We were educated on all things zippered this month. A big thank you to Holly Harper for organizing our fun afternoon and to our presenters.
Donna M taught the newbies and experienced zippers about various millimeters of teeth on zippers, really do make an impact, also separating zippers are a good option too. Not just for construction, but also durability especially on purses or pouches that will be used frequently. It’s also your decision which direction you want the pull placed. Speaking of pulls, Donna prefers to buy zippers by the yard and additional pulls, so each zipper is cut to the specific project with no waste. Watch for a separate blog post later this week with a ton of zipper info from Donna!
Emily Lang focused our attention on zipper tabs. When included, which is so easy provide a completed finished look. Always make sure your zipper is one inch shorter than the width of your project. A great recommendation is to purchase longer zippers like 20-22 inches, so you always have the size you need on hand.
Here is a tutorial for Emily’s capped zips method that she put together for Pellon!
Emily Bruzzini loves to add additional pockets to purses and bags. There’s no reason a pattern cannot be altered to meet you own personal needs. When including zipper pockets Emily prefers to not cut away the excess if she’s using a slightly larger zipper than the pocket opening. It’s tucked inside the lining and by not trimming will not fray.
Holly Harper prefers to baste her zippers onto her projects with glue instead of pinning/clipping. The glue pens used for English Paper Piecing are her preference as regular school glue sticks have a larger potential to gum up the surface and your needle and the surface of the zipper. Using the pen, she places dots along the zipper tape, not directly on the zipper, finger press onto the fabric and stitch in place to secure.
All our presenters prefer purchasing their zippers from online shops/quilt shops due to the quality compared to big box stores.
Upcoming Meeting Announcements
December 15, 2019, 2:00-5:00, Rush Oak Park Hospital
Annual Holiday Potluck and Swap-Bring a dish to share and a small sewn item for a blind swap! Your swap item should not take more than 2 hours to make, we do have a Pinterest board if you need ideas. One of the best ways to decide what to make is something you yourself would like to receive. Maybe include (but not required) some techniques we learned about this fall like Hawaiian applique, curved piecing, or zippers. Please remember we all do not all celebrate the same holidays, so no holiday fabric/themes. Most members prefer an item they can use all year long.
January 19, 2:00-5:00, Rush Oak Park Hospital
Annual Member Truck Show this meeting is always a favorite to learn about your fellow members and be inspired by their work.
February 15, 2020
Workshop with Shruti Dandekar from India! Registration opens Monday, December 16 at 7 PM. An email announcement with the details will be sent prior to members.
February 16, 2020
Shruti Dandekar will be our guest. This repeat QuiltCon teacher from is flying from India and stopping in Chicago prior to QuiltCon. This will be a special treat for us.
March 22, 2020
SAVE THE DATE!!! It’s our Chicago MQG 10th Anniversary Party! Held at Pilgrim Church, here in Oak Park.
Announcements
President Laura McDowell-Hopper is looking for a few members to assist her in potentially locating a new meeting location. We love our space at Rush, but it sometimes is a tight fit, so we are exploring our options. Please email Laura or the guild email.
Elections for the 2020-2021 (April-March) board will take place in a few months. More details coming after the holidays. If you have been a member for at least one year and are interested in running or want more information about position(s) please send an email to VP Jenni Grover or the guild email.
QuiltCon 2020 Charity Quilt
If you did not turn in your block at the November meeting, please mail it to Jenni Grover ASAP! Any questions please email Jenni at hyperscrappy@gmail.comor Laura Hartrich at lhartrich@gmail.com
Thank you to everyone who has already turned in their blocks! This quilt made by our members, will first hang at QuiltCon 2020 in Austin then returned to us and donated to Sojourner House which is a bridge to housing stability in Oak Park.
Community Building Programs
Interview a Quilter-this month was Amy Parker and Heather Kinion. They met a few weeks ago and shared with us what they learned about one another. If you have interviewed your partner and are ready to share with the group, please email Laura Hartich or the guild email, so she can coordinate when you both will be at a meeting.
Anniversary Book Update
Emails went out last week to 68 current/former members with acceptances. Thank you to everyone who came early to have their quilts photographed prior to our meeting. If you have not made arrangements with Laura McDowell-Hopper to either mail her your quilts or drop them off at her house, please do so ASAP.
Save the Date-Spring Retreat will be at the Sienna Center in Racine, WI. April 3-5 or 6, mark your calendars. Registration details coming in 2020.
National announcements
This is your last reminder from us, December 2 is the last day to enter your quilts into QuiltCon 2020 this includes the Stripes and Me & You Indah Batik Challenges. For all the info visit www.quiltcon.com