Letter from the President

By Jeanne Vogel

The purpose of the Quilters Guild of Plano is to unite individuals who have a passion for quilts and the art of quilting. Since quiltmaking is often a solitary effort, the moments spent with friends talking, enjoying, admiring, and dreaming quilts are most precious.

I was hesitant to take on the role of president of the guild as I was leading the guild retreat, but it worked with my great committee.  We had 70 quilters gather together at Retreat 2024.  Just for some history, the guild has been going to the Tanglewood Resort in Pottsboro since the early ‘90s (before I joined) and then took a break going to a couple of other venues before going back to Tanglewood last year.  We have made a retreat group committee instead of one person carrying the load and dividing the work before and after setup.  Thank you to this year’s team members helping me for a second year: Sara Lindsay and Linda Sullivan.  New to this year was Barbara Collins and Fran Levy.  Barbara Collins will be on the committee for 2025 with other new members.  Just as we rotate off other positions after 2 years, we found it best to do that with this committee also.  If you hadn’t heard, I was fine setting up Wednesday night and after helping folks unload their cars on Thursday morning, the Mountain Cedar got the best of me and I was left voiceless!!  So sweet Sara took the mic and we continued and had a wonderful 4 days.

Need to stay home and not come to a meeting?  We have moved the zoom link (that’s only accessible for members) to the website under the red menu bar at the top: Membership/Member Dashboard/Monthly Zoom Meetings–-hover over the words:  monthly zoom meetings.  How’s that for simplifying and not relying on a new email each month?  Thank you, Kris O’Connor!

 Keep these dates in mind:

• March 9 — Art Quilters of Plano
• March 12 — Community Sew Day
• March 13 — Dallas Quilt Show Entry drop off
• March 14 — Guild meeting
• March 15, 16, 17 — Dallas Quilt Show–(needing volunteers)
• March 18 — QP24 committee zoom meeting
• March 25 — QGP board meeting
  • Make you Potholder for April meeting exchange
  • Bring your contribution for PISD pregnant students    
• April 11 — Guild meeting
• April 12 & 13 — Workshops with Audrey Esarey
• April 20 — New Members Day Retreat 

Gather Those Bones!

Instead of having the Bones Table in April, we are going to have it in May.  So clean out your unwanted patterns, rulers, fabric and sewing notions to give to another while you search for a treasure all at no charge!

Membership

By Raj Aggarwal and Barbara Goetz

February’s meeting was well attended with 113 members present with six guests.  Many of you generously picked up packets to create nine patch blocks for farewell gifts.  We have a current need for brights and batiks in our blocks, as they are particularly desired by a few folks who are moving away (Julie Brooks).  If you can help us out there that would be much appreciated.  If your blocks are finished, please bring them in to the March meeting.

New Member Retreat will be held April 20, 2024 at the Best Little Quilt Center in Texas.  This is a wonderful opportunity to get to meet other new quilters and hear a little more about the guild.  If you haven’t signed up, do so soon, we’re excited to get to know you!  You should have received an email invite with a link to register.  If you didn’t get that, be sure to contact Barbara Goetz or Raj Aggarwal, Membership, whose email is on our web page.

Programs and Workshops

By Beth Swiatek and Linda Sullivan

Happy March and Welcome Spring!  Time for everyone to venture out of that sewing room and gather for a Guild Zoom with Carol Soderlund.  Carol will be joining us from Ferndale, WA with her lecture FIFTEEN ELEMENTS exploring, “What are the properties that underlie beauty in art, nature, and quilts?”  Join your quilty friends and watch together on the big screen!  Also be sure and come visit us at the Programs Table for Workshop signups.  Only 1 or 2 slots left in April workshops with Audrey Esarey. Online sign ups are now working, or you can print a registration sheet from the Guild website to mail or bring to the Guild meeting.  Remember to let us know early if you need to cancel your workshop spot so we can fill from the waitlist; refund policies are printed on the Workshop Registration Form.  You are also welcome (and encouraged!) to find a friend to take your spot if for some reason you end up with a workshop date conflict.  See you at the March Guild Meeting!

March Guild Meeting – Thursday, March 14, 2024

Speaker:  Carol Sunderland – Fifteen Elements

“This talk looks at architect Christopher Alexander’s Nature of Order, and how his ground-breaking ideas on what defines and creates life-force in everything from microorganisms to mountain ranges, Persian carpets to office buildings, have a lot to say about design in quilts.”

Community Service

By Val Schlake and Debbie Blair

Things are rocking and rolling within our Community Service Village!  We thank those of you that have stepped up and become part of our QGP-CS creating quilted items for those in our community in need of a little kindness!  It truly takes a village and we couldn’t do it without you!

