November BOM: Intersection Block

This month we will be making the intersection block by Film in the Fridge. For more information on the block, you can look at her blog post (https://filminthefridge.com/2014/11/19/intersection-block-a-tutorial/).

Colour palette:

Prints 

Finished block size: 11.5 in square

Cutting requirements:

(1) 8in square Fabric A

(2) 1.5x8 in Fabric B

(2) 1.5x10 in Fabric B
(2) 1.5x10 in Fabric C
(2) 1.5x12 in Fabric C
Piecing instructions:
1. Take Fabric B (8in), and sew it on either side of Fabric A. Press.

2. Take Fabric B (10in) and sew it on the top and bottom of your main unit. Press.

3. Take Fabric C (10in) and sew it to the sides of your main unit. Press. 

4. Take the (12in) strips and add to top and bottom of the unit. Press.

5. Trim block to 12 in.

6. Take your ruler and cut the block down the middle at the 6in mark, cutting it once vertically and once horizontally. You should now have (4) 6in squares.

7. Rotate your squares so they look like the image. Your outer borders should now form a cross in the middle.

8. Sew the blocks together (top and bottom), then sew the units together. Press.

9. Trim to be 11.5in.

October BOM: Portholes

 Taking some inspiration from Lucie Summers, in her book "Quilt Improv", we're making porthole blocks this month! If you want to explore more of her designs, I highly recommend taking the book out of the library.

Colour palette: Any prints that go together

Fabric:

1x 8.5x8.5in square (Main fabric)

1x 8.5x8.5in square (Lining fabric, can be anything as it won't be seen through the hole. Solids are great for this)

1x 6x6in approx. panel of fabric (for the inside of the porthole, can be pieced together)

You're going to need a 4in circle template. You can either make one yourself, print off the one provided (make sure to scale to 100% and measure across once you print it to make sure it is the right size), or pick one up from the BOM table.

https://patternuniverse.com/files/downloads/4-inch-circle-pattern.pdf

Piecing Instructions:

1. Line the two 8.5in squares together, right sides together. Find the middle and place the circle template in the middle as close as you can. Trace the template with a heat erasable pen.

2. Sew along the circle line that you traced.

3. Cut out the middle, leaving about 1/4in from the seams.

4. Take the lining fabric and bring it through to the front. Iron it from the back as it doesn't matter if the main fabric pokes through the back a bit, but you don't want the lining to be showing on the front. Ironing the circle might make it a tad wonky, but do your best to straighten it out. We will be trimming it slightly afterwards.

4. Place your pieced/one piece porthole fabric behind the hole, so that it shows through the hole on the main fabric side.

5. Using a 1/4in seam, sew around your hole to stitch the porthole to your block.

6. Take your ruler and square up the block so that it measures 8x8in.

Here is an example of a few blocks finished together. As you can see, I've included some of the pieces middles as well as one piece middles.

Block of the Year 2022-2023

We are bringing back block of the year (BOY)! The way BOY works, is you work on the blocks throughout the year and every block you submit gives you a chance to win ALL the blocks. The patterns tend to be smaller, easier blocks to make and this year we will be doing improv pluses that are 5 inches square. 

At every in person meeting, you will have the chance to give in blocks and we will record it throughout the year. At the last meeting (June 2023), we will give out tickets and do a draw to see who is the winner. 

Bellow are the instructions on how to make your blocks and the colours used.

Colour palette:

Background can be any light beige, light grey, or white solid OR tone on tone

Pluses can be made up of any colour in prints or solids

Cutting instructions:

5.5in square of background (if you're not comfortable, you can also start with a 6 in square)

(2) strips at least 5.5in x how thick you want the plus to be

Piecing:

1. Cut the background square in half, doesn't have to be measured and can be on an angle.

2. Sew one of the plus strips in between the two pieces. Press.

3. In the opposite direction, make a cut that goes through the middle, like the first one. Repeat step 2 when attaching the strip in place. Press.

