March 2019
/What an amazing group of ladies we have in our guild – we were able to come together and FINISH a quilt top in just two hours! Sally Evanshank of Windy City Quilting has volunteered to quilt it and it will be hanging at our upcoming show in October! Be sure to take a look what our village can do!
February QOV Quilt-a-thon
Braving freezing temps and the spectre of a snowy night, those Village Quilters who came out for February's Quilt-a-Thon had a great, fun-filled, and productive evening. And as the Chairman of the event, I want to thank each and every one who was there... those who cut the fabric strips and squared up blocks, those who ironed, those who sewed the strips to muslin, those who ran fabric to the sewing machines and the blocks to the irons and back to the cutters, those who orchestrated the blocks for the design, those who brought refreshments, those who came simply to cheer on the worker bees. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
This quilt will be hung in the Quilt Show in October and then will be awarded to a Veteran at the Quilt of Valor Ceremony on Saturday, October 5th. Speaking about the Award Ceremony, applications to nominate a Veteran to receive a Quilt of Valor will be at the March meeting, as well as available on line on the Village Quilters website. The Guild cannot have a ceremony without recipients, so if you know a Veteran to whom you would like to award a QOV, let us know.
I am calling this quilt "OUT OF MANY ... ONE".... representing the many hands that lovingly put it together, for the many "stashes" from which the fabric came, and especially for the many who served our Country to preserve our Freedom.
Warmly,
Cheryl Mercy
Programming
March 19 Program
Do you have something you always wanted to know about the process of longarming (but were afraid to ask)?
We will be learning a bit about longarm quilting and spend the evening talking and exchanging thoughts and questions with the several longarm quilters who are members of our guild.
Send an email to programs@villagequilters.org with your questions and the longarm quilters in the guild will do their best to answer them for you.
March 20 Workshop
This will be a working UFO and BOUTIQUE item making day. Let Barb or Edie know that you will attend and they will make sure you have a table. There is no charge for this day.
Please plan to come and help out — we need all the boutique items you can supply. Are you needing to finish something for the April service meeting? Are you working on a quilt you plan to enter in the show? Help yourself too — come and enjoy the day with us.
News from the President
Friends,
We are almost to the first day of spring. The Spring Equinox occurs in the Northern Hemisphere at 4:53 PM on Wednesday, March 20. Doesn’t that sound wonderful. No matter that we can have April snow, I’m not even going there. In my opinion, it feels as if Mother Nature is having huge personal issues and she needs to get some things worked out!
Our guild however is on solid ground We have soldiered on with our plans to support the Staben House, to bust our stashes, to create a stunning Quilt of Valor in one evening, and to plan the quit show.
Thank you to all who made the QOV become a reality. Cheryl Mercy was quite the leader with her sequined red, white and blue captain’s hat.
As you continue your creative pursuits. Please remember to take some time away from your quilts, to make items for the boutique and the auction.
This year, I will attempt to create a challenge block, 12” x 12”, to enter in our show. I have been giving quite a bit of time to deciding what I will present. I am very comfortable with the one heart that has to be in the block. This will be my first attempt to do this for our guild. And if I can do it, believe me the rest of you can too.
Stay warm and quilt on,
Marti
More News from the President: New Stands
After much research and discussion, the Board has voted to authorize the purchase of new quilt stands for our quilt show. We are very pleased with our decision.
Our current system was purchased used in the early 2000s. This system served us well and we have put on very impressive shows using these wooden stands. There were many of us who repaired and replaced pieces throughout the years. We must say thank you to the many guild members and their spouses for all the hours given to keep this system up and running. “Thank you”.
This wooden system no longer allows us to present a safe display system. The wooden stands have become rickety and they are easy to tip if accidentally bumped. The board feared the consequences of a tumbling row of quilts landing on our quilt show guests as well as our members.