A few reminders:

• PISD:  Drop off your items for PISD students in March & April so they can be delivered in May.  We can make a real difference in these new young parents’ lives and appreciate anything you can do.  There is a big need for infant diapers and infant size clothing… or any other items a new mother or dad might need.  It is a wonderful program and we are proud to be part of it.
• Sew Day:  Join us the second Tuesday of the month for Sew Day.  (March 12th from 10am until 2pm).  Bring your sewing machine and basic sewing supplies and we will provide the rest.  We have a good time together doing what we love to do… SEW.
• Grab and Go:  Not able to come sew with us?  No worries, we have grab and go projects that can be completed at home.  Simply pick up at the Guild meeting and then drop off completed at the next meeting.  
• Sharing and Caring:  Is launched!  Make a quilt from your stash and turn it in complete as your gift to “share” and your name will be added to our drawing for a mobile sewing table and a basket of goodies valued at over $350 and growing.
• Donations:  Time to spring clean your sewing area?  We can always use fabric yardage, orphan quilt tops, supplies and any completed quilts that need a new home.  We will be happy to finish and gift them to someone in need in the community.
• February Deliveries:
  • Quilts-51  
  • Cuddles-8  
  • Pillowcases-42  
  • Dog Beds-48

We are so fortunate to have so many members dedicated to helping others through our Community Service Programs, your continued generosity and support is appreciated!

Valerie Schlake (804)-651-9026 and Debbie Blair (469)-226-9376

Quilt Plano 2024

By Laurie Lumston

The QP24 Planning committee continues to work on hosting a fantastic show! 

We’ll continue selling raffle tickets for Timeless Starburst.  $20 gets you 25 tickets this year, one extra!  Check out the QP24 table next to membership at the Guild meetings.

That’s also where you will find the QP24 Volunteer t-shirts!  Yes, they are in and selling fast!  The volunteer shirts are short-sleeve gray and super soft. If you see some shirts in royal blue, those are the Planning Committee shirts  so you can spot us easily at the show.

And make sure to put the May 9th Guild meeting on your calendar.  That’s our Quilt Show Open House where you can learn more about the event, sign up for your favorite Volunteer spot, buy beautiful Show pins, pre-order your Volunteer lunch during the Show, buy raffle tickets and T-Shirts….  It’s gonna be fun!

In the meantime, keep working on those mini quilts for the Silent Auction and on your quilt entries for the Show.  Entries registration goes live online March 1st!

Introduction to Judging Seminar – August 9-10, 2024

Do you enter quilt shows and want to understand what makes a winning quilt?  Are you interested in learning to judge quilts and wearables?  Do you know someone at another guild who coordinates their quilt show’s judging process?

The Quilters Guild of Plano is proud to once again sponsor a 2-Day Quilt Judging Seminar on August 9-10, 2024, at the same time as the Quilt Plano Show.  We offered this seminar last year at the same time as Quilt Plano 2023 and it was a huge success! 

During this seminar you will learn through a combination of discussion, lecture, PowerPoint presentations, and hands-on mock judging from qualified instructors certified by the National Association of Certified Quilt Judges (NACQJ). 

The 2-Day Seminar covers all aspects of quilt judging, including the job of judging, evaluating design and workmanship, categories and awards, judging systems, setting up the judging floor, and judging versus jurying.  Discussion includes certification requirements for the National Association of Certified Quilt Judges (NACQJ), the only national certifying organization for quilt judges.

Participants receive handouts including resource recommendations, art and design terms with definitions, a glossary, and sample contracts and invoices among others.  This seminar does not certify students nor is it a prerequisite for certification.

Stay tuned!  More information and online registration will be available in the coming weeks.

Guild Activities

By Chris Fredericks

It’s hard to believe that March is upon us!  In New York we truly take the saying “March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb” to heart.  We usually wait for that one last Nor’easter to slam the east coast and cover the crocuses and daffodils with snow only to have it quickly go away.  We wait for the garden centers to slowly bring in spring and summer plants.  Now being in Texas, I’m enjoying seeing the garden nurseries already filling up with flowering plants and herbs and veggies!  This being said…..

Spring in the Guild?  What’s in store?  

March/April:  In March we will be handing out the insul-brite to those participating in the Pot Holder Exchange which will be taking place in April.  Think about putting tulips, daisies and other spring motifs on your pot holders. 

May:  The Riley Blake Challenge is heading into week 7 and will wrap up in May.  The fabric choices that everyone has selected are beautiful.   Again, think spring and summer colors, bright pinks, blues and fuchsia.  It will be interesting to see everyone’s quilt tops all sewn up and ready to enjoy!  Great news:  Everyone can choose to enter their Riley Blake Quilt in this year’s quilt show.  I’ve emailed everyone about entering a juried quilt or entering a quilt in the Special Exhibit area of the quilt show.  It would be fun to see all our beautiful quilts in this year’s show!

June: will bring on the 60’s challenge.  Hope everyone is working on their submission!

And then we head into the summer months with Quilt Plano 2024. 

I am interested in hearing of other activities that might be fun to implement.  Stop by the Activities table at the next meeting and jot down any suggestions you may have.  Or email me with your ideas!

Happy Quilting!

Coming Soon…..

