What a great presentation last night. You can find more of Bill’s work on his website, Facebook and Instagram. Bill has been interviewed on a couple podcasts. Brandy of “Quilter on Fire” had him for episode 5. Scroll down the listing to find it. Brandy taught us her Colourways workshop this winter and we are having her as a speaker next year. She has a great variety quilters on her weekly podcast. I bet you will learn something every episode!

Bill was also interviewed by his friend Jeff Rutherford on his “Quilting Stories” podcast and you can listen to that episode here!

Bill has been inspired by Chawne Kimber and her social justice messages in her sometimes controversial quilts. She is very active on Instagram. Here is an interview with Chawne.

Our next speaker, on June 14th, is Ana Buzzalino. Details coming soon.

Our Lockdown UFO Challenge was so successful that we are going to do it again this month! Take a photo of a languishing project, complete at least a quilt top and send both photos in for show and tell next month. All show and tell photos should be emailed to twilightsimcoe@gmail.com by the Sunday before the meeting please.

The link might have been incorrect for the May PDF. You can find it here now!

This block is fun and easy! And the second to last one! You can find the PDF here! And Sandra’s instructional tips post here!

Bill is a storyteller and once he discovered quilting 7 years ago, he had a new voice! Fabrics and carefully placed stitches express joy, anguish, hope, gratitude, and love, providing glimpses into deep and important stories; stories that matter on personal and social levels. His quilts make bold statements and provoke thoughtful consideration of a variety of issues. “With the help of about 20 of my quilts, I’ll tell their stories… my stories. I doubt that these quilts, and their stories, will remind you of your Grandmother’s quilts.”

Bill will be sharing his newest “Backpack Show” with us, highlighting the social justice issues that are so important to him and many of us. There will be tears! Find out the story behind this newest quilt. As an educator in his previous career, Bill can teach us many things.

You can find more of Bill’s work on his website, Facebook and Instagram.

Our meetings start at 7pm and guests are always welcome. Follow the directions here to pay your $5 guest fee.

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This is our 10th block! Only 2 more after this. If you are a new owner of a Stripology slotted ruler, this is a perfect block for that. Cut 2.5” strips of your coloured and background fabrics, then line them up on the cutting mat horizontally and subcut 1.5” pieces. You can have all 36 of the 2.5” x 1.5” rectangles cut in a couple minutes. The centre star uses a stitch and flip technique that makes a slightly wonky star. But you can do whatever star you’d like. The downloadable PDF is here!

Sandra has some great tips for you here!

You can find Bordered Star, our Modern BOM here! We are going to be doing the second May block this month, while we still have lots of sewing time. You can find Sandra’s tutorial here! Thanks again Sandra for helping us make these monthly blocks. Feeling left out? You can start this block of the month now! You can find all the blocks here!

Diane Luke is taking signups for the MiniMod Swap until Saturday, March 20th. Email Diane directly or the guild at twilightsimcoe@gmail.com if you want to get in on the fun!

Berene Campbell designed the Mini Mod Challenge as part of her social justice work. She has given us the patterns and made You Tube videos. We will have a great time making and exchanging tiny blocks and for all that she just encourages us to donate $3 or more to Ryerson University for bursaries for three students…black, indigenous and 2SLGBTQ+. If you’d like to join and become part of the swap, please tell Diane by March 20, which colourway (cool, warm or neutral) and background (white, black or grey) you’d like. She’ll put people in groups based on those choices and email you back with the names and mailing addresses of your team.

Then you just sew away and mail out those teeny blocks to your swap partners. Teams will be set up before the retreat on March 27 – you may want to work on them then. The goal would be to have your blocks made and mailed by May 31. Then in September we’ll have a tiny show and tell!

You can follow Berene @happysewlucky and can see others’ blocks at #minimodswap on Instagram.
The blocks are only 2” square. We are only using solids. But you only use small amounts. Contact Diane if you need help with fabrics. We have members who have solids to share.

And you can donate to these Handmade Collective Awards at Ryerson University without sewing here!

Kathy K. Wylie is a multiple international-award winning quilter specializing in appliqué, quilt design, domestic machine quilting and English Paper Piecing techniques. She has lectured and taught all over the country at guilds, shops and quilt shows and now offers online workshops and presentations. Her work has been featured in magazines, and her designs are available as individual patterns as well as in her book “Sewflakes: Papercut Appliqué Quilts.”

Join us April 12 at 7pm for Kathy’s presentation “Beauty is All Around Us! Guests are welcome to join us for $5 and details can be found in our FAQs above.

You can find the PDF with the FPP templates here. All the previous blocks can be found at the top of our webpage under Mod BOM. And Sandra’s great tutorial can be found here! I know it helped a couple members with their February blocks. There are always lots of photos, and tips there. Read it before you start and then while you are sewing, if you need extra help.

Consider joining the Royal City Quilters’ Guild from Guelph and the York Heritage Quilters Guild from Toronto for a fun day of virtual programming. Several of us are “going” and there are still lots of sessions left! You can find all the details here!