December Social

Our December meeting will be at Wonderfil Threaducation Centre Bay 4, 2915 19th St. NE from 7 – 9 pm on Thursday December 13th 2018.  This month is our December Social - if your last name starts with K-Z please bring a small amount of food to share. We'll also be swapping small Retreat Bags at this meeting.

Memberships are open for the 2019 year. Annual dues are $60 and if you sign up on or before Wednesday Dec 12th then you'll be entered into a draw for a fabulous prize pack at the December meeting! Payments may be made in cash or by e-transfer.

Don't forget, next month starts meetings in our new locations: alternating between Hawkwood in the North and Woodcreek in the South.

Coming up (and subject to change):

• January 17th - Batting Presentation from Alberta Batting Co. (Hawkwood)
• February 21st - Meet Your Guild! Getting Social (Woodcreek)
• March 21st - AGM and QuiltCon 2019 Report (Hawkwood)
• March 23rd - Sew Day - Finishing your UFO's (TBA)
• April 18th - Quilting on Your Domestic Machine (Woodcreek)
• May 16th - TBA (Hawkwood)
• June 20th - Charity Month (Woodcreek)
• June 21-22nd - Charity Sew Day (TBA)
• July 18th - Social & potluck (TBA)

The meeting agenda is:

• Guild business 
• Retreat Bag swap
• Show and tell 
• Socialize!

Please bring:

• A quilt or project for show and tell
• Name tag
• small Retreat Bag to swap
• food to share (if your name starts with K-Z)
• Membership dues for 2019

The dues cycle is January-December and they are $60 per person in 2018. Members who join after June will pay $40. First meeting is free for visitors, then $10 for a single meeting (fees could be more for special programming). After that we ask you to support and join our community by purchasing a membership to attend additional meetings and sew days and to participate in other guild activities. If you purchase your 2019 membership on or before Wednesday December 12th you'll be entered in a draw to win a fabulous prize pack at our December meeting!

December Swap - Small retreat Bag

Looks like its time for our 4th Annual Xmas swap!
We will be making Small Retreat Bags, which are a free pattern  by Emmaline Bags.

Many of you are ready to go and have purchased frames from the guild group buy. If you missed out, Janelle is very prompt in getting orders sent out, and they ship from Spruce Grove AB  ...or support our local stores.

I have found a fantastic video tutorial  by Birdcage and Thread that will take you through step by step. If you have any questions shoot us a question via email or on the FB page.

Here are some hacks for those that are interested. (Not expected for the swap)

Rope handle hack -Birdcage and Thread

Contrast bottom and handles hack - Birdcage and Thread

Add a divider hack -Clover & Violet

Outer pockets and handles - Sew Very Easy

Large retreat bag hack - Birdcage and Thread

You must use good quality modern quilting weight cottons. Non-Christmas fabrics will allow for year-round use. 

Bring your retreat bag to the December Meeting for Swapping.

Wondering what hashtags to use? #calgarymqg #calgarymqgretreatbag

November Meeting and Sew Day

Our November meeting will be at Wonderfil Threaducation Centre Bay 4, 2915 19th St. NE from 7 – 9 pm on Thursday November 15th 2018.  This month the programming will include a retreat bag demo. Don't forget to pick up your retreat bag frame if you pre-ordered one for the Christmas Swap. If you didn't get a pre-order in we will have a very limited number of extra frames for sale at the meeting available on a first-come basis. You can also order frames from Emmaline Bags.

There will also be a Sew Day at Woodcreek Community Association (1991 Woodview Dr SW) at 10am on Saturday November 17th 2018.  We're welcoming Kerry Foster on her new publication Paint-By-Number Quilts, make sure you sign up to let us know that you plan to attend, even if you're going to be working on something else.

Memberships are open for the 2019 year. Annual dues are $60 and if you sign up on or before Wednesday Dec 12th then you'll be entered into a draw for a fabulous prize pack at the December meeting! Payments may be made in cash or by e-transfer.

