As QuiltCon Together has now officially come to a close, we thought we’d share our finished Community Outreach (formerly known as Charity) Quilt with everyone!
This year’s quilt presented a unique situation as we have all been apart due to the pandemic. So, with that in mind, we gave our members a very broad framework in which to make their blocks – minimum 9″ blocks with at least one curve and makers could use as many or as few of the included fabrics. Blocks could be created using any technique that the maker wanted to use. Chosen fabrics were cut, put into 2 block kits, and then mailed out to members who wanted to participate.
Blocks were made by 26 guild members and were all mailed back to our charity coordinator Kristyn Jansen who trimmed them all to the same size. They were then arranged and assembled into the quilt top by Jen Collins, Colleen Molen, and Kristyn at a distanced sew day. We then handed off the quilt to member Chris Broehmer who longarm quilted it for us. It then went back to Kristyn to be trimmed, faced, and then photographed for submission.
San Diego MQG 2021 QuiltCon Community Outreach Quilt (Front)
Quilt Statement:
San Diego Modern Quilt Guild – “Twists and Turns”
In this unpredictable year of together apart, our members were challenged to create blocks of the same size using curved piecing and to use any technique that they would like to achieve the curved element in their block. They were not given any direction beyond “include at least one curved element.”
We did not know what these blocks would look like or how they would work together with such a broad prompt, but they came together to create flow and movement throughout the quilt. Though we’re not physically together to create, we’re many voices still able to make connection with a shared purpose.
We had the pleasure of seeing so many of your beautiful faces on Valentine’s Day for our February guild meeting. It was a lot of fun spending the morning with you! But if you missed it, this is what we covered…
Membership
First up! If you still need to renew your membership, now is the time to do it! Because we have to submit our records to the global guild, if you don’t register and pay your dues by the end of February you will lose your MQG access. Hadley and Nancy will be reaching out by the end of the month to anyone missing either dues or registration since it is a two-step process. If you would like us to take you off of our contact list, let us know that as well. The membership renewal link is here.
QuiltCon Together
QuiltCon Together kicked off February 18th and runs through February 22nd. You can see who may be taking the same classes as you on the spreadsheet that was sent with our February newsletter. We can’t wait to hear what you all think of the classes, lectures and the virtual quilt show! We are hosting a virtual happy hour on Sunday, February 21st at 3:30pm on zoom. Members – Check your emails for the zoom link. And be sure to check out our contribution to the Community Outreach Challenge! We’ll be sharing more about our quilt this week!
National Quilting Month
More details to come, but we hope you will help us celebrate National Quilting Month in March. We will be holding a special month-long Instagram challenge throughout March. The challenge will be focused on Quiltcon Together inspiration (including classes, lectures, gallery quilts, new techniques or products, or social media posts) and entries will earn you entries for prizes! Use the hashtag #SDMQGcelebratesNQM
Postcard Swap
As a way to keep us together while we have to stay apart, we are hosting a postcard swap! Registration for the swap must be completed by February 22nd so we can send you your partners mailing information. This will be a random swap – you don’t need to make your card for any specific person, just make something that makes you happy and we’ll send you a guild mate’s address to send it to. Sign ups are here. Don’t delay!
Sue also provided a few helpful tips to keep in mind:
Most common size is either 4” x 6” or 5” x 7”
Filler: Peltex, Pellon 72F, 2 sided fusible, felt, or USE WHAT YOU HAVE!
Piece the top. Best to make it a little bigger so you can square up to desired finished size.
Use an Applique pressing sheet if you use fusible Peltex. Place Peltex on an Applique pressing sheet. Iron top of Postcard in place. Turn over and iron Backing to the other side of Peltex.
Binding is cut at 2 ¼”. Tuck one end inside the other.
Sew on with a ¼” seam allowance.
All About Zippers!
Sue also gave us a super informative overview all about the zipper! She put together a great handout about swapping out your zipper pulls that you can access here.
This trimester (January – April) we are supporting the Ronald McDonald House. Kristyn put together another great group block kit (which you can read about here). All the kits have now been handed out and are due back to Kristyn by the March meeting. We are also accepting all sizes of quilts for this trimester’s drive. These quilts are intended for children of all ages.
