July Sewcial!

Just a reminder that due to the July 4th holiday, we will not have our regular monthly meeting at AccuQuilt on Tuesday, July 3. Instead, we will have an informal sewcial at the Milton R. Abrahams Library Branch at 5111 N. 90th Street (on the southeast corner of 90th & Fort).

Bring your sewing machine, sewing supplies and a project to work on. Don't forget your show & tell. (We love to see what everyone has been working on!) If you'd like, you can bring a snack to share. Join us for the entire time or just part of the evening. All are welcome!

March 2018 Meeting Minutes

March Meeting minutes are posted!  Check under the Meeting Minutes Tab.

August Meeting!

Don't forget...

You can also bring your QuiltCon wonky star blocks. There are additional fabric packs available as well. Hope to see your there!

#quiltsforpulse

The Omaha Modern Quilt Guild will be sending completed ‪#‎quiltsforpulse‬ to the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild.We will be collecting quilt blocks, scheduling sew-ins to make blocks and assemble quilt tops, and looking for volunteers to quilt and bind. Stay tuned for details! More information about this effort can be found at the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild's blog. If you would like to start making blocks (bright color hearts with low-volume background), there are instructions for a simple 10" heart block here at Cluck, Cluck, Sew.

Raffle Quilt!

The Omaha Modern Quilt Guild has been given the opportunity to sell tickets for a raffle quilt at the Douglas County Fair happening July 21-23, 21016! This is short notice, but we have such awesome members that we can have a beautiful quilt done in time.

We will be making a bright, scrappy, modern quilt like this one...

All of the details on what we're doing and how you can help can be found here!

Quilt Spotlight: QuiltCon Charity Quilt

The  Omaha Modern Quilt Guild will be starting a recurring feature on our blog...a quilt spotlight featuring fabulous modern quilts made by our members! First up is the OMQG QuiltCon charity quilt.

When the idea of making a charity quilt for QuiltCon was presented, members of the Omaha Modern Quilt Guild were excited to participate. OMQG Vice President Katie Roehlk and Secretary Stephanie Jacobson headed up the effort. We decided to use a limited color palette and chose the following colors for members to work with:

We decided to make a star sampler quilt and set up a Pinterest board with links to various star quilt block tutorials and patterns as inspiration for our members. We also posted guidelines for our members. The blocks we received at our November meeting were pretty amazing, and it was fun seeing them up on the design wall.

The blocks were divided among four members (Katie Roehlk, Kristina Morrow, Kristie Jarchow, and Stephanie Jacobson), and each member was responsible for assembling her quarter of the quilt by piecing the blocks together, adding additional fabric or blocks, and quilting the section. Huge thanks to Kristie Jarchow for assembling the 4 parts of the quilt, binding it, and getting it shipped safely to Austin.

We look forward to seeing our quilt displayed at QuiltCon in Austin and donating it to a charity in the Omaha area.

January Meeting

The Omaha Modern Quilt Guild had a great year in 2014, and we're looking forward to an even better year in 2015. Our first meeting of the year will be this Tuesday, January 6, 2015 at 7pm at Sunshine Stitches (525 N. 155th Plaza...in the Pepperwood Shopping Center next to Baker's Supermarket). On the agenda for this meeting:

• Dues/Membership: We will be renewing our membership in the Modern Quilt Guild after the January meeting. If you are renewing your membership for 2015 and haven't already paid dues, please bring $35 dues to the January meeting. You may fill out the online membership form ahead of time if you'd like. The Modern Quilt Guild has a lot of great activities planned for 2015 including a spring fabric challenge so be sure to keep your membership active to take advantage of all the MQG has to offer.
• January Activity: Our January meeting activity will be a white elephant UFO (unfinished object) swap. If you'd like to participate, please bring an unfinished quilting item (orphan quilt blocks, pattern, fabric, a kit you never started or started but didn't complete, a quilt top you don't love enough to finish, etc) wrapped/concealed in a bag.
• PHD List: 2015 is the year to earn your OMQG PHD by finishing your Projects Half Done and Piled High & Deep! Start compiling your list of unfinished quilting projects you want to finish (or start/make progress on) in 2015. You can make your own list or print/save this form to keep track of your projects.

