December Meeting - The CliffsNotes Edition

Wow - what a cram-packed meeting we had today! Let me get right into it...

First, Kelly B. gave us a great FMQ demonstration. She's really great at free motion, so she was the perfect person to show those of us who aren't as experienced how to do it. She even brought some quilt sandwiches for some of us to practice on!

Here's Kelly telling and showing us how it's done...

And here's some of our people trying it out...

By the way, we had some really great food this time. It was like our own little Christmas party! I should've taken a picture of just the food, but you can see it in the corner of this pic. By the way, I think we all share a love of food in this guild, so coming soon will be a Recipes page, featuring recipes of what people have brought to the meetings.

Next up was the reveal of our scrap swap! This was so much fun! At our last meeting, whoever wanted to participate in the swap brought in a sandwich bag filled with scraps. We swapped those scraps, and whatever scraps we received, we were supposed to make something out of them to bring to this meeting, and swap the finished item back to the original owner of the scraps. I think we were all very happy with what we received!

Up next was another big reveal - thanks to Robert Kaufman, and their awesome support of the Modern Quilt Guild movement, the ECMQG is going to be participating in the Kona Solids Challenge! Haven't heard of it? Go here to read about how it started, and go here to see some of the amazing quilts that have been made for this challenge! Or just google "kona solids challenge" and you will be hit with pages of results! Our deadline for these finished quilts is going to be our March meeting, and I just can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!


Next we had our show and tell. I got a few pictures of what people brought before my camera battery died.




Check out our Flickr pool for more pictures.

All in all, it was a great (but busy) meeting! The next time we'll see each other is at our first Monthly Sew at First Baptist Church in Crestview on Saturday, January 21 from 12-6. Our next regular meeting is the following Friday, January 27 at 10 am at The Sewing Center Around the Block in FWB. Hope to see you at one of those. But in the meantime, have a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

Giveaway Day + Meeting Reminder!

Are you familiar with Sew, Mama, Sew? If not, you should be! It's not just for quilters - there's a blog that talks about just sewing in general, plus they have a store with fabrics, notions, books, patterns, etc!

Today (actually, all week) SMS is hosting their annual Giveaway Day. Hundreds of bloggers from all over the world are linking up to Sew, Mama, Sew, and giving away all sorts of goodies! There's lots of categories - Handmade for the Home, Sewing Supplies, Non-Sewing Craft Supplies, Handmade Baby & Kid Items, Handmade Bags, and Handmade Accessories. You really need to check it out, and enter as many giveaways as you want! It's also a great way to find blogs you might never find otherwise.

Both of the ECMQG Kelly's are participating in Giveaway Day. Here's the link to Kelly B's giveaway (she's been very generous lately), and here's the link to the other Kelly's.

In other news, the ECMQG is having it's December meeting this coming Friday, December 16 at 10 am - but instead of meeting at our usual spot, we'll be meeting at someone's house in Crestview. If you want to come, and you need the address, please email emeraldcoastmqg@gmail.com. We'll have a time of show and tell, a free motion quilting demo from Kelly B, and we'll have the big reveal of our scrap swap! It will be so much fun to see what everyone made with someone else's scraps! And as always, we'll have yummy treats and door prizes. Plus, a big announcement! Huge!

It's said every time, but this is a meeting you won't want to miss! Hope to see you there.

November Meeting Wrap Up and December Meeting News!

Okay, I'm a couple weeks late in posting about our November meeting. I'm sorry! But I have a feeling I'm not the only one who's been busy, what with Thanksgiving and Christmas-related sewing going on!

Our November meeting was great. A little different, since we met at 2 pm, instead of 10 am, but everyone made it, and we even had a new face! We love to see new faces!

We talked about starting to meet for monthly Saturday sews in the New Year! We decided that we would try to split up our sew-ins between Crestview and Pensacola. So, on January 21, we'll be meeting in Crestview at First Baptist Church, 171 Hickory Avenue, from 12-6. We're hoping to meet in Pensacola for the month of February, but the details have not been finalized yet, so stay tuned for that.

These monthly sews will be a great way to spread your stuff out and get alot of work done!

We also talked about starting to take dues in January. We agreed that dues would be a good thing to start, but haven't settled on an amount yet. We'll talk more about that at our next meeting.

I talked about my recent trip to International Quilt Market in Houston. If you're interested in that, I blogged about it here. The good thing about going to Market was that I brought back alot of stuff that ended up being door prizes! Don't worry, if you missed the November meeting, I still have some Market goodies that will be given away at the December meeting.

Then came the really exciting part - the scrap swap! Almost everyone brought a sandwich bag filled with scraps to swap with someone else. Our next meeting is going to be so great, seeing what everyone made with the scraps, and giving the items back to the original owner!

In other news, for our December meeting we will not be meeting at The Sewing Center Around the Block!!!

Did you get that?

The meeting will not be at the store!

We'll be meeting at my house on Friday, December 16 at 10 am. If you want to come to the meeting, email emeraldcoastmqg@gmail.com to get the address. I don't want to post it here for all to see.

So again, our next meeting will be on Friday, December 16 at 10 am at my house.

I just want to make sure that's clear.

Not only will we be exchanging our swap items, but Kelly B. will be doing a free motion quilting demonstration, so you definitely don't want to miss that.

That's it! Hope to see you in a couple of weeks!

November Meeting

Our November meeting is tomorrow, November 18 at 2 pm, which is a change from our normal date and time. But as usual, we'll be meeting at The Sewing Center Around the Block in Fort Walton Beach.

There will be lots of door prizes, so you definitely don't want to miss it! It will also be our scrap swap (details here), so make sure to bring a sandwich bag filled with scraps if you want to participate!

In the meantime, you should check out the blog of our very own Kelly B - she's got a giveaway going on, a new pattern in her etsy shop, plus a free pattern! Check it out, and hope to see you tomorrow!

Modern vs. Traditional Quilting - What's the Difference?

Since starting the ECMQG, I've been asked several times, "Modern? What do you mean by modern?" And I find that when I'm put on the spot like that, it's hard to really answer that question.

One of the main things to keep in mind about our guild is that it doesn't necessarily matter if you're a modern quilter. What matters is the mindset of the quilter.

Can you appreciate what another person (who might have a different aesthetic or style than you) brings to the table?

If so, then you are more than welcome to be a part of our guild - even if you are a traditional quilter! There's room for all of us!

That said, being a Modern Quilt Guild, we will tend to highlight and focus on quilts that are modern in style, fabrics, and colors. That's what sets us apart. But that doesn't mean we don't appreciate traditional quilts or techniques.

I was just browsing around Flickr, and happened upon an interesting discussion. In that discussion, someone posted a link to a slide show that Cara from the St. Louis MQG put together, and I think it's very helpful in defining what is modern vs. traditional.

If you're interested in seeing this slide show, go here!

October Meeting

Unfortunately, there are no pictures from this past meeting, but here's a summary of what we talked about...

**The November and December meetings are different than our usual meeting time. We're meeting on Friday, November 18 at 2 pm, and then Friday, December 16 at 2 pm.**

Submissions for the Modern Quilt Guild Showcase for the 2012 Fall Market and Festival will be accepted January 6 - March 2, 2012. Details can be found here.

The Flying Needles Quilt Show is taking place March 1-3. Submissions are accepted until January 12, 2012. More details here.

We announced our first swap! It's a scrap swap. This means that for our November meeting, if you'd like to participate in the swap, bring in a sandwich bag filled with scraps. We'll exchange those scraps and bring the finished products to the December meeting and exchange them back to the original owner of the scraps. The main thing to keep in mind about this swap, is to keep the items made out of the scraps SMALL! The holidays are a busy time, and we don't want anyone to feel like they have too much on their plate. So some ideas are coasters, mug rugs, potholders, coffee sleeves, mini quilt, etc. The only other rule is that after you receive your scraps, and you talk with your partner about what they'd like to receive, you may add one fabric (as much as needed) to the scraps. This additional fabric must be in keeping with the theme or the tone of the scraps you're working with.

(If you're unfamiliar with mug rugs, here's a post explaining them)

And that's basically it! I unfortunately had to leave the meeting early, so I missed out on Show and Tell, but I heard it was great.

Once again, if you have questions about anything, or want to be added to the email list, leave a comment here, or email emeraldcoastmqg@gmail.com.

Hope to see you later this month!

Upcoming Meeting!

If you didn't make it to the first meeting of the ECMQG, no worries! Our next meeting is coming up in a few days - this Friday, October 28, 10 am at The Sewing Center Around the Block in Fort Walton Beach, to be exact! So join us, won't you?

At the meeting, we'll have the usual - snacks, giveaways, and show and tell. We'll be talking a little bit about modern fabric, and hopefully go through the store to point out some examples. There will also be details about an upcoming swap, so you definitely want to be there for that!

If you're interested in coming, but just can't make it, leave a comment here or email emeraldcoastmqg@gmail.com to let us know. We can send you details about what was discussed at the meeting.

Hope to see you there!

Project Modern: Recap

At the last meeting of the ECMQG, I mentioned Project Modern a couple of times. Project Modern was hosted by The Modern Quilt Guild, and there were 4 different challenges throughout the past year. The winners of the 4th challenge just got announced, so I thought I'd do a little recap of all of the challenges, since they are all great examples of what modern quilting is.

Challenge 1: Inspiration

Judge: Valori Wells

Challenge Description: Make a quilt based on an inspiration of your choice. When submitting your entry you will have to submit a photo of your particular inspiration, along with a photo of your quilt and a few paragraphs explaining your quilt. How does it relate to or display your inspiration?

Here's a list and description of all the winners and their quilts.

And here's a link to the Flickr Group to see all the entries.



Challenge 2: Monochromatic

Judge: Malka Dubrawsky

Challenge Description: Design and make a quilt that is monochromatic. Create interest, life and energy in a quilt by using tints, shades and tones of a single color.

Here's a list and description of all the winners and their quilts.

And here's a link to the Flickr Group to see all the entries.



