July 2016

July Speaker: Ami Simms, “How Not to Make a Prize-winning Quilt”
Tuesday, July 19th, 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Join us for a fun and informative evening presented by the always entertaining Ami Simms. According to Ami herself, over the years she’s made some horrible mistakes. In this presentation she will pass on some tips on what NOT to do! You'll see an assortment of quilts, from her very first to the more recent and she'll pick them apart before your very eyes! Topics covered include Cutting On Sewing Lines, “Mystery Batting,” Bedsheets For Backing, Pre-Washing is a Waste of Time, and the “Jam & Cram” Method of Binding Attachment.

If any of this sounds familiar, this is the lecture that birthed her book of the same name.

Ami's easy-going teaching style and incorrigible sense of humor have made her a sought-after instructor and lecturer on the national circuit for more than 25 years. She has presented lectures and workshops to more than 400 quilting groups in 45 states and seven foreign countries. An elementary school teacher by training, she transforms complex skills into small, easy-to-master tasks which make learning easy and fun. Ami was named 2005 Teacher of the Year by Professional Quilter magazine.

July Workshop: “Dancing Spools”, Ami Simms
Wednesday, July 20th, 9:00am - 4:00pm

Celebrate your love of quilting with this new twist on the traditional spool pattern. Spools are three-dimensional and made from folded squares—there are no set-in seams. Striped fabric will make your 3-D fabric spools look just like the real deal as they dance around on this pushed-neutral background.

President’s Letter

It was quite a treat to see the antique quilts Linda Honsberger shared with us at the June meeting. Rarely do we see such old quilts and old fabrics. The hand quilting class Linda taught was well attended, and was great for beginning hand quilters and as a refresher.

Ami Simms will be our guest speaker next month. Ami is a national instructor and this is a great opportunity to take a class with her. If you are on the fence, don’t wait any longer. Her supply list includes fabrics squares you can order from her up to 7 days prior to the workshop date.

Consider inviting a friend who may be interested in quilting to Ami’s lecture and/or workshop. This will be a very good program, and a great introduction to the guild.

I spent many hours going through my stash this month, and dropped off a car load at the Wisconsin Quilt Museum for their rummage sale. It was cathartic to release projects and fabric I am no longer interested in, and were taking up valuable space. The Museum benefits and, hopefully, another quilter will be inspired to use my donation. As our clothing or decorating styles change over time, so does our quilting. I want to just see the projects and fabrics I love today. After a few projects are completed, I can dive into an applique quilt that is calling to me.

Happy Quilting,
Barbara Schober

From the Treasurer

Balance 5/25/16: $28,735.88
Income: $454.75
Expenses: $1,147.60
Balance 6/25/16: $28,043.03

Respectfully submitted,
Laura Partridge, Treasurer

Quilts of Valor Is Back for 2017 Quilt Show!

While there is over a year or so before the 2017 quilt show, it is never too early to start planning your support of the VQ's Annual Service Project - QUILTS OF VALOR! At the 2015 quilt show, 38 beautiful quilts were given to the Quilts of Valor Foundation. Let’s see if we can increase the number donated to 50 quilts!

Visit qovf.org for more detailed information on making your Quilt of Valor (QOV). A one-page sheet with basic information on how to make a QOV will be posted on the VQ website soon. A QOV must be large enough to cover an average-sized adult, with an ideal size of approximately 60” x 80” -- minimum finished size of 55” x 65,” maximum 72” x 90.”  It is recommended that a QOV be made in patriotic colors since these are the quilts that are most desired. Any pattern or block may be used.

Deb Sherrock and Cheryl Mercy, Service Committee Chairs

Programs and Workshop News

Workshop Registration Listing Now Online

Have you ever signed up for a workshop early in the year, and then forgotten exactly which workshop it was? Maybe you've wondered whether that registration form and check you sent in the mail ever reached its destination? Well, wonder no more. Workshop registration listings are now on the Members Only page of the Village Quilters website. Simply scroll down, they are listed just below the Membership Directory.

August Speaker and Workshop Cancelled

Due to low enrollment in the workshop, the Peggy Martin presentation and workshop in August have been cancelled. New program information will be listed on our website as soon as it is available. 

Workshops Now Open to Non-Members

Due to a number of unfilled openings for current workshops, the guild is opening the workshops to non-members when they are two months away. These workshops are now featured on the home page of villagequilters.org.

