Charity Quilts

 Hello All, I made the quilt pictured above using the 6 1/2" squares everyone made for our last meeting.  I was going to do some fairly simple straight line quilting on this one, in line with my skill set, unless someone is interested in quilting it.  I'm happy to donate the batting, backing, etc.  I do actually love machine & hand sewing binding, so I'm also happy to do that if you like.  Just let me know via email - faulhaber.andrea@gmail.com 

Also, the cute little green squares below are extras.  I stitched them together to form an 18 1/2" square starting point.  Just let me know if anyone's interested in turning these into a quilt for our charity project.  I have additional green & blue fabric to go with this if you'd like it.

Inwood House Baby Blankets Charity Project

Hello everybody!  Finally the overdue post with the details for our charity project this year!

We are partnering with Inwood House to provide baby blankets for their baby boutique.  Inwood House provides services to expecting mothers in the foster care system.  Their baby boutique is a place where the young women in their program can use "credit" earned through various parenting preparation classes and activities to "purchase" items for their babies.  Here are the details of how we'll be helping….

What:

(A simple, lovely baby quilt gifted to me out of love….)

We invite you to donate quilts, handmade by you and your friends.  Hand-quilted, machine-quilted, tied, pieced, whole cloth, appliqué…you decide.  Pour both your love and your lovely fabrics into these quilts.  Whether simple or complex…make them beautiful, bright and welcoming for the little ones and their mothers who will receive them.  (The paragraph in this post captures my thoughts exactly about sending our best, not our left-over and least favorites, when giving things for "charity"!  Charity after all means "love".)

Size:

Baby/crib-sized. Suggested size range is 36"x45"to 45"x54".

Where to Drop Quilts Off:

Quilts should be brought to guild meetings.  The guild will arrange for delivery to Inwood House.

Guild Goal: 

Our guild goal is 25 quilts by October 2014.  Typically 25 babies are born to mothers in Inwood House's programs each year and we'd love to have one quilt for each of them.

The Perks:

Each person who contributes to or makes a baby quilt will receive an entry in our raffle for a $100 gift certificate to City Quilter.  If we go over 25 quilts, additional items will be added to our raffle.  Let's rock it!

Questions?  Suggestions?  Resources?  Please contact Andrea at radianthoneyquilts [at] gmail [dot] com.

February Bee Block for Kim

Earamichia's block for Kim! Can't wait to see this quilt all together.

New Member Q&A with Emily Nieder

This is a new Q & A series to get to know our members.  Today, Emily Nieder talks to us about her experience as a quilter.

Q: Tell us about yourself.  Where are you from and how long have you been in our guild?
A: I grew up in the Bay Area, CA, and I’ve lived in NYC for 5 years.  I joined the guild in 2013.

 
Q: Have you always been crafty?  What other things do you make? 
A: I’ve always loved to draw, paint, and make things with my hands.  I went through a knitting phase and attempted to sew garments for myself before discovering quilting in 2012.  I love how quilting combines sewing with image design.
 
Q: Where do you sew?
A: In my living room.

 Q: What is your favorite type of project?
A: Right now I love traditional piecing and quilting feathers.  I try to make my quilts more contemporary with modern fabrics.

Q: What’s your favorite quilting tool?
A: My Quilt Halo

Q: What type of fabrics do you use most often?
A:   I like to mix different types of fabrics and care more about color and texture than whether they are modern, reproductions, or batiks.

Q: Who or what inspires you most in quilting?
A: I have learned how to quilt entirely by following classes online, mostly on Craftsy.com.  I have been inspired by the various instructors and also by my classmates; it’s great to see others’ projects and how they interpreted the same lessons that I took.

 Q: What are you working on now?
A: Butterflies!  I found this block pattern online and loved the vintage feel.


Q: What kind of projects would you like to tackle in the coming year?
A: I plan to make my first queen size quilt for my mother’s 60th birthday.  I’ve already picked out fabric that complements her curtains.

Q: Do you have a blog, flickr, pinterest, or other place on the web you’d like to share?
A: I share some of my quilts on Pinterest, username ernieder.