April Guild Meeting – Thursday, April 11, 2024

Speaker:  Audrey Esarey – Finding My Voice in Modern Quilting

Workshop:  Friday, April 12, 2024, 10:00am – 5:00pm (1-hour lunch)

Audrey Esarey – Watercolor Quilt Workshop — Fabric Gradation and Stress Free Curved Piecing

Workshop:  Saturday, April 13, 2024, 10:00am – 5:00pm (1-hour lunch)

Audrey Esarey – Ultraviolet Radial Workshop — Paper Piecing on an Arc, Curved Piecing, Precision Piecing

Education

By Liz Beaty and Lorrie Gray

Coming up this month at the Education table, learn how to sharpen your dull seam ripper with the aid of a bead reaming tool.  Bring your old, dull ripper with you and we’ll show you how it’s done!

We hope you enjoyed learning about the American Quilt Study Group from member Barbara Goetz in February.  If you missed her then, you can typically find her at the membership table if you’d like to learn more.

To suggest a future demo or volunteer to do a demo, please either talk to Liz or Lorrie at a guild meeting or fill out this simple Google form to give your ideas:  Education Demo Ideas

Record Your Volunteer Hours!

By Tisha Harms

We want to know what you are up to.  Record your volunteer hours and receive a volunteer bar for 30 hours of service!   For volunteering at Quilt Plano 2024, you will receive a charm for your bar! 

To record your hours just email volunteer_hours@qgplano.org.  If you do not have access to a computer, you can call Tisha Harms at 214.316.5066.

Record your hours at your convenience – daily, weekly, monthly or once a year noting the following categories:   Community Service,  Show, Education or Guild Work.

Send an email or make a call and we will keep track of your hours for you.    

When you have reached 30 hours, we will notify you that your bar can be picked up at the next general meeting!  

You can purchase a Vintage Sewing Machine pin for $5.00 at any guild meeting to hang you bar and charm on.For more information, contact Tisha Harms (214-316-5066 or volunteer_hours@qgplano.org).

Sunshine & Shadows

Sunshine:

Happy March Birthdays

• 2 — Jeanne Vogel
• 3 — Deb Lockwood
• 4 — Janelle Garrett, Sheryl Vaughan
• 5 — Cathy Daigle
• 6 — Kathy Glover, Martha Jones
• 8 — Barbara Collins
• 10 — Shirley Gylleck
• 11 — Evelyn Meany, Patty Griffith
• 14 — Raj Aggarwal
• 15 — Denise Green
• 17 — Jana McBroom
• 18 — Karen Woodard
• 19 — Pam Walsh, Heather Maloney, Linda Chappell, Alice Payn
• 20 — Marilou Wimmer
• 22 — Fran Casey
• 23 — Candy Mahaffey, Marty Crouch
• 25 — Sharon McGinnis
• 27 — Ashley Stovall
• 28 — Denise Castelli

News from the Zoom Bees

Pieceful Organization – Sarah Krauss, Jeanne Vogel, Monica Hendewerk

Every Wednesday from 1:30-3:30 pm — Join us any week you can!

Need a friend to  relieve clutter, stress, struggles and feelings of being overwhelmed?   We are Zooming 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 mhendewerk@gmail.com for the zoom link.

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

Hoop It Up!  Come join us for a machine embroidery Zoom meeting.  Contact Donna Petrick – donna.petrick16@gmail.com to get the link for the monthly meeting on the third Thursday each month from 10:00 am to 11:00 am.  We share ideas and hints as well as sew during the call.  We are working on our challenge for the QP2024 show.

From the Bee Keeper — In Person Meetings

Fourth Friday Featherweight Friends– Jeanne Vogel: pickincotton26@verizon.net

• Meeting at the Best Little Retreat Center in Texas  from 9am-9pm.
• Singer Featherweight sewing machines where we share tips for caring for the machine, our best notions, and have several members experienced with problem-solving both machine and quilting problems.
• Make your reservation by calling 469-708-2378 or email: info@blrcit.com   
• Either bring your lunch or we’ll go out as a group to eat together.

Sew Happy Quilters – Aurora Chancy achancy@msn.com  

• • 1st and 3rd Thursday 9-4pm  
  • Sam Johnson Recreation Center @  401 W 16th St.  Plano, TX  
  • Bring your own project, sewing machine & supplies
  • We have lunch together at the Gazebo Cafe for $5 or less.

Sit N Sew Community Service Day–Val Schlake & Debbie Blair–communityservice@qgplano.org

• 2nd Tuesday from 10-2 pm
• Plano Sewing Center, 2070 Spring Creek Pkwy # 326, Plano, TX
• Bring your sewing machine and sewing supplies.

Monthly Meeting Photos

Access our monthly meeting photos and photos from the quilt show in our Gallery.

General Meeting Minutes

To read the minutes, use this link:  General Meeting Minutes

Then go to Guild Meeting Minutes and pick the last dated minutes.

Board Meeting Minutes

Board Meeting Minutes can only be accessed by guild members. Please login to your account.