Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Our 2017 Holiday Party Is On!
The snow has stopped and the roads are clearing, we'll see everyone as planned at 7pm for our 2017 Holiday Party in Nashua!
Sunday, December 10, 2017
December 2017 Meeting Reminder
Our December meeting will take place on Tuesday December 12th at 7pm!!
Charity: Thank you to everyone who returned a packet for our Quilt Con challenge quilt, we are still missing a few so please bring them in December. Alison is hosting a sew-in on 12/13 where we will work on some tops for Vegas and finish piecing the QuiltCon top. Please email her for additional information.
Sewing Bee: Would you like to sign up for the 2018 sewing bees? Please see Ellen on Tuesday night!
Membership: If you renew your membership by the end of our December meeting you'll be entered into a drawing for a gift card to quilted threads. You can renew online here, or in person with cash or a check.
2018 Volunteer Positions: We will be holding our vote for 2018 board positions at the December meeting. We are still seeking help with meeting programming. If you are interested in volunteering in any way, please let a board member know.
Holiday Party: We'll be having our annual holiday party at the December 12th meeting. To participate in the gift swap, please bring a quilting-related gift. It could be fabric, notions, or a handmade gift, but it must be modern and cost about $15 to $20. For some ideas, read http://www.nhmqg.org/2015/11/yankee-swap-2016.html. Guests are welcome and encouraged to bring a gift for the swap!
Remember to bring an appetizer, dessert, or nonalcoholic beverage to the party. If you forgot what you signed up for, please contact Betsy Perry at betsy.perry@gmail.com
Giveaways and Raffles: Our giveaway item this month is a festive stocking wall hanging kit from Patchabilities.
Sewing Bee: Would you like to sign up for the 2018 sewing bees? Please see Ellen on Tuesday night!
Membership: If you renew your membership by the end of our December meeting you'll be entered into a drawing for a gift card to quilted threads. You can renew online here, or in person with cash or a check.
2018 Volunteer Positions: We will be holding our vote for 2018 board positions at the December meeting. We are still seeking help with meeting programming. If you are interested in volunteering in any way, please let a board member know.
Holiday Party: We'll be having our annual holiday party at the December 12th meeting. To participate in the gift swap, please bring a quilting-related gift. It could be fabric, notions, or a handmade gift, but it must be modern and cost about $15 to $20. For some ideas, read http://www.nhmqg.org/2015/11/yankee-swap-2016.html. Guests are welcome and encouraged to bring a gift for the swap!
Remember to bring an appetizer, dessert, or nonalcoholic beverage to the party. If you forgot what you signed up for, please contact Betsy Perry at betsy.perry@gmail.com
Giveaways and Raffles: Our giveaway item this month is a festive stocking wall hanging kit from Patchabilities.
* Raffle #1: Four fat quarters and a pattern, donated by and designed by our November guest Amy Friend!
* Raffle #2: Northcott Naturescapes fat quarter bundle
Mini-Charm Challenge: For those of you with a competitive spirit and a mini-charm pack of Kate Spain’s Voyage from the retreat, you are invited to create something—anything!—with those 2½-inch squares. Bring your completed project to the December meeting for a chance to win a prize.
If you didn’t go on retreat, you can still participate—sew with any mini-charm pack of your choosing.
If you didn’t go on retreat, you can still participate—sew with any mini-charm pack of your choosing.
We'll see you Tuesday at the First Baptist Church!
Saturday, November 11, 2017
November 2017 Meeting Reminder
Our November meeting will take place on Tuesday November 14th at 7pm!!
Charity: Thank you to everyone who picked up a packet for our Quilt Con challenge quilt. Please give your finished blocks to Ellen D. at the meeting on Tuesday. Carolanne will be starting to piece them on Sunday at the bee!Sewing Bee: Our next sewing bee is Sunday the 19th. If you would like to attend please let Ellen know. Ellen will also be collecting sign-ups for the 2018 bees at our meeting on Tuesday night.
2018 Volunteer Positions: We are still seeking people to serve the guild as a VP of meeting programming, hospitality chair, and charity co-chair. Please refer to the attached list of position descriptions and consider helping the guild. We won't be able to sustain our level of activity in 2018 without volunteers!
Trunk Show With Amy Friend: Amy Friend will be joining us at our November meeting for a trunk show! In addition to the trunk show Amy will be bringing patterns, books, thread and fabric to vend. She accepts check, cash and cards.
