Lorain County Piecemakers Quilt Guild
Volume 24 Issue 7 – March 14, 2024

President: Chris Yoo
Treasurer: Sue Schillig
Secretary: Open
Vice President: Margaret Miller
Community Service: Maria Lucki
Hospitality: Maryann Doucette & Jean Tobia
Membership: Karen Neuschaffer & Sandy Gallagher
Honor Quilts: Kaye Koler
Sunshine Committee: Val Watring
Challenge Committee: Kelly Grace
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:
Chris Yoo

1. Welcome.  At 7:00 p.m. on this February 8, 2024, Chris welcomed members old and new, and a few guests.

2. Program:  Tonight, we had the pleasure of welcoming Leslie and Josie of Hidden Stitches.  The ladies were a hoot and a half as they say.  The concept of “Hidden Stitches” truly surprised me.  If you were not at that meeting and don’t know these ladies, it may surprise you too!!  Each quilt has a hidden message because the blocks are strategically placed to spell out words in Morse Code!!  Fantastic idea!!!    Check out their website for more information http://www.HiddenStitches.com and they are also on Facebook and Instagram.

3. President’s Message: Chris’ message was short and sweet this month:  HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!

4. Approval of Minutes:  The minutes from the February meeting were distributed by Kelly Grace.  After a call for corrections or changes, having heard none, the minutes were approved as distributed.

5. Treasurer’s Report (Sue Schillig).   The treasurer’s report and all financial documents of the guild were audited by Vicki Morris and found to be in good standing.  Sue announced that the rent for the hall went up slightly to $250 for the new year and since it was a minor increase, there was a motion that the guild renew the lease for 2025.  The motion was seconded followed by a brief discussion about how lucky we are to have this hall for such a small cost.  A vote was taken and the motion to continue to rent the hall at the new rate of $250 was approved.

6. 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.

7. Unfinished or On-Going Business:  Chris continued to read through the updates to the guild handbook and bylaws and noted that each table had a red-line copy for members review and comment.  A few additional changes were noted and Chris indicated she would have the final version at the March meeting for approval.

8. New Business:    Chris reported that although it was not a sure thing until today, she can now confirm that the guild will have a table at the 2024 Original Sewing and Quilting Expo and there will be a 2024 Raffle quilt. Chris shared that the quilt blocks were donated by Margaret Miller.  They are hand appliqued blocks made by her late step mother-in-law, Elizabeth “Betty” Dunn.  Chris will have the quilt pieced in February so it can be quilted and bound in March so it’s ready for April.

Chris also reported that she needs volunteers to sit at the booth during the three (3) days of the show in 2-hour time slots.  The Expo is Thursday, April 18th, Friday, April 19th and Saturday April 20th.  If you volunteer for a couple of hours, you get into the show for FREE.  However, the parking is NOT free.  In years past, parking was $10.

9. Announcements:   

  • NEORQC Meeting is March 2nd @ 10:00 a.m. at the St. John’s Luteran Church in Massillon, Ohio.
  • African American Quilt and Doll Show is on May 17 & 18th.  Check online at their webpage for more information.

9. Show-n-Tell:  This was very diverse evening.  We have a hat, quilts, a welcome banner, and quilts, which included an Eye-Spy!  We are awesome!!!

10. Adjournment:  In March, in the after there will be an English Paper Piecing Workshop with Roseanne from Anna’s and the evening program will be Better Binding Techniques Tips and Tricks.

MEETING ETIQUETTE AND REMINDERS: 

  • Wear a name tag.
  • Silence your cell phones during the presentation. If you have to take a call, please move to the back kitchen by the restrooms.
  • Please do not talk during presentations and please give your fellow members your attention during the Show-n-Tell.
  • Free table:  If you bring it, understand that if no one wants it, it goes into the TRASH. If you don’t want it to be tossed, you need to be present to take it home. We don’t have a storage facility.
  • Thank you!

See you in March

Sunshine Committee
Val Watring

Meeting minutes:  Thank you for demonstrating the Accuquilt Cutters and setting us up for Community Sew Day etc.  As usual, many hands make light work.  There was a bit of learning and a ton of cutting.  …appreciate everyone “chipping in”.

Newsletter:

We signed cards for a couple of our members. Bobbie Bruck, wrestling hospital(s) and pancreatitis; she is on the mend. Pat Logar is caring for her mom and daughter.  We have missed her at our meetings. Thanks, Jean, for helping with mailings!

p.s.   If you have any empty thread spools, I am collecting them for an Olympic game project.  Thank you!

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.

Membership
Karen Neuschaefer.

Hello Everyone,

We now have a membership total of 90 members.  Please welcome the 4 new people who joined last month, Terri Leighliter, Louann Downing, Ursula Marciniak, and Pamela Bliss.  Their information will be sent with the updated membership roster.

