BOM, Swaps and Other Goodies

We received an enthusiastic response to our February 4 meeting! Several new activities were introduced to guide you as you explore modern quilting. With so many wonderful, new fabrics available, and an abundance of well-written on-line tutorials, there are plenty of reasons to sew!

Thank you, Sheddy, for presenting an interesting and informative program about how to make Scrappy Trip Around the World blocks - the current viral quilting rage called The Scrappy Trip-Along.

Sheddy, and 16 blocks of her Scrappy Trip Around the World

If you're interested in making your own Scrappy Trip Around the World blocks, click this link to go to Bonnie Hunter's tutorial.

On-Going Monthly Activities

Participation in the following activities is optional, and will be available every month during 2013. Information about these can also be found on the above menu tab: "Monthly Meeting Activities."

1.  A strip swap.* To each month's meeting, bring three fabric strips of quality, modern quilting cotton to trade with others. Strips should be 2-1/2" X the width of fabric (40"-44"). In lieu of a width-of-fabric strip, you may bring two strips from a fat quarter.

*Note: Strips may be used as you desire - to make Scrappy Trip Around the World blocks, or something else. Please bring creations for show and tell!

2.  A new, modern block-of-the-month (BOM)

About the BOM

One of our 2013 projects is the BAM-BOM, sponsored by the Bay Area Modern Quilt Guild (California). The first block is a 12-1/2" (unfinished) film strip block. The tutorial is here. Steering committee members, Karen and Linda made their filmstrip blocks to offer you their interpretations.

Karen recommends choosing a theme for fabrics that go into the filmstrip. She used I-Spy squares from her stash to create this block she calls "A Summer Day at the Zoo."

Linda's block has a Florida theme. After searching on Google for "Florida icons," she chose ten pictures to import into her documents (Pages, in Mac) software program. Then, she manipulated each icon to make it fit the 2-3/4" X 2-3/4" dimension of each patch. After "futzing" with the layout, she printed the designs on two pages of Printed Treasures, a paper-backed fabric cut in 8-1/2" X 11" sheets for inkjet printers. Each design was fussy-cut for sewing into the film strip block, according to the tutorial. Linda's background fabric is Moda "Simply Color" by Vanessa Christenson.

Bring your filmstrip block to our March meeting, so we can see what you created!

March 4 Meeting Activities

1. A swap;
2. Chinese auction;
3. 12-Minute Tip;
4. Program

Keep reading to learn more!

Mug rug from HappyZombie

Swap
For our March 4 meeting we're offering an optional mug-rug swap. You're asked to sew a mug rug approximately 6" X 8" or 6" X 9" or even 7" X 8". Visit the Flickr Mug Rug Madness site to get lots of inspiration. Make one or two, or more! We'll swap mug rugs at the meeting.

Note: Use the thinnest batting, or pre-washed flannel between fabric layers so glasses or mugs set on the little quilt will not be tippy.





Chinese Auction
Bring to the March meeting a dollar or two so you can join in the batting chinese auction. A variety of Warm 'n Natural products - batting, fusibles, interfacings and such - all donated by The Warm Company, will be used to begin a small fund for our chapter. Monies will be used for items such as name tags and incidental needs, until such time as dues are collected.


12-Minute Tips
At each meeting, we're sharing "12-Minute Tips." It's simply a brief educational time for members to share a favorite quilting product or notion.

Have a favorite thread? Bring it in and tell us all why you like it. Have a couple preferred ways of marking fabric? Bring those in and show us how they work. Have a favorite seam ripper? Tell us all about it. Really, it's just that easy. Sign-ups are being taken now.




March Program
"Navigating the Online Quilting Community"

By request, Linda will offer a program on technology, exploring how to:

• comment on a blog
• start a blog of your own
• create a Flickr account and upload photos

Bring your quilting/technology-related questions and we'll try to answer them.

Bring Show and Tell quilts to meetings! We love seeing them!

Karen and her foundation paper pieced quilt

See Our Logo!
We hope you've noticed our beautiful new blog header/logo. It was designed by Emma Thomas-McGinnis of Des Moines, Iowa. Emma is a professional graphic designer at ETM Creative, member of the Des Moines Modern Quilt Guild, and shares her quilted creations at Quilties. So much talent! And she generously created this for us! We love it! Thank you Emma! We're thinking that someday this logo will be a quilt. Can't you just see it?!

Free Modern Patterns
And if all this isn't enough fun for you, here's a link to a Pinterest board where you can see/find oodles of free modern quilt patterns and tutorials. Are you having a good time yet?!

See you Monday, March 4, 6:30 p.m. at Sharky's Vac 'n Sew!