The Christmas Memory Quilt - The Beginning

Well ya'all I have commited to making a memory quilt for a colleague of mine.  She will remain nameless until after Christmas because I am not sure if she is one of those folks that googles themselves to see what the rest of the world is saying about her...or which porn star she shares a name with.

Anyway, I have been working with her husband, son, and mother to gather pictures for this blanket for the past month.  I even had her looking for pictures under the guise that I was going to make her a personalized mousepad but I needed a bunch of pictures to choose from before printing one out for her.  Yes folks...she fell for that one.  I just received the last picture today so I have an even 12 and I am ready to go.

Remember during our gathering I said I was not sure of the finished size...well I am still NOT sure of the finished size.  But here is what I do know...all pictures are 8" x 10" and I have 12 total pictures.  What may do is add fabric to the tops, bottoms, and sides of the photos to create even 12" x 12" squares and then go from there.  This is a Christmas gift so I don't have much time to finish it, but I am going to spend all weekend sewing, ironing, and quilting! 

I picked out the fabrics.  She is a sucker for browns, greens, and creams, so who but a true lover of fabric could have found these?!

I am thinking about using the large floral print as the back and the dots for the front and binding.

The design/placement was next since the fabric had been chosen.  I had her hubby help me with the placement.  Here is the crude mock up of the pictures and placement: 

Now, you may be wondering why the late and truly great R & B singer Luther Vandross has a picture in the lower right hand corner...wonder no more it was suggested by her hubby as a 1/2 joke and she just LURVES Luther.  For those in the know...it is neither little Luther or big Luther...it is medium Luther. LOL! 

All done for now...see ya'll this weekend!

Sew In November 13th

Hey Ladies!

Don't forget to mark your calendars for the sew-in on November 13th in Falls Church! If you haven't already, please RSVP (email Natalie at nweaver529 [at] gmail [dot] com) either way so we know how many people to expect. We want to make sure there is enough room for everyone to sew comfortably!

Happy Quilting!

The New Face of the NOVA Modern Quilt Guild

Check out the new face of the NOVA Modern Quilt Guild!

Unfortunately the old website wasn't cutting it for membership applications and I was spending way too much time with technical support. This website is geared more towards attracting new members to our guild. You can proudly send potential members to this website and know they will be looking at something reflective of the modern aesthetic we love so much, get the information they need about modern quilting, find out what events are coming up, check out our blog, and contact us.

Our About Us page features useful information about Modern Quilting and The Modern Quilt Guild.

The Photos page will feature work from all of us. If you haven't started gathering photos already, please plan to do so. You can send them to me by email (nweaver529 [at] gmail [dot] com) along with the title of the photo and the description you would like to appear on the web. If you blogged about the photo please also include the URL for the blog post in the description.

The Events page lists upcoming events for the next 3 months. As a month 'expires' we will update the page to reflect the next 3 months.

The Contact page allows potential members to contact us through the webpage.

I threw this together very quickly so please let me know if you see any content that needs to be updated or added and let me know if you want any pages added.

Moving forward, we will need to decide if we want to track and communicate with members on our blog, open a ning website, use a google groups account, or some other account I don't know of. I will have my hubs take a look at our wix.com website to see if there's a way to do it from there but I didn't see one. Update: I think I can figure out a way to continue using the old website for membership! We'll just use the Member application and not the Apply application though.

In other news, I also purchased matching business cards for our guild from Moo.com:

I made them to be very generic so that any of us could pass them out to potential guild members. I selected colors that coordinated with our current web color scheme and a picture from the web as well. When it's time to order more, we will select from the pictures you send me to put up on the web.

I hope you like the changes!

Happy Quilting!

Photos Needed!

Hi Ladies!

I am in the process of switching over our main website from webs.com to another host site. It's looking really great so far but I need help! Can you please send me some pictures of work you would like to be featured in the photo section of our website? I would really love to feature at least one modern piece from everyone but I would be happy to put up more than one piece so we have plenty for others to look at. I see this as a way to really attract others who share our modern aesthetic.

If you don't have pictures, go take some  :)

I am putting up pictures from the car seat quilt I made for baby Asa:

Make sure to give me the title and short description of the photo to display.

Thanks and Happy Quilting!

-Natalie

Shopping and Lunch Show and Tell

Don't these fabrics look luscious!?
Do the names Amy Butler, Lizzy House, Joel Dewberry, and Anna Maria Horner make your ears perk up?

The guild will be getting together this Sunday at the Artful Quilter in Burke VA at 12pm (right when they open) for some major fabric shopping! After our shopping spree we'll be heading to Fairfax Corner for lunch and a little show and tell! (restaurant to be determined) For driving directions please go here.

Bring something you've been working on to show and tell to the group at lunch! We'll have a blast getting to know each other in person and sharing our work

Please contact Natalie at nweaver529 (at) gmail (dot) com if you plan to attend so I can warn the Artful Quilter.

Happy Quilting!

Falling For Handmade Craft Show

For any of you NOVA Modern Quilt Guildies out there who would like to join in the fun, we will be going to the Falling for Handmade craft show this weekend. For anyone interested please contact me directly by email at nweaver529 (at) gmail (dot) com!

Jane Sassaman Speaks at NOVA Community College

Last Thursday Jane Sassaman spoke at the NOVA Community College. If you're not familiar with her work, go check out her website: janesassaman.com.

