May 2025
/
May Program: Lynn Schmidt Trunk Show
Tuesday, May 20, 2025: 7 p.m. – In Person
Lynn Schmidt is the founder, owner and designer of A Different Box of Crayons in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. She has been designing projects for over 15 years. She is known for her amazing eye for color and the use of various textiles in her work. Lynn’s trunk show will be a feast for our eyes! She will show us how she uses color and texture to create amazing quilts, pillows and wall hangings. Her use of piecing, appliqué and needlework will impress!
Andrea Krier and Marti Austin are your new Program Co-Chairs and have worked diligently provide a variety of speakers and workshops for the coming year!
May Workshop: LOGistics Pillow
Wednesday, May 21, 2025: 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Location: Faith Lutheran Church, 680 Deerpath, Lake Forest
The project will complete as a pillow cover, a table mat or a wall hanging. You will construct 2 large two Log Cabin blocks. Each will finish piecing at 15” square. They finish smaller once they are sewn into the project of your choice. A silk chain will run through the blocks in one diagonal direction.
The LOGistics pattern for a pillow (23” square) or a table mat (27 ½” X 27 ½” square) is a true Eclectics project. This project will teach how to work with mixed medium textiles with dissimilar textures. The project will use twelve different fabrics with multiple weights and finishes. There will be two kitted color-ways. Each color way will have contemporary and traditional fabrics, large- and small-scale prints, reproduction prints, batiks, wools and silks. Some color-ways may vary slightly in their fabric types but the intent in all of them is not only to give you new freedom in mixing your textures but also in mixing your fabric styles. The chain is created with squares of Dupioni silk. The borders are wool and the binding is cotton.
Important note: This workshop is currently full.
June Program: One Block, Many Ways
Tuesday, June 17, 2025: 7:00 p.m. - In person
Do you have a go-to block you love using but don’t want to make the same quilt over and over again? Join Rebecca Lidstrom of Studio R Quilts for the lecture as she shows you how you can use one block and some simple design changes to make a versatile collection of quilts. The options are endless and you will be amazed!
June Workshop: Perfecting Your Quilting Techniques
Wednesday, June 18, 2025: 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Location: Faith Lutheran Church, 680 Deerpath, Lake Forest
Whether you’re a new quilter or a seasoned quilter, this is the place to learn the tips that will help you perfect your quilting skills. In the Perfecting Your Quilting Techniques workshop, we are going to focus on small tweaks that you can make to continue to improve on your skills including:
Accurate cutting that results in consistent size pieces.
Perfect piecing that goes beyond stitching a ¼” seam allowance. Discover how the machine setting and notions you use impact your work.
Flawless pressing that eliminates folds and stressed seams.
Precise trimming to get blocks to finish at the same size, every time.
We will apply what we learn as we make a star block table runner that focuses on basic block units including half-square triangles, quarter-square triangles, and flying geese. We will also look at a series of checks and balances that will help identify problems and determine how to correct them. Participants are guaranteed to have a fun day filled with learning, quilting, and friends! Sign up for Perfecting Your Quilting Techniques today!
President’s Message: Take Our Survey!
At our annual meeting the members were asked to fill out a short questionnaire about our guild and we had over 30 members fill out the survey. The survey is now available online.
The purpose of the survey is to provide the board with information on the health of Village Quilters. We’re asking for you to share how you feel about the monthly meetings and what may prevent you from attending. We have had several new members in recent years, and we also want to know how new members feel we are doing in welcoming them into our guild.
I hope that many of you will take a minute to fill out the survey! It can be done on your cell phone or your computer. The survey responses will be anonymous, unless you want to fill out your name. If you already completed a survey at the monthly meeting, thank you!
Sharon Pierluissi, President
Quilt Show Corner: Raffle News!
At our April meeting, Susan Surdyk gave an excellent demonstration of the several ways to purchase raffle tickets.
Here is a quick review:
Go to the Village Quilters website web site, villagequilters.org, You will see the green Buy Raffle Tickets button on the home page.
