Project Modern: Challenge 1 Announced!

Re-post:September 1, 2010 by themodernquiltguild
 

 
Here it is!  Challenge 1.  We hope that you all dive in and get started.  We can’t wait to see all of your inspired quilts! 

Make a quilt based on an inspiration of your choice. When submitting your entry you will have to submit a photo of your particular inspiration, along with a photo of your quilt and a few paragraphs explaining your quilt.  How does it relate to or display your inspiration?

Meet our judge, Valori Wells:

Photography and printmaking brought Valori Wells to her present career as a fabric designer.  She is also a professional quilter, author, and fabric and pattern designer who, with her mother, owns the beloved Stitchin’ Post quilt shop in Sisters, Oregon.  Valori’s quilting books, including Simple Start, Stunning Finish, Radiant New York Beauties, and Stitch ‘N  Flip Quilts, explore innovative techniques with natural and floral subject matter and her beautiful photography as inspiration.  She and her husband live just outside of Sisters, with their son and two daughters.

The Prizes:

Each of the three winners will receive a fabulous prize package, featuring the following products from C&T Publishing:

A copy of City Quilts by Cherri House, a book of beautiful quilt designs inspired by modern urban architecture and landscapes.  City Quilts is published by C&T’s exciting new imprint, Stash Books.

One package each of these amazing tools for exploring appliqué, paper piecing, and more:
Silicone Release Paper, Wash-Away Applique Sheets , Carol Doak’s Foundation Paper, and Quilter’s Freezer Paper Sheets.

A 3 in 1 Color Tool for handy reference and help planning color schemes.

Each prize package will also include:

A bundle of 12 coordinating half-yards of beautiful, modern fabric, courtesy of Fabricworm.

A Kona Cotton Solid Roll-Up in the popular Bright color palette, courtesy of Robert Kaufman.

Six yards of 90” wide Warm and White batting, courtesy of Warm Company.

And be sure to check back here on Sept. 7th to find out how you can be in the running to win a Janome Horizon Memory Craft 7700QCP sewing machine, courtesy of Janome America.

Thank you to our wonderful contest sponsors!

The Rules & Details:
- All quilts must be 45” x 45” or larger
- Limit of one submission per person, per challenge
- To enter your submission for Challenge 1, email one photo of your quilt, one photo of your inspiration and a brief write up (one or two paragraphs is fine) explaining your quilt and how it reflects your inspiration to: projectmoderncontest@gmail.com.  All entries for Challenge 1 must be received by November 30, 2010.
- The winners of Challenge 1 will be announced on or about December 15, 2010.
- US residents only are eligible for the prizes.
-  The three winners of Challenge 1 will be selected by our Guest Judge, Valori Wells.  At the judge’s discretion, members of The MQG Planning Committee may aid in selecting finalists.  However, no person involved in the judging process will know the identity of contest entrants.    Each winner will receive an identical prize package.
- Project Modern will be conducted on and through The MQG’s website. The details of each challenge, and the winners will be announced on the blog.
- All Challenge 1 submissions will be posted in a public Flickr group after November 30, 2010.  .
- Full challenge rules here.

Project Modern

I just found out from Alissa at Handmade by Alissa that the Modern Quilt Guild is launching a modern quilting challenge!  Project Modern!

According to Alissa there will be some truly great judges and prizes are involved.   Even a Janome Horizon 7700!!  Check it out Project Modern on the Modern Quilt Guild website!

Happy Quilting!

Why I'm Trying to Go Modern

Let me preface this post by first saying that I think traditional quilts and art quilts are absolutely gorgeous. I love going to quilt shows, reading quilt books, and surfing the web to see the beautiful work people have done in both categories and I definitely want to try my hand at both! Nothing in this post is intended to diminish or in any way criticize those quilting styles. That being said...

A few weeks ago I decided Northern Virginia needed a Modern Quilt Guild option. Why? I hope I don't offend anyone by saying this, but I just didn't think I would fit in with the quilt guilds in my area. My concern is that my lifestyle, availability, interests, age, fabric selections, and design style would be so different from others in more traditional guilds that I wouldn't feel as rich of a connection as I would with people who are like me and therefore not enjoy my experience as much.

