60° Triangles - Block Lottery January 2017

For the month of January, we are sewing with a shape that we haven't tried before - the 60° triangle, aka the equilateral triangle.  

It's not as scary as it looks, thanks to Amy, the fourth volunteer to help with the block lottery.

To our members who were anxiously waiting these photos and instructions, THANK YOU for your patience.  The holidays got the best of us. 

Unlike any previous block lottery, we are asking each unit (it's hard to call a triangle a block) to use a specific fabric.  It is the Rose Border Print in Aqua from Melody Miller's first collection, Mustang, for Cotton + Steel.  

Using a multicolored focus fabric allows for many color combinations that either compliment or contrast.  In the photo below, the fabric chosen are all complimentary and are also Cotton + Steel, but from lines other than Mustang.    

  
16 triangles are needed for construction.  Use as much (or as little) of the Rose Border Print in Aqua as you want.  However, each 16 triangle unit MUST contain at least one piece.  

Cutting:

There are multiple ways to cut 60° triangles using specialty rulers such as this one or this one.  If you prefer templates, a pdf is available for downloading and printing here.


The method I used for these photos is simply done with the 60° angle lines on my regular ruler.  A tutorial with clear instructions and pictures can be found here.  (No need to reinvent the wheel; Thanks Faith!)  

Tips:

Whichever method you go with for cutting your 16 triangles, remember these things:

1)   Starch is your friend, as in before cutting, because you'll be making bias cuts. 

2)   Bias edges s-t-r-e-t-c-h.  Do not use steam or starch after cutting.

3)   Accurate sewing with a .25" seam is crucial.  I can't say it enough, do     not stretch your fabric as you sew.  Let your machine and feed dogs do the work.  If your machine's presser foot has a seam guide, use it.   

4)   Press all seams open.  Be gentle.

    5)  Two triangles sewn together with the seams pressed OPEN will have ears.          Do not chop them off.  They are used to line up triangles.

Sewing:

Sew each row individually, left to right.  

Flip the left triangle onto the triangle to its right.  Line up the only two points (upper right hand side in pic.)  The other two points should have a point side and the cut off tip side.  Stitch a ¼ inch seam from circle to circle.

 

Continue sewing from left to right.  Pay attention to the side you need to sew or you will make a half hexie.  (Ask me how I know!)

Pin the rows together by placing a pin at the point where the seams of the triangle intersect in the upper row.  

Put the pin through the seam intersection in the row underneath.

When pinning, if one triangles edge is a little stretched, don’t pull the other side to line points up.  It can be eased into place by positioning the smaller triangle over your finger and the larger one on top.  It should curve around your finger just enough to ease in the fullness.  Be gentle.  Do not stretch.

Your sewing machine needle should pierce the fabric exactly at the intersection where the seams meet.  Accuracy is the goal.  

Sew all 4 rows in same manner.  Note how the seams all intersect at the same point.

Once all rows are sewn, the finished 16 triangle unit should measure 12.25" from the base to the top point.  

Remember first one always takes longer.  Enjoy and have fun!  

Christmas Par-TAY!

 The annual ECMQG Christmas party and handmade ornament swap was held on December 10, 2016 at at 10:00 am at First Baptist Church of Crestview.  Twelve members attended, although only 11 participated in the ornament swap.  Photos will tell the story.

Linda picked first.

Then, Cindy.  After that, it was a typically snatch and grab Dirty Santa game.

Merry Christmas!  Happy Holidays!  We'll see you in January!

November Meeting Minutes

The November meeting of the Emerald Coast Modern Quilt Guild was held on Saturday, November 12, 2016 at First Baptist Church of Crestview.  Cindy called the meeting to order at 10:20 am.  Cindy asked for a moment of silence for a positive thought.

Cindy welcomed all members present.  There were no guests.

The Quiltcon Fabric Challenge is due November 30, as are quilts being submitted to the QuiltCon Quilt Show for judging.  There was a general discussion of QuiltCon, which will be held in Savannah, Georgia on February 22-26, 2017.

