Big News from the MQG!

Your team at the MQG has been busy working behind the scenes and we're so excited to announce QUILTCON, the first Modern Quilt Guild conference and show February 2013.  It's going to be fabulous! Find out more at our new website! Austin here I come!! I wouldn't miss this for the world. Will you be there?

Cogs has a baby!

Baby cogs is finally bound and finished. I like to lay quilts on the corner of the bed. Doesn't matter their size. It's another way to get quilts out and seen.

Angela quilted it much like daddy cogs.  Simply fabulous!  Click on over to Ang's blog and see her new book.  We could all benefit from Angela's expertise and advice!

I hung daddy in the hallway gallery. It's fun to change quilts often. I hate to have quilts stored away!

Attended my first meeting of the Chicago MQG yesterday. All I can say is it's a great group of really talented folks. I'm so happy to be a part of it. I've missed my guild and I could tell right away that I was going to feel at home here. Can't wait for January!

The Modern Quilt Guild Family

I've written before about how the MQG has changed my life.  With the move to Chicago, again the guild has played a role both in my leaving Kansas City and in arriving at my new home. The Modern Quilt Guild has definitely become the Modern Quilt Guild family. Check this out.

I finally unpacked this quilt and right now it has a home on my couch.  I'd love it to hang in the studio, but wall space is too tight.  The blocks are made by members of the KCMQG.  Each block reflects the personality of the individual who made it.  

All are signed and some have personal messages.

This quilt is a daily reminder of the friends and fun I had as a member of the KC group.
Check out Jaime's block.  She's my Bernina gal....sold me and lots of other members our machines.

Paula used a fabric that has special memories for both of us.

Andrea made this amazing block...

She's loved too and with her fetal demise project has spread that love to so many families.
I could go on and on and on.  Thanks to Shea and her mom Mary for getting it put together and Angela for doing the quilting. I'll treasure it always. I'm hoping I'll always be a member of that guild.

So, then I arrive here and join the Chicago guild and right away there are welcoming emails from Chicago members.  I hadn't been here three days and Beth, the Chicago president invited me to lunch.  She and Jen picked me up, took me out and welcomed me to the city and the group.  It was the first time I got out of the apartment and they gave me a welcome break along with some great advice and info on the city.  I can't wait for the first meeting!

My friend Kate, who I met through my blog, is also a CMQG member.  She has been my Chicago guide....from parking to a vet for Bruno and where to take my recycles.  I'm settling in so much faster because of her.  She's coming over today for a sewing day.   A sewing day...I'm so excited!

So, are you a MQG member? Do you have a guild near you? I'm so thrilled at the growth and development of the guild. It's hard work, but hard work definitely pays off. Did you know there's a new chapter in India? Amazing. The MQG is simply amazing! (and for my KC peeps...FABULOUS!)

A Working Sunday

Sunday was another example of how the KC MQG has changed my life. Three of my new guild friends, Camille, Darcy, and Melissa, gave up their Sunday afternoon to come all the way out to my house (not a small task in itself) to help me prepare the kits for the fetal demise pouches that our guild is making as our service project. We cut a LOT of fabric and ribbon!We have kits to distribute at Thursday's meeting and soon these will be finished pouches to deliver to the hospital.It's great to have more than just me working in the studio. I had to clean before they came. In that process I was looking at a stack of quilts folded in the corner. I asked myself why I was holding onto them when they could be being used by someone who needed them. So I packed the whole stack in a box to send to Victoria's project. I've sent quilts before and it seemed a much better place for these quilts to be than gathering dust in my studio. I can't say I won't miss them just a bit.
If you happen to have a quilt or two that you're not using, there are some needy families that could use them. Check out Victoria's project, Bumble Beans Basics.

Sewing for A Cause

I sewed late into the night last night. The KCMQG is taking on its next service project and I was doing some sewing to test fabric combinations for the fetal demise pouch project. I spent a day last week shopping for some additional materials...solids and ribbons so that we can put the kits together to distribute at the April meeting. Anna Maria Horner and Free Spirit/Westminster have been so supportive of our project by providing some of the fabrics which the hospital chose for the pouches. I will tell you it's some of the most difficult, but rewarding sewing I've ever done.

