Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Deux-Montagnes exhibition UPDATE!

So, here's some news. The Deux-Montagnes guild had their own meeting last night, and they voted to reduce our contribution. They are now requesting 15 quilts, so I have adjusted the signup sheet. You can get to it here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GVhTKUASLKNQ64_Pej3PhKP9mDx8Z2olYodv3EHge40/edit#gid=0

Also, the size limit for the quilts is 96" x 96".

Hope this helps!


Joanna L.
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December Ornament Exchange

Credit: https://www.reddeliciouslife.com/2017/03/quilted-ornaments.html

Spread a little holiday cheer that won't have you driving under the influence (at least not the ingested kind, just that of receiving something made by someone else) through our ornament exchange at the December meeting.

If you would like to participate, please make a holiday or seasonable ornament of a size reasonable to tang on the branch of a tree, in a window, or on a door. It must be made, at least in part, of fabric. It must also be wrapped in a brown paper bag, or some other form of opaque covering. A reusable fabric bag would not be amiss.    ;-)

If you are in need of some inspiration, have a look at our Pinterest page of tutorials:
https://www.pinterest.ca/montrealmqg/mqg-ornament-tutorials/

Or some of these (sorry there may be duplicates):



Keep your spirits up in this season of dwindling light by making some fabulous ornaments! And don't forget the December Pot Luck!


Joanna L.
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Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Metro Quilt Challenge redux



For the new members (or those who would like a refresher) here are the links on our Metro Quilt Challenge from 2016-17:

*NB: Admittedly, a number of these are out of date, but there are some cool images anyway...
  1. Challenge issued! This includes the original signup sheet, so you can see what stations people chose from the beginning. 
  2. Tours postponed
  3. Making a viewfinder
  4. Walking tour
  5. Tour reminder
  6. Final post, with photos of completed quilts

This is a possible topic if you would like to submit a quilt you have yet to finish for the Deux-Montagnes and/or Quilt Canada exhibitions. I hope this (re)inspires people! And the tour was a lot of fun!


Joanna L.
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Monday, November 12, 2018

Call for Modern quilts

The Guilde de courtepointe des Deux-Montagnes is having an exhibition in May 2019. They have rented a large space, and have offered for us to show 20 - 25 quilts.

They want to distinguish our works from their own, so to be eligible, these quilts must be clearly Modern. If I understand correctly, they will be borrowing the quilt racks from the Beaconsfield Quilt Guild, so if your quilt is oversized and wouldn't fit on a standard rack, there won't be a possibility to include it here. I have asked whether or not the quilts can already have been show, and am still waiting a response, so to be safe, we have to assume that the answer will be that the quilts must be un-shown.

We need to supply a minimum of 20 quilts, maximum 25, and we need it to be a firm commitment, so if you aren't sure, please don't sign up. If we agree to accept their offer, we can't turn around and let them down. To give everyone a chance, I've included a wait list on the signup sheet for anyone who wants to submit a second or third quilt. The link for the list is here.

The hiccup is the deadline. Deux-Montagnes needs to know our commitment ASAP, so the deadline to sign up is November 20.

This is a great opportunity to bring Modern quilting to a broader audience, as well as to build connections with our local quilting community. I can't wait to see your quits on display!


Joanna L.
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Friday, October 05, 2018

"Your Personal Approach to Quilt-Making" - A Group Discussion


Hi Members!

 For our upcoming October meeting, we thought it would be fun to have a discussion about our personal quilting practice and to share our approach to quilt-making. This is meant to be a fun/light discussion and we think it will be a great way to get to know each other a little more. In preparation for the discussion, please look at the questions below and be ready to share!

 Do you pick the fabric or the pattern first?
Do you pick a palette to fit a pattern or a pattern to fit a palette?
Are you inspired by a pattern, a desire to learn a new technique, or practice a new skill?
Do you choose everything in advance (palette, pattern, quilting, etc) or decide as you go?
Do you shop from your stash or do you buy just what is needed for each project?
Do you make quilts that make a statement - political or otherwise?

