General, Meetings, Show & Tell

October Highlights from Maine Modern Quilters ๐Ÿงต


The Maine Modern Quilters (MMQ) gathered on October 4th at Hope Baptist Church in Manchester, Maine, for a vibrant and inspiring in-person meeting. With 32 members in attendance, the energy in the room was as colorful and creative as the quilts we love to make.

๐Ÿงถ Getting to Know Each Other

We kicked off the day with a fun icebreaker: each member shared one word that describes themselves as a quilter. The responses painted a vivid picture of our communityโ€”words like โ€œeclectic,โ€ โ€œscrappy,โ€ โ€œintuitiveโ€, โ€œinspiredโ€, โ€œhappyโ€, โ€œplayfulโ€, โ€œexperimental,โ€ โ€œreborn,โ€ and โ€œgratefulโ€ reminded us how diverse and passionate our group truly is.

๐ŸŒŸ Featured Projects this month

During our October meeting, members had the opportunity to choose from three hands-on projects:

  1. Scrappy Zipper Bags โ€“ Led by Hilary Hudson, this project focused on using leftover fabric scraps to create functional and stylish zipper pouches with amazing color flow.
  2. Pieced Seat Cushions โ€“ Nancy Lander guided members through techniques for assembling cushions with creative piecing and quilting methods. A great solution for those often hard chairs we seem to spend so much time in!
  3. Fabric Name Tags โ€“ Meliss Swanson helped members design and sew personalized name tags using fabric, embroidery, and embellishments.

We love seeing the diversity of styles and techniques our members bring to each project!

๐ŸŽจ Upcoming MMQ Events & Opportunities

MMQ has a full slate of exciting events coming up:

  • ๐Ÿงต Fostering Community Gathering โ€“ October 18 at the Iron Workers Union Building in Clinton, Maine. Bring your projects and enjoy a day of sewing and friendship.
  • ๐Ÿ› ๏ธ Round Robin of Tools โ€“ November 1 at First Congregational Church of New Gloucester. Share your favorite quilting tools and learn from others.
  • ๐ŸŽ„ Bold Prints & Holiday Celebration โ€“ December 6 in Waterville. Bonnie Dwyer will present on using bold prints in quiltingโ€”bring your own bold creations to show off!

All dates and details are available on our website: mainemodernquilters.com

๐Ÿงต Special Events: Workshop with Nicholas Ball

Weโ€™re thrilled to host a Zoom workshop with Nicholas Ball (@quiltsfromtheattic) on January 31, 2026 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. The class, โ€œCurvy Cabbage,โ€ is capped at 35 participants and costs $25. Sign up by November 15โ€” current members please check your email.

๐Ÿ–ผ๏ธ Special Events: Mini Quilt Show and Fundraiser

MMQ is partnering with the Yarmouth Historical Society for a fundraiser in March and April 2026. Members are invited to contribute 24โ€ x 24โ€ mini quiltsโ€”some of which should be available for sale. Proceeds will support YHS, MMQ, and the quilt creators. A reception will be held March 19 from 5โ€“7 p.m. at YHS.

We currently have 13 quilts and need 4 more. Quilts will be collected at the December meeting. Interested in participating? Reach out to either Evie Landry or Becky Rodgers and get stitching!

๐Ÿ’™ Charity Quilt Block Project

Patty Robinson is spearheading our charity quilt initiative for the year. She shared nine inch square bold blue blocks and colorful strips of yellow, orange or red (1″ x 13.5″) which members can use to create a vibrant quilt top, which will be donated and auctioned for a good cause. Instructions on making the block are available in the MMQ Resource Library on the MQG website.