Having had a child born prematurely, it's not easy to make or hold one of these pouches. The pouches are offered to mothers who have miscarriages and lose babies very early in their pregnancy, in the more technical term, fetal demise. These babies are too tiny and fragile for clothing. The pouches are only about 4" x 7". I made 3 out of muslin before I made one that was perfect. Then I made them with the selected fabrics. It had to be perfect.

Andrea, one of our guild members and a nursing student, saw a need and suggested the project. Until Andrea shared with me I didn't know there was such a thing. They exist and something beautiful was needed. I'm so proud of our guild for tackling this. I'm excited to get the kits made and distributed so our talented group can start sewing.

Thanks LA!

My weekend with family in California started early with a quick side trip to LA, and I'm so glad I did! I had a chance to attend a meeting of the LAMQG. They actually rescheduled their meeting to coincide with my visit. I got to see the reveal of their Robert Kaufman solids challenge and shared a few of my quilts. I met so many nice people. I can't thank Alissa enough for inviting me and their great officer team for having me! Best side trip I've ever taken!

As you can see, talking quilts is simply a happy experience for me.
This is a peek at Sew Modern, the shop where the LA guild meets. Oh my I wish you could all go there and check it out. Such a wonderful layout and great fabric! Being surrounded by fabric makes me smile too. Next time, I'm spending some quality time at Sew Modern!
This is a glimpse of the folks who were there...so many talented quilters in this group! It was so inspiring to see their work and talk quilts with them.

Thanks for having me LA...I'll be back!

The Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild....

...changed my life. Right, Lauren? Lauren said it first, but we all feel the same way.

As much I as love the online modern quilting community, there's not much better than connecting with real people who quilt, and even better, people who love modern quilting as much as I do. I didn't know what I was missing.

It was one year ago today that we held our organizational meeting. Today, those of us who started our KC MQG are celebrating with a blog post-a-palooza...or as Shea, our VP says...a giant love letter to our guildy friends!

First, I have to thank my LA guild friends, Alissa and Latifah for just doing it and kicking off the first MQG. Couldn't have done it without you! Next, Shea, who emailed me and asked me to meet her to talk about getting it going in our neck of the woods. Who knew that a couple of cups of coffee later we'd be on the road to something fabulous. We now have an official guild, with 96 members and growing every meeting. We thought maybe we'd get 10 folks sitting around a table chatting it up. Little did we know.

Something like that doesn't happen without a lot of work and some really talented, dedicated people behind the scenes. I have the most amazing officer team, Shea, Jamie, Jenny and Lauren who put up with my wacky leadership style and work like dogs to make our guild, organized, informative and most importantly FUN! Jamie has a head for money. Thank goodness, because I don't. Jamie is also full of ideas and willing to step in on a moment's notice. She's also a bit of a Bernina wizard, making sure one by one that the members of our guild have great sewing machines. Shea is a stickler for details, reminders and organization. Shea keeps us on our toes and always does it with a smile. Lauren handles our tech needs and keeps us in stitches with her creative mind and free thinking attitude. Lauren simply makes things happen. It's magic! Jenny is our quiet, level headed one. She always seems to be there with an idea or an offer to help. She's the kind of officer that you know has your back. Jenny exudes style and brings a bit of class to our team. How could we not be successful with a team like that?

And then there are our members. They have ideas, they participate, they're willing to do things differently. I'm floored every meeting by their talent and creativity. They inspire. They come from near and far....from Nebraska, no less. They are the Kansas City Modern quilt guild and I'm proud to be a part of them. We celebrate our official one year anniversary as a guild in March with the reveal of our new challenge and then on to year two...who knows where we'll go from there.

With a "Cherri" on Top

Between the Walker Art Center this weekend and Cherri House speaking at the KCMQG last Thursday, I'm on inspiration overload. Cherri and I are very much alike, we see quilts everywhere. I liked that about her!
Cherri, was both fun and inspirational. Seeing her quilts up close and personal was the best part for me.
Her use of color is spectacular.
Her story is very personal and emotional. I won't tell it here, but I will say if you get a chance to meet her or hear her, jump on it. Thanks Cherri, for making the effort to come to Kansas City! I'm sure it won't be a one time thing.
I had a bunch of airport time this weekend and of course had my sketchbook with me. Cherri inspired me to design a couple of my own city quilts...city tech and city split. I can't wait until I have time to translate those drawings into fabric!

