We are meeting in person at Bay Quilts!

May 12, 2022Leave a comment

We are now meeting on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at Bay Quilts, at 6:30 PM. Masks are required. The store is already closed during our meeting, so we won’t be able to buy anything, but it’s a good time to see what’s up on their gallery wall. The address is 5327 Jacuzzi St in Richmond, but it feels like it’s in El Cerrito. It’s on a frontage road between 80 and 580, and between the Buchanon and Central exits. We met on May 10th, so it’s another month till we meet again, but we’d love to have more people join us! Mostly, we have been communicating via Instagram. You can find us there @EastBaymodernQuilters.

Amish: The Modern Muse

November 11, 2014November 11, 2014Leave a comment

East Bay Modern Quilt Guild Meeting, June 2011

June 29, 2011July 6, 20112 Comments

Okay, so I’m a week late writing up the June meeting notes. Sorry!!! But, as it turns out, when you write up the meeting notes to a very exciting meeting a few days late, other people do a much better job of it for you! A few of the EBMQ attendees were ready to get down to business, and wrote blog entries of their own, which you can check out here:
XOXO Quilts
I want to cut you!
Joeysplanting

There’s also been a big buzz on the group Facebook page. What’s it all about? Jay McCaroll’s newest line of fabric called Habitat.

Westminster Fabric generously agreed to donate yardage of Jay’s newest line, just to see what the Modern Quilt Guilds would come up with. Exciting, right? I think Cyn, Lauren, and Joel covered the excitement pretty well, so head over to their blogs and read up! We’ll be posting more on our progress with this challenge each month, so keep checking back to see how brilliant our members are. You can also see what other Modern Quilters have made by checking out this Flickr pool, dedicated to all things Habitat.

Well, you might think that was enough excitement for the evening, but there was more! It was Lady Dan’s birthday, so we had some yummy banana cake. We had show and tell with the theme being “family.” We had some new visitors (welcome!!). And Dan (the man) brought in his new little toy, the Accuquilt Go Baby. He recently had a give-away on his blog and I know I’m not the only one who was a sore loser. He gave us a really great demo, and some of us (no names, but one person in particular who really likes to cut things!) got busy die-cutting some fabric. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can read his excellent tutorial on how to use the Baby Go on his blog.

Also, we heard from Lauren who has been spear-heading Operation Kid Comfort here in the Bay Area and there were quite a few “misty” eyes when she was done. Great job, Lauren – in the month of June, she and her volunteers finished 23 personalized quilts and pillows that will be given to children whose parent’s have been deployed.

A few of the other things mentioned:
Sonia Delaunay
Magnolia Editions
Ellen’s cool new fabric line!
Possible field trip:Soulful Stitching: Patchwork Quilts by Africans (Siddis) in India
Wrapping Traditions: Korean Textiles Now
Denyse Schmidt collections

To see pictures of this meeting and others, check out East Bay Modern Quilt Guild on Flickr!

East Bay MQG June 2011, a set on Flickr.

photos from June 2011 meeting

Modern Quilt Guild Field Trip to Berkeley Rose Garden

June 9, 2011June 9, 20115 Comments

We had so much fun at the Berkeley Rose Garden with our quilts! The pictures almost speak for themselves…

Still, I have to add in that I just loved having Lauren’s kids along for the event.

They were so friendly and interested in what we were doing.

They wanted to see the quilts and photograph the quilts. And they wanted us to WATCH them – well, Rad did, anyway! Zeke wanted to participate, but in his own 2-almost-3-year-old fashion.

It was also nice to see each other out in the world, have a moment to chat in the way that is hard to do when you’re chatting to 15 people at the same time.

And… the day was gorgeous! What a gift after all the dark rainy days that led up to our outting!

I hope we get to do it again this summer. Lauren came in with a huge stack of finished quilts (of course!); Margaret brought her two from the last meeting; and Joel brought his smile and his camera.

I managed to FINISH my pink rose quilt the day before, and then I had to make do with showing two tops in progress. That was fine by me. A quilter’s work is never done!

Is there anything sweeter?

East Bay Modern Quilt Guild – Meeting Notes 3/29/2011

April 1, 2011April 2, 20115 Comments

This is Cyn posting for the group. I stepped in for Stacey!, and oh boy! Taking the notes, running the meeting, and catching a few photos barely leaves time to see everyone’s beautiful quilts! Sacrifices must be made. So, the sacrifice here was that I didn’t take extensive notes. I indulged in a lot of looking at quilts and then asked everyone after the meeting if there was something they’d like put in the notes.

