Posts Tagged ‘Zipper Pouch’


Feb
2024

February Open Sew and Lots of Community Giving Quilts!

categories: Community Projects, Meeting Minutes, Monthly Meetings

Our Saturday open sew meeting had lots of community giving show & tell, and plenty of time to sew and visit. Here’s a recap:

Community Giving Quilts: Anna showed several quilts for donation. Just recently, quilts have been distributed to the Women’s and Children’s Alliance (4), MSTI (3), Ada County Victims Services (4), and Children’s Home Society (2). She reported that the best part of donating quilts was talking to the recipients who are very thankful and happy to receive the quilts.

Animal Mats: The Idaho Humane Society uses small mats to set at the base of kennels. You can simply make a quilted mat (fabric on both sides, batting or even an old blanket sandwiched in the middle, zigzag or binding around the edge) that eventually can go to the animal’s new home. Bring yours to the next meeting and Jeri has volunteered to deliver them to the Humane Society. Finished sizes are: (1) Cats: 18“ x 24” (2) Small animals: 24“ x 36” (3) Dogs: 40“ x 25”

Backpacks & Zipper Pouches: Jeri recently took 8 filled backpacks with 8 pouches to the Agency for New Americans. We can use more pouches and backpacks to donate in several places. A backpack tutorial is attached; and a couple of helpful zipper pouch tutorials from Noodlehead are here and here.

Announcements and upcoming items: 

  • The next guild meeting is March 23 at Bown Library. A panel discussion on quilt judging will feature our own Fay, Millissa, Karen F., Linda J. and Carol M.
  • Mary will teach a class about Featherweight sewing machine maintenance; tentatively scheduled for May 15 — stay tuned for details.
  • Cathy R., Pam, Jeri and Darla presented some Modern Quilts to the Nampa Quilt Guild. Pam did a great job running the little quilt show and talking about Modern Quilting.
  • Diane is giving away a complete Hawaiian quilt pattern.
  • Marilyn is looking for batting scraps to make “frankenbatting” — if you have extra, bring to the next meeting

Show and Tell: participants showing quilts included Shelly, with 8 quilt tops made by her niece for donation,; Linda Cooper; Margaret Eastwick with pouches; Faye with a donation quilt; Sarah and Stephanie; Debi with an English Paper Piecing pattern using Tula Pink fabrics; Michelle with her gingham quilted jacket; and Cheryl (first time attending!) with 3 small art quilts from an online class she is taking. Mellissa showed 3 donation quilt tops — fabric is from Shelly; Marylin had donation quilts; Elizabeth showed her Violet Craft elephant quilt; Karen Falvey had some colorful quilts (front and back!). Watch our Facebook and Instagram feeds for photos.

We hope to see you on March 23 for our next meeting!
  • Comments Off on February Open Sew and Lots of Community Giving Quilts!

Apr
2023

April meeting was a hoot!

categories: Community Projects, Events, Monthly Meetings, Sew Days

Our April meeting making face collages was so fun and energetic! A huge thanks to Cathy R. for coaching us through the process and for her design inspiration! And, we’d love to see your face when it’s complete — members, watch your email for a future group show & tell.

  • July target for Scaled Triangles & Leader/Ender: Turn everything in by the July meeting, and from there we’ll start assembling quilt tops for donation. So far we’ve received 22 of the large Scaled Triangle blocks (wow!), and quite a stack of completed scrappy leader/ender blocks. If you’re working on the leader/ender blocks, you can bring completed, or partially-completed chunks (pairs or half blocks) to the next meeting; you may want to exchange other partially-completed blocks to mix up fabrics. Finished leader-ender blocks should turn out 6.5“ but you might find yours are a little skinny. No worries, they’ll all go together great!!
  • Community Giving: We’ve already delivered 26 quilts so far this year – that’s so amazing! Thank you Linda J., Jamie H. and Mary S. for some recent long arm quilting, and to everyone who has helped with binding, piecing and delivering. Warm Spring Counseling Center expressed an interest in receiving four “cozy” quilts to use in therapy offices during sessions with children clients — so if you’re inclined to sew with minky or flannel, this might be the project for you.
  • Drawstring backpacks & zipper pouches: This week we’ve delivered more than 20 finished drawstring backpacks and 30 zipper pouches for sustainable period packs to the Faces of Hope Victim Center. Thank you Pam P. for helping with deliveries!
  • Spring cleaning: We’ll be clearing out the burgeoning collection of donated fabric, orphan blocks, books and patterns in the coming months. If you’re doing the same, please refrain from bringing your unwanted items to BMQG, and instead find another good home.

