Ann Morton is our featured speaker at our next ZOOM meeting JULY 28, 2020

Hi Modern Quilters,

Life is changing every day.  Cancellations are a daily occurrence and not an easy decision to make for the organizers, like the cancellation of our BNMQ Retreat.  On the other hand, virtual opportunities are popping up and they are exciting.  I’ve taken a Zoom workshop with Carole Lyles Shaw (which I would probably never been able to do) and signed up for lectures and workshops at QuiltCon to be held in February. I am looking forward to the experiences that are sure to overwhelm me with new ideas, techniques, and inspiration.  These opportunities may become a regular occurrence or they might just be around for a little while so I’m taking advantage of them now.

It was awesome to see faces again and share quilts and ideas at our ZOOM meeting in June. I hope you enjoyed Lyric’s presentation as much as I did.  I’m seeing things a little differently and paying more attention to the things around me.

BNMQG meetings are filling up with great programs in 2020-2021.  In fact, we have meetings planned through January, 2021 and they are exciting.  This month we’ll be challenged to make a difference with Ann Morton and the Violet Protest. I’m hoping we have even more members join us this month.

Ann Morton and the Violet Protest

Ann will be joining us during our July Zoom meeting.  She’ll give you some history of the Violet Protest and give you an opportunity to help with it.  You don’t want to miss this presentation!

“Ann Morton is a fiber artist, educator and social practitioner living in Phoenix, Arizona.

Ann’s work exploits traditional fiber techniques as conceptual tools for aesthetic, social communication to examine a society of which we are all a part– as bystanders, participants, victims and perpetrators.

​Driven by a desire to make right, the work she does reflects her own handwork, but also orchestrates handwork of interested community members through public interventions that seek to socially engage the hands of many to harness the power of making for social purpose.” – http://www.violetprotest.com/the-artist.html

For more information about Ann Morton and the Violet Protest:

• Website:  violetprotest.com for the project – learn more details about the project and sign up.
• Facebook: facebook.com/thevioletprotest
• Ravelry: ravelry.com/groups/the-violet-protest
• Instagram: @thevioletprotest

JOIN US – Put a reminder in your phone or on your calendar and join us for our monthly meeting on Tuesday night (July 28) from 6 pm – 8 pm via ZOOM.

This is a FREE event for members. An email will be sent to members for this event on Zoom. Join us at 5:30 to allow time for people to join the meeting and for a little social time.  And as always, we’ll start the meeting at 6pm with announcements and committee reports, followed by a quick show and tell (of course), and followed by our featured presenter – Ann Morton. Please encourage your BNMQG friends and invite non-members to attend.

Watch your email – you should receive a link in your email to get into Zoom for the meeting.  ** The email will come from Lisa B from her work email at District87.org.  We chose ZOOM because it is the best platform to use as it works easily for people with all sorts of tech skills.  The email that you receive will have options for joining the meeting – the easiest is to click the link in the email to go directly to the meeting.  Read the email to see other options.   If you haven’t done ZOOM before, please join early in case you have any technical problems. Make sure to sign in using your name so we’ll let you into the meeting from the waiting room.  If we’re not letting you in, watch from a message in the waiting room – it’s probably because we don’t recognize you.

New to ZOOM?  Here are some links to show you how it works.

• 8 Tips to Use Zoom as a Pro – https://thewirecutter.com/blog/use-zoom-like-a-pro/
• Using Zoom? Here are tips to get the most of it – https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2020/03/18/zoom-10-tips-how-get-most/5073581002/
• 7 tips – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNxhkq9jjVo

The travel isn’t long.  The weather isn’t a problem.  ZOOM is really easy (just ask anyone who has attended our meeting via zoom).  Lisa B. does an amazing job of running the behind-the-scenes stuff.   AND if you’re still intimidated by the technology, email me.  We can have a private zoom (it probably would only take 10-15 minutes) in the days before the meeting so you can see how easy it is.  We want all of our members to be able to attend our meetings and it’s so much fun to see each other’s beautiful faces.

