Quilted Fridge Magnet Swap! / Échange d'aimant de réfrigérateur matelassé !

Over the next two meetings (March 8th and April 12th), we’ll be hosting a Quilted Fridge Magnet round-robin swap! This little swap will be a fun way to explore miniature quilt blocks and hone our skills working with teeny tiny pieces of fabric.

Here’s how the swap will work:

1. Sign up for the swap at the March 8th meeting OR online by Friday, March 10th. You can choose to swap with only one other participant or up to four participants.

2. On Saturday, March 11th, you will be assigned someone to create a fridge magnet for.

3. You will receive three magnets to put on the back of your mini-blocks.

• If you attend the March meeting, you will receive your magnets when you sign up

• If you signed up online, you will receive your magnets in the mail, by Friday, March 17th.

4. Go forth and create! Your task is to create minuscule quilts no larger than 2” x 2”. You are free to use any fabrics and methods you like. This is a great opportunity for foundation paper piecing and improv piecing. See below for links to tutorials, patterns, and sources of inspiration.

5. You will complete at least two quilted fridge magnets by our April meeting (Wednesday, April 12th) and present them to your assigned participant.

• If you are attending the April meeting, please bring your quilted fridge magnets!

• If you or your assigned participant can’t attend the April meeting, you will need to mail the fridge magnets immediately after the April meeting. You will be provided with their mailing address if needed.

Important Information

By choosing to participate, you agree to create at least two quilted fridge magnets to present to another participant. You will be given three magnets so you can keep one for yourself. You are also welcome to swap the third magnet if you wish.

Excited to participate? Click here to sign up for the swap!

Not sure how to make a quilted fridge magnet? Don’t worry; it’s easy!

• Louise Wackerman over at I’m Feeling Crafty has put together a great tutorial with lots of images.

• Caroline at Sew Can She explains how to make raw-edge quilted fridge magnets.

• If you want to try FPP, Teresa Mairal Barre at Teresa Down Under has a video tutorial for you.

Looking for inspiration?

• If you want a bit of structure while making your tiny blocks, check out the Pinterest board Toby created. 

• Kitty Wilkin has a Sew Tiny Sampler for sale over in her shop.

• Leila Gardunia has a blog post on tiny scrappy triangles.

• You can also make miniature versions of your favourite quilt blocks! Who wouldn’t love a teeny tiny log cabin block?!

Ready to make a minuscule quilt? 

Click here to sign up for the swap!

Meeting reminder

Just a quick reminder... our December meeting is tomorrow night! We will be meeting at 7pm at the SouthWest Mission space, as per usual.

Ornament tutorial by Amy Smart

Have you made your ornament for the swap? If not, there is still plenty of time to whip one up... check out our Pinterest board for some inspiration and tutorials.

We will also be having the mid-year raffle (yes, you must be present to win) and a holiday potluck - please bring your favorite seasonal treat to share! We will get the business stuff out of the way quickly and spend the rest of the meeting on Show & Tell and socializing.

Take a break from all the things you need to do and join us for a relaxed evening of quilt-y goodness! See you tomorrow evening...

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):

