Author Archives: jerseyshoremqg
Community Outreach
The Jersey Shore MQG has a strong emphasis on community outreach, including the worldwide community. Recently I learned of a German quilt shop owner who is collecting quilt blocks to assemble and distribute to Ukrainian children who’ve been displaced and now living in her country. I asked our members if anyone would like to join me in making a block. True to form, the response was fantastic and as a result I was able to put together the first quilt and a member, MaryJane donated the second one. Both are now enroute to Germany and will sure to brighten the day of a child. This is why we quilt!!
The Jersey Shore MQG gives!
Team Shamrock
Team Shamrock, headed by Kathy Cunningham in honor of her brother who lost his life on 9/11, is a top fundraiser for Tunnel to Towers. The Jersey Shore MQG supports Team Shamrock by providing quilts for local smart home recipients and for their fundraising events. Their most recent fundraiser was held on July 14th at Bar Anticipation in Lake Como NJ. That event raised $40,000 for Tunnel To Towers and we were proud to have created this quilt as part of the fundraiser. Our members were asked to contribute a “one for me one for charity” as part of our monthly block lotto project. We were able to assemble the blocks we received into this phenomenal modern quilt with its “nod” to Team Shamrock ☘️ in the lower right corner. Kathy is always wowed by our work and never misses an opportunity to shout us out whether it’s to a class she’s teaching at the Atlantic Club or to everyone gathered at a fundraiser and we are just as grateful to her for that, as she is to us for the support we give her.
July Meeting
What a fabulous meeting we had this past Thursday, so many good things on the horizon for the Jersey Shore MQG including our first ever quilt show in February 2023 at the Belmar Arts Council!!
Our member led, monthly program just keeps getting better and the feedback I’m getting is fantastic. Our newer members especially love it and are learning so much. I’ve always been a proponent of utilizing our individual talent to teach one another and it has been very well received. This month member, Brandy Borden showed us examples of some fresh, modern takes on reverse appliqué. More than one of us has since ordered the books she shared and it looks like they’ll be some reverse appliqué projects in future show and tells. Thank you, Brandy!! This month was a double feature and MaryEllen Crumlish showed us some examples of her art quilts and talked about how she gets her inspiration and turns them into small quilts. Honestly, I was blown away and the buzz amongst the members right now is all about their upcoming challenge to create an art quilt and the inspiration she has given us. Can’t thank you enough MaryEllen!! Check out some of her work.
As always, Show and Tell is a highlight of every meeting and there’s was lots to see.
Block Lotto continues to be a favorite at meetings. Here’s what we made for July.
and some samples for next months block lotto, I love this one the design possibilities are endless.
Our guest this month, Christine, also made the Ruby Star Society Picnic quilt. I met Christine for the first time when she and I ran into each other shopping at Old Spool for fabric for this quilt. She also wowed us with her Looper quilt
SCENES FROM AN EARLY SUMMER GET TOGETHER/JUNE MEETING
June is just whizzing by but earlier this month we had the best outdoor meeting/get together at Brandys home. The weather turned out to be perfect, she was worried, I wasn’t, and it was just a beautiful night! I always say the business portion will be quick but to be honest our guild has almost doubled in size post pandemic and our group is so eager to participate in new challenges and projects that all the business seems to go on forever. But that is a good thing!
Business aside, we had a really fun game of “Pass the Presents”, the ugly fabric version and everyone went home with someone else’s “ugly” fabric and the challenge to make something out of it for our July meeting! I’m super excited to see what everyone comes up with. Newbie, Brooke completed hers the next day practically, can’t wait to see what she did. Julia had a game of sewing room bingo we all played and lucky June went home with a gift certificate to Julia’s shop, Old Spool Sewing! There was also a Mug Rug Swap for anyone who wanted to participate and that was fun too!
Helen had volunteered to take on the Quilt Con Community Outreach challenge quilt and she was able to tell us all her plan for the quilt and will be passing out fabric packages at our July meeting. It’s gonna be a beauty! Thanks Helen!
