Letter from the President

By Linda Neal

Spring is in the air!  Quilters are starting to come outside after a year long COVID winter.  I have seen guild members out and about, that I have not seen in such a long time.  I hardly recognize some of them with their long locks of hair.  

I have heard from many guild members, that they are ready to come out and start meeting in person.  The QGP board is working on it.  We have been trying many different venues, but have been unable to come up with a suitable meeting location.  Some places have storm damage, some are not allowing outside groups, and some are extremely expensive for a 3 hour room/chair rental.  But, as things continue to open up, I feel confident we will get this issue worked out.  Until then, we will continue on Zoom.

The guild has still been very active.  Members are producing quilts at record speed.  We have had lots of community service quilts, stockings and pillowcases getting completed.  Not to mention all of the UFO’s I have been seeing being completed too.  I guess it really did take a pandemic to get them done.

Preparations for our quilt show have started.  Quilt entries are now being accepted.  I think we are going to have a “bumper crop” of entries this year.  I recommend you get your entry form in early.  All of the information is on the website.  October seems like a ways off, but in quilting time--it’s just around the corner.  Stay safe everyone and keep on quilting!

Programs

By Jeanne Smith

Zoom Guild Meeting - Thursday, May 13, 2021 

Timna Tarr: Flying Colors Lecture & Trunk Show

Here is another favorite quilt teacher, author, fabric designer of mine – Timna Tarr!

Timna states, “My work is about color and small compositions. Each block in a quilt is made as its own element, independent of the other blocks. After all of the blocks are constructed, my goal is to arrange the small compositions to play off each other and work together to create a larger whole. What keeps me engaged is watching how the project changes and transforms with the addition of each color and texture. 

The resulting quilts are contemporary works, set in this time and place, which reference the rich tradition of quilt making.”

Timna Tarr comes from a long line of quilters but did not begin quilting until after studying art history in college. Timna’s own nationally award-winning quilts are in private and corporate collections. They have also been seen in numerous exhibits, magazines, and books as well as on The Quilt Show and Quilting Arts TV. Timna is a designer for Studio e Fabrics and is an in-demand teacher and speaker. She lives in Western Massachusetts.

Mark the date and time on your calendar. You won’t be disappointed!

Zoom Guild Meeting - Thursday, June 10, 2021 

Gyleen Fitzgerald: Path to Modern

Gyleen Fitzgerald makes quilts that blend color, pattern, and texture to provide a contemporary essence in traditional quilting. This Zoom presentation takes us from traditional through contemporary to modern. It explores quilt designs with rectangles and squares that are the building components for modern quilts.

Quilt Plano  --  October 8 & 9, 2021

By Donna Petrick

It’s getting closer and things are happening.  We still need a few people for open positions.  Come join us.  Look at the Help Wanted ads on our website to see what show committee jobs are still open or that need a second person helping to chair.

We had a slight booboo on our first printing of the raffle tickets.  If you picked them up on our last community service turn in day, you need to know that the drawing for the raffle quilt will be Oct. 9th, not Aug. 9th.  As long as you bought your tickets for yourself, it is not a problem.  Please don’t sell those tickets to others.  New tickets have been reprinted and are ready for pickup if you want to come by my house to get them.  The payment of $20 for 24 tickets is due when you pick up your tickets.  Sherry Worley is in charge of the raffle ticket sales.  If you know of guilds starting up again, please let her know so she can schedule taking the quilt to show them.

Hope you are working on your quilt entry.  I decided at the last moment to do a different one so am trying to get it finished and to the quilter.  I am close enough that I can take a picture so will try to do my own paperwork very soon.  What I needed was a little more pressure.  LOL

Community Service

By Dolores Williams and Valerie Salter

We had a very successful Take-in / Pick-up day on April 13.  We gave out all our quilts to be quilted and a large number of Christmas Stocking kits, quilt top kits, and pillowcase kits.  We only had a few quilts that needed binding, but they all went out. 

We took in 56 quilts, 85 pillowcases, 65 cuddles, 3 afghans, 27 tops and a whole lot of completed Christmas stockings.  We also received a bundle of 100 9 patch quilt blocks.

Thank you for making our day so successful.  We are so grateful that our guild members are helping others even though we cannot get physically together.

Below are some examples of quilts we had come in.

Quilts of Valor

At our Take-in/Pick-up day we also had Carolyn Cosgriff picking up Quilts of Valor.  Community Service had 3 quilts to turn over and 5 others came in with finished quilts. 

Below are photos of the Quilts of Valor we turned in.

The Lady Liberty quilt will be displayed at the Veteran’s Clinic in Plano.

There was a presentation in Plano on April 21, where 10 honorees received quilts.  I am so happy that we were able to help the honorees receive quilts.    Thank you again for thinking of others.