4. Trim your block to be 5in square. 

September BOM: Puzzle Patch

 This block is part of the MQG resource library and can be found using this link (https://www.themodernquiltguild.com/resource/puzzle-patch-block-study/). You need to be a member to be able to see the page.

 For colours, we'll be using solids and doing the colourway in the main instructions. 

Fabric required:

Fabric A: 9x9 square (Green)

Fabric B: 9x9 square (Darker blue)

Fabric C: 9x9 square (Light Blue)

Fabric D: (2) 4.5x4.5 squares (White)

Cutting Instructions:

1. Cut A and B along the diagonal. Cut C into two (9x4.5) rectangles.

Piecing Instructions

1. Join D and C together on the 4.5 end.

2. Sew 1 C-D unit to an A unit (see image for placement) and repeat with a B unit on the other piece.

3. Using a long ruler with a 45 degree marking, Line the edge of the ruler with the edge of the fabric A/B and the 45 marking along the A/B and C-D unit. Cut along the line. You will now have a triangle unit. Repeat with second piece.

5. Join the two units along the slanted edge with the C-D unit at opposite ends of the block. 

6. Trim your block so that it is 12.5x12.5 inches. 

. 

2023 Retreat Information

We're having a retreat!

This year's OMQG Retreat is planned for Friday, November 24 until either Sunday, November 26 or Monday, November 27. We can start checking in at 2:00 pm on Friday, and checkout on Sunday or Monday is at 12:00 pm. Registration will open at our meeting in September.  

The retreat is happening at The Spruceholme Inn, which is located at 204 Rue Principale in Fort-Coulonge, Quebec. The website for the Inn is here: https://spruceholmeinn.com/. Fort-Coulonge is a little town located in the Pontiac region, approximately 1 hour and 35 minutes north-west of Ottawa. Spruceholme Inn hosts retreats and events all the time and they're very excited to welcome our group in November.

Cost and Payment: 

Friday-Sunday (2 nights): $300 ($275 + $25 deposit)

Friday-Monday (3 nights): $365 ($340 + $25 deposit)

A non-refundable deposit of $25 per person is required to secure your spot at the retreat. 

Pay your deposit for the retreat

Or use this QR code

You can also pay your deposit by cash or cheque at the September 25th or October 23rd guild meetings. The remaining balance of the fee is paid directly to the Inn at the end of your stay.

Rooms are either single or double occupancy (all the same price). There is a spot on the registration form to indicate if you prefer a single or double room, and if you would like to share your room with a particular person.

Food and Drink:

Our retreat fee includes all meals over the weekend. The meals start with dinner on Friday, and go all the way through to breakfast on Sunday (or Monday, if you choose the 3 night stay). There is a spot on the registration form to indicate any allergies or dietary restrictions.

Guests are welcome to enjoy their own alcoholic beverages in their rooms. Please note that if you would like to have wine/beer/other alcohol with a meal or while you sew in the main room, those drinks will need to be purchased from the bar onsite.

Please feel free to bring your own snacks to round out the meal plans, and snacks to share are more than welcome as well!

Please note that a minimum of 12 Participants are needed to offer this retreat. We can have up to 40 people for the weekend, and friends and guests of members are welcome to join as well. So bring your pals and come for a wonderful weekend of sewing and laughs in Fort-Coulonge!

We're so excited to be able to host an in-person retreat again and we're looking forward to getting away with you in November! Please let us know if you have any questions.

Welcome to the Ottawa Modern Quilt Guild 2022-23 season!

Hey Ottawa Modern Quilt Guild peeps, we are gearing up for a great year! The Executive has been working on some exciting plans to make this year a fun and inspiring year. Here are a few details to get us started:

 

Registration:

If you haven't registered yet, go do it now (we'll wait). :) You can pay via Square (small charge), etransfer (also a small charge), cash or cheque at the door. Easy peasy! The registration fee is $40 and includes all of this year's meetings, discounts on workshops, a guest pass and membership in The Modern Quilt Guild. New members are always welcome! 

