IMQG Block Party!

Hey guys, I'm happy to announce our very own Quilting Bee - The IMQG Block Party!!!

A quilting bee is one of the best ways to improve your skills as a quilter.

In the old days, women would gather together and work on a quilt saving a lot of time! This usually happened when there was some specific reason - weddings wars, etc. Women would come together and work on a single quilt. Helping to finish is faster than anyone person could.

Since we are spread out over an area of 3287263 sq.km. doing that would be practically impossible.

So we will be following the example of the Block Party (I could not find a link to their blog that worked) and have our own Block Party!

Here is how it works

We will have 12 members. Each member will be assigned a month. 

You can request for a specific month if you want to make the quilt for a specific occasion. (I have requested for November 'coz I want to make this quilt for myself for my birthday - thats January... Getting the quilt blocks by mid December, I can make my quilt by 2nd Jan!) But I dont mind taking up the first month so that others will know how things go.

Efforts will be made to accommodate as many requests as we can.

In the month before your assigned month, you will send out fabric to all the other 11 members.

Things to consider while sending out fabric.

1. Include enough fabric to make the block. - I'd suggest you include a little extra to allow for some errors.

2. Include clear instructions to make the blocks. It could be sketches or photos or detailed instructions - its up to you.

3. State clearly if you'd like the members to keep the scraps or you want them returned to you.

In your assigned month, the other 11 members will make the blocks from your fabric and send it back to you.

Things to consider while sending out blocks.

1. Send the block out on time. If you are delayed, inform the other members. Stay in touch.

2. Try to include a little something for the block recipient. A small chocolate would really make their day!

3. Update the group thread when you have mailed your blocks.

At the end of your assigned month you will have 11 (or more) blocks ready for your quilt. Finish your quilt and upload it in the group for all to see!

Ready to Party, girls?

Sign up.

Hugs from Shruti...

While everyone is talking about their first quilts, I though I'd write about it too...

All those who have kept me on a pedestal are going to feel like removing that from under my feet... Just warn me first, or I'll just fall down hard!

So... It was back in January 2010 (Its 2 amazing years already)... I had recently recovered from Chikungunya and was busy setting up my new venture of 'up'cycling things.

I stumbled upon the blog of Elizabeth Hartman and fell in love! With quilting.

Without a sewing machine and without ANY proper training, I started my first quilt.

I planned the quilt well in advance. Sketched it. Looked at it and already loved it.

These were some co-ordinating Pillow shams I got from D mart. This was my idea of an FQ bundle! They were poor quality utterly rough linens but I loved them at that moment.

I organized all my cut fabric. I did not have a rotary cutter and drew each piece on the fabric and cut with scissors.

And I hand sewed the blocks! All of them.

By this time, I had brought home my grandmother's sewing machine. It was a treadle machine, but I got it fixed with a motor.

I sewed the blocks together. Okay, I started sewing the blocks together and realized, I had made a huge mistake counting them! I was about 16 blocks short of my actual number! 

I just replaced those 16 blocks with white fabric squares! 

When the top was done, I just ironed on some of our photos onto those 16 squares. And it became a memory quilt. I finished it in time for our 5th Anniversary! (the 7th is coming up and I have not made anything for us!)

Here's my finished quilt.

Today, I see a lot of mistakes in it. But at that time, just completing it was so wonderful! Dont forget that for 6 months (till April) it took me an hour every morning just to be able to walk properly. All my joints would pain and I would dread mornings and evenings. Even today, my ankles pain after I sit for a long time in cold weather! Making this quilt was quite an achievement at that time and it really did boost my confidence.

It is not a beautiful quilt, I make them much more better now, but it is the most loved one! And it will always occupy a position of pride in my heart as well as my home!

Lesson learnt from this quilt : NEVER EVER use linen and silk in the same quilt! And I mean NEVER.

 

Welcome from Josie!

Welcome to the Indian Modern Quilter's Guild. We are a small but growing tribe...planning for world domination!  to unite the quilters in India. :-) My name is Jocelyn but, all my friends call me Josie. So, please call me so. I'm not a regular quilter. I've made 2 quilts till date and a few quilted mug-rugs. I'm what you call a crafter. I dabble in knitting,crochet, spinning ,sewing, quilting and most recently embroidery. I'll share my first quilt here now..

It is a simple nine-patch quilt that I designed on the go. I didn't follow any pattern for this. I was a newbie at sewing and quilting when I made this quilt. I have a vague idea about seam allowances and binding. But, the best part of being a newbie is that you are courageous ignorant enough to try advanced techniques without worrying about the possible difficulties. So, I did stitch-in-the-ditch quilting for the nine-patch blocks and I tried free-motion quilting on the yellow fabric. I didn't have a quilting foot and I'd known my machine for about a month. But, that didn't stop me.. I jumped right in with two feet and quilted it.

It came out alright. Not a front runner in a Quilt show..but, a simple quilt that my son can use. He still uses it after 2 and a half years. I learnt a few things when I made this quilt. The main lesson was in planning. I didn't have the size of the final quilt in mind when I started it. So, it ended up as a square quilt of size 66 X 66 inches. I realized that I'll appreciate the quilt better if I knew what size I'm making. Maybe, that's the OCD control-freak in me talking. ;-)

That's my lil one sitting on the quilt the moment I spread it on the floor for a snap. He was about 2 yrs old at that time. :-) Oh! He is munching on a banana. All the troubles you go through in creating something vanishes when your loved one appreciates it. Doesn't it?! I'll talk about my second quilt another time. I do have a craft blog where I talk about the things I make. Do visit me there too. I'm glad to be a part of this Guild and hope to meet other quilters in India.

-Josie

Welcome from Amalie

I have not been quilting very long so I will share the first and so far only quilt I have made. I do not own a sewing machine yet, so all I make I hand quilt over paper to keep it fixed. This quilt was a gift for a very special person or persons, a good friend and her newborn daughter.

My first quilt started with these fabrics.

Came to look like this after I fixed the fabric on the paper templates.

The front of the quilt ended up like this.

And the end result with a purple fleece back and bating look like this.

After making this quilt I was completely hooked on making more quilted things. So I have made a few balls for kids since.

Welcome from Brinda!

Welcome to the Indian Modern Quilter's Guild! This is a space where we will share our experiences while we cut, snip, sew, quilt and create our very special masterpieces, and ofcourse become friends! Since this is the first day of our very special blog lets all share one piece of work as a way of starting, a piece that has had some special meaning for us. I am sharing the picture of a quilt I made for my daughter's wedding anniversary. Its a crazy quilt, and I had so much fun making it. I tried to capture her special moments including memories of Kolkata, as she was brought up here and now lives away!

My favourite block was the one of Victoria memorial....Really had to use all my imagination to create this one!

The one that proved a challenge and took lots of time was the one of St. Paul's Cathedral

Our grand daughter Sufi was born that year, our own pot of gold....so I made this block to celebrate her birth!