• March 2019 Meeting Recap

    Our March guild meeting was both informative and inspiring. We began the meeting with a reminder about the upcoming workshops.

    Join Pam Rocco in her Home Plates block workshop on April 13, 2019. Use her templates to create a variety of quilt layouts! Please arrive at 9:30 am to setup. Class begins at 10:00 am. $35 members/$45 non-members.

    Registration is also open for the tiny piecing (and hand quilting workshops, taught by Chawne Kimber on June 14th and 15th. Be sure to sign up for her trunk show, hosted by the guild on Friday, June 14th. Registration for the trunk show is free, but you must sign up to attend.

    Karen with Machine Medics shared some details about her mobile machine repair business.  She and her husband do local pickup and return for sewing machine repairs and parts replacement. For further info, they can be contacted at machinemedicssc@gmail.com.

    Lori shared with us about her QuiltCon adventures in Nashville.  A number of our guild members were in attendance this year, and had a great time despite the rainy weather. There were lots of great vendors, and so many beautiful quilts.  Our very own Karen had a block in the Best In Show quilt, Smile, a group quilt submitted by MQG member Leanne Chahley.

     
     
     
     
     
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    A post shared by Karen (@capitolaquilter) on

    Registration for our annual retreat was a success!  The retreat is scheduled a bit earlier this year than prior years, on September 5-8, 2019.  It will be at Happy Valley Conference Center in Santa Cruz, CA.  We look forward to having lots of quilty fun with all of our attendees!

    Judy and Terri shared the BOTEOM  – Improv block instructions.

     
     
     
     
     
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    Judy @jblrdllo and Terri @tsmithp showed instructions for the next #boteom The color scheme is Emerald City 💚💚💚#sbamqg

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    We hope you’ll make one or three or a handful of blocks and add yourself to the block lotto taking place in May.

    And last, we had Sew & Tell, a time to showcase the talent of our guild members.  

     

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    Sew and Tell began with Pam! #sbamqg

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  • Block of the Every Other Month – Improv Block

    Our newest block of the month is Improv Block, brought to us by Judy and Teri.

    How to get started: 

    • Use the instructions below to make your block.
    • Our color palette for this month is Emerald City. Use solids from the color palette below for your background. Any brand is fine.
    • Complete as many blocks as you’d like.  Each block is an entry into the drawing for the block lotto.
    • Bring your finished block(s) to the May meeting for a chance to win them all during the block lotto!

    We can’t wait to see what you make and what unique layout the winner will choose!

    Block Instructions:

    1. Choose medium gray solids for your background fabrics. If it looks like medium gray to you, it is.  Cut a bunch of 7” squares.  You’re not going to want to stop at one.
    2. Cut off one corner of each square, being sure to vary the angle of the cuts.   Resist the urge to stack the squares and make only one corner cut.  This is improv!
    3. Search your stash for prints and solids in (or near) the project colors. We have included black-and-white fabrics for added interest.
    4. Cut selected fabrics into strips of varying widths. (Maybe ¾” to 1.5”) Wonky cuts are great.
    5. HINT: If you cut the strips for all of your blocks up front, you can take the squares and strips to your machine and create as you sew.
    6. The number of strips in each block and their placement order are entirely up to you.  Randomness reigns!
    7. Is the tip missing?  Just add a scrap and trim it up to finish off the block.
    8. After all strips have been sewn to your satisfaction, square the block to 6.5”. Press all seams toward the strip corner.

    You. Are. Done!

    The blocks are ready for the lucky winner to mix them up.  We hope that you will so enjoy making this simple (but dramatic) block, that you will want to make hundreds!  (Perhaps a small exaggeration)

  • Block of the Every Other Month – Foreign Language

    Our newest block of the month is Foreign Language – designed by our very own Lynne Nostrant. Lynne’s inspiration for this block was “Magic Inch Quilts.” You can see a tutorial from Bill Kerr and Weeks Ringle of Modern Quilt Studio to learn how to make similar blocks.

    How to get started: 

    • Use the photos and instructions below to make your block.
    • Our color palette for this month is Yellow Submarine. Use solids from the color palette below for your background. Any brand is fine. For the 1″ strip, use Kona Oyster (some was distributed at the meeting.)
    • Complete as many blocks as you’d like.  Each block is an entry into the drawing for the block lotto.
    • Bring your finished block(s) to the March meeting for a chance to win them all during the block lotto!

    We can’t wait to see what you make and what unique layout the winner will choose!

    Foreign Language Block Instructions

    1. Start with a 7×10 inch piece of your solid background color: Sunflower, Navy, Persimmon, Rose, Emerald. If you plan to make severely angled cuts or curved cuts, use an 8×11 piece as you will lose some when you trim. You will also need a one inch strip of letter fabric for each block. The length of that strip depends on how many cuts you make. Plan on one 1”x 40” for each block and you should be safe.
    2. Starting at least one inch from the sides, make between 1- 5 cuts in the background. (See examples) You can use a ruler or cut freehand.

