Letter from the President

By Jeanne Vogel

Hello and welcome Fall!  I am taking on the job of president after being a member for about 27 years.

The Quilters Guild of Plano began in 1982 so we are beginning our 41st year with almost all new board members!  We are happy to announce  that the new board has replaced the two positions vacated after the election.  VP of Community Service Bonnie Cook has stepped down and been replaced with Debbie Blair co-leader with Val Schlake.  VP of Media, Dawn Wester has stepped down and been replaced with a new member, Kris O’Connor.  We have a true village with 14 members to share some of the positions needed to run the guild.

We have decided to hire a church employee to run the zoom cameras to allow all our members to attend and to not have zoom running in the background at the meeting.  Hopefully this will be welcomed by both those attending and those not able to drive in to the meetings, who are sick at home, or who are traveling.  Please consider carpooling to the meeting with those unable to drive at night.

The meeting in October will be our first with the new board, so we will be emailing out the changes to the Policy and Procedures that have been approved by the old and the new board.  Please read them so we can address any questions and then approve them without a lengthy discussion at the meeting.

Please renew your membership if you haven’t already paid for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.

Welcome to the start of another great year!

Programs

By Beth Swiatek and Linda Sullivan

Happy New Quilt Year!

We are getting our feet wet as the new Co-VP’s of Programs!  Seeing the wonderful speakers and workshops already contracted for 2023-24….looks like it’s going to be a great year!  Hope you can all attend guild meetings to learn something and make new quilty friends.

Future Guild Meetings

On November 9th join us in person to say hello to friends, then relax together as we Zoom with Paula Golden and get an Introduction to Hawaiian Quilting.

Our December 14th guild meeting will feature our very own Donna Petrick and Tisha Harms with their Free Standing Lace talk moved from the September meeting; so glad we’ll get plenty of time to hear all their secrets.

Guild Activities

By Chris Fredericks

Who would have thought that moving from New York to Texas in 2021 would have been the best move ever!  Joining QGP last year and meeting so many wonderful members and being welcomed so graciously has allowed me to call Texas my new home state!  So thank you, thank you, thank you!

And then to my surprise, I was asked to take on the position of VP of Guild Activities.  I hemmed and hawed for a quick second or two (some might counter with ‘a week or two’) and finally took the plunge.  I’m excited about the ideas that I have scheduled for this year and look forward to sharing the activities with you at the October meeting.  A new mystery block challenge and a guild challenge are in the works along with some other activities which will allow us to stay connected and have fun!  

I look forward to meeting more members and engaging in more guild activities including classes, community service sew days, retreats and, of course, Quilt Plano 2024!  It’s going to be a great quilting year!!

Quilt Plano 2024

By Laurie Lumston

As you heard at the September Guild meeting, Quilt Plano 2023 was a resounding success and set us up to continue bringing in top-notch programs.  Congrats and a hearty Thank You go out to the members of the 2023 Show Committee, led by Carolyn Cosgriff.

Now, it’s time to shift our focus to Quilt Plano 2024!  I have the honor of leading the Show Committee this year, along with my Co-Chair, Carol Truscott.  There are over 30 committee members who have stepped up to be part of this awesome team! You’ll meet them in next month’s newsletter!

One of our first tasks is to fill the remaining positions on the Committee.  Whether you are a long-time member or new to the guild, this is a great way to get involved, meet new friends, and contribute to this community of quilters! 

Below are the positions on the Committee that are available, along with a general description.  Reach out to me if you are interested in reading the detailed job description and joining in on the fun!

