February 2015 Meeting Reminder

AnnMarie Cowley  Don't miss out on this month's fabulous meeting with special guests: Cris Pera, Virginia Hammon, AnnMarie Cowley and Christina Lane and their mini trunk shows!  When: February 19, 2015 7:00 p.m. Where: St Andrews Church 806 NE Alberta St. Portland, OR 97211 The meeting will be in the community center, which is behind the main church building. There are two parking lots. What’s in store: Mini trunk shows and presentations March's mini quilt challenge Retreat updates  Small group sign-ups Excellent giveaways Post-meeting socializing at the Radio Room Don’t forget to bring: Your name badge  Your improv mini quilt A mug for coffee or tea Your quilts for show and tell, of course!  Guests Guests and non-members are welcome at the guild meeting. Guests are free for the first visit; $5 for each visit after that. Modern Domestic Discount Modern Domestic will offer PMQG members 20% off their purchase on Thursday. They'll also be open until 7 p.m., so stop by before the meeting! 1408 NE Alberta St. We hope to see you on Thursday!

Upcoming Events Charity Sew Thursday, February 26, 2015 10 a.m. to 4 p.m Modern Domestic  Open Sew Saturday, March 7, 2015 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fabric Depot Bring you machine, tools, and projects for a fun day of sewing. Free for members, $10 for guests.  Scott Hansen Painted Forest Workshop Friday, March 20, 2015 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. St. Andrews Church  $72 plus you will need to purchase and print PDF pattern with discount code before workshop

December Meeting Reminder

You could win this beauty on Thursday! 

It's party time, people! Celebrate the end of the year with your quilting friends. We'll have a potluck, holiday sale, a fundraising raffle, and fancy door prizes. Plus the holiday swap, and the final results of our 2014 Medallion Along! 

PMQG member Elizabeth Hartman will also present her new book, Patchwork City. (She'll be signing copies at Modern Domestic before the meeting!) 

When:

Thursday, December 11

7:00 p.m.

Where:

St Andrews Church

806 NE Alberta St.

Portland, OR 97211

The meeting will be in the community center, which is behind the main church building. There are two parking lots.

What’s in store:

• Holiday Sale: members will be selling fabric bundles, craft books, felted items, soap, pincushions, jewelry, and more. 
• Potluck Yumminess (see below)
• Raffle Quilts: we'll raffle the medallion pictured above and one of our group Monaluna quilts (so gorgeous!). Proceeds benefit the guild. Tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20. (PMQG members only, please.)
• Holiday Swap
• Excellent giveaways
• Post-meeting socializing at the Radio Room

Don’t forget to bring:

• Potluck item to share: last name A-M, bring a savory dish; last name N-Z, sweet dish
• Beer or wine if you want (it's BYOB)
• Your finished medallion quilt for display
• Three skirt hangers to hang up your medallion
• Holiday Swap gift if you're participating. It can be wrapped or not, but don't forget to include your name and your partner's name! Also if there's leftover fabric, return it to your partner. 
• Any quilts or new toiletries or household goods for Raphael House
• Money for raffle quilts, the holiday sale, and/or 2015 membership
• Your quilts for show and tell, of course! 

Guests

Guests and non-members are welcome at the guild meeting. Guests are free for the first visit; $5 for each visit after that.

Modern Domestic Discount
Modern Domestic will offer PMQG members 20% off their purchase of fabric and notions on Thursday, plus 25% off Elizabeth  Hartman patterns. Kona Solids will be $6.50/yard (instead of $8.50) limited to 1/2 yard cuts or greater. Kona FQ’s will be $1.75 each, instead of $2.50. Modern Domestic will be open until 7 p.m. on Thursday, so stop by before the meeting! 1408 NE Alberta St.

We hope to see you on Thursday!

November Meeting Reminder

Ann Marie Cowley's quilt based on the carpet at PDX

Ever wonder how the beautiful fabrics we work with are produced? Join us for the guild meeting next week and find out! PMQG member Teresa Coates, who worked at Robert Kaufman fabrics, will give us a behind-the-scenes look at the world of fabric manufacturing.

We'll also be taking memberships for 2015, if you want to get that out of the way!  Membership is $40 for individuals. We accept cash checks, and credit cards (note--there's a small charge for using a card). 

Thursday, November 20

7:00 p.m.
St Andrews Church
806 NE Alberta St.
Portland, OR 97211

The meeting will be in the community center, which is behind the main church building. There are two parking lots.

