Holiday Fun: December Meeting of the SCMQG

'Twas a Saturday in December, and in a special place, 

the quilters were gathered to share and to taste. 

  Quilts were hung in the room which before was bare,

in hopes of attracting quilt lovers there. 

Foods were on offer, arranged with great care, 

in hopes that quilters would consume their wares.

Quilt cookies

 Then in the room, there ceased all the chatter; 

they sprang to their chairs to hear all the matters. 

Dresden Plate was the block of the month. 

"Peas in a Pod" is the January block 

 The Bolt Quilt Shop is opening the beginning of next year

 When what to their wondering eyes would appear, 

but beautiful quilts and the women who brought them here. 

Quiltcon Charity Quilt Heading to Austin

Lori's "Meadows" Quilt

Michelle's  "Meadows" Quilt

Michelle's Triangle Quilt is headed to Quiltcon in February.

Sheri's Frequency Quilt is also headed to QuiltCon

Dayna's Kaffe and Civil War prints quilt

Lisa's Irish Chains

Dresden Plate Seat Covers

Sharon's Diamonds quilt

Parthena's Michael Miller Challenge Quilt

Jennifer's Christmas Placemats

The meeting then ended with a holiday swap. 

Books, fabrics, and sewn objects are the goodies they got. 

The first official SCMQG group photo will be held dear. 

2014 has been an amazing year! 

We are official!
 Our first group photo

Alot of laughter involved in getting these. 

November Show and Tell

Our November meeting was packed with lots of information.  First and foremost, we talked about our membership in the Modern Quilt Guild.  Dues will be $50 a year, and due by December 15th.  If you haven't seen the posts on Facebook, the dues can be sent to Jennifer Greely, our treasurer. 

Dayna binding a quilt

Next, we awed and oohed over the  Quilt Con Charity Quilt that Sheri designed for our guild.  We always rise to any "challenge", especially one for charity.  Many members took time to piece together a small block and medium sized block per Sheri's measurements.  Sheri then pieced all our blocks together for the front of the quilt, and Michelle helped out with the back.  A  colorful masterpiece!  Thank you Sheri for planning it all out. We can't wait to see the quilted product.

Here is the front, 

and here is the back. 

Our charity committee chairs, Sharon and Terrie, have decided upon our December Charity Challenge.  Going forward, our monthly block challenges will be made into charity quilts.   Sharon and Terrie are looking for organizations to which we can donate.  Also, let them know if you can contribute your time to binding or quilting them. Lastly, if there are certain blocks or techniques you want to try out, let them know. Your idea may become the monthly challenge. 

Of course, no meeting is complete until the showing of the quilts.

Betsy created a  minky backed quilt for a very lucky baby. 

Sheri shared her rain inspired quilt with us. 

Maybeth discussed the process of free motion quilting on her potholders.

Christine hid behind a quilt she made with her granddaughter for a special baby brother.  

 How sweet is that? 

 Dayna showed us the front and back of a quilt made with Marcia Derse fabrics. 

Just look at all those squares on this quilt, also by Dayna. 

Sharon shared her process and thoughts about this t-shirt quilt.

Gail held up a mini-quilt of a town.  Look at all those details!

 This one she created with paint.

Gail  also regaled us with stories about her trip to the International Quilt Festival in Houston. If you weren't at the meeting and are interested in attending in the future, then talking to Gail is a must. 

Michelle displayed a strips quilt made out of Kate Spain's Solstice Fabric. 

Our next meeting will be held at the Weston Public Library on December 13th at 10:00 a.m.  It will be a holiday party.  We will be  having a swap. You can buy or make something that can cost up to $20.  You can also sign up to bring treats and supplies on our Facebook page.....and don't forget your quilts for show and tell! 

October meeting and MQG Charity Quilt

At our October meeting we distributed the fabric for the MQG's Charity Quilt challenge. All of the participating quilts will be displayed at QuiltCon in February. When this challenge was first announced, I was so enthusiastic that I immediately ordered two yards of each color. In September, we decided that Sheri would design the quilt, and we would distribute the fabric along with block instructions at the October meeting. 

We decided that each participating member would receive three fat quarters of the solids, and would then add blenders of their choice. Any leftover fabrics would be returned to be used on the back of the quilt. 

Sheri decided to use our home state of Connecticut as an inspiration for the blocks, putting them together as different sizes to form a sort of pinwheel. 

Below are some sample blocks that she brought along to show everyone. 

We are happy to report that all of the blocks have been turned in, the top and back have been finished, and will be revealed at our November meeting on Saturday. Then its off to be quilted and bound. Watch this space for more photos.