Judy Niemeyer Retreat with Certified Instructor Jackie Kunkel

Hi mods!
I will be attending a weekend retreat April 4-6 taught by Jackie Kunkel, so won't see you at the next meeting.
We will be making Judy Niemeyer's Feathered Star pattern. Click here for class info.

I wanted to post the link here in case anyone is interested in attending! If you plan to go, please let me know and maybe we can travel together. Olde City Quilts sent out an e-newsletter today and there are still spots open.
It's worth noting that you have to complete your cutting before you arrive. I've never done a JN quilt so the cutting/templates/layout sheets/sorting took some focus, but it clicked soon enough and now I'm almost done with my prep. (I started on it SUPER early because I was terrified I would mess it up.)

Here is a picture of the sample. I plan to do mine in a coral-aqua scheme. So excited! This is gonna be nuts!

Making progress on my EPP goals...

Well it's not quite Monday yet, but I'm hoping to link to Jess's progress check tomorrow. It's been a pretty good quilting month by my standards! Last month I set some goals, and so far I'm actually meeting them. Except that I said I needed to baste ~75 diamonds for the main part of the quilt, which I did, but I think I need another ~75 more. I've got 17 diamonds pieced for the purple rows, so as soon as I finish piecing the rest of that section (~58 more?) I can baste some more for the blue and green sections. I wonder if I can finish piecing the diamonds by the end of May?

For now, the project has taken over my dining room table so I can lay it all out at once. I couldn't help myself- when I went to buy thread, I bought some new fabric for either the border or the back. I am excited to finish this one- I really appreciate all the encouragement I'm getting from the star count crowd!

P.S. I hope no one in the guild minds my posting so much about this project on this blog, since I don't have one of my own...  See you in April!

Lucky Bee 13

April Bee Blocks for Lucky Bee 13 

and All Members of NYC MetroMod Are Invited to Participate

My niece, a quilter who lives in France and a volunteer for the  second International Festival of Extra Ordinary Textiles in Clermont-Ferrand has invited our guild to participate. Our task is to create a modern quilt that will be used during picnics to be held in the Jardin Lecoq park.  (The picnics will be done "flash mob" style with people showing up, a quilt under their arm.  Then when a text message arrives the quilts will be opened and spread on the grass!)  Ultimately all quilts will be auctioned off to benefit Doctors Without Borders.

In keeping with the Festival's theme, this event requires that quilts be made of recycled fabrics.  I have been gifted old sample upholstery/pillow/drapery fabric
which I will give to each member of Lucky Bee 13.  Additionally, I will give any member of the guild fabric, providing you make 4 blocks (4.5x8.5) and send them to me by May 10.  Quilts must be postmarked by July 31.  The festival runs Sept 20-28.

I am requesting four blocks similar to this photo.  The fabric is not as easy to work with as cotton!!!

 

If you are not in my Bee and wish to participate, please comment here.  I will 

bring packets to the April Meeting.  Hope there are some takers!

Block Lotto for April 5th Meeting . . .

Hey Mods!

Just a friendly reminder about our Block Lotto

for the next meeting.

You get one raffle ticket for each block you make.

A Polka Dot Nine Patch

9.5" unfinished.

You may make them wonky or not.

Improve or Straight.

Anything goes . . . but Nine Patches 

and 9.5" unfinished.

Please bring your donation baby quilts too!

I will be sending you an email the week before the meeting

with all the other details.  Just want you to have time to make

as many Nine Patches as you would like to enter in the lottery!

See you soon.  Lisa ox

From MN with Love

My heart melted today when I received this Love quilt from my swap partner at the Minneapolis Modern Quilt Guild.  Our hearts must be beating in tandem, because the one I made for her was so similar.  But how did she know I am crazy for string quilts???  Thank you, Chris, from the bottom of my "you know what!"

Love Swap Part Deux

Here are the Love Swaps from the

Minnesota Modern Guild!

Aren't they wonderful!

Popping them in the mail to you this week,

so keep your eyes peeled.

I purposely didn't tag the makers so you will

be surprised!

Thanks for playing along.