• https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/153263193545360841/?lp=true
• https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/509117932868027761/?lp=true
• https://thesewingloftblog.com/how-to-holiday-ornaments-quilted-trees/
• https://www.flickr.com/photos/pagan_earthgirl/3033109956
• https://lcroswell.wordpress.com/2011/12/12/gift-tags/
• https://www.bookdrawer.com/quick-and-easy-christmas-crafts-starry-night-no-sew-ornament/
• https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/625648573210294463/
• https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/32510428531933296/?lp=true
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-JWi-F79oo
• https://www.craftsy.com/quilting/article/6-quilted-christmas-ornament-patterns-to-stitch-up-this-season/
• https://www.quiltingbookspatternsandnotions.com/products/quilted-holiday-ornaments-the-pinwheel
• http://studio2724.com/holiday-quilts/
• https://www.reddeliciouslife.com/2017/03/quilted-ornaments.html
• http://siemyfgn.com/sewing-christmas-decorations-ideas-19048/sewing-christmas-decorations-ideaschristmas-in-july-a-quilters-guide-to-holiday-projects/
• http://siemyfgn.com/sewing-christmas-decorations-ideas-19048/sewing-christmas-decorations-ideasfabric-heart-sew-by-you-cool-diy-ideas-interior-design-ideas/
• http://quiltingdigest.com/yo-yo-christmas-trees-are-easy-and-so-much-fun/
• http://www.goldshoegirl.com/2014/11/
• https://foo4luv.wordpress.com/2014/11/21/spiral-quilted-star-ornament/
• http://www.jubileehomespun.com/primitive-quilted-homespun-christmas-ornaments.html
• https://www.fancysacross.top/lot-vtg-quilted-handmade-patchwork-puppy-dog-kitty-cat-mouse-xmas-ornaments-p-15882.html
• https://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.craftsy.com%2Fupload%2F3098902%2Fpattern%2F121895%2Ffull_8857_121895_HexieHolidayOrnament_1.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.craftsy.com%2Fquilting%2Farticle%2Ffree-quilt-patterns-for-christmas%2F&docid=rzDBVUfVVjR-hM&tbnid=4OOcuHUN7GHkNM%3A&vet=12ahUKEwjjjtLs7c7eAhUhT98KHb65DYo4yAEQMygZMBl6BAgBEBo..i&w=1023&h=839&bih=1321&biw=2369&q=quilted%20holiday%20ornaments&ved=2ahUKEwjjjtLs7c7eAhUhT98KHb65DYo4yAEQMygZMBl6BAgBEBo&iact=mrc&uact=8
• https://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fpinimg.icu%2Fipi%2F0x0%2F0566f%2Frose-gold-fabric-quilted-holiday-ornament-by-wreathsbykari-on-etsy-Ea68d950c913339adbf50271015d54f3e.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.interest.pics%2Fexplore%2Frose-gold-fabric%2F&docid=1luk9HrOcx16fM&tbnid=tEGlQ8VSzD0ZbM%3A&vet=12ahUKEwjjjtLs7c7eAhUhT98KHb65DYo4yAEQMyhTMFN6BAgBEFQ..i&w=1704&h=2272&itg=1&bih=1321&biw=2369&q=quilted%20holiday%20ornaments&ved=2ahUKEwjjjtLs7c7eAhUhT98KHb65DYo4yAEQMyhTMFN6BAgBEFQ&iact=mrc&uact=8
• https://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fpinimg.icu%2Fipi%2F0x0%2F0aa59%2Fv-noce-v-modrob-l-quilted-christmas-ornaments-christmas-balls-E259f37265dbc40421c423a3a17df481b.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.interest.pics%2Finterest%2F565975878150273270%2F38362%2F&docid=Z3FhRedtShGqSM&tbnid=KS2lRcJYPb9yjM%3A&vet=12ahUKEwil5rr37c7eAhVCh-AKHXSYBIw4rAIQMyhZMFl6BAgBEFw..i&w=1600&h=1191&itg=1&bih=1321&biw=2369&q=quilted%20holiday%20ornaments&ved=2ahUKEwil5rr37c7eAhVCh-AKHXSYBIw4rAIQMyhZMFl6BAgBEFw&iact=mrc&uact=8

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.

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 

Warm and Cool Charm Swap

As mentioned at the January meeting, we will be hosting a charm (5" fabric square) swap at the March meeting. If you are participating in the swap, you will bring 2 charms (1 warm, 1 cool) for each other participant (We will have a final count at the February meeting). As participant, you will be leaving with a varied stack of charms, half warm colours and half cool colours! Sign up for the swap here!

Colour theory is something that sounds a bit scary at first. What it does is help explain and sort colours by using a colour wheel. The colour wheel can also be used to choice a colour scheme!