What’s in store:

• Elections for 2015 officers (You can—and should!— still nominate yourself!) 
• Sign up for 2015 membership 
• Excellent giveaways, including A Quilters Mixology and other fun stuff
• Post-meeting socializing at the Radio Room 

Don’t forget to bring:

• Your Holiday Swap fabric. We'll have extra baggies if you didn't get one last time. 
• Charity donations (new toiletries and household goods) and/or quilts for Raphael House. We'll be accepting these through January, but if you want the shelter to receive your donations before Christmas, bring them now! 
• A mug for coffee or tea
• Your quilts for show and tell, of course! 

Guests

Guests and non-members are welcome at the guild meeting. Guests are free for the first visit; $5 for each visit after that.

Modern Domestic Discount

Modern Domestic will offer PMQG members 20% off their purchase of fabric and notions on Thursday. They'll also be open until 7 p.m., so stop by before the meeting! 1408 NE Alberta St.

We hope to see you on Thursday!

October Meeting Reminder

It's true.  Photo courtesy of Sam Hunter

How do you calculate the value of a handmade quilt? And why do so many people undercharge for their work? At the guild meeting on Thursday our own Sam Hunter (Hunter's Design Studio) will talk to us about valuing our craft and how we can all help make sure that quilters are paid what they're worth.

When:

Thursday, October 16

7:00 p.m.

Where:

St Andrews Church

806 NE Alberta St.

Portland, OR 97211

The meeting will be in the community center, which is behind the main church building. There are two parking lots.

What’s in store:

• Sew Worth It presentation by Sam Hunter
• Why you should be a PMQG officer next year
• Excellent giveaways
• Post-meeting socializing at the Radio Room

Don’t forget to bring:

• Any charity quilts or donations for Raphael House
• A mug for coffee or tea
• Your quilts for show and tell, of course! 

Guests

Guests and non-members are welcome at the guild meeting. Guests are free for the first visit; $5 for each visit after that.

Modern Domestic Discount

Modern Domestic will offer PMQG members 20% off their purchase on Thursday. They'll also be open until 7 p.m., so stop by before the meeting! 1408 NE Alberta St. 

We hope to see you on Thursday!

September Guild Meeting

Flower Path quilt top from the Monaluna Challenge--assembled by Kelly

Please join us for the guild meeting next week! It's going to be a little more casual, and tons of fun!  

When:

Thursday, September 18

7:00 p.m.

Where:

St Andrews Church

806 NE Alberta St.

Portland, OR 97211

The meeting will be in the community center, which is behind the main church building. There are two parking lots.

What’s in store:

•   Presentations on new books by members Susan Beal and Sam Hunter

•   Special show & tell (see below)

•   More social time (by members' request!)

•   Final details on the October quilting retreat at Menucha

•   Excellent giveaways

•   Post-meeting socializing at the Radio Room

Don’t forget to bring:

•   Your Medallion Along quilt-in-progress-- we'll reveal the final round this time!

•   Monaluna fabric, if you weren't able to make a charity block for August

•   A cup, if you want ice water

•   Your quilts for show and tell, of course!

Show and Tell

Bring one of your first quilts, or one where you made a mistake. We'll share what went wrong and what we learned. This is in addition to your regular show and tell of recently completed modern quilts! 

Guests

Guests and non-members are welcome at the guild meeting. Guests are free for the first visit; $5 for each visit after that.

We hope to see you on Thursday!

August Meeting Reminder

It's Picnic Time! Please join us next week for our annual picnic in the park meeting! We will be starting at 6:30, please note the time change!

Who: PMQG members and their families, friends, visitors. Bring the kids, the hubby, your grandma, it's our annual time to mingle with family! Baby-sitters will be provided (see below for more info).

Where: Laurelhurst Park,  at SE Cesar Chavez Blvd (39th) and Stark Street, Picnic Site E (on the Ankeny/north side of the park near the restrooms, see picture at end of email).

When: Thursday, August 21st from 6:30-8:30. Please note time change! We need to beat the sun setting! 6:30-7:00 will be setting up your picnic area, eating, and mingling. We'll officially start promptly at 7:00.

What to Bring: 

• A quilt/blanket or chair to sit on
• Dinner/drinks for yourself and food to share if you like. Alcohol is allowed if you would like to bring your own. 
• Name tag  
• Show and Tell! No need to bring your Medallion this month, we won't be able to hang them up.
• Monaluna Challenge Blocks! If you ended up not being able to make any blocks, you also need to bring your fabric back. If you made any blocks the extra fabric is yours to keep!

What's in store this month?

• Monica Solaria-Snow will show off her new line of fabric from Cloud 9, Sew Yummy!
• A representative from our 3rd quarter charity, Raphael House, will be there to talk about their organization. Check out our blog post on Raphael House for more info! 
•  A presentation from our August Business Member of the month, Modern Domestic.