December Holiday Party: We'll be having our annual holiday party at the December 12th meeting. To participate in the gift swap, please bring a quilting-related gift. It could be fabric, notions, or a handmade gift, but it must be modern and cost about $15 to $20. For some ideas, read http://www.nhmqg.org/2015/11/
Giveaways and Raffles: Our giveaway item this month is a handy LED sewing light.
* Raffle #1: Six fat quarters and a pattern, donated by and designed by our guest Amy Friend!
* Raffle #2: A 1 yard cut from Nomad by Jen Fox for P&B Textiles and coordinating solids (one yard and two half-yards)
We'll see you Tuesday at the First Baptist Church!
Thursday, November 2, 2017
Registration Open for the 2018 Sewing Bees
The NHMQG sewing bees are continuing in 2018!
These daylong events are held at the Peabody Mill Environmental Center (PMEC), located at the end of Brook Road in Amherst, NH. They are a great opportunity to catch up on sewing projects, prep for retreats, and spend time with your guild mates.
The bees will be on the third Sunday of alternating months:
To sign up for the 2018 sewing bees, contact Ellen at edutile (at) comcast (dot) net. The $60 payment is due at the November 14th meeting. There will be a signup sheet at that meeting as well.
If you would like to check out the sewing bee setup, you are welcome to drop by our next bee on November 19th and have a look.
We are looking forward to another great year of sewing bees!
These daylong events are held at the Peabody Mill Environmental Center (PMEC), located at the end of Brook Road in Amherst, NH. They are a great opportunity to catch up on sewing projects, prep for retreats, and spend time with your guild mates.
The bees will be on the third Sunday of alternating months:
- January 21, 2018
- March 18, 2018
- May 20, 2018
- July 15, 2018
- September 16, 2018
- November 18, 2018
 |
| Guild members hard at work at a past bee |
To sign up for the 2018 sewing bees, contact Ellen at edutile (at) comcast (dot) net. The $60 payment is due at the November 14th meeting. There will be a signup sheet at that meeting as well.
If you would like to check out the sewing bee setup, you are welcome to drop by our next bee on November 19th and have a look.
We are looking forward to another great year of sewing bees!
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
QuiltCon 2018 Charity Quilt: Block Instructions
For those of you who are working with Carolanne to make our QuiltCon 2018 charity quilt, this post is for you!
At October’s meeting Carolanne will be handing out packets for you to create blocks for this quilt ...
Each packet will create one of two blocks, as marked on the packet:
Whether you’re sewing Block A or Block B, please:
• Use white or cream thread (to avoid seeing colored thread through the white background!)
• Bump your stitch length down to about 1.8 (to sew more secure seams!)
• Sew a scant quarter-inch seam (to get the right block size in the end!)
• Press your seams open (save your Bloc Loc for another project!)
For both blocks, you’ll need to create half-square triangles (HSTs) and trim them down to 4.5-inch squares.
How to Sew HSTs
1. Draw a diagonal line on one of the squares.
2. Layer that with the other square.
3. Sew a scant quarter-inch seam along either side of the diagonal line.
4. Cut along the diagonal line, and press the seams open.
5. Trim both resulting blocks to 4.5 inches. To get an accurate cut, make sure to line the center seam with the diagonal on your ruler.
6. Your finished block is ready to be inserted into Block A or Block B!
Other Important Info
Please note: Two square pieces of fabric will yield two HSTs.
If you are sewing Block A, use the squares in your packet to make HSTs. The rectangles are cut to size. Sew two of them together length-wise to create a two-toned square (TTSs). There is no need to trim those TTSs.
Sew your HSTs and/or TTSs together into pairs. Sew two pairs together to create Block A or Block B. Press all seams open.
The unfinished size of both Block A and Block B is 8.5 inches square.
Returning the Blocks
Carolanne would love to receive finished blocks by the November 14th meeting. If you have any questions, please email her at carolannel (dot) donovan (at) gmail (dot) com.
At October’s meeting Carolanne will be handing out packets for you to create blocks for this quilt ...
Each packet will create one of two blocks, as marked on the packet:
 |
| Block A |
 |
| Block B |
Whether you’re sewing Block A or Block B, please:
• Use white or cream thread (to avoid seeing colored thread through the white background!)
• Bump your stitch length down to about 1.8 (to sew more secure seams!)
• Sew a scant quarter-inch seam (to get the right block size in the end!)
• Press your seams open (save your Bloc Loc for another project!)
For both blocks, you’ll need to create half-square triangles (HSTs) and trim them down to 4.5-inch squares.
How to Sew HSTs
1. Draw a diagonal line on one of the squares.
2. Layer that with the other square.
3. Sew a scant quarter-inch seam along either side of the diagonal line.
4. Cut along the diagonal line, and press the seams open.
5. Trim both resulting blocks to 4.5 inches. To get an accurate cut, make sure to line the center seam with the diagonal on your ruler.
