Fall Quilt Market: An Insider's View



Photo courtesy of True Up



I know Fall Quilt Market is long past but as fabrics that debuted there are now starting to ship I've been thinking about it again. Tina, one of our amazingly talented members, is a fabric designer and was lucky enough to attend.   She has published a series of posts for True Up so you can read about her experience here:

http://www.trueup.net/2012/quilt-market/fall-quilt-market-2012-intro-tina-g/

http://www.trueup.net/2012/quilt-market/fall-quilt-market-2012-sew-liberated/

http://www.trueup.net/2012/quilt-market/fall-quilt-market-2012-clothworks/

http://www.trueup.net/2012/quilt-market/fall-quilt-market-2012-daisy-janie/

http://www.trueup.net/2012/quilt-market/fall-quilt-market-2012-adornit/

http://www.trueup.net/2012/quilt-market/fall-quilt-market-2012-betz-white/

http://www.trueup.net/2012/quilt-market/fall-quilt-market-2012-cloud-9/

http://www.trueup.net/2012/quilt-market/fall-quilt-market-2012-lecien/
 

This year Tina also designed her own gift wrap on Spoonflower.  I can't pick my favorite, they're all fabulous!

If you haven't had a chance to meet the delightful Tina yet you should definitely track her down at our next meeting.  Until then, you can see more of what she's been up to at Boston Sewer .

Happy Holidays!

Christmas Tree quilt by Laurie Matthews. Pattern available from the fabulous Ann Kelle.

Comfort Quilt for Signe

When Alexis received the devastating news that a friend's daughter was about to undergo cancer treatments she immediately knew what she wanted to do... make a comfort quilt!  Two year old Signe had been diagnosed with brain cancer that had spread to her spine.  Signe was already scheduled to start treatments so Alexis wanted to get the quilt to her quickly.  Of course she reached out to her quilty peeps in the BMQG for help. 

Her only requirements: wonky, scrappy square blocks that finish to 9.5" in a variety of cheerful, girly colors.  Aimee, Alice, and Rebecca all responded and within a week she had enough blocks to make this beautiful quilt. 

Alexis sashed them in white and made this adorable backing. Rebecca made the binding and Linda generously donated time on her longarm  and helped Alexis to quilt and machine bind the quilt.  In no time at all this beautiful quilt was on it's way to Minnesota.

Her Dad reported "when Signe saw her quilt I pointed out some of the different features and she just grabbed it and rolled around in it with this smile."  All the thanks any of us ever needed!

December Meeting Recap

Do you ever wonder what goes on at our sew-ins?  Here are a few shots from our holiday gathering and sewing day...

Taz gets my vote for most organized quilter.  She not only brought everything she needed to sew these beautiful Christmas ornament blocks she brought her own (adorable) pressing station.

Natalie tacked the binding on her quilt while Laurie made an adorable stuffed holiday gift for someone special.

Jen, Jane and Karen were sewing up a storm...

and Liz went wild chain piecing these fabulous blocks together!

Of course, not all of us were quite as productive;-)  Some of us just came to enjoy the snacks, sewing themed conversations and lots of quilty eye candy.  Pictures of a truly fabulous show and tell are coming soon.  Join the fun, our next meeting will be Saturday, January 19th.

Madrona Road Challenge

A big package from NYC came this week from Michael Miller fabrics.  I kind of freaked out a little because my husband found it on our doorstep and my first reaction was to say, "I don't know what this is!  I didn't order any fabric!"  I was so happy to realize that our guild was accepted to participate in the Madrona Road challenge.  Fourteen participants from our guild received small cuts of each print.  Originally, there was an overall deadline to complete the project, but now guilds have more flexibility and the BMQG will present completed projects at the February 16 meeting.  Here are the guidelines:

• Complete a sewn project from the Madrona Road fabrics - a quilt is encouraged but you can make any sewn item.
• You are allowed to use solids or other Madrona Road prints - do not add other prints to your project.  If you want to purchase additional MR fabrics to supplement what you already received, that is fine.
• Present your item at the February meeting - if you cannot attend, please email Alice a picture of your item so that it can appear on the guild blog. 

I am so excited to see what everyone creates - this is going to be fun! 

Get away with the BMQG

There's still time to sign up for our 2013 retreat weekend. Our retreat is a weekend long get-away to the Franciscan Guest House in Kennebunkport, ME. This is always a fun weekend and a great way to get to know the other members.

Dates: March 14 or 15 - 17, 2013. New this year: We have the option of extending our stay to 3 nights if you wish. You can arrive on Thursday and stay through Sunday, instead of the standard Friday through Sunday. We don't all have to take this option - just the people who have the flexibility to do so.

Rates: (tax included): Single rooms: $160.50 for 2 nights, $240.75 for 3 nights. Double rooms (to be shared with a roommate): $107 per person for 2 nights, $160.50 per person for 3 nights. Please note on doubles: you and your roommate need to both agree on the 2 night or 3 night option. You may not split this up. Check in time: 1:00PM for the sewing room, 3:00PM for your room. You may leave whenever you wish on Sunday.

A $50 deposit is required by DECEMBER 16th to reserve your spot at this amazing event. The retreat is only open to paid BMQG members. Pro-rated membership is still available. Contact Rebecca at bostonmqg@gmail.com for details.

Find out more on Big Tent. If you are new to the guild, please don't feel shy about coming. This is a fabulous way to get to know us:-)

Google It

What started as a joke became this incredible quilt.  The fabulously talented Liz of Goddess in Progress was looking to make something "a little more masculine" for her husband when she landed on the idea of reproducing the Google logo.  While a bit of a departure from Liz's usual style of improv pieced quilts her sense of humor still shines through.

What takes this quilt from something fun and campy to truly amazing is the quilting.  Each colored section of the front got a different quilting treatment. 


Liz matched her thread on the front of the quilt for a subtle effect which totally pops on the mostly solid gray back.  Her woodgrain quilting is awesome!!!

 Even the binding is perfectly planned with just a shot of color. 

You can follow this link to learn more about the Google quilt or just Google it;-)

Even More November Show & Tell

I knew you'd be back for more... who could resist so much quilty goodness;-)

Jen of A Quilting Jewel started quilting when she was in high school.  Here is her first quilt and her most recent project.  Things sure have changed:-)

Kendra got her start "borrowing" scraps from her Mom, a home ec teacher.  I'd like to raid her scrap bin;-)

Allison shared her fabulous Tokyo Subway Map quilt.  This quilt is made of 1,600 2" squares!

Julie showed off her mad free-motion quilting skills with this fabulous mini quilt and also brought this lovely circle quilt.

Gretchen reminded us that Christmas is almost here with this adorable strip quilt.  There are still 29 crafting days until Christmas;-)  Don't forget you can join us for our December meeting with extended sewing hours AND this month's sew-in at Jen's.  Details on the Upcoming Events tab.

Are you feeling inspired yet?

Congratulations!!!

Welcome Johann, the newest junior member of the BMQG.  Mom and quilter extraordinaire, Alexis of materials and method is going to have her hands full with two boys.  And what a lucky boy he is, check out that fabulous quilt he's hanging out on.  This stunning Irish Chain is a very special gift from the insanely talented Rebecca of Parsley is the New Black.  We can't wait to meet the new kid on the block;-)

November Show & Tell

Our November meeting was a Member's Showcase and everyone was invited to bring items that told their quilting journey.  The response was phenomenal, we were treated to a fabulous display of quilts.  It was so extensive, due to time constraints at our meeting location we weren't able to see what everyone had brought.  Our sincere apologies to those who didn't get a chance to share.  We will definitely continue what we started so we hope you will join us again.

The lovely Liz of Goddess in Progress kicked things off with this super cute pillow she made for a swap with friends she made at Sewing Summit. 

Gillian shared this fantastic quilt... and it's other front:-)

Ruby shared the beautiful photo collage quilt she made for her mother and her curved piecing project.

The adorable Eema decided it was time to play some before she dies and took up quilting:-)  She's definitely having fun with this quilt!

Trish brought both these amazing quilts...  Simply stunning!

Taz shared this fabulous hexagon quilt made entirely with Echino.

There were too many quilts for one post so check back again soon to see more of the fabulousness:-)

Look at us grow!

Courtesy of Goddess in Progress

We had a huge turnout for our November meeting with 30 fabulous quilters in attendance!!!  It was so fun to meet so many new friends who share our passion for quilting and hear their quilt stories. 

We received 17 amazing pincushions for the MQG swap.  It's amazing to see all the different ideas people came up with for their pincushion.  I know everyone in the swap is going to love these and I can't wait to see what we get back!