As a reminder we are also holding an ongoing potholder drive this year to support the Community Resource Center’s Holiday Baskets program. This is a great time to use up orphan blocks! You can read more about this project, suggested materials and see Sue’s pdf tutorial here.
Finally, have a quilt that doesn’t fit with this trimester’s drive? No worries! All of your beautiful and generous guilt donations are always welcome. Any charity questions or requests for supplies can be sent to Kristyn at [email protected]
Sew and Tell
As always, we saw a beautiful range of projects from our members, including the following:
Angela D. has been on a finishing streak! Her Liberty quilt was a stunner.
We also had some great scrap quilting ideas, including this one from Stacey S.
And this leaders and enders project by Lauren M:
Susan K also shared her 2019 UFO swap finish. She picked up a set of orphan blocks from another member and turned them into this super modern finish!
Breakout Rooms
We wrapped up the meeting with a couple rounds of breakout sessions where we had the chance to chat in small groups. We discussed our plans for Quiltcon Together as well as discussed some of our favorite quilting books. Some of the books discussed in one of the breakout rooms included:
We held our first meeting of 2021 on Sunday, January 10th via Zoom. We were so excited to see so many new and returning faces! While we are sad we cannot yet meet in person, we are so glad that the technology exists to allow us to still “meet” and be inspired by each other while we remain distanced.
Starting off, we wanted to be sure that everyone could put a face to the new 2021 board!
President – Priscilla Dulin: Our faithful leader! She is in charge of running our monthly meetings as well as guiding the direction of the guild.
VP Operations – Hadley Mendoza Miklos: Hadley is in charge of all things membership! But she is also playing a critical role of streamlining our guild’s communications and organization.
VPs of Activities – Colleen Molen and Sue Bouchard: Together, Colleen and Sue will be in scheduling and organizing our activities this year including workshops, swaps, monthly demos and our end of year holiday party.
Secretary – Jen Collins: Jen will serve as the guild’s documentarian. She will be helping with newsletters, reminders and social media communications. Hi!
Treasurer/Charity Coordinator – Kristyn Jansen: Kristyn is in charge of managing the guild’s dues and finances. She is also responsible for orchestrating and managing the guild’s extensive charity effort.
Got questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out! Send all inquiries to: [email protected]
Guild Business
If you haven’t already done so, it is time to renew your membership! We are asking people to send in their registration and dues by February to ensure there is no gap in your membership. Please renew your membership here.
There is an activities survey currently open for members (link can be found in the January newsletter email). We are asking all members to complete the survey to help with the planning of this year’s activities.
Quiltcon Together happening February 18-22, 2021. The guild will be posting a list in the private facebook group, so members can share which classes they have signed up for. If members are interested, they can coordinate working together on class projects.
Charity
This trimester (January – April) we are supporting the Ronald McDonald House. Kristyn has cooked up another great group block kit. Anyone interested in participating can request a kit from Kristyn and make up two of these super cute bow tie blocks.
Read more about the group project and how to request a kit here. Otherwise, we will be accepting all sizes of quilts for this trimester’s drive. These quilts are intended for children of all ages.
We are also holding a potholder drive to support the Community Resource Center’s Holiday Baskets program. This is a great time to use up orphan blocks! Sue did a great binding tutorial for potholders during the meeting. You can read more about this project, suggested materials and see Sue’s pdf tutorial here.
Finally, have a quilt that doesn’t fit with this trimester’s drive? No worries! All of your beautiful and generous guilt donations are always welcome. Any charity questions or requests for supplies can be sent to Kristyn at [email protected]
Sew and Tell
We saw a beautiful range of projects from our members! You guys have been busy! Some crowd favorites included the following:
First-ever Christmas quilt by Pam S.
Pandemic Party Penguins by Judy L.
Angela D.’s original bloc_loc ruler quilt
All Heather Ross Freewheeling Single Girl by Hadley
Join us for our next meeting on February 14th at 11:00am on Zoom! Meeting link will be sent to members via email prior to the meeting.
For our first trimester, we will be taking quilt donations of all sizes for the Ronald McDonald House. As part of this trimester’s project, we will also be assembling group quilts made from blocks made by guild members. We have quilt block kits available for members – we will mail them out to you and then you will send them back once completed.