This new system will use the back drops, hooks and pipes which we own. The ease of raising quilts, and the stability of the bases ‘sold’ our board members. We are indeed a fortunate guild in that we have a very healthy treasury thanks to the support and hard work of our guild members. Each of you have made this possible.
Let’s all look forward to an exciting show using these new stands.
Thank you
Marti
Treasurer’s Report
Balance on 1/27/2019: $29,666.24
Income: $921.85
Expenses: $1,883.64
Balance as of 2/25/2019: $28,704.45
We are starting to get some Quilt Show expenses and income. Income this month consisted of April retreat fees and Quilt Show vendor fees. Expenses were for the April retreat location rental and Quilt Show bookmarks and raffle tickets.
Respectfully submitted,
Laura Partridge, Treasurer
Quilt Show News
Note EARLIER DATE!! Quilts are due July 16th!!!!!
All quilts to be hung in the show must be registered by midnight Tuesday, July 16th! Quilts of Valor that are not hung have a deadline of August 31st.
Registration is open now!
Quilt Show Help Wanted
We, finally, were able to have our first meeting of the Quilt Show Committee…after 3 cancelations. Lovely weather!
We will meet prior to the Guild meeting in March and April at 5:30. We will be back at the Fremont Public Library for our May meeting, on the 14th at 7:00pm.
Several things have been decided. The final due date for quilt entries is July 16, 2019. Any quilt that is larger than 10 feet will have to have the top of the hanging sleeve at 10 feet. Any additional material will drape over the top bar. Our beautiful raffle quilt started traveling on February 21st. Donna and Lorraine have many visits set up including Rosemont, March 29 and 30. There are 10 vendors confirmed so far. The boutique is in need of many items. They have several ideas if you have not thought of something already.
Things are coming along nicely. But, we are in need of someone to be in charge of equipment. This includes ordering the tables, renting the tumbler, and transporting the equipment to and from the venue. The time involved is the morning of taping the floors, the late afternoon on Saturday, after the show, and a brief time on the phone. A group of people will be needed to move the equipment. Many of us have been involved in this process, so there is plenty of help organizing it.
Chairwomen,
Madge Pierce and Christine Tindell
2018 – 2019 Service Project
Service project is nearing the finish line To fulfill our yearly mission of providing service to the community, we are making quilts for the children living at the Staben House in Waukegan. We thank those who have already turned a child - size quilt and are hopeful that many more of you have one underway. The March 20 workshop provides an excellent opportunity to spend a day working on your donation. Quilts can be turned in no later than the April meeting where they will be presented to a representative of the Staben House. Please note that the attachment of a label is optional.
Andrea Krier and Peggy Schemenauer
Thank you Deb and Ginny!
2019 Programs Announcement
It's time to look ahead to new programs and workshops! Barb Jolley and Edie Hirasawa did a fantastic job this year with her themed programs and great workshop! Theirs is a very tough act to follow, but we'll do our best. We looked at your requests that came in via the website, studied Barb's survey, and listened to those who came to us with ideas. In the coming year, we will learn (or develop) another new skill: paper piecing; learn about fabric design and quilt judging; and enjoy programs and workshops from some of the truly exceptional quilters who live in the Chicago area. There will be modern quilting, traditional quilting, and art quilting presentations. Something for everyone to further your knowledge of quilting and inspire you to make more lovely quilts.
Programs for the remainder of 2019 will be as follows:
April 16, 2019 Annual Meeting and Potluck with donation of quilts to Staben House
May 21, 2019 Speaker: Mary Hertel, Lecture and Trunk Show
Designer Mary Hertel will present a lecture and trunk show featuring her whimsical paper pieced quilts and bags. Learn about her inspiration, how she designs her patterns, and how to choose fabrics for her designs. madebymarney.com
May 22, 2019 Workshop: “Paper Piecing with Marney”
Have fun learning paper piecing basics and all the little tricks for success; suitable for beginning quilters as well as more advanced students. Make two adorable blocks from Mary’s book, “Sew Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”; a snowman and a polar bear.