Sharona's hexagon quilt top using the Robert Kaufman challenge fabrics

Here’s the scoop!

1. Birgit finished her quilt!!! I’m so bummed I don’t have a picture. Joel got some great images, though! Here’s the link to his Flickr >> yaye Joel!

2. The photos here are mine – not all inclusive, just a few shots when I thought to pick up the camera. I just wanted to get the notes up while everyone’s still hyped up on how much fun the meeting was.

3. What made it fun? We had 7 new quilters join us — not necessarily new to quilting — just new to EBMQG. Hope you sewists come back for more sewing fun in April!

Deanna, reworking Ellen's Robert Kaufman challenge fabrics paired with prints from her own stash

4. The Robert Kaufman nametag challenge… well, what can I say? As Claudia told me, it’s perfectly appropriate that a group of Berkeley quilters would be rogues about following directions! We saw several creative quilt tops – from Sharona’s hexagons to Ellen’s triangles matched with prints from her stash to Lauren’s “Stepping Stones” to Kristen’s graphic piecing of the blocks in a bone-colored sashing.

Lauren's Stepping Stones quilt from the Robert Kaufman challenge fabric

Don’t fret – there were some nametags! I’m hoping Joel’s photos show these! There were everything from abstracted interpretations of letters using strictly Robert Kaufman fabrics to Kaufman mixed with scraps to a miniquilt with no name on it to “what the heck, I’m just going to use completely different fabric, but it’s still a nametag.”

Does that pose say it all or what? Kristen's Robert Kaufman fabric challenge quilt top

5. Dan showed us his GORGEOUS quilt that he is submitting to the Modern Quilt Guild’s monochromatic challenge. So sorry that I can’t show you any pictures… but I can tell you it is sensational and awe-striking. His workmanship and color sense will inspire anyone who loves fabric.

Kristen & Ellen pinning the top on the design wall

6. A suggestion was made that anyone feeling the spirit should look into donating a quilt to the people in Japan. More info here >> quilts4japan.org

Conversation and healthy snacks!

7. Deanna, who is also very involved in the local East Bay Heritage Quilters guild, invited Modern Quilters to the 4/25 EBHQ meeting to see Judi Warren Blaydon speak. Those interested could go at 6:30 for a show-n-tell; official meeting starts at 7:30 pm.

Deanna showing another Robert Kaufman fabric challenge quilt

Of note…

Cara showing a quilt she's been working on with... scrolls!!!

1. Lauren has been talking on the EBMQG Facebook page about getting better photos of her quilts. She’s investing in a new camera and wants to also work on the art of capturing a great image. She and I are planning an outting to take quilts to the Berkeley Rose Garden, probably in May. It’ll be casual and fun, and if you’d like to join us with your quilts, jump on the Facebook thread.

Asija's sweet rose quilt she's making for her beloved mother-in-law

2. If you’d like to take a class… I get to add this bc I’m writing the notes ;)
I’m taking Mary Mashuta’s Foolproof Machine Quilting on Saturday, April 16. It’d be fun to have more Modern Quilters in the class too! Curious to know why I am so hyped up over Mary Mashuta? Here’s my blog post: Mary Mashuta to the Rescue

Another quilt from Asija!

Sharona actually said, "Is this not the ugliest quilt I've made?" - what????? It's awesome!

Lauren's bird quilt for her twin sister: two birds born of one flesh divided

NEXT MONTH’S MEETING!

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, April 26, 2011. Meeting at New Pieces in Berkeley, 6:30-8:30.

Theme? A Show-n-Tell of your favorite quilting tools or products! From thread to rulers to scissors to… whatever. Whatever makes you better at quilting, bring it to share and show.

And of course, bring a quilt too!

Snacks — especially healthy ones — are welcome too!

East Bay Modern Quilt Guild – Meeting 3/29/2011

March 28, 2011March 29, 20111 Comment

Hey, our March meeting is tomorrow night! We’ll be meeting at New Pieces Quilt Shop in Berkeley, CA, from 6:30-8:30 pm on Tuesday, 3/29/2011. We have an open membership… the only thing required is that you like to sew!

