Hi All

I hope you are getting excited about our quilt show in August. Yes, it’s a short turn around since our last one was in October. We need to get back to our regular time slot so that we are not in competition with other shows. Our May meeting is the “Quilt Show Roll-out.” You can talk to the different chairs to see what their volunteer needs are for the show and to see if you want to be there. The quilt show is a great way to meet our members to find out more about our guild. We have some very talented members who are ready to share their knowledge and talents. At the May meeting, you will also be able to order your show shirt, the new show pin and pay for your lunches. We have some different lunch choices this year. Plano Event Center has come up with a new menu and we have chosen lunches we think will be appealing.

We also need your quilt entries. Please be turning them in so that we can have as beautiful a selection this year as we have had in the past. Deadline for entries is June 9th.

Also consider serving on the executive board this next year when the nominating committee calls asking for help. We need a VP of Media and VP of Community Service. Please look at the By-Laws and Policy and Practices to define the scope of these two jobs. You will have a lot of support from the guild when taking these positions.

When writing this we haven’t yet had our virtual workshop. I’m very hopeful that we can do more of this in the future. I’m expecting it to go very well and am looking forward to learning the speaker’s technique. I look at workshops as an opportunity to increase my skills—not as just another project to be sitting on my shelves somewhere. However, we do display finished workshop projects at the quilt show to encourage others to join us and learn more about quilting.

Keep on Quilting!

Barb Vedder

Quilting has been her passion for over 30 years with a special interest in antique and applique’ quilts. Barb’s quilts have been exhibited in regional, national, and international shows including Houston Quilt Festival, AQS Paducah and Lancaster and Quilt Odyssey. She has displayed quilts at the Texas Museum and The New England Quilt Museum. The Vermont Quilt Festival awarded her with the Best Hand Quilting Award in 2016. She won Connecticut State Fair’s Best Applique’ Quilt twice. In 2019, two local Guild Shows awarded her Best of Show. She has been published in Quilt magazines and blogs at Fun with Barb..

In this fun workshop there is very little prep and lots of sewing fun! Barb will demonstrate and guide students in making liberated house blocks in different styles and sizes. This is a fun way to use scraps or make a holiday themed quilt. Barb will discuss how to set the blocks to finish your house quilt. Fun class for all skill levels.
Full Day Workshop – class limit 20.

Date: June 11, 2022, 10:00am – 4:00pm

Time: 10:00am – 4:00pm (1/2-hour lunch)

Location: ZOOM

Workshop Fee: $45.00

There are about 30 days from the time you read this until the show entries are due. Show entries means your quilt is far enough along you can take a picture of the top. You still have 62 days beyond June 9 for quilting, binding, and attaching a label. Thursday, June 9 is a hard deadline for registration. A lot of work happens behind the scenes in the 65 days between registration and the show.

Volunteers—It takes a lot of girl power to pull off a successful show. If you can come to the May guild meeting, use that time to investigate the many volunteer opportunities. SIGN UP—don’t give the committee chair ladies heartburn by waiting until the last minute. You can sign up in person or online, at the meeting or in advance—the computer gurus and Dolores Williams have it all worked out for us. There are literally hundreds of hours to fill: some walking, some sitting, some let you show off your smiling face, others are behind the scenes. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Guild membership is not required to be a volunteer—bring your friends. Door prizes for those who sign up at the May 12 guild meeting.

And, secure your show T-Shirt, Pin, and lunch snack at the May guild meeting. We heard your feedback that the sandwiches last year were more food than desired. We are offering hearty snack choices plus complimentary cookies to keep you running at full speed all day at a lower price than last year, $14.

I would be remiss if I failed to mention the mini-quit auction—which requires mini-quilts. Please finish your mini-quilt and turn it in at any community service day or guild meeting. Kudos to those who turned mini-quilts in—your creativity is amazing!

The publicity team is focused on building our brand name and visibility. The mini-quilts are just one aspect of the publicity effort. Please share the guild Facebook/Instagram posts. Plus, tell your friends, quilters and art lovers, about the show. Our mission is to educate and expand the love of quilting (and maybe brag a tiny bit).