Our block for this trimester’s project is a Bow Tie Block, which are based on a tutorial by Cluck Cluck Sew. Each kit is made up of two blocks – one with a solid background and one with a print background.
Instructions for the blocks will be included in the kits. Blocks are due back to Kristyn by the March 14th guild meeting. We still have about 10 block kits left – if you’re interested in sewing some blocks, please email Kristyn at [email protected] with your name and number of kits.
Potholder Challenge
We sent a small donation of potholders to the Holiday Baskets program at the end of the year and they were thrilled to receive them and asked if we would send more for the upcoming year.
We’re challenging you to make a potholder to donate to this program – we have purchased the InsulBright batting that is needed for the potholders and can provide that for you. This will be a ongoing project for this year, as the potholders will not be donated until the end of the year, so join in at any point in the year!
We are asking for potholders that are around 9″ or so – we will be sending out 10″ squares of InsulBright material. This project is perfect for any orphan blocks that you might have lying around!
Not sure how to make a potholder? We’ve got a couple helpful links and our own Sue Bouchard has put together a quick tutorial for you as well, which will be available below.
Potholder Layers:
Top
InsulBright
Cotton Batting (100%)
Back
Note: Please make sure to use natural fibers (cotton/linen) as polyester will melt.
If you’re interested in participating in this potholder challenge project and are in need of InsulBright, please email Kristyn at [email protected] and include the amount of InsulBright squares you would like. Any other questions about this project can also be emailed to Kristyn.
Are you interested in joining the San Diego Modern Quilt Guild? We’d love to have you! Membership to the Modern Quilt Guild is included in your annual dues, which includes access to all the resources, webinars, and more on their website.
In order to register as a guild member:
1. Complete the 2021 registration form. Both renewing members and new members need to complete the form. Our form changes slightly each year and we want to make sure we have the most up-to-date information from you.
2. Pay membership dues ($50, or $25 after July 1) online via Venmo (preferred) or via check by mail. Details for submitting payment are provided when you submit your membership form.
Please note: to be a fully registered member of the San Diego MQG, you must submit both your registration form and dues payment.
All monthly meetings are currently held over Zoom.
We will be having our annual mini quilt swap at this year’s member holiday party on Sunday, December 6th. Sign ups will be open for this swap until Monday, October 19th, after which partner pairings will be made and then emailed out within the week.
Mini quilts for this swap should follow these guidelines:
Quilts are not holiday specific, unless your partner indicates on their form that they would like something holiday themed.
Minis should be no larger than 24″ on any side.
The quilt can be any type of shape.
Must be quilted and bound by the maker.
Should have some sort of hanging method and label on the back.
Partners will be revealed at the holiday party during the swap, so please do not reveal who you are making for until that point. The minis also do not need to be wrapped, as we will hang them up for display during the party. If you are unable to make it to the holiday party, you are still able to participate in the swap – you will just need to contact your partner closer to the party date to swap on your own.
If you’re interested in signing up for the swap, please fill out this form: Mini Quilt Swap Sign Up.
If you’re in need of some inspiration, check out our Instagram page @sandiegomodernquiltguild. Here’s a sampling of the mini quilts from last year!
We are excited to be hosting Tara Faughnan for a webinar titled “Color and Design” on Saturday, November 7th at 11:00 am.
This webinar will be open to everyone. The webinar will be free for members and $10 for guests. Guest payment can be made electronically via Venmo and payment instructions will be provided after submitting the registration form.
About the lecture: Drawing on 20 years of experience in quilting and textile design, I will share some of my approaches to the creative process, and discuss the importance of value, proportion and color when designing a quilt.
For more information about Tara, check out her website or her Instagram page @tarafaughnan.
Our next meeting will be held on Sunday, October 11th at 11:00am on Zoom. Members will receive an email this week with a link to the meeting.
Elections:
Elections for our 2021 board will take place at our October meeting. Members will be able to vote on the slate that was nominated at our September meeting.
Orange Challenge:
Our October guild challenge is to use the color orange in a project. Your sewn item does not need to be finished to be entered into the challenge. Photo submissions can be sent in using the information in your meeting link email.