Coming up (and subject to change):

• December 13th - Winter Social (K-Z names bring food to share) (Wonderfil)
• January 17th - Batting Presentation from Alberta Batting Co. (Hawkwood)
• February 21st - Meet Your Guild! Getting Social (Woodcreek)
• March 21st - AGM and QuiltCon 2019 Report (Hawkwood)
• March 23rd - Sew Day TBA (TBA)
• April 18th - TBA (Woodcreek)
• May 16th - TBA (Hawkwood)
• June 20th - TBA (Woodcreek)
• July 18th - Social & potluck (TBA)

The meeting agenda is:

• Guild business 
• Retreat Bag demo
• Block lotto
• Christmas swap announcement
• Show and tell 

Please bring:

• A quilt or project for show and tell
• Name tag
• Block lotto
• Membership dues for 2019

The dues cycle is January-December and they are $60 per person in 2018. Members who join after June will pay $40. First meeting is free for visitors, then $10 for a single meeting (fees could be more for special programming). After that we ask you to support and join our community by purchasing a membership to attend additional meetings and sew days and to participate in other guild activities. If you purchase your 2019 membership on or before Wednesday December 12th you'll be entered in a draw to win a fabulous prize pack at our December meeting!

November Sew Day Sign Up

Calgary MQG member Kerry Foster has very generously offered to teach a class free of charge for members on her techniques that she has published in her new book: Paint-by-Number Quilts. Each person attending the class must own a copy of the pattern.   You can purchase Kerry's publication at CT Publishing, Amazon, Fat Quarter Shop, and Google Books, at My Sewing Room, or ask for it at your local shop as well as her etsy shop. If you get a digital copy make sure you have a printed copy with you at the class. If you order a supplemental pattern from pennydog.com, make sure you have the book as well because that's where the actual instructions are. You can purchase copies at the November meeting on Thursday November 15th but you MUST let her know ahead of time so she can bring one for you.

She'll be teaching the raccoon, but the deer is also simple enough to get done, or you can get help on any of her patterns. Bring a bag big enough to take your project home without folding it.

The Sew Day is Saturday November 17th 10am-1pm at our new South location Woodcreek Community Association (1991 Woodview Dr SW, Calgary).  She has volunteered to teach up to 16 people so we're creating a virtual sign up sheet to attend.  SIGN UP HERE

In general for Kerry's projects you're going to need (and this info is the same as what's in your book):

• fabric shears OR rotary cutting mat and 28mm rotary cutter
• sharp straight or embroidery scissors
• paper scissors
• Freezer paper (shiny on one side, enough to cover your pattern)
• washi tape (if your pattern is bigger than your freezer paper)
• fabric glue (sewline / fons & Porter / Bohin pen, with 2 refills)
• marker pen (to transfer pattern)
• portable iron & surface to iron

If you're going to get around to quilting it you'll need:

• basting spray & batting
• sewing machine
• Thread (applique, quilting, bobbin, plus perle cotton for details as needed)

For the raccoon specifically you're going to need (color numbers match the pattern labels):
1/8 yard of:

• white (color 1)
• black (color 4)
• light gray (color 5)
• tan (color 6)
• dark brown (color 7)

fat quarter of:

• dark gray (color 2)
• medium dark gray (color 3) 
• backing (when you get to quilting)

October wrap up

This month we had guest Krista Hennebury from Poppyprint do a trunk show and 2 workshops for us.

We collected and awarded the Wedges as Topography blocks and we're going to be working on some more wedges for next month.

We also have lots of room in the new location for show and tell.

The first workshop was "Round Peg Square Hole" which is really a study on piecing accuracy to assemble a log cabin variation pattern with emphasis on secondary pattern. Participants each only completed a few blocks, but together the group created enough blocks to really show off the options from this workshop.


 
The second workshop was completely different - "Speed Date with Improv" uses Krista's "Improv under the influence" techniques founded in traditional skills to create a small improv quilt. By limiting the palette to black + white + one color and using a timer to timebox techniques, choice is limited to a level where even someone brand new to improv can succeed.