In closing, the guild is very grateful to the efforts of the vendor and ad sales teams. Much of their show work is completed. We have lots of vendor contracts signed. It goes without saying that this gives us the financial backing to do so many things-including offer first class programs. Momentum feeds upon itself—please volunteer, sell raffle tickets, bring your friends to the show, and purchase from the vendors so this year’s show lays the groundwork for more fabulous programs!

Special Exhibits Entries Needed: A separate form is needed to enter your completed workshop projects, a project done by your small group, or if you have completed the panel challenge from Community Service. Email Jeanne Vogel at pickincotton26@verizon.net for questions.

Presidential Volunteer Service Awards

After awarding the four individuals in April with their service awards, I have received information that some of you turned in hours that somehow did not get to the right people. So we are going to re-order to cover those of you who have put in your information. If you volunteered 150 hours or more in 2021, then get your name and Number of hours to Julie Schaefer and Tisha Harms now.

Please keep up with your hours for 2022. Whenever we can get a workable solution for the website, we will let you know. Until then, please keep your own records.

Community Service

By Linda Neal

A big thank you to everyone that helped with community service last month. We collected 33 completed quilts, 39 quilt tops, 6 quilted tops ready for binding, and 12 knitted caps. Of the 39 quilt tops, many were entries for the panel challenge. It is fun seeing all of the different settings members used to complete a top. The completed quilts were given to the Wednesday girls small group to be washed and distributed to the various charities we support. Community service is a revolving door of quilts!

My Gammill has been out of commission the last 2 months due to flooring installation, painting and personal travel. It’s amazing how quickly we can get behind on quilting! I have close to 3 bins of quilt tops already that are ready for backing and quilting. I will be gathering tops, backs, and batting and getting them ready for the next Community Service sew day and guild meeting for members to quilt. Please stop by and pick up a top to quilt on your long arm or domestic sewing machine. I am working hard to keep things caught up for the new VP of community service. I am not sure who it is yet….. Could it be YOU?? Consider serving as VP of Community Service and serving on the board. This position is mostly just keeping everything organized and moving. Until next month–happy sewing!

Community Service/Guild Activity Panel Challenge

The Community Service panel challenge is ending on May 12th at our monthly guild meeting. We will be accepting tops at the May community service drop off day ( May 10th) or at the May guild meeting. Your name will be entered into the drawing. You may use your own panel and donate the completed top community service. Tops can be any usable size and they do not need to be quilted. If possible, please include a matching binding. Also, remember to attach a piece of paper with your name, top size, and contact information. We will be showing all of the tops donated at the May meeting. Afterwards we will have a drawing for the prize. Thank you to all who have donated tops for the panel challenge. Have questions? Contact Linda Neal — lindanealmck@hotmail.com

Education

By Cindy Skarin

TIPS FOR ACCURATE MEASURING AND CUTTING

Press fabrics before measuring and cutting.
Consider starching fabrics, especially when working with small pieces or bias edges.
Use your cutting mat to line up edges of your fabric, not to measure it. You will get more accurate cuts by using the lines on your ruler.
Straighten fabric edges before beginning to cut.
Using painter’s tape or washi tape on your ruler when making several cuts the same measurement is an easy guide to cutting multiple strips the same measurement.
Use a sharp rotary blade for cutting your fabrics.
Always cut away from your body when using a rotary cutter. A rotating cutting mat is helpful for this.
Measure twice; cut once.
Make sure you have an accurate 1/4″ seam allowance.

These past two years, we have had great success with our Zoom small bee meetings. I’ve been thinking about adding one more. Are you interested in making bags? Would you like to meet once a month on Zoom to discuss what you’re currently making? Or to ask questions if you need help? I know there are a number of us in the guild who do make bags. I want to reach out to those who would like to learn the techniques as well as add those of us who have made numerous ones.

If you would be interested, please email me with your name and the time you would like to meet. It can be any time……I haven’t set a time or day/evening for it. Just checking to see if there is an interest. Donna Petrick petrickdl@outlook.com

Worker Bees – Sharon McGinnis

Join us on May 19th at 6:30 pm. (NOTE – this is a change of date from May 17th). Come enjoy being with other quilters from the comfort of your home. We will share tips and tricks, answer questions about your project, have show and tell, and encourage each other. Contact Sharon McGinnis at sharon.mcginnis@verizon.net to be added to the email notification list.

