Heads up for our August Meeting!

Just to remind you to start thinking about our August meeting, which will be on the 14th.

We will have two SWAPS:

1. Pillow swap - make a modern pillow cover for a 14 inch pillow form (you don't need to bring the form unless you want to model it). This will be a random swap.

2. Bring a quart Ziploc bag of scraps, which we will throw into a bin of some kind and then get new scraps from all who bring. This will be a precursor to our September challenge, so I hope lots of people do it! If you want to bring more than 1 Ziploc bag of scraps, you are more than welcome - you'll take home as many bags of other people's scraps as you brought.

*Thanks to Robin for hosting a great Sewcial last night!

Lots of flickr inspiration and pillow(speration) coming your way, plus, as soon as I get the minutes and some pictures, I'll post the July meeting recap!

-Jess H.

(Almost) Everything You Wanted To Know About Batting

*This post will also showcase pictures from the Denyse Schmidt workshop (randomly interspersed :) )*
At our July meeting, we discussed batting and passed around samples of different kinds. Even though we are quilters of all levels, the batting discussion took off and seemed to enlighten us all!

Some notes:

• We passed around samples of 100% cotton, cotton/poly blend, wool, hi-loft and low loft poly batting, 2 brands of Hobbs and Quilters Dream batting, and a very inexpensive batting. We also looked at how quilting looks with high loft batting.

• We talked about how there is both a right and wrong side to batting. Sometimes it is difficult to visually tell sides apart. Did you know (or have you experienced) “bearding,” which means that bits of batting appear through your fabric if the batting is not layered with right side up?

• One way to discern the right and wrong side of batting, if it is not visibly obvious, is to poke a pin into batting several times. Whichever side the pin pokes through the most easily is the side that should go facing up directly under the pieced top. (I'm going to try this!)

• Each batting manufacturer recommends quilting lines to be a maximum number of inches apart to keep the batting flat and not bunch up. These requirements should be found on individual packaging, so it's a good idea to look before you start working with your batting!

• TIP: Pre-washing or, at least, putting the batting in a dryer for 5-10 minutes guards against it shrinking after quilting. If you desire a more “crunched up” look, do not pre-wash. I wrote in my notes that this works well with cotton batting - I don't know how it works with other blends, though.

• When hand quilting, the needle slips through wool batting much more easily than cotton batting, which saves you from sore fingers! Maybe try wool batting on your next hand quilting project. 

• Cheaper batting does not take well at all to the pull and tug of machine quilting, and members could see how easily it pulled apart. It's probably a good idea to get "good" batting, if you don't already. You don't want your projects to get ruined in the long run!

Alllright! Okay, it wasn't everything you need to know about batting, but there are some interesting tips in there, right? (hope you enjoyed the pictures, too!) And thank you so much to Sandy for an excellent write up of our discussion!

Hope to see you at the Sewcial tomorrow night! (see previous post)
-Jess H.

Reminder: Sewcial is tomorrow night!

Hey CJMQGers, don't forget that tomorrow night (Thursday) we are getting together to sew at Robin's house (thanks Robin!). Come around 6. There is room for four machines but you can bring handwork... honestly, whatever you are working on! It's not far from our normal meeting place either, so come on out.

Here's the RSVP link on Big Tent (please RSVP so we know how many are coming!):
July Sewcial

-Jess H.
(batting post tomorrow, I promise! I apologize!)

Modern Monday #5 - 7/23/12

Modern Monday posts detail happenings and trends in the modern quilt blog world. I will discuss general news, significant contests and their results, new quilt-a-longs, and post flickr inspiration boards. My hope is that everyone, both CJMQG members and modern quilters around the internet, will find some inspiration and get involved with the online world!

A short one today - I'm preparing the batting post!

Flickr Favorites:

1. Chicopee quilt, 2. Modernista Sneak Peek, 3. CityPark, 4. Kaleidoscope Crush, 5. IMG_2452, 6. MSM quilted

-Jess H.

Modern Monday #4 - 7/16/12

Modern Monday posts detail happenings and trends in the modern quilt blog world. I will discuss general news, significant contests and their results, new quilt-a-longs, and post flickr inspiration boards. My hope is that everyone, both CJMQG members and modern quilters around the internet, will find some inspiration and get involved with the online world!


There are SO many new things going on this week! Maybe it's because it's the middle of July and it's hot (at least here in NJ!), which means we're staying in air conditioning as much as possible (and quilting? Please tell me I'm not alone!)


CJMQG RSVPs:
July Sewcial - Thurs. July 26 @ Robin's - please RSVP!


Happenings:

-Not only is my friend Rebecca hosting Christmas in July (tutorials every Monday and lots of prizes), Don't Call Me Betsy is also hosting a Christmas in July, which starts TODAY (7/16) and features 10 Christmas tutorials on 10 different days! Get sewing for the holidays - you know you need to (and I look around my sewing room and think, that's definitely not going to happen yet, haha)!

New Quilt-A-Longs:

-Have I mentioned how completely psyched I am for this QAL?? Probably not... but I am. It starts in September so keep an eye out (I'll be sure to post again when it gets closer):

Tula Pink Space Dust QAL @ Pins and Bobbins

photo courtesy Ellen Luckett Baker

-At Piles O' Fabric, Alyssa is leading the Totally Groovy QAL (pattern by Emily Cier/Carolina Patchworks) - this is such an amazing (and curvy) pattern - and there are some fabulous prizes! Check it out!!

-Jenna at Sew Happy Geek has posted a sneak peak of her next modern QAL. Looking forward to seeing more of it:

Flickr Inspiration:

Do you see a theme for today? :)

1. Perspective Close-up, 2. modern dresden mini, 3. Tula Pink 'Space Dust', 4. Modernista swap wall pocket, 5. Robert Kaufman challenge quilt, 6. CircleQuiltFront


Later this week: our discussion on batting at our July meeting, and this week or next week will be the July meeting recap post.

Leave comments with any questions or suggestions for Modern Mondays (and the blog!)

-Jess H.