Newsletters

May 2020 Newsletter

Posted on April 29, 2020April 29, 2020 by admin

By the time we are reading this newsletter, the decision will have been made and announced. Quilt Plano 2020 is not going to happen. The health risk is just too great. At this time, we do not know when group gatherings can safely happen. Most of our members are in the age group most vulnerable to the virus. We cannot take a chance of causing harm to them or to the visitors who might come to the show.

By canceling now, we will not have the major expenses of the show. Some money has been spent. While not recoverable, it does not put us at risk financially. We are trying to move our current deposit of $8k with the Plano Event Center to 2021. Other contracts can be canceled with no penalties. Guild expenses will not be as great as we have to cancel speakers this year. And we carry a large bank account to cover emergencies such as this.

We still can and must sell tickets for our raffle quilts. While we cannot sell tickets online, as raffle quilts fall under the gambling laws, we can let it be known that members have tickets available. With so many guilds not able to hold meetings and with TAQG canceling Rally Day, we are losing chances to sell tickets. It’s going to be up to the membership to sell to friends and relatives. Please make an extra effort to get tickets and sell them before August 6th.

It breaks my heart to make this decision, but it is best for the membership.

Joan Hammett and I will co-chair Quilt Plano 2021. The guild will come back with renewed vigor and be ready to make great plans for 2021. With so many of us home quilting now, there should be an abundance of quilts for that show.

Stay home. Stay healthy. Enjoy the time you have to create beautiful new quilts.

As I stated in my show report, by not having the quilt show this year, we lose a great deal of sales on our raffle quilt. This is our only opportunity to raise money for the guild this year. We need for all members to redouble their efforts to sell or buy raffle tickets. Please see if you can spare the time and/or money to bring these quilts up to their prospective earnings.

Once the quilt stores reopen for walk-in customers, please see if you can take the quilts to a store and sell tickets for a day.

Joan Hammett and I both have tickets. We can meet you someplace or you can come by our houses to pick up tickets, leave money and stubs or pick up the quilts to take to quilt stores.

We cannot sell tickets through the internet due to raffle quilts falling under the gambling laws. However, you can mention on social media that you have tickets for sale. We can then make arrangements to deliver the stubs and collect the money.

Thank you for your help. These are tough days for the guild. We don’t want to put a burden on anyone. But we do need to rescue what we can for the year.

Community service was ‘closed’ for the month of April. A lot of our guild members were asking if there was a way to help our community. Many wanted to help with the mask and gown shortage. We thought of putting patterns on the website but then realized that our quilters would be at risk trying to get the masks and gowns distributed.

While we were discussing solutions, we were contacted by Ayda Sow from the One Thread Nonprofit Organization. One Thread (onethreadofficial.wixsite.com/website/) works with the Frisco ISD students to do community projects. They asked our guild for fabric help with their Mask Making Campaign. They wanted neutral fabrics. We were able to give them several bolts of fabric plus some flat folds. Their goal for the month was to make 300 masks. Ayda said they get about 100 masks with 8 yards of fabric. We gave them enough fabric to make at least 400-500 masks. I also told them that we would give them more if they need it. The picture shows me with Ayda and her stash of fabric. I am so glad we were able to help.

Their website has a video on making a mask that will hold a filter. It is a pretty good video.

Keep safe and do lots of sewing.

It is with a heavy heart that the QGP board voted to cancel our August 2020 quilt show due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The board also voted to cancel guild meetings for May, June, and July, along with all guild activities. The safety and well-being of our members is the board’s first priority. We join the long list of cancellations in our country: schools, graduation, prom, all professional sports, church activities, movies, and eating out. Almost everything that is fun! Only essential stores/services remain open. I was ecstatic to hear that quilt shops have been deemed “essential” businesses since they sell fabric for making masks. Like all quilters, I have always believed that quilt stores are essential. Now it’s been confirmed by our local government- so it MUST be true!

Our quilt show revenue is how we pay for speakers and guild expenses. Previous QGP boards have been very careful to set aside money for emergencies in case the show had to be canceled for bad weather. While this is not bad weather--it does constitute an emergency. Deciding now to cancel the quilt show was difficult. But it had to be done. To continue to spend more money in preparation for a quilt show that is not going to happen would be irresponsible. How will the pandemic be in August? Hard to say. But, I think we can all agree that attendance would be dismal. We would not have enough volunteers, and the vendors would lose money. The guild will lose some money that we have already spent, but the majority (deposits for example) will be forwarded to Quilt Plano 2021. Please read Donna Petrick’s newsletter article this month for more information.

The only other source of revenue we will have for this year will be the 2020 raffle quilt. The canceling of TAQG Rally Day and other guild meetings we would sell tickets at is also going to decrease the money we could have made. Therefore we really need members to step up and help us sell tickets. The quilt will still be drawn for at the same date and time. Please contact Donna Petrick if you need more tickets to sell. Or if businesses start opening and you could take the quilt and sell tickets.

It’s hard to predict when it will be safe for all of us to meet together as a guild. Truthfully most of our members are considered high risk. And while I think quilting is my life, it’s not exactly true. It’s a hobby (for some a profession). Even when government officials start lifting restrictions on groups meeting, I am sure many of our members (and board members) still won’t feel safe attending a meeting for quite some time. The board will continue to meet virtually monthly and evaluate when we feel it is safe for most people to attend.

So for now, just try to enjoy the little things in life. Enjoy and organize your stash--you’ve spent YEARS acquiring it. Enjoy the time you have to complete UFOs. Start a new project that is out of your comfort zone. Phone a friend. Keep up with your pals in your small group. Try using Zoom to have a small group meeting. Adopt a new dog/cat (we just adopted ANOTHER Great Pyrenees rescue--lol that’s a whole new story). Post pictures of your quilts on Facebook. Quilt a quilt on your domestic/longarm machine. Learn to English Paper Piece. This list could go on and on. Until next month’s newsletter-

Stay well and Happy Stitching!