To see photos from everyone’s show & tell, check out our Facebook and Instagram feeds (this is thanks to Apryl!). And, the May 27 meeting is open sew! Bring your projects, machines, tools and say hello. We’ll be at the Bown Library in east Boise (2153 E. Riverwalk Dr., 83706), 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

  • Comments Off on April meeting was a hoot!

Apr
2023

April 22 Meeting & Faces Fun!

categories: Improv Quilting, Modern Quilting, Monthly Meetings

We hope you can join us for the April meeting, when we’ll be making Faces Collages!

April 22, 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Library at Cole & Ustick (7557 W Ustick Rd, Boise)

Cathy Rogers will lead us in making whimsical collage portrait mini quilts, inspired by Jean Impey. No sewing machine needed, but plan on bringing these supplies:

  • Fabric for the background; you can use just about any kind of fabric you want and any size will work — a good starting place is a fat quarter or larger; you can also come with a pieced background of two or more fabrics to create additional visual interest
  • Fabric for the skin; again just about anything works; think traditional skin colors, or go wild with colors like purple, green, blue, even prints, stripes, dots or anything else.
  • Fabric scraps to share; anything works, and novelty fabric is especially good for this purpose! We’ll also bring the guild’s supply of fabric, so there should be an ample amount available.
  • Scissors rather than rotary cutters; this is an improv approach so no rulers needed either.
  • Water-soluble glue sticks to attach your pieces to the background; no need for interfacing or fusible web.

You can expect to leave the meeting with a face collage complete (or mostly complete) and ready to finish at home. Use your domestic sewing machine or a long arm machine for quilting. We’ll have a few completed examples and tips for how to finish your face. Some example pictures are attached.

Also, bring zipper pouches (we need about 20 more of the 9×11-ish size to give to Faces of Hope for sustainable period packs) and drawstring backpacks (we’ll have additional cording if you need some to finish up). You can also turn in any completed scrappy leader/ender and scaled triangle blocks.

Hope to see you next Saturday the 22nd!

  • Comments Off on April 22 Meeting & Faces Fun!

Apr
2023

March meeting recap

categories: Community Projects, Member Spotlight, Monthly Meetings, Sew Days

We had a fun and super productive meeting! Thanks to everyone who worked on making drawstring backpacks! Here’s a recap of our day:

Drawstring backpacks & zipper pouches: We had 20 finished drawstring backpacks (wow!) by the end of the meeting. Nicely done all! We still have a few pre-cut packs ready to sew (thanks Anna for cutting and Marilyn for fabric!), and if you’d like one or two of these pre-cuts before the next meeting, please send a note to [email protected]. We’ll bring more cording to the April meeting for those who have backpacks in the works. And, we are looking for some more zipper pouches that will hold sustainable period packs. These items will all be gifted to Faces of Hope Victim Center.