 

September's meeting:

• Our first meeting is on Monday, September 26th IN PERSON! What? Yes, that's right. We're going to meet in person at the Glen Cairn Community Centre in the Upper Hall (190 Morrena Road) at 7:30 p.m. (Doors open at 7:20 p.m.). We will be doing a mix of in person and Zoom meetings this year -- check out the dates and locations of our future meetings on the Meetings tab.
• We'll be talking about our programming plans this year, the VP challenge, Block of the Month, the retreat, and so much more!
• Super Show and Share: If you have any finished modern quilts that you made during the pandemic that you'd like to share, this is the meeting to do it. Anyone who shared anything in a virtual S&T could also bring in their items to share in person. I don't know about you, but I was terrible at sending photos in for our virtual show and shares so I have a little stockpile of quilts to share. :) 

 

Vice President's challenge:

• Karen Mahoney has put together an amazing challenge for us this year. Inspired by Elizabeth Glibert's book Big Magic, this challenge will appeal to all skill levels. What do improv design, Maria Shell and pull up a chair have in common? Check out the September installment to find out!

 

Looking forward to seeing you in person next week. Only 7 more sleeps! 

M-R

May BOM: Whorl

 

This block is featured in Issue 4 (Oct, Nov, Dec 2021) of The Modern Quilt Guild Journal. It is an easy block with a partial seam to challenge and build your skills.

One of the benefits of being a member of the Ottawa Modern Quilt Guild is having an included membership to the Modern Quilt Guild. If you have not taken advantage of this resource, it is well worth signing up https://community.themodernquiltguild.com/user/login The Whorl block can be found in Resources/Block Studies/Beginner Friendly Piecing.

Materials: One fat eighth each of solid fabrics for Fabrics A and B in complementary colours. You can use a solid and a print if you wish. My fabric pull is Fabric A (deep coral) and Fabric B (green)

NOTE: All seams are a scant 1/4 inch. RST = Right Sides Together

1. From each of fabrics A and B cut (1) 8 1/2" x 20" strip

8 1/2" x 20" strips ready to subcut

2. Subcut each 8 1/2" x 20" strip into (2) 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangles and (1) 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" square

Subcuts

3. Make Half Square Triangles (HSTs)

 Draw a line diagonally from corner to corner on the lightest 5 1/2" Fabric B (green) square

4. Place Fabric A (deep coral) and Fabric B (green) squares RST and sew a scant 1/4" on either side of the drawn line

Sew a scant 1/4" on each side of drawn line

Cut along the drawn line

Press each HST seam to the side

5. Make Quarter Square Triangles (QSTs)

Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of one HST block

Position HST blocks RST matching alternate colours together and nesting centre seam

Sew a scant 1/4" on either side of the marked line

Cut along the line

Press seams open and trim QSTs to 4 1/2" x 4 1/2"

You now have two QSTs. Set one QST aside for another project

6. With RST place the Fabric A (deep coral) side of a QST on top of a 4 1/2" x 8 1/2" Fabric A (deep coral) rectangle. Sew a partial seam to the halfway mark of the QST

Press partial seam toward Fabric A (deep coral) rectangle

Sew a Fabric B (green) 4 1/2" x 8 1/2" rectangle to the QST/Fabric A (deep coral) rectangle. Press seam away from the QST block

Sew remaining Fabric A (deep coral) 4 1/2" x 8 1/2" rectangle to bottom of the QST/Fabric B (green) rectangle. Press seam away from the QST block

Sew remaining Fabric B (green) 4 1/2" x 8 1/2" rectangle to the right hand side of the QST and Fabric A (deep coral) rectangle. Press seam away from the QST block

Finally, sew the remaining partial seam to the QST Fabric B (green) rectangle. Press seam away from the QST block

Trim block to 12.5" x 12.5"

Theresa