Helloooooooo out there in newsletter land! I really hope we all get to have a social time/meeting soon. I need quilty friend time. I am one of those that has had to go into the office everyday, and while I love my husband and I enjoy my co-workers, my quilty friends and retreats are what keeps me sane.

So for activities I wanted to let you guys know that GE Designs is hosting another one day quilt-along on Sunday, May 3. If you miss it, you can watch it on Facebook or YouTube later.

This time she is collecting a small donation and she tells you about that in the information.

Here is the link:

https://gequiltdesigns.com

Did any of you participate in GE Designs Elvira in March? I decided to at the very last minute and I was determined to just use only my stash. Once it was completed I had to rename mine. I affectionately call her Elvira’s homely cousin (chuckle chuckle). Maybe just maybe I’ll get brave enough to show her sometime at a meeting.

If you see any other quilt-alongs or fun activities on Facebook, please share.

Ok, that is it for me!

Sew on!

Joan Caldwell -- 5/2
Barbara Graves -- 5/6
Sue Rentz -- 5/7
Diana Hafele -- 5/8
Jeanne Fletcher -- 5/8
Tami Marlar -- 5/8
Trudy Gomez -- 5/9
Becky Woods -- 5/12
Tracy Spruell -- 5/16
Laurie Tanas -- 5/17
Elizabeth "Libby" Triolet -- 5/18
Valerie Pearson -- 5/19
Debbie Smith -- 5/23
Lori Hutyra -- 5/24
Deborah Cooley -- 5/25
Emily Hall -- 5/25
Ceidys Butterworth -- 5/26
Nancy Worst -- 5/26
Fonda Brinlee -- 5/28
Joanne Clements -- 5/28
Roxanne Doelling -- 5/28
Joan Hammett -- 5/30
Margaret Lakie -- 5/30

I know that almost everyone is making masks. If you were worried that this important work might rob time from stockings, don’t because we have met our goal for stockings for our October deadline. Good work, guys!

So, what needs to happen now is that any unfinished stockings need to come back. As you do your “shelter-in-place spring cleaning” look for kits that you may have taken in the past and put them in your “take to guild” basket. I assume you do the same as me. I keep a laundry basket that I put anything I find that I want to take to the guild. In it, I also keep a gift bag for any Chatskis for door prizes. The rest of my life is not very well organized, but that basket is!

In terms of what do I need? I could always use fabric that would make cute stockings. I have plenty of cuff fabric. And I especially need ribbon in red, baby blue, royal blue, navy blue.

I must confess that I have not done much with pet beds. I have been leaving the house as little as possible since the shelter-in-place order. As a result, I have been letting the ones that I make pile up. In the stocking fabric, I sometimes find some that would not be good for stockings, and I make bed bags out of these.

I was reading an article that said that shelters are really hurting for volunteers while people are staying home. Also, adoptions are down. Folks are simply not prioritizing the needs of animals over their own in this pandemic.

April 2020 Newsletter

Posted on April 1, 2020April 1, 2020 by admin

While everything is still fresh on my mind, I want to share a little of what happened to the Dallas Quilt Show and why your officers are trying to be as fiscally responsible as we can.

I know there have been comments and questions in the past about why we keep a large balance in our bank accounts. The week of March 12th shows all of us why. We have to have money to refund payments received for events that won’t happen, to pay for contracts for future activities that have been canceled, and to pay for running the guild for the next year if no revenue is received this year.

Dallas had twelve hours warning that the quilt show was not going to happen. The guild president and show chair had not been told that anything was imminent. On the 10:00 pm news Thursday night we learned that at 11:00 am the next morning, groups of 500 or larger could not gather. The committee members watching the news that night started contacting each other to make plans. Cindy Matthews, show chair, sent out an email to ask each chair to take charge of their own area and we would take down the show on Friday as though it were Sunday. Everyone responded well, did their jobs well and we stopped our quilt show before anyone could even come in the door.

The Dallas guild board will now take care of their business in completing the show records. But this gives us the chance to look at what could happen to Plano and to plan how to survive not receiving any revenue to run our guild should it happen to us. AT THIS TIME THERE IS NO PLAN TO CANCEL QUILT PLANO 2020.

The city government of Plano has met and decided to close the Plano Event Center for two weeks. Anyone with an event during that time will be refunded. However, any event canceled after that will not be refunded, rather funds will be transferred to their next event at the center.

We have already collected deposits from vendors and sponsors for Quilt Plano 2020 of about $14,000 that we would need to refund. We have spent around $2,000 on show costs that cannot be recovered. The guild budget for 2020/21 for running the guild and paying for the excellent programs we are enjoying is approximately $28,000, not including any show expenses. We would need at least that much for a second year before we could have another show to bring in revenue to pay for expenses.

The guild budget and financials are posted on our website under Documents under Membership for members to review.

We have a vibrant guild and are enjoying some tremendous programs. We want to keep doing that. That means that we cannot be frivolous with our monies, but need to keep our business minds looking at the future and making good plans for the guild.

We had a great program at our March guild meeting thanks to Tammy Vonderschmitt with Moda. She inspired us with all the wonderful quilts that she brought and displayed. Moda’s fabric lines are outstanding and I just bet the majority of us are using some right now during this “stay at home” time. Thanks so very much, Tammy. You came right before we knew that we needed your inspiration!

Maria Shell’s presentation and workshops have been cancelled. We have rescheduled her for September 2021! Maria is now at home with her family in Anchorage Alaska safe and well!

Let’s all create, stay well and enjoy our families!

Years ago when I first started to quilt, I remember hearing about a quilter’s “stash.” I had no idea what they were talking about until I went to someone’s house. “Jane Doe” showed me a walk-in closet filled with fabric to the ceiling. It was amazing! I had never seen so much fabric outside of a quilt store before. “Jane” showed me several fabrics and talked about going on “shop hops” to quilt stores all over the state. And then Jane told me about quilt shows. I was hooked!

