Monday, October 17, 2016

September 28, 2016 Minutes

Old Business

  • MQG Derivatives discussion - National has pulled their blog posting on this topic and apologized for the confusion it caused.

  • Teachers/Classes
    • Giedra did hear back from Chris Thompson (Tattooed Quilter) but it looks like the December date would be hard to fill for members plus response seemed lukewarm on the topics he was willing to teach. 
    • A straw poll of members in attendance indicated that members would be more interested in bringing in a local teacher - possibly even utilizing some of our own guild talent.  Also suggested that we ask Brenda for teachers that are close by (so not necessarily guild members but maybe less of travel expenses).  Might want to check into what Chicago guild has to offer and/or teachers they've brought in.
    • Topics people are interested in include: 
      • Quilting (free motion) - one possible teacher might be Sue Nichols
      • Improv - possible teachers Lynn Harris, Kathy Schmidt
      • Another idea might be guild-led such as everyone decide to work on the same pattern (like a bag) and we all help each other out
  • Introduce a Friend to Quilting Night - October 26th (regular meeting night @Cavalry)
    • Amy D will send a google doc out to everyone asking for sign-ups
    • Suggested topics: fabric selection, cutting, piecing, pressing, squaring, quilt sandwich, binding, EPP, quilt math, patterns - what to start with for beginners, paper piecing, applique
    • Members should plan on bringing their own samples of various techniques so we can show examples

New Business
  • A proposal has been brought to the Board to withdraw from MQG in 2107 because of how much it costs versus the value received for all members. The Board has decided to see if it is feasible and to investigate the pros and cons. A straw poll was taken of members present and about 50% stated they would like to withdraw and 50% stated they didn't care one way or the other.  There was no one who said they would like to keep paying membership to National.  Members present did indicate that they would like to see a list of the benefits that national provides members.
  • Swaps - Secret Stalker Swap due at October meeting (we figure it will be fun to show the "friends" in attendance)
  • NEW CENTER
    • The Board is excited to announce that we will have a new meeting location soon.  We are signing an agreement to be an Affiliate at the New Center (1100 N. Main St.).  This gives us:
      • 2 meetings per month - so we plan on having our regular meeting plus sew-ins and/or teacher events
      • a permanent mailing address
      • photocopy and fax capabilities
      • nice view
    • We will start meeting there at our December Holiday Party meeting (December 21st at present but we will discuss if there is a better date for folks)
    • Our October (Oct. 26) and November (Nov. 30) meetings will still be at Cavalry.
    •  A Question was asked what the cost would be to have an extra day (beyond our two meetings).  The Board will research this and get back to everyone.
  • It was suggested that the Board look into the Craft Industry Alliance.
  • Quilt Show Committee - a committee has been formed.  Interested in joining? Contact Amy D or Debbie G. 
  • Elections - reminder that elections are in January. It looks like all the existing board will run again, but competition is a good thing.  Feel free to nominate yourself (or have someone nominate you) if you'd like to run for any office.
  Features
  • Library - books galore, let Kim U know if you want any specific ones brought to the meeting
 
  • Skill School - Kathy K gave a presentation on creating a bit-mapped or pixelated quilt
    • Some options for how to create your pixellation:

    1. Online services like www.youpatch.com - a service where you send in a photo and for $9.50 they email you a pattern with yardage requirements
    2. Free apps or websites
      1. Lemberg Patchwork Pattern Maker http://lemberg.co.uk/showcases/patchwork-pattern-maker
      2. CH Mosaic (iPhone app) [Color Hints Mosaic) [this is what Kathy used for her Whoot! quilt)
      3. Pic 2 Pat www.pic2pat.com 
    3. Upload a file in your browser and save to computer - good blog tutorial at modernquiltersireland.blogspot.com/2015/07/exploring-pixel-quilts.html
    4. Tutorials
      1. Craftsy class - Pictures to Pixel Quilts (free class!)
      2. East Dakota Quilter - uses a more manual method where she takes 5 shades of gray and overlays them on an enlarged b&w photo https://eastdakotaquilter.wordpress.com/2012/11/06/tutorial-designing-a-pixelated-portrait-quilt/
      3. Kristy Daum's Tenth Dr. Who quilt http://www.stlouisfolkvictorian.com/2013/04/pixelingth-finaleotherwise-known-as.html
    5. Create from a cross-stitch pattern (some software packages for embroidery create cross stitch, e.g., Viking's Pro Embroidery System)
    •  What I did for Whoot!
    1. Found a cute owl graphic (think about copyright however!) - what to look for? simple works best although you can get as complex as you like
    2. On my phone I chose the app CH Mosaic. Uploaded the clip art to the app
    3. App gives the choice between triangles or squares. You can also adjust how many squares by how many you want. The less squares, the easier to do, but you may lose detail. More squares = more detail.
    4.  Click "Mosaic" and see if you like. If not, go back to your graphic and adjust.
    5. You can also decide how many colors you want. Again a balance between enough color to detail your graphic and not too much to make it a nightmare to match colors. I chose 5 for Whoot! which turned out to be perfect for the Michael Miller challenge fabric I had on hand.

  • Round Robin (more members are always welcome to jump in!)
  • Swap ensued - favorite fat quarter swap.  Secret Stalker next month.