February 2025 Make It Fit
The February member meeting topic was pattern fitting. Our own Cheralee Stover gave an overview of 3 different quilted jacket patterns, and broke down how to identify fit issues and their solutions. Many of us find sewing clothes daunting. Humans aren’t flat, after all.
Our upcoming workshop on quilted jackets is a popular project among quilters. She demonstrated common measurements to take for garments and how those measurements transferred to pattern pieces. If you’re going to cut into a quilt, you want to know you’ll get a good result.
The slides are available in the members section of the website. They include the guides to choosing an alteration and the video links with demonstrations.
Remember - your machine doesn’t know what you’re making, so you can make a garment.
Ticket Updates for 2025
If you share someone’s post or reel with @pghmqg - 1 ticket.
If you create original content for the guild social media (create a video with us or add us as a collaborator on your post or reel) - 5 tickets
We also want people to enter more quilt shows. If you enter a quilt show, Enter quilt show and send a copy of your registration form or confirmation to pghmqg.socialmedia@gmail.com - 5 tickets
Show & Tell
Up Next
QuiltCon is February 20-23
Our next meeting is March 2nd
November 2024 Meeting
November’s meeting was chockful of information, colorful Show & Tell and sharing our favorite notions!
The last few months were pretty packed, as referenced in an earlier post. We planned a visit to the Heinz History Center to see the Louise Silk exhibit, assembled our annual community charity quilt for the MQG, and set up an Ink Dyeing workshop with WorkshopPgh. The dyeing workshop was sadly postponed, so there may be an opportunity to join when it is rescheduled. We’ll keep you posted.
The announcements for the next few months are fairly heavy, but that’s just because we want to make sure everyone is on the same page! First off, elections! PLEASE consider running for office. All positions are eligible, and president/programs/social media definitely need candidates. No prior experience is needed, and the current officers are are happy to answer any/all questions you may have. The duties for the 2025 officers begins in February, but the current officers are on hand for training and help for any road bumps as you get the feel for the job. PLEASE send nominations for yourself or someone you think would be a great fit to Vivian at vivianbenton@gmail.com by November 30, 2024.
December is next! We have our annual sew day on December 7 from 9am-8pm at Holy Spirit Church. We will be hosting a scissor sharpening vendor, exchanging gifts (optional) and enjoying a potluck while we sew. You can sign up to let the vendor know what tools you are bringing HERE. (Members only, please.) The potluck signup will be through SignUpGenius HERE. Instead of a single item, you can make one of the following to swap: mug rug, needlebook, pincushion, zip pouch, thread catcher, set of (4) coasters. We will provide a brown bag to place your item(s) in. No need to wrap! We’re also sharing the pricing details for the June 2025 retreat in December.
That brings us to January 5, 2025. This is our General meeting, with elections and the Q4 UFO Challenge deadline. If you have any outstanding completed UFOs, please make sure they are submitted by this meeting for credit. We ask that you only bring 4 per person to Show & Tell that day as we believe we will have many to get through. January is also when we will open up the Quilted Coat Workshop up to the general public. More info can be found HERE on that workshop, and we want as many members as possible to be able to take part. Registration will open in January for two events with Tara Faughnan, who is the keynote speaker at QuiltCon this year! We are partnering with Quilt Company East to co-sponsor these events.
90-minute Zoom lecture, Value Creates the Design, 4/21/25 @ 7 PM - Cost $6
6-hour Zoom workshop, Give and Take Quilt, 5/3/2025 - Cost $70
January 2024 elections and recap
January’s meeting included a visit from the Heinz History Center, our elections, challenges and a Quilt Market review.
Hello and welcome 2024! We had a great meeting with elections for new officers, a speaker from the Heinz History Center and a review of Quilt Market in October. Because of a last-minute Covid diagnosis, I missed the December meeting/sew day, so I have a few updates there, too.
Eric Lidji from the Heinz History Center came to talk about an upcoming exhibit (September 1, 2024 through April 2025) featuring the work of local quilter, Louise Silk. Silk’s journey from 1970s textile artist and home ec teacher are on display as well as today’s works that are more personal and comprised of family clothing. It promises to be both deeply personal to her and to speak to the creative soul in each of us. Lidji explained that the first half of the event will be creating stitched pieces that will be added to exhibit for public display and the second half will be where the public can take the tiny pieces home with them. You can see examples on Silk’s Instagram account, @silkquilt. The name of the group of volunteers who will be piecing and stitching these small works will be BubbeWisdom Stitching Circle. If you are interested in participating, get the email from Mary pghmqg.programs@gmail.com
· President: The new officers for 2024 are Connie in Membership, Luiza in Social Media, Mary in Programs, Cheralee in Treasurer and Michele as President. Congratulations to the new officers and thank you to the 2023 officers: Mary, Gail, Jen, Erin and Cheralee. The retreat drawing winner was Zsofia!
· Membership: We now have 60 members, with 16 new members joining in 2023!
· Treasurer: A year-end update was shared and you can find that in the meeting slides in the Members-Only Archive. Our dues to the MQG increased because our membership grew as well.
· Programs: Weaving challenges were due at this meeting! The 2024 challenges were also shared – Q1 Temperature Quilts, Q2 Scrappy Quilts, Q3 Color Challenge and Q4 UFO Challenge.
Nicole and her mom, Kim Nixon, from Sewing Original Stitches treated us to a Quilt Market review. Quilt Market is an industry show for shops and professionals and showcases new products, new lines, etc. It happens twice a year, with one event always happening in Houston and the other rotating throughout the country. New products they brought to share were TenSisters Easy Piecing Grids, OdiShine glitter gel, and fusible scrap tape. Kim noted that handsewing’s presence at Quilt Market is on the rise, and also that some noted quilters are retiring. We really enjoyed learning from a shop’s perspective about choosing the range of products to offer. Thanks so much to Nicole and Kim!
December notes: The Meet Me At the Point charity quilt was donated to the Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh. It looks like everyone had a great day sewing and the swap of thread catchers was a festive success.
QuiltCon is the largest modern quilting event in the world, hosted by the Modern Quilt Guild. With attendees coming from around the globe, QuiltCon features a vibrant quilt show full of competition quilts, community outreach quilts, and special exhibits as well as an enticing vendor hall, with all booths curated with the modern quilter in mind. QuiltCon also features lectures and workshops, available for registration with a four-day show pass.