There are a bunch of different website and apps out there to help you choose or create different colour palettes, such as Adobe Color, Canva and Paletton.  Wikipedia's entry about warm versus cool colours:

The distinction between "warm" and "cool" colors has been important since at least the late 18th century.^[2] The contrast, as traced by etymologies in the Oxford English Dictionary, seems related to the observed contrast in landscape light, between the "warm" colors associated with daylight or sunset, and the "cool" colors associated with a gray or overcast day. Warm colors are often said to be hues from red through yellow, browns and tans included; cool colors are often said to be the hues from blue green through blue violet, most grays included. There is historical disagreement about the colors that anchor the polarity, but 19th-century sources put the peak contrast between red orange and greenish blue.Color theory has described perceptual and psychological effects to this contrast. Warm colors are said to advance or appear more active in a painting, while cool colors tend to recede; used in interior design or fashion, warm colors are said to arouse or stimulate the viewer, while cool colors calm and relax. Most of these effects, to the extent they are real, can be attributed to the higher saturation and lighter value of warm pigments in contrast to cool pigments. Thus, brown is a dark, unsaturated warm color that few people think of as visually active or psychologically arousing.

Pinterest can be a bit misleading (saw a bunch of pins that had warm and cool a bit mixed up...) But I did create a board with a few good visual explanations and some effective uses for warm and cool fabrics.

https://www.pinterest.ca/craftdeville/warm-cool-swap/ 

Sign up for the swap here The deadline for signing up is February 13. We will do a "last call" at the February meeting!

I found few more colour theory resources:
http://www.tigercolor.com/color-lab/color-theory/color-theory-intro.htm
https://www.thespruce.com/understanding-warm-and-cool-colors-1976480
https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-work-with-cool-and-warm-colors-121940

Meeting reminder

Just a quick reminder, our next meeting is Tuesday December 12th at 7pm. Time to take a break from all those holiday gifts you're working on and come relax and have some fun!

We will be raffling off some mid-year goodies, having an ornament swap and enjoying some seasonal treats. Please feel free to bring along something edible or drinkable to share!

For those of you who wish to participate in the swap, simply make a fabric ornament and bring it with you to the meeting. No need to bring it in a bag, we will put them all in one large bag to draw from. There is no required pattern to follow, but if you need some inspiration you can check out this Pinterest board for some ideas.

If you wanted to learn how to make the Scandinavian star ornament and couldn't attend Stacy's demonstration at the last sew-in, you can find the written tutorial here, or if you're a more visual learner you can check out this tutorial on YouTube:

Hope to see you on Tuesday!

November meeting reminder

Just a quick reminder... our next meeting is tomorrow, Tuesday November 14th at 7pm.

If you are participating in the 1-hour basket swap, please make sure to bring your finished basket in an opaque bag for the blind swap. Bring a basket, leave with a basket!

We will be having a talk by Cinzia on quilt labels, and we will be wrapping up the Square/Strip-based block section of the skillbuilder challenge with a presentation from Izzy on the Log Cabin block. If you have blocks to contribute to the charity quilts, please bring them to turn in.

Tomorrow's meeting is also the deadline to pay fees for the Memory Quilt workshop... if you have signed up for the workshop but not yet paid your fees, please make sure you do so before leaving.

Hope to see you tomorrow! :)

Swap: 1-hour basket

As announced at our meeting last night, our first swap of the year will be... the 1-hour basket! Standard swap rules apply... if you wish to participate, simply sew up a basket and bring it in an opaque bag (brown paper, gift bag, etc) to the November meeting. Everyone who comes with one gets to leave with one!

These baskets are super quick and simple to whip up and are great for storing just about anything. All it takes is two fat quarters of fabric, some interfacing (or fusible fleece, or quilt batting, or canvas, etc) and about an hour of your time. If 3-dimensional objects aren't usually your thing, don't be intimidated! This pattern is totally accessible for all skill levels.

You can purchase the pattern here ($1.25 Cdn) and you can browse examples of the finished baskets on Craftsy and on Pinterest.

The variations are endless, although bear in mind once you start getting fancy with your basket, we can't promise it will still only take an hour to complete ;)

Meeting reminder

Just a quick reminder... our next meeting is this Tuesday October 10th at 7pm at the SouthWest Mission in Verdun.

We will be discussing the details of the memory quilt workshop in November, Stacy will be announcing our first swap of the year, there will be a demonstration of quilt binding techniques, and Cinzia will be presenting our next skill builder block, the Nine Patch.

So grab your favorite autumn-themed beverage and join us for the evening on Tuesday! Hope to see you there.