๐Ÿงต Show & Tell

As always, Show & Tell was a highlight. Members shared stunning quilts including:

  • Cherish Quilt Pattern (EPP)
  • Electric Pineapple Quilt by Libs Eliot
  • Random Block Design from Craftsy
  • Secret Agent Quilt
  • Transparency Quilt Block of the Month (MQG March 2020)
  • Tula Pinkโ€™s 100 Modern Quilt Blocks
  • Postcards with craft paper backs
  • Baby quilts and orphan block quilts

๐Ÿงต Upcoming Community Events and Opportunities

  • ๐ŸŒˆ Kate Gawler will present a Color Workshop hosted by the PTQG in Hermon on October 25.
  • ๐ŸŒ Many members enjoyed the Global Quilt Connection virtual event in late Septemberโ€”thanks to Bonnie Dwyer for the recommendation!
  • ๐Ÿงต The American Quilt Study Group will host an event on October 18 in Portland, featuring antique quilts and a vendor mall.
  • ๐Ÿ’Ž Caravan Beads in Portland invites creatives to โ€œBead Togetherโ€ every Friday from 4โ€“6 p.m.
  • ๐Ÿ‘— Sharon shared her experience at the Boston School of Design, showcasing a handmade tunic she made in class with Sharon Chandler of marigold_in_maine. Members expressed interest in a future MMQ workshop to create quilty tops for the 2026โ€“27 program year.

Stay inspired, stay connected, and keep stitching! We canโ€™t wait to see you at our next meeting on November 1st in New Gloucester.

#MaineModernQuilters #ModernQuilting #QuiltCommunity #MMQEvents #QuiltyLife

General, Meetings

Maine Modern Quilters Gather at Winslow Park


On June 7, 2025, members of Maine Modern Quilters (MMQ) gathered at Winslow Park in Freeport for an engaging and lively meeting to wrap up the program year. With 19 attendees, the day began with warm introductions, as members shared places in Maine theyโ€™d love to visit โ€” from Monhegan Island to Shaker Village and the Portland Museum of Art.

Treasurer Karen Wood provided a financial update, and Membership VP Veronica Serrato reminded everyone to renew their membership before September 31. Activities VP Meliss Swanson shared exciting plans for upcoming community sewing days, while Special Events VP Becky Rogers announced a January 2026 virtual class with Nicholas Ball and a fundraiser quilt display for the Yarmouth Historical Society.

Show and Tell was a highlight, as members proudly displayed stunning quilts, barn quilt designs, and wearable creations. The meeting wrapped up with a fun yard sale and picnic, reinforcing the camaraderie and creativity that make MMQ such a vibrant group.

As we head into the next program year, members can look forward to engaging workshops, quilting projects, and community events. Stay tuned for details at the next meeting on September 6!

Meetings

What to do with all those scraps…


April Meeting Recap: Maine Modern Quilters (MMQ)

The April 5th meeting of the Maine Modern Quilters (MMQ) brought together 34 creative individuals, along with two guests, for a day full of quilting inspiration, collaboration, and community. The session, held in person, fostered learning and creative sharing through icebreakers, discussions, and hands-on activities.

Exploring Fabric Scrap Magic Kicking off with an icebreaker, members shared ingenious ways to use fabric scraps: “making fabric” from scraps, FPP, small projects, leaders and enders, collage projects, and string quilts. The group exchanged ideas on organizing scraps and transforming them into precuts.

Show and Tell Members showcased their stunning creations, including quilts, wall hangings, and donation bags.

On-Going Projects Members are encouraged to continue contributing to donation projects, including pillowcases and tote bags for organizations like New Beginnings and Adoptive & Foster Families of Maine.

Zippered Pouch Fun! The hands-on activity focused on crafting zippered notion bags, expertly led by Ann Ball and Karen Wood. The group also collaborated to produce 10 pillowcases for charity.

Upcoming Meetings Mark your calendars for the next gathering on May 3rd at the Westbrook-Warren Congregational Church, where members will dive into skill-building through a round-robin format.

Thank you to all who participated and shared their creativity. Letโ€™s keep the quilting energy alive until next month!

Meetings

Quilting should be fun!


