Monday, December 19, 2016

December Minutes

December 2016 Mtl MQG Meeting Minutes

Tuesday December 13, 2016 at 7pm at CRCS St-Zotique

New members - Claudia is our Welcome Wagon, feel free to ask questions

Charm Square Swap fabric on table

Meeting:

There have been some muggings in the neighbourhood. 
Safety in the neighborhood/walking from the metro
Travel in pairs/groups, be aware of surroundings
Anyone feel unsafe travelling to meetings? Check forum for rides offered

Quilt Guild meet up February 18th
Llynda traditional Châteauguay  guild
We will try the Charel Arkinsosn slab block for the Canada quilt bee at the CAQ. 
More to come at January meeting.

Shannon is ill out until January.  If you want to sign card. 

Show and Tell - My Favorite Things

Lily sashiko little step stitches table cloth
Snezana Puff quilt and book.
Hungarian stictching and hand carved scissor holder
Bag handlook batiks
Chicago Blackhawks
Wallpaper smoother to open seams
Quilt rouge
Quilter needles and transportation quilt
Quilt for baby B - scary flower quilt
Atlantic crossing each of 5 grandchildren made a block
Thread holder
Old lady quilt (is done) ruby and Lola quilt
Fill the void quilt
Men's ties quilt
Rug slip matts to keep hands from slipping on free motion quilting.
Small hand iron.
Mad about patchwork fat quarter pack that is too pretty to cut
Orfil dove grey 50 weight
Fabric from Japan (recommend daintytime.net for a Chinese coin quilt pattern)
Hummingbird mini quilt
Greenery pantone

Stacy and Amanda have collaborated to open a new shop in Verdun. Please see them for more information

Camelot has Star Trek fabric and many others. 

Charity update – will be completed for January meeting.
            Thank you to Michell, Lily, Camalot Fabrics and everyone who put together a block.

Josees origami block – very cool.  See blog for more information.  http://mtlmqg.blogspot.ca/


Next meeting: January 10 - discussion will be led by Francine on long-arm quilting

Josée's block tutorial

As promised, Josée has provided the written tutorial for the block from her "A Sprinkling of Stars" quilt.

"A Sprinkling of Stars" by Josée Carrier

You can find the downloadable tutorial in the Members Only/Membres Seulement section of the blog! Thank you again to Josée for sharing her beautiful work with us :)

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Member Spotlight: Jennifer Frei

We are back with another Member Spotlight! For December, we introduce you to Jennifer Frei. If you have questions for Jennifer or comments on her spotlight, please leave us a comment!

Enjoy!


What did you study in school and/or what do you do for a day job?

I studied sociology in school – not terribly creative. I’ve always done creative things but apart from a painting class, I never studied art. I work at the Montreal Children’s Hospital as a research coordinator in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). It’s a lot of fun but can be a bit heavy at times which is why I enjoy coming home to quilt and make!

How long have you been quilting?

I started quilting about 7 years ago but I’ve been sewing ever since I was little. My mother is a seamstress by trade and she was always making things. Years ago she took up quilting but at the time I wasn’t really paying attention. It wasn’t until I got a bit older that I decided to try it out too and shortly after starting my first quilt a few of my friends started getting pregnant so I quickly moved on to baby quilts and was hooked!

What first got you interested in modern quilting?

My first quilt was pretty traditional and even as I was making it I found myself bored with the colours and fabric patterns. It wasn’t until I started looking for patterns online that I discovered different colour palates and designs. I was drawn to the bright colours and updated takes on traditional patterns. I think that’s still my favourite. I like to make things are that not traditionally modern but are modern traditional.


How did you find the MMQG and why did you decide to join?

I was having trouble finding nice fabric/supplies in and around the city and was doing some online investigating. I had come across the MMQG website was surprised by my luck, I had no idea we had guilds in Montreal. I was all set to head to a meeting when there was a snowstorm and I chickened out. It wasn’t until a year later that I finally made it to a meeting – this time in the spring!

Do you have any favourite quilting related social media accounts that you follow?

I’m an Instagram and Pinterest junkie but apart from our wonderful guild members, I don’t follow anyone in particular. I tend to search for ideas and click on pretty images that inspire me but I don’t follow particular designers or artists. I’m an equal opportunity quilting absorber!

Where do you look for inspiration or ideas for your quilting projects?

I have to admit that prior to joining the guild I looked through magazines or online to recreate quilts that I thought were pretty. Now I tend to see quilt ideas in everything. A few months ago I was at a medical conference and one of the presenters was showing some graphs of her data and all I could see was a really cool quilt! I have yet to recreate it but I made a mental note.


