Letter from the President

By Linda Neal

March is finally here!  I am so glad to finally say goodbye to February, along with the snow, ice and record cold temperatures.  Who knew it could get so cold in Texas?  When the weatherman started predicting this winter storm, I did what every good Texan does–stock up on EVERYTHING.  My freezers and fridges were stocked with food and drink of every kind.  I had lots of dog food and dog treats too.  My studio was also well stocked with fabric, thread, needles, and my projects were stacked nicely and ready to go.  I was prepared to stay in my studio for at least 7 full days, and not come out until the winter storm had passed.  I was looking forward to my Zoom friends and finishing lots of quilt projects.

I was doing well on day number one of the storm.  I worked on applique all day.  Then after a scrumptious dinner, I sat down to a movie and binding.  I got 2 sides bound before bedtime.  Good progress for my first day. Snow/ice were starting to fall.  It made my backyard look beautiful.  Later that night, I woke up to the sound of alarms–the kind of alarm when the battery backup is in use.  But the electricity came back on, and I  fell  back asleep.  And then the electricity went off again.  This time, I ran upstairs to unplug my Gammill and my Bernina.  You can’t be too careful with expensive quilting machines.  

The next morning the electricity was off.  It was really off this time–with only an occasional “tease” every 16 hours when it came on for a few minutes.  Meanwhile the temperature inside the house continued to fall with each passing hour.  Forget quilting–I can’t use a machine without electricity and I can’t do handwork without an Ott light.  And the scrumptious food I planned to make isn’t happening either.  Lunch and dinner is soup heated up with a bunsen burner – the kind that keeps buffet food warm.  After dinner I looked outside at my neighborhood.  It’s completely dark outside.  I don’t see any lights in any direction.  We crawled into bed with a stack of quilts on top of us.  Exhausted and cold we fall asleep quickly.

The next morning the house was even colder.  It was time to “abandon ship.”  My brother lives nearby and has electricity and an extra bed.  My mother has already taken shelter at my brother’s house- since her electricity was also off.  I packed 3 days worth of clothes and my quilt I had started to bind 2 days ago.  I got 1 more side of binding done before someone (my brother?) suggested we play Canasta–my mother and I against my brother and my husband.  I am happy to report that my mother and I were victorious. 

We stayed 2 nights at my brother’s house before we returned home to a warm house.  It’s been a week since all of this started and life is just now returning to normal.  I am one of the lucky ones–I have electricity, water, and no broken pipes. And I still have 1 side of binding to finish.

ZOOM Help!!!

Have you been missing out on our Zoom meetings and events due to the unknown nuances of Zoom?  Media is offering 1-on-1 Zoom Learning sessions by appointment!  The session will be up to one hour working with Diane Poor.  She will answer all your questions about Zoom and explain everything you need to know about navigating Zoom meetings on any electronic device.  To schedule a Zoom Learning session, please send an email to media@qgplano.org.

Programs

By Jeanne Smith

❄️❄️❄️  Please note  ❄️❄️❄️   Due to last week’s severe weather and complications, Michael Davison’s workshop, Reverse Focus Quilts, has been postponed. Future date is TBD.

Michael will be in touch with those taking his workshop.

Guild Meeting – Thursday, April 8, 2021 with J. Michelle Watts

J. Michelle Watts is a quilt artist who creates quilts and wearable art inspired by the beauty of the southwest. She has been designing quilt patterns for over 36 years. “While the biggest part of my pattern designs are still inspired by the beauty of the Southwest and my surroundings, some of most recent designs are a series of easy to piece, jelly roll friendly and scrap reduction quilts. Each of these quilts were designed with simple messages of faith, hope, love and peace.” Her website is https://www.jmichellewatts.com/.

Quilt Plano

October 8 & 9, 2021

Quilt Plano 2021 News and Views

By Donna Petrick

What a February!!!  I hope you have all recovered from the cold and outages.  It wasn’t a fun time in Texas.  Thankfully, being quilters, we all had lots of quilts and could stay warm.

Due to the weather we could not hold our committee Zoom meeting in February.  But we are working in the background and should be up on the website soon.  Vendors are being contacted.  Forms are ready to go on the website for entering quilts.  The logo is designed.  The raffle quilt is photographed.  Special exhibits have been chosen.  Mini quilts are being turned in.  As soon as we can get the new show page designed, we will be ready to show the world what we have.  (Not an easy task when the internet was down so much.)

