Lorain County Piecemakers Quilt Guild
Volume 23 Issue 7 – March 9, 2023
President: Chris Yoo
Treasurer: Sue Schillig
Secretary: Bridget Coyle
Vice President: Margaret Miller
Community Service: Maria Lucki
Hospitality: Maryann Doucette & Jean Tobia
Membership: Marilyn Novak & Karen Neuschaffer
Quilts of Valor: Kaye Koler
Sunshine Committee: Val Watring
Challenge Committee: Kelly Grace, Susan Thornton, Helen Smelser
Communication Committee: Kelly Grace
Bits & Pieces Editor: Kelly Grace
Articles due by Saturday before meeting, Newsletter sent out Sunday before meeting.
Meetings: 2nd Thursday of month
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: New Russia Township Lodge,
46300 Butternut Ridge Rd, Oberlin, 44074
Additional Info: Please remember that there is always a sew day the day of our meeting – starting around 10!
Website: https://loraincountypiecemakers.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/LorainCtyPiecemakers
Guild email: loraincountypiecemakers@gmail.com
Meeting Minutes:
Bridget Coyle
At 7:00 p.m. President, Chris Yoo, called the meeting to order and welcomed our members and a several visitors this evening.
Program: The speaker tonight was Janine Dreckman. Janine operates her own business, The Stitch Goes On, in North Ridgeville where she teaches sewing, serging, embroidery by machine, and quilting by machine. She has worked at Pins and Needles in North Olmsted. She talked about her sewing experiences and brought some fabulous creations to share. Janine also let us know about upcoming classes at her studio. It was a wonderful presentation!
President’s Report: Chris spoke about the ongoing quilt show preparations, and she thanked Terri Walter and her group of volunteers for stepping up to take on the Raffle Baskets for the 2023 Quilt show. Chris gave Terri donations she had received from designer Deb Strain and a gift card from the Fat Quarter shop. Chris also shared that she is in contact with Pins and Needles about a possible door prize donation. Chris closed by noting that as of this meeting she has secured 4 vendors for the show: Fused Glass by Mike, Wool Yankers with Connie Bradley, and Quilter’s Fancy with Cindy Oravecz, and the quilt shop Sew Creative Cottage with Debi Reese.
Approval of the Minutes: The January minutes were distributed electronically by Kelly Grace. Hearing no changes or corrections, the minutes were approved as distributed.
Treasurer’s Report: The treasurer’s report and all financial documents of the guild are filed for audit and can be made available for review upon request of the guild treasurer, Sue Schillig.
Committee Reports: The membership heard reports from all Committees that were present. The Committee Chairpersons will submit their individual reports to Kelly Grace for inclusion in the newsletter no later than the Saturday before the next meeting. For up-to-date information from the Committees, please review the individual Committee Reports noted in this newsletter.
Unfinished Business: Auditing Guild Financials: It was reported that member Vicki Morris has volunteered to audit the guild books. Chris reported that she was still looking for a few volunteers to help sit at the guild booth at the Akron Quilt Expo. However, Chris noted that the only date where help is needed is the afternoon of Saturday, April 15th.
New Business: None noted.
Announcements: Members shared information about the following upcoming events:
Quilts 2023 @ Lake Farm Park in Kirtland, Ohio
Address: 8800 Euclid Chardon Rd. (Rt. 6), Kirtland, Ohio 44094
Show will run March 31, 2023 – April 30, 2023
Doors open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Quilt Vendor Weekend is Apr. 28 through April 30th.
Sauder Village 46th Annual Quilt Show 2023
Show will run May 3 – 6, 2023,
Address: 22611 State Route 2, Archbold, Ohio 43502
Doors open from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Wednesday – Saturday,
Show & Tell: There was a wonderful selection of quilts and more tonight including the quilt top for the 2023 LCP Raffle Quilt!
Next meeting: March 9th @ 7:00 p.m. Farmhouse Quilting Company w/ Lyn Fowl.
In-Person Meetings and Sew Day Etiquette: Wear your name tag. Please remember to avoid chit-chat while someone is speaking to the group, both during presentations and during Show-n-Tell. Please set your cell phone to silent mode. Thank You Sew Much!
Minutes completed by Guild President, Christina Yoo.
Sunshine Committee
Val Watring
Committee Report: Meeting minutes: Summary for our friends, Melanie and Cheryl. There was a collection for Melanie’s daughter River.