• Signs:  Make sure our signage is properly placed to guide guests and volunteers. 
• Entries – Shadow:  Spend the next year shadowing Tisha Harms in the current Entries Lead role so that you are ready to take over on the 2025 Committee.   #mustlovespreadsheets
• Ribbons:  Coordinate with the Entries and Judging teams to order, prepare, and properly place the ribbons on the winning quilts. This person must be super OCD about the process to ensure accuracy.
• Set-Up/Take-Down – Co-Lead:  This role requires advance planning ahead of the show and is onsite during Show set-up and take-down to coordinate with the Entries team to organize the hanging hardware and guide the volunteers to properly hang/take-down the entries. 
• Program Ad Sales:  Coordinate the sale of ads in the Program. A fun way to connect with the local vendors and quilt shops!
• Raffle Quilt Roadshow:  Visit local guild meetings during the year to display our Raffle Quilt and sell raffle tickets.  The side benefit is being able to attend neighboring guild’s meetings and see bonus programs!  Grab a quilty friend and make it a mini road trip! 
• Special Exhibits:  Coordinate the special exhibits that are displayed at the Show, which includes curating, gathering, hanging and taking down the display.  A fun way to share the samples from our programs during the year!

The plan is to fill out the committee in October, share detailed job descriptions and timelines in November, chill in December, and then kick off the Quilt Plano 24 (QP24) meetings in January.  Now’s the time to get involved!!  And don’t worry – if you don’t want a role on the Committee, we will have PLENTY of opportunities for you to be involved by volunteering at the event. ?

Community Service

By Val Schlake and Debbie Blair

I joined the Community Service team last year and the rest is history!  I just couldn’t get enough so I signed on for another!  This past year was so successful with quilts, cuddles and dog beds being donated to our worthy organizations.  We are extremely thankful to all of you whether you cut fabric, pieced a top, quilted tops, sewed binding on a top, washed quilts, or, last but not least, delivered them.  It does take a village!

I want to welcome 2 new appointments to our existing team, Debbie Blair as Co VP and Deanna Tucker as Special Projects.  The Community Service team is gearing up for another successful year!  So plan on participating, as it’s a great way to stay connected to other guild members while providing such a worthy service to our community.

Our mission is simple:  We create quilts and quilted items that provide comfort and warmth to those in need of a little kindness throughout our community.

Sew Day:  We meet on the second Tuesday of each month from 10 until 2 at the Plano Sewing Center doing what we all love to do… SEW.   Just bring your sewing machine and basic sewing supplies and we will provide the rest.

Fall Focus

• PISD Program: School Age Parent Program:   We will be participating again collecting donations for the PISD Program.  Our guild is supporting these new mothers and fathers by collecting donation items for new babies.  Accepted are baby quilts, baby clothes, diapers, anything a new mom can use would be appreciated. Items can be dropped off at the guild meeting or at the Community Service Sew Day  now through the end of November.
• Birthday Quilt Challenge:  A quick reminder to get those Birthday Quilts turned in by November…  and you will be entered into our drawing for a Sewing Gift Basket valued at $250.

Quilts of Valor

By Evelyn Cheek

The mission of the Quilts of Valor® Foundation is to cover service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing.

QOVF Core Values:

• Treating people with respect
• Promoting excellence
• Valuing service over self
• Being accountable 

 www.QOVF.org

Oh my. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Words cannot express the gratitude we have for the outpouring of appreciation we saw at the September Guild meeting.  The Veterans we honored were overwhelmed at the wrapping of the quilts and their family members in attendance were astounded at the love, care, and detail that went into the beautiful quilts as well as the ceremony itself.  A member asked what we do with the leftover quilts.  There are none.  We donate each and every one to veterans in the north Texas area. That’s why our guild members made them.  We have upcoming plans for more quilts and we’ll keep on making them and donating them.  It’s an honor to do so.

You can check out more photos of the veterans and the quilt presentations here:  September 2023 Guild Meeting Photos

Education

By Liz Beaty and Lorrie Gray

If you missed our demo at the guild meeting, use the link below to check out a YouTube demo on making and using a Binding Board for an easier way to prepare your binding strips.  No more burned fingers!

News from the Bees — Zoom and In-Person

Bag Making Zoom Group – Donna Petrick

The Bag Group is now meeting and we are looking forward to making bags and having fun.  We are meeting the 3rd Wednesday at 7:00 pm.  If you want to join in, please email me to be placed on the Zoom meeting notice.  petrickdl@outlook.com

Worker Bees – Third Thursday on Zoom – Sharon McGinnis

We are buzzing with excitement to start this new group! Held via Zoom on the 3rd Thursday of each month. Our next meeting will be October 19th at 7:00 pm.  This small group is a great fit for anyone with time available in the evenings. This group will include ANY type of quilting activity—piecing, hand quilting, machine quilting, embroidery, you name it. The name of our game is friendship and fellowship around our virtual quilting circle. Contact Sharon McGinnis at sharon.mcginnis@verizon.net to be added to the roster and a Zoom link will be sent out a day or two before each meeting. Any questions can also be directed to Sharon at 972-467-5799.