We have several open positions on the show committee.  Particularly, logistics and signs — we need someone to head these positions.  If you have an interest in being on the committee and helping out, please contact me:  petrickdl@outlook.com

Linda Neal mentioned at the last meeting that we are looking at alternatives to a raffle quilt for 2022 quilt show.  One idea was to make a matching bag set for someone that includes lots of quilt related bags.  A number of us are “into” bag making and could make this happen.  If you have other ideas for a raffle item for the next show, please let us know.  This doesn’t seem to be a good time to ask people to be together to plan and sew the next quilt.  However, it isn’t too early to start thinking about a quilt for 2023.  Just saying.

Lots of us are getting our Covid vaccines and hopefully we are all staying safe.  Hope that means you are working on a show quilt and will have it ready for this year.  Keep sewing and think about the fun we will have later this year with our quilt show.

Special Exhibits for Quilt Show 2021

By Donna Petrick and Jeanne Vogel

Special indeed as we were sheltered in place and had the time to finish quilts that have long been unfinished. Show us your Quarantine Quilts—quilts completed during the pandemic while staying home in 2020-2021. These are not judged, just enjoyed with a story about the making of the quilt. Depending on the number and sizes we can accept two entries per person, with the understanding that we may only choose one for display. To allow for the most to be on exhibit, please limit the size to no larger than 60″ X 72”.  See the special entry form for Quarantine Quilts.

Special Exhibits will showcase completed workshop class quilts from 2019 for display. Looking for examples from our teachers: MJ Kinman, Pam Holland, Bethanne Nemesh, Melinda Bula, Edyta Sitar, Annette Plog and Paula Nadelstern.  These are not judged, just enjoyed. There is a separate Special Exhibit form to be completed with a photo to be turned in by August 12th, 2021.  One form per entry. The entry form will be on the website.

Projects are delivered and picked up the same day and time as other Quilt Show entries, but at a separate table. Complete the projects, add a sleeve and a label and you will be ready to turn in your entry!

Community Service

By Dolores Williams and Valerie Salter

Community Service held our Take-in / Pick-up day on Tuesday, Feb 9.  Due to the pandemic we decided to have the collections at Valerie Salter’s house rather than our usual collection at Plano Sewing Center.  Weather also plagued us but we still collected:

       21 Tops, 34 Pillowcases, 14 Finished Quilts.

If you have items you want to turn in and can’t make a Take-in / Pick-up date, email Community Service at communityservice@qgplano.org and we will make arrangements to pick-up or have you drop off your items.

Community Service has been talking about our backlog of quilt tops – we started the pandemic with about 300 quilt tops.  We have been going through our inventory and now only have 2 crates full of tops, probably less than 50.  We are so happy to have the backlog going out.  Our goal is to have all quilt tops turned in go out in the same month.

The best part is as fast as I can make backs for the tops, they go out for quilting.  Many thanks to the guild for helping us help the charities we support.

Don’t forget, we also need birthday quilts.  It doesn’t have to be your birthday month, but it must be a completed quilt.  We have a drawing in December for some great prizes.  So, when you turn in the quilt, have a note on it saying it is a birthday quilt.  We need your name on it so we can put you on the list for the drawing.

If you forgot to tell us it was a birthday quilt with a note, send us a text or email. 

Stay safe and happy quilting.

News from the Zoom Bees

By Donna Petrick

Hoop It Up – Donna Petrick

Due to the weather, only a few people had internet and could join for the February meeting of Hoop It Up.  So we will try again next month.  Monica Hendewerk has a demo to show and Donna Petrick was planning to show designs she had inked after doing the machine embroidery.  If you are interested in joining in with the group to learn more about machine embroidery or to share your ideas, please email me at petrickdl@outlook.com so I can send you the Zoom link.  Meetings held on third Thursday at 10:00 am each month.

Worker Bees – Emily Hall

For those of you yearning to meet with your quilty friends in the evenings, whether that be because you work during the weekdays or because you just love to sew at any hour of the day, please join us for our new evening group. We would love for you to join us! We are meeting on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6:30pm. Our next meeting is March 16th. Unfortunately, our last meeting was cancelled due to power and internet outages, and so our bee buddies could focus on necessities during the unprecedented winter storm in February. For this group, please have your favorite quilting activity, current work-in-progress, block-of-the-month, etc. ready to work on during our meetings. Any quilting or sewing activity is welcomed! We are “sew” excited to make new friends and keep our “sew-jo” thriving.  Contact Emily at emilylaurenhall@gmail.com or (214) 533-2489 for the Zoom link.

