Big Red Quilters' Guild: June 2015

Monday, June 22, 2015

Janet Steinke opened the meeting at 7:00 promptly with the following business:

“Row by Row” has started nationally. Stop by your favorite shop to pick up your pattern and get started!

“Red & White” challenge – your board listened to your size feedback and will add a small quilt category. To clarify, we have 2 size categories and 2 style categories:

Small – anything below a total of 216” total (outside dimension)

Large – anything above 216” total (outside dimension)

The two style categories remain the same – Traditional and Art/Modern

This means you can enter 4 quilts, a small and large Traditional style, and a small and large Art/Modern.

Your entries need to be complete by our June 2016 meeting. Entry forms will be made available later, and turned in at our April 2016 meeting. For now…….get quilting!

Guild Fundraiser - Start gathering things to donate for our quilty garage sale, September 28, the 4^th Monday, in lieu of our sew in date. All proceeds go to BRQG. Items not sold will be donated to Gilda’s House. If you have questions or would like to volunteer, please see Vice President Marie Yutendale. You can bring items to our August 24 general meeting. Items will be organized and priced as follows:

Books - $3

Patterns - $2

Fabrics – $1 a yard

BRQG Member Pins – are available to guild members for $12, with $2 going to the guild. Please see the member table when you check in at the next meeting for a form.

The Program Committee - lead by Barb Walsh is hard at work searching for interesting and new programs for the guild. Some names being explored are Ann Loveless, ArtPrize winner, well known art quilter Sue Holdaway Heys, Kelli Perkins, author of the Stitch Alchemy and Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts. If you have ideas for a program, please let Barb know. If you’d like to volunteer to lead or be a part of this hard working group, please let any Board member know as soon as possible as we will be voting on leadership in August, beginning your tenure for the next year.

Election of Officers – yes, it’s that time already at our August meeting. If you’d like to run, or know someone who would be perfect, let us know immediately. Vetting will begin soon. The Guild does not exist without our generous volunteers, so if you'd like to step up, the newly appointed officers will start in October. Possible positions are:

President (Janet would like someone to step up…..)

Vice President (Marie will be stepping down)

Treasurer

Secretary/Blog

Membership

Programs (3 people needed) (Barb will be stepping down)

August 24 Program – ‘The Bee from Downers Grove’, five ladies that have quilted together FOREVER, forming a wonderful bond of friendship. They will present a large trunk show and share how they organized group challenges throughout their years. Plan to attend and bee inspired to join a bee if you aren’t in one….you don’t want to miss this!

Welcome NONA JONES! - The guild was thrilled to welcome Nona Jones, long time quilter and teacher from Downers Grove, Illinois to our guild. Nona has made hundreds of ‘small quilts’, or doll quilts as some refer to for many years. She’s been in the same bee and guild for many years, thankful for the many wonderful quilters she calls close friends as a result. Nona began quilting in 1975, and recommends everyone join a bee. We are honored to see this ONE TIME ONLY trunk show! Her quilts are mostly small, but she hopes they will inspire all of us to try new blocks, or color combinations or techniques by creating small quilts. She wants us to leave saying “I can do that”…..then do it. You can exchange blocks, use leftover blocks, or find blocks at antique malls…..just be inspired. We thank Nona for her enthusiastic presentation!! Here’s a sample of the quilts she shared including a few large ones for good measure: