September 2023
/September Program – Quilt Show Preparation!
Tuesday, September 19 at 7:00 pm
We will be demonstrating how to set up the stands and the quilts at our September meeting. This is a good review for those who have done it before and also a perfect learning time for those who are new to our system of hanging.
We still need two more team leaders who would be willing to lead a group of people to set up and take down. Each team needs to have two people who are willing and able to climb ladders. Currently there are only 3 people signed up to climb ladders and we really need at least 10 people. The quilts cannot be hung without ladder people. Please sign up for this important job.
We will need wagons to help with transporting supplies and quilts to the areas that you will be hanging. We will also need 4 ft. ladders, 6 ft. ladders, and (2) 8 ft. ladders. Please make sure that any ladders and wagons are well marked with your name so we can make sure everyone gets their items back.
Please remember that if you complete a job like check-in you need to come and see Sue Minster for another assignment. Boutique set up will start after the quilts are hung. Lunch will be provided for all workers on Thursday.
See you soon!
Sue Minster
From the Quilt Show Chair
It’s September and that means there are only seven weeks remaining before the show! The members of the Quilt Show Committee continue to work hard to get ready. Every committee has goals it is working to achieve, and with your help they are on the way to success!
We appreciate the support guild members have given. If this were grade school, some of you would be getting gold stars on your report cards. Please keep it up as there is still work to be done!
We especially need volunteers to sell raffle tickets at the various farmers’ markets. Also, remember to go online to sign up for your show work assignments. Donate a few things to the Boutique and Silent Auction. And of course, be ready to help with set-up and take-down of the show.
If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to ask! Also, read the articles in this newsletter and make friends with the Village Quilters website as there is a wealth of information to be found there. Keep sewing!
Kathy Avellone, Quilt Show Chair
Remember, you can download and print your own tracker or pick up a a copy at the next guild meeting.
Volunteer Staffing: Teamwork makes the Dream work!
So many things are happening for our great quilt show! Floor plans, quilt placement, donations to Silent Auction and Boutique, sleeves on our quilts, advertising, VOLUNTEERS and VOLUNTEERS! We still need around half of our time slots to be filled.
Here's how it works in 3 easy steps:
1) Click this link to see SignUp: https://signup.com/go/iofQVDg
2) Review the options listed and choose the spot(s) you like.
3) Sign up! It's easy - you will NOT need to register an account or keep a password on SignUp.
Note: SignUp does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually
We are all responsible for the success of the show. Please sign up for anything you can help with. We have seated jobs and more active jobs. If you have not done something before, try it! Staffing our quilt show is not only necessary, it is a perfect time to get to know more friends in the Guild.
Remember Thursday – Setup Day – All guild members are expected to help set up the show. We currently have only 37 members signed up for that day and we need everyone! Also, please invite spouses and friends to help. We will be providing lunch for all. Bring your quilts to check in, work gloves, and wagons. You’ll be assigned tasks according to your ability.
If you have any questions, contact Andrea Krier.
Boutique
MEMBER VENDORS, please attend a meeting at 6:15 pm on September 19, just prior to the general guild meeting.
ALL MEMBERS, please bring the items that you are donating to the Boutique to our next general guild meeting on September 19.
The sew-in on August 16 was very successful. We had a good number of members who created many wonderful items during the day. It was a fun time sewing and talking. We hope to have many more wonderful items to sell at the show. It’s not too late to finish some treasures to donate!
Don’t forget to sign up to work a couple of shifts during the show! Working in the Boutique is fun!
Madge Pierce & Barb Jolley
Silent Auction
Many thanks to the 15 members who have already donated items to the Silent Auction! We have received such wonderful work!
HOWEVER we need many more members to contribute and are hoping each of you has a special item in the works. If not yet, now is the time!
The item should be new and can be any size—quilt, wall hanging, table runner—whatever you'd like to make. Holiday themes are popular, as are items showcasing members' special talents. Make something using techniques you love.
Please bring your contribution to the September meeting or contact one of us to make other arrangements. We would like to have all items in our hands by October 1.
Thank you for contributing to this important guild fundraiser!
Erica Jarrett and Donna Derstadt
Urgent Need for Raffle Quilt Travel
Many members have volunteered to attend other quilt guild meetings to show our raffle quilt but we still need members to volunteer to go to 2 Farmers Markets to show our quilt.
The Libertyville Farmers Markets scheduled for September 14 and September 28 do not have enough volunteers to staff them. We need additional help at these markets because the set-up and take down of equipment requires more volunteers.
Farmers Markets give us the opportunity to not only sell raffle tickets, but also to hand out our bookmarks for promotion of our upcoming quilt show.
If we don't have enough volunteers, we may need to cancel these two scheduled showings. These sudden withdrawals may jeopardize our ability to be at future Farmers Markets.
Can't come for the entire time? No problem because we need the largest number of volunteers for set-up and take down. Contact Pam Eulberg for more information or to volunteer.
Check-In/Check-Out
Check-In takes place on Thursday, October 19 from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. In September each person will receive a 4” x 6” ID card for each quilt entered in the show. The card will list the name of the quilt, the maker’s name, and the address at which the quilt will be hung. Please affix the card to the lower left-hand corner of the back of your quilt with two safety pins, and fold your quilt so that the card is displayed.
Check-Out takes place on Saturday, October 21, after the show has been taken down. Please plan to participate in taking down the show in any way that you find appropriate to your physical ability. Many tasks can be done seated.
If you are unable to be present at either event, you may ask a friend to substitute.
Feather Schroeder
Quilt Appraisals
The quilt show is fast approaching and there is still time to sign up for a quilt appraisal. Remember that your quilts are “works of art” and should be appraised to insure you get the true replacement value if something should happen to them.
Please call or email me for a spot on the schedule to sign up before the show. I will also be at all of our regularly scheduled guild meetings. You can also sign up during the two days of the quilt show. The cost for an appraisal is $50.00 and can be paid for by cash or check at the time of your appraisal.
Judy Hillebrand
November Program
Tuesday, November 14, 7 p.m. (Please note the date change!)
“Headline News: Quilters Arrested for Playing Strip Poker in Church Basement!”
Yes, we will be playing strip poker. No, we will not be arrested because we will be using strips of fabric!
First of all, please note the date change for our November meeting. Due to the proximity of our normal date to the Thanksgiving holiday, we have decided to move our Village Quilters Guild Meeting one week ahead to November 14.
Secondly, we want you to prepare for our Strip Poker event by gathering your fabric to play with! You can use Jelly Roll strips, Layer Cakes, or 5” Charm Squares. A “turn” in the poker game will require either one jelly roll strip, one layer cake piece, or 4 charm squares safety-pinned together! More details will be coming.
The programs for September and October will be dedicated to Quilt Show business.
Happy Stitching (or Stripping),
Cheryl Mercy and Kathy Sorkin
Voice Your Opinion: Advance Programs
Thank you to those members who have already provided feedback.
There is still time to let us know what programs and workshops you would like to see for the May 2024 – March 2025 program schedule, so take a few minutes to fill out the survey.
If you think of a suggestion later, you can always reach out to programs@villagequilters.org with any speaker suggestions or workshop questions.
Advance Programs: Nancy Zamor, Enid Mattimiro
Christine’s Chatter
It’s back to school month! Exciting for most parents of school aged kids. I always loved the first day of school with new crayons, teachers and seeing my friends after 3 long months. Being a farm kid and a member of 4-H clubs, I was usually very busy in the summers. I think September and October are my favorite months due to apple picking time and beautiful tree colors. After the last few days, I welcome the cooler days of Autumn.
I have been very busy making items for our boutique and silent auction for the quilt show. I participated in the boutique workshop in August and we had a wonderful time talking, sewing and laughing. This boutique is sure to have something for everyone.
Many have asked how my sewing room and fabric redo is going. I convinced my husband that this is a good thing and this week we bought the Kallax bookshelf at Ikea. I am restraining myself from starting the actual process until items are finished for the show because once I dive into the cutting and organizing, I won’t be able to sew or stop for that matter. I am also taking time to deep clean my house and sort and donate. I have so much to do and now I’m grateful for the time to do it.