Deb Hunter gave us a little trunk show of her art quilt pieces to give us some inspiration for our own upcoming challenge. Interesting to see how she was inspired by things on trips she’s taken across the country and also right here on the Jersey Shore and used fabric bits to recreate them. Newer member, Mary Ellen, is going to give us some insight into how she creates those fantastic art pieces of hers at a meeting as well. So much talent in our little group!
Lots of show and tell and good food! A lot of food!! And the chance to relax outdoors and get to know our newer members better. Many, many thanks to Brandy for hosting us in her huge, gorgeous backyard, so huge we almost lost Brooke but that’s a story we’ll save for July!
And a finished beauty from Mary Jane!
See you all in July, happy summer sewing!!
May 2022
Block lottos, donations, swaps, ideas oh my!! Another jam packed meeting full of great content and ideas for the future. Plans are currently in the works for a group picnic and swap, a new block lotto with a bonus block for a community outreach quilt, an art quilt mini challenge, and a committee formed for the Quilt Con community outreach project. Phew! I need a nap!!
Eileen made this Noodlehead Range Backpack, with fabrics she picked up at Old Spool as well as the pattern. It’s on display at the shop in case you’d like to make one too!
Winning
Just a few short months ago I asked the group if they’d be interested in either a Queen Bee or a Block Lotto. The consensus was for a block lotto. New, and very enthusiastic, member Brooke has taken on this challenge of coming up with a block every month and she’s doing a fabulous job! She is taking full advantage of the MQG website Block Study feature, as well as researching and coming up with some more traditional blocks. In April we made some scrappy double plus blocks and this month a traditional sailboat!
This has quickly become a really fun part of our monthly meetings. Congratulations to Mary Ellen on winning this bevy of boats and the JSMQG for our newest member Brooke, a most welcome addition to our group!!!
And That’s A Quilt Wrap!
At long last our Maker’s Day quilt is in its forever home, wrapping its owner in the best kind of hug, a Quilty hug!
The quilt that began its journey as our guild participating in the Makers Day festivities of 2019 in the Monmouth County Library Headquarters where 86 children designed “quilt” blocks with construction paper pieces and our members subsequently took those blocks and recreated them in fabric, is finally home! I had the pleasure of presenting it to Brian Sullivan at a Boy Scout event honoring him. Brian served in the Army from 1987-1990 and was called back in 1991 for Operation Desert Storm, where his unit became stranded in the desert outside Kuwait and was not rescued until after the ground war was over. Brian continued serving back at home in a leadership role in the Boy Scouts of Monmouth County and currently volunteers at a local hospital as part of a Veterans organization. A fitting recipient for a quilt crafted by youth in his home county, Brian was very grateful and moved. He was eager to get home and look at the binder filled with information about how the entire process came about.
This was a long time in the making and the gifting. No one would have predicted that a global pandemic would literally shut the world down when this idea we had was formulated. We went into Makers Day looking to garner interest in quilting from both the youth and the community, as membership in our own guild was waning. While we didn’t exactly accomplish that at Makers Day, the pandemic, in an odd way, managed to increase our membership as the community was locked down and an interest in sewing and quilting was born out of mask making! Go figure!
Many thanks to each and every member who participated in this project. Special thanks to Deb Hunter, whose brainchild this was and who worked out every minute detail right down to the chronicle she created to accompany the quilt.
And that’s a quilt wrap!
On a side note, after I gave my little speech about the guild, our community involvement and this quilt, the quilt was presented to Brian. He unfolded it and held it up for everyone to see and my six year old great nephew, who is part of the Boy Scout troop, shouted out “I give that an A+!!!” Thanks for the affirmation Jackson!
Team Shamrock
This morning June and Eileen brought our latest quilt to Kathy Cunningham. Kathy heads up Team Shamrock as a part of Tunnel to Towers. This year’s Smart Home recipient is Staff Sergeant Ben Webb. In just a few months Ben’s new home will be delivered and this comforting quilt made by our members will be gracing the back of his couch. Kathy took one look at the quilt and thought it looked so comforting and we agreed! Without any planning, Eileen and I selected this fabric as we shopped at Old Spool Sewing Studio and now, we could see the camouflage feeling of these fabrics as they worked together in this quilt. The quilt pattern was found on The Modern Quilt Guild web site, and it is entitled Intersection Block by Margo Yang. The quilt was presented during an Active Fit class that Kathy teaches at Team Shamrock, over 50 attendees got to hear about our efforts and the recipient.
