Pat Bishop makes art because she loves to create! Her art is based on a memory of things that mean a lot to her; she feels that with her art she is saving memories.

In our guild presentation, Pat will share some tips and her experiences as an artist and share some quilts she has made as a reflection of her artistic endeavors. She will also tell us a bit about her background and a unique Wisconsin/Illinois group of which she is a part, called Women Who Run With Scissors.

Please join us on March 18th when she comes to our regular guild meeting, to meet this creative, artistic speaker! (Don’t you want to learn about making art that saves your memories? Yes, you do!)

Get together for an evening of food and fun with your fellow guild members.

NOTE: The meeting will start at 6:30pm.

Join Amy Struckmeyer, QuiltCon 2024 speaker, as she shares how to build color palettes for your quilts that create a specific mood, are dynamic, and that tell a story… YOUR story.

Amy will end with a trunk show of her quilts, examples of her continuing experimentation with design and color.

Come join us as RaNae Merrill answers the question, “How do I decide what designs to put where on my quilt?”

ReNae will discuss Story, Personality, Contrast & Layers. Looking at photos of a wide variety of quilts we'll examine how to apply these concepts to creating a quilting design. And since thread is the "paint" of quilting, we'll also discuss thread color, fiber and weight.

After Layers & Lines, you will have the tools to create quilting designs that take your quilt tops from special to spectacular!

Join us as Karin Janssen Potter, Business Manager and Educator at Sew ‘n Save of Racine, shares her tips and tricks to make your bag making fun and professional looking! It really is easier than you think, with the right tools and techniques! Karin will bring along a trunk show of fabulous bags to awe and inspire you!

Join us for an evening of sewing together to make twin size quilts for Sleep in Heavenly Peace.

At the sew-in we will have groups doing sewing, cutting and ironing. To help us prepare, please Sign Up for a Job in advance.

“Sometimes a quilt is just a quilt, other times it has hidden messages that helped freedom seekers escape to the North.”

Join Connie Martin, who finds joy in telling the secret codes and hidden messages in the family quilts her ancestors used over 200 years ago by both white and black abolitionists; to signify escape routes to the North. It shows how quilts were used to signal plans, warn of dangers, indicate how transport might occur, or who might help as “Friends” on the Underground Railroad. She shares her knowledge originating from an information packed family Bible found dating back to the 1850’s. It revealed key abolitionists and safe escape routes passing from Kentucky through Illinois.

Connie earned a BA from Illinois State University, and an MA, from Aurora University, with a Thesis in Integrating African American History in Educational Curriculums. She is a retired middle school Language Arts teacher of 32 years.

Bring your crafty friends who love a good bargain! Also bring anything and everything you wish to give away including fabric, thread, batting, stuffing, rulers, patterns, quilt books, sewing equipment, lamps, yarn and knitting things, ribbon, lace, fat quarters, and yardage. You have been so generous in the past and we’re looking forward to a repeat!

TIME: 5 p.m. for members to drop off their own donations: 6 p.m. the brief meeting begins with the hustle immediately following!

Join Linda Lambert, certified Laura Heine Collage Quilting instructor, to learn about Laura Heine’s process of collage quilting. While creating your design you will look at value, hues, and motifs to layer fabric while creating your collage quilt. Learn Laura Heine’s techniques to successfully create, secure, and quilt your work of art!

Quilting is so much more than a hobby. IT IS THERAPY! Linda will share the research that supports your favorite hobby.

Come join us in person for our Annual Board Meeting!

We will start the evening at 6:00 pm with a potluck dinner.

Sign up here to bring a salad, and the board members will provide the desserts and beverages.

Highlights of the evening:

• Voting and Installation of new Board Members

• Budget presentation and vote

• Show and Tell

DO DA HUSTLE…Brown Bag Hustle…That is
Join us for our annual Brown Bag Hustle. The Brown Bag Hustle is Village Quilters' auction of items (fabric, books, partially-finished quilts, craft supplies, etc.) donated by members. So raid your stash and make way for new treasures; out with the OLD, in with the NEW.

Winter is coming! And with it, the HOLIDAYS!! Please mark your calendar and join us for our Village Quilters holiday party on Tuesday, December 19th, at 6:30 p.m.

Let's play Poker! Join us in a fun night of "Quilters Strip Poker." Using fabric as an ante, Players roll the dice to see who goes home with some newly acquired stash or who goes home empty-handed.

NOTE: Due to Thanksgiving, the meeting is changed to Tuesday, November 14th.

Join us as local quilter Carol Wilhoit of carolquilts.com speaks about using your stash to make beautiful quilts. Carol will discuss several key design principles that make multi-fabric quilts work.

Join us as Deanne Eisenmann of Snuggles Quilts speaks about her quilting history and love of appliqué and scrap quilting. She will share tips and techniques for successful "scrapping"!

Join us for an informative and entertaining evening with Nancy Roelfsema of OnPoint-TV and Quilting with Nancy. During her program, Nancy will discuss the basics needed that help with the quilting process while dazzling us with a trunk show of her beautiful quilts.

Join us as MJ Kinman talks with us about how she creates her beautiful Gem Stone Quilts. This slide lecture and trunk show will chronicle her 25-year adventure learning how to create the biggest diamonds in the world in the softest medium of cloth.

Come join us in person for our Annual Board Meeting!

We will start the evening at 6:00 pm with a potluck dinner. Sign up here to bring a salad, and the board members will provide the desserts and beverages.

Highlights of the evening:

• Voting and Installation of new Board Members

• Budget presentation and vote

• Collection of the quilts for Ukraine

• Show and Tell

We cheerfully accept any and everything you can donate from your stash that someone else might treasure or even want to buy!

Watch for more information in the newsletter as we get closer to the date.

Each quilt is a journey, and RaNae will share hers as she talks about her quilts and the life lessons, they have taught her. Part trunk show, part quilting lesson and part inspiration, this lecture will leave you wanting to try something new -- whether it's a quilting technique or an adventure.

Drop off starts at 5:00 pm and the meeting begins early at 6:00 pm.

We cheerfully accept any and everything you can donate from your stash that someone else might treasure or even want to buy!

Members are encouraged to bring guests creating a larger audience for our most abundant donation this year. There will be no charge for guests. Contact Donna Fitzgerald for additional information.

Inspired by her favorite childhood book, THE HUNDRED DRESSES by Eleanor Estes, Deb Lindahl created 100 quilt squares made of family clothing and fabric scraps and sewed these pieces into the shape of dresses. Each dress represents a story about family history – joys and struggles along the way. These 100 stories were written as essays and assembled into a book as a way to preserve family history in a creative, relatable way.

Are you (and your quilts) ready for our October Show? Get your quilt ID cards and more at this meeting!