Speaking of inspiration....are you working on your Modern Quilt Guild 'Inspiration Challenge' quilt? Haven't heard of it? Head on over and check it out. Get inspired and get sewing!

Guess Who Is Coming To Our House?

When I say house, I mean the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild house. It's Cherri House, the fabulous quilt designer and author of the amazing 'City Quilts.'
We are so thrilled to have her. She'll be speaking to our guild at 7 p.m. tomorrow night (Thursday) at the Roeland Park Community Center. It's going to be standing room only I'm sure. If you're not a member of the guild it'll be $5.00 admission, but worth every penny.

I'm so excited to meet and learn from her. If you're in the neighborhood, you should come too. She's also doing a workshop on Friday at Harper's Fabrics in Overland Park. I think it's close to full, but you can check and see by giving them a call.

We have a winner of the Daisy Janie fabrics too. Thanks for all your great advice for Tammy. I'm sure she learned a bunch from you. I know I did! The winner is Lynn of the Little Red Hen! Congrats Lynn! Drop me an email with your address and I'll have Tammy send you your fabrics.

B is for...

BIRTHDAY: Yesterday was my birthday. Another year older, wiser, and definitely more hip.
BUDDIES: I spoke at my guild last night, the fabulous Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild and they celebrated with me, cupcakes, singing and quilty friends. It doesn't get much better than that. I got handmade gifts...it's funny how much I love the handmade and I never get anything like that. It's great to have friends who sew!

BLOG: I was thinking last night how this blog has been such a wonderful addition to my life. I appreciate all of you who come to visit and are a part of it with me.

BOYS: The three guys in my life, my two sons and my wonderful hubby. Life is rich because of all of you.

BLESSINGS: These are too many to list or to count. Each day is a blessing.

and finally B is for BINDINGS: of which I still need to do.

Fussy and Loopy!

I've been a little fussy (cutting that is)...
I've been a little loopy...
...and I've been sewing with my KCMQG peeps.

What have you been up to?

With the Finish Line in Sight

The Spring to Finish Challenge will start on Monday, so you have the weekend to get prepped, make your list, in my case, lists. I have a 'want to' and a 'have to' list. Count your UFO's (unfinished objects), your WIP's (works in progress) and get ready. Be sure to come back on Monday and comment to get in on the action. I'm working on a blog button for us and maybe even a prize or two.
This is my WIP for the Project Plume Challenge at the KC Modern Quilt Guild. The challenge is over and alas I didn't get mine finished. I do love an integrated whirlygiggle quilt...I used what I had left over from my charm pack to put this together the night before the meeting. I know, I'm a lame President. You should have seen all the great quilts our group created. I hope to have pictures to share soon. I'm thinking this might be one of the prizes (if I get it finished!)
Lots of folks asked to see the quilting of this quilt up close...so here it is. Today is the auction, so keep your fingers crossed that it makes some cash.
I finished Wendy's block for my Common Threads quilting bee. She asked for doll representations of ourselves inspired by a quilt in the Material Obsessions book. This is my mini me. I took a little artistic license and made myself tall and thin. Why not?
I think the log cabined dress makes it very me.
I'm trying to get things basted ready for the Spring to Finish Challenge. I didn't do well at all in the Joy in the New Year Challenge, but it's a new time, a new opportunity. I'm going to bust it out!

i celebrated

I celebrated National Quilting Day on Saturday by sewing not what I had to, but what I wanted to. I made this quilt after playing with some drawings...I love retro shapes...I think this has potential for a large quilt. There are some things I would change, but it was a good experiment. A bit of a different direction for me.

I wanted to share the new logo for the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild designed by Lauren of My Aunt June. It's so great to have such talented folks in our group. Isn't it fab?

