August 2023 Recap
Whew! August was chock full of information, plus we had cupcakes. Community blocks went out, we covered QuiltCon registration and framing quilt blocks.
Whew! This meeting set a record! We had 38 attendees, including 4 guests! Thank you so much for showing up to celebrate our guild’s birthday! I did a little digging, and it appears that the “birthday” of the guild is July 7, 2012. So, we’re 11 years old! We gave members their new MQG member pins (now with snazzy magnetic clasps) and everyone could enjoy cupcakes in the guild’s colors.
Programs:
The first part of programming was Cheralee talking about framing quilt blocks; this was a survey result back in February. She gave three examples with variations: framing using paper, canvas, and using an embroidery hoop. Additional links can be found in the meeting slides. Most of the supplies can be found at your local craft store or on Amazon to DIY the project.
The second portion of programming was Rose & Cheralee explaining the scant quarter inch seam allowance needed with an assist by Mary. Lo & Behold Stitchery wrote the pattern we are using for the charity quilt this year and the instructions call for a scant quarter inch seam. There is a link in the meeting slides as well as in the post written for anyone who was struggling with their block. Community Quilt Block Tips We distributed the blocks for the cahrity quilt and ask that all blocks be ready for the September 9, 2023 assembly day.
The current challenge is to make any quilt using just 3-5 colors. Please use the #pghmqgltdcolor hashtag!
Future programming:
September - Sew Day
October - Fabric Weaving
November - Temperature Quilts
December - Winter Party & Sew Day
President:
Mary covered the information necessary to prep for the August 15th registration for QuiltCon. The email that you provided through the registration with the PghMQG is the email we provide to the MQG. Your PghMQG membership includes membership to the MQG. If you aren’t receiving the weekly MQG emails, please let Gail know. QuiltCon offers discounts and a free 4 day pass to members who register before 11/30/2023. You can find out more about entering your quilts, the challenges being displayed at the 2024 location (Raleigh, NC) and more at QuiltCon.com
We are still acccepting registrations for the improv workshop in October! This is a 2-day Zoom workshop, so wear your PJs, we don’t care! The cost is $40 for members, and we will be opening up the registration to other guilds and the public at large in September. We only have 20 seats, so hurry up and RSVP! You can commit to the workshop through the registration button in the Members-Only section of the site. Then send or bring your payment in. Building An Improv Toolbox with Sarah Goer
Social Media:
The migration of the Facebook accounts is ongoing, but the August goals include moving the 700+ photos we currently have on Flickr to the Archives here on our own site. Maintenance to the Flickr account lapsed sometime around 2017 (?) and reducing the number of websites that we have profiles on was one of the goals leadership identified when we first began building the new site. Linking more of the old content to the new site from the old blog as well as adding more programming content is also ongoing.
Treasurer:
Jen presented our Fiscal Year 2023-2024 projected budget. It includes amounts for some new equipment, and also emphasized that we don’t aim to make a profit off our our workshops. You can check that slide out in the Archives, found through the Members-Only portion of the site.
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Things we want you to remember! Now functional on the website: Workshop Registration, Submit Bio, Guild By-Laws, Suggest A Shop, Submit Show & Tell, Membership Roster buttons are all good to go. The roster button is also live. The Beaver Valley Piecemakers show is accepting entries, too! You can find more info in our calendar. ONE LAST THING, our own member, Karen, is running in the Region 3 MQG election. You should have received an email from the MQG regarding the candidates. Voting ends Sept 7, 2023.
July 2023 Recap
July was all about Color Theory, transitioning between quarterly challenges and reports from the Treasurer & Social Media.
If you tuned in to the meeting via Zoom, we know how painful it was to keep having it drop. We are taking steps to improve the signal for August. Hopefully, no matter when or how you joined us in July, this meeting recap is beneficial.
Programs:
The Q2 challenge of using pre-cuts was a success! All entries can be found on the Challenges page here. They were not included in the Show & Tell carousel below.
The theme for this month is Color Theory. You can access the Meeting Slides in the Member-Only area of the website. Follow this path: Members-Only>Archive>Programs>Meeting Slides>July. There you’ll find the links to the resources that Erin shared and the slides with various definitions and inspirations for choosing colors.
Future programs: August - Skill Builders and Framing Quilt Blocks, September - Sew Day and assembling the charity quilt, October - fabric weaving, November - temperature quilt
Quarterly challenges: Q3 - Limited color palette/due October. Using 3-5 colors, make and finish a quilt of any size. Use the hashtag #pghmqgltdcolor
Sara Goer workshop coming in October - Building An Improv Toolbox… You can now register for the workshop in the Members-Only area: Members-Only>Workshop Registration. You can find more information on the workshop here.
Membership:
The membership year was over as of June 30, 2023. Renewals were due by then. You can now pay by cash or check, and you can also mail your payment to the Treasurer at the following address:
Pittsburgh Modern Quilt Guild
PO Box 105
Wexford, PA 15090
At this point, if you haven’t renewed your membership you will be removed from our social media groups and our roster. You are still a member of the MQG “mother ship” until the end of 2023.