If you have a friend or family member who would like to take a workshop but isn’t a member, please check the page to see if a workshop is open to the public yet. The workshop registration form is also accessible from the same page, no need to go to “Members Only” to download it. Of course, we are also accepting members’ registrations as well, but be aware all enrollments on open classes are first come, first served. Currently, only the Ami Simms workshop is open to the public. Pass the word!

Raffle Quilt Blocks Due

If you took packets to make blocks for the 2017 Quilt Show Raffle Quilt, the blocks were due at the June meeting. If you missed the meeting or forgot your blocks, please contact Erica Jarrett.

Help Wanted: Holiday Party and Annual Meeting

We are without a committee to coordinate either the Holiday Party or the Annual Meeting Party. You can volunteer to manage just one, or both. In the past we have ordered food or had a pot luck. The choice is up to those making the arrangements. Please discuss with your bee or a group of friends and volunteer for one of these fun evenings. Contact Barbara Schober for more information.

Workshop Invitation from Pride of the Prairie

In the coming months Pride of the Prairie Quilters are featuring some nationally known speakers, and we welcome VQ members to attend the presentations and trunk shows, as well as register for the workshops. Meetings are held at Zion Lutheran Church, 11007 S. Book Road (corner of Book Road and Hassert Blvd., also known as 111th Street) in south Naperville at 7 p.m. The guest fee is $10. Workshops are held at Roberts Sewing Center in Crest Hill from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the cost being $60 for non-members, which includes lunch.

July 21 - Pam Buda (www.heartspunquilts.com) visits our guild on July 21. Her lecture is on Thursday and her workshop, “Practice What I Preach,” will be held on Friday, July 22. Pam will be sharing many tips and tricks with piecing techniques to make our quilt making more accurate. You can either use what you learn during the class to make the units for the Practice What I Preach quilt and cut all pieces for a quilt, or you may cut fabric to make one of each unit, rather than committing to making a quilt. This should be an excellent class to brush up on piecing accuracy! Sign-ups are now open to non-members of Pride of the Prairie, as well as members.

August 18 - Have you ever wanted to add another element, a little something extra to your quilts?  Have you wanted them to stand out, have a little more “pop” or be unique? Karen Sievert from North Carolina and introducing an exciting technique for incorporating prairie points into any half- or quarter-square triangles, adding dimension to traditional quilt blocks. Karen is the past owner of 2 quilt shops, now owns a long-arm machine quilting business, and is a published author of Prairie Point Pizzazz. Her lecture is entitled “If These Quilts Could Talk.”  Her workshop on Friday, August 19 features a stunning quilt, “Color, Color All Around”, utilizing new techniques which would look great in “peek-a-boo” quilts for babies and other quilts. For more information about Karen, her website is www.theniftyneedle.com.

September 15 - Barbara Cline from Shenandoah Valley, Virginia will be presenting a lecture and trunk show entitled “Where, When, Why and How of Quilting.” Barbara will be leading a workshop on Friday, September 16. Barbara will help us build our skills with easy ways to strip piece triangles, cut shapes from strip sets, master Y seams, and more, making a beautiful “Star Chain” table runner. Triangles are sewed together into rows, the rows into strips, and then the strips into the table runner. Barbara has had more than 31 years of experience teaching quilt-making classes and is a published author, including Diamond Chain Quilts, Simply Triangles, Star Struck Quilts, and Amazingly Simple Triangle Stars. She will appear on The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims later this year. and is featured in the current issue of Quiltmaker with her “Summer Sizzler” table runner. For more information about Barbara and her quilts and books, go to her website: www.delightfulpiecing.com.

We hope you will come to our meetings and workshops to see what valuable tips and techniques these presenters have to show us. For further information about signing up for workshops, please contact Eileen Diercks (diercks1031@sbcglobal.net) or Carol O’Dell (quiltermom@comcast.net).

Membership

Welcome Betty Hollerman back as a member. We’re looking forward to seeing all your wonderful hand quilting.

Carol and Patricia

Happy Birthday!

July Birthdays
Peggy Schemenauer 7/9
Carol Swartz 7/10
Deb Sherrock 7/16
Dawn Larsen 7/17
Jane Velander 7/20
Sylvia Bath 7/28

August Birthdays
Alice Hutchinson 8/1
Laura Partridge 8/1
Gayle Springer 8/1
Kate Mayer Tekampe 8/25
Jenet Bakke 8/30