After seeing her stash, I turned around to leave the room. It was then I saw an entire wall of shelves filled with fabric to the ceiling! Prints, stripes, florals, batik’s… “Jane” had it all. I wanted to be like “Jane.” Instead of buying kits, or fabric for a particular project, I started buying fabric for my “stash.” Fabric for a rainy day… It was so much fun. I purchased fabric from my local quilt shops and then branched out to other quilt stores while on retreat or family vacation. I bought lots of fabric in Alaska- they have great quilt shops. California has lots of great quilt shops too. I often shipped back dirty clothes and packed my suitcase with yards of precious fabric and thread. Don’t even get me started about thread…

But, now I know the truth. “Jane” was a hoarder! She had way more fabric than anyone could use in a lifetime. In fact, I can now say that I am a hoarder of fabric. I am OK with that. Many of my friends are hoarders too. I am OK with that too.

Who knew all of our years of hoarding fabric would actually pay off?

Now it is April, 2020 and I am staying home with my fabric. Only venturing out for food or necessary supplies. All of my retreats have been cancelled. But, every day I get to go to my studio and play with my fabric. So many projects I wanted to make with my stash- now I have time. I took an empty shelving unit and pulled fabric and patterns I want to make. Every shelf has lots of fun projects. Some are Community Service, some are kits, and some are UFOs. I have also been following Edyta Sitar’s blog and making her mystery blocks.

I can’t believe how life has changed in the last month with COVID. But, as quilter’s as long as we have fabric, thread, and a machine we are set. We have phones, texts, and emails to keep up with our friends and guild mates. We can stay at home and stay well.

Happy Stitching.

Now that the Dallas Quilt Show is over, I can focus on Plano again. Everything is running along well. Except for this stumbling block of not knowing what is going to happen with the Coronavirus. Hopefully by the time you are reading the newsletter, we will all know more what to expect.

Presently, we are going on the assumption that we will still have our quilt show in August. We are currently receiving entries, vendors and sponsors are signing up, we are selling ads in the program, demos are being planned for the May meeting and for the quilt show, and tickets and posters are printed. Things are looking pretty good. Everyone - stay healthy and keep quilting. We need more entries. Entry deadline is our June 11th meeting.

While we are all in shut down mode—make another mini for the mini quilt auction. I made one this afternoon. Had done the embroidery ages ago but finally put borders on it and now need to get it quilted.

Because of the Dallas Quilt Show preview party, our attendance at the March meeting was down. We had 79 members and three visitors present.

Our visitors were Becky Garcia, Bridget Madsen, and Grace Culbertson.

We reminded our 2019-2020 new members of our new member retreat at the Best Little Retreat Center on May 30th. There are only a handful of reservations available for that event. If you can’t find your invitation email, please send a message to membership@qgplano.org to receive a copy.

Our Door Prize chairperson, Karen Edmondson, will become a vice president of Membership along with Sue Rentz.

Our door prizes came from the following:

Against the Grain Notions www.splintersandstrings.com
Linda’s Electric Quilters www.longarmsupplies.net
Savvy Quilters www.savvyquilters.com
The Quilt Asylum www.thequiltasylum.com
Not Your Mama’s Quilt Store www.notyourmamasquiltstore.com
Stitchin’ Heaven www.stitchinheaven.com
Quilt Country www.quiltcountry.com
Encore Quilt & Sew www.encorequiltandsewretreatcenter.com
Ready Set Quilt www.readysetquilt.net
Quilt Ideas www.quiltideas.com
Box Car Quilts www.boxcarquilts.com
Minding My P’s and Q’s www.mindingmypsandqs.com
Quilters Consignment www.quiltersconsignment.com
Our speaker from Moda, Tammy Vonderschmitt

QUILTING DAY, April 14, HAS BEEN CANCELLED!

I hope everyone is staying home safe and healthy. Community Service has cancelled our Quilting Day. Things may be more normal by then, but we had to cancel the Basting Day so there are no quilts to quilt. We will reschedule once the crisis has passed.

While we are all spending more time at home, I wanted to mention a way to use up all those panels you have in your stash that you don’t know what you can do with them. Also, if you are like me, you have been saving scraps as 5 inch squares or 2 ½ inch strips. Community Service had a donation of a panel with huge flowers. There were four flowers to the panel, each flower is 24 inches. We also received a panel of about 20 inches with cats.

Using my scraps I made the three quilts shown below. I got the idea from a small group that used an Orphan Block with nickel squares to make quilts for Community Service.

The one block in a sea of nickels gives the quilt a focus point and some character.

So, get out your scraps and orphan blocks or panels and make some Community Service quilts. They are fast and easy and use up a lot of your scraps.

Donna Petrick -- 4/2
Susan Autry -- 4/3
Connie Ryan -- 4/4
Jaynee Eshbaugh -- 4/4
Mychael Colyar-Long -- 4/4
Karen Bethel -- 4/5
Terri Mendelow -- 4/6
Julie Brooks -- 4/7
Glenna Brabant -- 4/8
Sara Lindsay -- 4/8
Tina Connolly -- 4/9
Carolyn Bond -- 4/15
Cristal Green -- 4/15
Beverly Geise -- 4/17
Nancie Rogers -- 4/17
Rose-Clair Fletcher -- 4/18
Elizabeth Schiller -- 4/19
Sharon Laney -- 4/20
Ann McDougal -- 4/23
Sue Landry -- 4/23
Anne Leather -- 4/27
Lori Connon -- 4/27
Mary Alice Caffarel -- 4/27
Deborah Skorepa -- 4/29
Pat Fowler -- 4/29
Margaret Burke -- 4/30

We are well on our way to our annual goal of stockings to give to Soldiers Angels. I handed out 125 kitted stockings, and y’all brought back 40. Way to go, Guys!