Quilts of Valor

Quilts of Valor awarded nine quilts on Wednesday, April 21.  About 40 people attended the ceremony at Hunters Glen Baptist Church, led by Suzanne DiCarlo.  The honorees included a mother/son duo and husband/wife duo and a WWII veteran.  Three of the awarded quilts were made and the veterans “wrapped” by Plano Guild members.  These tops were made by Jeanne Vogel, Sharon Schenke, and Valerie Salter and quilted by Monica Hendewerk, Maggi Honeyman, and Michael Davidson, respectively.

The Plano QoV group also received several quilt tops made by the St. Elizabeth Seton sewing group Prayers and Squares, and plus members.  Finished quilts, tops, and blocks are very appreciated and will be collected at community service collection days.  The target size for tops is 60” by 80”.  Please avoid service branch (Army, Navy, etc) specific themes (unless the top is intended for a specific honoree) and close replicas of the flag.  Some service members may feel it is disrespectful to lay on the flag, even on a quilt.  For example, the popular flag in the wind fabric is not recommended for blocks or backing.

News from the Zoom Bees

Hoop It Up Bee – Donna Petrick

We are still meeting for machine embroidery.  We meet on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 10:00am.  Not everyone shows up each month.  You can come and go as you need to.  We share a lot of information about techniques, designs, threads, stabilizers, etc.  If you are interested in using your embroidery machine please join us to get in on the discussions.  In May we will be discussing using it for quilt labels.  

Contact me at petrickdl@outlook.com so I can send you the 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!  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 @ 1-3pm — (Formerly meeting at Sunrise of Plano)                                                                                                                                                                                         
• Featherweight Friends—4th Fridays @ 1-3pm — (Formerly meeting at Best Little Retreat Center in Texas) 

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 and give tips and sometimes offer  trade of  our stuff!   pickincotton26@verizon.net for an invitation

Hand Applique Small group - Linda Neal

We meet Monday of each month at 10:00 on Zoom. Our next meeting is April 5th.  We work on our individual projects and  offer encouragement and lots of hints and tricks.   If you are interested in joining our hand applique Zoom group, please email Linda Neal (lindanealmck@hotmail.com)

English Paper Piecing Small Group - Linda Neal

We meet on the 4th Tuesday at 10:00 on Zoom.  April 20th is our next meeting.  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)

Guild Activities

By Leigh Knox and Michael Davison

Happy Birthday you May youngsters.

No new activity - let’s just work on enjoying this beautiful weather.  How wonderful to see how the QoV program touched so many of our members, and my hope is that we will continue to contribute to this program.

Enjoy each and every day.

Membership

By  Sue Rentz & Karen Edmondson

At the April meeting the door prizes came from Quilt Country, Stitch House, Sew Let’s Quilt It, Urban Spools, Not Your Mama’s Quilt Store, and Stitched with Love.  The winners, pulled from the spinning wheel of fortune, were Nancy LaVerdue, Marty Crouch, Ashley Stovall, Robin Clayborn, Nancy Worst, and Linda Sullivan.

• Barbara Snyder -- 5/4
• Anne Wyatt -- 5/5
• Sue Rentz -- 5/7
• Jeanne Fletcher -- 5/8
• Tami Marlar -- 5/8
• Patricia Becerra -- 5/10
• Becky Woods -- 5/12
• Laurie Tanas -- 5/17
• Elizabeth "Libby" Triolet -- 5/18
• Valerie Pearson -- 5/19
• Debbie Smith -- 5/23
• Lori Hutyra -- 5/24
• Emily Hall -- 5/25
• Ceidys Butterworth -- 5/26
• Nancy Worst -- 5/26
• Roxanne Doelling -- 5/28
• Joan Hammett -- 5/30
• Margaret Lakie -- 5/30

Stockings and Pet Beds

By  Martha O'Grady

Y’all have donated 300 stockings so far this year. We are well on our way to our goal of 1000! Someone put little snowflake stickers on the ones she did. I saved those for last as I examined quality control. As many stockings as we have done, it starts to become easy to have glazed over eyes. This was a much welcomed treat. And, it will bless someone as they receive it full of goodies, too.

Someone corrected my directions. Yeah, you would think that after all the years I have been sewing, that I could tell the difference between right and wrong, sides that is.

I read the cards that Y’all put in, also. Good work on those. Remember, the most important part of this ministry is to pray for these folks. I know that you do, so thank you. Patrick turned one this weekend. I can’t wait until he is old enough to scribble a card or two!

We also have lots of goodies. Someone put in a big bag of oral care items. These are great, just what they need in their stockings. I have been making coasters of late. These are a lot of fun, easy and quick to do, take little material, and still make a big impact.

I have a new exciting craft for some of you to try: Car Coasters. These are 2-3 inch discs quilted on the embroidery machine. Simply choose a circle done in a zigzag stitch, layer the fabric, batting etc, and make a dozen or more at a time! Cut them out and put a couple in a Ziploc with a note explaining that it goes in the cup holder of the car. It’s super easy, super quick. Stitch out a few batches today!

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