September 2017 Mtl MQG Meeting Minutes

September 2017 Mtl MQG Meeting Minutes

September 12, 2017 at 7pm South West Mission, Verdun, QC

Quick points of business:  Welcome

                                    New Space - honour system for the food pantry.

                                    Donation to the clothing swap at the coming up at the mission

                                    MQG - Exec team

                                                      - Steph - Prez

                                                      - Izzy - Vice Prez

                                                      - Claudia - Treasurer

                                                      - Stacy - Programmer

                                                      - Fiona - Secretary and social media Coordinator
                                                      - Josee - registrar

Raffle at the end of year - based on wearing a tag to meetings. Get your tickets from Izzy. 

                                    - We can set you up with partners to swag name tags if interested. 

We are a bilingual guild, we will help with translations when needed.

February meeting reminder

Just a quick reminder on what's coming up, as we have a lot going on in the last half of February... 

Our next monthly meeting takes place on Tuesday February 14th at 7pm at the CRCS St-Zotique. We will be having our Ugly Fat Quarter Swap, we will be celebrating Hari-Kuyo so remember to bring your worn out and broken pins and needles, and we will be starting to collect blocks for the #QuiltsforQC project. Our demonstration this month will be a handwork demo by Cinzia. If you would like to participate, please bring the following with you:

• quilt sandwich (two fat quarters and batting) 
• quilting/embroidery hoop 
• Perle cotton embroidery thread (size 8) 
• Embroidery needle: size 6, 7 or 8 
• thimble to fit middle finger of dominant hand 
• fabric marking tool (optional) 

Our February Sew-In will be taking place on Saturday February 18th from 10am to 4pm at the Maplewood Presbyterian Church, 215 McLeod, in Chateauguay. We will be having an inter-guild meet-up with the Chateauguay Valley Quilters Guild; we will be working on slab blocks to donate to the CQA's Big Quilt Bee, house blocks for the #QuiltsforQC project, or you can bring your own project to work on. We will be arranging carpools at Tuesday night's meeting, so if you need a ride but can't make it to the meeting, please get in touch via email. The usual sew-in rules apply, please bring anything you need to work on your project of choice (sewing machine, cutting/marking tools, etc), as well as your lunch and a coffee mug (coffee will be available there). 

And finally, on Sunday February 26th from 12 to 5pm we will be hosting a sew-in for the #QuiltsforQC project at AFA. There will be snacks and drinks available, and this event is open to all. We will have sewing machines and materials on hand for anyone who wants to sew some blocks (patterns and assistance are available if you need them), and if you have completed blocks or other materials to donate, you are welcome to drop them by. 

I think that's everything... see you Tuesday evening!

Ugly Fat Quarter (Somebody Else's Treasure) Exchange

In the spirit of a New Year’s resolution, and inspired by our own vice president, Izzy, who has taken on “declutter” as her word for 2017, we will be having an Ugly Fat Quarter exchange, or if you prefer the PC term, Somebody Else’s Treasure exchange.

(For Izzy’s blog post, go here: http://dizzyquilts.blogspot.ca/2017/01/my-word-for-2017.html)

The idea is to go through your stash, and find a fat quarter that you will never use, put it in a paper bag, and bring it to the February meeting. There you will randomly choose someone else’s paper bag, and in it you will find that someone's fat quarter! This is meant to be fun, and maybe even impetus to declutter, or at least look at parts of your stash you may not have really seen in a while. You may even end up with the inspirational fabric for an award-winning quilt!

Happy hunting, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Meeting reminder

Just a quick reminder, our last meeting of 2016 will be tomorrow night, Tuesday December 13th at 7pm at the CRCS St-Zotique.

The Polka Dot/Stripe/Plaid charm swap is due, so if you signed up to participate please remember to bring your charm squares!

Josee will be demonstrating the origami block she used to create her amazing Sprinkling of Stars quilt, and with a nod to the holiday classic 'The Sound of Music', our Show & Tell will be dedicated to a few of My Favorite Things. Please bring your favorite modern quilting-related thing; it can be a favorite quilt or quilt pattern, your favorite quilting book, magazine or notion, or your favorite fabric that you can't bring yourself to cut up and use.

