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.
🧶 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 community—words like “eclectic,” “scrappy,” “intuitive”, “inspired”, “happy”, “playful”, “experimental,” “reborn,” and “grateful” reminded us how diverse and passionate our group truly is.
🌟 Featured Projects this month
During our October meeting, members had the opportunity to choose from three hands-on projects:
- Scrappy Zipper Bags – Led by Hilary Hudson, this project focused on using leftover fabric scraps to create functional and stylish zipper pouches with amazing color flow.
- Pieced Seat Cushions – 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!
- Fabric Name Tags – 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!
🎨 Upcoming MMQ Events & Opportunities
MMQ has a full slate of exciting events coming up:
- 🧵 Fostering Community Gathering – October 18 at the Iron Workers Union Building in Clinton, Maine. Bring your projects and enjoy a day of sewing and friendship.
- 🛠️ Round Robin of Tools – November 1 at First Congregational Church of New Gloucester. Share your favorite quilting tools and learn from others.
- 🎄 Bold Prints & Holiday Celebration – December 6 in Waterville. Bonnie Dwyer will present on using bold prints in quilting—bring your own bold creations to show off!
All dates and details are available on our website: mainemodernquilters.com
🧵 Special Events: Workshop with Nicholas Ball
We’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, “Curvy Cabbage,” is capped at 35 participants and costs $25. Sign up by November 15— current members please check your email.
🖼️ 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 24” x 24” mini quilts—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 5–7 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!
💙 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.
🧵 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 Pink’s 100 Modern Quilt Blocks
- Postcards with craft paper backs
- Baby quilts and orphan block quilts
🧵 Upcoming Community Events and Opportunities
- 🌈 Kate Gawler will present a Color Workshop hosted by the PTQG in Hermon on October 25.
- 🌍 Many members enjoyed the Global Quilt Connection virtual event in late September—thanks to Bonnie Dwyer for the recommendation!
- 🧵 The American Quilt Study Group will host an event on October 18 in Portland, featuring antique quilts and a vendor mall.
- 💎 Caravan Beads in Portland invites creatives to “Bead Together” every Friday from 4–6 p.m.
- 👗 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 2026–27 program year.
Stay inspired, stay connected, and keep stitching! We can’t wait to see you at our next meeting on November 1st in New Gloucester.
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Maine Modern Quilters 