April 2025 - FPP and Lettering
Our April meeting had more than 30 people in attendance. We’ve been gaining new members each month. We’re almost at 70 members!
Q1 Challenge - Alternate Grids
The first quarter challenge for Alternate Grids was due. We saw some great entries with a variety of alternate layouts.
There are many potential Sewcial events in the works. Contact Rose at the programs email if you’re interested in any of these activities: Quilt Book and Notion Lending Library; Quilt Buddies member partnerships; a trip to the Sue Spargo workshop in Ohio; overnight trip to Washington, DC to see the quilt exhibition at the Renwick gallery. Check the meeting slides for more details.
Kona Color of the Year Cards
Service Project
We will be doing a service project at the retreat. If you want to contribute to the project outside of the retreat, you can donate materials or finished pillowcases.
We will be using the Burrito Pillowcase Pattern to sew standard size pillowcases to be donated to patients at Children’s Hospital.
Video Tutorial and Printable Pattern:
https://hellosewing.com/how-to-make-a-pillowcase-burrito/
Participation is voluntary*
Contribute by donating fabric and/or by sewing a pillowcase
Fabric requirements
27” X WOF
11” X WOF
2” X WOF
Show and Tell
FPP and Lettering with Becky
Custom Pattern Design
Becky walks us through a hands-on demonstration of turning letters into FPP patterns.
April programming was all about foundation paper piecing design with our own member Becky. She’s been doing FPP for a year, and designed her first pattern after she decided to alter a commercial FPP pattern she was sewing. She stepped us through the basics of how to sew an FPP block. Teen she walked us through how to use software to design a block based off a picture. We finished up with members taking a stab at designing FPP letter blocks in the software.
The presentation was informative and you can check out the details in the slides - available in the members only section.
2025 Q2 Challenge- Foundation Paper Piecing
Create a quilted item using Foundation Paper Piecing. This can be a bag, quilt, or other item. Completed (quilted and bound) quilts due at the July 13th Meeting.
March 2025 - Quilt Math
Guild Swag - put in your input!
Cheralee is researching swag options. Please reach out to her with your ideas for the branded merchandise you would like to see. Please indicate if it is a freebie you want the guild to provide or you would wish to buy. (Can’t hurt to ask.)
Include: size range (petite, plus,etc), brands (Bella+Canvas, Gildan), features (¼ zip fleece vs pullover, v-neck vs crew neck), colors and specifics.
She brought in several QuiltCon totes as examples of the types of details to consider. Please contact her with your thoughts and requests.
Reminder: Register for the Retreat
The last day to register for the member retreat is March 22nd, at the sew day. Register Here
Quarterly Challenges
Quarter 1: Alternate Grid
Quarter 2: Foundation Paper Piecing
Quarter 3: Nostalgia Challenge
Quarter 4: “Land of Good Intentions”
MQG member benefits
As a reminder, you have access to the full MQG resource library.
For each three-month cycle, the MQG will share an on-demand video in month one that provides a brief, holistic view of the topic. In the second month, they’ll publish a small project to try the technique or style, followed by a quilt pattern in the third month to put those new skills to use.
Donna McLeod - Alternate Grid (January - March)
Shashari Kaburi - Improvisation (April - June)
Daisy Aschehoug - Maximalism (July - September)
Michelle Bartholomew - Handwork (October - December)
Show and Tell
Quilt Math Presentation
Rose presenting quilt math.
The monthly presentation was on quilt math, courtesy of Rose. From block size to quilt size, there’s a lot to consider. She ran us through calculating for backing, with an informative foray into the choice of seam direction when you send it to a longarmer. We compared common bed sizes and typical drops (and lesser-known tuck!). Consideration was given to block resizing methods, common multiples, and base-grid units. Rose gave us formulas for calculating binding and backing, and shared a link for the Kaufman Quilt Calculator. Membership finished up by working in teams on quilt math activities. It was thorough and informative. Let us know if you need any links or slides!
Up Next
March Sew Day - March 22
Three Rivers Quilt Show
April 2025 Meeting
Quilted Jackets
with Dawn Bianco
Saturday marked session 2 on the Quilted Jacket workshop featuring the Elemental Coat Pattern. Participants created stunningly varied coats using either vintage quilts or contemporary pieced elements. Each jacket was unique, showcasing myriad possibilities in shape and design.
Enjoy these images of their projects.
In collaboration with Quilt Company East, we invite you to join us for an improv workshop with Quiltcon 2025 featured speaker, Tara Faughnan!