Introducing Christina Cameli our Quilter-in-Residence for 2021

 Dear Great Lakes Modern Quilters,

Happy New Year!  For 2021, we (the Executive Committee) has some really exciting stuff planned for you!  Thank you for the positive feedback you've shared anecdotally with us about how pleased you have been with the programming and engagement with the guild throughout the pandemic.  We really appreciate it.  Keep your eyes out in your email for a quick survey to help us always improve.

For 2021, we are trying something new.  Given that travel is so limited at the moment for teachers and that we only get to meet our teachers virtually, we decided to host an "quilter-in-residence" this year.  Although we will continue to meet virtually for the foreseeable future, we will get to meet with our quilter-in-residence repeatedly throughout the year.  We hope this will give us an opportunity to really get to know the quilt artist.  We hope when the pandemic is over, we can even bring our quilter-in-residence to Kalamazoo for a live meet-up.  We hope you like this idea.  We are really excited about it, and our quilter-in-residence has a fun and engaging curriculum planned for us.  So, without further adieu, we introduce you to our quilter-in-residence, Christina Cameli!  Christina kindly wrote an introduction to herself, which you will find below:

I'm Christina Cameli, and I'm delighted to have the chance to introduce some special programming for your guild in 2021. Before I jump into the details I'll introduce myself: I'm a quilter and designer. I've written four quilting books, with a fifth one due out next year. I've taught several online quilting classes through Craftsy and Bluprint, and I also design fabric and quilting patterns. Quilting is a lot of fun for me, and I just do it part time: the other half of the week I work as a nurse-midwife and parent my two kids.

 

So now about our news: Earlier this year, your Pam and Stephanie approached me with an idea that I'd never heard from a quilt guild before: that of a "Quilter-in-Residence". After working out the details we're now happy to announce that I will be the Quilter-in-Residence for the Great Lakes Modern Quilt Guild in 2021. 

An example of Christina's work

The idea was modeled after Artist-in-Residence programs. These programs vary, but generally involve an artist spending a length of time in a community, making art that is influenced by their experience, and then exhibiting their art for the community. We loved the idea of an artist who spends prolonged time with a community, and is influenced by and influencing the community in an artistic way.  

 

Pam, Stephanie, and I worked together to imagine how this might work in a quilting context, remotely and within the rhythms of the Great Lakes Modern Quilt Guild meeting schedule. We established a plan for both formal and informal meetings: for formal meetings we decided on a set of lectures that cover the breadth of my interests and expertise: creativity, scraps, free-motion quilting, texture quilting and quilts with wedges. And at informal meetings we plan for me to attend as well, but as a regular participant, sharing in the inspiration and supporting members' creative processes. 

Quilting inspiration from Christina

What I am really looking forward to is the chance to connect with your guild for longer than I typically would.  I like the idea of getting a feel for you as individuals and as a group. And for you to understand me the same way, through our longer time together. I hope the coming year is a time of fertile creativity for all of us, and I look forward to checking in with you as we go through it together. 

Wow such a fun quilt 

Feel free to check out Christina's blog for some additional great inspiration and some fun tutorials. 

You can also find Christina on Instagram as @afewscraps.

We are also working on a social meeting for January stay tuned for details!

Happy New Year to all!  See you soon!

GLMQG Exec Committee

P.S.  If you haven't renewed your dues yet, please do so.  We hope you can join in the fun with us!

2020 Holiday Party

 Our holiday party is coming up! This event has been a fun tradition for GLMQG every December. This year, we will party on Zoom, but it will be no less festive!

Tuesday, December 8, 2020
7:00 pm
Desserts, Drinks, Gift Exchange & Gab

Desserts and Drinks

We normally share a meal together during our holiday gathering. This year, we invite you to have dinner with your loved ones before joining us for desserts and after-dinner drinks! 

Prepare a yummy holiday dessert, like the ones suggested below and share with the group how it turned out! If you used our suggested recipe, how was it? If you made something with your own recipe, be prepared to share the recipe (only if it's good (just kidding (not really))).

• Death by Chocolate Mini- Cheesecakes     
• Cranberry Bliss Bars
• Easy Oreo Truffles

Here are some suggestions for warming and festive drinks. Again, if you have a great alternative, please share with the group!

• Kalua Hot Chocolate
• Hot Apple Cider with (or without) Rum

Gift Exchange

We normally exchange hand-made items at the holiday gathering.  We thought, why should that change during distance gathering! A couple weeks ago we posted a signup form for participating in a Holiday Quilted/Fabric Postcard Exchange. We are so excited to see what everyone creates for their postcard partner!

A few resources if you need help getting started on a fabric postcard:

• https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/easy-fabric-postcards-2821813
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHytcmxfxzA
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPYz77qtxhc
• https://nwquiltedcat.com/2015/09/05/fabric-postcard-tutorial/
• http://www.52quilters.com/2015/07/fabric-postcards-tutorial.html

If you signed up for the exchange, please check your email for a note from Pam about who you are making your postcard for, and her address. Send your postcard in time for it to arrive before the party on December 8. We suggest getting it in the mail by November 30, if using USPS. Please check with your local post office for mailing guidelines and postage. Of course, personal deliveries are also appropriate if within your reach. 

