June 2025
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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! Visit Rebecca’s website: studiorquilts.com.
If you’d like to join us for dinner (at your expense) with Rebecca on Tuesday before the meeting, contact Marti Austin for further details.
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 hone in and 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! We currently have 7 members signed up – there’s room for more! (note: please bring a power strip with you to the workshop to supplement the guild’s supply).
July Program: Quilting in the Digital Age: When Technology Meets Tradition
Tuesday, July 15, 2025: 7:00 p.m. - In person
Theresa Benson (@theaiquilter) is an award-winning quilter, enthusiastic learner, and dynamic speaker, known for her approachable and engaging teaching style. With an Electrical Engineering degree and expertise in artificial intelligence, Theresa has a knack for translating complex tech topics into understandable concepts for all. Her innovative workshops demystify everything from color theory to AI applications in quilting, opening new avenues for creative expression.
Theresa’s unique approach blends the rich tradition of quilting with modern technology, ensuring that every quilter, regardless of their technical background, can benefit from her insights. Her mission is to empower quilters of all skill levels to create confidently, bridging the gap between past and future quilting techniques. Join Theresa on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook, where tradition meets innovation, and every quilter can become an impressionist of the digital age. Her engaging content and supportive community make her a refreshing new figure in the quilting world.
July Workshop: From Pixels to Patchwork – AI-Inspired Impressionist Quilts
Wednesday, July 16, 2025: 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Location: Faith Lutheran Church, 680 Deerpath, Lake Forest
From Theresa Benson: I’m so thrilled you’re diving into this experience — it’s going to be unlike anything you’ve ever seen in a quilting workshop. Let’s talk next steps so you can get ready for some serious fabric fun!
Two weeks before the workshop you will be getting an email with a questionnaire to complete so she can send you some images based on your answers.
First, pick your image! From the designs I sent, choose the one that speaks to you. That’s the one I’ll transform into something special. This isn’t one-size-fits-all — I’m creating a custom, made-just-for-you pattern. That means every single person in class will receive a one-of-a-kind 18" x 18" image, individually generated and designed. No duplicates, no templates, no cookie-cutter projects. Just your unique vision, brought to life with a little AI magic and a whole lot of fabric.
What happens next: Once I get your image choice, I’ll send you a quick list of what to prep and pack. It’ll include all the details — like what fabrics to bring (just make sure they vibe with the color palette of your chosen design), whether you’ll want a lightbox, and info on adhesives and tools. (Spoiler: Steam-a-Seam 2 is the rockstar here — and yes, I’ll have some available at about $0.25/inch if you need it.)
And the workshop? Buckle up! We’ll kick things off by walking through how I created these bespoke images — yes, you’ll learn how to do this yourself when you get home! Then I’ll show you how to turn your digital image into a fabric collage masterpiece. You won’t finish your quilt in class (this is art, not a speed race), but you will leave with all the techniques, tools, and momentum to keep going with confidence.
Note: Theresa has the silicone mats for sale at a very reasonable price if you should need one.
Quilt Show Corner: News!
Quilt Raffle: Raffle ticket sales need a boost! Our goal is to earn $6,000 but so far, we have only earned $800 in raffle sales! We can do better! Have you sold /bought your $25 worth of tickets?
Please go the website right away to purchase your raffle tickets or try using the QR code on the postcard, or contact Susan Surdyk to buy tickets with cash or a check. We count on all of our members to support the raffle!
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. Contact Nancy Giebel to schedule your volunteer time.
Postcards and Posters and More: Postcards will be available at every guild meeting. Get them in circulation! Posters are coming soon. Also, we expect to have notecards and notepads available soon. Margaret has designed both featuring elements of the raffle quilt. They will be available for sale at guild meetings and at the show.
If you have questions about the show, please don’t hesitate to ask! Kathy Avellone, Quilt Show Chair
Quilt Show Corner – Submit Your Quilts!
Have You Started Submitting Your Quilts for the Show?
Only 46 days left to submit your quilts. Visit Members’ Show Info to submit your quilts.
Please register your quilts as soon as you finish them - don't wait until they are all done! We challenge everyone to submit at least one of your quilts before the June meeting.
