April 2024
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Annual Meeting and Potluck
Tuesday, April 16 at 6 pm – In Person
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 to bring a salad, and the board members will provide the desserts and beverages.
Highlights of the evening:
Thank the outgoing Board members
Voting and Installation of new Board members
Announcement of changes to committee members
Budget presentation and vote
Bylaw change vote
Committee reports
Show and Tell
Opportunity Quilt – Sinnissippi Quilters (see the quilt here)
Slate of Officers for 2024-2026
Please review the following names which have been selected by the Nominating Committee consisting of Lorraine Potts, Carol Swartz, Judi Hillebrand and Marti Austin.
At the April meeting there will be an opportunity nominate others.
Board:
President: Sharon Pierluissi
Vice President Membership: Robyn McGarrigle, Lorraine Potts
Advanced Programs: Andrea Krier, Marti Austin
Vice President Programs: Nancy Zamor, Enid Mattimoro
Secretary: Peg Schemenaur
Treasurer: Melanie Houser
Assistant Treasurer: Mary Phemister
Newsletter: Celia Stratman
Member-at-large: Christine Tindell
2025 Quilt Show Chair: Kathy Avellone
Committee Chairs:
Historian: Kearstie Grenier
Co Historian: TBA
Librarian: Rosemary Groenwald
Ways and Means: Donna Fitzgerald
UFO Challenge: Enid Mattimoro
Birthday Blocks: Enid Mattimoro
Friendship: Judy Hillebrand
Service: Gwen Jaeger, Ginny Underwood
December Social: TBA
April Annual Meeting: TBA
Webmaster: Margaret Martin
May Program – Linda Lambert - Certified Laura Heine Collage Quilting Instructor
Tuesday, May 21 at 7 pm - In Person
Join us In Person on Tuesday evening, May 21st as Linda Lambert presents her lecture, Collage Quilting & Your Health.
Linda Lambert is a certified Laura Heine Collage Quilting instructor; teaching at many quilt shops and guilds throughout Illinois and Indiana while sharing her enthusiasm for collage quilting. Join us 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! Learning a new technique not only exercises your brain, but lowers blood pressure, helps fight depression, and strengthens pathways in your brain. Linda will share the research that supports your favorite hobby.
May Workshop - Laura Heine Collage Quilt - Teeny Tiny Group #5 Sewing Machine
Wednesday, May 22, 9am – 4pm – In Person, taught by Linda Lambert, Laura Heine Certified Instructor
Come join us for a fun day of playing with fabric! We will be making the Sewing Machine Collage quilt which is one of the patterns included in Laura Heine’s Teeny Tiny Group #5 pattern (Pincushion, Dress Form, Sewing Machine). You will learn 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. We will use a kit for this class, and you may use your scrap stash for future designs. Learn Laura Heine's techniques to successfully create, secure, and quilt your work of art!
You should be able to have your collage completed by the end of class. Suggestions on quilting and finishing your quilt will be shared in this class.
No sewing experience is needed, and no sewing machine is required for this class.
Check out the Registration page of the Village Quilters website to register for the class and download the supply list.
Purchasing the required Kit: Linda has partnered with Quilter’s Quest in Downers Grove to create a custom kit for this class. Once you sign up for the class, Enid will send you an email with information about ordering the kit. If you would like her to pick up the kit for you, sign up for the class and order the kit by April 8th.
Nancy Zamor and Enid Mattimiro, Co-Chairs Advance Programs
Christine’s Chatter
Our March meeting was wonderful and we had 59 virtual attendees! Diane Harris reignited my excitement about using scraps. Yesterday I sorted some patterns and I realized why I loved her projects so much and had saved some of her patterns in past magazines. Her workshop was very fun. She is such a patient teacher and encouraged all of us to try something out of our comfort zone. Everyone had a fun and our time together flew by.
During April’s meeting we will take care of some business, such as thanking the present board and installing new officers. We also have to approve the budget for the upcoming year. This month bring your show and tell items - no limit to the number of items per person. Sinissippi quilt guild will also bring their opportunity quilt. Please support this guild and buy some raffle tickets!