The Maine Modern Quilt Guild gathered on October 5, 2024, at Hope Baptist Church in Manchester for another inspiring and productive meeting. With 29 members in attendance, the day was filled with quilting tips, friendship, and fun!

Quilting Tips to Remember
As part of the introductions, each member shared their favorite quilting tip. From taking photos of fabric swatches for easy reference to using a lunchbox toolkit or a grab-and-go pouch for handwork, there were plenty of practical ideas to make our quilting lives easier. One key takeaway: Give yourself grace and rememberโ€”quilting should be fun!

After introductions we went to our Business meeting and door prize (Thanks Sue Duval for donating this monthโ€™s door prizes & Congratulations to Rose and Pat, who were the lucky winners!)

And as always, Show & Tell did not disappoint! From challenges like the Nomad Quilter and Household Items, to works inspired by Amazing Quilts by Grace, members old and new displayed an array of stunning projects that left us all inspired.

Thread Play Workshop
The meeting wrapped up with a hands-on Thread Play Workshop led by Dan Pellish, Anne Gould, and Dominique Healy. Members were guided through free-motion and ruler quilting techniques, as well as hand embellishment and beading for quilts. Dominique even provided quilt squares and materials for members to try their hand at creative stitching. The workshop highlighted the use of technology for design ideas, along with recommended resources like Creative Stitching by Sue Spargo and Quilted Textures from A to Zen by Bethanne Nemish. As always with Sew Days we had a lot of fun!

Looking Ahead: November Meeting and Events
Mark your calendars for the next meeting on November 2, 2024, at the Topsham Public Library. Weโ€™ll be hosting a fun “Orphan Block” swap and sew session, with an option to create charity quilts. This will be another Sew Day and we will be sharing details for the December Holiday Party meeting. So if you want to join the fun it’s not to late to become a member!

We look forward to seeing everyone in November for more modern quilting fun and friendship!

General

Maine Modern Quilt Guild Kicks Off Colorful New Program Year!


We had a fantastic time at our first meeting of the new program year, which runs through June 2025! The energy in the room was palpable as our theme for the yearโ€”Colorโ€”was in full swing, and it was amazing to see our membersโ€™ vibrant personalities and creativity shine through.

The meeting began with a bit of business, but once that was out of the way, we dove right into the fun! First up was a brilliant presentation on Color Theory by none other than Kate Gawler. Kate, a true expert in all things color, shared her wealth of knowledge, drawing from her experiences in art school, her years of quilting, and one of her go-to resources, “Color Harmonies” by Augusto Garau. She really opened our eyes to how thoughtful color choices can completely transform our quilt designs!

Next, we were treated to a dynamic presentation on Color Wash Quilts by Karen Wood, Veronica Seratto, and Susan Duval. Their tips, tricks, and examples were so inspiring. And Sue even gave us a live demonstration of how to turn our own scraps into a beautiful color wash quilt! The highlight of this segment was a group activity where we all worked together to lay out squares into a cohesive color wash designโ€”such a blast!

Of course, no meeting would be complete without Show and Tell, and our talented members wowed us again. From stunning improv self-portraits to scrappy creations, color wash examples to intricately pieced masterpieces, it was a treat to see everyoneโ€™s hard work and creativity on display. Whether new or returning, our members truly inspire each other with their amazing work!

Weโ€™re already looking forward to our next meeting onย October 5th at Hope Baptist Church, Manchesterย (726 Western Ave, Manchester), where weโ€™ll be diving intoย Thread Playย with Dan Pelish (machine), Anne Gould (machine), and Dominique Healy (hand). Remember it’s a SEW DAY! So bring your machine (don’t forget the extension cord & foot!), free motion foot, basic tools, and three small sandwiches to practice on. and Itโ€™s going to be another great session, and weโ€™re always excited to welcome new membersโ€”so if youโ€™re interested in joining, donโ€™t hesitate to reach out, we would love to see you.