Try using the QR Code on the postcards It really is the fastest way to get your raffle numbers. Ask another member (or younger family member) for help if you are not familiar with how to use a QR code.
Go directly from here to our Raffle Creator page
Otherwise, see Susan Surdyk, Kathy Avellone, or Nancy Giebel to buy tickets with paper receipts.
Raffle Quilt Travel: Have you signed up yet for your turn at a raffle quilt event? There are still openings which need to be filled. Sign up with a friend or work with someone new to you. If attending an all day event is more than you can manage, sign up for half the day. It takes at least 2 people to man each event.
Here are some dates which are still open:
5/28/25: Faithful Circle Quilt Guild, Downers Grove (2 people)
6/26/25: Wauconda Farmers Market. (4 people or more)
June TBA: Village Quilters, Wheaton (2 people)
7/28/25: Prairie Star Quilt Guild, St. Charles (Donna D. and one more person needed)
9/18/25: Pride of the Prairie Quilt Guild, Plainfield (Pam E. and one more person needed)
Contact Nancy Giebel to schedule your volunteer time.
Quilt Show Corner: Postcards!
Why postcards instead of bookmarks? We needed more space for text and a QR code. Thank you to Margaret Martin for creating the graphics and designing the postcards. Thank you to Bob Zamor for photographing the quilt!
A huge thank you to all the women who put the CLC stickers on the postcards! Lorraine Potts, Kacey Avellone, Sharon Pierluissi, Andrea Krier, Mary Dietz, Peggy Schemenauer, Nancy Giebel, Carrol Stovold, and Judy Hillebrand added the CLC stickers to 7,000 postcards!
The postcards are gorgeous, but they are useless if they are not in circulation. All members were given three postcards at the April meeting to share with friends and family and more will be available at every guild meeting. Challenge yourself to give out at least 10 postcards! Hand them out in person as you invite people to the show.
If you have questions about the show, please don’t hesitate to ask! My email and phone number are on the member roster. I’d love to hear from you! Keep sewing!
Kathy Avellone, Quilt Show Chair
Quilt Show Corner: Only 77 Days Left…
…Until the July 16 deadline for submitting your quilts to be hung in the Quilt Show!
Check out the Show Info for Members on the Village Quilters website for all the details.
Take the plunge and submit your quilt today!
Questions? Contact Enid Mattimiro and Kearstie Grenier of the Cataloging Committee.
Quilt Show Corner: Boutique
The Quilt Show Boutique Committee welcomes all things made from our creative guild members. Our goal is to have a variety of handmade goods to be sold to the public. From bowl cozies to baby items to personal items to kitchen items, the world is your quilt oyster!
At May's meeting, we will have a sign-up sheet so you can let us know what you would like to make. We will have examples of some items, patterns and a list of things that sold well in past quilt shows. Member vendor information will also be available.
Donna Derstadt - featured quilter in “Members Meeting Members”
Members Meeting Members
Donna Derstadt attended a Village Quilters Quilt Show at the old Lake County Fairgrounds, likely in 2009, as a guest of Joni Baumli. Joannie was a VQ member who did Long Arm work, and was Donna’s neighbor in Libertyville. Donna promptly joined the guild, and from that point on, has taken our quilt shows by storm. I asked how many VQ ribbons she’s won and she demurred, which is very typical of Donna – a talented artist who is remarkably unpretentious. She also has a wonderful sense of color and design, and to top it all off, is very sweet.
Donna was sewing on a 1968 Elna when she made her first quilt. While making the top did not daunt her, machine quilting it on the ancient Elna gave her anxiety. Her solution? Buy a long arm machine at a quilt show! As she sewed in her kitchen, she set up the long arm in her dining room. When her teenage son would come home from school, he would gripe that “If fabrics were food we’d never be hungry”!