Challenge 3: Organic

Judge: Pokey Bolton

Challenge Description: Make a quilt that is inspired by one word. This word will be your only guidance.
The word is: ORGANIC
What does it mean to you? What emotion, image or thoughts does it invoke? Let’s see that in your quilt!

Here's a list and description of all the winners and their quilts.

And here's the link to the Flickr Group to see all the entries.



Challenge 4: Find Your Own Voice

Judge: Denyse Schmidt

Challenge Description: Make a quilt that is all you! Like all of the other challenges, use of other designers’ patterns is not allowed but this time, find your own voice. Spins on existing techniques, improvisation, fabric manipulation – any and all of it is allowed and encouraged. Stretch and push yourself to make something that you’ve never made before! Why not skip using a ruler? Why not be open to changing your initial plans and ideas along the way? Innovate! Make this quilt your voice and yours alone!

Here's a list and description of all the winners and their quilts.

And here's the link to the Flickr Group to see all the entries.

Modern Quilt Guild Survey

Sorry it's taken so long to post! If you follow the main Modern Quilt Guild website at all, then you've probably seen the request to take a survey. If you don't follow that website, then here it is! If you have a few minutes, please fill it out!

First Meeting Recap

The first meeting of the ECMQG went really well! I knew that there would for sure be five people - myself (Kelly S.), Kelly B., Melissa, Kassie and Valarie. What I didn't know was if there would be anyone else. But just a few days ago, the quarterly newsletter for The Sewing Center Around the Block came out, and it mentioned us. So thanks to that we actually got three additional people, and a friend of Kelly B. came, bringing our total to nine!

We talked about what modern quilting is, and how the Modern Quilt Guild got started. We also talked about a few upcoming opportunities - the call for submissions for the Modern Quilt Guild Showcase at the 2012 International Quilt Festival (info here), and the Flying Needles Quilt Show coming up in March 2012. The Flying Needles Quilt Guild asked us to participate, which is a great way to bring more attention to modern quilting on the Emerald Coast! Both of these are great opportunities, and hopefully we'll have some participants in both arenas.

We also had a time of show and tell. Here's a few pictures of that. The rest can be seen in our Flickr Group.







We're looking forward to the next meeting, which will be Friday, October 28 at 10 am. Again, if you want to come to a meeting, but the time doesn't work for you, please comment on the blog or send us an email at emeraldcoastmqg@gmail.com, and let us know about your interest.

First Meeting Anticipation!

Our first meeting is tomorrow - and those of us who will be there are very excited! Are you coming? Let us know!

There will be...
Snacks!
Door prizes!
News about upcoming opportunities!
Show and tell!

So come, bring your WIPs or completed quilty projects, and have fun!

We're meeting at 10am at the Sewing Center Around the Block. Hope to see you there!

Show Me Your Solids!

One of the defining characteristics of modern quilting is the use of solids. There are so many great solids-only quilts out there, and here's a little sampling (taken from the Simply Solids Quilts group on Flickr). As you can see, a quilt doesn't need prints to make a statement.

1. P2ModernQAL-Front, 2. "Untitled 2011", 3. Front of Brit Quilt Swap, 4. Solid Stars - TwitterBee Solid 6, 5. Pixel Pusher, finished, 6. Argyle Baby Quilt Front, 7. IMG_1623, 8. 1000 Pyramids, 9. Rk Challenge - Side 2, 10. rainbolts baby quilt!, 11. NY Mod Show Quilt, 12. "everything's coming up rainbows" , 13. Fresh Quilt for Auntie Laura, 14. Cross Your Fingers Quilt, 15. Pixelated Color Wheel Quilt, 16. Stairway to Heaven Quilt Top

Of course, we don't only use solids in quilts, but it's nice to throw them in every now and then. If you want to see more solids-only quilts, check out the group on Flickr - there's over 2,000 pictures in that group alone!

Announcing...the September Meeting!

Good news! We have found a great location for our meetings - The Sewing Center Around the Block in Fort Walton Beach! Sheri is excited and eager to host us, and we are equally excited and eager to meet at her location!

For now, we'll plan to meet the last Friday of the month, beginning at 10 am. So that means our first meeting will be Friday, September 30 at 10 am! Put it on your calendars and plan to be there! And check the "Meeting Schedule" tab above for future dates.

Now, I realize that the meetings are on a weekday in the morning, and that could be a problem for you. So if you really want to come, but that time does not work for you, please send an email to emeraldcoastmqg@gmail.com, and tell us what would be better. If the time turns out to be a problem for a lot of people, we will do our best to adjust future meetings and accommodate the most people. We'll talk further about this at our first meeting.

Come check us out to find out more about this modern quilting thing! We hope to see you there!

We Have a Logo!

Thanks to the awesome design skills of Cheri, the ECMQG now has a beautiful logo! Isn't it awesome?

Hi There!

Welcome to the Emerald Coast Modern Quilt Guild (ECMQG)! We're just getting started, but we're very excited to bring modern quilting to the Florida Panhandle! Not sure who we are? Check out the "About Us" Tab above, and check here for more updates!