We'll be posting pictures from our show and tell over the next week.  Apologies to everyone who didn't get to share, we hope you'll come back for our December Meeting.  The December meeting will be our holiday gathering. We will have an official meeting from 1-3 with show and tell and time to socialize. Please consider bringing a snack to share. Need some time to make your holiday gifts or just want to sew with friends? Join us anytime between 11 and 5 for open sewing time. We have plenty of space to set up your sewing machine and sew or take advantage of the gym floor to baste your quilt.  Details available on the Events Page.

November 17 BMQG Member Showcase at Robbins Library

Just a quick reminder to everyone concerning our November 17th meeting at the Robbins library in Arlington:  we will be meeting in the basement community room from 1-3 and having a "Member Showcase," i.e. massive show and tell.  All members are welcome to bring items from home that will tell more about their quilting journey- this can be anything from the first quilt you made, a stack of favorite fabrics you are too afraid to cut into, or your latest WIP.  A special thanks in advance to those members (many of them very new to the guild!) who offered to participate - I know I am really looking forward to getting to know everyone better.

Things to bring:

• Your pincushion for the inter-guild swap (make sure you follow the directions found in this post.)
• Nametag (if you've made one).
• Member showcase items.
• Regular show and tell items.  Everyone can participate and entries are now welcome for the "Precious/WIP" guild challenge. 

See you there. 

P.S.  Call me an enabler, but as an FYI for the newer members - there is a fabric shop right near the libary that carries modern fabrics called "Fabric Corner." You may want to plan on checking it out.

BMQG in the Blogger's Quilt Festival

Have you been checking out all the fabulous quilts at the Blogger's Quilt Festival? 

There were so many fabulous entries but it comes as no surprise that our own Amy of During Quiet Time was a winner in the Favorite Home Machine Quilted Category for her Indie Vibrations Quilt.  If you've been lucky enough to see this one in person you know just how fabulous this quilt really is!


You can get a better idea of how amazing her quilting is from the back.

 

Congratulations also to Jen of A Quilting Jewel.  Her Dazzling Diamonds quilt was nominated as a Favorite Doll/Mini Quilt.  Again, no surprises as this lovely quilt won the Viewer's Choice award in the BMQG Mini Quilt Challenge at the Lowell Quilt Festival. 

This Week with the BMQG

So many exciting things are happening!

SMQG Show & Tell, Rebecca's Hexy Rings

Come to the November Sew-in this Thursday night, 7 pm at my house in Acton.  Since it's a little chilly for sewing on the porch we'll move it downstairs to my basement.  I've got plenty of space so you are welcome to bring your machines.  Please RSVP to alice@alidiza.com so that I can be sure to have enough tables setup for everyone to work. 

by Stephanie at Simple Sewendipity

If you're not sure what to work on this week, don't forget that pincushions are due for our swap at the November meeting on the 17th in Arlington.  Need a little inspiration?  Check out this fabulous Circle of Geese pincushion from Sew Neat by Caryn!

Photo courtesy of the Modern Quilt Guild

Finally, the Modern Quilt Guild has announced their Winter 2012 Fabric Challenge - Madrona Road by Violet Craft.  The challenge will run December 1 - January 31st.  A limited number of guilds will be able to receive free fabric.  Please leave a comment on this Big Tent Topic by November 13th if you plan to participate.

Modern Quilters Meet Alissa

Linda, Laurie, Alissa, Rebecca, Alice & Amy

We were so lucky to have the opportunity to meet the fabulous Alissa Haight Carlton today.  If you haven't been paying attention, Alissa is the co-founder and Executive Director of The Modern Quilt Guild and author of two modern quilting books, Block Party and Modern Minimal.  

Alissa took us through the evolution of her quilting style... from her early obsession with wonky log cabin blocks to the mind-blowing realization that a quilt top can be a single block rather than a grid of individual blocks. 

It was also fun to see her style evolve from prints that were actually touching each other (something she now cringes at)...  to prints touching solids... to all solids.

Alissa also shared her experience writing the book Block Party which has inspired many modern quilting bees and how she and Latifah Saafir started the MQG.  Now with over 100 local guilds worldwide and QuiltCon on the horizon it's great time to be a modern quilter.  Stay tuned, we hear some exciting events will finally be making their way to the East Coast!

A huge thank you to the Seacoast Modern Quilt Guild for generously inviting us to join them for this wonderful event and to Alissa (and Cate and Gabe) for making time while on vacation to visit with us!!!