6. Your finished block is ready to be inserted into Block A or Block B!
Other Important Info
Please note: Two square pieces of fabric will yield two HSTs.
If you are sewing Block A, use the squares in your packet to make HSTs. The rectangles are cut to size. Sew two of them together length-wise to create a two-toned square (TTSs). There is no need to trim those TTSs.
Sew your HSTs and/or TTSs together into pairs. Sew two pairs together to create Block A or Block B. Press all seams open.
The unfinished size of both Block A and Block B is 8.5 inches square.
Returning the Blocks
Carolanne would love to receive finished blocks by the November 14th meeting. If you have any questions, please email her at carolannel (dot) donovan (at) gmail (dot) com.
Saturday, October 21, 2017
October 2017 Meeting Reminder
Our October meeting will take place on Tuesday October 24th at 7pm!
Charity:
Our Cutting Garden quilt has been given to the church and is being raffled this weekend! Our next charity project is the QuiltCon 2018 quilt. Packets of fabric will be passed out at out October meeting for anyone interested in participating and the group will be meeting about the quilt at 6:30.
Programming:
Get your questions ready! We’ll be hosting a panel discussion. Here is a list of the questions we've received so far (in no particular order). If you have any questions please ask!
* WHAT IS THE LARGEST QUILT YOU HAVE QUILTED ON A DOMESTIC SEWING MACHINE? WHAT TIPS DO YOU HAVE?
*PLEASE CONSIDER TALKING ABOUT DIFFERENT MACHINE QUILTING TECHNIQUES-GRID, FREE MOTION, QUILTING WITH RULERS, WHERE TO START ON YOUR QUILT, ANYTHING TO GUIDE THE NEW QUILTER? DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE BRANDS/TYPES OF RULERS TO QUILT WITH?
*HAVE YOU EVER BLOCKED A QUILT? WHY WOULD YOU DO IT AND WHAT IS THE PROCESS?
*WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE INTERNET RESOURCES FOR TIPS?
*PLEASE DISCUSS SEPARATING ZIPPERS-TIPS ON INSERTING THEM PROPERLY AND BEST PLACES TO PURCHASE THEM
*HOW DO YOU ALTER A KNIT GARMENT? WHAT TYPES OF MACHINE NEEDLES FOR KNIT SEWING? DO YOU STABALIZE YOUR SEEMS WITH SEAM TAPE?
*PLEASE DISCUSS DIFFERENT TYPES OF APPLIQUE AND TIPS FOR EACH TYPE
* WHAT PAPER PIECING TRICKS DO YOU KNOW AND USE?
* TO PRE-WASH FABRIC OR NOT? THAT IS THE QUESTION
*DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS ON QUILTING AS YOU GO?
*HOW DO YOU DECIDE HOW TO PRESS YOUR SEAMS FOR ANY GIVEN PROJECT? OPEN OR TO ONE SIDE?
*ANY TIPS ON CUTTING OUT HUGE PIECES OF FABRIC BIGGER THAN MY 24" x 36" MAT?
*WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW BEFORE I GIVE MY QUILT TO A LONGARM QUILTER?
*PLEASE CONSIDER TALKING ABOUT DIFFERENT MACHINE QUILTING TECHNIQUES-GRID, FREE MOTION, QUILTING WITH RULERS, WHERE TO START ON YOUR QUILT, ANYTHING TO GUIDE THE NEW QUILTER? DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE BRANDS/TYPES OF RULERS TO QUILT WITH?
*HAVE YOU EVER BLOCKED A QUILT? WHY WOULD YOU DO IT AND WHAT IS THE PROCESS?
*WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE INTERNET RESOURCES FOR TIPS?
*PLEASE DISCUSS SEPARATING ZIPPERS-TIPS ON INSERTING THEM PROPERLY AND BEST PLACES TO PURCHASE THEM
*HOW DO YOU ALTER A KNIT GARMENT? WHAT TYPES OF MACHINE NEEDLES FOR KNIT SEWING? DO YOU STABALIZE YOUR SEEMS WITH SEAM TAPE?
*PLEASE DISCUSS DIFFERENT TYPES OF APPLIQUE AND TIPS FOR EACH TYPE
* WHAT PAPER PIECING TRICKS DO YOU KNOW AND USE?
* TO PRE-WASH FABRIC OR NOT? THAT IS THE QUESTION
*DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS ON QUILTING AS YOU GO?