The registration deadline is July 16, 2025 for all quilts to be hung and August 16, 2025 for QOV quilts that will not be hung.
Questions?
Contact Enid Mattimiro and Kearstie Grenier of the Cataloging Committee.
Quilt Show News: Appraisals
We are very fortunate to have a Certified Quilt and Textile Appraiser at our show in October. Suzanne Swenson will be there to appraise your quilts. Appraisals take approximately thirty minutes and cost $60.00 (cash or check, payable at the time of the appraisal). Suzanne generously donates $5.00 from each appraisal back to our guild at the end of the show.
Please contact me to sign up: email, phone call or in person at one of our general meetings.
Judy Hillebrand, Quilt Appraisal Chair
Quilt Show News: Quilts of Valor
Quilts of Valor is and has been a part of our quilt show for some time now. We will host a moving and dignified award ceremony on Saturday during the show to people who have served in the military and were touched by war.
The deadline for putting hanging a Quilt of Valor in the show is the same as for other quilts - July 16.
Quilts to be awarded but not hung in the show are to be submitted by August 16.
Visit Members’ Show Info to find Quilt of Valor details and nomination information.
Lorraine Potts, Coordinator
President’s News
Here is my push for getting involved in our Quilt Show! This show belongs to each and every member, and I may be biased but I think it is top notch!
I am amazed at a couple of things about our Quilt Show. One is the amount of work that so many members enthusiastically put in to make a beautiful show. The other is the awesome job we do of hanging and displaying the quilts so that every one of them looks like a piece of art.
I think it’s important that every member participate in some way to make the show a success. I also believe that every member should hang a quilt in the show. No excuses like “Mine aren’t good enough” or “I’m just a beginner quilter and mine can’t compare with others”. I started quilting in 2016 and displayed quilts in the first show that happened after joining the guild. The feeling of pride that I had when I saw them hung has never left me! I promise you, it’s a great feeling and you’ll be happy you did.
Sharon Pierluissi
Members Meeting Members
When Caren Vollrath sent me an email in early May, I knew I liked her already! She was curious about our service project’s recipient, Staben House, and went online to learn more. She discovered the facility was hosting an Open House on May 16th and asked if I might like to join her to learn more about the organization. What a lovely idea - I knew of the facility due to a fellow member, Yolande Sherrod, but had limited knowledge of it. I decided then and there that Caren would need to be my next victim - I mean participant - for our Members Meeting Members column. She was graciously game, and we arranged to meet.
It was a great outing! We learned a tremendous amount about the nonprofit and all the work Staben House does to help homeless women with children in Lake County. The lovely house is on a large property and offers the residents a sense of comfort and the children a huge playground to enjoy. Each mother and her children have their own room, and the facility provides everyone a quilt and twin bedding (new twin extra-long if you have any!) The family keeps their bedding and quilts when they leave to start their own home, so they always appreciated donations. I left feeling our quilts will be cherished and well loved, and I was grateful for Caren’s curiosity and invitation.
While I recognized Caren, I did not actually know her so it was a pleasure to spend time with her and tour her sewing room space. She joined the quilt guild in 2022, attending with her good friends Celia Stratman and Christine Tindell. In fact, Caren had attempted to start a “modern” quilt guild over 15 years ago and Celia and Christine had come to the first meeting. Sadly, that effort did not take off, but their friendship, and many years of retreats at Homestead Cabin in Hillpoint, WI did!
She, like many of us, has sewn most of her life, and always tried to have a dedicated sewing space. In fact, she told me a charming story about her husband. When they were dating, she showed off her apartment at that time, and confessed the second bedroom was actually her sewing room. Her husband told her later “that sealed the deal” and knew she was the girl for him! His mother, who had already passed by then, had run a sewing store and taught girls how to sew for years. He just knew his mother and Caren would have gotten along. Don’t we love our supportive spouses?!
