Strut - May 2018 Block Lottery Info

This months block comes to us directly from The MQG, one of the benefits (patterns, discounts, webinars, etc.) of membership.  (Not a member?  Join here or here.)

Strut, from February 2017, is an exercise on how to use asymmetry to make bold quilt blocks or quilts.

Loree and Laraine liked the suggestion given by the block's designer, Silvia Sutters, about using color to help define asymmetry within an individual block so much, we are running with that exact idea - black and white with a single pop of color!

(Black and White Strut blocks and bright Kona FQs)

Silvia is an accomplished designer, pattern writer (quilts and garments), and teacher whose work has appeared in print and digital magazines you might own - Modern Patchwork, QuiltCon, Make it! Patchwork, Simply Moderne, and Love of Patchwork and Quilting.  Her online patterns can be found here.

(Black and White Strut block with Kona Pomegranate )

ECMQG will not post the link to the PDF.  Please sign-in to your MQG account, navigate first to the Community section then the Resources section.  Once there, type 'Strut' in the search bar.

(Black and White Strut block with Kona Dahlia)

Please use Kona White for your background.  There is no manufacturer preference for the black pieces or for the pop of color, other than using quilt shop quality fabrics. 

(A stack of Kona solids - Dahlia, Pomegranate, Tomato, Sunny, Pickle, Parrot, Malibu)

Choose a color you love... a color you've been hoarding... a scrap... a piece of a new FQ or F8 you've been waiting to cut into. 

(Cool and warm stacks of Free-Spirit solids)

You could even use a why-do-I-have-this-in-my-stash color! 

(Black and White Strut block with Kona Pickle)

The instructions require you to print a muliti-page template.  Check your printer settings beforehand and print to size.  You will need to tape and cut your template pieces together.  

Other important things to remember:  a scant .25" seam allowance is absolutely necessary because of the number of seams (unless you choose to cut your pieces slightly bigger and trim down once each is sewn); a light spritz or two of starch eliminates stretch and distortion; seams within the striped portion should be pressed towards the darker fabric. 

Lastly, as seen in the photos, the pop-of-color chosen to replace ONE of the black pieces can be any of the five sizes listed in the instructions.

As always, thanks for participating!  We'll see you May 12th when we'll choose a winner of these bold and minimalist blocks!  You can't win if you don't sew.   

3/4 Log Cabins - April 2018 Block Lottery Info

For the month of April, Pat is taking a turn at hosting our block lottery.

from Pat

She picked a bold and modern 3/4 log cabin that is anything but traditional!

from Bobbi and Cindy

Pat's inspiration is from the blog 'you know what I love?' by Ara Jane Olufson a quilter from the other side of the country, Seattle.   Like many blogs now, hers has succumbed to inactivity, but if you click around, you'll find beautiful quilts and several tutorials.  

Read about the planning and design thoughts for Ara Jane's quilt blocks and tutorial here.  We are making ours exactly the same way.  It does involve a little bit of improv piecing, but it's not crazy improv piecing if that makes sense.  

from Pat

Pat started with a pile of richly colored solid fabrics which she cut into various size strips. The point of having different width strips is where improv piecing comes in to play - each log cabin will have three sides of the same color, but they can be different widths.  

from Pat

You could also work from scraps building out your blocks from what you have on hand if you don't want to cut yardage.

from Cindy

Some of your cabins will be singles measuring 12.5" x 12.5" once you've added three or four rounds (or five!!) of color and trimmed to size. 

from Linda

Some could be doubles, stacked on top of each other or nestled side-by-side to get to that all important 12.5" x 12.5" measurement.

from Bobbi

Variety in colors, as well as variety in the scale of your cabins within the individual blocks are more improv components.

from Loree

Play.  Have fun.  Make colorful blocks.  

from Cindy

You know you want to win!  

We owe big thank yous to Pat for bringing this block to our attention, to Ara Jane who enthusiastically gave her support and permission allowing us to link to her tutorial, and to the makers (Pat, Bobbi, Cindy, Linda, and Loree) for the samples pictured in this post. 

Knee Socks - March 2018 Block Lottery Info

We are going way back (2012) for this months block lottery, one Elizabeth Hartman originally created for the Modern Quilt Guild's website.  (Thanks for being patient while we waited for permission to link to her post.)  It is a tutorial for the Knee Socks Quilt Block, and in the version we're making, it is one of the 12.5" quadrants. 

Whether you've been a modern quilter forever or a few short months, you've probably seen a tutorial, book, pattern, or fabric line by Elizabeth.

She is talented.  

She is prolific.  She is known for her use of color and her meticulously detailed pattern writing. 

She is one of the first bloggers I followed when I started quilting.  I can't tell you the number of blocks and quilts I made using the ideas and techniques she shared.  

In choosing Knee Socks for the March Block Lottery, the skill set to master is the scant .25" seam allowance.  There are VERY GOOD tutorials online about how to do this, including tools you can buy or methods that use simple materials that might already be in your house.  Type into your search engine .25" scant seam allowance and thousands of results will populate.