We'll see you Tuesday!

Pilger & Beaver Crossing Quilt Deployments

On Sunday, May 11, 2014, a tornado hit Beaver Crossing, Nebraska. 16 homes were destroyed and 22 homes sustained major damage. The Omaha Modern Quilt Guild began our effort to collect quilts for the residents of Beaver Crossing. On June 16, 2014, twin tornadoes caused extensive damage in the town of Pilger, Nebraska, and our guild extended its efforts to also collect quilts for Pilger residents. Many quilt shops generously served as drop-off sites for quilts. AccuQuilt let us use their amazing design studio to hold sew-ins to make quilts and allowed us to store donated quilts in their warehouse. Over a period of approximately 4 months, we collected over 600 quilts and afghans.

On Friday, September 12, 2014 and Saturday, September 13, 2014, members deployed to Pilger, Nebraska to sort and distribute quilts to residents.

On Saturday, October 25, 2014, we deployed to Beaver Crossing to distribute quilts to those that had been affected by the May 11 tornado.

Quilts ready to be distributed.

Just a few of the residents with their new quilts.

There is a long list of individuals and organizations to thank for their help with our efforts including the members of the Omaha Modern Quilt Guild, Lincoln Quilters Guild, Cottonwood Quilters Guild,Omaha Quilters Guild, AccuQuilt,Quilts for Kids, Quilts from the Bluffs,Omaha Project Linus, Nebraska State Quilt Guild, virtually every quilt shop between Omaha and Grand Island and countless quilters from several states who donated time, materials, support and quilts to make this all happen!

A HUGE thank you to Omaha Modern Quilt Guild President Lori Bain for her efforts in coordinating so many individuals and groups to make these deployments a huge success. We greatly appreciate the time and effort you put forth for this cause!

Quilts for Beaver Crossing & Beyond

Our hearts are breaking as storms have done extensive damage with fatalities in NE, OK, KS, MO, AR, MS & AL. We need the help of our incredibly generous quilting community to help us “Bring Hope & Encouragement to the Hurting” in these communities. The Quilts of Compassion Disaster Response Team has a deep passion to help those that have experienced tremendous loss and are hurting...which brings HOPE in the midst of suffering.

Quilts of Compassion, in conjunction with the Omaha Modern Quilt Guild will deploy August 13 -18, 2014 to deliver quilts to those impacted in Beaver Crossing, Nebraska and beyond. We lovingly deliver quilts DIRECTLY to those that have been impacted by the storms. Many have lost their homes and all of their possessions, many have lost their place of employment and many have been injured or lost a family member or friend. It is truly heartbreaking.

We are accepting quilts of all sizes for men, woman, children and infants. They may be quilted or tied. If you enjoy crocheting or knitting, we can certainly use afghans of all sizes too.

Please search your stash of quilts and afghans for donation to help your friends, relatives and neighbors here in Nebraska and Iowa. A complete and current list of donation spots can be found here. A huge thank you to the shops that have agreed to be drop-off sites.

Aside from donating quilts, how can you help?

• Visit and like the Quilts for Beaver Crossing & Beyond facebook page. Share our page. Help spread the word about this cause.
• Visit and like the Quilts of Compassion facebook page. This organization does amazing work across the country to bring hope and healing to those affected by disasters.
• Spread the word via social media (instagram, facebook, twitter, etc). #quiltsforbeavercrossing
• Check back here and the Omaha Modern Quilt Guild facebook page for upcoming volunteer opportunities and sew-ins.

Thank you in advance for your help in this huge endeavor!

BOC Sew Down #2

Just a quick reminder about the Beads of Courage Sew Down this Saturday, August 24, 2013 @ the Millard Public Library (13214 Westwood Lane) from 12:30pm - 5:30pm. It's a great way to sew for a very worthy cause and meet up with guild members. Feel free to join us for some or all of the afternoon! All are welcome and supplies and instructions will be available.

some reminders. . .

Greetings OMQG members!