What would you consider to be your quilting “superpower”?

I’m not sure I’d call it a superpower but I’m pretty good at binding. I like hand-binding but I’ve been getting better at machine binding as well (a technique I only use on small projects like placemats or mug rugs).

What is your favourite part of the quilt making process? Why?

I like piecing. I like seeing my quilt transform from pattern on paper to a real, material quilt. And I find it fun to cut up all the little pieces and put them back together (I also like puzzles so…). I could make a million quilt tops but when it comes to quilting them they hang around for far too long before I *finally* force myself to finish them.

What project or technique is next on your “to try” list?

I have yet to confidently master the non-appliquéd circle. I think we agreed that the 2016/17 year was going to be the year of the circle and I fully hope to embrace it. The Cheryl Arkison workshop really helped to demystify some of the techniques.

What is your favourite project that you have completed? Why is it your favourite?

I think it’s a tie between two baby quilts I made. The first one had to be neutral because we didn’t know the sex of the baby and I love how calming it felt. The second was an appliqué circle quilt that was both grid-like and circular and I had a lot of fun arranging the squares so that the colours worked together. I also love my Libs Elliot “Weight of Love” quilt but that’s not finished yet (see previous comment on quilting/finishing quilts).


Describe/share pictures of your creative space:

When I bought my condo a few years back I had an extra room that I confidently set up like a guestroom which had a desk where I could work from time to time. Suffice it to say that no guest has ever spent the night in that room – my quilting has taken over.



Monday, December 12, 2016

Meeting reminder


Just a quick reminder, our last meeting of 2016 will be tomorrow night, Tuesday December 13th at 7pm at the CRCS St-Zotique.

The Polka Dot/Stripe/Plaid charm swap is due, so if you signed up to participate please remember to bring your charm squares!

Josee will be demonstrating the origami block she used to create her amazing Sprinkling of Stars quilt, and with a nod to the holiday classic 'The Sound of Music', our Show & Tell will be dedicated to a few of My Favorite Things. Please bring your favorite modern quilting-related thing; it can be a favorite quilt or quilt pattern, your favorite quilting book, magazine or notion, or your favorite fabric that you can't bring yourself to cut up and use.

Since this is the last meeting before the holidays, everyone is invited to bring along a seasonal treat to share with the group. See you tomorrow night! :)

November Meeting Minutes

November 2016 Mtl MQG Meeting Minutes
Tuesday November 8, 2016 at 7pm at CRCS St-Zotique

Business Stuff:
  • New members - Claudia is our Welcome Wagon, feel free to ask her any questions you might have.
  • Please pay dues to Josée before Dec 1st ($35)
  • Remember to wear your name tags
Charm Square Swap! There are 14 participants in the charm swap, this means that for the December meeting you will need to bring a total of twenty-eight charm squares (5"), fifteen in each of two different prints.  Remember the theme of this swap is polka dots, stripes and plaids/checks. You should be able to get twelve 5” charm squares per fat quarter.

Show and Tell:
  • Mélanie (Je t’aime), Stephanie (Uppity women Unite), Joanna ( Metro 2.0), Debby (Feather) Izzy (pattern test for Shannon), Suzanna (table runner), Nicole (circle wall hanging) Maggie (fire lights lane couch quilt number 2), Josée (Les Arabe) Claudia (Michael Miller Challenge)

QuiltCon submission deadline is November 30:
  • Look at the guidelines and if have other questions please ask as we have many people who have submitted in the past.

A few reminders:
  • December 3 sew-in (scissor sharpening - spots are limited, please book a slot on the sign-up sheet, $4 per pair, no pinking shears. We will also have a rotary blade sharpener on hand)
  • Our final meeting of 2016 will be on Tuesday December 13th at 7pm 
  • Josée will be demonstrating the origami block she used in her showcase quilt, A Sprinkling of Stars.
  • For those participating in the Charm Square Swap, your blocks are due so please remember to bring them with you. 
  • We will have a themed Show and Tell, so with a nod to the classic 'Sound of Music', our theme will be My Favorite Things. Bring along a favorite quilting-related item to share; it can be a favorite quilt, a favorite quilting notion, a favorite modern quilting book or magazine, or even some of your favorite fabric.
  • As it is the holidays, everyone is invited to bring a treat to share with the group!

Charity Quilt
  • It is going well, Amanda is going to do the binding.
Cinza brought some things to raffle off tonight!  Thanks Cinza

Claudia had the workshop books if anyone wants to look at them at the break.

Guest: Chris Forsyth, photographer of Montreal metro project