June 2020

Sew-Along Demo and Meet the New Village Quilters Board

Tuesday, June 16, 2020, at 7:00 PM via Zoom

Semper Gumby is the Brennan family motto…we borrowed it from the USMC – hopefully most of you are familiar with the motto of the Marine Corps – Semper Fidelis, meaning Always Faithful. Well, if you have ever spent time with a Marine, you will become familiar with the un-official motto of the Marine Corps – Semper Gumby – which means ALWAYS FLEXIBLE.

Flexibility is the key to survival this year. Sharon and I have been working, and reworking, the programming schedule to accommodate reset schedules, cancelled meetings, and technology issues. We have been able to plan a few months ahead and have some exciting things going on!

For the June 16th meeting we will be meeting via Zoom at our regularly scheduled time. We plan to introduce our new president Christine Tindell, get caught up on some of the latest news, and participate in a sew-along demonstration! The meeting info and link is posted on the Members’ Only page. Contact the membership committee if you do not have access to this page.

For those of you who may be nervous or intimidated by online meetings… have no fear! We are going to hold some practice and troubleshooting sessions! The links for the practice sessions are also posted on the Members’ Only page.

(Note: the meeting can be viewed from a modern web browser, or you can use the Zoom app on a phone, tablet, or computer. Please join a practice session if you would like get a little practice and make sure it works on your device.)

July’s meeting will also be via Zoom and will include a fabulous lecture on thread from Redbird Quilt Co’s Karen Miller. Karen is an author, designer, Moda Bake Shop Chef, educator, and AMAZING free-motion quilter! In this lecture, she will teach us about the nature and behavior of thread and how we can use it to create amazing depth and detail in our projects. We will have Karen out to teach her FMQ class later in the year. Remember…Semper Gumby!

Kate Brennan and Sharon Pierluissi, Programs

News from the Outgoing President

Friends,

The members of our guild have voted and I’m pleased to announce that the slate of officers and the proposed budget have been approved. Thank you to all who took the time to vote - 60 members voted! The new Board will be formally introduced when we meet again, but as of June 3rd, the reins have been passed. Please assist the new Board in any way you are able. The involvement of so many is one of the reasons this is such a dynamic guild!

I will miss standing in front of you all on the third Tuesday of the month. I have enjoyed more than you can imagine getting to know many of you as I served first as Programs chair and then as President. It has been such fun for me! Thanks to everyone for giving me the opportunity to serve you and for being such a forward-thinking group of ladies.

Please stay involved during this most challenging year. You can begin by watching the programs on-line, by participating in the upcoming virtual quilt retreat, posting your projects on Facebook (see article below) and reaching out to your quilting friends. Our guild will stay vibrant and strong if we all pitch in.

Thank you again, Marti

Officers 2020-2021
President: Christine Tindell
Vice President Membership: Kathy Avellone and Sue Ann Kuby
Vice President Programs: Kate Brennan and Sharon Pierluissi
Advance Programs: unfilled, please consider volunteering for this position (2 openings)
Treasurer: Alice Hutchinson
Assistant Treasurer: Jocelyn Galloway
Member at Large: Marti Austin
Newsletter: Laura Partridge
Secretary: Julie Milne
2021 Quilt Show Co-chairs: Madge Pierce and Barb Jolley

Committees
Historian, Show & Tell Pictures: Kearstie Grenier
Library: Jo Bailey and Liz Greenhill
Ways and Means: TBD
UFO Challenge and Birthday Blocks: Nancy Smith and Edythe Hirasawa
Friendship: TBD
December Social: TBD
April Potluck: TBD
Service: Kathy Sorkin
Webmaster: Margaret Martin

Marti Austin, outgoing President

News from the New President

I am so proud to be the Village Quilter’s new president. I’ve been a member of this guild since 2008. I started quilting in 2003 and basically taught myself. I’ve always sewn and was in 4-H for 10 years. My grandmother was a quilter along with a dozen or more other skills. I didn’t have an interest in quilting until I went to a quilt shop with my sister and saw the Hoffman Challenge on display there. I thought quilts were only for beds. I was so impressed.

I have loved this guild because I have learned so much and have met some incredibly talented people. I also have made so many friends. It is a really great and giving organization and if you are new, I hope you can get involved.

When I’m not quilting, I work as a nurse case manager on the ICU Step Down Unit at Condell Medical Center. This year, I’ve been a nurse for 40 years, 25 of those years as an ICU nurse.