A few notes about our upcoming meeting on Tuesday, August 6th, 7pm at A Quilting Place Omaha (11019 I Street). It is an important meeting as we will be voting on the bylaws previously posted and electing officers / directors. You will find a link posted below to the nomination form for the officer / director roles if would like to be nominated or would like to nominate another (with their permission, of course), along with a link to the description of the roles. Feel free to submit the form electronically or print a copy and bring it with you to the meeting.

• Officer / Director Responsibilities
• Officer / Director Nomination Form

We are also asking that all members who are planning to attend the OMQG Quilt Retreat August 9, 10 & 11 at Quilts and Other Notions in Creston, Iowa pre-register by our next meeting if possible. A link to the registration form is posted below. Pre-registering will help us plan for activities, treats, door prizes, etc... We hope many of you will be able to attend some or all of the retreat. You are welcome to attend any time starting at 8am on Friday August 9. The retreat closes at 3pm on Sunday, August 11. It is a short 2 hour drive from Omaha. The retreat is only $30 and there will be lots of fun demos and collaboration. Treat yourself to a few days of quilting and fun!

• Quilt Retreat Registration Form

Hope to see you all at the meeting!

Thanks to everybody who was able to attend our first Sew Down on 7/13--eight participants were able to make 28 bead bags for Beads of Courage!

If you were unable to attend, we will have other sewing opportunities in the future. You can also make bags on your own using the Beads of Courage bead bag tutorial or Lori's tutorial. If you do make some bead bags, please bring them to our next meeting on August 6.

proposed bylaws

Below you will find a link to the proposed bylaws for the OMQG. We understand these may not be perfect and cover every possible situation, however, following the statutes required and practices and experiences of other guilds, this document was drafted. We will be voting on the passage of these bylaws at our next meeting on Tuesday, August 6, 2013 at 7pm at A Quilting Place (11019 I Street). We wanted to be sure anyone who desired had the opportunity to review the proposed bylaws and provide feedback. 

Upon passage of bylaws, we will then proceed with the elections of officers / directors. We will be posting general descriptions of what each officer will be responsible for managing. We encourage each of you to consider running for office. Our guild has many members with great talents who can contribute to making the OMQG a dynamic organization. All are welcomed and encouraged to throw your hat in the ring. We need a diverse board and that means we need your input. Please consider running for office or serving on a committee. Sharing your talents will help the guild grow!

Click here to read the proposed bylaws.

Beads of Courage Sew Down!

At our July guild meeting last night, a member shared a great charity opportunity--making fabric bags for Beads of Courage. We will be getting together on Saturday, July 13, 2013 at the Millard Public Library (13214 Westwood Lane) from 9am to 12:30pm to sew bags. You can find instructions for making the bags here, so gather up your sewing machine and supplies and join us on Saturday 7/13! (If you are planning on attending, please leave a comment on this post so we can have an idea of how many people to expect.)

For more information....

Beads of Courage Sewdown Flyer

quilt retreat!

Alright everyone, we're planning the retreat in Creston, Iowa at the "Quilts and Other Notions" retreat center. I'm putting out a poll to find out which weekend would be better. Details (such as price, location, directions, roommates, etc) will follow. Keep in mind our August meeting would be August 6th. Please vote for which option would work better for you if you can attend either. There will be more retreats in the future, I'm sure.

Which weekend would work better for you for a quilt retreat in Creston, Iowa?

June block(s) of the month

I'll be back later with more info from the June meeting, but I wanted to post the links for this month's block(s) of the month so you can get started.

Both blocks use half-square triangles (HSTs). The pink and green block on the right is a variation of flying geese made with HSTs. You can find the tutorial here from Jeni at In Color Order. If you'd like to use HSTs to make a zigzag block (the pink block on the left), you can find that tutorial here from The Sometimes Crafter.

Feel free to use the tutorials as a guide and alter them if you wish. I am overrun with 5 inch charm squares from participating in numerous swaps so I'll probably end up using those instead of 4 inch squares. Post pictures of your blocks in our flickr group and be sure to bring them to the July meeting!

modern BOM2 {from Sew, Mama, Sew!}

In March, Sew, Mama, Sew! introduced a new Block of the Month (BOM) series. The series is designed by Alyssa Lichner from Pile o' Fabric and will run for 6 months. (Thanks to Kris for bringing this series to our attention at the April guild meeting!)