This is my last time to write to you as president. It’s been a delightful term, and Covid presented challenges, but as quilters and problem solvers we continued to stay in touch and meet, albeit virtually. I appreciate all of you and the talents and gifts you bring to the guild. I’m looking forward to this next year and our show in 2025. Thank you for your patience with me and the talented board members that serve you. On that note, please renew your membership!
All my best, Christine
Village Quilters workshops are so much fun! Here is some student work from our day with Dianne Harris, who encouraged us to “embrace the clash” and work to achieve balance in our compositions! No one expected a masterpiece by the end of the day, but we all learned some valuable principles of improvisation and design from Dianne. We also received repeated permission to play because “it’s only fabric!”
By-Law Changes!
Lucky for us, we added a young member to our guild this past year! This event made us realize that we have no category for younger members described in our by-laws. Because we realize that passing down our love of quilting is an important part of the future of our craft, a committee was formed to look at possible changes to our by-laws.
In a nutshell, this committee added the parameters for a junior membership category and changed some terms for officers from one to two years. The position of the Treasurer has expanded recently after we have added the usage of Strip (paying online) and Square (payments in person). These changes in the bylaws hopefully will cover our current needs.
The by-law changes can be read on our website in the Members Only section. Please take a look because we will be voting on them during our April meeting.
Submitted by Marti Austin, Member-at-Large and the revision committee: Linda Spring, Christine Tindell, Sharon Pierluissi, Cheryl Mercy, Kathy Avellone, Melanie Houser
Spring Retreat Announcement
Retreat is just around the corner! To all those who requested a room, the room requests have been sent in. If for any reason, your plans have changed and you will be unable to attend the retreat let Marti Austin know as soon as possible. There are several people on the wait list who would gladly reimburse you and attend.
Pop-up Shop at the Retreat
For all Village Quilters, a pop-up shop will held on Saturday, April 13 from 1 pm 3 pm. Members bring their very nice kits, notions and fabric and sell these for very reduced prices. The prices are determined by those who bring the items. If you are participating in the retreat, please bring along anything that you want to sell. Those who are not attending the retreat are also welcome to bring and sell their items! Everyone must take home what is not sold!
Treasurer’s Report
Bank Balance as of February 1, 2024: $37,788.44
Income: $55.00
Expenses: $991.90
Ending Bank Balance as of February 29, 2024: $36,851.64
Income was from workshop fees. Expenses were from the purchase of ladders ($400), workshop costs ($450 speaker and $90 rent), holiday party reimbursements ($50) and Stripe fees.
Respectfully submitted, Melanie Houser, Assistant Treasurer
Some of our newer members who attended the New Member Reception on March 12.
Membership Report
It’s that time of the year again - time to renew your Village Quilter’s membership! Right now the membership renewal fee is $45.00. On June 1st the membership fee will be $50.00. Don’t waste any time! Head over to Village Quilter’s website and renew your membership online or you can pay by check at the upcoming meeting. If you have any questions about renewing your membership, please reach out to the Membership Chairs.
If you have any quilting friends who you think would enjoy being a member of our guild please ask them to join us! This is a good time with the reduced dues and we have a great year of programming planned.
Happy April Birthday to the following members:
Lynn Bradburn - 4/5
Edythe Hirasaw - 4/28
Erica Jarrett - 4/6
Margaret Martin - 4/21
Enid Mattimiro - 4/30
Linda McCage - 4/20
Robyn McGarrigle - 4/18
Julie Milne - 4/26
Andrea Krier and Sharon Pierluissi, Membership Chairs
Service Project!
We have a new service project for 2024! The organization we will contribute quilts to is Quilts Across America, which works with Sleep In Heavenly Peace to provide beds and bedding for children in need. You can check out this organization at their website https://shpbeds.org/
They request quilts following these guidelines:
50”-60" wide and 75”-90" long
Colors that appeal to kids and young adults from 2 to 17 years
No religious or holiday themed fabrics
No buttons or glued on embellishments
Machine bound with simple allover quilting
The service committee is planning a sew-in for our members during the August guild meeting; more details on this to come later. If you'd like to make a quilt to contribute in the meantime, you are welcome to do so!
We will collect the finished quilts at the September guild meeting. The organization asks that you estimate the hours spent making the quilt. They submit the volunteer hours to Lowes, and exchange those hours for materials used to construct the beds.
If you have any questions, please contact me. Thank you for your support!
Gwen Jaeger, Service Chairman