Sew Happy Quilters – Aurora Chancy

We meet at Sam Johnson Senior Center corner of 75 and 16th Steet on first Thursdays 9:00 to 4:00. We are a sit-n-sew, so bring your favorite project and enjoy the fellowship! Contact Aurora Chancy achancy@msn.com

Featherweight Fellowship Groups – Jeanne Vogel

Singer Featherweight sewing machines make happy owners as we sit and sew. We share tips for caring for the machine, our best notions, and have several members experienced with problem-solving both machine and quilting problems. If you work, join us on a Saturday! When we share a lot of tips and tricks we follow the meeting with an email to those attending. Those who have not previously notified me, please email pickincotton26@verizon.net to get the invitation to join the Zoom meeting.

Chicks with Feathers—3rd Saturdays Zooming 1-3pm — (Formerly at Sunrise of Plano)
Fourth Friday Featherweight Friends—4th Fridays @ 1-3pm on Zoom or in person meeting at Best Little Retreat Center in Texas all day.

Pieceful Organization – Sarah Krauss & Jeanne Vogel (Now we will meet twice a month!)

If you are feeling “abode overload,” we will: relieve clutter, stress, struggle and feelings of being overwhelmed. We are Zooming on the 3rd and the 4th Wednesday’s from 1:30-3:30 pm using the inspiration from a workshop we attended. Organization will change your clutter and chaos to start the day fresh with your stuff organized. Less chaos leads to more productive quilt making. Please contact pickincotton26@verizon.net for an invitation.

Free Motion Quilting Bee (we actually sew during the meeting!) – Monica Hendewerk

Our meetings have been a huge success. It turns out that Zoom blocks out background noise, so we can sew and chat at the same time! Monica or one of the other members provide some designs to practice on a small sandwich which you can choose to use or not. The designs are sent out in advance and include step by step instructions, with both beginner and intermediate designs. A number of us generally “doodle” on paper first, and then sew. Some people do the designs that have been sent out, others do their own thing. We have beginner beginners all the way to advanced members of the group. We also share our samples and ask/answer questions. Meetings are on the second Monday of the month, from 1:00 – 3:00 (or longer sometimes!). Please contact Monica so that she can send you the Zoom link if you are interested. mhendewerk@gmail.com (713) 569-8798

Hand Applique Small group – Linda Neal

We meet the first Monday of each month at 10:00 on Zoom. Our next meetings are May 2nd 4th and June 6th. We work on our individual projects and offer encouragement with lots of hints and tricks. If you are interested in joining our hand applique Zoom group, please email Linda Neal (lindanealmck@hotmail.com) for the link.

English Paper Piecing Small Group – Linda Neal

We meet on the third Tuesday at 10:00 on Zoom. May 17th and June 21st are our next meetings. Whether you are new to English Paper Piecing or a pro, we would love to have you join our group. Our group is informal and fun!! For a link, please email Linda Neal (lindanealmck@hotmail.com) for the link.

Hoop It Up Bee – Donna Petrick

The machine embroidery group meets the third Thursday each month on Zoom. We talk about problems or successes we might have had in using our machines as well as having show and tell. We are open to all levels of users. If you have an interest in machine embroidery, please join us. Email me petrickdl@outlook.com so I can send you the Zoom invitation.

Quilters Guild of Plano, Inc.

Letter from the President

Programs

May Guild Meeting – Thursday, May 12, 2022

Quilt Show Roll Out and Skill Builder Demos

June Guild Meeting – Thursday, June 9, 2022

Lecture: Sensational Solid Quilts

Workshop: Liberated Houses: Pattern Free Piecing Fun

Quilt Show

Quilt Plano 2022 will be August 12th and 13th.

Special Exhibits

Presidential Volunteer Service Awards

Community Service

Community Service/Guild Activity Panel Challenge

Quilts of Valor

QUILTFEST 2022 — “AMERICA: A Patchwork Quilt”

Education