President:
The 2024 QC charity quilt programs has some changes, but we are aiming to be completed in time for entry. The winning design was a yellow version of the Deco quilt by Lo & Behold Stitchery. The volunteers are coordinating the fabric purchase and will have kits to take at the August meeting. A photo of the mockup can be found in the slides.
We are always happy to share news of other workshops, lectures, etc. However, we would ask that members with this information create their own social media post that we can share. We will highlight that information on our platforms, including any posts you might create to sell your sewing items.
Please consider stepping up to lead next year! Several offices will have met their term limits and an organization is only as good as its volunteers.
Social Media:
Progress updates on the website and social media refresh were shared. The new site is active and feedback is positive. All of the old site’s links still need to be updated to the new site. No decision was made regarding a public versus private presence on Facebook. Streamlining the accounts to match emails for continuity and media sharing will take place and the group vs page question will be revisited in the future.
A general overview of Instagram terms and functions was quickly covered. In the meeting slides, a link to an instructional article is provided.
Treasurer:
Jen provided a financial statement for the 2022-2023 year, with details regarding our balance. This information is also in the meeting slides. A budget for the 2023-2024 year is in the works and will be presented at the August meeting.
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Things we want you to remember! In the Members-Only area, you can now submit Show & Tell, register for the workshop and submit a member bio! As functionality grows, we will make more announcements. Thanks for the support of the new website!
June 2023 Recap
The first official meeting recap is up on the new website! Check out Show & Tell, Q2 Challenges and get updates now1
Our June meeting was another full event! We started off with a review of the retreat, including the reel made from the photos taken. If you haven’t ever attended a retreat, I encourage you to really consider it. It is such a good time! Here’s the reel, if you want to watch us one more time. :)
You might notice a few photos towards the end of the reel full of tote bags. Judy estimates we made over 100 tote bags for Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh! In fact, we had a visitor at the June meeting who came just to give us her tote! Thank you, Nora! You can read more about the tote drive here. The guild is not collecting totes as a group anymore, but you are always welcome to donate on your own.
Programs:
June 25th is the Kawandi Workshop with Vivian. It is from 1-5pm at the Millvale meeting location. If you didn’t receive the supply list, reach out to Erin at pghmqg.programs@gmail.com Vivian has since clarified to also brings scissors and to press your backing folds to the back.
July is when we introduce the next quarterly challenge and the Q2 Pre-cut challenges are due.
Future programs: July - Color Theory & quilting, August - Skill Builders and Framing Quilt Blocks, September - Sew Day and assembling the charity quilt, October - fabric weaving
Quarterly challenges: Q3 - Limited color palette/due October, Q4 - Block Exchange/due January 2024, Q1 - Temperature Quilts/due April 2024
Sara Goer workshop coming in October - Building An Improv Toolbox
Membership:
The membership year is over as of June 30, 2023. Renewals are due by then. You can pay by cash or check, and you can also mail your payment to the Treasurer at the following address:
Pittsburgh Modern Quilt Guild
PO Box 105
Wexford, PA 15090
President:
The 2023 QC charity quilt will be hung at the Quilt Co East show and it is for sale. The 2024 QC charity quilt programs has some changes, but volunteers are needed to work on a design. (Peggy, Patti, Kathy, Rose, Connie and Cheralee all volunteered at the end of the meeting.) A vote was taken to do the quilt and attempt to make the MQG deadline, but we’re fine if we don’t. It can still be donated locally.
Please consider stepping up to lead next year! Several offices will have met their term limits and an organization is only as good as its volunteers.
Social Media:
Social media had a huge portion of the business part of the meeting. Voting was put forth to move to SquareSpace, a new platform that can also offer a commerce option for processing payments in the future. This first phase is a site that is up to date with an interactive calendar, easy email links and connections to officers, a place to provide member-only content like our roster and biographies, etc. The vote passed unanimously and more research needs to be done before the online payment option is brought back to the guild. A schedule of refreshing the online presence and social media for the guild was also presented with June covering the new site, the reassignment of our Pittsburgh Modern Quilt Guild domain to the new site and backing up the old blog for our archives. As of this post’s writing, those have all been achieved. The password to access the member-only section of the new site was shared in the May email from the president. That password will be good through June 30, 2023. A new password, accessing new updated content will be provided to members who have renewed for the 2023/24 year. All 2022/23 members were also subscribed to the new site. You are free to unsubscribe at any time, however, it will remove the ability to receive notification of additions to the calendar or new posts like this one, etc.
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June’s programming:
We were treated to a Zoom talk by Lyn from www.battingsupersale.com Lyn generously offered a few prizes to both our in-person attendees as well as our Zoom participants. She covered each substrate (cotton, polyester, blends) with information on their quilting distances, their warmth factor, washability, and best applications. It was a great talk and we’re grateful for her time!
*Please see some additions to the calendar, including the Beaver Valley Show, the Dairy Barn in Ohio show, QuiltCon 2024 and a North Pittsburgh Guild lecture in September!