At the party, we'll each show the postcard we received and have a chance to thank the maker and hear her comments about the experience. 

We are looking forward to seeing you all on Zoom on December 8! The Zoom link will be sent to membership at least a day in advance.  In the meantime, if you have questions please post a comment below or email glmodernquilter@gmail.com

October 2020 Meeting Preparation: Sewing with Selvedges

 Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all well and hanging in there through all the craziness of COVID.  We are excited to let you know that the totally awesome Cindy Wiens, who was supposed to be here for our October 24 meeting but cannot be due to COVID, will be joining us via Zoom!  Cindy blogs at Live a Colorful Life, and you can find her on Instagram @liveacolorfullife.

Our programming will be on sewing with selvedges.  Cindy is a real whiz at sewing with selvedges.  You can check out her blog for some examples of her work.  She is going to give us a trunk show of some of her amazing projects utilizing selvedges.  She will also give you tips on cutting and storing them.  She has an incredible collection.  After her trunk show and discussion, we will be doing a make and take with selvedges.  You'll get to sew along with Cindy to make a block using selvedges, and you can incorporate your block into a couple of small projects, if you like.

We will be sewing a spool block based on Cindy's own design.  If you look at Cindy's examples on her blog, you will see her Spool Play quilt, which is her own design.  The block we will sew will be based on the blocks in this quilt but will be a bit smaller.  She will be providing us with the small pattern for free.  Check your email later for the pattern and for information on a special price for her pattern for the Spool Play block in other sizes.  Cindy will be providing a special offer for our guild.  

Here are some details for what you need to have ready for the day:

• You'll need some selvedges.  Check your email for information on how you can get some from us. You may want to select selvages that are similar in color so your spool has a single color of thread on it.  Or, you can vary your selvedges to have variegated thread.  Your choice!
• You will need a piece of foundation fabric to sew on.  It doesn't matter what the fabric is, because it will be covered up.  Use some of your ugly fabric if you want (as if any of you have any of that!).  It should be about 7" square.
• You will also need some fabric for the top and bottom of the spool, as well as some background fabric.  Scraps will do.  A fat eighth of each would be more than enough.
• A couple of fun applications where you could apply this block, as suggested by Cindy are:
• The One Hour Basket by Kelby Sews, available on Etsy for $5.
• The Lined Drawstring Bag by Jenny Baker, available on Jenny Baker's website for $9.

You may already have one or both of these patterns, or maybe you want to grab one.  Cindy has used these as applications for her selvedges and will have some examples to show.  If you'd like to pick one of these up for your own application, feel free, but it's not required.  You can come up with your own way to incorporate the block into something.

Hope you will join us on October 24.  It should be fun!  We will start the business meeting at 9:30 am on Zoom.  Watch your email for the link.  Bring your show and tell so we can see what you have been up to!  Cindy will start her trunk show at 10:00 and the make and take will follow the trunk show.  We'll probably be done by noon.  Hope to see you there!

Be well!

Stephanie

Informal meeting tomorrow 27 July

Hi

Just a reminder that Lisa Ruble will be presenting Wonk Around the block the next step.  It is a Virtual Zoom meeting.  The demo should be short but members are welcome to stay on zoom to socialize.
Meeting starting at 10 am.  We will send out a link via email.

Information for our August 2020 Meeting

Hi Everyone!

We have information on our bag sew along coming in August.  We are planning to do the Retreat Bag, a free pattern from Emmaline Bag.  If we can't hold our November retreat, we can at least plan for a retreat by making a bag.  Hopefully, we will be retreating together soon.  In the meantime, we will be sewing together via Zoom.

You can down load the pattern here: (https://emmalinebags.com/collections/pdf-patterns/products/the-retreat-bag-pdf)

The bag uses an internal wire frame.  The information for ordering the frame in the pattern.  You may want to order soon, because the website does say there are some shipping delays.  The frame is inserted at the last step so it will not impact your ability to participate if you don’t have it before the sew along.  You can also make and use the bag without the frame.

You can choose between two sizes for the bag.  Here are some beautiful examples of the two sizes made by member Kate White.  She will be leading us in the sew along.  (Thank you, Kate!)

These look really fun and useful.

In preparation for our August meeting:  Go ahead and download the pattern.  Look at your stash.  The small size can be made with two fat quarters (if you skip the pockets or use an alternate fabric for the pockets).  Pick your size and get all your materials ready before our Aug 29, 2020 meeting. (Note this is the 5^th Saturday of the month).  We suggest that you have all your fabrics cut and interfaced before the sew along starts.  You can quilt the exterior if you like.  You can also pre-make the optional slip pockets.  Kate thinks if you do this, you may be able to complete the bag during our meeting!

We will send out a Zoom link along with the schedule of steps as the date gets closer.   We will also be sending this information out to members via email.

Be well,

Pam

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