Elizabeth's Knee Socks Quilt Block tutorial and pattern, a seven page PDF (I told you she was meticulous!), can be found here.  It is AMAZINGLY detailed and easy-to-follow. 

The background fabric is Kona White.  Warm colored solids (no prints) from ANY quality fabric line make up the stripes.

Please choose three colors for each 12.5" block.

The most accurate blocks I sewed for this post are the ones where I took the time to prepare my fabrics before I cut.  I pressed.  I used starch.  Even with my scraps!  It made a noticeable difference.  I really, really, really, practiced sewing with a scant .25" seam.

Both of those steps made every block after the first, the one where I used my seam ripper multiple times, easy and accurate.   

As with all of our block lottery drawings, someone is going to own a gorgeous stack of modern quilt blocks for the project of their choosing.  Is March going to be your month?  I hope so!  

Cindy

Which Way? - January 2018 Block Lottery Info

Laraine has created a super fun Paperless Paper Piecing tutorial for her Which Way? block tutorial. Just follow the link below to jump to the tutorial.

Which Way Block Tutorial

Modern Flying Geese - April 2017 Block Lottery

We've made flying geese in the past, but never have we made them modern.  That's changing with the block lottery for April.  

Not only are we stepping into the improv dimension, we are using ALL solid fabrics and there is a color challenge involved.  Let's be honest, more ECMQG'rs are comfortable making modern traditional blocks and quilts.  This month we're asking you to step away from that zone.   

Loree's idea, inspired by Pinterest images, comes from blogger (pattern designer, author, editor and QUILT MAKER) Jenifer Dick.  

Jenifer's blog, 42 Quilts .com, hosted a regular weekly feature, Modern Monday, that began way back in 2011 when blogging was hot, Flickr was hotter, and few modern quilt guilds existed.  Each Monday for 62 weeks, Jenifer shared her method for making some pretty awesome modern quilt blocks improv style!  Every Tuesday, those same blocks were made traditionally.

Our block lottery is improv flying geese, Block 18 in Jenifer's series. Her method and tutorial can be found here.

Remember, it is improv.  You will loose a few points.  Don't be concerned. 

For us, please use Kona Medium Gray as your background.  ANY solid colored fabric will make up your geese.  Ideally, the width of your "block" will fall somewhere in the 5.5" to 7.5" range.

  

The color challenge, if you choose to accept it, is based on the second part of the Color Theory program Natalie presented - color value - which refers to lightness or darkness.  

Here's an example of a four step value change.  Note:  Not all of the geese are even in the same color families.  :)  That's okay.  

Here's an example of a five step value change.

We encourage you to try these techniques - improv and playing with color value.  Whoever wins these blocks is going to have a pretty amazing quilt

March 2015 Block Lottery - 12" Reflections Block

Hi, my name is Yvonne.  I have been quilting for 12 years.  I love to sew and learn new techniques.  One thing that I haven't  done is work with solids.  This year, I hope to inspire a brand new love of solids.

March is my month for block lottery.  I went with Reflections and my inspiration for this block came from The Charming Needle.  I think this block will be very versatile and easy to put together.  We will be playing with color value; learning the contrast of light and dark within a color family.

The tutorial for reflections can be found here on my blog That's Sew Creative

The only colors that are specific to this block are the outer strips, and they are Kona Ash and Charcoal.  I hope this tutorial is easy and fun for you to put together.  I can't wait to see your blocks in March. 

The rules are simple:

• The Lottery is open to all ECMQG members in good standing.
• Please use only quilt shop quality fabric (no big box fabric stores with the exception of designer lines). 
• Please no batiks, civil war prints, or traditional fabrics.  If you are unsure about your fabric selection as it relates to 'Modern', just ask.    
• The aesthetic is ALWAYS MODERN
• Take your time to construct your block well; use 1/4" seam allowances. 
• Blocks should be the correct size, within about a quarter of an inch.
• Each block + $1 is one entry in the drawing.  You may submit as many entries as you would like.
• Please label your block with your name, somewhere within the seam allowance.  An address label stuck to the back also works.  
• Past winners can still contribute, but please understand until we see a finished quilt top (or project) from your bonanza, someone else will know the thrill of winning.
• If you have questions please leave comment.

F8 Rainbow Solids Swap

Our November ECMQG fabric swap will be a Fat Eighth Rainbow {Solids} Swap!  

Quilting with solids has become a huge trend in modern quilting, but accumulating a good selection of quality solid color fabrics can sometimes be frustrating and expensive.  Our Fat Eighth Solids Swap will help you stash a decent sized selection without the frustration and expense.

Hadley Coordinating Solids Bundle - photo courtesy of Westwood Acres Fabric

What is a Fat Eighth?

A fat eighth (FE or F8) is one eighth of a yard of fabric, or a yard of fabric cut into eight equal pieces. Traditionally, this long narrow cut from the fold line to the selvage, resulted in 8 strips measuring 4-1/2" x 44".  

Like the Fat Quarter, quilters changed the cutting dimensions of of that same yard of fabric to be both more useful by doubling the width and halving the length and ended up with a piece 9" x 22", and called it a Fat Eighth.  A fat eighth has so many more possibilities for quilting than a long, skinny 1/8 yard piece.