Meet Brooke Cerbone
Where were you born? Toms River, but I was raised in Sayreville for the vast majority of my life
How long have you been quilting? Just over a year! I started in early 2021
Who/what inspired you to start quilting? Melanie Ham. I used to crochet a lot and used a lot of Melanie’s crochet tutorials on YouTube. I kept seeing suggested videos of her sewing and quilting content and one night I realized I had stayed up until 3:00am watching her videos on quilting. I was fascinated, but I didn’t have a sewing machine. It took a few years, like 4 years I think, to actually find and buy a Singer Start off Facebook Marketplace. It then took another year for me to actually learn how to use it. Covid hit and my sister asked me if I could figure out how to make masks. That’s where my sewing journey started and I began my first quilt layout just after Christmas in 2020.
Who/what inspires you now? Still Melanie Ham, though she has passed away, her family has left up all of her content both on YouTube and on her personal website. I also really like Christen from ISeeStarsQuilting. I have followed a few of her tutorials. I just recently purchased my first quilt pattern and am excited to try and follow an actual written pattern as opposed to the tutorials I normally watch. Sometimes I get inspired by a person in my life I want to make something for. Sometimes I get inspired by photos I see online. I am part of the Young & Millennial Quilters Facebook group and have hundreds of screenshots from that group, whether it was for the pattern or for the fabric. I am an art teacher and have always loved art so I find inspiration everywhere.
When talking about quilts – what is MODERN in YOUR view? Patterns or fabric that is not traditional. I love the look of non traditional patterns mostly, but sometimes I see a traditional block and think it would look awesome with a modern fabric. Bright, fresh, clean, those words all come to mind when I think of modern quilting.
Do you follow any specific quilter or designer? If so, who? Yes! Up in the inspiration question I named a few. Melanie Ham is my number one creator that I continually follow even though she has passed away. She inspired so many people, and taught me that there are no quilt police and that we need to have fun while we are quilting. If we are stressing out about getting it perfect, it’s not enjoyable. She taught me that I would rather have a finished quilt with a few imperfections than an unfinished quilt that I keep seam ripping on because I’m a millimeter off. Christen from ISeeStarsQuilting is really great, and I’ve also recently started watching Donna Jordan from Jordan Fabrics. In terms of designers I wouldn’t say I specifically follow anyone but I have found myself buying an awful lot of Robert Kaufman fabric.
What type of quilting do you prefer – piecing, paper piecing, appliqué, hand stitching? Do you longarm? I’ve only ever machine pieced. I have never tried paper piecing or applique. I tried to hand stitch a label on a quilt one time and it was a disaster. I bought a machine because I don’t want to sew by hand.
Is there a type of quilt/project that you like to do? Wall hanging, bed quilt, pocketbooks, totes, table runners? I like to make good throw size quilts. I have only ever finished 5 quilts so I would definitely want to make something bigger in the future, but I kept it to what I thought was manageable for now. I have also made a handful of tote bags which I do enjoy. Small projects often frustrate me because they are sometimes difficult to get right, however, when I don’t have a lot of issues it is extremely satisfying to finish something in one day!
Do you participate in any challenges, Quilt-a-longs, charity sewing? If so, which? I have never participated in any kind of quilt-a-long but I am open to doing so! The only challenges I’ve done were the UFO challenge that Eileen came up with for us and making blocks that are either sewn together to donate, or our block lotto! The extent of my charity sewing so far has all been through JSMQG.
Have you taken any classes in the last two years? If so, which ones? Did you find them useful? I have not taken any quilting classes. I bought a few online quilting classes but have not finished any of them yet. I did take one sewing class here at Old Spool to make a clutch!