Our group goes from beginners to some pretty darn skilled sewists. We bring an item for show-n-tell, and we do a lot of show/tell/chatting. It’s fun and casual. If you’ve been thinking about dropping in to check it out, this would be a great meeting to come to.

We’ll also be showing our Robert Kaufman Kona Dusty Palette challenge pieces. The challenge was named “nametag” challenge, but I’ve seen some full-quilt rumors out there on the ‘net!

Here’s a peek at what we might see in person. Click on the image to go to that member’s blog post for the stories behind the quilts:

KT Seams - Kaufman Challenge Quilt

LIttle Blue Bell Sprinkles

Lauren - I want to cut you - Robert Kaufman

And… Stacey posted this cool Etsy article on quilt labels… in case you’d like to personalize your quilt before tomorrow! How to Make a Quilt Label.

Fabric Exchange! January 25, 2011

January 3, 2011January 24, 20114 Comments

At our next East Bay Modern Quilt Guild meeting, we’re supposed to bring a quilt/sewing project that just… did… not… work… out! I have mine! go here for meeting logistics>>

We also thought it’d be fun to have an impromptu fabric exchange. Nothing formal, just bring a couple pieces from your stash that could use a new home. If you don’t have any extras, don’t sweat it. There will still be lots to share!

We really don’t have rules about the exchange, but courtesy would be: natural fabrics only, large pieces (say, “fat quarter’ish” – no scraps), and plan to take home a few less than you brought.

Leftovers will be donated to the Children’s Quilt Project.

Here are a few snapshots of the fabrics I’ll be bringing for the EBMQG fabric exchange… that is, if they don’t somehow demand to be sewn first! I had a few more pieces in the give-away bin last week, but they got drafted into capes for 2 New Year’s Eve costumes!

PIQF 2010 – one perspective

October 15, 2010October 15, 2010Leave a comment

I stole away yesterday afternoon to revel in the glory of PIQF 2010! I took some snapshots of quilts that represented ideas that I’m most interested in. In no way do my photos represent what one might consider “best of” or any such judgment. I just thought it could be fun to share some of the beautiful, fun, and innovative quilts from my perspective.

I didn’t catch all the artist names, so you may have to just go yourself to see who made ’em!

Color and Piecing

Okay, Mary Mashuta’s signature is so strong, you don’t have to look at the tag to know this is hers. How does she make buttons and ric rac and crochet work look sophisticated?? I think it must be the precision – both in form and in color choices. I went back to study this one 3 times.. particularly the binding. Amazing.

And Roberta Horton, Mary’s sister… kinda challenging one’s ides about composition and color choices, I think.

This artist says she loves polka dots. She makes me love them too – even if just for a PIQF fling!

I loved this color palette. I found it aggressive and daring, yet synchronous.

More ways to think about color and fabric choices.

This one is even more of a stunner in person. The powers of concentration involved… wow. So many careful decisions about the color green and so many beautiful stitches!

I had to do a double-take on this one. Lent by the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, it is from 1890, and it looks just as fresh as the quilts made in 2009. Loved the textures of the fabrics!

Innovation, Invention, Plus a Dose of Whimsy

I can’t help but seek out the quilts that show the artist’s heart as well as her (his??) hand. These are just a few that got me thinking about new perspectives and techniques.

This was one of the few that featured hand-stitching, which is, of course, near and dear to my heart. I also loved the imaginary perspective, the palette, and the willingness of the artist to just “make it work,” rather than get wound around technical skill issues.

Ah, the fantasy, balance and flow of the wisteria. Wistful…

A playful yet mysterious and dark take on the owl & the pussycat.

And… the beekeeper. This one’s for my brother. He loves real bees. I love symbolic bees… they promise fertility.

Humor Me

Okay, that’s not a real category! But this did strike my funnybone. I bought this piece of Robert Kaufman fabric from the fat quarter section at New Pieces last week. I’m really not a fabric name-dropper. But I bought this because I loved the hand, and I thought a little black and gold might create a good contrast with all my hand-painted fabrics. As I bought it, I reminded myself, “Cyn, this will always be very 2009-2010.”

Well, walking around PIQF, I saw two other quilters who’d used the fabric beautifully! I guess the challenge is on…!

East Bay Modern September Meeting Notes

September 30, 20103 Comments

Wow! We have a great new blog thanks to Cynthia, our newest member! Not only did she do a great job putting up the new blog, she also did half of my work on reporting the meeting! I’ll just add some photos of the wonderful show and tell and a few links to things we discussed, and my job for the September notes will be done!

