New Mexico Quilters Association
"We're Enchanted With Quilting!"
Join NMQA's Community Service Committee every Tuesday to cut, sew, & quilt! Pick up kits and drop off work! Stay the entire time! Everyone welcome!
NMQA members donate more than 500 quilts per year to Albuquerque’s sick and needy children and adults. Community Service is a cornerstone of the organization! Our mission is to give the gift of warmth and love through beautiful handmade, lap-sized quilts.
We meet every Tuesday from 9:30 - 1:30. Bring your machine and favorite tools. We have the fabric. There are two restaurants at either end of the mall or you can bring your lunch to the refrigerator in our area.
Join NMQA's Fundraising Committee monthly on Saturdays! Everyone welcome!
NMQA's fundraising committee coordinates all the plans for our major fundraiser at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and NMQA's famous balloon raffle quilt, as well as other fundraising opportunities throughout the year.
Kit preparation from 9-11:30 am
Business Meeting 11:30-12:30
clean up 12:30-1:00 pm
We meet once a month, plus host sew-ins to work on crafts for sale.
May Membership Meeting and
English Paper Piecing
with Alyssa Kolski, Butterscotch Pieces Design
Following our business meeting, NMQA member Alyssa Kolski will give a presentation that covers some EPP basics combined with her process for designing and writing new patterns, specifically with a modern aesthetic.
Alyssa Kolski of Butterscotch Pieces Designs creates English Paper Piecing (EPP) patterns and surface pattern designs that bring bold, nature-inspired motifs to life. She loves color and shape, whether sketched, stitched, or grown in a flower bed. Alyssa lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where desert sunlight, strong colors, and homegrown flowers inspire much of what she creates. When she is not drawing, quilting, or chasing kids, you’ll find her in the garden tending daylilies, dahlias, zinnias, and anything that can brave the heat.
As part of her presentation, Alyssa will hold a mini demo on how to sew EPP hexagons. If you would like to participate, please bring the following:
- Fabric scissors
- Small-eyed hand sewing needles (ideally size 9 or 10, but any are fine)
- Sewing thread
- Glue stick
Precut hexagon papers and fabric will be provided.
We'll also have Show & Tell at the meeting! If you're attending in person, bring your item with you and if you're attending through zoom, send your photos to Kris Lange, klange@email.com at least 48 hours before the meeting.
Please join the Fundraising team for a sew-in after the membership meeting on Monday, May 18. We'll work on crafts for balloon fiesta and have a fun afternoon. Bring lunch.
Join your NMQA friends for a Zoom Sew-In!
Every first and third Thursday
10AM-2PM and 4PM-8PM
Join at any time and stay as long as you wish!
See you on line!
"My Fabric DRIVEN Life"
featuring Tina Gravatt
Tina M. Gravatt is an award winning quilting teacher, author and lecturer specializing in miniature quilts. She has worked and exhibited her historically accurate miniature quilts in 39 states and 9 countries, as well as written three books, all published by the American Quilt Society ("HEIRLOOM MINIATURES", "OLD FAVORITES IN MINIATURE", and "MINIATURE QUILTS - CONNECTING THE NEW AND OLD WORLDS." To date she has created over 60 quilts honoring over 100 New Mexico women.
"Turned Edge Machine Piecing"
with Vicki Conley (in person)
In this class you will learn Vicki’s technique for turned edge machine piecing using a choice of either a slot canyon pattern or a donkey pattern.
Vicki uses Floriani Stitch and Wash Fusible water-soluble tearaway stabilizer to construct the entire quilt. It gets soft and stays in the finished quilt. It is easy to sew through and gives lovely stability to the finished wall quilt. This is not applique, but a clean turned edge machine piecing technique that can be used for bold landscapes and portraits.
Workshop Cost: $40 for NMQA Members
NMQA Cancellation Policy: Due to contract obligations with instructors, NMQA is unable to provide refunds if you cancel your participation in a workshop less than forty-five (45) days prior to the event. Exceptions for illness or family emergency will be considered by the board on a case-by-case basis.
"Inspired by the Parks"
featuring Vicki Conley (in person)
Vicki Conley lives in the mountains of southern New Mexico. She has been a creative person all her life and has recently retired from 42 years as a studio potter. She has been a fiber artist for about 20 years and is now also exploring surface pattern design and online teaching. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and was part of Quilt National 2017.
Vicki has an eye for interpreting the natural world and is best known for her original national park poster art quilts. She and her husband now travel extensively in their RV with their two dogs, always looking for the next inspiration. Vicki enjoys bold graphic landscapes as well as abstract improvisational piecing.
