Retreat Time!

The Boston Modern Quilt Guild annual retreat is scheduled for 19-22 March 2020 at the Franciscan Guest House in lovely Kennebunkport, ME. 24/7 non-stop sewing with a few activities thrown in for diversion from your favorite diversion! What could be better?

Cost:

The cost to attend depends on whether you choose to spend 2 or 3 nights in a single or double occupancy room. If you choose double occupancy please send us an email (bostonmqg@gmail.com) with the name of your roommate and be sure you both sign up for the same number of nights. (If you are looking for a roommate, contact Susan McKinney - we'll keep a list of people looking for roommates). Price is per person. A deposit of $100 is required to reserve your spot, with the final payment due by 10 February. (Please see cancellation policy below.) You also have the option to pay in full when you sign up. Cost includes your room, breakfast on all days, and lunch and dinner on Saturday. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: You must be a 2020 member of the BMQG to attend the retreat. 

Cancellation Policy:

Your reservation may be cancelled without a fee until 14 February 2020. Cancellations received between 15 February and 11 March will forfeit $100. No refunds are given after 11 March.

Retreat Survey:

This is your retreat! We have put together a brief survey to help us determine what you would like to include. Please click here to go to the survey. 

Retreat Coordinator:

If you have any questions at all, please contact the guild at bostonmqg at gmail.com. 

2016 RETREAT (with charity quilt we made from fabrics donated by Connecting Threads, The Warm Company and Gwen Marceline)

MANY THANKS TO OUR RETREAT SPONSORS:

Aurifil

Connecting Threads

Northcott Fabrics

Robert Kaufman

The Warm Company

Zipit

Join us for a Latifah Saafir workshop!

The Boston Modern Quilt Guild is very excited to welcome Latifah Saafir, co-founder of the national and Los Angeles Modern Quilt Guilds. Latifah is known for her bold and innovative modern quilts. Combining her training as an engineer with her lifelong passion for sewing, Latifah creates designs that are graphic and contemporary, featuring challenging techniques with meticulous attention to detail.

Learn the idiosyncrasies of working with bias tape appliqué as you design your own machine stitched bias tape appliqué quilt. The first part of this class will explore the nature of designing quilts with bias tape, learning the ins and outs of how bias tape works and the things you must understand in order to effectively work with bias tape. You will design your bias tape quilt, transfer the designs to fabric, and start to sew them. Students who want to learn the technique but don’t want to design their own quilt have the option of sewing either the Airshow or No Latitude Quilts.

Date: 5 November 2017
Time: 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM with a one hour lunch break
Place: The Carriage House at the Gore Estate, 52 Gore Street, Waltham, MA
Cost: $125 until 9 October, $150 after that - includes lunch!
Supply list: You will need to bring your sewing machine and basic sewing supplies (be sure your supplies are marked with your name), along with the items on Latifah's supply list here.

The cost of this workshop is $150 and includes lunch!! Registration is limited to just 20, but we still have some openings! Sign up today!

Member Name:

Member Email

Questions? Contact us by email!

Read about Latifah's No Latitude quilt here. Find Latifah on Instagram here.

September Meeting Recap

It was a fabulous September meeting with a JAM-PACKED agenda after the summer hiatus. General updates included:

• We are gearing up for 2018! There will be a planning meeting at Emily's house on Sunday, October 15 at 10:00. All members welcome and brunch included! Please let her know if you plan to come.
• The Boston MQG is seeking a candidate for vice president for 2018. This is a two year commitment, the first year as VP followed by a one year term as president. Let us know at bostonmqg at gmail.com if you are interested or would like more information!
• Packets for the two quilts we are making for charity were distributed. We are working two quilts, a log cabin and an Irish chain. One will go to QuiltCon, the other will be used for fundraising. Those blocks are in the works and you can see what people are making at our hashtag (#bostonmqg) on Instagram. Don't forget to post your pics! There will be a sew-in on 7 October to start putting those tops together.
• There are still openings for the LATIFAH SAAFIR bias tape applique workshop being held on 5 November at the historic Carriage House at the Gore Place in Waltham!
• Our October meeting is cancelled. Join us for the sew-in or planning meeting instead!  
• Welcome to 2010, Boston MQG! We now have our own Instagram account so start following us today!