Charity:
Our current charity drive is for the Riverside Chemo Lounge. We are accepting donations of lap sized quilts.
Our group quilt project for this trimester are these Starlite Blocks:
We still have a few block kits left and if you’re interested in sewing up a block, please email Kristyn at [email protected] with your address and we’ll get a kit mailed off to you. Blocks for this project are due back the week of November 8th.
QuiltCon: We’ve received a lot of our blocks back for this quilt and are excited to start arranging and putting it together. As a reminder, any outstanding QuiltCon quilt blocks are due back to Kristyn no later than October 16th.
Upcoming Events:
Tara Faughnan Webinar: We are excited to be hosting Tara Faughnan for a webinar titled “Color and Design” on Saturday, November 7th at 11:00am PST. This webinar will be open to everyone. The webinar will be free for members and $10 for guests. Registration will open on Tuesday, October 6th.
Drawing on 20 years of experience in quilting and textile design, I will share some of my approaches to the creative process, and discuss the importance of value, proportion and color when designing a quilt.
For more information about Tara, check out her website or her Instagram page @tarafaughnan.
Holiday Party and Mini Quilt Swap:
We have tentatively scheduled our annual holiday party (pandemic version) for Sunday, December 6th at 11:00am at the Alta Vista Botanical Gardens in Vista.
It will be a potluck and we will have a sign up sheet closer to the party. A rousing game of left-right-center is planned along with our mini swap.
The party will be held outside – weather permitting. If the weather is inclement we will need to postpone the party.
The 2021 QuiltCon Community Outreach (formerly charity) Quilt has been planned and was announced at this past Sunday’s guild meeting. If you missed the initial post from the MQG, this year’s theme is curves. The chosen color palette is in blues and oranges and the following is the palette we have chosen to use for our quilt:
We are asking members to make 9″ unfinished blocks (a little larger is ok as those can be trimmed down) that contain at least one curved element in the block. You can use any technique to make the block: pieced/template, improv, applique, ect. The block can be machine or hand sewn, depending on your preference or technique choice. Here are a few examples:
If you want to join in, but maybe haven’t sewn curves before (or need a refresher) or aren’t sure where to start, make sure to sign into your Member Account on The Modern Quilt Guild site and click on the “For MQG Members” tab. Under that tab is a link that says “Patterns, Webinars, & Articles” and there are some great webinar videos on curve sewing.
How to Get Involved:
We have block fabric kits available for members to sew up. Each kit will make two blocks that are 9″ unfinished.
You must commit to sewing and returning the blocks by the week of the October meeting – week of October 11th.
Limited amount of kits are available, so if you’re interested, let us know as soon as possible!
If you’re interested in sewing up some blocks for this group project, please email Kristyn at [email protected] – let her know that you’re interested in sewing up a kit and include your address so that she can mail the block kit off to you. Other questions about this project or any other charity questions can be sent to her as well.
We’re excited to be hosting Jacquie Gering for a Zoom workshop on Saturday, October 10th from 1:00pm-4:00pm.
Spaces are limited to 25 participants and are open for current San Diego MQG members. Cost of the workshop is $35 and payment instructions follow the registration form. We still have limited spaces available for members at this time. Follow the registration link below to sign up!
Jacquie will be presenting a workshop on Improv Shape Studies. In this class students will learn the free piecing improvisational technique from Quilting Modern as well as strategies to create effective compositions. Students will learn and utilize several techniques including skinny line piecing, improvisational curves, angle piecing, paneling and creating and assembling building blocks. Students will create several small improvisational studies that can be framed or used as seeds for larger compositions and quilts.
Images provided by Jacquie Gering
Signups for this workshop will be open to San Diego MQG members from Thursday, August 13th thru Thursday, August 20th at 7:00pm PDT.If the spaces for this workshop do not fully fill within that week, then spaces will fill on a rolling basis. We will start a wait list, if needed, from those that do not gain entry into the workshop via the lottery. As per our workshop policy, you must register and send in payment (once requested) to fully be enrolled in the class. A waitlist will be started once the spaces fill. As per our workshop policy, you must register and send in payment to fully be enrolled in the class.
You will be notified on how to pay for the workshop when notified it you have gained entry into the workshop, once the initial sign up window has closed.