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 – 3 (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

Featherweight Fellowship Groups – Jeanne Vogel

Dust off your Singer Featherweight and join us while 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! We started out with just a few but had 10 and 11 at each of the groups in January & February so we got to see and share with other chicks!

• Chicks with Feathers—3rd Saturdays @ 1-3pm — (Formerly meeting at Sunrise of Plano)                                                                                                                                                                                         
• Featherweight Friends—4th Fridays @ 1-3pm — (Formerly meeting at Best Little Retreat Center in Texas) 

Those who have not previously notified me, please email pickincotton26@verizon.net to get the invitation to join the Zoom meeting

Pieceful Organization – Sarah Krauss & Jeanne Vogel 

We are Zooming on the 3rd Wednesday from 1-3pm using the inspiration from a workshop we attended.  Organization will change your clutter and chaos to start the year fresh with your stuff organized.  Less chaos leads to more productive quilt making.  Join us to organize your mess. pickincotton26@verizon.net for an invitation.

Guild Activities

By Leigh Knox and Michael Davison

Happy Birthday wishes to all the March birthdays.  

If you have made a QOV quilt, or maybe you just have the top made, or even just the block for their block drive,  please send a photo to Activities@qgplano.org if at all possible by March 6 in order for us to put together a nice show & tell.

Now looking towards April activity – create a wall hanging that features your initial.  It can be first name, last name or the initial from your nickname – whichever is your preference.  I found several websites where you can print out templates of the alphabet in different styles should you need one.  Be creative and let the wall hanging tell us a little about you.Since we will have a speaker in April, please submit photos to Activities@qgplano.org preferably by April 8th in order for us to put together a nice show & tell.

Membership

By  Sue Rentz & Karen Edmondson

At our February meeting we had two visitors—Renu Gharpure and Sherrie Tootle.  Since the February meeting two new members have joined the guild–Renu Gharpure and Sheila Connolly.  Our door prizes were given by Quilt Country, Box Car Quilts, Stitch House, and So Let’s Quilt It.  The winners, selected using the spinning wheel of names present, were Pat Wiant, Jeanne Smith, Dena Smith, and Christina Cisnero.

If you are a visitor to our website and wish to join our guild, you can do so by choosing Membership on the menu, selecting Membership Information, and then clicking on Membership Form in the first paragraph.  Fill out that form, and mail it with your check to the address given on the form.

• Jeanne Vogel — 3/2
• Janelle Garrett — 3/4
• Sheryl Vaughan — 3/4
• Catherine Daigle — 3/5
• Martha A. Jones — 3/6
• Barbara Collins — 3/8
• Carolyn Kohut — 3/11
• Patti Griffith — 3/11
• Nancy LaVerdure — 3/13
• Shirley St. Clair — 3/13
• Denise Green — 3/15
• Karen Freeman — 3/17
• Karen Woodard — 3/18
• Alice Payn — 3/19
• Linda Chappell — 3/19
• Pam Walsh — 3/19
• Erika Inglhofer — 3/22
• Fran Casey — 3/22
• Denny Lay — 3/23
• Marty Crouch — 3/23
• Sharon McGinnis — 3/25
• Margaret Harkins — 3/26
• Ashley Stovall — 3/27

Stockings and Pet Beds

By  Martha O’Grady

We are starting our new year with our stockings.  We finished last year with 2500 stockings.  If I allow myself to think about the millions of active service and veterans, it would be easy to be discouraged.  But we need to think in the way that Don said, “no, you’re not giving to every single one of them, but you are making a big difference in the lives of the ones whom you do reach.”  True, it’s easy to get discouraged, but don’t.  Our contribution along with the efforts of many others helps make a difference.

I will have kits available for anyone who wants them.  Call, text or email and we can set up a time and place to meet contact free.

At this time, pet shelters vary on whether or not they can take our pet beds.  Due to this temporary situation at the shelters and sewing room and fabric re-organization efforts at my house, I have been making quilt-as-you-go crazy quilt and crumb quilt cuddles to use various size scraps of fabric and batting.  You may want to consider some projects like these to use your scraps.

Community Service Quilts

Donated by Members

Month Meeting Photos

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General Meeting Minutes

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Board Meeting Minutes

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