Carol Wilhoit was a refreshing speaker at our August meeting as she reminded us of some basics of quilting, namely the use of color. I was inspired by her gradation projects and the fact that we don’t have to make large things, but a lovely table runner will make us move forward with creativity.
See you all in October at our meeting to prep for the show. Marti is leading our September meeting as I will be in Seattle and then Napa Valley with my youngest daughter – a trip I couldn’t pass up!
Board members, our quarterly meeting is scheduled for October 10. I am moving it to October 3rd due to a conflict with the quilt show committee’s final meeting.
Have a wonderful September,
Christine
September Retreat Pop-Up Quilt Shop
Back by Popular Demand!
At the Village Quilters March retreat, quite a few members participated in our first Pop-up Quilt Shop.
It was successful and we are doing it again at our September retreat! For our new members, the following is an explanation of this idea.
There will be a sale of kits, fat quarter bundles, jelly rolls, charm packs, layer cakes and notions at our September Retreat. The merchandise for sale will be from our stashes and will be made up of purchases that we couldn’t pass up at the time but are now ready to release to someone else!
Any Village Quilters member who is not attending the retreat and members who are attending the retreat are encouraged to bring their items, labeled with the member’s name and the asking price. This merchandise should be “like new”, meaning the condition it was in when we brought it home and put it on our shelves, in our boxes, or wherever we store the “to be started projects” before they are forgotten or passed over!
The cost of each item will be established by the seller. There will be no uniform pricing. For example, Petunia the Piecer might sell her charm pack for $3 and Sandy the Stitcher might sell hers for $5!
All members are welcome to come to the quilt retreat on Saturday, September 30, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Mettawa from 1 pm to 3 pm to check out what others could not live without.
Bring cash or checks as you will be giving the money directly to the person selling the goods.
This activity will last for two hours on Saturday. When we all get together to sew, we want to sew and not take time to staff a table.
What: Pop-up Quilt Shop
Where: Hilton Garden Inn Lake Forest, 26225 Riverwoods, Rd., Lake Forest
Date: Saturday, September 30
Time: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Any questions? Contact Marti Austin
Birthday Blocks – 2024
Birthday Blocks are back!
What block are we making? “Positivity 2022 Quilt Along” by Sew Preeti Quilts.
Here’s an example:
(L) focus fabric: yellow, background fabric: blue and (R) focus fabric: blue, background fabric: yellow
What does the finished quilt look like? See below!
How do I sign up? Birthday Block Sign Up Form
Sign up: September 1, 2023 – October 31, 2023
How does the Birthday Block Exchange Work?
In November, I will send out a list of all the members who are participating in the Birthday Block exchange including their birthday month and fabric choices.
Each month you will make blocks for all the participants who have a birthday that month, based on their color preferences.
In your birthday month, you will receive blocks from all the other members participating in the exchange.
Enid Mattimiro, Birthday Block Coordinator
Treasurer’s Report
Balance as of July 1, 2023: $28,763.68
Income: $3,099.34
Expenses: $1,484.35
Ending balance as of July 31, 2023: $30,378.67
Income was from raffle tickets, workshops and membership
Expenses were programs and rental for workshops
Respectfully submitted,
Madge Pierce, Treasurer
Membership Report
Welcome New Member Debra McDonald!
We now have 98 members; the current membership spreadsheet is now posted on the VQ website. If you have any questions about VQ Membership, please contact Andrea Krier or Sharon Pierluissi.
Happy September Birthday to the following members!
Patricia Buino- 9/8
Mary Ann Clemens – 9/8
Mary Dietz – 9/26
Ann Hamlin – 9/24
Linda Krismer – 9/28
Tera McBlaine – 9/17
Lorraine Potts – 9/15
Maggie Schmude – 9/18
Feather Schroeder – 9/12
Nancy Smith – 9/5
Linda Spring – 9/17
Laurie Waldron – 9/24