Tuesday, January 27, 2015

The Modern Aesthetic—Putting It Into Practice

Our January Exercise in Design

What Makes a Quilt Modern?


Here’s an excerpt:

According to the MQG, there are several characteristics that often appear in modern quilts. These are:
  • The use of bold colors and prints
  • High contrast and graphic areas of solid color
  • Improvisational piecing
  • Minimalism
  • Expansive negative space
  • Alternate grid work


“Modern traditionalism” or the updating of classic quilt designs is also often seen in modern quilting.

Remember, a modern quilt will likely have some but not all of these characteristics.

For the first three months of this year, the ChattMQG will offer exercises in modern design. Each month we will examine a quilting block, experiment with design on graph paper, and see what we can create.

The January block is the Quarter Square Triangle (QST) and its four variations.


Here is the information we received at the January meeting:



Cut out the already-printed blocks, arrange them into something you like on the graph paper provided, and have fun!

Please bring your graph paper design, pieced top, or finished quilt to our February meeting for show and tell.

Jean Larson will be doing a live tutorial on constructing the QST block immediately after our February meeting.

Stitch in the Mall, March 21

Stitch in the Mall on National Quilting Day  

Who: Quilters representing the 9 quilting guilds in the Chattanooga area, including the CMQG

What: a clothesline quilt show displaying 16 quilts, 8 tables with quilters at work and more quilts on the tables to see, and conversations about quilting

When: Saturday, March 21, 2015, 1:00—4:00 PM

Where: Hamilton Place Mall, center court near the elevator

Why: to recognize National Quilting Day; to heighten awareness of quilts; to promote quilting and quilt guilds in our community; and to raise funds for The Next Door-Chattanooga.

Sandi Suggs has worked with the Hamilton Place Mall Marketing Director and representatives of the other guilds in town to organize the event. Pam McCallie is on her committee and is our CMQG designated decision maker.

Two 36" x 36" quilts from our guild will be chosen to hang in the show. We may display additional quilts on our table.

For more information, you may read the letter Sandi sent to the quilt guilds in the Chattanooga area.
The letter includes a brief history of National Quilting Day.

Here is Sandi's letter.