all hands on deck - may 2012 service project sewing day

Saturday, May 19

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

First Presbyterian Church - Franklin

Barr Conference Room

101 Legends Club Lane 

(near the intersection of Franklin Road & Mack Hatcher Parkway)

After months of planning, it's finally here, our service project sewing day! We need all hands on deck, so please be sure to join us for what will be a fun day. Volunteers are needed. If you know anyone who would be willing to come out and join us for the day, we would love to have them. Sewing skills not necessary.

We will be documenting the day for a feature in an upcoming issue of Generation Q Magazine, so come prepared to have your photo taken. This is a great opportunity for our guild and the organizations we support with our service projects!

Thanks to the incredibly generous donation from Ann Kelle Designs, The Quilting Squares and individual members, we have very few fabric needs. We do need quilting cotton prints suitable for baby boys, and we will always take other cotton fabric donations as well. There is still a need for fiberfill. In order to maintain a consistency with the finished pillows, and provide for easier storage, please only purchase 5 pound boxes of Morning Glory Premium Polyester Fiberfill (available here). Please note that all donated items must be in new, unwashed condition from a smoke-free environment.

If you are planning to join us, we need to know in advance. Please be so kind as to complete the form below. If it isn't working for you, or if it isn't visible, you can also access it here.

April Meeting & Workshop

Our April meeting is right around the corner. We will get started with a brief meeting and show and tell, followed by a potluck luncheon and an informative workshop. Please join us...

Saturday, April 21

10 a.m.

First Presbyterian Church - Franklin

Barr Conference Room*

101 Legends Club Lane 

(near the intersection of Franklin Road & Mack Hatcher Parkway)

Introduction to Digital Fabric Design and Printing is being presented by Stefanie Williams. With over 15 years of graphic design experience, Stefanie has taken the skills used to create repeating patterns for her exclusive line of stationery items and applied them to fabric design. This workshop will introduce you to the basics of surface design and prepare you to bring your design to life with fabric printing services from Spoonflower. The workshop will take place from 12-3 p.m. and the cost to participate is $10 per person payable at the meeting. Door prizes compliments of Spoonflower.

Required to bring:

• Notebook & Pen

Optional to bring: 

• Laptop computer (wi-fi enabled) with external mouse & power supply.
• Adobe Illustrator CS5 installed (get a free 30 day trial version here)

Please note, this workshop is not an Adobe Illustrator workshop. Some basic instruction will be provided, however, if you plan to bring your computer it is recommended that you download the trial version prior to class and familiarize yourself with the application in advance. For easy to follow lessons, any of the following books are recommended: 

Adobe Illustrator CS5 Classroom in a Book
Illustrator CS5 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide
Illustrator CS5 Digital Classroom
Real World Adobe Illustrator CS5

If you plan to join us, please be a dear and complete the form below. Be sure to click the submit button at the end of the survey so your responses will be recorded. If you do not see the button, you can also access the sign up form here.

Service Projects

At our last meeting, the members were presented with a few choices for an on-going service project. After some discussion, it was decided our guild would adopt two projects to support. We will be making and donating NICU smocks for preemies and Booby Bolsters, which are soft pillows used by breast cancer patients while receiving chemotherapy as well as for post-op comfort and support.

This week we received an extremely generous donation from Kelle Boyd of Ann Kelle Designs. She has provided us with more than 75 yards of minky and over 40 yards of quilting cotton to be used for our service projects. Special thanks as well to The Quilting Squares for their donation of flannel fabrics, and to the folks at Velcro USA for donating 50 yards of Velcro for the smock project.

We still need donations. How can you help?

• Use the Donate button on the left menu to make a financial contribution to the guild.
• Save your batting scraps... all sizes are needed... even those tiny scraps left when you trim a quilt. Please bag them up and bring to a meeting, or email us to arrange for pick-up.
• Purchase fiberfill and bring it to our May meeting.
• Donate fabric. At this time, we are especially in need of quilting cotton suitable for baby boys. We will always be appreciative of fabric donations suitable for women and baby girls as well. Fabric should be new and unwashed.
• We are in need of yardage of 1" grosgrain ribbon or twill tape as well. 
• Volunteer! We will need lots of helping hands on 5/19. Please watch this blog for details on how to sign up. If you can cut fabric, stuff pillows, sew, give neck massages, whatever you can do to help will be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

If you can help with any of the above, please email us to let us know by May 1. We will need to make purchases of items that haven't yet been donated in time for our May 19th kick-off. 

March 2012 Meeting Details

It's a lucky day to be a Modern Quilter...

photo credit

Saturday, March 17

10 a.m.

