Thursday, July 25, 2013

July Meeting Recap

Some people might be insulted to look out and see everybody sewing while they were talking.  Not me, I was absolutely thrilled!!!  As people entered the air-conditioned cool of our July meeting I "invited" them to grab a quilt and sew on a label.  

More #quiltsforboston quilts finished. #bostonmqg
The result, another huge stack of  finished quilts ready to be donated for Quilts for Boston:-)

Lots to share from this meeting...  

MQG Membership:
The big news is we have officially joined the Modern Quilt Guild.  All paid members should have received a welcome email from the MQG with directions on how to join the online community.  If you did not receive an email contact us at BostonMQG@gmail.com ASAP.  

Lowell Quilt Festival:
We are in the final countdown for the Lowell Quilt Festival.  Submissions are due by this Friday, July 26th!!!  We are also looking for volunteers to help with the show.  We can't do this without you!!!  Check out our LQF tab for more details.

Quilts for Boston:
We now have 32 finished Quilts for Boston ready to donate.  The simply amazing Stephanie has found so many wonderful homes for these quilts with donations going to survivors of the bombing as well as first responders at the Watertown PD and  Mass General.  We have also been asked to provide quilts that will line the walls of all the Medical Tents during next year's Boston Marathon. These quilts will then be raffled off to the volunteers that were on the "front lines" during the bombing aftermath. We are also filling private requests for quilts for survivors.  If you know of anyone who would appreciate one of these quilts please contact Steph directly at SimpleSewendipity@gmail.com

August Sew-Along:
We will be kicking off an Amy Butler Weekender Bag Sew-Along in August.  Details to come but if you want to join us (and we hope you will) start gathering your supplies and picking out fabrics.  Quilter's Way has everything you need in stock.

August Monthly Meeting:
In lieu of a formal August meeting we will have a meet up at the LQF Gallery Night, Friday, August 9th from 5-8.  This is a wonderful time to relax and enjoy the show.  We will serve light refreshments.  Family and friends are invited to join us!

Show and Tell:
Visual Show and Tell is back.  Check out our new flickr set of the July Meeting.
1. Trish, 2. Alexis, 3. Emily, 4. Gretchen, 5. Gwen, 6. Gwen Quilts for Boston, 7. Gwen Quilts for Boston 2, 8. Gwen Quilts for Boston 3, 9. Helen, 10. Hema, 11. Hema Quilts for Boston, 12. Jane Quilts for Boston, 13. Jen, 14. Karen, 15. Kate, 16. Kate Christmas Quilt, 17. Kate's Needle Book, 18. Kate Quilts for Boston, 19. Leah Quilts for Boston, 20. Natasha, 21. Stephanie

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Quilting on the Common Catch Up

BMQG_Common09
Photos by the awesome Taz
Every Quilts for Boston event has been fun but Quilting on the Common was truly special!  Last Sunday we braved the heat, packed up our sewing supplies, and headed in to Boston.

Nestled in a shady sport with a lovely view of the famous Make Way for Ducklings statues we kicked back to sew, enjoy each other's company, and soak up the entertainment around us..

BMQG_Common04
Gone was the rush to get things done that's been so much a part of our previous events as we raced to get quilts finished for those who need them.  Today was a day to relax as we put the finishing touch on these special quilts, the Quilts for Boston label that identifies them as part of this incredible effort.

BMQG_Common16 Even in the midst of the trial for the bombing suspect the people of Boston are going back to life as normal in the city.  While there was a visibly increased police presence, there were also plenty of people out and about.  Many of us brought our families and spent the day enjoying the city: cooling off in the Frog Pond, lunching on Newbury Street, and heading over to the North End for Mike's Pastries.  We truly are Boston Strong!!!

Thursday, July 18, 2013

You've Come a Long Way, BMQG!

Did you know the BMQG was originally founded as the NEMQG on April 3, 2010 by the fabulous Monet?  Just one of the fun facts I uncovered applying for membership to the MQG:-)  It's hard to believe how far we've come since then!  We've grown to almost 50 members, have participated in numerous swaps, challenges and charity drives, and are now getting ready for our second exhibit for the Lowell Quilt Festival.  Along the way we've made new friends, learned new quilting techniques and had a whole lot of fun!