I've been basting and quilting too...I should have some finished quilts to show this week.

It could happen.

I want to kinda beg forgiveness for not visiting my blog friends or responding to comments like I usually do. Between lousy internet and simply crazy busy days, I haven't been very good about it. I know...excuses, excuses.

Tidbits and the KC Modern Quilt Guild

This weekend I made another set of these placemats for a friend's birthday. I neglected to get a photo of hers before I packed them up and sent them. Hers are in orange/brown and gold and the pieced strip is a little wider (her request). These are a great way to use up scraps and fabulous to practice free motion quilting.

Last week was crazy busy. I did a guild presentation/trunk show on Tuesday night to the Kansas Capital Quilters Guild in Topeka. I had a ball and I think they did too. It was so much fun showing and talking about quilts. They're a big guild and pretty traditional, but they welcomed me with open arms. Thanks ladies!

Thursday night was the third meeting of the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild. 70...count em...70 folks packed into Harper's Fabrics and Quilts. It was such a great meeting! That's me leading the group. We're making lots of progress getting organized. We had a fantastic book share where we broke into 4 groups, shared out fav books and even some projects made or inspired by those books. Show and tell with this group is always inspiring. The picture was taken by Shea, our VP.

My studio is in chaos...packing up 30 or so quilts for a trunk show takes a lot of time and energy..i need to get it all put away and things cleaned and organized. I have lots of sewing to do!

I Couldn't Think of A Title

I couldn't think of a catchy title for this post. I simply have a few things I want to share. This is my 'urban garden' quilt.
It started as a personal scrap challenge, a handful each of orange, green and brown scraps and a commitment to make something from them. I started with the idea of fields viewed from a plane and it evolved into more of a community garden, you know those communal gardens where a bunch of folks share a plot of land to plant gardens. There are those well-tended plots and those more hap-hazard ones and plenty of land left to plant. The quilting reminds me of furrowed land. I'm pretty happy with it.
I've also made a few quilting bee blocks..this is underwater sister's portrait gallery for Valerie of the Pieced Together bee.
A close up of the portraits.
A block for Nadia of Common Threads. This is 'the fractured forest' for her brand new baby Gus!
Lastly, this is a picture from the second meeting of the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild. 69...count 'em...69 folks showed up and we had a ball squishing into the room, enduring the heat and getting to know each other. If you'd like to be a part of the group, head to our ning site, or join or start a group in your neck of the woods.

MQG, Apartment Therapy and ME!!

Ever have one of those days when you're questioning everything you make, nothing is good enough, maybe not good at all? And then, something comes along that makes you legitimate, at least in someone else's mind. Check out this link. The Modern Quilt Guild gets recognized and someone at Apartment Therapy, yes, I said APARTMENT THERAPY, thinks my quilt is modern and cool. My quilt and my name are on Apartment Therapy. I can't believe I just wrote that. (Insert happy dance, giddy squeals, and self pinching to test if it's really true.) Check out the other quilts too...I know there are some other folks doing the happy dance!

I made some quilt backs...

...and then just to make sure my head didn't get too big...don't ask...I'm simply a klutz and it's too embarrassing to tell you.

Just a reminder...the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild meets tomorrow (Wednesday) at Harper's Fabrics in old Overland Park. Come at 6:30, meeting starts at 7:00. You don't want to miss it!

urban garden

I did persist and work on this quilt from start to finish. It's done and I renamed it 'urban garden.' It started with a few handfuls of scraps and thoughts about farm fields. Now when I look at it I see an urban, community garden with separate plots... some elaborate, some sparse, and some tilled areas ready to be planted. How that pink piece found its way into my orange scrap box I'll never know, but now I'm glad it did. I see a strawberry patch there. I'm sorry I can't show the whole quilt. I have an event coming in March and the quilt will be revealed there.
I can, however answer your questions about the quilting. Don't you think it looks like tilled land? I love how some of the rows nest and others form those hourglass shapes. The quilting lines are about 1/4" apart. I marked the first row vertically in the center of the quilt to make sure I started straight and then I eyeballed it from there. It stayed amazingly vertical across the quilt...only 1/8th inch off from side to side.