General

Getting ready for 2024


Our program year starts the first Saturday of September. Take a look at the Meetings page for a list of our 2024/2025 Program Year, it’s going to be exciting.
Our theme for the year is “Color” and we have a couple special programs (via Zoom) planned including a Trunk Show March 1 with Timna Tarr (@timnatarr) and February 1 a discussion on how to photograph quilts with Kitty Wilkin (@nightquilter)

If you have been thinking about joining our group this is the year.

The photo below is one of the two charity quilts our guild made in our 2023/2024 program year!

General

A Great Start to 2024


Maine Modern Quilters has had a busy couple of months.ย  As a statewide guild we are excited to split our year into in person and virtual meetings. As our guild approaches the hundred- member threshold we would love to share our love of modern quilting and friendship with anyone who would like to explore the world of modern quilting, let us know if you are interested.
During our February meeting after we shared our future project plans and show and tell
including the second of our โ€œmini quiltโ€ series.ย  Many of these 24โ€x24โ€ quilts will be on display at the Maine Quilt show in July!ย  Afterwards, members Ann Ball and Kate Gawler (with Karen Wood providing tech support) led us in a workshop where we learned the interleave technique.
We had great fun together in this zoom meeting learning a new technique which creates a dynamic, fun, and unique block from two simple ones.ย ย 
In March after sharing our favorite quilt designers Carmen ย Dickinson, Karen Wood, and Heather Walters led us in some tips and tricks around Foundation Paper Piecing (FPP).ย  Although many of us have experience in FPP we all learned something new and were able to share our own tips and tricks and learn from each other.ย ย 
Also, in February a dozen of our members attended QuiltCon in Raleigh, North Carolina.ย  During our March meeting they shared some highlights from the convention and their favorite quilts from the show.ย  Seeing such amazing quilts was an inspiration for all of us. ย  If you are interested in Modern Quilts, we would love to share inspiration with you.

Maine Modern Quilters Members at Quilt Con 2024

February Show and Tell

March Show and Tell

General

Hello 2024 and Good bye 2023!


The Maine Modern Quilting Guild has been busy the past couple of months and are looking forward to a great 2024!  As a statewide Guild we are excited to host some of our meetings by ZOOM each year to allow participants from all over to join us for a few winter meetings. 

Our January meeting was via Zoom and was a Virtual Sew and Tell.  After a short business meeting we spent the time sewing together and sharing projects we are currently working on.  As always it’s an inspiration to see all the work our members are doing.  Colorwash quits, improv projects, data driven quilts, some quilt inspired clothing, and more!   We talked about our favorite tools, lots of techniques, and all learned a from each other, all while getting in some stitches.

Our December meeting was our annual Holiday Party and as always, was one of the highlights of the year!  We shared some good food and had a wonderful Show and Tell.  We spent some time saying THANK YOU to our outgoing President Kate Gawler, VP of Membership Carmen Dickerson, VP of Special Events Ann Ball and Co-Secretary Sandy Boland (thank you to members who donated for their gifts).  We also played some games and shared our first Mini Quilts.   This year we are doing a series of three 24×24 Quilts which demonstrate some of the attributes of modern quilting.  For our first project we all used โ€œMinimalismโ€ and โ€œBold Use of Color,โ€ we hope you will take a look at our group display at the Quilt Show in July. 

If you are interested in Modern Quilting we are a state wide guild and are happy to have you.  Itโ€™s not too late to join and still a lot we will be doing this year.  In March we will be doing a program on foundation paper piecing; in April a Sew and Pass along project; in May a round robin of finishing techniques; and in June we finish our program year with a picnic at Winslow Park in Freeport.

Happy Quilting!

General

Improv and Thanksgiving – Nov 2023 Meeting


Our November meeting started, as always with introductions and we each shared a Thanksgiving food traditions. We shared both stories of a hundred year old pot with a pudding no one eats and stories of family recipes that get made although no one likes them (Shrimp Pea Wiggle, Cranberries with Orange peel, Rutabagas and Potatoes) and all the amazing sounding deserts, stuffings, and dressings that are loved!