Since this is the last meeting before the holidays, everyone is invited to bring along a seasonal treat to share with the group. See you tomorrow night! :)

November meeting reminder

Just a quick reminder, our November meeting is tomorrow, Tuesday November 8th at 7pm at the CRCS St-Zotique.

We will be finalizing the details for the Charm Square Swap (if you plan on participating, please sign up before tomorrow!) and it is also the deadline to pay your yearly dues. If you have not yet paid them, please speak with Josee at the meeting.

We are fortunate enough to have photographer Chris Forsyth joining us to speak about his Metro Project. For those who may be struggling to find inspiration for our Metro Challenge, he will be sharing some of his photos taken in the Montreal metro system and discuss his methods and inspiration.

See you tomorrow night!

New Charm Square Swap

As promised in our geometric charm swap last year, here's the swap from those prints that we banned:

- The Polka-Dot,
- The Stripe, and
- The Plaid!

The details are as follows; each person who signs up will find 2 prints of some variation of dot, plaid or stripe (if you want to go crazy, you might even mix them together). Which ever prints you choose, once we have the final number of participants, you will cut one 5"x 5" square for each participant, from each of you fabrics.

For example, if there are 10 participants, you will cut 10 squares of your first print, and another 10 squares of your second (for a total of 20 squares), bring them all to the following meeting, and you will receive a lovely pile of different squares (including on of each of your own prints). So, you give 20 squares, you get 20 squares!

See it as a chance to make peace with your nemesis, the polka-dot, or to convert others to your dedication to the plaid! Play with it, and most importantly, have fun! We'll be looking forward to seeing the results.

The deadline to sign up is the day before the next meeting, November 7th, so we can announce the total number of participants, and the charms squares will be due at the December meeting, on the 13th.

The sign-up sheet can be found here.

Geometric Charm Swap

Inspired by our Molinari challenge, as well as the Riley Blake Sashing, the idea is to find a variety of unique twists on what a geometric print is. So there will be some prints which are out of bounds. 

Please, no polka-dots. While they are a geometric form in a geometric placement, it would be too easy to end up with a whole stack of polka-dots. Other circles are perfectly acceptable. Let's also avoid stripes, checks, and plaids, as well as the Riley Blake Sashing.

The goal is to find prints that others aren't likely to have already (though that may be difficult in some cases). Let's push the limits of the traditional geometric print! Have fun with the search, and discovery!

Each person who participates will be responsible for 5"x5" square of each of 2 different geometric prints, for all participants. For example, if 16 members participate, each will need to supply 16 (for the number of people) x 2 (1 of each print) = 32 charms.

The sign-up sheet is posted here. Since we're hoping for everyone to do some exploring, the exchange won't be until the May meeting, and the deadline for signing up will be the April meeting.

Here are some places to find inspiration, in case you're having trouble:
Fabric Spark has a whole section of Mid-century Modern prints with some great geometrics: http://fabricspark.com/collections/mid-century-modern
My Fabric Spot has a Geometrics section: http://www.myfabricspot.com/designer-fabrics.html?theme=155
Mad About Patchwork has a bunch of neat options, like the Abacus line by Alison Glass: https://www.madaboutpatchwork.com/collections/designer-fabrics/products/abacus-mercury-in-charcoal-1

Meeting reminder!

Happy 2016 to everyone! Just a quick reminder, our January meeting will be taking place this coming Tuesday evening at 7pm at the CRCS.

We will be having our Mug Bag swap (if you are participating, please make sure to bring your mug bag in a plain paper bag for the swap), as well as the presentation of the Molinari Challenge, and a few other fun surprises!

See you on Tuesday!

Mug Bag Exchange

Since we're supposed to be bringing our own mugs to meetings of breaktime, this exchange will be following the suggestion from the September meeting - a mug bag. It will be for the January meeting, which will give us an excuse to escape the holiday madness.

Since there are mugs in all kinds of sizes, what with travel mugs, ceramic mugs with handles, etc., so there will be minimum dimensions:
- 5" diameter (if round) or 4.5" on a side (if square)
- 10" high
Since we are a quilt guild, please piece and quilt your project, at least a little. :-D

If you have any questions, or suggestions, feel free to respond here. We also have pics up on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/montrealmqg/swap-mug-bags/

Happy holidays, and see you all in the new year!