on Saturday, September 23.

Opportunities abound!

At our August 10th meeting, we’ll be getting ready for our booth and exhibit at the Expo, September 28-30. There are several ways you can participate:

  • Sign up for a two-hour shift at our booth. We’ll be using SignupGenius.com again this year, details to come. Meet and greet people interested in modern quilting, and spread the word about our guild. We need at least one person for each shift, but it’s more fun with two!
  • Volunteer for booth setup. We will be coming on Wednesday, the day before the show opens, to set up our booth. Need at least two people.
  • Wrangle the quilts we’ll be displaying on the show floor. We need to keep track of the quilts we’ve received from members, but the staff at the show will do the actual hanging of the quilts.
  • Help with the flyer we’ll make available to potential members.
  • Volunteer for take-down of our booth displays on Saturday. Need at least two people.
  • Bring your modern quilts to the September meeting so we can plan how much exhibit space we’ll need. Don’t forget a hanging sleeve!

And don’t forget show and tell this Thursday! You can also bring your challenges, whether found objects, maximalism, etc. Not quite finished? You’ve got a bit more time, just be sure to bring them to the September meeting.

Last year’s booth:

Show and Tell and the Expo

Great show and tell this month!

Expo Plans

The Original Sewing and Quilt Expo takes place in Fredericksburg on September 28-30, and the guild will be there. We will have a booth to promote the guild, plus we have lots of exhibit space. We plan to display our quilt challenges for this year, as well as any modern quilts you’d like to display. Remember that larger quilts need to have a hanging sleeve attached! Here’s one method.

Quilts for the Expo can be delivered to us at the September 10th meeting, or email us to arrange a different pickup time.

We’ll need volunteers to staff the booth, as well as to help with set-up and take-down. Watch this space and your email for more information coming soon!

Quiltcon 2024

Next year’s QuiltCon will be held in Raleigh, just a few hours south of Fredericksburg, and we expect quite a few members to be there. For this upcoming show, the Guild would like to create and enter a Group/Bee quilt. The only requirement is that at least three people must work on it. Otherwise, it’s up to us – colors, size, techniques, whatever! Come to our meeting this Thursday and we can see who’s interested. Bee members can also attend the sew-in on June 24 to discuss possibilites.


Details are on the MQG website here:

Categories & Prizes

Challenges and more

 

Join us this Thursday for our monthly Guild meeting. Bring your Show & Tell and your Found Objects challenge, and hear about our next challenge (does Page 20 ring a bell with anyone??). See you at the Salem Church Library on April 13, doors open at 5:00, meeting starts at 6:00. All are welcome!

Show and tell!

This month’s meeting included a member’s very first quilt (yay!), a couple of entries in our found objects challenge, and more. Take a look!

Jan’s creative entry was made by bleaching and printing shells, as well as coffee-dying cheesecloth

Sharon was inspired by the recent balloon spying (or whatever it was!) to create her own balloons here. Ask her to tell you more about it!

The first quilt made by new quilter Renée. Well done!!

And her second qulit, also lovely! Both were quilted by our LQS, Straight Stitch Quilts.

Lori created these charming bird houses!

This is the latest creation by Linda, sparked by a class she’s been taking. Linda designed and paper pieced it, and the teacher will be including it in her new book!!

When your neighbors are having babies – two twins and a singleton, all boys – what else can you do but make a quilt? This is one of three that Linda has made this month for the new arrivals.

Reminder about our found objects challenge: Bring something to the meeting, whether it’s fabric or an object, that you will use in the challenge. It could be an old key, an interesting rock, a piece of twine, old earrings, or anything else that inspires you to create! Inspiration for this challenge comes from a book by Jane Davila. (The library owns her Art Quilt Workbook.) Check her out on Facebook at Jane Davila and on Instagram at @JaneDavila. Here’s an example of her work:

Mark your calendars for next month’s meeting, on April 13th. Bring your found objects wall quilts and anything else you’re working on!