In the past we have had the opportunity to bring guests to our meetings and there was a $10 fee charged when we have a speaker.  We now have that capability for our zoom meetings.  We are offering a paypal option for non-members to attend at the low price of $5.50.  There is a link from the event on Facebook and on our website.  If this takes off, we may be able to get even more speakers for our guild meetings!  So encourage your quilting friends to join us.   To  purchase  a guess  pass  for  the  July  meeting,  please  use  the  PayPal  button  below.

Tech Tuesdays

There have been 8 sessions of Tech Tuesdays and they’ve had great reviews.  Instagram by our own Kathy Cook – Individual help was priceless and the sessions included really good ways for using Instagram.  Carole Fay has kicked off her Electric Quilt Sessions and they are a hit.  You don’t have Electric Quilt software?  Just sign up for a session and learn what it can do and see if you might be interested.  We are lucky to have such amazing tech resources in BNMQG.  We offer sessions at 11am and at 6pm most Tuesdays and they last about an hour.  Signup and try one out.  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904054fa9ad29a6f58-bnmqg

We are looking for more topics for Tech Tuesdays – anything tech related.  Want to suggest a topic or have something you can share with us?  Please let me know.

You don’t want to miss our reveal of the challenge at the July 28th meeting on Zoom!

BNMQG Nominations Committee

A big thanks go out to the committee of Noemi Bowers, Ary Anderson, and Vickie Alsene for all of your work with nominations.  The election will take place in August at our Zoom Meeting – you must be present to vote.  As of this time, the slate of officers are:

Nancy Powell – president, Kathy Cook – Vice President, Betty Woodruff – Treasurer, and Paula Meiner – Secretary.

Membership

It’s time to start thinking about renewing your membership to BNMQG.  I am hoping that you think your dues are being well spent and that you are valuing the programs that we’re providing.  This year has been a challenging one.  Your membership provides you with a membership to BNMQG,  The Modern Quilt Guild, QuiltCon discounts, monthly programs and newsletters, workshop opportunities, and maybe best of all, a “place” to share your love of quilting with other modern quilters.

Your membership runs from September through August of the following year and this year you have an option of how you would like to pay your dues.  Renewals for 2020-2021 can be made on the website via Paypal (see the sidebar) for $36.50 (which includes paypal’s fees) or you can print the membership form in the “About” tab on the website (https://bnmqg.org/about/) and mail a check for $35 with your payment.  The address is on the form.

Heart Beat quilts

Hospitals have put a hold on taking any quilts at this time…but Pat S. hasn’t quit working.  She has 30 quilt kits put together so that when the hospitals start needing them again, we’ll have some ready to give them. Please call or text one of these three people to make arrangements to pick up a kit to finish:

• North Normal – Betty W.
• Central Bloomington-Normal – Pat S.
• Southeast Bloomington – Nancy P.

        Kathy C
This month we’re highlighting Sarah Hibbert, a quilter and artist from the U.K. Sarah uses linen and lots of beautiful hand stitching in her quilts. Her quilt “Macaroons” was chosen for this year’s Festival of Quilts in Birmingham and she was chosen as the featured quilter. See more of her beautiful work her on Instagram at @quiltscornerstone.   She is also a talented paper collage artist and often translates her collages into quilts. The collages are also featured @cornerstonecollages.  Enjoy and be inspired!

 

 

 

 

 

The Modern Quilt Guild

• QuiltCon Update – did you read the email that announced that QuiltCon will be a virtual show? Registration started on July 15 but it’s still not too late to register. If you signup for a lecture or a class, your show ticket is free.  Look for your email from MQG that was sent on July 13 or use this link to register:  https://cvent.me/9a43lk
• Have you spent any time in the MQG resources? Check out the recorded webinar – Dive into MQG Resources to learn what’s available and maybe even learn some new things that you didn’t already know.  https://community.themodernquiltguild.com/resources/dive-mqg-resources?mc_cid=570889e17a&mc_eid=13d4aae610
• There are some great recorded webinars to watch and new ones to sign up for that can be found in the MQG Resources. Check them out at https://mqg.memberclicks.net/events  There is one coming up on July 30 at 1:00  about Curved piecing:  Beyond the Drunkard’s Path you might not want to miss.
• MQG Call for Submissions – lots of different opportunities … check it out! https://mqg.memberclicks.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54:mqg-call-for-submissions&catid=20:site-content&Itemid=149
• Consider joining the MQG Modern Classics Challenge from MQG. Using their special color palette and a quilt pattern that was previously released as Quilt of the Month patterns, make the quilt.   https://www.themodernquiltguild.com/mqg-modern-classics?mc_cid=128ecf3eb4&mc_eid=13d4aae610  In my opinion, the color palette is actually quite nice!