As I am enjoying my “Corona Hibernation,” I am ironing stocking fabric, cutting big stacks of 7x11.5” fabric ready to select from for cuffs. This makes the job much more efficient. I told my daughter that, and she said, “So, the same thing you do every day.” I have it down to 1 giant tub of fabric, from six. I did not do this work alone, but I feel like it is a major accomplishment.

I would like to share my setup.I have learned a few things that make this job much easier. I had made an ironing cover for my kitchen island. This is a great way to iron, but with my injured knee, I can’t stand all day long anymore. I also have learned that I need to move around. So, I no longer just iron, I try to process a piece of fabric completely in two rooms, instead of just making stacks of random ironed fabric.

So, first, my formal dining room table is on risers to make it a more ergonomic height, much easier on the back. Second, I cut a piece of vinyl to cover the top and protect it from abrasion. My table has the die cutter on one end, and my big cutting board on the other. Rulers and scissors store very well under the die cutter. As I stand at my work station, I have three containers: A waste basket for pieces too small to do anything with, a big Rubbermaid tub for usable scraps, and a bag for selvages. As I cut, whatever I don’t use goes into one of these.

I have one of those boards that quilters put over their ironing board placed over two TV trays. I iron a piece of fabric, take it back to the formal dining room, cut it and stuff. Then I pick out another piece of fabric and start the process over.

Right before the meeting, I got an email from Jeanne Vogel telling me that a pet adoption was going to be at the Petsmart near Willow Bend Mall wanting five beds. What a great idea! We could each target pet stores near us when they are having pet adoption, as well as veterinarian offices. Folks bring unwanted pets to vets quite often. So, these are two great ideas to take beds to. Just choose the one nearest your home, and be sure to report your hours and the number of beds. The lady in charge of the pet adoption wrote me an email thank you note. She was so very pleased to receive them.

I took 15 beds to a shelter in old town Plano. They did not want the rest right now. I took 25 to Wylie. Wylie is networked with other, less known shelters, so I like to take beds to them.

It seems like a lot has been put on hold as we wait for the pandemic to go away, yes? All in one day, I got emails from every activity that I am involved in, all cancellations or postponements. But it’s all good, right, when you are a quilter? We know how to have fun better than anyone else! Plus, we have the added pleasure of blessing our loved ones, folks in our community, even sending blessings around the world. Who else can claim such a thing?

Here are a couple of quotes from Facebook:

“Shelter in Place? A chance to quilt and to sew!”

“Someone asked, ’what if you run out of stash?’ I rolled on the floor laughing!”

March 2020 Newsletter

Posted on February 29, 2020 by admin

Guild Meeting – Thursday, April 9, 2020

Lecture: Patchwork to Artwork – Journey of an Alaskan Quiltmaker

Non-members: There is a $5 Fee for this National Speaker

Quilt Artist, Maria Shell, will share her work from her first stitches to her most recent pieces along with some fun stories about trying to quilt while raising three boys in the wild lands of Alaska. Maria’s work is grounded in the tradition of American patchwork while also connecting to both the modern and art quilt moments. It is a journey filled with laughter, dark Alaskan nights, and lots of stitching.

In the Know

Entry forms are online and we have received our first entry. Are you finishing your quilt entries? Please plan to enter your quilts, up to 4, and participate in the guild show. Without you, we don’t have a show. This is our showcase. We all enjoy seeing the work of our friends being displayed.

Then plan on volunteering for the show. It takes lots of us working together to put on this production. It’s a great way to meet others in the guild you haven’t yet met and to learn all the things we do as a group. Working 4 hours for the show will earn you a free entry for one day.

If you would like to work on the show committee, it’s time to volunteer to learn what is involved. We are currently looking for a member or two who would enjoy working with our vendors. Please contact Carol Long, Rose Davis or me if you might be the one.

I hope that all of you who gave your time volunteering for the guild in 2019 sent your hour count to Julie Schaefer by the end of January. Soon we will have a program online in which to record your volunteer hours for the guild. As soon as we are set up, you will receive notification on how to enter hours. Until then, please keep a record of your hours that can be submitted online later.

The Presidential Volunteer Service Award information has been submitted and we hope to have the pins and certificates back soon.

If you have already reached your 30 hour volunteer time for 2020, check in with Tisha Harms at a guild meeting to receive your service bar. You qualify for a service bar after you have given 30 hours of time doing any job for the guild. It could be selling raffle tickets at an event, making a mini quilt for the quilt show, sewing any of the community service items available or doing any of the many activities it takes to keep the guild running and active. Your travel time to/from such meetings also counts.

2020 RALLY DAY NEWS

Save Saturday, July 11 so you don’t miss this year’s Rally Day. Doors will open at 9am and admission is FREE to all to celebrate our 20th year!! This year’s speaker is Marti Michell. She is making a return to TAQG’s Rally Day as she was the speaker at the first Rally Day. This is the 20th Rally Day so we thought it appropriate to invite her back to help celebrate. The week after Rally Day, she will be the 2020 inductee into the Quilters Hall of Fame in Marion, Indiana. So, invite your non-guild-friends to see an internationally known speaker, have lunch provided by McAlister’s for $10, have a chance to bid on many silent auction items, and raffle gifts. Who knows, you may go home with one of the over 100 door prizes. And for those of you who love them, we will have Goody Bags to the first 500 through the door.

Many of you love workshops, so Marti will teach three. Fat Quarter Log Cabin is on Wednesday, Hexagon is on Thursday and Mariner’s Compass is on Friday. But don’t wait too long to decide as they are already filling up…Mariner’s Compass is already half full!

Our guild continues to thrive and grow- which is great! We have had amazing speakers, first rate workshops, and wonderful attendance at our monthly guild meetings. Members are participating in Community Service, guild challenges, and I have heard wonderful things about the recent retreat at the Hilton Garden Inn. Kudos to Carol Long and her daughter Dorothy for their hard work organizing the retreat for 108 attendees.