The meeting highlight was most definitely the beautiful trunk show presented by Natalie Sabik. So many piles of gorgeous quilts, all with their own story! 

And, not to be outdone by Natalie, here are some of the fabulous quilts of Show and Tell!

Clockwise from top left: Terri's triangles; Patrice and her kaleidoscopic fantasy; Amanda with the result of her lottery block win; Rebecca and the current state of her Sara Fielke BOM project for her daughter

Clockwise from top left: Heidi and her Halloween riot; Emily with her triangles; Amy and her glittering HST composition (more triangles!); Amanda's windows on the world

Block Lottery - Improv Log Cabin

This block uses whites and creams for one portion of the log cabin and warm colors for the other side. Bring this block to our November meeting.

Start with a square of either a warm color or a cream/white.

Continue adding fabric, working in a circular motion, adding two cream/white fabrics and two warm fabrics as shown below to create a log cabin. Use varying widths and an array of colors to create this block.

Once pieced, trim your block to 10.5" square. The layout possibilities for this quilt are endless and the lucky winner will have a ton of options.

Quick Overview:
November - Wonky/Improv Log Cabin
Colors: Creams/Whites for one side and warms for the other
Size Requirements: 10.5" block
Notes: Start with either a cream or a warm square and build out your log cabin using random width strips with creams on one size of the diagonal and warms on the other side.

Block Lottery - Washi Tape Block

We're starting to get a bit more complicated as we get to our September block. This one is inspired by Washi tape. The colors for this include a white background and a random rainbow of accent colors.

Start by cutting a 12.5" square and a number of strips 1.5" wide by about 12.5" long.

Cut between 5-7 or so small strips of colorful fabric 1.5" wide by between 2.5" - 5" long. Sew them to the top of the white strips you cut. Once sewn, randomly cut the white and sew the cut piece to the top of the color to create strips.

Randomly lay out your strips over your square until you like the layout. Start with pieces that appear to be in the back. In this block, I started with the red, moved to the brown, then the green, purple and navy.

Continue slicing and inserting your strips into your block.

Once your block has been pieced, trim your block to 12.5" square. This will create a fun, colorful quilt that could be arranged in a grid or the blocks could be cut up even further to create a real random effect. A continuous circle could be a fun way to quilt this one.

Quick Overview:
September - Washi Tape Improv Block 
Colors: White/cream background and a rainbow of colors for the washi tape
Size Requirements: 12.5" block
Notes: It's recommended that your washi tape strips are no more than 2" wide before sewing and no longer than 5" before sewing to give the quilt a true washi tape feel. If strips are too wide or too long, they will stand out too much.

Karin Jordan Trunk Show - June's Meeting

We're so excited to have Karin Jordan join us for a trunk show this June. For those that aren't familiar with Karin, she's know for her beautiful quilts, hand quilting and applique and textile designs. Definitely take time to check out her website when you have a chance. You've probably seen her work in some of your favorite quilt magazines or at QuiltCon.

Hills and Crosses is one of my favorite quilts of Karin's. I love the colors she used and I hope she brings a few of her prints of the same pattern. Isn't this just beautiful?

And have you been following Karin on Instagram (@KarinJordanStudio)? If not, hop on over and check out all of her 100 days projects. Karin has committed to create for 100 days straight. How cool is that? And a lot of what she has created is just amazing.

I'm so excited and hope you will join us as well.

The trunk show is free to members and just $5 to non-members (cash only). It will be in our regular meeting place at Fabric Place Basement on June 17th from 1-3pm. We hope to see you there! 