Natalie noted that this meeting is the Annual Meeting of the Emerald Coast Modern Quilt Guild.  She announced that Kira had resigned from the ECMQG Executive Board on October 15.  This meeting is therefore being held according to the by-laws, as we have a quorum present consisting of 3 of the 4 board members.  Natalie also noted that according to the by-laws, a quorum is a majority of the members present at the meeting.  There were 18 members present.

Natalie gave a brief "State of the Guild" message. 

• Currently, the guild has approximately 60 members, of which approximately 30 are active.  
• We have completed 4 charity projects this year, creating quilts for Emerald Coast Hospice, Fisher House, and an as-yet-unfinished quilt for QuiltCon 2017.  We have also created an as-yet- to-be-determined number of drawstring bags for Ronald McDonald House.  In addition, we have placed the 2015 QuiltCon Charity Quilt with ARC Gateway for their annual gala and silent auction.  
• We have worked on the Modern Quilt Continuum throughout the year.  
• We participated in our first quilt show as guests of the Chautauqua Quilter's Guild.  
• We organized and participated in our first guild bees.  
• We had a quilt-along, two fabric swaps and a mini-quilt challenge this year.  
• We have completed the audit of 2014 records and those are with the accountant.  We are currently about one-third of the way through an audit of 2015 records which included Sew Modern Quilt Lab and St. Simon's Charity Sale, for which we do not have adequate records.

Natalie presented a proposed budget based on dues of 40 members.  Even with the increase in dues, the budget shows a deficit of $561.  However, we do have additional funds in the bank to cover the shortfall.

The Election of Officers was then held.  Cindy noted that nominations were held at the October meeting.  The board had contacted those whose names were proposed to determine their willingness to accept the nomination.  A slate of officers for 2017 was presented.  Natalie will remain on the board in the position of past president.  As per the by-laws, Gina and Jo volunteered to count the ballots representing the general membership, with Natalie as the board representative.

We then celebrated birthdays of three members:  Pam and Whitney, whose birthdays were in September, and Bobbi, whose birthday is in November.

Cindy discussed the benefits of our MQG affiliation, including monthly webinars, monthly modern quilt patterns, a monthly block of the month, fabric challenges, discounts to events at QuiltCon, and more.  Check the email from MQG on November 2 for a complete list of MQG member benefits.  Cindy noted that the November quilt pattern from MQG  contained a limited palette and alternate gridwork.

Natalie, Gina, and Jo reported the election results:
President:  Cindy
Vice President:   Wendi
Secretary:  Roxie
Treasurer:  Bobbi

There was a discussion of Committee positions for 2017.  Cindy noted the old adage that "many hands make light work" and asked for everyone to take an active role in the guild in 2017. 

There was a discussion of the shortfall in the proposed budget.  Gina suggested an opportunity quilt to be sold at the Mattie Kelly Arts Show next fall.

There were 20 foldstar blocks submitted for the block lottery.  Cindy won the blocks.  Thanks to Jill for being our block lottery presenter in October.

Amy presented the block lottery block for January.  This block is 3.5" (finished) triangles using a specific inspiration fabric from Cotton + Steel (2014 Mustang Border Print.)  The fabric includes several colors which we can use to complete the palette for our triangle blocks.  Amy showed several options for completing a quilt using triangle blocks.  She noted that it was best to use an equilateral triangle ruler (60* angles) but that the ruler should square off the seam allowance to make the triangles easier to sew together. The finished block should measure 12-1/4".   Amy suggested using a dry iron to prevent the bias seams from stretching.

Wendi announced that our 2016 bees should be finished.  If you are missing blocks, please email Wendi about receiving an angel block.

Gina announced that she will be holding a retreat in Destin in January 2017.  Diane Holman is the featured teacher.  Contact Gina for more information.

Several members presented Show and Tell.

After lunch, we had our first Chair Sale.  Several members brought items to sell.

At the conclusion of the Chair Sale, our regular Sew Day was held.

Respectfully submitted,
Wendi M.
Secretary