Giving QuiltsThis page lists the current charity quilt efforts that guild members are invited to contribute to. You can view completed quilts from past years on Our Collaborations page. |
Fall 2022:
Charity Social Sewing Bee
Bee is derived from the Old English bēn meaning “a prayer, a favor.”
By the late eighteenth century, bee had become commonly associated with the
British dialect form, been or bean, referring to the joining of neighbors to work on a
single activity to help a neighbor in need: sewing bee, quilting bee, etc. (dictionary.com)
Join in a sewing bee with other guild members to work on giving quilts for our community. We will be using the “Shining Star Quilt Pattern” from Suzy Quilts. The
guild has purchased copies of the pattern and will provide the pattern, along with
fabrics donated to SEAMQG. Come and make 1 block or several and/or help sew blocks together. If you want to go rogue, bring your own fabric to play with the pattern.
Hint - contrast is key!
Come for the whole day or drop-in for a portion of the time.
Two Dates on the Calendar - come to one or both!
| Saturday, November 5, 2022 | Saturday, Nov 12, 2022 |
Location: Seattle Mennonite Church, Parking lot is behind the church, giving easy access Meeting Host: Ann Marchand |
Location: Quality Sewing and Vacuum, Store closes at 5:00 pm so there is time to shop! Meeting Host: Marion Lisko |
We’ll provide the fabric. You bring:
- Sewing Machine
- Thread (black, white, red, maybe a gray for blending)
- Cutting Mat / Rotary Cutter / 24” ruler
- Iron / Will coordinate ironing boards
- Bring a lunch, or use a local restaurant in the area
- Come for the day or for a few hours
NOTE: If there is interest, we can do a virtual sewing bee. We would need someone who would like to host.
October 2022 Update on Community Challenge Quilt |
Each year, one of the MQG challenges is to create quilts designed and developed by our guild communities. These are displayed at Quiltcon each year and are sold to raise money for charities designated by the local organizers of Quiltcon.
Louise Wackerman and Debbie Jeske have volunteered to design and lead our Community Outreach Quilt effort this year. Louise has prepared a tutorial for making the blocks, which is presented below. If you collected fabric at the July guild meeting please note the deadline: blocks must be made and returned to Louise, Debbie, Ann or Marion, by August 10.
This year’s theme is Color Shift and you could choose between a warm and a cool palette. Our Giving Committee chairs chose the warm palette and we were helped by Fabric Bubb to pull this lovely color gradation together!
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For the color shift theme, the MQG is describing it as “a gradual blending from one color to another. This can be accomplished by using intensity, lightness/darkness, and color. The blending can occur in many ways, including within the same color (like baby blue to navy blue), between two unique colors (such as from purple to orange), or even between more than just two colors.” We are using the two lightest color pinks in the photo as a background and expressing the color shift from the darkest purple to a dark pink in the quarter circle blocks.
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Here's a sneak peek at an initial design idea! (ignore the white strips...)
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Instructions for constructing the blocks |
Step 1: Stack the two squares, matching the bottom left corners. |
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Step 2: Here’s where the improv comes in! No templates are needed to cut your curves. You will cut a curve in the two pieces of fabric starting at ‘about’ 4” and ending at ‘about’ 4”. Step 3: The larger block is the background color and the smaller block is the 1/4 circle. Step 4: Pair the opposite pieces together. Step 5: Sew the two pieces together, right sides together. Do not pin! Align the quarter circle about a ¼” in from the edge of the background. To sew without pinning, as you sew the pieces together, hold the background piece, which is on top, with your left hand and hold the 1/4 circle piece with your right hand and guide them through your machine. As the fabric moves through the machine, you will gently pull the two fabrics so the edges align as you sew your ¼” seam. |
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| Remember: These are improv quarter circles. You are not sewing a perfect quarter circle! Iron the seams towards the center of the circle. |
Step 6: You will now have a slightly wonky block. Trim this down to a 5 ½” square. Step 7: Repeat steps 4 thru 6 with the smaller pieces. Trim this into a square. No need to trim to a specific size, just into a square shape. |
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