Babysitters
Feel free to bring your kid/grandkids! There will be baby-sitters provided by the guild to take them over to the playground area. The guild will be paying the baby-sitters, but tips are also appreciated.

July Meeting Reminder

"Untitled" by Maren Johnson, at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show

Please join us for our July guild meeting! Our friends from Modern Domestic are going to explain the mysteries of sewing machine maintenance. (You know your machine could use some love!) 

We'll also be presenting our charity quilts to Camp Erin ... it will be great to see the final result of all our hard work from the last three months! 

July PMQG Meeting

When:

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23 

7:00 p.m.

Where:

St Andrews Church

806 NE Alberta St.

Portland, OR 97211

The meeting will be in the community center, which is behind the main church building. There are two parking lots.

What’s in store:

•   Mysteries of Machine Maintenance, Revealed! A presentation from Modern Domestic

•   Charity Quilt handoff to Camp Erin

•   Giveaway of Angela Walters' new book (read Mary Ann's review!) and more 

•  Show and tell

•   Post-meeting socializing at the Radio Room

Don’t forget to bring:

•   Blocks for the Monaluna Challenge (they're not due until the August meeting, but why not be early?)

•    Any last-minute quilts to donate to Camp Erin

•   Your Medallion Along quilt-in-progress

•   A cup, if you want ice water

•   Your quilts for show and tell, of course!

Guests

Guests and non-members are welcome at the guild meeting. Guests are free for the first visit; $5 for each visit after that.

Modern Domestic Discount

In conjunction with the theme of this meeting, Modern Domestic will offer PMQG members a discount on machine service ... details to come! 

We look forward to seeing you at the meeting! 

"Parts Department" by Jeannette Pilak at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show

June Meeting Reminder

Elsa's medallion

Please join us for our June guild meeting, featuring mini-trunk shows from seven accomplished PMQG members. We're excited to see their quilts up close and hear about what modern quilting means to them! 

When:

Thursday, June 19

7 to 9 p.m.

Where:

St Andrews Church

806 NE Alberta St.

Portland, OR 97211

The meeting will be in the community center, which is behind the main church building. There are two parking lots.

What’s in store:

•   Mini-trunk shows! 

•   Fabric pickup for the Monaluna Challenge 

•   Hot giveaways: books by Angela Walters and Kevin Kosbab, an Olfa gift set, and more!

•   Show and tell

•   Post-meeting socializing at the Radio Room

Don’t forget to bring:

•   Your Medallion Along quilt-in-progress

•   Quilts to donate to Camp Erin (we're collecting them to present at the July meeting)

•   A cup, if you want ice water

•   Your quilts for show and tell, of course!

Guests

Guests and non-members are welcome at the guild meeting. Guests are free for the first visit; $5 for each visit after that.

Modern Domestic Discount

On the day of the meeting, ModernDomestic will offer PMQG members 20% off anything in the store (except machines and classes). Visit them at 1408 NE Alberta, just down the street from the guild meeting.

Also, there’s a special PMQG discount for Katie Pedersen's classes at Modern Domestic on June 21 and 22. PMQG members receive $20 off an all-day class (regularly $120)--or you can take both classes for only $175 (regularly discounted to $200). Please call the store or sign up in person for this special offer.

We hope to see you at the meeting!

Mini Trunk Show: Meet the Quilters

Our June meeting will feature mini trunk shows from seven accomplished PMQG members, who will show some of their work and talk about what modern quilting means to them.  

Who are these talented ladies, you ask? Read on—and check out their blogs for more!  

Pétra Anderson

When I was growing up there was always some form of art in my life. My Granny painted; my Mom did ceramics, sewed, and eventually made art quilts. I received a BFA in painting from the Kansas City Art Institute and continued my "art career" in the retail industry as a makeup artist and working at Art Media after moving to Portland in 1993. Then I ventured into teaching art to children, and also started an Etsy business making knitting-needle holders.

Then everything turned into kids and family.  After my life calmed down a bit I was ready to be creative again. My goal was to start painting again but then I made my first quilt and I was hooked! I also started a blog in 2009 (here is my first post). I had no idea what I was doing, or that there were other bloggers doing exactly what I was doing—and then I found this wonderful community through PMQG. 

My quilting philosophy stems directly from my fine art background, where I painted a lot of abstract art landscapes and had a bold use of color. I approach a lot of my quilts by starting with sketches and also just improvising on my design wall with blocks of fabric. I love improv piecing and quilting but I also enjoy working from patterns some and focusing more on fabric choice and color. Of course I have always been addicted to fabric and hope to take things a step further by getting into fabric design in the future. 