    3. Label the pieces in your preferred manner, thinking about the order you will sew them together, as you will sew the smaller pieces together before the longer ones.

    4. Using a one inch strip of the letter fabric (Kona Oyster), sew one side of the strip to piece 1, then the other side of that strip to piece 2. Repeat for successive pieces. Ironing the seam allowance toward the letter fabric will make the letters pop out of the background a little. If you are using an accurate 1/4 inch seam allowance, your seams should exactly meet in the middle when pressed flat on the back.

    Note: If you will be using curved piecing, you must cut your letter fabric on the bias or your blocks will not lay flat.
    1. After pressing, trim your block to exactly 6.5 x 9.5 inches.
    Tips:
    Use painter’s tape for numbering your pieces, always placing the number in the upper left of the fabric for orientation. Just don’t sew or iron over it! For complicated piecing with several cuts, take a picture with your phone for reference. It can be confusing, especially with solid fabric.
    Registration marks in the seam allowance help to line up pieces for angled or curved cuts.
    You can use a 6.5 inch wide ruler for the first trimming to easily trim both sides. Then turn it and have a straight line to use for finding the 9.5 inch mark.
    If you find that your block is a little short, just add in another one inch Oyster strip, followed by at least one inch of your background color.
  • Block of the Every Other Month – Water Slide

    Our newest block of the month is Water Slide, designed by our very own Pam Rocco!

    How to get started: 

    • Access the Water Slide Templates and basic instructions written by Pam Rocco. Print the templates for use while making your block. Make sure your printer is set to print with no scaling, or 100% scale to ensure the templates are the correct size.
    • Use the photos and basic instructions below to complete your block.
    • Our color palette for this month is Arctic Winter.  Use solids or prints from the color palette below.
    • Complete as many blocks as you’d like.  Each block is an entry into the drawing for the block lotto.
    • Bring your finished block(s) to the January meeting for a chance to win them all during the Block Lotto!

    We can’t wait to see what you make and what unique layout the winner will choose!

     

    Water Slide Block Tutorial

    1. Using the templates linked above, cut your fabrics for one or more blocks.  Be sure to add 1/4″ seam allowance on all sides when cutting your fabrics.

     

    2. Place piece A and B right sides together and sew along the curve using a 1/4″ seam allowance.

     

    3. Press seam to either side.  Congratulations!  You’ve completed one block. Please do not sew blocks together as illustrated on the templates page.

     

    We look forward to seeing your blocks!

     

  • 2018 QuiltCon Charity Quilt

    The South Bay Area Modern Quilt Guild Charity Quilt Committee worked together to design, sew, and share a quilt that we are all proud of. The Modern Quilt Guild challenged us to create a quilt that reflected modern traditionalism. The design committee met in early July and decided that the orange peel block would be a fun way to incorporate the theme into our overall design. L to R below: Gabrielle, Tina, Pat, Isabelle, Renee, Mickey, and Karen

    We thought it would be fun to use 3”, 6”, and 12” orange peel blocks. The varied sizes allowed us to play with the overall layout and add interest to the design. We chose vibrant colors from the palette offered by the MQG – yellow, orange, pink, magenta, and violet. Our members worked hard over the summer to create many awesome blocks for our quilt. At the September guild sew day, we worked on our layout.

    The first weekend of October was our Charity Quilt sew day. The charity quilt committee members worked together to create the final layout and construct the quilt top. We had fun moving the blocks around, playing with color and shape, to come up with just the right layout. Pictured below are committee members Mickey, Laura, Pat, Barbara, Isabelle, Lori, and Karen.

    Once the quilt top was complete, it was handed off to Laura Ryle for quilting. She worked over the month of November to add beautiful quilting and texture that perfectly complimented our block design. Our guild president, Chelsea, added a the binding and label and Lynne added the hanging sleeve. Pam Rocco took photos of the finished quilt, then packed it and shipped it off to the MQG for display at QuiltCon!

    The charity quilts at QuiltCon are such a beautiful representation of the diverse and talented members of Modern Quilt guilds around the world. Our quilt was displayed in the lecture room, along with many beautiful others.

    The 2018 South Bay Area Modern Quilt Guild charity quilt was donated to Happiness Is A Warm Hug. The local group collects donation quilts, fabrics, and pillowcases, and distributes them to families that were victims of the 2017 Napa and Santa Rosa fires.

    Thank you so much to all the participants of the 2018 Charity Quilt committee, and all those from the guild who participated in creating this beautiful quilt. We hope you’ll join us as we get started creating our quilt for next year!