Newsletter Update:
March 2nd, I believe Maryann Doucette had knee surgery. We sent her a card…butterfly theme. Maryann , we wish you a comfortable and speedy recovery.
We sent a Life is…nothing without friendship…card to Donna Garrett; aiming to be encouraging as she wrestles a divorce.
We mailed a card to Lynette Thomson. Lynette injured her shoulder close to Christmas. I apologize for being tardy. We wish Lynette well in her shoulder’s healing.
Fondly, Val Watring
By-Laws Section 8: The Sunshine Committee shall notify members in case of illness or bereavement. Cards will be sent; unless it is determined a blue basket is needed.
Blue Baskets: When members lose a spouse or child, we support them by giving them fat quarters of fabric in their favorite colors. The Sunshine Committee will supply the bag and card to be signed by the membership.
Treasury Report
Sue Schillig
Treasurers Report and Financial Statements of the guild are on file for audit and will be made available for review upon request.
The previous year’s books are being audited as I write this.
Sue Schillig, treasurer
Membership
Hello Everyone, We currently have 93 members. Please welcome our new or rejoining members, Sue Wallick, Audrey Spreng, Marilyn Player and Karin Kollar. There is also updated information for Jean Tobia, Donna Clapper and Carol Stomieraski. If you have any questions, please contact Karen Neuschaefer or Marilyn Novak.
Karen and Marilyn
Quilts of Valor
Kaye Koler
No Report
Community Service
Maria Lucki
First of all thank you to all those that have helped with sewing, those special ladies who have donated their long arm quilting talents, and those who bind the quilts.
Right now I am in need of people to make Pillow Cases for Genesis House. There is a how to YouTube video by Shabby Fabrics on making a “Magic Pillow Case”. It gives the cutting, sewing and finishing directions for making a wonderful pillow case.
I am in need of Twin Size quilts (45 of them) for a Men’s Rehab center in Lorain. The approximate size of a twin quilt is 68” x 86”. The size can Definitely vary a little bit. If you can make a twin size “man” quilt top, quilt, etc. it would be greatly appreciated. This could be a traditional quilt or even a rag quilt. Since these are for adults, tying the quilt would also be acceptable.
Lap sized quilts are needed for the nursing home in Oberlin. An average lap size quilt is 45×45 all the way to 50×60.
Sacred Heart in Oberlin needs quilts, new or gently used blankets, hats, scarves, gloves, etc for Ukrainian refugees.
Catholic Charities needs quilts and blankets for a variety of causes.
Wherever you can help would be greatly appreciated.
Maria
LORAIN COUNTY SAFE HARBOR/GENESIS HOUSE: Provides temporary safe shelter, food, and support services to victims of domestic violence and their children. Serves roughly 25,000 annually.
BLESSING HOUSE: Founded in 2005 to house children, birth to age 12, when their parents are addressing their own crises.
March Birthdays
Laura Williams – March 3
Donna Garrett – March 5
Susan Thornton – March 9
Margaret Miller – March 13
Sheila Myracle – March 17
AmyLynn Kaspar – March 18
Pat Brush – March 20
Casandra Brown – March 23
Susan Schillig – March 25
Programs/Workshops
March: Lyn Fowl, owner of Farmhouse Quilting Co. in Elyria, is coming in to share her quilting and handiworks. She will be bringing items for a trunk show and also items to sell. Lyn does have an Etsy shop and is in the process (perhaps it is already up and running) of setting up her own website/shop separate from Etsy.
April: Appliqué Any Which Way You Can will be presented by members of our very own Guild, led by Sue Schilling. They will be showing us many different techniques, hand and machine. They will also bring some of their own work for a trunk show. Thank you ladies!
May: The Lorain County Spinners and Weavers are coming to demonstrate spinning and weaving. (You would be amazed at all the different ways they can spin fiber and all the different types of looms that can be used). Their members make blankets, clothes, rugs, yarn for knitting and crocheting. I am sure it will be a very interesting evening.
June: JUDY RIGGLE ANNUAL COMMUNITY SEW DAY during the day.
Evening Program by Felice Dahlhausen of Felice Quilt Designs.