Sew Happy Quilters – Aurora Chancy

We meet at Sam Johnson Senior Center corner of 75 and 16th Steet on  1st Thursdays and 3rd Thursdays 9:00 to 4:00. We are a sit-n-sew, so bring your favorite project and enjoy the fellowship!  Contact Aurora Chancy achancy@msn.com

Pieceful Organization – Sarah Krauss, Jeanne Vogel, Monica Hendewerk   (Now we meet every Wednesday afternoon)

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

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

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

Hoop It Up Bee – Donna Petrick

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

Featherweight Fellowship Groups – Jeanne Vogel

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

• Chicks with Feathers—3rd Saturdays in person at Sam Johnson Recreation Center at 401 W 16th St.  Plano, TX or on Zoom from 1-3pm                                        
• Fourth Friday Featherweight Friends—4th Fridays in person meeting at Best Little Retreat Center in Texas all day

From the BeeKeeper

Open Small Groups getting together – all new members are invited to join us:

Sew Happy Quilters       

• 1st Thursday and 3rd Thursday 9-4pm  
• Sam Johnson Recreation Center @  401 W 16th St.  Plano, TX  Contact – achancy@msn.com
• Bring your own project, sewing machine & supplies

Sit N Sew Community Service Day

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

Worker Bees

• For the new members working, please join us on Zoom the 3rd Thursday from 6:30-8:30 pm  
• Please contact Sharon McGinnis for the meeting ID and password – sharon.mcginnis@verizon.net

Membership

By Mary Alice Caffarel

Our Fiscal year ended Sept. 30 and our New year starts October 1. 2023.  Happy Quilt Guild New Year!!!!

Please be sure to RENEW your membership this month if you have not already done so for the 2023-2024 year.  Dues are $35 per year. Family memberships for others in the same household are $10 per year.

Ways to renew:

1. Print out the form from the website and bring to the meeting with a check or cash.
2. Print out the form and mail it in with your check.
3. Renew on-line, with a credit card.  (Be aware this will create a Paypal account.)

Your new Membership Co-VPs , Raj Aggerwal and Barbara Goetz, have some new ideas.  One will be a listing for ride-sharing.  Since there are a number of members who do not like driving at night, it is hoped that this list will allow drivers and riders who live close to each other a way to connect.

We continue to need 9 patch blocks. Directions are on the website under Activities.  Raj has put together a good number of kits with the small squares that just need to be sewn together.  Please take a few back home with you and return to the Membership Table at the following meeting.

I thoroughly enjoyed being VP of Membership for the last 2 years.  I’ve met a lot of really nice people (and I can even get the correct names with the faces for some of you).

Happy Birthday to members  born in October.  Happy Halloween too!

•  1 – Karen Finch
•  1 – JoAnn Langloys
•  1 – Lucy Wang
•  2 – Maggie Cole
•  3 – Pamela Lane
•  6 – Michelle Watts
•  6 – Rebecca Williams
•  7 – Jackie Galubenski
• 10 – Lauren Lindorm
• 13 – Caryn Pesek
• 13 – Beth Worley
• 14 – Marge Krempl
• 15 – Suzan Crocker
• 16 – Deborah Kay
• 17 – Monica Hendewerk
• 17 – Donna Morris
• 18 – Rachel Carithers
• 18 – Debbie Seher
• 19 – Bonnie Cook
• 22 – Ruth Bernabo
• 24 – Denee Nelson
• 24 – Sharon Newalu-Garcia
• 26 – Charlotte Key
• 26 – Deb Merrill
• 27 – Cheryl Morschauser
• 28 – Linda Castellano
• 31 – Sandra Vincent

Monthly Meeting Photos

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

General Meeting Minutes

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Board Meeting Minutes

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