First Presbyterian Church - Franklin

Barr Conference Room*

101 Legends Club Lane 

(near the intersection of Franklin Road & Mack Hatcher Parkway)

We will begin with a brief business meeting that will include a presentation of options for our service project. That will be followed by a potluck luncheon and a Sit & Sew. Members and guests are invited to stay and sew on projects of their choosing until 3:30. It should be a fun day! Won't you join us?

Things to consider:

• If you are participating in the potluck, you are encouraged to incorporate a little green into your dish. If the dish itself isn't green, consider a green garnish or serve it on a green platter or in a green bowl. It is St. Patrick's Day, after all!
• If you are staying for the Sit & Sew, please bring your own extension cord (12' cord should be sufficient).

If you plan to join us, please be a dear and complete the form below. Be sure to click SUMBIT at the bottom of the form so your responses are recorded. Looking forward to seeing everyone!

February Meeting Details

Time to look forward to our February meeting and workshop. We will get started with a brief meeting and show and tell, followed by a potluck luncheon. Please join us...

Saturday, February 18

10 a.m.

First Presbyterian Church - Franklin

Barr Conference Room*

101 Legends Club Lane 

(near the intersection of Franklin Road & Mack Hatcher Parkway)

In addition, we are very excited to offer a Machine Quilting Workshop presented by Kathy Kuryla from The Quilting Squares. Kathy has many years of experience with machine quilting and offers a variety of classes at her shop in Franklin. She has graciously agreed to bring the classroom to us! Please show your appreciation by participating in this course where you are sure to learn many great machine quilting techniques. The workshop will take place from 12-3 p.m. and the cost to participate is $20 per person payable at the meeting.

What to bring:

• Sewing machine in good working order, the feed dogs MUST be able to drop. Bring your *Sewing Machine Manual* 
• Darning foot or spring foot for free motion quilting (bring all your feet if you are not sure which one to use) 
• Sharp or universal needles 80/12* 
• (14) 14” - Squares of muslin 
• (7) 14” - Squares of cotton or cotton blend batting. **Please layer the squares together with your favorite method of basting: muslin, cotton batting, muslin. (makes 7 sandwiches)
• 50wt 100% cotton tan, ecru or white thread*
• Pin cushion with pins
• Seam ripper
• Fabric Scissors
• Bobbins
• Measuring Tape
• Sewing Needles 
• Paper and pencil 
• Tweezers 
• Blue water soluble marker*
• OPTIONAL - Extension table for your sewing machine (recommended, but not necessary)

*Available to purchase at class

If you plan to join us, please be a dear and complete the form below. Looking forward to seeing everyone!

Membership Renewal

Hello, Quilters! It's that time of year, again. Dues for the Music City Modern Quilters Guild are due. Annual dues are $25 and cover the period from January 1st to December 31st. We hope that you will all want to renew your guild membership and join us for even more fun in 2012.

Choose from the following payment options:

• Online (includes a $1 service charge to cover fees associated with accepting online payments). To utilize this method, please click the link below. Please note you are not required to have a Paypal account to submit payment by credit card.

• In-Person at our February Meeting
• By Mail To utilize this method, please send your check made payable to Music City Modern Quilters Guild and mail to: Music City Modern Quilters Guild, PO Box 680661, Franklin, TN 37068

If you have any questions or concerns, please email us and someone will respond to you via email. Please note that memberships that have not been renewed by 2/18/12, will result in being removed from future email notices and mailings.

January 2012 - Paducah Road Trip

With the holiday season upon us, life will be very hectic, so make plans NOW to participate in our January event, which consists of a fun day filled with fabric, food and fellowship in Paducah, Quilt City, KY! This event is open to guild members and guests.

If you have a clean, reliable vehicle that seats at least four adults and are willing to drive, we need volunteers. Drivers will be reimbursed for fuel costs and wear & tear on your vehicle. Everyone (including drivers) is required to contribute $35 to the transportation fund. All other expenses for the day will be responsibility of each participant.

Join in the fun!

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Here is our tentative schedule for the day:

6:30 a.m. - Meet 100 Oaks (near Michael's)

6:45 - 9:00 - Driving to Paducah

9:00 - 11:00 - Hancocks of Paducah

11:15 - 12:00 - The Quilter's Alley

12:10 - 1:00 - Lunch @ Kirchoff's Deli & Bakery

1:15 - 2:15 - Quilt in a Day Shoppe

2:30 - 5:00 - National Quilt Museum (admission is $10 each unless we get a group of ten or more, then admission is only $5)

5:45-7:00 - Dinner @ Patti's 1880s Settlement

7:00-9:00 - Driving to Nashville

9:00 - Arrival at 100 Oaks

Complete the form below if you plan to participate. Sign-ups will no longer be accepted after January 5, 2012. All participants will be asked to sign a waiver of liability. That form will be provided to you the morning of the event.