With all of this growth in guild activities and the quilt show just around the corner, we are discovering that we need help! We have lots of new members and current members that may like to join to volunteer for a job in the guild. But they don’t know where to start. So, to match up guild members with jobs, we are going to have a “classified job listing” on our website. Volunteering for a job, big or small, is a great way to meet other members and help us keep the guild running smoothly. Some of the jobs are easy and fun. Some of the jobs require technical skills (i.e. computer skills, bookkeeping, etc.). Some of the jobs help you burn calories and some of the jobs are sedentary. Some of the jobs require a short commitment and some of the jobs will be on going.

The classified will list all of the information about the job requirements, approximate number of hours per week/month, length of commitment needed, who you will be working under, and how to “apply” for the job! We hope this will make it easier for members (new and existing) to help the guild and use their talents. It takes a lot of volunteers to run this guild (and quilt show). We need YOU!

Until next month- Happy Quilting

Hi Everybody,

I hope this finds everyone in good spirits and ready for the Spring forward time change, St. Patrick’s Day, and our Pillow Exchange!

Don’t forget to bring your pillow to the March Guild meeting and make sure you sign/date it for the recipient.

If you need the pattern, it is on the guild website under the Activities tab, then click on Challenges. If you need a pillow form, I have been told that Wal-Mart has one that fits the pillow perfectly.

Please do not bring the pillow wrapped or in a gift bag.

Our next ‘guild activity’ will be participating in the Quilt of Valor for TAQG Rally Day. That will carry us through July, and then we will take a small break until after Quilt Plano.

See you at the meeting.

Thank you so much to the 105 ladies and one gentleman, who participated in the Annual Retreat at the Hilton Garden Inn in Denison this last week. We donated over 1,500 items and $830 in cash to Denison Helping Hands. For those who donated to this cause, their name went into a drawing for a new Baby Lock sewing machine that was donated by Plano Sewing Center. The winner of the machine was Ida Sue Rostosky. We made several community service quilts, thanks so much to Pam Walsh and her small group who cut and packaged the kits for the retreaters to sew.

If you would like to attend the 2021 Retreat, please send your $50 non-refundable deposit to Chanda Smith. Registration is open to Guild Members only until September 1st. Please make your checks payable to Quilters Guild of Plano.

Thank you so much for all of the kind words to myself and Dorothy, as hosts of the retreat. We look forward to next year with ya'll!

Thanks so much!

We had 125 members present.

There were 5 visitors, Gayle Meador, Margaret Burke, Mary Marrone, Grace Colbertson, Debbie Evans.

The 7 new members were: Celene Bishop, Cynthia, DeVoll, Roxanne Doelling, Gwenn Erlinger, Roxanne Gross, Linda Kaiser, Tracie Williams.

We continue to take member renewal fees.

The following quilt stores made donations for the door prizes:

Sew Dallas www.shopstitchhouse.com
Against the Grain Notions www.splintersandstrings.com
Linda’s Electric Quilters www.longarmsupplies.net
Savvy Quilters www.savvyquilters.com
The Quilt Asylum www.thequiltasylum.com
Not Your Mama’s Quilt Store www.notyourmamasquiltstore.com
Stitchin’ Heaven www.stitchinheaven.com
Sew Let’s Quilt It www.sewletsquiltit.com
Quilt Country www.quiltcountry.com

Susan Lenox -- 3/1
Rhonda Briscoe -- 3/2
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
Patti Griffith -- 3/11
Carolyn Kohut -- 3/11
Mary Thomas Imhoff -- 3/12
Nancy LaVerdure -- 3/13
Shirley St. Clair -- 3/13
Candi Aulbaugh -- 3/15
Denise Green -- 3/15
Laura Winckel -- 3/16
Karen Freeman -- 3/17
Karen Woodard -- 3/18
Linda Chappell -- 3/19
Alice Payn -- 3/19
Pam Walsh -- 3/19
Fran Casey -- 3/22
Erika Inglhofer -- 3/22
Marty Crouch -- 3/23
Denny Lay -- 3/23
Sharon McGinnis -- 3/25
Margaret Harkins -- 3/26
Alice B. Gore -- 3/30

Our guild members are really stepping up for Community Service. At the last meeting I gave out everything I carried in to be distributed. This included a crate full of quilts to be quilted, a crate of quilts needing binding and a small crate of pillowcase kits. I was so happy they went out so fast. Thank you Guild members, you are amazing!

I do want to remind you that we do not have sign-out sheets for the items you are taking home. Which means that if you take something home and you do not have to bring it to the next meeting, it is something you do when you have time.

QUILTING DAY, April 14

I want to remind everyone that we will be having our quilting day on April 14, from 10 am – 3 pm. We will be at the Best Little Retreat Center in Texas. The quilts will be spray-basted and ready to go. We will not be bringing quilts that need binding – there just isn’t room in our cars to get everything there.

I would encourage you to come to our Quilting Day if you are interested in learning quilting. We will do demonstrations on using your walking foot and free-motion quilting. It is a great way to learn how to quilt. Most of the quilts are on the smaller side so they will be easy to handle.

Let us know if you are coming – email Dolores at quiltingpony@hotmail.com or Valerie at salter125@hotmail.com.

Don’t forget we still have the quilting contest going. You get your name in for a drawing for every quilt you quilt. The drawing will be at the December meeting.

The Least of These

Members of the Quilters Guild of Plano have big hearts. They are concerned for each other and for members of the community. They are helpers and doers and when someone is in need, they are quick to answer the call. Once again, we are gathering items for the PISD School-Age Program Graduation Party. These parents have worked hard to fulfill the requirements for graduation and to learn valuable life skills that will improve the future prospects of their children. We have partnered with PISD to help in this process. I will be delivering your gifts of clothes, quilts, gift cards and other baby to toddler items after the May meeting. There will be a collection basket available at the next three guild meetings. Thank you for your generosity.

Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these …

I had an incredible treat and surprise from the guild this time. Someone embellished the cuffs on 2 of the stockings! That is going to really make a soldier or veteran feel especially loved!

Unfortunately, I also had a few turned in that were dirty. We don’t think about how dusty fabric is, or how dusty our sewing stations can get, but especially cotton, is dusty even straight out of the dryer. My house has gotten much dustier since I started this office. My entertainment center sometimes looks like a dryer lint screen! So, yeah, not to be mean, but we need to clean a little.

In terms of what you could contribute, I could use ribbon in certain colors: red, navy blue, royal blue, baby blue, gold, yellow. Other than that, due to Y’all’s incredible generosity, I have all I need!

I turned in 32 pet beds to 2 shelters this month. Great work guys! And thank you for respecting my rule of “you make ‘em, I take ‘em. That helps so very much.

On that note, a friend came over the other day and we sorted through a big minivan load of fabric that one of her friends had “given” her. Very little was usable. We made and filled 5 pet beds. Then the discussion was what to do with the rest. Guys, we have GOT to stop doing this to each other. We need to apply the Golden Rule when it comes to textiles. Ask yourself whether this is something the other person would actually want. If the answer is no, then find somewhere else to dump!

So, here are a few ideas:

Thrift stores. Also a great place to shop for fabric! And there are lots of them in the area.
Senior Centers and retirement centers
Various small charities. Ask around the guild. Many, if not most of our members are involved in a variety of different programs. These tend to be highly specialized as to what they want. Be sure to ask before donating. For instance, Binky Patrol wants usable quilt scraps only.

February 2020 Newsletter

Posted on February 2, 2020February 4, 2020 by admin

February brings a wonderful guest speaker to our guild – Paula Nadelstern.

Paula comes to us from New York. In fact, she makes quilts on the same block in the Bronx where she grew up. A wonderful quote from her: “Until I met quilts, I thought I was creative but not talented. To find something you love to do is a gift. To achieve recognition for it is a miracle.”

Guild Meeting - February 13, 2020

Paula Nadelstern – Lecture: The Kaleidoscope as Design Inspiration

Non-members: There is a $5 Fee for this National Speaker

Kaleidoscope, the very word promises surprise and magic. Exploding with visual excitement, a kaleidoscopic design organizes an abundance of light and color, form and motion into a complex and coherent image. Paula’s goal is to harmoniously integrate the idea of a kaleidoscope with the techniques and materials of quilt making.

It is so exciting how Community Service is becoming an important part of our guild. We are getting more and more people involved, making it a win-win situation that can only get better.

Our guild members are able to use their love of quilting to help others and our organizations are getting lots and lots of items to give to the people they are helping.

Last month we gave out 94 quilts, 105 pillowcases, 26 cuddles, 19 baby hats, and 8 taggies. This was a big month for us since we did not distribute in December, but then again, they are collections we made during the holidays. Great Job.

Dates to remember:

February 11 – Community Service sew day at Plano Sewing Center, 10 am – 2 pm.
February 29 – Community Service sew day at Best Little Retreat Center, 10 am – 2 pm
March 21 – Basting Day at Monica Hendewerk’s house, 10 am – 3 pm
And most important, Quilting Day at the Best Little Retreat Center, 10 am – 3 pm on April 14.

The quilting day is open to all members who want to quilt community service quilts and for all newer quilters who want to learn and practice quilting. We will have demonstrations on how to quilt using your walking foot and how to do free-hand quilting. There will be door prizes and goodies to eat. Come and have some fun!

Are you working on your quilt(s) for the show? The entry forms are now online. Each member may enter up to 4 quilts. This show is the guild showcase. It’s time to let people see your work. Be proud of your efforts and enter your quilt.

I have encouraged each of our show committee members to be finding their future replacements. The Vendor Chair committee needs another person to join in this year and fill in the chair position for 2021. If you are interested in this position, please talk to Carol Long, Rose Davis, or me. It’s a very interesting position and is vital to our show.

May will be the month that we roll out the show information, start sign-ups for volunteers, and feature some of our demos. If you are interested in doing demos at the meeting and/or the show, be sure to contact Tina Connolly.

Please continue to pick up and pay for your raffle tickets at the meeting. If you can take the raffle quilts to other meetings to sell tickets, please contact Joan Hammett.

So many projects... So little time!

I have so many projects I am trying to finish, and so many more I want to start. It’s been hard to stay focused and finish anything lately with the holidays. But now that February is here, I hope to get a handle on my “to-do” list. Lately, the only things I have finished are those projects that have deadlines. Some deadlines are self-imposed and other deadlines are set by the small groups I belong to or retreats I attend. And the list keeps growing!

We have so many activities going on in the guild: the pillow challenge with Guild Activities, Community Service quilting challenge, mini quilts for our Quilt Show, Christmas stockings, pillowcases, birthday quilts, block challenges, pin cushion exchanges AND I need to finish my quilt to enter in our show! Whew! No wonder I feel overwhelmed! And NOW my small group started their yearly UFO challenge! Really??!!

I wise woman (Alice Wilhoit) once said to me, “Linda, how do you eat an elephant?... One bite at a time!” So, with that, I will start my list. I will set small goals that I know I can accomplish. I will prioritize those items on the list that are most important (finish a quilt for the show) and maybe a few items will need to be scratched off the list, and that is OK too. Plus I want to leave room on my list for new projects I might want to start.

With my list in hand, I am ready to get started. I have several retreats planned--that should help. I am hoping for some cold weather in February. That will make me want to stay home in my warm studio and sew all day. And housework? That’s NOT on my list, so it will have to wait.

Have a great month and see you at the guild meeting with our speaker Paula Nadelstern.

The Pillow Project

We are starting 2020 with a guild exchange activity! Click on the link for the Jordan Fabrics Tempting Triangle Pillow Covers (I love their FREE patterns!)

Now the cover of the pattern says the pattern makes 3 pillows. We are only making 1 for the exchange. Feel free to make as many as your heart desires, but you only need 1.

