Sewing Day!

via flickr

You are invited to the DMS Modern Quilt Guild Sewing Day! 

Date:  Satuday, January 19th
Time:  8 am to 10 pm
Place:  The Ankeny LDS Church
            721 East 1st Street, Ankeny, IA
Bring:  Your sewing machine, projects, snacks to share and an extension cord.  The church is located within 2 blocks of 7 different restaurants so you can plan to go out to lunch/dinner or bring a sack lunch.  The church also has a refrigerator and microwave we can use.  We will have at least two irons and ironing boards there, but feel free to bring your own if you would like.  
Fee:  FREE!!!  This would be a great event to invite a friend to!

Leave a comment if you are planning to attend or bringing a friend so we can get a head count!  I can't wait!!!

Leila

Next Meeting: Thursday November 15

Thursday is the next meeting of the Des Moines Modern Quilt Guild, and it's a special one, our holiday get-together!  Join us 6:30-8:30 pm at the Urbandale Library.

Please bring:

1. a treat to share (hors d'oeuvres, cookies, bars, beverage, etc)
2. a seasonal item to swap (can be any season or holiday; Thanksgiving, Autumn, Winter, Christmas, New Years, etc...
3. any Show & Tell!

Our next meeting will be January 17 (always the 3rd Thursday).  Watch this blog for details (or better yet, subscribe via email --link in upper right corner-- and get automatic updates for every post!)

Hope to see you Thursday!

How 'bout a new Challenge!?!

Madrona Road by Violet Craft for Michael Miller is the winner for the Winter Fabric Challenge through the MQG

We know how much you loved the Robert Kaufman Kona Challenge and the Jay McCarroll Habitat Challenge. 

We are happy to announce this year’s Winter challenge, Madrona Road by Portland Modern Quilt Guild Member, Violet Craft.

Once upon a time in the windy lands of the Old West a baby girl was born to a rooted father and a gypsy mother. And so begins the story of Madrona Road, a modern, sophisticated fabric collection of crisp florals, monochromatic textures and text prints.

Violet Craft is a momma, a wifey, a maker and a Sweet Hot Yam. She designs licensed fabric for Michael Miller Fabrics from her home in Portland, Oregon. Her newest collection, Madrona Road shipped to stores in July 2012 and her new collection of Distinctive Lifestyle Sewing Patterns will be released in Winter of 2012. Most days she can be found playing on Twitter, Flickr, Instagram and blogging.

The challenge begins December 1 and ends January 31. More details about the challenge will be posted on December 1.

LEAVE A MESSAGE ON THIS BLOG POST IF YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE along with the DSMMQG!

Mug Rug Swap SUCCESS!

At last night's meeting, our Mug Rugs were swapped, and everyone went home with a pretty little work of textile art--

This fabulous little mini was made by Sherry for Katie, who is a big-time Edyta Sitar fan-- the front:

and the flip-side -- (my photos do not do this justice!):

Crystal made this for Leila (again, my apologies for the terribly colored photo!):

Crystal received (TWO!) from Emily V, this fun hexie mug rug:

and an awesome orange peel variation (love the cursive "C"s all around the binding):

Janora made this one (two sides shown) for Karen:

Jill made this EPP beauty for Emily V:

Karen made that one for Janora:

Doris made this for Jill:

Katie made this appliqued mug rug for Sherry:

and Leila made this for Doris... one side:

and the flip-side:

Great work!!!

Next month, we will have a grab bag swap--bring a handmade item, seasonal theme of your choosing (Winter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Autumn) for our holiday open house meeting, November 16th, starting at 6:30 pm.  (please bring an appetizer or treat to share as well!)

MEETING Thursday, October 18 – JoAnn Belling

Please join us this Thursday at the Urbandale Library. Well-known Des Moines quilter JoAnn Belling will be having a trunk show and sharing many of her quilts. She will also be speaking and the title of her presentation is "My Take on Modern."

"Wishing on a Star" by JoAnn Belling

We will also reveal partners and mug rugs in the Mug Rug Swap.

And finally, we'll be electing new officers for next year. As always, remember to bring something to Show and Share!

6:30 p.m., Urbandale Library (meeting officially starts at 6:50 p.m.)

Our Own QUILT SHOW!

DSMMQG will have a Show Summer 2013!!!

DSMMQG was accepted for a show at the Gallery in the Round in Ames, for Summer, 2013. (note: you will have your quilts back in time to deliver them to Iowa State Fair for hanging). Entries will be juried by one of the rotating curators of Gallery in the Round, herself a modern quilter.

Gallery in the Round, a Unitarian Universalist fellowship, has is a total of 90 linear feet for us to fill, along with Lucite display cubes. The “modern quilt” aesthetic will complement the modern architecture of the buiding quite well.  A few views of the gallery:

For the show, members are asked to prepare 1-3 submissions that exhibit some aspects of the “modern quilt” aesthetic, including:

* focus on functional quilting * alternative block structures or lack of visible block  structure * inspired by modern art and architecture * bold colors, solid-color fabrics, graphic prints * increased use of negative space

* asymmetry in quilt design * reinterpreted traditional blocks * embracing simplicity and minimalism * improvisational piecing * gray or white as neutrals

The purpose of the exhibit is to share the “new aesthetic” with viewers who may have preconceived ideas of what quilts and quilted items look like.

A few of the details we know at this time:  At the same time quilts should exhibit originality of design, stretching the bounds of the new aesthetic beyond just following the latest kinds of patterns or using the latest styles of fabrics.  Quilted works may express humor, but “cutesy” elements should be avoided.  Functional items such as purses, aprons and pillows can be entered.  If they are show-worthy, we will find a way to display them securely!  Crib-size quilts or wall-hangings should have a sleeve sewn in the back. Bed-size quilts can also be entered, with the understanding that they might be folded over a hanging rod/dowel.  Your work will be insured against damage. “Please do not touch” signs will be prominent.  Entry forms will be forthcoming as the event approaches. A small fee ($10) per entry will cover materials used to hang the show, transportation costs, and publicity, and will be administered by Doris. 

The deadline for submission will be May 15. 

The Gallery will host a reception for you to bring your friends, coworkers, neighbors and family to come see your work and celebrate your quilts!

More details to come as time gets closer...

Show Girls

Several of our Des Moines MQG members are also members of DMAQG, and submitted projects to the show.  It was fun to see MQG member’s names jump out at me as I walked around the show.

This is Katie’s snails trail:

Penny’s New Wave quilt made primarily from Denyse Schmidt fabrics:

Tricia’s Wonky Log Cabin quilt:

Her pillow, made for our Pillow Swap this Spring:

Lola Z’s pineapple mini:

Doris's twin-size Modern Fortune quilt:

Janeen’s very fun Dr. Seuss Christmas quilt:

And this beautiful art quilt, by Janet, entitled Hawaiian Hospitality:

And, I know there were others…but these are the few I managed to get shots of, sorry if I missed your quilt(s) please feel free to adda pick to the blog or the flickr site of your entry!

There were several quilts in the juried AQS exhibits that were of a very modern aesthetic.  At least two wonky log-cabin style quilts, and a few pieces with the feel of a Gees Bend quilt.  Modern or Traditional, the theme for the day was superb craftsmanship and well-executed quilting!