Warm Regards,
Margaret
Challenges
Kelly Grace
UFO Challenge
Wow, one month into our challenge and we already have 33 completed items out of 646! Keep it up, lets see if we can beat least years number of finishes. Please remember $5 is required to participate, it goes toward the prizes at the December meeting. You can turn this in at the next meeting. If you cannot come to a meeting to show off your finish, please send me an email (or text) or post it in our Facebook group and let me know it’s a UFO so I can mark it down as complete. Good luck this year!
Fat Quarter Exchange
Signups for the 2023 Fat Quarter Exchange have started, you choose what color/theme you’d like to receive and you either choose fabric from your stash or go shopping for everyone on the list. Fat quarters are turned in at the August meeting, lists are send out to everyone by the May meeting.
Monthly Challenge
We had some wonderful blocks turned in last month for Quilts of Valor! Maybe we’ll do this challenge again later in the year. For March we are going to do the crayon challenge again, projects will be due at the May meeting. You pick 2 crayons from the bag and can choose 1 additional color and make anything you want with those colors.
If you have a suggestion for a monthly challenge, let me know!
Block Exchange 2023
I have 1 person interested in the block exchange for 2023, I’ll keep this open until next month. If there’s no additional interest we’ll put it off until next year. PLease make sure your quilt tops from 2022 are completed in time for the quilt show, let’s show them off! The fabric below is what we would be using for this year. It’s one of this year’s Hoffman Challenge Fabrics. Looks like we can pre-order it now, so if you sign up, please let me know how many yards so I can pre-order our fabric.
President’s Challenge
Make something using the Ohio Star block which is featured as our guild logo. There will be a special exhibit at the Quilt Show for the President’s Challenge.
Build a Bear Quilt Challenge
I was looking at some leftover scraps while trying to decide what quilt to make next, and it occurred to me that the ones I was looking at could be made into a little quilt for a teddy bear, so I just bought this cute little bear who will be the prize.
I propose that we make little quilts for this cute little critter and at the Christmas meeting we vote for our favorite homemade scrap quilt and award the little bear to its maker. If you want, we could include them in our quilt show with a sign explaining the challenge. I could take the little bear in to include in eh show, heck, how tough would it be to finish a quilt for a 7-inch bear in time for our fall show?
Your Pal, Susan the Bear Chump
Do you have an idea for a challenge? Please drop a note in the suggestion box or send an email to the guild email (address above).
Notes from the President
Chris Yoo
Did you know that March is National Quilting Month? Actually, the national quilting day is observed on March 18, 2023. It celebrates quilts and those who make them. It is always celebrated annually on the third Saturday in March. Here are five Interesting things that the common person may, or may NOT know about quilting.
- The word ‘quilt’ comes from the Latin word ‘culcita’, meaning a stuffed sack. Stuffed sack?!?! Really?
- There is an identity behind a quilt. As many of us already know, quilters make quilts in such a way that they depict the quality of our lives or customs. Think of our quilts as a book of tradition where pieces of stories are sewed together.
- Quilt are seen as a precious heritage. Quilters often make quilts that are passed down from one generation to the other. They are precious heritage.
- Quilts were used for armor protection. Medieval knights used quilted pads under their armors, to protect them from chaffing and to prevent the armor from rusting from sweat. Eeeuuuwww!
- Interest for the potential husband? During the 19th century, it was customary for a woman to show her quilting skills to her new husband. I almost fell off my chair laughing over this one. It is for sure a different world today.
National Quilting Month should be a time for sharing our appreciation for quilts and the history of quilts. It is a time to share quilting stories with our family and friends.
Quilting is a craft that can be dated as far back as 3400 B.C. Understanding the history of quilting and the value it this wonderful craft is just the beginning of understanding the connection between the past and present, as well as the creativity and heritage of quilting.
HAPPY NATIONAL QUILTING MONTH MY PEEPS!!
Your President, Chris Yoo
STRAY THREADS…
Sue Schillig
It was so nice to be back to our NEORQC Getaway this year after being away for the past two years. Seems like the late nights of the past though are history. By 11 pm we were calling it a night. Gone is the sewing to 1 am. Oh well. What hasn’t changed is as I worked rapidly to piece the one thing I brought to work on, several more quilt ideas were born. The question now is do I give birth to the new ideas or not? Well time will tell but some I expect will find some fabric and space on a shelf. A fun weekend was had, but the UFO list will not be diminished.
Piecefully, Sue Schillig
Lorain County Piecemakers Guild 