Tech communications:

Website/Blog – Do you remember the password for our website/blog (https://bnmqg.wordpress.com/)?  You’ll need this if you want access to the Member Only area on this site.  Contact Lisa Baermann if you need help – l.baermann@comcast.net

In the member area, please check the list of members and double check that your contact info is correct.  If you need to correct your information, please send an email to:  BNMQG@hotmail.com and put Attn Cathie in the subject area.  Thanks.

Have you joined BNMQG on Facebook?  The BNMQG is a NEW closed group just for our current members.  It was just started this year.  Here is the link.    https://www.facebook.com/groups/BNMQG/ .  1) Request to join the group, 2) answer two questions, and 3) you’ll be approved to become a member of this page.  You will be able to download files from this page for newsletters, workshop instructions, renewal forms, etc.  This was not possible on our Bloomington Normal Modern Quilt Guild (PAGE).  This is different from the other Facebook page where anyone can see posts on that page and files aren’t allowed to be shared –  https://www.facebook.com/Bloomington-Normal-Modern-Quilt-Guild-469886799702183/

Are you on Instagram?  Follow our guild @BNMQG and as you post your modern quilting photos, please use the hastags #BNMQG and #BNMQGquilts.  Want more Instagram help, let us know and we’ll work it into some Tech Tuesdays!

For your BNMQG calendar:

• July 28 – BNMQG meeting – Ann Morton and the Violet Protest
• August 25 – Donna Lee will present Interleaving:  Mixing Two Designs Together!
• September 1 – Mini quilts will be hung in Scouts Downtown Café (113 N Center St, Bloomington, IL 61701) for the month of September.  Come see the quilts, have some good food, and thank Scout for hosting our mini show!
• September 22 – Jill Fisher @pieladyquilts will present “Unlocking the Joy in Scraps”  pieladyquilts.blogspot.com
• October 27 – Kathy Cook will present Temperature quilts
• November – Rebecca Bryan – date is still to be determined.
• December – no meeting

Continuing Reminders:

• BNMQG mini quilts for the Kona Color of the Year Challenge
  Keep posting your mini quilts in the 2020 mini quilt photo album.  Update:  We still think we will be having our Mini quilt show at Scouts in September.  So it’s still not too late to make a mini (hint hint)
• Rebecca Bryan is being rescheduled – November date TBA  Nationally known quilter, teacher, and author will be giving a lecture and trunk show to the Bloomington Normal Modern Quilt Guild but it will be rescheduled until our next guild year, hopefully this fall.  We still do not have a date.  So, if you have signed up and sent a check for the workshop, you are on first on the list when the workshop is rescheduled.   In the meantime, please check out Rebecca’s website:  Bryan House Quilts

Looking forward to seeing your beautiful face on Zoom at our meeting on Tuesday.  Call your BNMQG friends and have them meet you there.

Take care and Happy Modern Quilting!  –Nancy

 

2021 Quilt Show Calendar

• February 18-21, 2021 – Virtual QuiltCon https://www.quiltcon.com/
• April 9 – 10, 2021 – Decatur Quilters Guild 40th Anniversary Party – Ruby Celebration – Decatur Civic Center, 1 Gary Anderson Plaza, Decatur, Il  62522 http://www.decaturciviccenter.org/events/447/decatur-quilters-guild-40th.-ruby-celebration-quilt-fest
• April 30 – May 1, 2021 – Hands All Around Quilt Guild Quilt Spectrum – Interstate Center, Bloomington