We then voted in new officers, Thank you everyone for your commitment to our guild. With a special thanks to Kate Gawler for her leadership as President for the challenging few years and Carmen for years of work as our VP of Membership. In 2024 Evie and Nancy will be taking over as Co-President, Karen will continue as Treasurer, Mary and Faye Jean, Becky is VP of Special Events, Veronica as VP of Membership, and Mary Ann will continue as VP of programing.

In December we will have our Holiday party which will include a small gift swap, a fat quarter game, and a potluck. If you have been thinking of joining, it would be a great first meeting!
Today was a sew day and we used a few different improv techniques to make 12×12 blocks which we will join into a community quilt – to be shown.

And of course we had a show and tell and shared our Mini #1s (see below).

Meetings, Sew Time, Workshops

No Fooling – April First in Person


Our First in person meeting in 2023 was fantastic. Twenty two of us meet in Westbrook for a great day.

We kicked off the day by talking about what Improv meant to each of us. And following a short business meeting we did our show and tell, highlighting as always the talents of our members. The pictures show a lot of Maria Shell style Linear Block pieces, which makes sense, as she guided Maine Modern Quilters in a workshop many of us did with her in March. Of course, we were not limited to Improv and there were some beautiful quilts and techniques for us to all enjoy.

A focus on Improv continued and Following Show and Tell we had a pair of workshops on improv curves. Members picked from two options. Some went with Mary Ann Cugini showing us Carolina Oneto’s from the Janome America website, you can find the technique here. At the same time Kate Gawler guided others in Maria Shellโ€™s braided curves technique from the Summer 2021 issue of Quilting Arts Magazine. Thank you Kate and MaryAnn! It was sew much fun to have a couple hours of sewing with old and new friends.

It was a fantastic Saturday, and we are looking forward to our May sixth meeting where we will have a series of demos on finishing techniques and our June third picnic at Winslow park in Freeport. If you are on the fence about joining, now is a great time!

General

January 2023 meeting


On the eighth members of the Maine Modern Quilters joined a ZOOM meeting. We had a lot of fun sharing and having a Sewcial! During our sharing members shared their favorite resources which will be shared on this website as a “Resources our Members Love” page, which is now linked in the side bar of the website.

Some of the highlights of the meeting included seeing progress on the Harmony Quilt (used by permission from Curated Quilts (Issue #18)) which we are making as group to donate to local facility supporting children transitioning from Foster care. (More details and photos when it is done!)

Our member Veronica Serrato shared photos and the story of a recent trip to Mexico where she explored Otomi Embroidery and visited with makers in Pachuca Mexico. The art she shared was beautiful, as was the story of a community using art both as an economic engine but as a driver of community. You could not have heard her story and not wanted to go visit this amazing place and these amazing people.

After Veronica’s short presentation we had our Sewcial chatted and shared what we are currently working on, as always the talents of our members shined through. Whether sharing progress on our recent collage project session, a mystery quilt BOM, or a gift for family the diversity of modern quilting and creativity & talent of our members shone through.

As always if you are interested joining us or learning more about our group please reach out!

Meetings, Show & Tell

December Meeting & Holiday Party


We met in New Gloucester this year for our annual holiday party and had a very festive time.

There was a wonderful selection of quilts and other quilty projects for show and tell from our talented members.

Members shared yummy food dishes and made a small homemade item wrapped in a brown paper bag for a gift exchange. Harmony blocks, a pattern by Curated Quilts, were collected for our group charity quilt.

To finish off the festivities, we divided into two groups and played the Left Right Center dice game with fat quarters. Congrats to Meliss and Sue who both took home a pile of fat quarters!

