November 2023 Recap - Temperature Quilts
Temperature quilts, by-laws changing and future leadership wanted! November’s meeting was chock full of info!
The November meeting was low-key, with just a few leaders and a smaller attendance than what we normally see. That didn’t prevent us from covering a wide variety of topics or taking care of some administrative work! This month we voted on accepting an updated version of the by-laws. Key changes included upgrading the social media position to be on par with the other leadership as far as title and candidate eligibility. Social media has come a long way since the guild began and the part it plays deserved a more thoughtful definition. We also updated our definition of modern quilting to align with the new Modern Quilt Guild website. Leadership terms were clearly spelled out as one year long, and references to a specific month for the General Meeting were removed to reflect that the calendar for the guild has shifted since Covid. The new , and approved, by-laws will be found under the tab in the Members-Only portion of the website. The vote to make the changes was unanimous.
President: Mary wasn’t able to join us, but Erin reviewed the need for new candidates for the upcoming election. Judy Irving is our election official and as of Sunday, nobody had submitted their names. ALL positions are open, as the current leadership will be leaving or vacating their current position. PLEASE consider running for office. The guild cannot function without volunteers and the changes you saw this year were done with an eye to making the roles run more smoothly. Our motto in leadership was that the decisions we made weren’t for today, but were intended for tomorrow. Ask any officer if you have any questions and remember to speak to Judy by the end of the day Friday, November 24, 2023. A ballot will be prepared and shared at the December meeting. Voting will be at the January 2024 meeting (which WILL be in-person.) Our community charity quilt for QuiltCon has been submitted, too!
We added a social time at the beginning of the meeting. What did you think?
Social Media: A progress report on the tasks outlined in the June meeting was given. Over 1, 000 show and tell photos have been added to the archives for member viewing. The Facebook page and members-only group are now linked for cross-posting. The Instagram account cannot directly link to the Facebook account at this time because of limitations in creating profiles in Facebook. Video tutorials were made for the future social media officers to use the new website as well as written instructions. The Flickr photos are 90% moved over and a little clean up needs to happen before that account can be deleted. An emphasis on simplicity and streamlining the job of social media was made, plus a description of the duties required versus personal choice was explained. The Monday Member Roundup feature, for instance, is a personal choice to create. Future officers should feel that they can continue or discard these optional activities as they see fit while fulfilling the duties of the role.
Membership: Two new biographies were added to the website in the members-only area. Thank you, Gerry and Merrilee! We currently have 58 members and 33 attended the October meeting on weaving. Make sure to pick up your MQG membership pin from Gail if you didn’t get it in July. Also, please confirm that you are receiving the weekly emails from the MQG. Your PghMQG membership includes membership to the MQG.
Programs: The meeting topic was Temperature Quilts, quilts that use weather data to determine something about the pattern, usually fabric color. Erin covered how to create a color range for the temps, where to find historic temperature date and how you could add details like precipitation to your design. Anne W brought a temperature quilt that she had previously made as an example. Temperature Quilts are the focus of the Q1 2024 quarterly challenge, due in April 2024. We have a great resource from a guild in Erie, PA that has an algorithm that will take the guesswork out of choosing colors. The email to receive this customized info can be found in the slides rather than here as it was shared with us with special permission. Erin also has many links to accompany this program, also found in the slides. Just a reminder, the Q4 2023 challenge is to include weaving in a project. Due January 2024!
Special MQG Report: Karen Womack, PghMQG member, was elected our regional rep to the MQG board. She shared that the MQG is looking to diversify the programs it offers to include more individual members. We saw the International Scrap Sorting Day and an upcoming Quilt Back Challenge was discussed. Another line item was that QuiltCon is the main source of funds for the MQG. They are looking to apply for grants, so requests for demographic information may be coming in the future to help determine which grants will work best for us all.
Don’t forget:
December will be our holiday sew day & luncheon. Come sew with us December 2, 2023, from 9am-8pm. We are exchanging thread catchers! Links to ideas are on the meeting slides in the archives.