The great thing about these blocks is they are huge at 24.5" so you can make a fairly quick quilt. Instructions for the March "Up From Here" block can be found here. Kris made this block and shared it at our April guild meeting.

Instructions for the April "Stained Glass" block have just been posted. . .find them here. If you make any of these blocks, please bring them to the May meeting to share!

April meeting recap

The exec members are trying to make sure the OMQG is meeting the needs and expectations of our members. First up at the April meeting, members were asked to complete a short survey. We want to know what other guilds members belong to and what you do/do not like about your other guilds. We also want to know what activities members are interested in (sewing day, overnight retreat, day-long demo) and if there are any charities your want the guild to consider making quilts for. If you were unable to attend the meeting, feel free to leave any comments on this post or you can e-mail your comments to info.omqg@gmail.com.

Once again we had a lot of great show-and-tell items. It's always inspiring and encouraging to see what everyone is working on so continue bringing your quilts to share.

There were also a few more Madrona Road projects to share. As a guild, we rocked this challenge!

The demo topic for this meeting was hexagons. Michelle showed her block from this Hexagon Rose Star Tutorial:

Michelle also showed several other hexi-inspired projects (click on the names/links below to be taken to the websites for more info).

• Hexagon baby quilt
• Patchwork Prism Quilt by Anna Maria Horner
• Graph paper generator (great for printing all sorts of graph paper to use when planning your projects!)
• Machine piecing pre-cut fabric hexagons (from Moda)

We will be starting a monthly block challenge! Up first is a paper-pieced star. Here is Michelle's beautiful sample block:

The templates can be found here. If you haven't tried paper-piecing before, there are some good tutorials here and here. ***When printing the templates, be sure scaling is turned off.  For the 12-inch block, the top side of section A should measure 4.5 inches (not including the seam allowance).***

We hope you were inspired at April's meeting. See you in May!

March meeting recap

Since it's almost time for the April meeting, I figured I'd better get a March meeting recap up on the blog! Sorry for the delay. . .

We started off with show-and-tell:

There were also more Madrona Road projects to share. Thanks to everyone who participated in the challenge and transformed their fabric into something beautiful! Hopefully we'll have more challenge opportunities in the future.

Lori gave a brief talk about her impressions of QuiltCon. It sounds like a good time was had by all and there was a pretty impressive turnout. The next QuiltCon will be held in 2015--start saving your money!

Michelle gave a scrappy trip around the world demo. You can find the free tutorial here and there are so many beautiful pictures. If you need some inspiration, just look at some of these on flickr.

The meeting ended with giveaways. Huge thanks to Jill Hanna for providing fabric prizes for the giveaways!

Our next meeting will be Tuesday, April 2 at 7pm at A Quilting Place (11019 I Street). Hope to see you there!

February meeting recap

Our February meeting was held on Tuesday, February 5 at A Quilting Place. The meeting started off with some show and tell:

It's always nice to see what everybody has been working on. (And for me there is always that extra motivation to make progress or finish a project so I have something to bring in and show off!)

Members also brought Madrona Road projects to share. At the January meeting, participating members received fat eighth bundles of Violet Craft's Madrona Road fabric line from Michael Miller Fabrics.

Even though we all started with the same fabrics, there was a variety of creative and beautiful projects:

And a huge congratulations to Katie! Her "Here Comes the Sun" wall hanging (bottom row, second from the right) was one of only 8 projects chosen by Michael Miller to be displayed at their booth at QuiltCon. There were 262 amazing projects that were submitted so way to go, Katie!

Lori gave a great demo on improv piecing. We are lucky to have such talented group members, and if you are knowledgeable about a particular quilting topic or technique, please let us know. We'd love to have you share your expertise!

At the end of the meeting, we had a discussion of what members would like to see at future meetings.  English paper piecing, machine binding techniques/tutorials, sewing curves, free motion quilting, and color were some of the suggestions and we'll keep you posted about topics for upcoming meetings. A sewing day and a sewing retreat were also suggested. We concluded with a round of introductions since participation is increasing with every meeting.

Thanks for attending and we'll see you Tuesday, March 5!