Lucky Bee Calendar

Hi Lucky Bee members.... I've received some requests for members to have different months than ones they're assigned.  I won't take responsibility of removing anyone, but if you're flexible and willing/able/wanting to move to another month, respond here (or at next meeting) and maybe you can do a swap.  Thanks for consideration.

Mandy's blocks

Here are my blocks for Mandy.... They were so simple and quick but fun to create.  I think her idea of floating everyone's blocks in white will be quite stunning.  Look forward to seeing them all.  Hope you like them, Mandy.... will bring to April's meeting.

New Member Q&A with Rachael Dorr

As part of our ongoing Q & A series to get to know our members Rachael Dorr talks to us today about her experience as a quilter. 

Bear Paw quilt made for a family who lost their mother - it is made from her shirts.

Q: Tell us about yourself.  Where are you from and how long have you been in our guild? 

A: I'm English but I have been in the states for 11+ years now. I live in Bronxville, NY with my husband, 3 kids & a small dog who looks like he escaped from Disney land. I joined the guild at the end of 2013.

Q: Have you always been crafty?  What other things do you make?

A:  I think so .... I like making things. Anything. It is more than cathartic for me. I started with knitting & crochet but since having kids I find the sewing aspect of things has really taken off.

Fabric Cupcakes

Q: Where do you sew? 

A: I have a small work room in our attic space. It is packed full of random materials. I never throw anything away and being able to see the carpet is rare. My longarm machine currently lives in our bedroom - my husband is thrilled about that!

 

T-shirt quilt made for a family who lost their father/grandfather/firefighter in 9/11

Q: What is your favorite type of project? 

A: My favorite projects come from when I work with grieving families - taking their loved ones clothes & turning them into quilts. It is really something else when you hand over the finished quilts and see their reactions.

Q: What’s your favorite quilting tool? 

A: I have recently discovered a drywall aluminum t-square ruler. It enables me to cut perfect right angles and enables your quilts to hang beautifully.

Q: What type of fabrics do you use most often? 

A:  Recycled clothes, scraps & anything white.

Q: Who or what inspires you most in quilting?

A:  Karen McTavish & Katie Pasquini Masopust are two people that I would love to have lessons with. But my biggest inspiration to make things comes from a toy rabbit I was given when I was very young. That rabbit came with me everywhere - I still have her - one eye missing & matted fur due to too many kisses. After so many years with this rabbit it amazes me that this hand made gift has been more important to me than many other things that have passed through my life so far. There is something about hand made things - they contain so much love & effort - ad they carry great beauty because of this.

 Kids Art Quilts

Q: What are you working on now? 

A:  4 quilts for siblings who recently lost their mother. The materials range from wool picnic blankets, childhood coats, kilts, velvet & cotton dresses .... And some fabric art projects I have done with my kids (see photos above).

Q: What kind of projects would you like to tackle in the coming year?

A: I'm a little obsessed with texture - white on white texture - I would really like to explore this in the coming year & improve my longarm skills.  

Q: Do you have a blog, flickr, pinterest, or other place on the web you’d like to share?

A: www.rachaelrabbit.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rachael-Rabbit/211740368891171

Mod Bee 3 - March Block for Hayden

Here is my block for Hayden's quilt. It was easy to make, but so much trimming! I am curious to see the other color combinations other bee members will choose. I hope you like it, Hayden! Maria

Connecticut Piecemakers Quilt Guild

The Connecticut Piecemakers Quilt Guild

will be having their

Spring Shower of Quilts XV Show

 

April 26, 2014  10 am - 5 pm

and

April 27, 2014 10am - 4 pm

 

in Southbury, CT

 

 

http://ctpiecemakers.org/

Lucky Bee Blocks

I enjoyed making these!

for Emily

for Mandy

I'll bring them to our next meeting.

Lucky Bee - March Queen Blocks for Mandy

Here are two more blocks for Mandy's cheery quilt. Easy to put together and no problems with piecing precision! I hope you like them, Mandy!

March blocks for Mandy

I had these all done and trimmed, until I realized there was supposed to be one pieced row in each block. Next time I'll read instructions more carefully! It was fun finding fabrics to complement the lovely fabrics given. Hope these are ok.