Modern quilters still found this cut too confining, and realized by changing the cutting dimensions yet again, shorter fatter pieces were even more user friendly.   

This newer cut, still a FE or F8, and hugely popular with modern quilters is sized at 11" x 18" or 10.5" x 18" (after selvages are removed).   

The Rules

If you wish to participate, here is what you need to do:

1.  Purchase one yard of Kona by Robert Kaufman.  Please do not choose other brands.   As we decided at the meeting Saturday, this is a NO NEUTRALS swap.  Some possible sources for your fabric might be:

Pensacola's A&E Pharmacy, both Lynn's and The Sewing Center Around the Block in Fort Walton Beach, Margie's in Crestview, as well as many online retailers - Pink Chalk Fabrics, Fat Quarter Shop, Fabric dot com, eQuilter, Intrepid Thread, Fabricworm, etc.  Some even have ALL 303 colors!!! 

NOTE:  Joann's and Hobby Lobby both carry a limited selection of Kona colors.  Should you choose to purchase from a big box store, be sure what you're buying is authentic Kona.  Their store brands are of a much lower quality and are unacceptable for swapping.

2 - You may swap up to three yards of fabric.

3.  Cut your fabric.  

4.  Place your cut fabric in a zip top bag labeled with your name.  If you're swapping more than one yard, place each color in a SEPARATE bag.  

***For this solids swap ONLY, label the selvage of each piece with the color name or color number.  

5.   During the November 8th meeting, leave your labeled bag(s) on the swap table for sorting and distribution.  

6.  At the the conclusion of our meeting, pick up your bag(s), each containing a colorful rainbow of quality solid fabrics.

7.  With 303 colors from which to choose, we will not have a sign-up requirement.  However, if you'd like to post in these comments, or on our Facebook page, the colors you select, please do so.  

Additionally, if you're one of those I-want-all-of-it types and plan on swapping two or three yards, please mix it up and choose a variety of colors!  For example, rather than choose three blues, choose a blue, a pink, and an orange.  Just don't bring fabrics that are neutral - whites, beiges, grays.

  

Cutting Modern Fat Eighths

1.  Press your fabric to remove the center crease.  Do not remove the selvages.

2.  Rotary cut your fabric lengthwise through the center.   This results in two pieces, each measuring approximately 22" x 36".

3.  Cut each 22" x 36" piece in half again lengthwise.  This gives you four pieces, each measuring 11" x 36".  

NOTE:  Solid fabrics are sometimes milled to wider widths than prints.  Be sure to measure the width and cut equal quarters.

4.  Cut each 11" x 36" piece in half crosswise.  This gives you eight pieces, each measuring 11" x 18".  A modern fat eighth.  


As always, if you have questions regarding the swap, or this tutorial, you can email me at wendimihalik at yahoo dot com.

This is going to be a super fun swap!

Wendi Mihalik
ECMQG Swap Captain

July Meeting Agenda

Hello Everyone - 

Our Meet and Sew is this Saturday, July 13.  The meeting will begin at 10 am, and the Sew will begin at noon and go until 6 pm.  Feel free to come for some or all of it!

First Baptist Church - Fellowship Hall

171 Hickory Avenue

Crestview, FL 32536

(The Fellowship Hall entrance is on Cedar Avenue under the blue awnings.)

Pot-luck style snacks to share are ALWAYS appreciated.

We love to see what you're working on, and we always have a time for Show and Tell - so bring your WiPs, your UFOs, your finished quilts to show everyone your work!

At the last meeting, we talked about a potholder challenge.  If you weren't there, it's simple - bring in a potholder!  That's it!  The idea is to collect some for a future craft fair to sell in order to raise funds for the MQG membership.  If you didn't know about this challenge, or haven't had time to make one, no worries!  

Also at the last meeting, we talked about doing a block lottery.  Details for this month's block lottery can be found here.  So if you have a block, bring that in along with $1 to be entered into the lottery.

Just a reminder with both of these last items - we are a modern quilt guild, with ties to the national Modern Quilt Guild, and when making something that's reflective of the Emerald Coast MQG, please use modern fabrics by modern designers to better reflect the modern aesthetic.  Solids are also a great way to add a modern touch to projects - they bring a sense of calmness to quilting.  And because of the modern quilting movement, several high-quality fabric distributors have added solids to their inventory - Robert Kaufman has Kona Solids, Michael Miller has Cotton Couture, Moda has Bella Solids, Dear Stella has Stella Solids, etc.  If you're not used to working with solids, try it out!     

Speaking of all of this, I'll be doing a presentation about modern quilting vs. traditional quilting, as well as talking about some modern fabric designers and fabric lines.  So if this is something you're unfamiliar with and want to learn more about, make sure to be there!

If you're staying for the Sew, bring something to work on as well as whatever supplies you need.  You can work on whatever you like - it does not have to be something for the guild!  If a couple of people could bring irons and ironing boards, that would be great.  In addition to the basics, you might want to bring an extension cord, in case you're not near an outlet.

If there are any questions, don't hesitate to ask!  Otherwise...

See you Saturday!

Kelly Spear

ECMQG Vice President