Kim, Birgit, Sharona, Kristen, Cynthia and I met at the Royal Grounds in Berkeley, despite the heat and had some great discussions and shared some impressive and cute projects!

Kristen's Titus Skirt Pattern

At the last meeting we had discussed the mythical “perfect skirt” pattern. As it turns out, there appear to be a few floating around out there. Kristen brought in her pattern from Titus to show us, and was even wearing the skirt she had made from it (I failed to get a photo of that!). It’s a cute little A-line with a drawstring waist and the pattern looks very simple. I might have to venture beyond the world of “flat sewing” and give it a go.

Kristen's Vintage Patterns

She also brought in some vintage patterns from East Bay Center for Creative Reuse. Okay, Kristen, lets see you rocking those looks in October!

Kristen's Crosses Quilt

Kristen's Quilt Label

Kristen brought her finished quilt with a hand embroidered label. Oooh, I love that label. I think I’m going to have to start doing something like that for my quilts. Great job, Kristen! It’s been fun to see this go from merely a drawing in your notebook to a completed project.

Kim's Altered Snowball Quilt

Kim's Altered Snowball Quilt Back

Kim also brought in a quilt she completed. This was originally a snowball quilt that she made in a class at New Pieces. When she got it home, she didn’t think it looked quite right, so she cut each of the snowballs into quarters and re-sewed them. Genius! And, the quilting on this is really nice.

Birgit's Quilted Pot Holder

Birgit's Halloween Pennants

Birgit brought in a few cute and seasonal projects she’s been working on in her new dedicated sewing room/sweatshop. She also showed us a picture of the landscape quilt that she started talking about making last month. Upload the picture, Birgit! First quilt completed – YEAH!

Stacey's Linen and Denim Quilt

Stacey's Baby Quilt Top

Fabric cut with a Cricut

I brought in a finished quilt made with all second-hand fabrics and an unfinished baby quilt top. I was also super-excited about the fabric cutting abilities of my new Cricut cutting machine!

Sharona's Rainbow Quilt Top

Sharona showed us her latest quilt top (I didn’t notice at the time how well her shirt went with the quilt!) and fabrics from her stash for a very unique wedding quilt. (You can see the stack of wild prints in the foreground of the picture.)

Cynthia's Yoga Applique

Cynthia showed us a very intricate needle-turn applique of a very intricate yoga pose that uses a wide assortment of different kinds of fabrics. She’s definitely going to be the go-to girl for figuring out how to handle difficult materials! The beautifl background fabric was also hand-dyed by her using Pebeo Setacolor pigments.

Cynthia and Sharona are members of the East Bay Heritage Quilt guild and we discussed the differences between that guild and the Modern Quilt Guild. It was fun and informative to hear about the perceived differences. A few other guilds discussed were Studio Art Quilt Association (who’s online auction is happening now!) and Northern California Quilt Council where Sharona will soon be giving a talk about us “modern” quilters.

Here are just a few of the other things we talked about:

Ottobre magazine for childrens clothing patterns
Carol Lee’s class at New Pieces called Making Do – sign up!!
Six Minute Circle sewing technique
Silk Road Fabric store (how is it possible I’ve never been here!)
True Up – digital fabric printing reviews – okay, I’m too tired to find the actual article, but there’s a ton of stuff to look at on there!
Modern Quilt Guild Challenge
Tall Grass Prairie – Red Cross Quilt
The Alameda Flea
A possible Thrift Store Saturday outing – leave a comment if you’re interested!
Pacific International Quilt Festival – sign up on Facebook if you’d like to find a carpool.

Huh, and I thought I wouldn’t have a lot to write about. Leave me a note if I left anything out!

Modern Quilting – Local East Bay Resources

September 29, 2010September 29, 20104 Comments

We met last night (9/28/2010) @ Royal Ground Coffee in Berkeley. Lots of fun things to see and hear.

For instance, did you know this? Whatever you fabric you have the most of in your quilt becomes your neutral. Credit Stacy for that one!

Also, many newer (modern) quilters are seeking new terminology to express their devotion to the craft. According to Pepper Cory’s recent article about the Modern Quilt Guild in FabShop News magazine, the term “sewist” is coming into fashion. Who knew?

Also, here are a few of the East Bay Resources for sewing we shared (in no particular order):