I first learned about this type of quilting from Victoria, of The Silly Boo Dilly. Check out Victoria's blog to see her innovative quilting designs. I've done this both free motion and with a manipulated stitch on my machine. There are advantages and disadvantages of both. This time I used the machine stitch since the quilting lines were so close together. Many of us have decorative stitches on our machines that never get used. Victoria inspired me to experiment and play with my machine. I'm sure I haven't scratched the surface of the possibilities. I tried to answer the questions you asked. Feel free to email me if you need more info.

Have you been on the Modern Quilt guild site this week? All week long the planning committee members have been posting their answers to the question, "What does modern quilting mean to me?" It's been wonderful reading the responses of my modern quilting buddies and lots of other quilters across the web. Today is my turn. Check out all the posts and give your thoughts in the comments, or even better, do a post of your own answering the question from your perspective. Go modern!

Inspector #5

Do you make things for other people? Do you worry about them being perfect? I do. Though I love working freely without the encumbrances of other people's rules, I'm pretty strict with myself. If I didn't work on it every day I'd be paralyzed by perfection.

As I was packaging my neighborhood quilts to send to their new owners I noticed a flaw in one of the quilts. It was a roofing problem, shoddy construction, and definitely a lax general contractor. I would have been mortified if that quilt had arrived at its destination with a leaky roof. The future owner was gracious as could be, but I was still beside myself. My brain jumped to dark places about other quilts.

I think I've said this before that there is a fine line between wonky and wacked out. I want my quilts, if they are wonky to be that way purposefully. Does that make any sense at all? Cutting with scissors or without a ruler creates wavier seams, but they shouldn't fall apart.

I also know that part of the beauty of the handmade is its imperfection, the touch of the hand.

Where am I going with this?

I don't want to subject myself to the quilt police, maybe a kindly, inspector #5 is what i need?


On a happier note. The first meeting of the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild took place on Saturday morning. These are my MQG peeps. 34 of us and growing. It's a good thing! If you'd like to see if there is a group in your city, go here. If not, why not start one.

One more thing for your Monday. Beth, my friend at Modern Jax is auctioning some gorgeous quilts and tree skirts to benefit Haiti. The need in Haiti will be long term. My hope is that this disaster may be the catalyst to development and stability for the people of Haiti. With the help of my blog friends, I donated $1,100 to the American Red Cross today. I know it's just a drop in the bucket, but a bunch of drops adds up to a flood of help.

I forgot to say, thanks for all the kind words about 'feeling blue' and my sew connected quilt. I appreciate each and every comment.

Inspiration to Exhilaration

The inspiration...a drawing done by my youngest son when he was in 6th grade. (it hangs in my living room)

The process...the inspiration was given to my sew connected buddies and they made the blocks for me. Aren't they fabulous!! The process was excruciating, crazy, frustrating and believe it or not, fun. I've never made a quilt this difficult...many, many set in seams. All of the blocks were different sizes (which is what I asked for!) I pressed/starched these blocks within an inch of their lives. It was more like sewing with blocks of wood than fabric, but they stayed straight. Thank goodness, because the seam ripper got LOTS of use in this one. You'll notice that the layout is different in the final top. My design wall was my saving grace for this quilt. I can't even tell you how many layouts I went through to achieve this. This is what a virtual quilting bee is all about for me...pushing me farther than I would go on my own. I can't thank my bee peeps enough. I learned so much.

Exhilaration...I'm so proud of this, I can't even tell you. It almost makes me cry and I only made one of the blocks. I LOVE the negative space that is created by the blocks. The chocolate brown and aqua is my favorite color combination (I've been using so much brown lately). I love that Jon's drawing was the inspiration.

I have one more block that will be the centerpiece of the back...the back is going to be soo cool...if I can pull it off. (Audrey, that's your block).
I will tell you that I almost wimped out, sashed all the blocks the same size so I could easily put them together. I'm so glad, I struggled with this to make it like I had envisioned it. I'm wondering now how quilting will transform it.

Remember, the neighborhood quilt auction for Haiti ends at 8 am tomorrow. Last chance to get your bid in...