• I work all the time. I often work late nights, early mornings, and on weekends too. I never really know what my schedule is going to look like
• I can't go to workshops or meetings in the middle of the day during the work week (because I'm working) 
• I am 27 (happy birthday to me!) so much younger than most of the quilters I know
• I'm drawn to fabric designers like Amy Butler, Joel Dewberry, Heather Bailey, Lizzy House, Anna Maria Horner, and Kona Solids 
• I'm drawn to patterns by Cherri House, Denyse Schmidt, Amy Butler, and I also like making my own up because I like figuring things out for myself and learn better from mistakes than instructions
• Quilting is something I love to do but it's not my only hobby. I also like to read, play xBox, wii, nintendo ds, and computer games, entertain friends and family (dinner, drinks, board games, etc), play with Lucy, take pictures, scrapbook, travel, decorate, draw, paint, and make jewelry (Lovie and Boo).
• I've only been sewing since December 2008

I really like the concept of quilting as a stool with 3 legs: traditional, art, and modern. Modern quilting encompass the basic materials and techniques of traditional quilt making with the bend-and-break the rules approach of art quilting. While many traditional quilt guilds in my area have members who's work falls into the modern category, there isn't a guild in my area that primarily embraces that aesthetic. So I started one!

Some cool things I've learned so far:

• you can create a free website on webs.com but if you pay extra you get more features
• you can create a cool web toolbar icon at favicon

You're here so you have probably seen some of my quilts here, here, here, here, other stuff here and here and like my style. While I wouldn't totally put me in the "modern" category looking at those examples, consider that my stash is filled with more modern fabrics I just haven't cut into yet because my life is crazy and because I haven't figured out what I want to do with them yet. I do love batiks which probably makes me a traitor to the modern movement but they are just sooooooo so pretty.

I recently updated the home page with lots of information about Modern quilting so if you are interested go check it out. If you find yourself agreeing with the comments and "buzz", live in the Northern Virginia area (or surrounding area), and want to join just apply through the web!

Happy Quilting!

p.s. - I'm working on a batting scrap project tonight!

The NOVA Modern Quilt Guild

I just updated the home page with lots of information about Modern quilting so if you are interested go check it out. If you find yourself agreeing with the comments and "buzz", live in the Northern Virginia area (or surrounding area), and want to join just apply through the web! I'm going to give it a few more days to see if there's any interest in my area and if not I'm going to cancel the web page I created and figure something else out.

Happy Quilting!

The NOVA Modern Quilt Guild - It's Official

Well, I officially started a web page for The NOVA Modern Quilt Guild!

My goal is to get enough people interested to have our first guild planning meeting. From there we can get to know each other a little better, decide on the roles our officers will play in the guild, vote on officers, discuss our goals as a guild, and discuss how we will interact with our community.

I am going to need a lot of help getting this guild up and running so if you are in the Northern Virginia area and are interested in being a founding member or officer of the NOVAMQG leave a comment or send me an email at threadedmess(at)gmail(dot)com letting me know why you consider yourself to be a modern quilter, how you hope to participate in the guild, and your favorite local quilting shop

Happy Quilting!

NOVA Modern Quilt Guild

Interestingly enough....the closest modern quilt guild in my area is the D.C. Modern Quilt Guild. So guess what? I am going to try starting a NOVA chapter! Am I crazy? Probably...but if it works out I will be so excited!

I would love to start a Northern VA group centered in the Fairfax County, Loudoun County, and Prince William County area. I would like to set this up as The NOVA Modern Quilt Guild. There is a D.C. Modern Quilt Guild and I see that someone was interested in a Fredricksburg Modern Quilt Guild on The Modern Quilt Guild website but I think this area is big enough that we could benefit from having all 3 guilds. I am hoping there are others in my area who are interested!

If you live in the greater Northern VA area and are interested in being a founding member of the NOVA Modern Quilt Guild please contact me through my blog or leave a comment.  We will need guild leaders and members to get things started and place to meet.

Happy Quilting!


UPDATE: Thanks to Patchwork Penguin I'm going to add some more information for those of you who are interested. 


What is Modern Quilting? 

There has been a lot of discussion on what is considered a "modern" quilt these days. Some people feel like it is just really, REALLY, REALLY traditional quilting. I have seen a lot of traditional quilt blocks and techniques being updated in a fresh, fun way with modern fabrics and color combinations (check out Anna Maria Horner's blog) and I have seen a lot of "rules" being thrown out the window (check out Leah Day's 365 Days of Free Motion Quilting Filler Designs). I would suggest checking out the "About Us" page on The Modern Quilt Guild page for more information. They describe it much better than I can.


Why do I consider myself a "Modern" quilter? 
For me, it's more about attitude towards quilting and style choice. I find myself drawn to clean lined designs like Cherry House Quilts with more simple color palates and patterns that show off the fabric rather than show off my ability to make something from really tiny pieces of fabric (ok--there's some skill issues involved in that, as in: I don't have the skills necessary yet but I'm working on it). I find myself oohing and ahhing over Lizzy House, Heather Bailey, Amy Butler and Joel Dewberry fabrics who take a "modern" approach to colors and patterns. I'm interested in starting a chapter in the NOVA area because I don't know anyone like me quilting in this area yet and I would like to!


I hope this answers some questions but if not, leave a comment and I will add some more!