Block Lottery - Random Stripes

This block is for the person that loves a good black and white and gray block. Because we're approaching the busy summer season, this block is super simple. It's simply a bunch of strips between 1" and 3" sewn together. It's not wonky... all of the pieces are straight.

I recommend cutting a number of gray, white and black strips around 10.5" long by 1-3" wide. Once you have a bunch of strips sewn, trim your block to 10" x 10". It's that simple! This is the perfect block to use as a leader and enter project.

The winner of this lottery will have a ton of options. They could sew all of the blocks together and randomly insert some color here or there. Or they could applique something to it for a fun look. And this quilt screams for some straight line quilting.

Quick Overview:
July - Random Stripes
Colors: Black, Whites and Grays
Size Requirements: 10" x 10"
Notes: For this block, make strips of fabric that are between 1" and 3" wide and sew them together in any random order.

Boston Modern Quilt Guild 5th Annual Show!

SHOW EXTENDED BY REQUEST UNTIL MAY 18TH!

Our 5th Annual Quilt Show opens April 8th in the backroom of the Fabric Place Basement, 321 Speen Street, Natick, MA. The opening reception will be from 1-4 on April 8th. The show will run through May 7th and is FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC every weekend, weekdays by request either through a guild member or by asking at the Fabric Place Basement.

More than 50 beautiful quilts grace this year's show! DON'T MISS IT!!

BMQG Quilt Submissions Sought!

Our 5th Annual Quilt Show opens in just over two weeks on 8 April. This is not a juried show, but you must be a member of the Boston Modern Quilt Guild to submit a quilt for the show (you can join here). We are actively planning the show layout now and urge you to submit your quilt AS SOON AS POSSIBLE - even if it is not quite finished!

• Enter your quilt by filling out the form at this link. Please submit your quilt as soon as possible!
• Send a picture of your quilt for our records (kkleaveit at yahoo.com and bostonmqg at gmail.com).
• Prepare your quilt for show. 

• A great tutorial for adding a hanging sleeve to your quilt written by Jacquie Gehring can be found at this link. All quilts, including the minis for our guild challenge, require a 4" sleeve. The mini sleeves can be pinned on if you do not have the time to sew them. Larger quilts must have the sleeve sewn on. 
• If your quilt does not already have a permanent label, please attach one to a back lower corner. The label can be a temporary label but must be firmly attached. Include at least your name and phone number on the label.
• Be sure that your quilt is ready for show by making sure threads are trimmed, lint removed, etc.

• Quilts can be dropped off to one of four locations (Natick, Northboro, Lowell or Waltham). Contact Karen for specifics on these locations. WE MUST HAVE YOUR QUILTS IN HAND ON OR BEFORE 2 APRIL!!
• The guild staffs the show on weekends. Because we will also be holding a raffle this year, we require at least two persons per shift. One volunteer will sell tickets in the lobby and the other will remain with the quilts in the show. You can sign up for your shift here. 

WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR FABULOUS SUBMISSIONS AND ANOTHER FANTASTIC SHOW!

Block Lottery - Improv HSTs

For our May meeting, we're making some improv Half Square Triangles (HST's) into a block with nine sewn together. We'll use a variety of white/cream squares for the background and earth tones for the HST's.

Start by cutting nine 3.5" squares in a variety of whites/creams.

Cut a variety of strips about 3"x5" for your HST's. Lay them at an angle of your block. All of the HST's will be placed on the bottom right portion of the block, so plan accordingly. You want the piece of fabric covering what will be the cream/white part of the block. Where the HST will eventually lay is what will be a visible cream/white triangle.

Sew your pieces with a 1/4" seam allowance, iron open and trim your block.

Trim your block to 3.5" square, using the cream/white background as a reference. You can remove the cream/white from behind the earth tone fabric to reduce bulk now.

 Sew the blocks together into a 3x3 grid with the HST in the bottom right corner. Your block will finish at 9.5" square.

