July 2014 Meeting Summary

We had 19 members at our meeting.   We would like to welcome our 4 new members, Pat, Susan, Samantha and Mark.  We now have 31 members!

We had a wonderful presentation on fabric dyeing by Teri Springer along with samples of her work.  She gave us a very informative handout on MX and other dyes.  If anyone is interested in dyeing fabric, they can contact Teri at 269-615-6591.  Thank you Teri for sharing your talent with us.

Fabric Swap:  Fun Times!  We had over 100 fat quarters and over 45 different designs of "text fabric". We might see some of the black and white text fabric used in next month's online activity.

 Retreat Update:  The retreat will be at Camp Lutherwald in Howe,Indiana on November 14 thru 16.  The cost is $210.00 for private rooms and $150.00 per person for rooms with 2 to 4 people.  There is a $50.00 deposit due by October 25, non-refundable after that date.  On October 1 we will open reservations for nonmembers.  There is an additional $25.00 fee, but it includes a membership.  Meals are included, Friday dinner thru Sunday lunch.  We will provide our own single bed linens and towels or we may pay an extra charge.  We are checking into the possibility of coming for the day.  More information will be on our blog.

Meetings:  Our next meeting will be at the Portage Public Library on September 27, 10:30 to 12:30 followed by a sew in.  We will not have a meeting in November due to our retreat.  We have a Christmas party planned for December 8 at Bells Brewery with a small handmade gift exchange.  Possible choices include:  pincushion, placemats, oven mitts, coasters, rotary cutter case, eye glass case, small zipper bag or fabric ornament.   January 24, 2015 meeting/sew in will be at Bernina.

Block Drawing:  Our new member Mark  won 27 "X Marks the Spot" blocks.  Congratulations!

Door Prizes:  Pam B. won a very cute small duffle bag donated by Stephanie, and Pat F. won three zipper pulls donated by Holly.

 Tina shared information about donating handmade items to Bronson Babies.  If anyone is interested, please contact volunteer services.  Sue Haas, haass@bronson.org 269-341-8754 or Julie VanderNoot, Vandernj@bronson.org, 269-341-8644.

Show and Tell: Our favorite part, was great as usual. 

June Online Activity!

Here's the online activity block for our July meeting:

It's the "X Marks the Spot" block from SewCraftyJess. You can find her tutorial here. Please make a 12-1/2" block as Jess shows in her tutorial.

As you can see after visiting her tutorial, I switched up the colors a bit. Please use grays of any shade in the background (where hers is white) and then use a solid (any color) for the X and a coordinating print or solid for the middle square.

This means that you'll need to make 28 HSTs that are half a solid color and half a gray print (or solid). So you'll start with (14) 2-7/8" solid color squares and (14) 2-7/8" gray prints. (I happened to have 7 different gray prints, so I cut two each of those 7 prints to make my 14 gray squares. You can use a greater or a smaller variety of gray fabrics depending on your stash. Then you'll need (1) 4-1/2" print or solid square for the center. Follow Jess' directions or your own preferred HST method to make the 28 HSTs and then assemble as her tutorial shows. The block will be 12-1/2" unfinished, and will finish at 12" square. 

Submission/Winning:

• Submit a photo of the completed block by July 25.  We want this to be fun and easy, not stressful, so we have several options for submitting your photo.
• If you have a Flickr account, please post the photo to Flickr, add it to the Great Lakes Modern Quilt Guild group pool, and tag it GLMQG-Jul14. *Adding the tag is key, because it allows the photo to get into the slideshow on our blog.*
• If you have a Facebook account, you may post the picture to the Great Lakes Modern Quilt Guild Facebook page. 
• You may email your photo to glmodernquilter@gmail.com 
• If you do not have access to a digital camera, contact me (Lisa) and I will arrange to photograph your block.
• How to win all the blocks:
• We are going to draw for a winner of all the blocks at our next live meeting, which is July 26.  You do not need to be present to win.
• IMPORTANT: If you want to be entered in the drawing but will not be at the meeting with your block, please make sure to let another attendee know. We try our best to make sure everyone who submits a photo of their block gets entered in the drawing, but making sure a friend puts your name in the hat will guarantee you have a chance to win!
• You get your name in the drawing each time you enter a block.  So, if you submit two blocks, your name goes in the drawing twice!
• Please bring your completed block to the July meeting so all the blocks can be delivered to the winner.  If the winner is not at the meeting, we will mail them to him/her.
• We'll post the name of the winner here on the blog.  So, if we don't have your email address, check the blog so you can see if you won and can send us your contact information.  (If you are at the meeting, you'll get your blocks on the spot!)
• If you will not be at the meeting, either
• Give the block to a friend to bring it for you, or
• Mail it in.  E-mail us at glmodernquilter@gmail.com, and we'll send you the mailing address where you can send your blocks.

• That winner must assemble the blocks into a finished quilt before being eligible to win again. Fair enough?

And just for fun, while I was playing with color combination options for making this block, I laid out four blocks to see what the layout will look like. Fun, isn't it?!

Any questions? Leave a comment below. See you at our July meeting!