Pam Bice has reserved an AirBnB for QuiltCon and is looking for roommates. Please email or text/call her for more information. She can be found in the roster in the members-only area of the site.
All 2024 dates have been added to the website calendar, including meetings, sew days, etc.
October 2023 Meeting Recap
Fall has officially arrived and this month’s program was all about weaving. Fabric weaving, to be more precise. Let’s review the business portion and then check out some pictures of the work everyone did!
President: Mary explained that there are some proposed by-law changes that have been put forth. You can find a button to the proposed document as well as the current by-laws in the Members-Only portion of the site. Please check with Gail or Cheralee for the password if you can’t remember it or can’t locate the July email that contained it. These proposals should be reviewed in time for the November meeting where we will be voting on them.
Judy Irvin has agreed to be the election officiate again this year. All of the leadership positions can be applied for by a member in good standing of at least one year. (Social Media is an exception to the one year rule.) Job descriptions are in the current by-laws and you can reach out to any leader to ask what all their job entails. Submissions are due by the end of the day, Friday, November 24, 2023. Voting will take place at the January General meeting in 2024.
Last year’s community quilt, Meet Me At the Point, has found a home with the women’s shelter that we made totes for earlier this year, Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh! Thanks again to Michele for all of her hard work and all of the members that participated in the creation of that quilt! This year’s quilt, based on Deco, has been pieced and is going to be quilted. It has been entered into the Community Quilt category at QuiltCon 2024. We’re waiting for a final look and the answer to our submission.
Programs:
Erin shared the techniques for different styles of weaving as well as tools you can purchase or make at home.
REMINDER:
Q3 Challenge was limited palette quilts. You can now find that gallery at our Challenge page.
Q4 Challenge is to include weaving in any project. Due at the January 2024 meeting.
Q1-2024 Challenge is Temperature Quilts, due in April 2024.
We’re trying something new in November. The first 20 minutes of the meeting will be a social time for members to catch up and chat. The doors will still open before 1pm and the business portion of the meeting will begin immediately afterwards.
December is our holiday party. The swap item this year is a thread catcher. Links to some projects are in the October slides, and in the Challenges Highlight on Instagram.
September 2023 Recap
September was a sew day and we assembled out community quilt!
First, we want to thank every one who took a block kit and braved the scant quarter inch seam allowance! We had 100% of the blocks returned and we were able to get most of the quilt assembled before everyone headed home. Special thanks to Rose and Connie, on our community charity quilt committee. Also, thank you to those members who were willing to tweak blocks and remake the ones we couldn’t for the front. We see you and we’re so grateful!
We have confirmed the Sarah Goer workshop, Building An Improv Toolbox, for October. Supply lists will be gong out this week!
October’s meeting is all about fabric weaving! We’ve already sent out emails with the supply list, but here they are, one more time:
Supplies you will need to bring:
some kind of weaving tool… see options below
pins
Scissors
strips of fabric at least 9" length, prepared by either:
cut 2.5" strips (or use a jelly roll!), fold in half lengthwise and sew the long edge together with a 1/4" seam, turn the tube so the seam is on the inside and press. You will then have 1" wide strips
cut 2" strips and press the long edges to the center for a finished 1' wide strip to work with.
Tips for picking fabric:
Coordinating colors
Color gradient
2-3 similar tones with a contrasting pop
"ugly" fabrics can look better as small strips
Want some ideas for this project? Visit Weftyneedle.com and check out the blog.
** You can purchase a Wefty needle, but if you’re not sure if you want to commit, here is the Wefty and two alternatives - a bodkin and a homemade Wefty from template plastic:
Image 1 from the Wefty website, Image 2 from Joann.com
We also REALLY want to get the 2023 charity quilt into a new home. If you have ANY suggestions, bring the organization’s information with you for the October meeting. We’re voting on where Meet Me At the Point should go.
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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.