Donna has 2 sons, 4 stepchildren, and many grandchildren. During the weekend prior to my visit, two granddaughters came to stay and sew with her. Quilting clearly runs in her family: she proudly showed off an heirloom Lone Star quilt. The quilt top was made by her grandmother Johanna Swary Deitrick, in 1916. The top was then gifted to one of Johanna’s daughters-in-law, whose mother and sister finished the top with hand quilting. Eventually Donna saw the quilt and learned the story, and was thrilled to be gifted the family treasure. Her stunning quilts are likely to be family heirlooms as well – and make sure you look for her quilts at our upcoming quilt show. In all likelihood there will be a ribbon on it!
Service Project
Please consider joining your fellow members in making "Friendly Service" blocks for Staben House quilts. The block for May will be an "I Spy" done in primary colors with a white border. The pieced block will measure 8.5" with seam allowance (the finished size within the quilt will be 8”), and we are hoping to collect a large amount to put together some sweet quilts for the children residing at Staben House.
If you would like a package with all the directions for the full year, please email me so I can have some prepared for the May meeting. If you just need basic instructions, the Service page has both basic and detailed instructions for download.
In the meantime, feel free to reach out with questions.
Submitted by Erica Jarrett
Fall Retreat
The fall retreat is scheduled for November 7 – 9, 2025. Our retreat is held at the Hilton Garden Inn, Mettawa, Illinois. Sign up will be available on the website Monday, September 1, 2025, 8:00 a.m. The cost is $64. If you want to know more about our retreat, check out information on the Village Quilters website under Programs, Retreat Spring 2025. You can find all the information you need. Think about joining the fun. Our retreat sells out quickly, so set that alarm for sign-up day! If you snooze, you lose!
Remember you must be a member of the guild to register for our retreats, so renew your membership now!
Submitted by Marti Austin
Sunshine Stitchers May 15
On the third Thursday of the month, members of Village Quilters meet at the State Bank of the Lakes, 50 Commerce Drive, Grayslake for an informal sew-in. We meet from 10:30 am to 3:30 pm. We bring a sack lunch, sit, chat, sew by hand or by machine. There is plenty of room, an ironing board available to use, and lots of tables baste a quilt on. All are welcome!
Treasurer’s Report
Bank Balance as of February 28, 2025: $33,831.23
Income: $2,603.00
Expenses: $4,505.85
Ending Bank Balance as of March 31, 2025: $31,928.38
March income was as follows: $2,112 from retreat fees, $275 from workshop fees, $65 in membership and guest fees, and $151 in raffle ticket sales. The $4,505.85 in expenses above represent those that have cleared the bank as of March month end. Significant costs were $2,216.67 in workshop related expenses, $2,079.96 in retreat related expenses (which are 100% offset by retreat income) and $208.19 in Quilt Show related expenses. However, there are $5,269.48 in checks which have not yet cleared the bank including $4,139.50 to CLC for show venue deposit. Therefore, the adjusted bank balance, after accounting for uncleared checks is $26,658.90.
Respectfully submitted, Melanie Houser, Treasurer
Membership Report
April was the start of our annual membership renewal! Until the end of May there is a $5.00 discount for membership renewal, bringing the total price to $45.00 for the year. On June 1, membership will be $50.00, so renew today! Military personnel and spouse memberships are always $25.00 per year.
46 members attended at our April Business meeting and we welcomed new member Ligia Colello.
Please don’t forget to greet our new members and please wear your name badges (remember your quarters if you forget!) Lorraine Potts and Robyn McGarrigle are your membership co-chairs. If you have a question, please feel free to reach out to us!
Happy May Birthday to the following members:
Sharon Pokropinski - 5/3
Rose Gray - 5/5
Donna Derstadt - 5/10
Marisa McGarrigle - 5/12
Joan Lagedrost = 5/13
Marti Austin - 5/13
Jonnie Staggs - 5/15
Celia Stratman - 5/19
Susan Zdebski - 5/20
Donna Lechowicz - 5/22
Helen Zallie - 5/24
Floriann Gulik - 5/24
Melanie Houser - 5/25
Peggy Pearson - 5/29