This year’s February meeting was held on Valentine’s Day.  We started our gathering with a de-stash sale of Lindsay’s fabric as her business, Sew Fresh Quilts is closing so she can go back to school.  Lots of happy shoppers were loaded up with Joel Dewberry, Cotton and Steel and Tula Pink prints FTW.  While guild members trickled in, many of us donated a hefty IKEA bag full of sanitary products for United Way Niagara’s Tampon Tuesday.

When our meeting was called to order, Heather re-welcomed Ellen, a former member back into our fold.  She announced that the June meeting date has been changed to JUNE 20th to accommodate for participants in Quilt Canada  to enjoy both the exciting quilt show and the scintillating company of their guildmates in a single month.  It will be fun to chat about what we saw, learned and found to be inspiring!

Tara described the upcoming Christmas in July Block Lottery which is inspired by Amy Smart’s Holiday Forest quilt.  Details are posted on Facebook and will also be posted in the March Blog Post.

Our Sew-In is coming!  March 30th!  Members chose to do a block-style round robin, and each participant will take home a selection of blocks to put together in a layout of their choosing

A call for volunteers was put out for our members to participate in a Superhero Charity Quilt.  Superwomen Debbie,  Jan, Tori, Carla, Brenda and Tara volunteered.

As a new way to keep track of our members and attendance, we now have a sign-in book, managed by Stephanie.

The MQG website is a wonderful resource for us all, and Heather has proposed that each month, a volunteer spend some time exploring the website and report back the following month.  Roxane volunteered to check out the MQG website and share a few interesting tidbits for the month of March.

Dorothy is off to enjoy Quiltcon and everyone is looking forward to hearing about her Nashville adventures at our next meeting.

For our Modern Traditionalism Challenge Blocks which were inspired by last month’s presentation, we had a great range of sizes from blocks to full quilts!  Here are some of the blocks and projects brought in by members:

Carla – black Pinwheel  done at the Cheryl Arkison workshop last fall

Tori- This pattern is my favourite use of a seasonal charm pack. It is quilted with Westalee rulers on my domestic machine as a practice piece. P.S. Please ignore my crumbs! We had dinner on this tonight !!

  

Pam – Windmills and ChurnDash. Both were made during and after Cheryl Arkiso workshops in November.

Roxanne – Modern Traditionalism Square !

Effie:Project from Cheryl Arkison workshop. Improv curves cut with 4 layers of fabric

      

And here with some wonderful examples of Modern traditionalism are Janie, Brenda, Jayne and Barbara and Heather

Tara – this was a challenge from Cheryl Arkison workshop. It’s a drunkards path adaption.

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We had a huge number of participants in the show and tell for WIP Challenge #6.  Brenda really has us motivated to get through that pile of projects and maybe even win some fun prizes!  It feels great to see that pile shrinking!   Here is some of the eye-candy we ogled on Valentine’s Day:

Roxanne Challenge #6 table runner  ” Let’s do Lunch ”

Carla – Challenge #6 Canada 150 quilt top . I was unable to complete quilting using my mom’s long arm machine as it is waiting for a service call. Hopefully next month

Susan – WI{P #6 “Small piecing” and this was hand quilted.

Marilyn – WIP #6 “Oh Canada- my Country” batik block of the month with Shania Sernga

Jennifer – WIP #6 this is a Bonnie Hunter pattern. I took this class with her in June 2015 and finished it this month

Lorna – Quilted Treasures

Anne – I am working on the 100 blocks challenge and I now that all of my fabric cut out and sorted in 100 small bags.

Brenda – I’ve finished my Bill Stearman quilt.

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For March, get that #1 WIP whipped into shape, Ladies!

And even after all that productivity, some of our members had other projects to Show and Tell:

  

  

Dorothy : Double sided baby quilt for my nephew and his wife. Starry  Night in Knoxville is a queen size quilt that is 60/100 tula Pink blocks and I quilted a skyline layout.

Debbie – Dr Seuss Quilt for a baby shower this weekend. and Selvedge Edge quilt made with many man selvedge edges. My final quilt is a pattern from Lorna Costantini. She had started the quilt and then gave it to me to finish off. I loved the Big stitch quilting on this quilt !

Heather _ Baby Quilt, it’s an original improv design quilted by me on my long arm.

  Kathleen  – 9 patch is my favourite block. I saw this 9 patch arrangement on the back of a truck I was following down Lake St.

Janie – “Abilene” this is a Laura Heine pattern. I made her entirely of selvedge edges and fused and glued them to my pieced background. the values in the fabrics show her contours, and she has a gentle personality.

Susan : “Valentine Be Mine ” a quick project for my classroom made on a Snow Day/ Sew Day !!! lol

Gwen – “Animal Circus”

Tori – I was inspired by a quilt I saw on Bonjour Quilts. I cut the blocks on the accuquilt cutter to make fast work of the 1/2 square triangles. this will be a gift for y husband as long as he’s happy to hang it on the wall for awhile !!

Pam – Black and White and Ladybugs – I collected a few square packages at 2018 shop hop  but there was not e enough for a quilt top so I just used what i had and added lots of black !

Effie : Libs Elliott workshop result

Lorna – “Round & Round”

  

Jan – I made this quilt with ants walking on  it as a gift. the table runner I had ordered the pattern tower you need a particle ruler for it, so I figured out how to make it without having to buy the special ruler !   

Tara – “Lonestar” It’s a wedding quilt from a pattern by Courtney Hughes ( On Craftsy ) It took me 70 hours of work start to finish. I’ve used metallic fabrics in this quilt.

  

Stephanie – these diamonds were fun to make as well as Lorna Costantini pattern.

Jayne – My horse collage is finished.. I using different colour binding to keep the rhythm of the colours.

Barbary – I’ve finished my gypsy wife quilt !!!

Ellen – one of our return members has made this beautiful Star Quilt !!

    

Audrey – This black quilt with many blocks has been gifted.. I like the colours in my second quilt !!

Karen H. – this was so fun to make with the many coloured strips and blocks it gives off any office colour rainbow !!!

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Kelly presented a fun and informative discussion of the use of Solids in Modern Quilts.  She had a broad knowledge of the history of solids and kept us all entertained with her lively presentation.  Thanks Kelly!  Next month everyone is encouraged to bring in your Challenge Blocks for show and tell!