A Little Shopping Trip

What does an ECMQG'r do when the once-a-month, only-time-I-see-my-quilting-friends meeting space is booked for another event?

a - Sleep 

b - Clean or find other pesky chores to do

c - Shop for fabric

If you chose c - shop for fabric - you're with the right group of people!

Our regular space is not available for the April meeting and Sew Day.  Instead, we're heading to Pensacola for our annual field trip/shopping extravaganza at A&E Pharmacy.

For those of you who have yet to visit, it might be a little overwhelming as there are more than 30,000 bolts of fabric inside.  Liz, the Fabrics and Crafts Manager, has a fun morning of shopping and demos planned for us. 

We'll meet at 9:00am when the store opens.  Remember to wear your name tag and bring your ECMQG membership card, because there **MAY** be a special discount!    

If you haven't done so, let Becky know you're joining us either by leaving a comment or contacting her directly - beckybiddle at gmail dot com.

Becky and Wendi are working on lunch options.  Local favorites Shrimp Basket, Cactus Flower Cafe, and the national chain Chili's, are close by, as well as, a Whataburger within walking distance.  Becky has reserved the classroom space for a brown bag lunch as an option too.

We may not be sewing, but at least we'll be indulging in our love of fabric!  See you in two weeks.

Field Trip!

The Emerald Coast Modern Quilt Guild held it's 3rd annual Field Trip to A&E Fabrics in Pensacola on Saturday, April 12, 2014.  More than 25 members attended the meeting.

In a lucky coincidence, the meeting coincided with the Pensacola Quilter's Guild Quilt Show, so A&E had a wonderful sale for the event. 

A&E provided a delicious lunch for us catered by Sonny's Barbeque.

Gina Curtis made this delicious cake for us to celebrate our field trip adventure.  Thanks, Gina.

And yes, it tasted as wonderful as it looked.  Gina promised to share the recipe!

We had a short meeting and Marcy Gallagher and Kelly Spear passed out the fabrics for the MQG Michael Miller Challenge.  If you signed up and weren't at the field trip or just didn't receive your Michael Miller challenge fabrics, they will be available at the next meeting or contact Marcy or Kelly.  Projects will be due for the ECMQG at the June meeting and must be uploaded to the MQG website by June 23.  You may add any solid or Michael Miller printed fabric , and you may make anything you wish as long as it is quilted.  For additional rules, here is a link to the official guidelines to the challenge from the MQG website.

We also had a short show and tell.  Marcy showed her improv curves quilt from Diane's lesson at the March meeting.

She chose a fun print for the back.

Wendi Mihalik showed her recently finished (and long neglected) Breath of Avignon quilt - the first quilt she made after a long quilting hiatus (also her first quilt using modern fabrics, first quilt using precuts, and first introduction to Moda Bake Shop).  The pattern is called Avignon Picnic.  The fabric is Breath of Avignon by American Jane.

She also showed her Faux String quilt.  The blocks are made from a stripe FQ bundle from Westwood Acres.  The pattern is a variation of Heximetry by Alexandra Winston.

The back is random pieces left from other quilts.

Wendi also showed her finished Modern Maples Quilt from last fall's ECMQG Modern Maples quilt along.

The back is scraps in a Tumbling Maple leaf design.

Melissa Jennings showed her project based on the Gold Fish Crackers block from our March Block Lottery.  This will be a Fish-in-Bags wall hanging, and the bags will show more once it is quilted.

Olivia showed the Airplane quilt she made for her son when he was a baby.

She even added airplanes in the quilting.

She also showed the I-Spy quilt she made for her other son, This one is special because she collaborated on it with her mom.

She chose a fun hot air balloon print for the back.

Cindy Marvel showed a cute little scrappy baby quilt made from scraps she found while cleaning her sewing room using Elizabeth Hartmann's tutorial.  She intends to finish this quilt for  Project Linus.

She has also been making Scrappy Trip Along blocks for a Flickr Swap.  She showed some that she made to send to others and some that she had received in her "beachy" colors.

She also showed a cute little drawstring bag she made from a Scrappy Trip block that she plans to use to wrap a birthday gift.

We all had a wonderful time.  Many thanks to those who attended and especially to A&E for hosting us and providing lunch.

November Block Lottery - Snowball

At each month's meeting we have a block lottery.  If you are new to the group or our blog, you can read the general information here.

For the November 12th meeting, we are making the Snowball block using a red and green color-way with Kona Ash as the background fabric.  The blocks will be 12.5 inches unfinished.

This easy block has long been used as a filler block in traditional quilts, but this time we want the fabrics to be the focus.  Although the Snowball block is a very traditional block, the use of modern prints and pale gray create the modern traditional feel.

Please use red and green modern prints for your Snowballs and Kona Ash in the corners.  If you are an active member and can not locate Kona Ash, please email Kira, or, leave a comment below.  As always, use quilt shop quality fabrics in a modern print please.

*Edited to add Kona Ash can be found locally at A&E Pharmacy in Pensacola and at Lynn's in FWB.

This tutorial makes one 12.5" x 12.5" Snowball block and four bonus HST (half square triangles) which I'll talk more about later.  


Let's get started...

You need one 12.5" x 12.5" square in the red/green color-way, and four 4.5" x 4.5" squares in Kona Ash for the corners. 

Using your ruler, draw a line diagonally from corner to corner on the 4 1/2" squares. 

Next measure 1/2" from that line and draw a second line. (The photo above shows the offset line). 

These lines will be your sewing lines.  This is a neat trick so that nothing is wasted :) 

Next pin the 4 1/2" squares to the four corners of the 12 1/2" square.

See the arrow pointing to the diagonal corner-to-corner line?  It is towards the center of the large square and the 1/2" offset line is to the outside.  That is how we want to place them.  

