Wednesday, February 25, 2015

February Show &Tell


Margaret has a massive case of the blues!

Karen made this adorable baby quilt

 Angie's sweet Hugs and Kisses table runner

Sara is incredibly organized storing all the pieces for this red & white quilt she's making.

Allison has been as productive as ever making this fabulous economy block, a beach themed charity quilt AND hand quilting this awesome broken herringbone.

Stephanie's sublime Hazel the Hedgehog.

Jane's been busy making bags.

Patrice shared this stunning antique quilt top she bought on eBay along with a wallet she made and her charity blocks.

Karen S has been making minis.

Natasha made this Minecraft quilt and scrappy trip around the world.

Emily went big with this drunkard's path quilt.

Judy used African wax fabric to make this quilt for a friend who trains dogs for the Boston Police.

Nathalia made a quilt for herself and these precious Valentine totes for her children.

Taz has been busy making fabric baskets of various sizes and pouches to store all her supplies for retreat.


 

Friday, February 13, 2015

February Block of the Month: Be Mine


Hi I'm Alice from alidiza.  I was one of the founding members of the guild and am best known for my love of pink,  Ghastlies obsession, and invisible join binding technique (and also for stage directing show and tell:-).  When the BMQG announced they were looking for volunteers for their BOM I immediately knew I wanted February.  This block was inspired by my Hugs & Kisses table runner.  The awesome thing about this block is that it is made entirely of a single component so while it seems like it has a lot of pieces it goes together quickly and is perfect for chain piecing.

Makes one 8 1/2" block (8" finished)
Seam allowance 1/4"

Cut the following:
8, 2 1/2" squares Red
8, 2 1/2" squares Navy
32, 1 1/2" squares White

Align a white square in the corner of a red square and sew across the diagonal.

With bigger squares I would usually draw a diagonal stitching line on the white squares.  Since these are so small I simply placed a strip of washi tape on my machine aligning the edge of the tape with the needle.  Stitch across the square starting at one corner and keeping the opposite corner along the edge of the tape.  Repeat for the remaining red squares and navy squares.

Place a white square in the opposite corner of the red square and sew along the diagonal.  Repeat for all remaining red and navy squares.

Trim 1/4" from each sewn seam.

Press your seam allowances in the same direction so they nest when sewing the blocks together.

Arrange your blocks into Xs and Os.  Sew the letters together and then sew the four letters together in to a single block.

You can check out how I turned my test version of this block into a Valentine's Day pillow on my blog.  Happy quilting!

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

January Block of the Month!

To launch our 2015 Block-of-the-Month project, here is our gorgeous January Block-of-the-Month, created by the wonderful Jen of A Quilting Jewel.  An accomplished paper piecer, Jen has taught paper piecing workshops at BMQG meetings and elsewhere, and her quilts have been featured in McCall’s Quilting, Fat Quarterly, American Quilter, Modern Quilts Unlimited and Quilty Magazine.  You can find her other tutorials and patterns here.


This pattern is paper-pieced, but don't be intimidated!  It's a simple block with just 4 pieces per section.   

You can find the FREE download for this pattern as well as detailed instructions for this block here:  http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/quilting/home-decor/prism-dust/131313

If you're following along with us for this BOM, we'd love to see your finished blocks!  Post them on our Flickr group here:  https://www.flickr.com/groups/1795594@N21/

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Earth Day challenge announced

Our April 11 meeting will fall on Earth Day, so we are challenging members to create a "quilt" from recycled or upcycled materials.

This challenge is limited only by your imagination.  Entries need not be traditional quilts, with a back, front, and batting.  They should simply represent your own interpretation of something "quilt-like".

inspiration: artist Alisa Burke's sweater blanket.  via 

























Find additional inspiration on our BMQG Pinterest Earth Day Challenge board.

Participants should bring entries to share during our April show-and-tell.   Everyone who makes an entry will be entered in a drawing for a prize drawn at random.