Happy Holiday Season from the DSMMQG!

It is so disappointing to get bad weather on the night of our meeting--freezing rain? Really?! We had to cancel the September meeting because of the wind storms, so we were determined not to cancel our last meeting of 2013.  We missed those of you who decided to stay home and stay safe (I don't blame you one bit!).

Leila led the meeting; we had a few show and tell items. Then we swapped holiday gifts.  When your turn came you could steal anyone's gift, or choose a new gift from the table.  Last year everyone was so polite, no one "stole" anything.  This year it was no holds barred! I had at least three different gifts in my hands at some point.  I thought you might like to see what some of our talented members made (I didn't get a pic of every single gift, but hopefully Melissa captured what I missed, so we will have more photos in the Flickr group (see our "Photos" tab on the menu bar above).

Eva Marie made this sassy Christmas apron:

Melissa's divided basket was extremely popular:

Sherry made quite a few of these gift card holders, and these went along with some notions and a fun book by Malka Dubrawsky:

Jill McBroom made this cute Christmas organizer, inside pic included:

Hannah (our Junior member) made this scrappy pillow, she even made use of the fancy stitches on her mom's machine:

Leila has been busy making pillow covers, she gifted one with a pillow form to Jill; these are her other three:

an embroidered mini quilt, coasters and ornaments by Emma:

And the mini quilt I made by sizing down Kate Spain's In From The Cold Pattern:

Please join us for our next meeting, at the WEST DES MOINES Public Library, Community Room, on January 16, 2014. In the meantime, have a safe and happy holiday season!

It's that time of year again...

Time to register entires for the Iowa State Fair (deadline is JULY 1) -- and we have a brand new MODERN QUILT category added to the competition this year!  Here is a link to the contest page, click on the Fabric and Threads link to download the entry form and details.  Keep in mind, your quilted bags, pillows, aprons, and other sewn items can also be entered...

And, this week registration opened for the American Quilters Society Quilt Week Des Moines, in October 2013.  Time to sign up for classes before they fill!  Weeks Ringle is teaching some Modern Quilting classes and there are some great free-motion and long-arm classes being offered.  Check them all out here:

Thank you last night's speaker, Valerie Funk, for an inspiring and fun trunk show of your creations!  

Upcoming Tote Bag Swap: Sign-ups were last night for our next secret swap, we will be creating a tote bag for someone in the guild.  If you missed last night's meeting and would like to join in, send Jill M. an email or respond to this flickr discussion.  

Note: our July meeting will be held at Heart of Quilting, on 5th Street in Valley Junction.

Free Motion Quilting Program--Thanks, Linda!

Since we started our guild chapter last May, the number one requested program topic has been free-motion quilting (FMQ).  Well, last night was the night!

Linda Hungerford, our Programs/Education Co-Chair, started FMQing in 1990; and since then, has tried many methods, tricks, tools and techniques, finding out just what works and what doesn't work so well.  She brought along two quilts that were pin basted in advance, and shared how she chooses designs for FMQ, how to duplicate your designs simply with Golden Threads paper, tips for straight line quilting, and so. much. more.

Even the experienced quilters in the crowd walked away with a better knowledge of how to tackle FMQ!

Sadly, this was also Linda's last meeting.  She and her husband sold thier house this month and are moving to The Villages, Florida.  She may have to start up another chapter of the MQG there--our loss is The Villages gain! Linda's blog name is Flourishing Palms, and palm trees are definitely her symbol.  We had a cake to honor her last meeting... complete with a sunny Florida theme and palm trees!

Thanks for everything you have done for our group, Linda--you will be missed!  Please come back to visit, soon!

Last night was also the reveal of our Pillow Swap, here are the 11 participants showing off their new pillows:

There are some more pictures on our flickr group site.

Our next meeting is Thursday, May 17, 2012 at the Urbandale Public Library--see you there!

Doris Brunnette, President

Pillow Swap -- Announced

Hello, fellow modern quilters!

We’re excited to announce our guild's first ever Pillow Swap. If you’re familiar with Flickr Pillow Talk Swap, ours is similar. But instead of mailing pillow covers to each other, we’ll swap them in person at our April 19 meeting. If this is your first Pillow Swap, you're in for a treat!