Thank you very much,  Karen and Sandy

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.

Sue Schillig, treasurer

Honor Quilts

Kaye Koler

Our committee is tentatively planning a Honor Quilts presentation the evening of our March meeting, 6 pm. (Thursday, March 14). Confirmation of that will be forthcoming.

SewHappy,
Kaye Koler

STRAY THREADS…

Sue Schillig

No Report

March Birthdays

Susan Thornton – March 3
Donna Garrett – March 5
Laura Williams – March 9
Margaret Miller – March 13
Sheila Myracle – March 17
Pat Brush – March 20
Casandra Brown – March 23
Susan Schillig – March 25

Programs/Workshops

March:   The English Paper Piecing Workshop as been changed to 4PM – 6 PM due to a scheduling conflict.   Cost is $7.99.   We will be piecing a small project which can me turned into a pin cushion or appliqued on another project.

PM   Roseanne will be talking with us about Binding Techniques.

April:     PM Stitches In Time from Wellington—What it takes to open a quilt shop

May:     DAY WORKSHOP   Crumb Quilting—-more details at March meeting
PM  Sew 4 Service will present their mission and projects

June:     JUDY RIGGLE SEW DAY!
PM  The Giving Doll Presentation and Show and Tell
Margaret

Challenges
Kelly Grace

UFO Challenge

Out of 509 items that were submitted we already have 23 (5%) completed. Some members seem to think it’s a race to finish everything on their list 🙂 Please remember that $5 is due to me when you sign up, if you haven’t already given this to me you can see me at the next meeting. This is to help with prizes that are given out at the December meeting – You must complete at least one of your UFO’s to be included for prizes.

Fat Quarter Exchange
Signups for 2024 exchange will continue until the end of March. Please see me if you’d like to sign up – either at the meeting or send an email to the guild. This exchange is where you buy or shop your stash for a fat quarter for each person on the list, based on what type/color of fabric they are looking for.

Monthly Challenge
Challenge issued at the February meeting – crayon challenge! Choose 2 crayons from the bag and make whatever you’d like using those colors. You may add 1 additional color and these are due at the April meeting. See me in March if you’d like to participate.

Secret Santa Exchange
Secret Santa Exchange turned out awesome, sign-ups for the 2024 exchange will happen in July – there will be LOTS of time to make your gifts.

Block Exchange 
This years challenge fabrics have been posted online and I have been told that Sew Creative Cottage has ordered the entire line. If you’d like to participate in the block exchange please let me know, the. more members that sign up the fewer blocks you’ll need to make. Picture of the fabrics is below.

President’s Challenge
As Chris’s last challenge, she requested that you make a name tag. It must be something new – not something you already made.

Community Service

Maria Lucki

On Friday, March 1st, I delivered 25 pillow cases to Blessing House, 50 pillowcases to Catholic Charities for their teen and their men’s programs.   They also talked with me about needs for their program “Help Me Grow”.   I also dropped off 25 pillowcases to We Care We Share for their various programs in Lorain.

So, in total, 100 pillow cases were donated on behalf of the Guild to charities in Lorain County.

Marie

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.

Did you know the guild has an Accuquilt Go? This will be brought to sew days by Chris Yoo if you’d like to use it. There is a list of dies owned by other guild members on the website (https://loraincountypiecemakers.wordpress.com/accuquilt-dies/)

Notes from the President
Chris Yoo

If you have never volunteered at the huge Original Sewing and Quilting Expo in Cleveland, now is your time.  I’m asking that some of you please volunteer as an Ambassador to help bring recognition to the guild AND help to assure them they have us to depend on because they are giving us a FREE booth that normally costs $$$$.  I will be volunteering all day on Weds., April 17th to help hang quilts and special displays, and I’ll be setting up our booth.

The Expo is held at the IX Center at the CLE Airport.  There are classes and workshops, quilt displays, shopping, shopping, and more shopping, and it is a great road trip for friends.  It is truly three days of inspiration and fun. You can volunteer to become a part of this great event by becoming an Expo Ambassador.

The Ambassador Program is open to individuals as well as members of guilds and other fiber arts groups. As an Ambassador, you’ll earn free general admission on the day you volunteer (minimum 4-hour same-day commitment), special Expo prizes and even free class sessions!

Volunteer in as little as 2-hour increments for any of the Ambassador Opportunities such as a Classroom Assistant, Information Desk Assistant,
Studio Sprucer, Set-up Assistant, Greeter, White Glove Display Gallery Monitor, and so much more!

When you sign up, you will see a space that asks for your GROUP AFFILIATIONS.  Please list the Lorain County Piecemakers.  The link to the volunteer application is below:

https://www.sewingexpo.com/Volunteer

Join me in stepping up to show the local quilting and sewing community that our members rock!!!

Your Pres,

Chris Yoo