Blog: Sew Paint Create

Instagram, Flicker, Twitter: @CreativeMomPDX

Jen Carlton Bailly is a self-taught sewist who learned to sew from online tutorials. Before she began sewing she graduated from the Art Institute of Seattle in fashion marketing. Having a love of textiles, fashion, and art, sewing/quilting was a natural progression and a quick addiction. She finds inspiration in everything from an old dresser drawer to a run-down Portland building. Currently working full-time from home as the communications manager for the Modern Quilt Guild, she spends every free minute sewing.

Blog: bettycrockerass.com

Susan Beal is the author of seven books, including Modern Log Cabin Quilting, Sewing for all Seasons, Bead Simple, and Button It Up. She’s also the historian for the Modern Quilt Guild, a contributing editor at Stitch magazine, and the mother of two little children, Pearl and Everett. Her Pearl's Rainbow Charm Bracelet (quilted by Nancy Stovall) is part of the PMQG Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show special exhibit for 2014, and a new version of the quilt pattern will be published in Scraps, Inc. later this year.

Susan also teaches log cabin quilting classes for Creativebug, and her new book of sewing projects with Pendleton wool, Hand-Stitched Home, comes out in September.

Blog: West Coast Crafty

Instagram:  @westcoastcrafty

Christina Cameli fell in love with quilting as a folk art more than a decade ago. She spends her sewing time experimenting with fabric, using up scraps, and finishing her quilts on her home sewing machine. She works primarily without patterns, enjoying the surprise of letting quilts develop as they go. She loves to share enthusiasm for quilting with anyone who is

excited to try it. Christina believes quilting is for everyone, regardless of budget or style or experience. She sees quilting as an art—a living, breathing art that we are all creating together.

Christina's special interest is in helping quilters become comfortable with free-motion quilting. She has a series of free-motion quilting tutorials on her blog, and is the author of “First Steps to Free-Motion Quilting: 24 Projects for Fearless Stitching”.

Blog: A Few Scraps

Rachel Kerley

A founding member of the Portland Modern Quilt Guild, Rachel has been quilting ever since she found some squares, drafted her own pattern, and proceeded to make every mistake imaginable. After making a couple of hundred tops, quilting and finishing a couple hundred more, Rachel has grown her piecing and quilting skills and can easily communicate her vision of creating simple, artful utility quilts. Drawing on her art education, her love of Art Deco, and her ongoing delight with the simple circle, Rachel designs most of her own patchwork and applique.

Rachel quilts freehand on an Innova 22" longarm machine.  "I like the idea of the quilting being uniquely mine, no quilt is ever repeated exactly the same. And the idea of being able to reinterpret older quilting motifs from my own perspective gives me great joy.  Quilting is something that gives me a chance to connect to the women before me, to connect with my own sense of Womanhood and to women around me."

 Rachel tends to work in series in her home studio, making bed quilts of various sizes, with each quilt as an opportunity to express herself.  She has also collaborated with other artists and worked for manufacturers.

Instagram: @2ndavestudio

Christina Lane

I have been sewing since I was a little girl, when my mom gave me many pushes to try it.  I can't say I was particularly interested, but I had a lot of fun making things with her and my grandmother.  I loved to dissect objects and figure out how they were made and then make them myself, to my own specifications.  I started quilting in my teens, but really went full force into it after my step dad died in my early 20s.  It was my therapy, and still is today.  I especially love drawing graphic quilts, figuring out the math and placement for a quilt top, and making it happen.  I love the whole process.

My quilting philosophy: Enjoy the process.  Society has this instant gratification problem.  We want it now.  Quilting isn't an instant kind of thing.  It takes time.  You have to figure out your pattern, cut your fabric, sew your pieces, rip a few seams, square your blocks, assemble the top, assemble your backing, sandwich the quilt, quilt it, bind it...  A lot goes into making a quilt.  You're going to be working on it for awhile, so you should enjoy the process.  See the beauty in each step.  By taking your time and enjoying the process you will not only have a greater love for quilting, but also an end product you are happier with.  Taking your time has never been a bad thing in any endeavor.

Christina is the author of Quilting Happiness (Aug 2013, Potter Craft)

  

Blog: Sometimes Crafter 

instagram: @SometimesCraftr

Cherri Langley

I love surface design, unusual color combinations and clever cutting and piecing techniques. I have made over 100 rotary cut, paper pieced or improv quilts. I love quilts with fussy cut elements and traditional block designs reinterpreted in a modern way. I appreciate quilts that are full of pattern and color and showcase quality construction techniques.