In addition to these questions, we will be playing a game of "Would You Rather" as it relates to quilting.





Looking forward to a fun and dynamic discussion! See you Tuesday!




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Wednesday, October 03, 2018

Building Relationships

We are looking to develop relationships with our local communities, for support and potential exhibition spaces.

Patti will be the contact when dealing with the support aspect. For ideas of companies that might be approached to help support our activities, through supplies, funding, publicity, etc., you can post your suggestions below, or give the information directly to her at a guild meeting.

I will be working on building a list of possible venues for exhibiting our work, and/or presenting the principles of Modern quilting. These could be municipal centres or libraries, private exhibition spaces, public museums, local coffee shops, restos, or any other ideas you may have. If you have ideas to pass on, again you can post below, or give the info directly to me at a meeting.

This is a long-term project, so we'd appreciate it if you keep your eyes, and mind, open to possibilities.

Thank you all!
Joanna L.
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Wednesday, September 26, 2018

10 foundation paper piecing tips

At the best of times, foundation paper piecing can produce beautifully crisp and accurate seams or points, and at the worst of times it can make you want to flip your sewing table over and walk away. 


For a beginner FPP can be a daunting technique, but with a few tips and tricks you can stack the odds in your favor to get fantastic results. Below are some of the tips we went over at the Sew-In on Saturday:
  1. Sit near a bright window or a bright lamp… holding your work up to the light can help you align your seams and check your coverage as you work.
  2. When first learning, use your default stitch length as you will likely have to seam rip at least once (and that’s ok!). Reducing the stitch length can help with seam stability and clean removal of the paper later on, but it can also make seam ripping very difficult, so choose wisely.
  3. Backstitching is important, especially with short seams. However, much like the stitch length, backstitching can be a pain to rip out if you make a mistake, so be careful.
  4. Trim your seam allowances after each seam sewn, this helps reduce bulk. Scant seams are good, but don't cut it too close - you don't want the seams unravelling. 
  5. Measure multiple times and cut once. Seriously. You are bound to make mistakes when first learning, but cut yourself some slack and take your time - you'll get the hang of it.
  6. Solids are a good place to start when first learning FPP. Working with patterned fabrics (especially directional patterns) can be maddening and give you results that might not live up to your expectations. Solids take the pressure off of having to figure out not only the technique but also the direction of the print. Then again, sometimes a chaotic arrangement of a pattern can create a nice secondary design!
  1. On larger, more elaborate blocks, it is helpful to have a color image of the finished block to refer to, digital or paper. When you are dealing with multiple sections or lots of tiny pieces, having a point of reference to look at can be very helpful to keep you on track.
  2. Most FPP patterns will have a code indicating what section of the pattern to start with… follow these instructions! There is usually a particular order the fabric needs to be sewn on in order to give the desired end result, so ignore the patternmaker's directions at your peril.
  3. Press often (ideally on each seam sewn) and do so with a dry iron. Steam, sprays, or moisture of any kind will cause your foundation paper to warp. 
  4. When tearing out the paper, be gentle. It is exciting to be finished, but if you have used a normal stitch length and/or if you have short seams in your block, excessive force or tugging can rip or warp the seams.
Have any FPP advice of your own? Feel free to share it in the comments below!
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Sunday, September 23, 2018

Andrea Tsang Jackson workshop and trunk show

In November we will be welcoming Andrea Tsang Jackson of 3rd Story Workshop to Montreal for a trunk show and day-long workshop. Attendance for both events is open to the public, see below for details:
Photo taken by Kitty Wilkin for The Quilter’s Planner 2019

The Trunk Show will be taking place on Friday November 23rd from 7pm to 9pm at the SouthWest Mission, 631 rue Melrose in Verdun (the location of our regular monthly meetings). Entrance is free for workshop participants, and $10 for the general public (cash only please, pay at the door). Refreshments will be provided.