Membership

2022/2023 Membership


Reminder to members it’s time to renew your dues to Maine Modern Quilters. The membership fee is $35 or $20 if you’ve already paid $15 to Pine Tree Quilters Guild through another chapter. For existing members, check your email for details on how to renew your membership.

Now is a great time to join if you’re not currently a member of our chapter. For new members, please email our membership chair, Carmen, at mmqmembership@gmail.com

Meetings, Membership, Show & Tell

Adapting….


March 7, 2020 was the last time we had an in-person meeting.  Below youโ€™ll see some of the beautiful creations from our talented members.

Going forward, all the meetings will be done using the Zoom platform.  A YouTube channel has been set up so that if a member is unable to do the Zoom meeting, they will be able to view the recorded meeting on the YouTube channel after receiving a link.

We will be doing membership renewal starting in August for the September 2020 to June 2021 meetings.  An email will be sent out to current members.  Anyone interested in joining can send an email to Mainemodernquilters@gmail.com for more information.  We welcome anyone to our group!

 

Meetings

September 14, 2019 meeting


The first meeting of the year will be Saturday, September 14, 9:30am to 1:00pm at the First Congregational Church on 19 Gloucester Hill Rd, New Gloucester.
Bring cash or check for yearly dues, $35.
Bring snacks/lunch, beverages
Bring money for the โ€œkittyโ€ to help pay for the venue.
Bring items for Show and Tell
Bring Potholder mini quilts (for Maineโ€™s 200th Anniversary)
Bring your friendly, open and spirited selves to reconnect with old friends and to make new Modern Quilty friends!

Any questions, please send an email to smduval@mac.com

Show & Tell, Social Time

Holiday Cheer!


Thanks to the awesome holiday party committee for a great morning of fun, games, food an laughter.

I’m sure all the members will agree that Sandy won the most coveted yankee swap item – a tree that sings and lights up!IMG_2501.jpg

 

Julie showed us how she took an art quilt and transformed it into a t-shirt, and into a graphic on sneakers.

 

We’re submitting a quilt to QuiltCon, which is the show hosted by The Modern Quilt Guild. Almost all the members worked on some aspect of the quilt, and it was quilted by Betsy Canaan.  We voted on a name and Striation Gyration is the winner!

And finally, we enjoyed seeing the quilty-goodness that members have been working on:

From the top, left to right: Evie, Hazel, Kate, Margaret, MaryAnn, Peg, and Rose.

Meetings, Show & Tell

Scrap-o-rama and UFO Revival


We had a great meeting using up our scraps!  All quilts are “made” fabric – but some more than others – think crazy quilts, quilts made from worn items such as the Gee’s Bend Quilts, quilts made from feedsacks….. We also discussed ways to re-purpose UFO’s that we would rather never see again including finishing them and donating them to a charitable cause, or re-purposing them into something  you LIKE – don’t limit yourself to quilts – think skirts, placemats, pillows.  Maybe you adopt a hawaiian applique pattern for that holiday top – or make that solids melange into 6″ squares with vertical bars in -between set on a white background… we referred to Mary Kerr’s Twisted for inspiration.

Show and Tell!  Linda and Karen with their pieces from a previous curves workshop; Sandy’s stunning blue quilt; Dina’s excellent Big Stitching; Leanne’s EPP; Bonnie’s antique shop treasure made in the 1950’s; Karen’s Mariner’s Compass; Ellie’s pink quilt; Dan with placemats and belt made with scraps; and Sue with her 2nd Poppin bag.

Quilt Shows

This Saturday, April 7! Modern Quilt Expo


Hello Faithful Readers!

We are hoping you can swing by this Saturday, April 7 for our very first Modern Quilt Expo. It will be held at the First Congo Church on 19 Gloucester Hill Rd. New Gloucester, Maine.  It will be very casual and fun – We will have approximately 60 modern quilts on display, and the demonstrations will be on how modern quilters are using hand quilting, paper piecing and improv curves. Each demonstration person will be at a table, and will engage in one-on-one conversation/ demonstration or small group conversation/ demonstration as people wander through. The make-n-take is a modern potholder – ha ha – exciting, right? You must admit though, it is a project that can be completed in a short amount of time, and is appropriate for all ages, and… have you looked at your potholders lately? It might be time for a spring cleaning….