Caren actually started quilting in 1995, when her twin boys were 2 years old. Staying home and contending with toddlers can be exhausting and repetitive. After attending a church retreat where a prior Village Quilters Member, Deb Lindahl, taught the basics of quilting, Caren dove in full throttle. She said it was hugely helpful for her mental health to have a creative outlet amid child rearing, as well as feeling a sense of progress each day. Her sunny yellow sewing space is a great “re-purposing” of the family rec room, complete with a ping-pong table turned cutting board. Notice her smart idea – she used “bed raiser” feet on all the legs of the table to make it a comfortable height for cutting. And as an added bonus it offers a large amount of storage! Her Viking sewing machine sits at the ready in a sewing table, and her supplies are all readily available. Her favorite style of quilting is Modern, and I look forward to seeing what wonderful creations she enters in our upcoming show!
Erica Jarrett
Service Project
WOW! Such a fun kick-off for our Friendly Service Project for Staben House at the May meeting! I know most members are focusing on finishing up their show quilts for the July submission deadline, but we still had a large amount of adorable "I Spy" blocks turned in! A (mystery) member donated two pieced I Spy quilt tops, which went home with another member for finishing! And I appreciated that a member picked up a handful of the donated blocks to assemble a quilt top. There are still a large number of blocks, and some of you said you would bring your I Spy blocks to the June meeting, so feel free to make more or consider taking home a pile next month to assemble adorable top. In addition, Caren Vollrath donated 2 complete quilts and a new member, Ligia Colello generously took two tops and finished them with lovely quilting. I am hoping to bring a donation of around 6 quilts to Staben House at the end of May!
The June block is a String Pieced project done in blue fabrics. Use up your scraps! And head to the website for detailed directions. If you use a paper template, please square up the block and remove the paper before turning the blocks in. Thanks for all the Friendly Service work!
Erica Jarrett, Service Coordinator
Workshop Results – Members at Work!
From our May speaker Lynn Schmidt (A Different Box of Crayons): “What a few weeks it has been! Trade shows, new show commitments, new fabric and best of all the Village Quilters! Thank you ALL for such great energy, I hope you had fun. I know I did!”
Fall Quilt Retreat
Our next retreat will be held November 7-9, 2025 at the Hilton Garden Inn, 26225 Riverwoods Blvd, Mettawa, Illinois.
Sign up for this workshop will be available on Monday, September 1, 2025 at 8:00 a.m. This is a fun activity and is very popular with our members. If you’d like to attend this retreat, set your alarm and be ready to register on our website. Literally, if you snooze, you lose (meaning registration is full).
However, there is a second chance for registration. Email Marti Austin with your request to be put on the wait list. When you do that, your request will be date stamped and will be added to the list. It pays to be on the list. During a past particularly germy season, the fifth person on the list got a seat!
Sunshine Stitchers Invitation
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’s plenty of room, an ironing board available to use, and lots of tables to baste a quilt on. All are welcome!
Treasurer’s Report
Bank Balance as of March 31, 2025: $31,928.38
Income: $3,486.00
Expenses: $5,859.91
Other: $50.00
Bank Balance as of April 30, 2025: $29,504.47
April income included $1,530 in membership fees, $1,155 in workshop fees, and $801 in income related to the quilt show. Quilt show expenses totaled $5,275.13 and included early show expenses such as the $4,139.50 CLC deposit, $779.98 for postcards, and $350 for Raffle Creator. The remaining $584.78 in expenses were for general guild expenses related to workshops, rent for meetings, computer licenses and office supplies related to the annual meeting. The $50.00 is for start-up cash for the raffle quilt cash box (not an expense as it will be redeposited in October).
Respectfully submitted, Melanie Houser, Treasurer
Membership Report
April was the start of our annual membership renewal with the discount, so I hope you were all able to take advantage of it! Effective today, the cost of membership is $50.00 for the year.
We had 48 members in attendance at our May meeting. Welcome new members Cecilia Rodriguez and Debra Dodd (who was a member in the past). Please welcome them! Please don’t forget to greet our new members at meetings and wear your name badges (or bring 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 June Birthday:
Susan Surdyk - June 5th
Linda Warren - June 7th
Kate Klein - June 6th
Andrea Krier - June 11th
Susan Minorini - June 21st
Sarah Solotoroff - June 22nd
Margaret Spain - June 26th
Sue Minster - June 28th