Community Giving: We received a treasure trove of finished quilts for donating (thank you Carol M. and Marilyn for your generosity), plus others ready for  quilting — and yahoo! our amazing long arm quilters Linda A. and Jamie volunteered to quilt them. Mary brought a completed whole-cloth quilt, which was snatched up for binding. Thanks everyone for helping out!  (notes about backing: if passing a quilt to a long arm quilter, please make your quilt back 3-4 inches bigger than the front on all four sides; this extra fabric allows the quilt to be attached to the long arm rollers)

Scaled Triangles & Leader/Ender: Our Modern Quilt Bee is well underway, with nine blocks already completed. We’re looking for more blocks (see attached instructions). And as Marilyn says, any red, orange, or pink will work! Marilyn also brought pre-cut scrappy fabrics for a simple leader ender quilt. If you took some home to sew, bring them back next month. Ultimately, both quilts will be donated to a local organization.

April 22 Meeting Faces Collage: Our own Cathy R. will lead us in making whimsical collage portrait mini quilts. No sewing machine needed; just bring scraps to share, scissors and glue sticks (watch your email for details). We’ll be at the Library at Cole & Ustick (7557 W Ustick Rd, Boise) 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Thanks to Linda Armstrong for her wonderful show & tell! What a variety of beautiful and charming pieces she shared. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out her member spotlight. And, to see photos from everyone’s show & tell, keep an eye on our Facebook and Instagram feeds.

  • Comments Off on March meeting recap

Mar
2023

Join us March 25 for Drawstring Backpacks!

categories: Community Projects, Member Spotlight, Monthly Meetings, Sew Days

When: Saturday, March 25, 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Where: Library at Cole & Ustick, Sagebrush Room, 7557 W. Ustick Rd.
What: We’ll have a sew day making drawstring backpacks. The meeting will feature Linda Armstrong in the Member Spotlight .

Things to know:

  • Bring your show & tell and community giving quilts: We want to see what you’ve been working on! And, if you have any community giving quilts (in any phase) to pass along to a new home, or for a next step toward completion, bring those, too! As a reminder, the Guild provides batting for these donation quilts. Please contact Millissa Masters (BMQG Secretary) to get the batting you need (members, check your email for Millissa’s contact info).
  • We can use 30 more zipper pouches by late April: Faces Victim Center is working with a high school student to create kits with sustainable menstrual products (like period cups and underwear, washable cloth pads, and organic cotton tampons). They asked if BMQG members would be willing to provide more zipper pouches to package the items, instead of using plastic ziploc bags. If you’re interested in making another pouch, any pattern works. Here’s one we have used: https://blog.noodle-head.com/2012/06/open-wide-zippered-pouch-diy-tutorial.html
  • Comments Off on Join us March 25 for Drawstring Backpacks!

Sep
2022

Quilt Walk recap & fall updates

categories: Community Projects, Events, Quilt Show, Quilt Walk

Quilt Walk: Thanks to everyone who came out to the inaugural Quilt Walk in the park. It was so fun to show off our quilts of all sizes and styles in an informal setting! And we had fun inviting passersby to vote for People’s Choice. There were 48 quilts on display, and more than 130 people cast votes; Lynne’s Bar Quilt was the winner. It was great way to connect with the community and share our love for quilting.

Zipper Pouches: We delivered nearly 40 pouches to the Faces of Hope Victim Center and Community Outreach Behavioral Services (COBS), all filled with personal hygiene items like soap, toothpaste, tampons, etc. And, we have more than 30 more ready to fill. Thank you all for your generous response in making these beautiful pouches! Watch for details on what’s next.

Be sure to mark your calendar for these upcoming quilty events:

Sep. 18: Final day of the Stephen Towns: Declaration & Resistance exhibit at Boise Art Museum. His work draws visual inspiration from medieval altarpieces, nineteenth-century photography, Dutch wax print fabrics, and from African American story quilts.

Sep. 30 – Oct 1: Treasures of the Valley Quilt Show from Boise Basin Quilt Guild at Expo Idaho, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. each day.

Oct. 13-16: MQG Sessions is a member-only virtual event. You can spend the weekend learning from some of the best quilting instructors in the comfort of your own home. For one flat rate of $95, members will have access to over 20 hours of lectures, social gatherings, and more. Every education session is recorded and registered attendees can watch live and replay the recordings on demand for 14 days following the event.