We have an excellent raffle item.  One of those very cool collapsible wheeled carts. Through the generosity of Quiltessentials, Alewives, Missouri Star, and Studio E Fabrics, there are also some great items IN the cart.

If you are participating in the Maine Shop Hop, we are a nice stop on the way to Quiltessentials in Auburn, Oxford Mill End Store in Oxford, and Sew Orchid in Norway. If you are looking for well priced home dec or marine fabrics,  The Fabric Warehouse in Auburn is also nearby.

Have a terrific week and we hope that you can drop in on Saturday!

Members, Show & Tell, Social Time

December 2…Paaarrrttyyy!!!!


IMG_6313

We celebrated the holidays on December 2… as you can see by the photos, we hardly had any fun at all… of course, not everyone can make every meeting – but we managed to get a snapshot of the party-goers as depicted above!

There were decorations and food…

Games… the competitors were FIERCE!!!!

 

Evelyn won the Big Pile of Fat Quarters….she rolls a mean dice….

And we finished the day with a viewing of finished UFO’s!!! The members are really embracing the UFO challenge:

Somerset Samplers created this beauty from a departed members stash… they are selling raffle tickets for it!  $1 each, or 6 for $5.  To purchase a raffle ticket, email Carmen at: carmend2010@hotmail.com

IMG_3122

Show & Tell, Speakers

November 4, 2017


Thank you visiting artist Kevin Callahan for a terrific presentation about fiber, textiles and fabric in fine art.  View the work of Nancy Hemenway Barton at the UNE gallery in Portland through December 20.

We commenced with our annual fabric, books and notions fundraiser after Kevin’s speech, agreeing to “be adults” and not fight over the goods….

And wrapped up the day showing projects that members finished as part of the UFO challenge…

And we enjoyed a little show-n-tell:

Meetings, Sew Time, Show & Tell

June 17, 2017


Our last guild meeting of the year was held in New Gloucester at the First Congregational Church. Sue Arnold finished up the Block of the Month series. We are very appreciative of all the hard work she put into organizing that activity for the guild. The highlight of the meeting was the Improv Round Robin activity. Members had a chance to really stretch their creativity and use their improvisational quilting skills to the max! It was great fun and a wonderful  way to end our guild year.

Thanks to all who made this a memorable year of Modern Quilting!

Meetings, Show & Tell

May 13, 2017 Meeting


The meeting was held at the First Congregational Church in New Gloucester. It was not a sewing filled meeting but we shared alot of information about upcoming activities. Sue Arnold did the Block of the Month, we discussed the guild banner, the upcoming Improv Round Robin was explained and we had an incredible Show and Tell. I think people had been working diligently to finish up projects!

Block of the Month, Demonstrations, Show & Tell, Table Runners

February 18, 2017 Meeting


We had a very lovely venue for this meeting in Westbrook and the weather cooperated, allowing us to have a great turn out of members. As we introduced ourselves, I asked people to share their favorite aspect of quilting and their least favorite part of quilting. It was a nice way to get to know each other better and generated great discussion.

Sue Arnold led the Block of the Month presentation. Here is Bonnie and Anne-Marie showing some of the creative and beautiful blocks.

Kathryn Simel showed the design for the banner that our guild will display at Maine Quilts this summer. She did an extraordinary job designing and sewing it together. We are so fortunate to have this incredible designer in our group! Other guild members will put some of the finishing touches on in. Thanks to all involved in this project!

Carmen and Jane each gave demonstrations on binding techniques that were very helpful!

And we had a great showing of beautiful quilted items for Show and Tell!