June 18, 2019 Speaker: Bill Kerr “Quilts Made Modern”
What makes a quilt modern? Using examples from the book Quilts Made Modern as well as other quilts, Bill will show us what makes a quilt modern and how you might include modern techniques and design approaches in your next project. modernquiltstudio.com
June 19, 2019 Workshop: “Working with Large Scale Prints”
Many quilters love large-scale prints but find it challenging to combine them effectively with other prints. Learn the design concepts behind using large-scale prints and how to show them off to their best advantage. Making a “Follow the Leader” quilt or a project of your choice if you have something in mind.
July 16, 2019 Speaker Jane Sassaman “Under the Influence”
A lecture of the visual and philosophical ideas that have influenced Jane and her work. This is a very colorful lecture designed to excite and inspire the audience by exposing them to an unusual combination of fantastic images. janesassaman.com
July 17, 2019 Workshop: “Moths and Moons”
Bring your favorite fabrics or purchase a kit from Jane’s stash of FreeSpirit designs to create one to three giant marvelous moths (approximately 27”W X 21”H each) to be assembled using Jane’s accessible appliqué method. After class you will be able to stitch your background and apply your gorgeous critters.
August 20, 2019 Speaker: Laura Wasilowski “I Quilt, Therefore I Am”
A colorful and humorous history of the artist’s life presented with slides of her narrative quilts. The biographical section of the slide show is followed by information about the design process and techniques used in creating her quilts. Featured with the lecture is a display of small art quilts and a trunk show of hand dyed fabric and threads from the Artfabrik dyers. artfabrik.com
August 21, 2019 Workshop: “Woven Flower Baskets”
Bring summer into your home and make a basket full of flowers from a kit of beautifully hand-dyed fabrics and threads. (No sewing machine is needed. Learn fusing techniques like pattern transfer, bias weaving, and bias braiding for the basket handle. Pattern templates are provided, but you will also learn fusing tips and how to add hand embroidery to your small art quilt.
September 17, 2019 “It’s All About the Show!”
Find out how the Village Quilters will be running the 2019 Quilt Show, Quilts from the Village XVI! We will learn about setting up the new quilt stands, how we hang and tear down the show, what to expect during the show, which vendors will attend, etc. Your attendance will ensure a pleasant experience for all!
October 15, 2019 Speaker: Maribeth Schmit, “Entering Your Quilts in Shows, What a Judge Sees”
Ever wonder how quilts are judged in competitions? Want to know what takes a quilt out of ribbon contention? Learn about quilt judging standards and processes from NQA certified judge, Maribeth Schmit. She will explain the common mistakes quilters make and how to avoid them. Become a savvy exhibitor and increase your chances of success at any show! wiquiltjudge.com
November 19, 2019 Speaker: Deborah Strain, Moda Fabric Designer, “Designing Fabric”
Enjoy a lecture and trunk show on fabric design featuring Deb Strain’s fabrics designed for Moda. She will be vending her designs as well. debstrain.blogspot.com
December 17, 2019 Program: Annual Winter Holiday Party
Holiday rush getting you down? Need to laugh, talk, and enjoy a meal with your quilting friends to celebrate winter? Join us for our annual social gathering for a great meal with good company. After all, winter is quilting season and that’s reason enough to celebrate!
We hope you will enjoy the programs and look forward to serving you.
Kathy Avellone and Kearstie Grenier, Advance Program Chairs
Membership
To register online or pay your dues with your credit card, follow the Join Us link under the Members tab. Click on the green "Join or Renew Online" button and you'll be taken to a page where you can complete the membership form online or download a pdf of the form to mail. Scroll down the page to pay your dues online or for instructions to pay by check.
If you have any questions, please contact Membership (Celia Stratman and Kimberly Jurco.)
Happy Birthday!
Happy March Birthday!
Bobbie Etchell - 3/3
Madge Pierce - 3/20
Christine Sequeira - 3/25