Quick Overview:
May - Wonky Half Square Triangles
Colors: White and cream background with earth tones for the HST
Size Requirements: 9.5" block
Notes: Make your HST's 3.5" before sewing them together and assemble them into a 3x3" grid with all of the white/cream in the upper left corner of the sewn block and the earth tone colors on the bottom right. To make your HST's, cut 3.5" squares of your white/cream background fabric and use scraps of your colors to sew your HST's, using the white/cream fabric as your trimming guide

BMQG at Quiltcon!

Boston Modern had a great showing at QuiltCon 2017 - six quilts displayed and one award! Congratulations to Rebecca, Jen, Susan and Alexis! 

Rebecca (right) with her quilt, Light and Shadow, and former BMQG member 
Linda Wolyniec (left) who did the quilting on this beauty! 

Jen with her Luxe Rebellion (how anyone could turn that awful
fabric into something this lovely is an amazement!)

More paper piecing (no surprise there!) from Jen with her Quilter's DNA

 

Susan with Dark Geometry, awarded Third Place, Small Quilts. 
Thanks go to last year's BMQG challenge to make something 
small with solids, two things she never does!

Alexis' Kintsugi IV: Crown of Thorns

Alexis' Carpenter Square Variation. We witnessed the making of this 
at last year's retreat and can't wait to see what she creates this year!

Square Within A Square - Block Lottery

As we approach retreat, we're jumping right into our second block lottery block, a square within a square block. Note that these blocks will be swapped at retreat, which serves as our March meeting.

The colors for these blocks are grays, white and jewel tones. For this block, alternate between a jewel tone and a white or gray fabric.

For this block, start with a square and add a strip of your next fabric all the way around. The strip should be the same width all the way around. We're not looking for wonky. The improv portion comes from varying the size of the square rounds each time and random color placement. You can either start with a jewel tone or a white/gray square. I recommend that each round be between 1" and 2.5" or so in order to get a somewhat cohesive look, yet still a little random.

Keep on adding as you go until you get a block that's 10.5" square.

Quick Overview:
March - Square within a Square (NOTE: Swap will take place at retreat, so please only make if attending retreat)
Colors: Gray/White background with Jewel Tones
Size Requirements: 10.5" block
Notes: Alternate between your gray/white background and jewel tone colors. Make your squares various sizes for a fun effect.

January's Meeting - What to Expect

Happy 2017 everyone! I can't believe it's already a new year and we're ready to jump into a new, fun-filled year of more guild fun.

Below is what we have planned for our January meeting. It sounds jam packed, but some of this will go quick. We've also posted a tentative schedule for the full year on the blog, so hop on over to the 2017 Schedule tab to see what we have planned.

January Meeting:
January 21, 2017 from 1-3pm
Where: Fabric Place Basement Back Room (There's a warehouse looking room next to the yarn where we meet. If you can't find the room, just ask a staff member of FPB)

Block Lottery Kickoff – We have examples of all of the blocks for the year. Don't know what a block lottery is? Check out the tab on our blog with all of the blocks for the year for a preview and a description. We will also talk about this at the meeting.

Mini Quilt Challenge Kickoff – We’ll briefly talk about the mini quilt challenge that we’ll showcase at the show in April. This could be a great project to work on at retreat for those attending.

Favorite Notion Show and Tell – Did you get a fun new notion for the holidays? Bring it and tell us all about it. Have a favorite oldie but goodie? Bring that too and show us. We especially love seeing your favorite notion that may not be found in a quilt/craft store that you just couldn’t live without.

UFO Block/Quilt Swap – Do you have unfinished quilt blocks or tops just lying around that you don’t think you’ll ever do anything with? Bring them to our meeting and we’ll swap. One person’s forever-unfinished project is another person’s new, exciting project. Any quilt blocks/tops that are not claimed by someone else can be donated to the quilt museum if you don’t want to take them back.

Show and Tell – Did you finish any great quilts or sewing projects over the holiday break? Bring them in and show off your amazing talent.