Block of the Month, Meetings, Show & Tell

January 7, 2017 Meeting


It was a cold but clear day for the first meeting of 2017. We had a very enthusiastic group with several new members in attendance. There were many creative versions of the Modern Pinwheel Block of the Month. And we had a lot of fun seeing all the favorite tools and gadgets for quilting that members shared.  We only had a few people with items for Show and Tell, but they were beautiful nonetheless.

Demonstrations, Meetings, Show & Tell

October 29,2016


We had our meeting in the Buker Community Center in Augusta. There were stations for learning what can be done with a walking foot, led by Karen Bean and Sue Duval. We also had many of Stephanie’s treasures displayed. Jane did a fantastic job of putting together the wonky 9 patch blocks that members made from Stephanie’s fabrics. And as usual, members showed great creativity with the pieces that they had for “show and tell”.

 

Meetings, Members

Sept 10, 2016 Meeting


The first meeting of the 2016-2017 year was held in Waterville, at Thomas College. Members participated in the business meeting portion of the Pine Tree Quilt Guild (our umbrella organization) and because it was a beautiful day, we continued our Modern Guild meeting by having lunch outside on the patio. After lunch, we saw a gorgeous trunk show by Anita Grossman Soloman.

We welcomed several new members to our group and discussed the upcoming events planned for the year. Members should watch for emails with the specific details of the activities for each month.

Demonstrations, Meetings, Show & Tell

June at Cotton Weeds Quilt Shop


A huge thank you to Cotton Weeds Quilt Shop for hosting us in June!  We learned a curve technique using Karen Eckmeier’s Making Waves book.  Members also shared some of the great projects they have been working on, and several members brought their fidget quilts.  Fidget quilts are 18″ x 18″-ish and have “busy” items added to them – wooden rings, zippers, velcro, fabric fingers…these are then donated to organizations that serve patients with dementia and alzheimer’s disease.  Let the pictures commence!

 

Demonstrations, Meetings, Show & Tell

April 23,2016 meeting


It was a lovely spring day to drive out to St. Giles in Jefferson for our meeting. Thanks to Hazel and her pastor of St. Giles for allowing us to gather at such a comfortable and creative place.

 

The block of the month was tea-leaf made modern and we had many inspiring versions of this traditional block.

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Jennifer and Sue A did an outstanding job of teaching us 2 techniques for sewing circles. We even had a chance to practice some free-motion quilting of circles. Circles, circles and more circles!

The quilts for show and tell were beautiful as always!

Block of the Month, Demonstrations, Show & Tell

March 19, 2016 meeting


Betsy Cannan was presented with a beautiful quilt to thank her for her service to the Maine Modern Quilters.  It was made of blocks designed and sewn by members, using Betsy’s favorite color, red. The quilt was assembled by Anne-Marie, backing by Karen and quilted by Sharon. It was a true work of art and love!

We had a very lively and informative discussion about quilt labels, with some great examples shown by members.

 

The block of the month was Dresden plate-made modern. And as always, we had a show and tell with many gorgeous quilts!

 

 

Block of the Month, Demonstrations, Show & Tell

February 27, 2016 Meeting


It was a lovely, sunny but chilly day for the meeting. We were a somewhat small but very creative group! Jane taught us a unique way to do a fabric nametag. Carmen did a workshop  using Tula Pink’s Tubular Piecing Process. We learned 3 tube techiques and a way to sew a facing on to a quilt instead of a binding. Very informative!  All members will receive an email with the details of this meeting and what to expect for the upcoming meetings.

Congratulations to Kathryn Simel for the ribbon she received for her quilt that was shown at QuiltCon 2016. She received Third Place for the Use of Negative Space for her quilt entitled, Catching Up. It was wonderful to see it in person! And more kudos go out to Kathryn because she will have a baby quilt version of another of her creations to be published in an upcoming edition of Modern Quilters Unlimited Magazine. Such creativity!

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A baby quilt version of this quilt to be in Modern Quilts Unlimited magazine