This Saturday our July meeting will focus on getting ready for the Lowell Quilt Festival.  We will have a demonstration of how to attach your sleeve for hanging.  Feel free to bring your machine and fabric to work on this during the meeting.  

Sewing labels on quilts #bostonmqg #quiltsforboston 
I will also be bringing the 27 incredible finished quilts for Boston that need labels.  A HUGE thank you to the amazing Tina for designing these labels on Spoonflower and more thanks to totally awesome Caitlin of Salty Oat.  Caitlin isn't even a BMQG member but she works at Spoonflower and not only donated 2 yards of these labels but she personally shipped them to us so we could get them in time for our sew-in.  A few of the quilts also need to have their binding tacked for anyone looking to relax with a bit of hand sewing.

As always, there will be show and tell.  Everyone is invited to participate and share what you've been up to.

Monday, July 15, 2013

Lowell Quilt Festival - 2013

It's hard to believe the Lowell Quilt Festival is less than a month away.  We are thrilled to be participating again this year.  We have created a new LQF tab on our blog which will be used to communicate all things LQF.  The Submission Form is now available and can be downloaded from the LQF tab.  All Submissions are due by Friday, July 26th so start picking which quilts you'll share.  You can read more about last year's show here.

2012 Mini Quilt Challenge
And don't forget to make your Mini-Quilt for the LQF Red Nails Challenge.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Even More Help From Our Friends

Our absolutely awesome member Yvonne is actually a dual member with the Jacksonville MQG.  While she was up here this summer she pitched in at our Quilter's Way sew-in to make an amazing 52 backings.

As if that wasn't enough, she grabbed a bunch of blocks to take back to Jacksonville.  Since then the JAX MQG has been busy completing 10 fabulous quilts for Boston!!!  They've done a great job sharing their progress on their blog so be sure to read all about it (and learn the mysterious meaning of 1762:-)!!!
 
Thank you to Yvonne and the rest of the JAX MQG for sending so much love our way!!!

Thursday, July 11, 2013

A Little Help From Our Friends


One of the things that has made our Quilts for Boston project so special is the way so many people have come together to help make this happen so I wasn't at all surprised when our sister guild the Seacoast Modern Quilt Guild also offered to help. Last month I got to meet up with their amazing President Amy Friend and gave her 6 of the tops that we had assembled.  What I got back (in a just a few short weeks) are these fabulous finished quilts.

A huge thank you to all the SMQG members who pitched in to help complete these fabulous quilts!!!

Don't forget about our Quilting on the Common event.  This Sunday from 1-4 we'll be meeting up in Boston for a hand sewing extravaganza.  We'll be attaching our new labels and tacking down bindings.  You'll find us in the Boston Public Gardens near the Make Way for Ducklings statues, near the Beacon and Charles Street entrance.  We will have quilts, labels and basic sewing supplies.  The weather forecast is looking clear at the moment but check our Facebook page for up to the minute changes on Sunday.

Monday, July 8, 2013

Still Going (Boston) Strong!

With over 2000 blocks from around the world we've got our work cut out for us:-)  Last week we had two Quilts for Boston sew-ins to keep things moving along.  On Wednesday night the fabulous folks at Quilter's Way hosted us once again for a fun evening of sewing.  We're assembling the last few packets of blocks into quilt tops.

And the awesome Val keeps cranking them out on the longarm.... each one is different and she always finds the perfect quilting design to really accentuate the design!

Sunday we got to hang out with Virginia at the incredibly cool (even when it's hot) Gather Here Annex.

We had so much help I ran out of things for people to do...  more tops assembled, backs made, bindings attached.  It's amazing to see these quilts coming together!!!

Our labels have arrived from Spoonflower and 16 quilts have been completed.  This Sunday we'll be meeting up on Boston Common for an afternoon of hand sewing and we'll finally be ready to start delivering these amazing quilts.  If you're in the area stop by and join us!!!