One addition to the project: MAKE SURE YOU SIGN AND DATE YOUR PILLOW.

I have been informed that the 16” pillow form from Wal-Mart is the perfect fit and it is only $5.

Bring your finished pillow to the March Guild meeting for the exchange. You do not need to wrap it up or put it in a bag.

Click here to go to the instructions.

We had 102 members present.

There were 9 visitors: Marie Rees, Sue Kuisis, Pat Brown, Grace Culbertson, Stephanie Beaty, Doris Sanderegger, Marsha Kammeyer, May Coffey and Linda Smith.

The 8 new members were: Rhonda Briscoe, Michelle Parker, Jeana Kubik, Glenna Brabant, Susan Berger, Donna Blackman, Sarah Newell, and Deb VanWinkle.

We continue to take member renewal fees.

The following quilt stores and people made donations for the door prizes:

Annette Plog
Sew Let’s Quilt It
Stitched With Love
Stitchin’ Heaven
Fabrics For You
Linda’s Electric Quilters
Savvy Quilters
The Quilt Asylum
Not your Mama’s Quilt Store
Quilt Country

We are off to a great start with our stockings. I had 5 turned in at guild, and lots of goodies to fill stockings.

Please remember that we are not responsible for filling the stockings, but anything that we give is appreciated. Also, remember that hand-made items are especially appreciated because it gives a personal touch, and makes these folks feel loved.

If you would like to write a batch of cards, that would be great, too. My favorite from last year was done by a one-year-old toddler, and had the caption, “(baby’s name) age 1 says thank you for your service to our country.” I am quite sure that this touched the heart of someone.

The email notifying you of our newsletter release has been automated with MailChimp since the launch of the new website. This newsletter email is automatically sent on the 2^nd of every month and looks like the pictures on the right.

Please note that if you unsubscribe from the newsletter email, you also unsubscribe from any email notification we may send you.

Thankfully, we don’t send very many emails but when we do, it’s usually for important things such as a meeting place change or a special event.

Make sure to check your junk/spam folder and mark email@qgplano.org as a safe sender.

We also post on our Facebook and Instagram so be sure to follow us!

January 2020 Newsletter

Posted on December 31, 2019December 31, 2019 by admin

Are you ready for 2020? It is a new year and a new decade – perfect for all the wonderful events coming our way! The first new item is the ability for members (non-members will be included soon) to sign up for Workshops through the guild website. Follow these steps:

Go to qgplano.org and sign in.
Choose Membership (due to members only at this time).
Choose QGPStore.
Find your Workshop/s and add to Cart.
Choose Shopping Cart and fill in the blanks.

Now, how easy is that? A lot like Amazon!

We are restarting the Community Service Quilting Challenge. The contest starts in January, 2020, and will run through October, 2020. The drawing for fantastic prizes will be at the November Meeting.

The way this contest works is you will have your name submitted for every Community Service Quilt you quilt. It can be done on a long-arm machine or your home machine. Just be sure to add your name when you turn in the quilts. Turn-in will be at the Community Service table at each meeting.

You get one entry per quilt you quilted.

Good Luck!

Congratulations to the winners for the 2019 Birthday Quilt Challenge: Valerie Salter, Donna Wall, and Judy Johnson. Last year we had 17 Birthday quilts turned in. Let’s see if we can double that number in 2020.

We will start a new challenge for 2020 at the January meeting. The rule is that you turn in a completed quilt to Community Service. It doesn’t have to be your birthday month. Any month during the year is fine. The only stipulation is that you made the quilt and it is completed. A second party may quilt the quilt.

When you turn in your quilt, you can choose which Charity it goes to. You will fill out the form with your name, email, and phone number and the name of the charity. The contest runs for the calendar year. All quilts turned in by the start of the December business meeting will be eligible for prizes.

Part of my job as VP of Community Service is to take all the quilts home that are turned in at the Guild Meeting. I get to see our donations as I sort them out. Every month there seems to be more and more coming in. December’s meeting had a small member turnout, but we still had 23 finished quilts turned in. We also had 12 pillowcases and 2 tops.

It is so great that our membership is so supportive of the Community Service project – when the quilts are finished they go to children and families in need to bring them some form of comfort. It lets them know that they have not been forgotten.

Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed the guild Christmas party. It was great seeing everyone’s holiday quilts and gifts. Thank you to all of the GQP board members who provided the food for the party. It was nice to have time to visit with each other and meet new members.

We have lots of great speakers and activities scheduled for this year. Now that we have all recovered from the holidays, it’s time to get busy! Community Service and Guild Activities are rolling out their guild challenges. All of the guild workshops are listed on the guild website. Workshops can now be signed up and paid for online. It’s so easy!

Until the next guild meeting, stay warm and keep on stitching! It won’t be long until entries are due for Quilt Plano 2020.

Happy 2020 Quilting Friends! We had so much fun at our Holiday gathering in December and such a fun show & tell! Which made me wonder how everyone is doing on those workshop projects you made in 2019? Even if they are not quilted and bound, please bring them for show and tell. Need a goal for 2020? Finish those projects and enter them into the Special Exhibits category for our 2020 quilt show!

Also, it is time for a Guilt Activity. We are going to have a Pillow Exchange. On our website, go to the Activities tab, then click on Challenge. There, I will have pictures and instructions for the pillow project.

We will exchange the pillows at our March guild meeting. I hope everyone will participate.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Have fun and see you soon.

Show activities are happening. We are working behind the scenes getting ready for entries. The Registration/Entries Chair reviews the current entry information with the Show Chair and Judging Chairs to determine any changes that need to happen. There are minor changes this year so be prepared to read the documents when they are posted on the website. The forms are being prepared now and will be posted by February 1st, 2020. Other duties of the Registration/Entries chair include keeping the database for entries that then feed other documents for the show—judging, programs, layout, etc.

