SBAMQG 2018 Charity Quilt

We’d love for you to contribute!

For the 2018 Charity Quilt, we will design a quilt top using your orange peel blocks. You can use a template or improvise, but please follow these guidelines:

• Use the color palette above (and only those five colors), including solids or modern prints that read as solids. For this quilt, please no batiks, white, or off white. The official challenge page has some more details on this color palette:  https://www.quiltcon.com/charity-quilt-challenge/
• Blocks should be made with two fabrics and must be pieced, not appliqued. (photo above)
• Blocks should be 3.5″, 6.5″, or 12.5″ unfinished. Please leave at least 1/4 inch around the orange peel, so we don’t lose your beautiful work in the seams!
• To include them in the charity quilt, please bring them to the August or September guild meeting.

For some ideas on how to complete an orange peel block or tips on curved piecing, please visit the following tutorials:

http://sisterschoice.typepad.com/sisters_choice_quilts/2015/01/orange-peel-block.html

http://colorgirlquilts.com/2013/12/curved-piecing-tutorial.html

http://www.caliquilter.com/2011/01/beware-of-curves.html

In addition, we created some 3″ and 6″ templates you are welcome to use.

http://brightlittlefishquilting.blogspot.com/2017/07/orange-peel-templates.html

Interested in finding out more details on the official color palette:

https://www.quiltcon.com/charity-quilt-challenge/

-2018 SBAMQG Charity Quilt Committee

We South Bay Area Modern Quilt Guild members are getting excited for QuiltCon West, 2016! This annual quilt show, presented by the Modern Quilt Guild, is happening in California this year – Pasadena, to be specific – and we are getting ready for four days of fun, artistry, creativity, lectures, exhibits, workshops, volunteering, shopping, and a world of modern quilts!

Each Modern Quilt Guild chapter (more than 150 of them) has been diligently working to finish a charity quilt to be shown at QuiltCon then donated to a local charity after the show is over. Here at the SBAMQG, our charity quilt committee has been doing fantastic work all year for this great cause. Here is the story of our 2016 QuiltCon charity quilt:

Our charity quilt committee, led by the incomparable Pam Rocco, has been meeting periodically throughout the past year to plan and complete two beautiful donation quilts and this is the second of the pair. Pam and her group of quilters came up with a plan to use wedge-shaped pieces for our “Improv with intent” themed quilts this year. They chose three colors from the selection given by the MQG in order to stick with a simple, minimal look.

Committee members Donna Lehnhoff, Katherine Moody, Pam Stein, and Karen Foster share their design plan and demonstrate how our guild members can participate in the making of the quilt by building rows of wedges.

Our super organized committee even put together packets with guidelines and tips for making the improv rows.

Pam Stein shows off more packets.

Here are committee members, Tami Levin, Pam Rocco, Carole Kelley, Karen Foster, Lori Green, and Jeannie Land, hard at work.

The finished quilt top was then sent to our secret weapon, Tami Levin of The Quilted Lemon, for its finishing treatment: long arm quilting in a wonderfully curvy design for a soft, beautiful texture.

Here is the quilt on Tami’s machine.

Such a great marriage of lines and curves!

The fun, bright, circles on the back really add a lot to the finished quilt.

The binding and hanging sleeve were completed by Mickey Beebe, the label was completed by Brenda Cornell, and we are now proud to present our 2016 QuiltCon charity quilt, “Dovetailed!”

(photo credit Tami Levin, Pam Rocco, Karen Foster, Renee Tallman)

The SBAMQG charity quilt committee spent most of their summer working on the planning and execution of charity quilts. The first quilt has been finished and delivered and we are proud to share the news here on the blog.

We are so fortunate to have the talented SBAMQG member, Pam Rocco, as our charity committee leader this year. Pam suggested the use of wedges in the design for this year’s charity quilts. After a collaboration of ideas, the committee came up with parameters for the quilt and ultimately decided on a very unique and modern original design by member, Karen Foster:

Naturally, the concept was well received, so Pam and Karen got started. The girls worked tirelessly at sew days both at home and at our guild’s favorite spot for group sewing: The Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County, in Aptos.

The wedge units were cut, sewn, and assembled into strips.

Here are Pam and Karen, hard at work.

The strips were sewn together.

And the quilt top was built.

Looks pretty great, right?

It was quilted by Linda Barbin, and bound and labeled by Lynne Nostrant.

Pam showed the quilt at SBAMQG Sew and Tell this month. The cheery backing fabric really enhances the quilt!

The name, “Castles in the Sand,” was suggested by member, Laura Ryle, and chosen by the committee as a perfect moniker for this lovely, beachy quilt.

Pam delivered the quilt to Caroline’s Non-Profit Thrift Shop, a wonderful organization that will use it to raise money for Santa Cruz County non-profits that have programs and/or services for children with special medical, developmental, or psychological needs.

(photo credit Karen Foster)

Once again, our guild was called on to stitch and create in the name of community.  Heather Ross, a favorite fabric designer who hails from Santa Cruz was asking our community to help support her sister.  On her blog she writes:

“My twin sister, Christie Danner, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Her prognosis is very good. Unfortunately, her insurance (the private, catastrophic sort) is not. Christie is a mother of three and works full time as an advisor and intervention counselor at a high school in the Santa Cruz mountains, and is an integral part of her close knit community She is also the glue that binds my (somewhat functionally challenged) family together. She is never the person that asks for help, she is aways the one who gives it.”

Naturally, we sprung into action!  Susan came up with a concept, a block size and a deadline.  She gave direction and we all started making 15″ low-volume blocks with a sprinkle of navy.  Off we went, and soon we had the blocks made.  Karen and Susan got together and pieced them together.

Nice work!  For more close-ups of individual blocks, you can see them on our Flickr page HERE (link has been disabled).

Susan from SueDee’s was incredibly generous by donating her beautiful  quilting.

Photo by Adrianne Ove, Little Bluebell.

Our quilt was one of many many donated items from all over the country.  Crafters and companies gave generously.  It was an incredible evening all stemming from the incredible energy that goes into these things.  The crafting community is a generous, giving bunch and it was that feeling that was in the air.  Heather was auctioneer for the larger ticket items and it couldn’t have been more fun to watch her happily saying “Going once….twice….SOLD!”  for the first time ever.

The most heated auction item was easily for this incredible quilt made by our own Anne Sullivan.  The Jumbo-er Star

There were two bidders who fiercely wanted this quilt, and finally one bidder relented and it sold for $325!  Way to go Anne!

Heather and her family were there to celebrate and enjoy the evening, and we’re so glad we were part of this fabulous project.