Important Dates to remember:
November 30: QuiltCon entries due
December 12: Winter Extravaganza swap and party.
The BAMQG Meeting was Saturday and it felt like an eternity since we
had a meeting. We really only missed the October meeting (because of
PIQF). Still it was too long.
As a result of missing October,
there was a lot of business to cover. The meeting went longer than usual, but people stayed and contributed, which was nice. There were a ton of visitors and we hope to see them back again as new members! I took Ann around and showed her the Charity table and talked to her about the guild in general. It is great to meet new quiltmakers!
QoM
The question of the month was good
but hard: For what are you grateful in the quiltmaking realm. Some of
the answers were:
- Time to quilt
- Rotary cutter
- Eleanor Burns
- People who accept and love quilted gifts
- Design board
- Internet tutorials
- Online buying opportunities
- Playing with fabric
- Electric sewing machine
- Organized charity function
- Designers
- Modern fabric
- Space to sew
- Creative inspiration
Kelly,
who went first, since she is the boss lady, said she was very grateful
for all of us. She said in such a sweet and sincere way that we were
really touched. At least I was.
To Do List
QuiltCon entries due November 30. Kelly encouraged everyone to enter.
While I want my quilts to get in, I think that everyone's work is
spectacular and high quality enough to get in.
Reimbursements
Claire talked about reimbursements. Reimbursement requests must be submitted WITH receipts within 6 months of the purchase. The group is a 501(c)4 and you can take a deduction if you donate fabric, batting, etc. You have to log the information. If you have questions about money or donations, contact Claire.
Charity
The charity Sew Day was a success. About 10 wheelchair quilts were completed and will be donated to a local nursing home. Most of them were "pillowcased" and did not require binding, making them much easier to finish. Wheelchair quilts are easy to make using 9.5" squares or blocks and are quick to make. Peggy and Michelle have a pattern if you want to make one.
A giant pile of postage stamp blocks were donated and there were lots of kits available to make more.
The
guild has donated 65 quilts to local charities. This is less than last
year bit many of those were larger quilts than were donated last year.
If you have outstanding blocks, please bring them back to the next meeting.
Continue to make blocks and tops and bring them to the meeting.
Opportunity Quilt
Winning ticket was drawn. G.M. Haynes from Pacifica won our quilt. Amanda will contact him/her. The guild netted about $400 from the sale of opportunity quilt tickets.
Cat Beds
Are back! There were a number of designs to choose from and Amanda gave some tips and tricks as well as request to double sew around each piece (gusset to top and bottom) of the cat bed. All the kits were taken. You can use your own fabric (polar fleece or soft quilting cotton) to make some as well. Amanda also said that stuffing the cat beds with scraps up to 5" is ok. If you use batting, please cut it up into ~5" pieces. Amanda is not accepting schnibbles right now. Bring your finished cat beds, stuffed or unstuffed, to the next meeting.
Challenges
Karen is organizing a new challenge, due in January, using Carol Van Zant fabric. She handed out FQs of the fabric at the meeting (another good reason to attend!).
The Low Volume Fabric Projects were due this month. Everyone who worked on the Low Volume Challenge showed their work. There were a lot of quilts and tops and a few other small items. Jaye made a journal cover and Ruth made a fantastic bag.
MQG
The guild will not renew the guild membership in the MQG. The board decided that
the promised benefits, including technological infrastructure and other promised features
and functionality, had not been realized. The ability to maintain a roster was particularly missed. Also, the admin time required to work with the MQG was dragging down the Board. The Board will now be able to focus its
resources on local activities and members. Members were encouraged to
join the MQG as individually since the benefits are much more
robust for individual members. The guild will pay for Mike's membership
and he will continue as MQG liaison for the group and for guild members. He will also
advise the Board on MQG matters. Guild membership in MQG ends on
Feb.15 so that is when people should join as individual members. The group will reevaluate guild MQG
membership in the future.
Membership
Alison will be transitioning membership function to Annemarie. She has a standard letter she sends to new members and she will share it with everyone. She encouraged everyone to join the Ning forum as it is a great community builder. It is also a place to find out about what is going on in the guild and to show photos.
Swaps
The favorite blog swap coming to an end. Please take some time to post your favorite blog to the Ning forum discussion. Joy-Lily will bring a paper list to the Winter Extravaganza meeting and will also post a virtual list. Look for it here.
Reminder to get your gifts for the Winter Extravaganza swap at the December meeting finished. Look for ideas posted
here a few weeks ago. Look for an updated list in the next few days.
2016 Speakers
Amanda has been working on getting a big name speaker to come to our guild to speak and do a workshop for two years. After many hours of work, and after everything was set up, Angela Walters cancelled her engagement with us. :( She does not want to do two day trips. This is a huge disappointment, especially to Amanda. She and Angela will be working on bringing other speakers to the group.
Officer Elections
Nobody has stepped forward to be president so Ruth and Joelle will
share the role of point person this year and a Mistress (or master) of
Ceremonies will be selected for each meeting. Lynette and Gerre will be
co-VPs. Claire has agreed to continue as Treasurer. Angela will be Workshop Coordinator and others will take on
other roles. Please contact a Board member if you are interested in being MoC or want to contribute in some other way. Many hands make light work.
Show and Tell
The show and tell was
great, as usual. There were many, many quilts. Peggy
showed about 15 charity quilts she had worked on since August. Some of
the quilts were made from donated blocks that weren't
quite the right size. She did a great job thinking up interesting
settings. Bonnie brought two of the wonderful bags she has been making. Jaye brought an owl stuffie and the Tuffet she made. Gerre brought a gorgeous quilt she made from a class with Kathy Doherty of Material Obsessions fame. There was so much more.
Next Meeting
December 12: Winter Extravaganza swap and party.