You may have seen Vicki’s work in Machine Quilting Unlimited, Art Quilting Studios and Art Quilt Quarterly and she has articles in recent issues of Quilting Arts Magazine. She has also been a guest on the Quilting Arts TV series, as well as The Quilt Show with Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson demonstrating some of the techniques she uses in her national park art quilts.
You can see her work at her website.
Program TBD
We'll also have Show & Tell at the meeting! If you're attending in person, bring your item with you and if you're attending through zoom, send your photos to Diane Bourg, quilterdiane@comcast.net at least 48 hours before the meeting.
Membership Meeting & Shop Hop Redux
Attend the meeting in September to get the latest updates and plan to share your thoughts and talents as we get ready for 2027.
Are you finished with your blocks from the August Shop Hop and looking for ideas to help you finish? Are you curious about the Shop Hop but weren't able to attend? The quilt shops who participated in the August Shop Hop have been invited to attend and share the finishing quilts and/or projects that their shop designed to highlight their block (and the other blocks) used in the Shop Hop. Plan to come and learn about the design process and how each shop developed its finishing kits/projects for the Shop Hop. There may even be Shop Hop patterns and kits to purchase!
If you're working the NMQA tent during Balloon Fiesta in October, training will be held immediately following the general meeting cleanup. Bring your lunch and plan to stay until 1:30 or so.
Details TBD
A Lesson in Every Quilt
featuring Kristin Echols
Join NMQA as it hosts Kristin Echols from Idaho IN PERSON! Kristin is a quilting instructor, pattern designer, and tech enthusiast who is known for her "quilt as you go" strategies for getting quilts finished. Kristin will show over 40 of her quilts and describe the lessons learned in making each quilt. Over half the quilts were made using the Quilt-As-You-Go method, but she also shows other quilts and techniques she has tried over the years. She will also show the ugliest quilt she ever made and tell us about the lessons she learned.
Kristin began quilting in 1999 when she made a baby quilt for her best friend. She made the quilt using the fabric from the bridesmaid’s dress she wore in the wedding. Acetate is not the best fabric choice for a baby quilt, but Kristin got the quilting bug. She took classes, bought a Janome, got to know the ladies at her local quilt shop, and decided to pursue quilting as a hobby. It was a colorful and creative outlet to balance with her career as a computer programmer.
After making a few quilts, Kristin became intrigued by a technique she saw on TV. The concept was to quilt the quilt in small sections and then join the sections with sashing strips to cover the raw edges.
She was hooked and began researching the many ways this technique was achieved. It is often referred to as “quilt-as-you-go” or “reversible” quilting. After participating in a number of block-of-the-month programs, she decided to design a setting for her completed blocks that would make use of the quilt-as-you-go technique. She now designs patterns and teaches classes using the Quilt-As-You-Go method.
Kristin recently retired from the County of Sacramento where she spent 23 years as a computer geek.
When not quilting or teaching, she enjoys spending time with her husband Shawn, their three grown children and two grandkids. They live on 18 acres in beautiful Worley, Idaho where they enjoy gardening and raising chickens.
Kristin's website: https://kristinlaura.com
We'll have Show & Tell at the meeting! If you're attending in person, bring your item with you and if you're attending through zoom, send your photos to Kris Lange, klange@email.com at least 48 hours before the meeting.
"Disappearing 4-Patch Quilt-As-You-Go" Workshop
with Kristin Echols
This large disappearing 4-patch block quilt will highlight your favorite layer cake or print fabrics -- both the front and back of the quilt are pictured below. Each over-sized block is quilted individually then joined together with a special sashing technique. This is a great way to quilt larger quilts in smaller, manageable sections. You will learn everything you need to complete your quilt during this 1-day workshop.
Celebration and Balloon Fiesta debriefing, Details TBD
November Business Meeting PLUS
"Last Minute Homemade Gifts!"
Note the date of November's meeting -- it's earlier than normal!
November's meeting is important as it's where we elect 2027 Board Members and committee chairs. Show up, ready to volunteer and vote!
Following the business meeting, Kathy McLaren will give a short presentation about easy, last minute homemade gifts. Gift card holders, hair scrunchies, pot holders, zipper bags, journal pen holders…the possibilities are endless! Bring a sample of your own handmade gifts to share!
Join NMQA for a fun evening of food and friendship at the annual NMQA Holiday Party!
Bring a holiday themed quilt for display. This can include a table runner, wall hanging, or pillow.
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