*HOW DO YOU DECIDE HOW TO PRESS YOUR SEAMS FOR ANY GIVEN PROJECT? OPEN OR TO ONE SIDE?
*ANY TIPS ON CUTTING OUT HUGE PIECES OF FABRIC BIGGER THAN MY 24" x 36" MAT?
*WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW BEFORE I GIVE MY QUILT TO A LONGARM QUILTER?
Anna Maria Horner:
Our spring weekend with Anna Maria Horner will be in April and registration is open and filing up last! Signup at this link for the two classes that have available space.
Saturday April 14, 2018: Inspiration by Hand
Sunday April 15, 2018: Color Fluency in Patchwork
Saturday April 14, 2018: Inspiration by Hand
Sunday April 15, 2018: Color Fluency in Patchwork
Latifah Saafir Workshop: Registration for our November 4th workshop with Latifah Saafir is now open to the public! For full details about the event, click here. To register for the workshop, visit our events page.
Giveaways and Raffles: Our giveaway item this month is some adorable note cards that Latifah Saafir donated to us!
* Raffle #1: Two half yard cuts of Art Gallery Nightfall with a matching Solid.
* Raffle #2: 4 cuts of citrus colored solids and The Glam Clam pattern.
See you Tuesday at the First Baptist Church!
Thursday, October 19, 2017
Fall Retreat Wrap-Up
Our fall retreat was, once again, a huge success! Guild members descended upon the Lighthouse Inn on Cape Cod for a weekend of good meals, great friends, and lots of sewing.
Highlights from the weekend away included a trunk show from award-winning quilter Melissa Averinos. Melissa took us through her creative journey and her quilt-making process. The conversation was insightful and inspiring!
Another source of excitement was our door prizes. All retreat-goers started the weekend with a little welcome bag, courtesy of Moda Fabrics ...
And left with a package of fabric, patterns, and notions of their choosing...
We couldn’t have put together such a varied selection of prizes without the help of our sponsors:
Moda Fabrics
Latifah Saafir Studios
Meadow Mist Designs
Amy Friend/During Quiet Time
Bits and Pieces Quilt Shop
Jacquie Gering
Tumbleweed Quilt Shop
Thank you all for your generosity!
Mini-Charm Challenge
For those of you with a competitive spirit and a mini-charm pack of Kate Spain’s Voyage from the retreat, you are invited to create something—anything!—with those 2½-inch squares. Bring your completed project to the December meeting for a chance to win a prize. (The prize has yet to be determined, but it will be fabulous!)
If you didn’t go on retreat, you can still participate—sew with any mini-charm pack of your choosing. : )
Register for Latifah Saafir Today!
There are still a few open spots in our upcoming bias applique workshop with Latifah Saafir! Join us on November 4th at Quilted Threads, in Henniker, NH, for a full day of sewing. The cost for nonmembers is $130, which includes the required pattern (see pic below) and a catered lunch. Full details are available here. Go to our events page to register.
Highlights from the weekend away included a trunk show from award-winning quilter Melissa Averinos. Melissa took us through her creative journey and her quilt-making process. The conversation was insightful and inspiring!
 |
| Melissa, with face #1, which received a Judge’s Choice Award at QuiltCon 2015 |
Another source of excitement was our door prizes. All retreat-goers started the weekend with a little welcome bag, courtesy of Moda Fabrics ...
And left with a package of fabric, patterns, and notions of their choosing...
We couldn’t have put together such a varied selection of prizes without the help of our sponsors:
Moda Fabrics
Latifah Saafir Studios
Meadow Mist Designs
Amy Friend/During Quiet Time
Bits and Pieces Quilt Shop
Jacquie Gering
Tumbleweed Quilt Shop
Thank you all for your generosity!
Mini-Charm Challenge
For those of you with a competitive spirit and a mini-charm pack of Kate Spain’s Voyage from the retreat, you are invited to create something—anything!—with those 2½-inch squares. Bring your completed project to the December meeting for a chance to win a prize. (The prize has yet to be determined, but it will be fabulous!)
If you didn’t go on retreat, you can still participate—sew with any mini-charm pack of your choosing. : )
Register for Latifah Saafir Today!
There are still a few open spots in our upcoming bias applique workshop with Latifah Saafir! Join us on November 4th at Quilted Threads, in Henniker, NH, for a full day of sewing. The cost for nonmembers is $130, which includes the required pattern (see pic below) and a catered lunch. Full details are available here. Go to our events page to register.
Friday, October 13, 2017
Cutting Garden: A Finished Charity Quilt
We are happy to reveal a finished charity project: Cutting Garden, designed by Krista Hennebury of poppyprint.