Is there something that you would like JSMQG to develop a workshop on? Not specifically. I am so new to quilting that I don’t know what I don’t know!
Are there any speakers would you like to see visit JSMQG? None that I can think of.
What are your favorite colors? Green and purple!
What other interests do you have? I crocheted for a loooooooong time. I still do but rarely now. I even started an Etsy shop and go to vendor fairs with my crochet items. Sadly that business has not been very successful and it became more of a chore than fun so I will be putting an end to that soon. I love crafting in general. I’m an art teacher so I pretty much like any kind of creating!
Anything you would like to add that we haven’t asked? Not that I can think of!
Do you have access to email? Do you check it periodically? Yes, everyday!
Protected: April Minutes
April 2022
Another fun meeting for the Jersey Shore MQG. Brooke was kind enough to volunteer to put together our blocks for the quilt we are donating to the latest smart home recipient of Team Shamrock/Tunnel to Towers. Eileen quilted it on her longarm using an edge to edge design called “bayside”. We were striving for a low key beachy/serene vibe and I think we’ve nailed it but you decide.
It will be on its way to its new home next week!
Last month, I suggested we have a monthly block lotto and it was well received. Our first one was this month. We all made ‘double plus’ blocks, scrappy version and the winner, Rosemary C took home 32 blocks!!! Just fabulous! Stick around for next months sailboat version
Sherre gave us some good advice about squaring your quilt, the proper way to add borders, and assembling a backing. She also gave us some insight into how to prepare your quilts for a longarmer There were some very enlightening moments for us in this monthly program.
Eileen inquired if anyone would care to join her in making some quilt blocks to send off to a shop owner in Germany who is assembling quilts for displaced children from Ukraine. Also very well received and she will be collecting them at the May meeting. Any 12 1/2” block in blue and yellow, the Ukrainian flag colors.
We have a sew-in on the 23rd which will be a free sew, work on whatever you like! This is a good opportunity to just come and hang out and get to spend some quality time with your fellow members. And shop, of course!!
Here’s a little show and tell for your viewing pleasure. Happy sewing!
Sherre had a few finishes from a virtual retreat she attended with GE Designs!
Take note of our mini quilts hanging in the studio, which were gifts for our lovely host Julia, a token of our appreciation for sharing her welcoming space with us, we are so grateful.
Back to our regularly scheduled sewing, see you next month!!
Block Lotto
Generally speaking I think we should establish a few things about the monthly Block Lotto. I’ve been looking at what other guilds do and here’s what I’ve come up with.
– monthly instructions will be for a 12 1/2” unfinished block. Exceptions will be for smaller blocks that when sewn together will finish at 12” I.e. (4) 6 1/2” or (2) 6 1/2” x 12 1/2”. (My reason behind the large block is that when you win you will have something substantial to create a top)
– one block = one entry except in the case where you need multiples to make a 12 1/2” block I.e. (2) 6 1/2” x 12 1/2” or (4) 6 1/2” and then (2) 6 1/2” x 12 1/2” = one entry and (4) 6 1/2” = one entry.
– you are encouraged to make as many as you like every month but at least one.
-if you are unable to attend the meeting when blocks are due, please make arrangements to get them to someone or to bring them the following month.
– once you win, we should expect to see your completed quilt top or quilt within 6 months to a year.
– in fairness to all of the participants, once you win you will be expected to continue participating; however, you won’t be eligible to win again until the following year.
Have fun and enjoy the process!! Brooke and I will be alternating months to come up with blocks. If you have an idea for us by all means email me or Brooke and we’ll be sure to include it. My goal is to present you with fun blocks with a modern aesthetic and maybe some new or alternative techniques for us to try. I have been scouring the MQG website and their “block study” segments and you can expect to see me taking full advantage of these freebies. I strongly encourage everyone to get on the MQG website and take advantage of the resources and webinars, these are free to you with your membership and there is a wealth of information on there. If you’re having difficulty navigating their website, reach out to Brandy for guidance.
Happy sewing!!
JERSEY SHORE MODERN QUILT GUILD 