The lecture was all about the history of Jane's inspiration and how she translates that into art on her quilts. We had the opportunity to view a few of her recent quilts up close:

The three quilts on the right in the photo above were created by appliqueing solid or hand dyed fabrics onto a base fabric. The green vines on the far right were cut from one continuous piece of fabric. The pink in the tree quilt is a hand dyed fabric that adds so much depth and dimension to all of the roots and the egg shape behind the tree. Below is a quilt made from diamonds and squares. All of the fabrics she used have a black background so they blend into one another seamlessly and make a kaleidoscope effect.

The first Modern Quilt Guild challenge is to make a quilt based on the inspiration of your choice. What have you been working on?

Sully Quilt Show

Kate and I went to the 2010 Sully Quilt show with my aunt Ginny and MIL Ann last Saturday (the 11th). It rained earlier in the day but by the time we arrived there was just enough cloud cover to keep it shady and just a little cool.

virginia.org

fairfaxcounty.gov

Vendors assembled on the grounds of the 1794 home of Richard Bland Lee for this annual fall event to show and sell new and antique quilts, quilt-related merchandise, other fiber arts, antique linens, antique sewing tools, books, and fabric. 

Surprisingly there were some modern gems mixed in with more traditional prints. I was able to pick up some out of print Amy Butler fat 16ths and an assortment of scraps that just looked fun. I also purchased some adorable stuffed animals made from vintage chenille that were just too cute to leave there. They will make great gifts for all the babies in the family. Kate and I both picked up some fat quarters that had a gray and lemongrass color story. Kate also picked up some great Moda pre-cuts!

Ann, Natalie, Kate

Ann, Natalie, Ginny

Happy Quilting!

Sew-In

Just in case you missed it in the forums, I'm hosting our very first sew-in at my house on Sept. 18! You know you want to come! Check the forum for my address or send me a message. We'll get some sewing in and you can rest assured that there WILL be snacks. (Good ones.)

Project Modern: Challenge 1 Announced!

Re-post:September 1, 2010 by themodernquiltguild
 

 
Here it is!  Challenge 1.  We hope that you all dive in and get started.  We can’t wait to see all of your inspired quilts! 

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?

Meet our judge, Valori Wells:

Photography and printmaking brought Valori Wells to her present career as a fabric designer.  She is also a professional quilter, author, and fabric and pattern designer who, with her mother, owns the beloved Stitchin’ Post quilt shop in Sisters, Oregon.  Valori’s quilting books, including Simple Start, Stunning Finish, Radiant New York Beauties, and Stitch ‘N  Flip Quilts, explore innovative techniques with natural and floral subject matter and her beautiful photography as inspiration.  She and her husband live just outside of Sisters, with their son and two daughters.

The Prizes:

Each of the three winners will receive a fabulous prize package, featuring the following products from C&T Publishing:

A copy of City Quilts by Cherri House, a book of beautiful quilt designs inspired by modern urban architecture and landscapes.  City Quilts is published by C&T’s exciting new imprint, Stash Books.

One package each of these amazing tools for exploring appliqué, paper piecing, and more:
Silicone Release Paper, Wash-Away Applique Sheets , Carol Doak’s Foundation Paper, and Quilter’s Freezer Paper Sheets.

A 3 in 1 Color Tool for handy reference and help planning color schemes.

Each prize package will also include:

A bundle of 12 coordinating half-yards of beautiful, modern fabric, courtesy of Fabricworm.

A Kona Cotton Solid Roll-Up in the popular Bright color palette, courtesy of Robert Kaufman.

Six yards of 90” wide Warm and White batting, courtesy of Warm Company.

And be sure to check back here on Sept. 7th to find out how you can be in the running to win a Janome Horizon Memory Craft 7700QCP sewing machine, courtesy of Janome America.

Thank you to our wonderful contest sponsors!

The Rules & Details:
- All quilts must be 45” x 45” or larger
- Limit of one submission per person, per challenge
- To enter your submission for Challenge 1, email one photo of your quilt, one photo of your inspiration and a brief write up (one or two paragraphs is fine) explaining your quilt and how it reflects your inspiration to: projectmoderncontest@gmail.com.  All entries for Challenge 1 must be received by November 30, 2010.
- The winners of Challenge 1 will be announced on or about December 15, 2010.
- US residents only are eligible for the prizes.
-  The three winners of Challenge 1 will be selected by our Guest Judge, Valori Wells.  At the judge’s discretion, members of The MQG Planning Committee may aid in selecting finalists.  However, no person involved in the judging process will know the identity of contest entrants.    Each winner will receive an identical prize package.
- Project Modern will be conducted on and through The MQG’s website. The details of each challenge, and the winners will be announced on the blog.
- All Challenge 1 submissions will be posted in a public Flickr group after November 30, 2010.  .
- Full challenge rules here.

HST overload!

You know it's a bad sign when you're exhausted from cutting only HALF of your squares! I'm about three months behind getting started on Jennifer's (of SugarStiches.com) kaleidoscope quilt-along, but I'm gonna do it! (I am also going to figure out how to actually link to her blog, but that's for a day when I don't hear a baby crying upstairs...) More later, with pictures soon!

Well would you look at this...

I'm blogging! Can you believe it? I'm actually just trying to test this out and see if it works...