This quilt was a group effort! Guild members sewed the leaves, and the top was pieced at one of our Peabody Mill bees. Lorri Wurtzler, of Seventh Heaven Quilting, quilted this project.
A special thanks goes out to bee-goers Brianna, Pat, Nancy, and Carolanne for their piecing expertise; to Susie for binding this project; and to Michelle and Betsy, charity cochairs, for organizing everything.
Cutting Garden has been gifted to the First Baptist Church, in Nashua, NH. We hold our monthly meetings in the church’s fellowship hall, and the church is a delight to work with. This quilt is a thank-you for all the ways they help us put on the best monthly meetings we can. : )
This quilt will be raffled off at the church’s upcoming Olde-Fashioned Country Fair, on October 20th and 21st.
Linking up to Needle and Thread Thursday and Finish It Up Friday ...
This quilt was a group effort! Guild members sewed the leaves, and the top was pieced at one of our Peabody Mill bees. Lorri Wurtzler, of Seventh Heaven Quilting, quilted this project.
A special thanks goes out to bee-goers Brianna, Pat, Nancy, and Carolanne for their piecing expertise; to Susie for binding this project; and to Michelle and Betsy, charity cochairs, for organizing everything.
Cutting Garden has been gifted to the First Baptist Church, in Nashua, NH. We hold our monthly meetings in the church’s fellowship hall, and the church is a delight to work with. This quilt is a thank-you for all the ways they help us put on the best monthly meetings we can. : )
This quilt will be raffled off at the church’s upcoming Olde-Fashioned Country Fair, on October 20th and 21st.
Linking up to Needle and Thread Thursday and Finish It Up Friday ...
Sunday, September 17, 2017
September Meeting Reminder + News
Our September meeting will take place on the 19th
Anna Maria Horner: Our spring weekend with Anna Maria Horner will be in April and registration opens to all participating guilds on September 20th. You will be able to signup at this link. Here is the class schedule.
Friday April 13, 2018: Mod Corsage
Saturday April 14, 2018: Inspiration by Hand
Sunday April 15, 2018: Color Fluency in Patchwork
All classes will take place in West Newbury and include lunch. The cost is $100 and each member can signup for one class on September 20th. On October 4th the workshops will be open for additional registrations before being opened to the general public on October 18th. Anna Maria recently taught a class in Maine and it sold out very quickly so we're lucky that we get to have her for 3 days!
Latifah Saafir Workshop: Registration for our November 4th workshop with Latifah Saafir is now open to the public! For full details about the event, click here. To register for the workshop, visit our events page.
QuiltCon 2018: We’ll be discussing the QuiltCon 2018 charity quilt at 6:30 in the church hall. Everyone is welcome to come and learn more about this charity project.
Retreat: Our fall retreat is just a few weeks away! There are a few spaces if you would still like to join us.
Giveaways and Raffles: Our giveaway item this month is the cute little sewing machine bookmarks at the top of this post. For raffles we have:
* Raffle #1: A great stash builder, 4 half yards of low volume!
Friday April 13, 2018: Mod Corsage
Saturday April 14, 2018: Inspiration by Hand
Sunday April 15, 2018: Color Fluency in Patchwork
All classes will take place in West Newbury and include lunch. The cost is $100 and each member can signup for one class on September 20th. On October 4th the workshops will be open for additional registrations before being opened to the general public on October 18th. Anna Maria recently taught a class in Maine and it sold out very quickly so we're lucky that we get to have her for 3 days!
Latifah Saafir Workshop: Registration for our November 4th workshop with Latifah Saafir is now open to the public! For full details about the event, click here. To register for the workshop, visit our events page.
QuiltCon 2018: We’ll be discussing the QuiltCon 2018 charity quilt at 6:30 in the church hall. Everyone is welcome to come and learn more about this charity project.
Retreat: Our fall retreat is just a few weeks away! There are a few spaces if you would still like to join us.
Giveaways and Raffles: Our giveaway item this month is the cute little sewing machine bookmarks at the top of this post. For raffles we have:
* Raffle #1: A great stash builder, 4 half yards of low volume!
* Raffle #1: One of the newest patterns from Elizabeth Hartman, Awesome Ocean.
We'll see you Tuesday at the First Baptist Church!
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
May, June & July 2017 Show & Tell
Please forgive that we haven't shared show and tell in a few months. I (Carolanne, VP Communications) had an issue with my iCloud, but now most of the images have been recovered and I present you with May, June and July show & tell pictures!
May:
June:
July:
May:
June:
July:
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