Sign ups for Summer Swap Open!

Happy bank holiday weekend! Sign ups are now open for our Summer Swap - a tote bag!  I hope you will join us in making a fun summer project.  The idea is to make a tote bag for your partner, big enough for a craft magazine and a hand sewing project and to include a little surprise inside.

A small handmade item or a favourite sewing notion would be ideal.  Chocolate is always welcome but if you are going to send sugary goodies please put them in a plastic bag so as not to melt all over your beautiful creation!

To participate please make a mosaic of items you like to give your partner an idea of what to make! Our previous post How our swaps work has step by step instructions to make a mosaic using Flickr or images from Pinterest. 

1. Tote back, 2. encomenda, 3. Handmade foam tote bag., 4. a Tote Bag, 5. bag-3, 6. Library Bag, 7. Urban Grocery Tote, 8. Anna Maria Horner Tote Bag, 9. Julinha's bag, 10. LEANNE'S BAG, 11. Denyse Schmidt tote, 12. Solids Only Tote Challenge, 13. tote bag, 14. large tote bag, 15. 241 Tote - present for a friend..., 16. Natasha's First Birthday Tote Dec12


Our swap is open to all sewing levels and as always is a beginner friendly swap. Sign ups will be open until next Saturday, 6th June, and partners will be assigned by Friday 12th June latest. You'll then have all summer to make your item for your swap partner, and posting dates will be 1st-3rd September. For inspiration have a look at Pintrest where there are links to all sorts of free tutorials.

This swap is open to members of Modern Quilters Ireland residing in and outside of Ireland. If you are not currently a member, and want to join up (membership is free) please find the information and link to the registration form here or email us at mqgireland@gmail.com.

Please post your mosaic to our Flickr Group  or Instagram #mqisummerswap #modernquiltersireland.
The sign up form is here.  I hope you will join us in making for each other this summer!
-Ruth

MQI - Update

Well now that the exhibition madness is over and the submission date has been met (we have just under 30 quilts and hoops submitted for display next week in St. Patrick's Hospital - thank you to all!) its time for an update on plans for the rest of the summer.  Don't forget our opening is on June 4th at 4pm!

Next week I'll be opening sign ups for our Summer swap.  This year we are hoping to run two swaps.  A summer one with a postal date 1st to 3rd September (so we have plenty of time in between the summer holidays!) and our Christmas swap which I would hope to continue as a MQI tradition.  Any ideas of what you would like to see as a swap item for Christmas please let me know.  We've done table runner and cushion so far!

The summer swap will be for a Tote bag.  I've had my eye on the Moda Bakeshop tutorial for the Queen Bee bag for ages, might finally get around to making one!  Check our this link for inspiration and next week on sign ups I'll add in more details.

I'm also looking for a volunteer to help with the swap.  If anyone is interested please drop me a line!

I've made some updates to the blog too so please take a look and let me know if there is anything you guys want added or amended - we are always looking for ways to make this space better so please send in your ideas.  I've added in links on the beginners page to some of our how to posts and if anyone has a tutorial that I can link to on their blog I'd love to include it.

On the resources page I added in members who take commissions for custom quilts, shops and teachers.  The idea is if someone asks you to make them a quilt and that's not your thing you know where to send them!  If you want to be added to this list or need to amend any details drop me a line.
 
Happy weekend everyone!
-Ruth

PS: Don't forget to check out Bloggers Quilt Festival - 2 of us have our Bee quilts from last year entered.  If you were in our Modern Irish Bee 2014 you might just see some of your blocks!  There are over 300 quilts linked up across the categories including Modern, Art, Original, Rainbow & Scrappy. 

Modern Irish Bee - May block

MAY BLOCK BOXYSTARS

Hello my lovely bees, firstly I would like to apologize for being late on the first few blocks you will be getting them as soon as I can make them , I hope by the time you get my block instructions you will have received them (fingers crossed ). I am sewing like a busy bee to catch up with you all,

For my block I have chosen a free block from http://quiltville.com called boxy stars here is the link http://quiltville.com/pdf/boxystarspf.pdf
 
It is fun and hopefully you will enjoy making it as much as I did.  I have a couple of requests.  I would like you to use black for the background and pink and green.  You can use pattern fabric or solid, I don't mind.  I would just like you to use bright colors please ;)

Also if you could include your scrappy corners you cut off to make the points, as I like using them when i make my labels ;)

And as I will be doing the sashing could you please send me 2 x 2,5" squares of the two fabrics you use to make the stones if you don't have enough its ok!  Thank you all.

My blocks finish as 12 inch block.  The difference from the web page is that I used the same colors for each quarter block , it is simple enough to make kind of like log cabins with a twist.

The cutting requirements are for 2 x 12inch blocks:

4 pinks 6,5 inch blocks
for the accents 4x( 2,5" squares) and 4 (2,5" x4,5" rectangles)
for the star points 4 x(2,5" x4,5" rectangles ) and 4 x (2,5" x 6,5" rectangles)
background 12 x 2,5" squares

4 green 6.5 inch blocks
for the accents 4x( 2,5" squares) and 4 (2,5" x4,5" rectangles)
for the star points 4 x(2,5" x4,5" rectangles ) and 4 x (2,5" x 6,5" rectangles)
background 12 x 2,5" squares

If you could please press seams open I would appreciate it , as I prefer them open for quilting.

So you end up with a quarter block like this then you make 4 and sew them together , easy as pie!

You will get the full tutorial on the link http://quiltville.com/pdf/boxystarspf.pdf thanks all enjoy making them ;) MAYA

If you have any questions send me a email!