Oct. 22: Boise MQG monthly meeting; 10:15 a.m. We will be meeting at the downtown Boise Library! Marion Bingham Room for a Sew Day and show and tell. There will be plenty of space to sew, iron and cut, so feel free to bring a project to work on.

Dec. 3: Boise MQG Annual Meeting, 10:15 a.m. (no meeting in November)

  • Comments Off on Quilt Walk recap & fall updates

Jul
2022

Announcing our Modern Quilting Bee + June 2022 Meeting Recap

categories: Block of the Month, Community Projects, Monthly Meetings, Sew Days

Modern Quilting Bee

We’re kicking off a Modern Quilting Bee Project! It’s simple to participate, and we think it will be so fun! We’re starting with this 16.5-inch unfinished block.

You’ll need to login as a member of MQG — once logged in, you can follow this path to the pattern: For MQG Members > MQG Journal > Previous Issues > MQG Journal Issue 02 > scroll down the page to find “Issue 02 / Block Study / Barbed” and click on More.  If you trouble getting to the pattern, email us for help.  (Barbed quilt block by Molly Wardlow; photo by Laura Loewen)

Millissa (BMQG Secretary) is leading the effort and has chosen a tranquil blue and aqua color theme, you can also throw in a natural off white if you are inspired.

  • Make your block using these similar colors, using either solids or prints. Don’t worry about finding an exact color match.
  • You can use the Clearly Perfect Slotted Trimmers ruler, or something like it for quickly making a batch of Half Square Triangles (HSTs). Or, check out this tutorial if you want to brush up on tips for making HSTs.
  • Bring your completed block to the July 23 meeting.
  • Eventually, the completed quilt will be part of our Get ‘er Done quilts and gifted to a community organization.

Zipper Pouches

A giant thanks to everyone who joined us for making zipper pouches! We collected 31 completed pouches by the end of the meeting – and we know there are more out there being stitched up. The pouches will be filled with personal care items, including items from Jill Shelton Wagers, DMD and Hilton Garden Inn at Pioneer Crossing, and donated to two local organizations: Faces of Hope Victim Center and Community Outreach Behavioral Services (COBS). We especially appreciated the tips and tutorial from Apryl and Cathy R.

If you’re working on a pouch, plan to turn it in by the July 23 meeting. You can follow this simple tutorial by Noodelhead (or if you have an equally simple pouch pattern, you’re welcome to make that). If members are interested in continuing the project, we can add it to our ongoing community giving activities.

Show & Tell

  • Marilyn was in the Member Spotlight, and brought a collection that illustrated her journey as a quilter. She made her first quilt for her doll’s bed, and not knowing any different, she cleverly used dryer lint as batting. After that, there was no stopping Marilyn! She admitted that she “love(s) weird backs” and Elizabeth Hartman designs.
  • Cassie showed the quilt top she finished during Friday night Club Mod get togethers. There are so. many. HSTs. She’s also leading girls at her church to make fabric bracelets using this fabric and paper version and this fabric-wrapped cord version.
  • Darla showed a purse that’s part of the Sew Powerful purse project. The purses are sent to Zambian girls to use for carrying feminine hygiene supplies, thus allowing them to stay in school all month. Find the pattern here. A group of friends will send a package of purses at the end of October, and if you’d like to make a purse, simply get it to Darla, Jeri or Cathy R. by the October meeting.

Get ‘er Done quilts: If you’re helping make quilts to share in our community, Anna Y. reminded us that throw or twin bed sizes would be especially appreciated by some organizations, though smaller baby quilts will also be accepted. Need batting? The Guild recently purchased a supply for this very purpose. Send us a note to let us know what you need!;

  • Comments Off on Announcing our Modern Quilting Bee + June 2022 Meeting Recap