I put a pin in the corner-to-corner line to help keep me from placing it the wrong way.  

Now take it to your sewing machine and sew on top of both lines.  Do this in all four corners.

With all eight lines sewn, use your rotary cutter to slice in between each set of two lines.  This makes the Snowball and 4 extra bonus blocks.

Press towards the Kona ash.  Now that sure was easy-peasy!!

Please share your progress photos on the flickr page or the Facebook group.

Design possibilities are endless!!

Oh, you want to know what we are going to do with those bonus blocks?

How about we have a second winner who will be able to enjoy those little HSTs?.   :)

See you at the meeting, and good luck!!!

Kira

ECMQG Block Lottery Captain

October Block Lottery

If you didn't make it to our September meeting two weeks ago, you missed the details for the next block lottery.  

All members of ECMQG are invited to create and submit blocks for the lottery.  This is our fundraising choice to help pay our national MQG dues.  To date, we've raised $105.  

Each block submitted gives you a chance at winning all of them.  Each block also has an entry fee of $1.  

The blocks we're making for the October 12th meeting are pinwheels.  Bright modern pinwheels.  

The UNFINISHED block size is 6.5".  The color palette is white & bright.  You can choose solids or prints for your brights.    

Please use either Kona White or Kona Snow.  (Yes, they are slightly different, and that will be a presentation topic in the near future.  Stay tuned.)

As always, please use modern, quilt shop quality fabric. 

I made some quick phone calls, and both Kona Snow and Kona White can be found locally.  

Crestview area:
Margie's - Kona Snow

FWB area:
Sewing Center Around the Block  - Kona White
Lynn's - Kona Snow and Kona White
JoAnn's - Kona White

Pensacola area:
A&E - Kona White & Kona Snow
Hobby Lobby - Kona White
JoAnn's - Kona White 
      
Just as there are shades of white, there are many tutorials available, as well as methods, for making pinwheels from HSTs.  Use what works for you.  Although, this video from the Missouri Star Quilt Company seems to be the go to tutorial for quick and easy.

These fun, bright, modern pinwheels are going to make a beautiful quilt.  The layout possibilities are endless.

Congratulations to Wendi who won the 41 blocks from the September, wonky-cross lottery.  

She's already made her quilt top.  I wonder if it'll be quilted by the time we meet again?  

Nice job ladies!  Let's see what little beauties you make this month.

Cindy
ECMQG Secretary

Scenes from a Road Trip

I finally unloaded my camera today. 

I found these from our road trip to Pensacola's A&E Pharmacy.  

Pharmacy?  Really?  People actually go there to attend to medical needs instead of fabric?  Who are they kidding?  Or, maybe they've just never walked to the other side of the store.  Or, maybe, just maybe, they only fill their prescriptions at A&E BECAUSE they know they can find fabric too.      

While we were there, Kelly S recalled we did the same thing last April.  She also suggested, April would have to be our annual A&E road trip month because this makes two years in a row.

Besides shopping, we did manage to conduct a little bit of guild business.  Kelly S brought siggy blocks for everyone to sign.  These were in preparation for Melanie's surprise going-away gift.  Additionally, several new members joined.    

Here is Bobbi attempting to use her siggy block in place of her forgotten name tag.  (I knew there was a good reason I hadn't downloaded these pictures and written about them.)  

Melanie couldn't/didn't join us for our shopping adventure.  She is moving soon - very close to Kelly B so you know they're going to have fun - and is in destash mode.  Sorry Melanie.  We missed you.

Melissa brought baby Gus with her.  Gus did not sign a block. 

Kassie was finally able to join us!  We've missed her.  She selected these goodies as well as Scrap Basket Beauties, the latest book from local quilter and author Kim Brackett. 

I love this photo of Holly looking at fabric.  She is so intensely focused. 

This is Ollie's - yes, Ollie from this post - quiet time project.  It's all hand pieced and is a study in textures.  He's chosen an upholstery weight fabric, an oil batik, a quilting cotton, and dupioni silk.  

While not an ECMQG member, he easily could fit right in with us.   

A shopping cart full of fun!  Shhh.  We won't tell. 

A camera malfunction and unintentional picture.

A group photo.  Insert the smiling faces of Kim, new members Melissa L, Liz, and Rhonda, as well as Melissa & baby Gus who were there, but just not available when we posed.  I think that's everyone who made the trip.  If I forgot someone, please let me know.

Several hours of fabric shopping leaves you hungry and thirsty.  We decided to try the newest downtown eatery, al Fresco - Fresh Air Dining, located on the corner of S Palafox and Main Street.  

Al Fresco is modeled after the airstream diners along that stretch of Hwy 30-A in Seaside. Pensacola has long needed something this cool and this hip.  It compliments the recent improvements to downtown beautifully.

Three weeks after opening, our lunch choices were limited to Z Taco and Jerry's Cajun Cafe where we all found something we just had to try.  During lunch, we began an impromptu Show & Tell session.

Quilt model Holly with Diane's quilt.  It's a Wonky Log Cabin.  Her first "modern quilt".   

Quilt model Holly, again (we love TALL girls), and Marcy showing two completed baby quilts. These are for a long-time friend who always wanted one of Marcy's quilts.  

The fabric for these came from stash - older, "not-so-modern-stash" - that Marcy found during her sewing room remodel and renovation.  Simply by adding a variety of neutrals to the mix and playing around with ideas, she created coordinating modern quilts. 

Spiral free motion quilting for the circles. And possibly pebble quilting everywhere else.  Sorry.  Not-so-good-photos, but the quilting was as gorgeous as always from Marcy.

Sometimes it not so much the fabric that is modern, but the attitude with which you approach a project.

Cindy
ECMQG Secretary