I also enjoy gardening, reading, and paper crafts (when quilting doesn’t distract me). I am active in my church and lead a ladies small group.

I’ve included pictures of my sewing space in my basement. I am very fortunate to have a husband that supports my material therapy.

There are a number of opportunities in the guild. We have two openings on the Board for Advance Programs. Please consider volunteering for this position. There are many members with past experience in this position and you will have a co-chair. Our biennial quilt show will be in the fall of 2021 and there are a number of positions that need to be filled.

This past year, I was blessed to be a first-time grandmother, to Dorothy.

Thank you for the privilege of leading you. Looking forward to making even more friends.

Christine Tindell, President

Village Quilters now has a private Facebook group!

When you join this group, you will see what other members are doing. Each of you is encouraged to post what you are working on.

To find our private page, visit facebook.com/groups/villagequilters/. Or you can type “Village Quilters (Members Only)” in the search bar in Facebook. Click ‘Join group’ and you may have to answer the membership questions. When I did this I got no questions, but I’m in!

Marti Austin

Quilt Shops – Shop Local!

Since Governor Pritzker has loosened some of the restrictions for stores and shops, we can begin to support our local quilt shops again. As we are in Phase 3, many quilt shops are now open to shop inside! Check out Facebook, the shop’s website, or call the store to find out how they are able to serve their customers. They may have limited hours or require you to make a reservation, but you definitely need to wear a mask!

Virtual Retreat on June 20

As we have not been able to meet or have our in-person retreat, we are planning a virtual retreat. The virtual retreat will be on Saturday, June 20, on Facebook Live. Our theme is “It Takes a Village”. We are planning four live sessions during the day. Three sessions will be centered around our theme and provide a demo by one of our members. The fourth session, at noon, will be a social time for members to visit. Additional details regarding quilt patterns, connecting to the Facebook Live event, and recipes will be forthcoming. Please hold the date on your calendars, and plan to join us.

Barbara Schober

Birthday Blocks are back!

Our Birthday Blocks program is up and running! Hopefully all interested members have signed up on the website. Now is the time to visit the Birthday Blocks page and get the information you need to start working on the blocks. The first blocks aren’t due until August. Have fun with this project!

Nancy Smith and Edythe Hirasawa

QuiltCut2 All-in-One Cutting System for sale

If you do a lot of piecing and need accurate and identical cuts, then [QuiltCut2] (https://www.quiltcut.com/) is for you! The 5-ply cutting mat with the system measures 18” x 26” with an easy-to-read 1” grid, rulers on four sides, and 45- and 60-degree reference lines. Use the accurate speed gauge ruler for repeat measurements from 1/4” to 6-1/2”. The cutting guide locks in at many angles to easily cut diamonds, hexagons, etc. Cut many layers at once.

Includes instruction manual for cutting many different shapes and an instructional DVD. This has been gently used and stored in original box. Contact Laura Partridge if you are interested.

Treasurer’s Report

Balance as of 4/30/2020: $24,807.34
Income: $1,084.75
Expenses: $598.00
Ending Balance as of 5/29/2020: $25,294.09

Income this month was from Membership fees.
Expenses were for annual post office box rental and Lake Bluff 125 Celebration quilting.

Respectfully submitted,
Alice Hutchinson, Treasurer

Membership

Greetings from your new Membership Committee! The new Village Quilters membership year began May 1st. Thank you to those who have renewed your membership!

We are still collecting membership dues which are $50 for the year ($25 for active military or spouse). All renewals require two steps: 1. Complete registration form and 2. Submit payment. Refer to the April 2020 newsletter for more details. (Sorry, but the early bird $5 discount period mentioned in that newsletter is over.)

We recognize that these are unusual times which have made meeting as a group impossible. However, please don’t let your membership lapse! The Village Quilters Board is working hard to keep our group viable until we can be together in person again. Read the newsletter and join the private Village Quilters (Members Only) Facebook group to stay connected (see article above to join).

We will post an updated membership list to the website in July. We look forward to welcoming you at the check-in desk ASAP!

Please contact us if you have any questions.

Happy June Birthday to the following members!

Amy Dryfoos - 6/23
Jolie Fiore - 6/30
Kate Klein - 6/6
Andrea Krier - 6/11
Sue Minster - 6/28
Susan Surdyk - 6/5
Linda Warren - 6/7
Judi Young - 6/1

Membership co-chairs Sue Ann Kuby and Kathy Avellone