Blue ribbon pillow by member Veronicamade

 These are the swap requirements:

• You must have an online Flickr account and you must post a mosaic of some of your favorite quilt blocks, pillows, fabrics, or color combinations. Please create your mosaic BEFORE proceeding to the next step. (See below: “How to Make a Mosaic”). Because we are members of The Modern Quilt Guild, we're using all the online conveniences we have available to us. If you don't yet have a Flickr account, sign up. It's free! You should also join our guild's main Flickr group (http://www.flickr.com/groups/dmmqg/).

Grinch Pillow by member Crystal

• The swap is secret, but to let your partner know your personal tastes and preferences, you must complete a Google Docs online form AFTER you create your Flickr mosaic. Go to: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFBqU2pOaDREaFl2aW9oa2xYZFFiYnc6MQ#gid=0

Please be as specific as possible about your likes and dislikes. Indicating your preferences will make it much easier for you to create, and your partner to receive something you'll both love.

After submitting the completed form you’ll be paired with someone with similar sewing skills and design interests. Then, you’ll receive your swap partner's name, and list of likes and dislikes. Use the list and her Flickr mosaic as a guide to help you make a pillow that suits her. Please understand that this swap is about making something your partner likes, not what you like. Consider fabrics, designs and colors that your partner has specified she prefers. You may be required to buy some new fabrics in her style or colors. While you aren't required to buy the exact fabrics your partner lists, it's very considerate to do so.

How to Make a Mosaic

Go to www.bighugelabs.com. In the middle of the screen, click the pull-down menu "Jump to…" Select "Mosaic Maker.” Choose as many images as you want in your mosaic. Then copy and paste into URL boxes, the photo links for your mosaic. If you already have photos in Flickr Favorites, use those photos as your links. When all your photo links are in the boxes, click “Create” to see your mosaic. Copy the HTML code in the box below your mosaic. Click on the Share button at the top and select Flickr. Paste the HTML links into the Description box if they aren't already in there. Click Upload. Your mosaic should appear in your Flickr photostream with hyperlinks for each photo below it. If the hyperlinks aren't showing up in Flickr, paste the type again in the Flickr description box.

Please select at least nine photos for your mosaic to give your partner a good idea of what you like. More photos are even better! If you're new to Flickr and want to look for pillows to add to your mosaic, check out the Flickr Pillow Talk Swap pool here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1197421@N20/pool/.

If you have any questions about this process, e-mail Veronica at vkoh159@mchsi.com.

A DSMMQG Flickr Swap Group

A new Flickr group has been created just for DSMMQG swaps and exchanges. After you have created your Pillow Swap mosaic, post it in this new group. Here's the link:http://www.flickr.com/groups/dsmmqgswaps/ where you’ll see two mosaics already posted.

We’ll also use the Flickr discussion forum to:

- ask and answer questions without revealing partners,

- and, provide links to online tutorials for different types of pillow back closures.

If you join Pillow Swap, be committed to making a pillow cover for someone else, and completing it by Thursday, April 19.

Should you not be able to participate in this swap, other swaps will be offered later this year.

We hope many of you will join Pillow Swap. It promises to be fun, fun, fun!

The deadline to sign up is Monday, February 20. By February 27 you’ll receive your partner's information.

Posted by Veronica Koh Eischeid, Programs/Education Co-Chair

August 18 Meeting Recap

Last night's meeting was a fun get together on a rainy and dreary evening.  Members Jill Guffy & Marny Buck, of Modern Quilt Relish, presented the program.  They were invited earlier this year to judge the Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton Challenge: No Prints Allowed! for the Ann Arbor Modern Quilt Guild.

There were thirteen entries submitted for judging, and based on the elements of design they reviewed and critiqued each quilt, giving every quilter very positive feedback on their entry.  Having been on "the other side of the judging fence" they have an interesting perspective on analyzing, critiquing and judging modern quilts.  We had a great conversation over each of the 13 entries, the final selection, and how they came to their final decision.  Thanks, ladies!

Here are a few posts from the Ann Arbor Guild, here, here and here.

Following the program, Etta and Jill M showed what they've been working on for show-n-tell (check out the photo album!) and then we did our potholder swap.  There were 10 potholders entered, from 5-6 members.  Here's a look at all 10, for individual pics, check out the photo album:

 Our next meeting will be September 15, 6:30 p.m., and we will be revealing our Habitat Challenge Quilts!