Andrea will spend the evening with us, presenting some of her modern quilt projects and discussing her quilting inspiration, philosophy and techniques.

On Color, Transparency and Background

The Transparency and Gemstones workshop will take place on Saturday November 24th from 10am to 4pm at the CRCS St-Zotique 75 Rue du Square Sir George Étienne Cartier, Montréal (the location for our sew-ins). Cost to attend the day-long workshop is $92 and includes a gemstone pattern with extra templates.

During the workshop, Andrea will introduce participants to advanced paper-piecing and conduct an in-depth discussion about transparency effects in modern quilting. There will also be a discussion on how to size up and down paper piecing templates. Pre-registration is required to attend, so if you would like to register or if you have any questions, please contact us at mtlmqg@gmail.com

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Friday, September 21, 2018

Sew-In reminder and some FPP resources


Just a quick reminder that our first sew-in of the year is tomorrow, September 22nd from 10am to 4pm. We will be meeting at the CRCS St-Zotique, check the board at the entrance for our room number. There will be some road closures on Saturday due the construction (surprise surprise) and the Montreal Marathon, so check your route before heading out!

Quilt by Adaire Schlatter

We will begin work on the QuiltCon 2019 charity quilt, so if you were interested in helping out with the layout/design, now is your chance. We are still looking for fabric/scraps to use for the negative space in the quilt, so if you have some to donate, please bring them along. Solids and tone-on-tone prints in white or off-white are what we are looking for.

Stephanie will also be doing a Foundation Paper Piecing (FPP) demo for those of you who are curious and/or want to try it before the November workshop with Andrea Tsang Jackson. If you would like to sew along, please bring an FPP pattern of your choice, your sewing machine and some fabric scraps to work with.

If you can't make it but still want to try your hand at FPP, here are a few resources for getting started in foundation paper piecing:

Angela Walters tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7Kx4Q7JSwQ

Beginner-friendly foundation paper piecing: https://weallsew.com/beginner-friendly-foundation-paper-piecing/

FPP for Beginners: https://www.craftsy.com/quilting/article/free-paper-piecing-patterns-for-beginners/
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Monday, September 17, 2018

September 2018 Meeting Minutes

September 2018 Mtl MQG Meeting Agenda
Tuesday, September 11 at 7pm, SouthWest Mission Verdun

Quick points of business:
  • Welcome back! Exec team for the 2018-19 year are: 
    • President - Stephanie 
    • Vice-president - Izzy 
    • Treasurer - Claudia 
    • Secretary - Fiona 
    • Registrar - Josee 
    • Programming - Joanna, Stacy, Cinzia 
    • Assisting - Patti
  • Dues for 2018-19 = $40, see Josee to complete registration
  • Snack volunteers, send around sign up sheet (list complete)
  • We will continue to collect donations for the mid-year raffle (December) and end of year raffle (June) like we did last year. If you have something you would like to contribute, bring it to a meeting. To participate in the raffle, you simply need to wear your name tag during our regular meetings and see Izzy to get your raffle ticket at the break.
  • LDH (https://shopldh.com/) had donated some scissors which we will be raffling off at the December meeting
  • Collect Palliacco quilts -
    • Total of 15 quilts being donated, Debby has them and will be delivering them soon. 
    • Thank you to everyone who contributed!!! This was a great turnout for a great cause.
  • Collect QuiltCon challenge blocks, we may have enough for more than one quilt
    • Next steps: design/layout will begin at the September 22 sew-in, you can bring more star blocks to the sew-in if you still wish to contribute
    • Volunteers for finishing: Patti, Shannon S., Josee, Izzy and Nicole (quilting), Michele (backing), Cinzia and Stephanie (binding).
    • Our deadline for finishing the quilt is December so it can be shipped in time for QuiltCon
  • MQG released new version of website, be sure to set up your new profile and join the Montreal MQG Circle. If you have any difficulty, there is a 'Help' section specifically for new website 

Click here to read more »
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