The Registration/Entries Chair is in charge of take-in and give-back of the quilts, producing the winners list, creating the winner’s information for award payment, as well as other documents needed for the show. Tisha Harms is this year’s Registration Chair. She is a new member to the guild and has jumped right in to volunteer her time and talents. Be sure to take time to meet her.

The board members have discussed how to recover volunteer hours for the calendar year 2019 so that people can still receive the recognition for time they donate to the guild. For 2019, we have decided to accept the honor system and let all of you tell us the hours you worked, and we would accept them as is.

Please email your 2019 hour information to Julie Schaefer as soon as possible. Hours must be received no later than January 31st, 2020. No exceptions. juliescha@sbcglobal.net

We will have a reporting system in place for 2020 hours in the near future.

So what makes up your volunteer hours?

Anything you do for the guild counts. In the past we recorded hours under Board (general activities), Community Service, Education, and Show. Travel time to events, like selling raffle tickets at a shop, is included in the time you report. For 2019 you do not have to break down the hours unless you happen to already have them recorded. Just the bulk hours will be acceptable.

Annual service bars are given for doing 30 hours of volunteer time for the guild. The Presidential Service Awards are given for 100 to 249 hours (Bronze pin), 250 to 499 hours (Silver pin), 500 hours and above (Gold pin). The lifetime award has been given for 4000 hours and above. For some reason the government has been working on a change for the lifetime and have not yet released the requirements.

The guild cannot function without all the time freely given by the members. We are all grateful for your time and energy. These pins are tokens of our appreciation.

Sherrie Tootle 1/2
Barbara Rylander 1/4
Sharla Brockway 1/6
Joe Ellen Ticknor 1/6
Tina Steenburg 1/7
Shirley Weaver 1/9
Pat Wykoff 1/12
Diane Worley 1/13
Debra "Debby" Fleming 1/14
Carol Bourland 1/15
Stephanie Parrish 1/15
Patti Fulwiler 1/16
Maudie Auvershine 1/17
Ginny Cherry 1/17
Debra DeSeure 1/19
Connie Elliott 1/20
Jennifer Sheckells 1/20
Susie Ager 1/25
Peggy Cord 1/26
Kathy Dyas 1/26
Joe Levy 1/26
Terry Reese 1/26
Debbie Saul 1/26
Alma Cone 1/28
Roxanne Garrett 1/29
Judy Beskow 1/30

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. Erin came up in time for Christmas day and Nathan and Kelly came up a few days later, as they spent Christmas with her family.

Don and I bought a new shelf unit for the stocking fabric. 78 inches tall, 60 inches wide, and 24 inches deep. I love it. All the fabric that y’all have so generously donated is now organized on four big shelves. The top shelf has fabric for the stocking bodies, and on the other shelves, I have each color group stacked neatly where I can find it. I also have a place for all the other stuff that I use: Ziplocs, ribbon, paper, my iron and cover for the island in my kitchen, and so on. It is now very easy to find what I need for each step. And it looks so much better!

Also, I made new instructions. I wanted the print to be larger, and, at the time, my computer was not working. I decided that it was a good time to start over. Unfortunately, I left out the part about making the cuff. So, I must apologize for that blunder. Oops.

If you are a new member to the guild, you should have received two emails:

One from WordPress containing your username and password.
One from MailChimp requesting that you confirm your subscription to our newsletter and emails.

These automated emails are sometimes sent directly to your Junk/Spam folder or other folders such as a Promotions. Please check these folders and add email@qgplano.org to your safe list. Don’t worry, we don’t send emails very often!

If you are having issues logging in to the website, please email Caroline at email@qgplano.org.

Quilters Guild of Plano, Inc.

Self-Isolation Exclusive!

Programs

May

Jeanne Smith - Houston Class with Gyleen Fitzgerald using Aboriginal fabrics

Quilt Plano 2020

Raffle Quilt News

Donna Petrick

Donna Petrick

Donna Petrick

Community Service

Texas Association of Quilt Guilds

Letter from the President

Linda Neal

Linda Neal

Linda Neal

Advertisement

Guild Activities

Membership

May Birthdays

Sue Rentz - Community Service Quilt

Advertisement

Stocking and Pet Beds Report

Stocking

Shelter Pet Beds

Tech Corner

21st Century Radio

Month Meeting Photos

Advertisement

General Meeting Minutes

Board Meeting Minutes

Quilters Guild of Plano, Inc.

Self-Isolation Exclusive!

Coronavirus and Quilt Shows

April

Laundry Basket Quarantine Mystery Quilt - Donna Petrick

Started in 2009 Completed this Week - Donna Petrick

Programs

Lone Star by Jeanne Smith – Quilted by Maggi Honeyman – From a Class by MJ Fielek

Advertisement

Letter from the President

Baltimore Spring by P3 - Block 1 - Linda Neal

Baltimore Spring by P3 - Block 2 - Linda Neal

Baltimore Spring by P3 - Block 3 - Lindal Neal

In the Know About the Show

Completed Binding on Quilt One - Donna Petrick

Completed Binding on Quilt Two - Donna Petrick

Raffle Quilt Update

Completed Binding on Quilt Three - Donna Petrick

Completed Binding on Quilt Four - Donna Petrick

Membership

Community Service

Big Flower with 5" Squares

Big Flower with Strips

Cats with 5" Squares

April Birthdays

Advertisement

Stocking and Pet Beds Report

Stockings

Shelter Pet Beds

Tech Corner

Staying Home in the 21st Century

Quilt Along

BOM

Facebook Groups

Virtual Shop Hop

Classes

Connecting with Your Small Group

Unity - Caroline Gagnon-Hartman

Patty Polar Bear - North Stars Pattern from Elizabeth Hartman - Caroline Gagnon-Hartman

Month Meeting Photos

Advertisement

General Meeting Minutes

Board Meeting Minutes

Quilters Guild of Plano, Inc.

To bring to the next meeting...

Programs

March

April

Advertisement