The inspiration to set up the group initially came from the online community. I loved the supportive feel of the online groups and wanted to see if it was possible to organise something locally and face-to face with the same inclusive feeling,' says Moira Petrie, President and founder of the
East Midlands Modern Quilt Group.
Ifs true that this has been achieved; bettered, even. You can come along and eat cake all day without even unpacking your machine if you want - whatever suits you on the day itself. I find it inspiring to see how other people work and create, and of course ifs nice to receive compliments on your own work too.
The group meets each month, moving around the area to best accommodate as many members as possible, but at present meetings are held at the village hall in Bradmore, Nottinghamshire. Currently an all-female group of around 28 members (with regular attendance at around 16), we range in age from late twenties to retired women. This is an eclectic group with stay-at-home mums, full-time workers, business owners and even professional quilters in attendance, from as far as Sleaford in Lincolnshire and Rugby in Warwickshire, with a good few more centrally located around Nottingham and Leicestershire.
Towards the end of 2014, the meeting was held at Stitchcraft Studio in Grantham, Nottinghamshire, a fabulous venue with several workshop rooms for hire, a cafe with (rather importantly) excellent cakes, and a fabric shop. Sadly, it closed suddenly in early 2015, but it was a good venue for us, and it was hard not to indulge in a fat quarter or two - or thirteen, in my case!
Meetings are held on a Saturday from 10am until 4pm and are usually freeform, just like a mini retreat where you can just sit and sew without the usual distractions of home and where you can seek advice from other members or just catch up with a good chat. Some members bring their sewing machines and piece, others embroider or hand quilt, and there's always someone laying out blocks on the floor. For this meeting however, the main feature was Di Gilmore's Sew Together Bog mini-class, for those that wanted a group project to try.
The Sew Together Bag has received many fans online, through blogs and Instagram especially. The pattern, created by'Sew Demented', is available through Craftsy and has been made thousands of times over, so some extra hints and tips have emerged to make putting the bag together even easier. Di talked us through the process, clarifying any questions over the instructions and advising us to create zip ends, for instance, which make for a neater finish. Even with a lot of chatter, a break for lunch and a spot of fabric shopping, most of us managed to create something that was nearly complete, with just the binding to sew down later, either by machine as per the instructions, or by hand.
Others continued with personal projects, enjoyed displays for Quilt Market in the States, did some early Christmas gift sewing, or piecing together blocks for the Instagram Mini Quilt Swap that several members were taking part in. The group is diverse in skills, so there's usually someone who can help on a topic, whether that be free motion quilting, bag making, paper piecing, hand piecing, or making up a pictorial quilt. Part of the draw (aside from cake and the social aspect of course) is the opportunity to learn new skills, seek advice on areas of difficulty, and to do it all without having to take a formal class. If several people want to learn a skill or want help with a pattern, specific dates are set aside. Since the group's inception, this has included Amy Butler's Weekender Bog pattern led by Mandy Noble, a session on using the Quiltography iPad app by Jennie McMichael (who co-developed the software with her fiance!) and needle turn machine applique (by me!). One-on-one help tends to be more impromptu, but just as useful.
In addition to personal sewing projects, the group gets involved with other sewing activities. We entered a group quilt into 2014's Festival of Quilts called Where We Live, in which some members made up an improvised pieced row to reflect an area of their local landscape. These were then pieced together in turn from West to East by Moira, expertly quilted by the wonderful Trudi Wood, and bound and delivered by Mary Goffin. For 2015, the plan is to start work a bit earlier to improve upon last year and allow more time for more members to get involved. We recently decided to enter a themed hashtag quilt; you'll have to wait and see how that turns out.
We also regularly assess charity quilt drives, and have sent flags for the To Boston With Love initiative, as well as blocks for more individual cases. On occasion, inter-group swaps take part for those who want to play along. Our last swap involved sending a batch of patchwork pouches to the Saskatoon Modern Quilt Guild in Saskatchewan, Canada. We received some truly amazing pouches in return and there will no doubt be further swaps of a similar nature in the near future.
"We want to keep it relaxed and low key, but with opportunities for members to learn and try out new skills and meet like-minded people through swaps with other groups. Collectively, we are determined not to define exactly what modern quilting means - ifs a personal thing which has a specific resonance with each member. It is great how everyone's take on 'modern' is welcomed, even Kerry's affection for the colour brown!" says Moira.