May 2026
Past President/Member at Large News
A big Thank You to everyone who participated in the President’s Quilt. I want you to know that I love the quilt and it is something that I will always cherish. I love the bright colors and I do like a quilt with stars. A special thank you to Chris who coordinated and worked very hard to make the quilt a reality. Thank you to Barb Jolley for the quilting. This is my first custom quilted quilt and the quilting is wonderful. Thank you to Rose Gray for the beautiful embroidered label and to Lorraine Potts for binding this beauty.
I also want to thank everyone for the opportunity to serve as President. I am proud to be a member of Village Quilters and to have served in this position. The board and members were very supportive.
Sharon Pierluissi, Past President, Member at Large
Election Results
The following Officers were elected at our April meeting. Please welcome our new Board! And thanks to all of the Committee Chairs as well.
Officers:
President: Erica Jarrett
Vice President, Membership: Robyn McGarrigle, and Rosemarie Gray
Vice President Programs: Pam Eulberg and Mary Phemister
Advance Programs: Ligia Colello and Jocelyn Galloway
Secretary: Celia Stratman
Treasurer: Leitha Schaal
Assistant Treasurer: Caren Vollrath
Newsletter: Carrol Stovold
Quilt show: Nancy Smith and Christine Tindell
Member at Large: Sharon Pierluissi
Committee Chairs (non-board positions):
Historian OPEN POSITION
Library: Linda Spring
Webmaster: Margaret Martin; Assistant: Andrea Krier
Friendship: Judi Hillebrand
Ways and Means: Donna Fitzgerald
Service: POSITION OPEN
Birthday Blocks/Mystery Quilt/Block of the Month: (OPEN POSITION – Chair Chooses Activity)
Social Media: Carrol Stovold
Please note that we still need a few committee chairs:
Historian—takes pictures at meetings and keeps records of happenings in the guild
Service—Organizes charitable service projects for the community
December social—Plans food and activities for the social
Thank you for considering!
Christine Tindell, Former Member at Large
May Program: Deb Strain
Tuesday, May 19, 2026: 7:00 p.m. (Doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
Although Deb Strain spends many hours in her home studio, one of her favorite things is speaking with quilters about fabric design. A 28-year veteran of the industry, Deb has created over 100 fabric groups for Moda since 1996. She loves sharing how her hand-drawn and hand-painted artwork gradually evolves into lovely fabric, noting, "It is exciting to work with color and pattern that eventually becomes a quilt enjoyed by many."
Her casual presentation will guide us through the entire design journey from initial concept to the quilt store. The program ends with a parade of 20-30 quilts made from her fabrics, providing inspiration for future projects. Fun stories of how Deb got started and adventures encountered along the way make this a light-hearted, yet informative presentation. As Deb explains, “Spending time with Quilters and talking about fabric is about as good as it gets!”
May Workshop: Bees and Lavender
Wednesday, May 20, 2026: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Deb Strain and her husband Scott, live in the small village of Yellow Springs, Ohio. She has been a licensed artist for over 28 years. It is in the peaceful woods surrounding their home where Deb finds her inspiration. Drawing on memories of growing up in Ohio and times spent with family and friends, she seeks to convey a kinder, gentler way of life.
Inspired by nature, her workshop, “Bees and Lavender” is a hands-on beginner embroidery class. For 3 hours, the workshop attendees will stitch alongside Deb, learn practical techniques and enjoy personal guidance in a relaxed, creative setting.
Attendees will learn to use 4 basic embroidery stitches that will create a lovely bee and lavender design.
June Program: Maday Delgado - Sustainable Textile Design
Tuesday, June 16, 2026 – 7:00p.m. In Person
Discover how fabric can tell powerful stories and shape a more sustainable future! Maday, a dynamic bilingual art educator and artist, brings an energetic, hands-on approach to the world of textiles. Her work blends innovation, culture, and creativity, leaving audiences inspired and ready to create.
Rooted in her Cuban heritage and inspired by global textile traditions, Maday transforms everyday materials into meaningful works of art. Through techniques like hand-stitching, painting, weaving, and embroidery, she shows how to turn fabric into storytelling. Passionate about the planet, she champions upcycled materials and shares eye-opening insights on the environmental impact of textiles.
Come ready to be inspired, learn new techniques, and see textiles in a whole new way!
Website: Sustainable Textile Design
June Workshop: Sustainable Textile Design – Sashiko Works
Wednesday, June 17, 2026 – 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. In Person
Ready to stitch something meaningful? Join Maday for a hands-on workshop where tradition meets creativity. Inspired by global textile traditions and her training with a Japanese Sashiko master, Maday will guide you through the art of Sashiko stitching.
Start with pre-printed designs to learn the basics, then move on to creating your own unique patterns—perfect for adding beautiful, hand-stitched detail to your quilts. Along the way, discover how to incorporate upcycled fabrics and bring new life to your materials.
Perfect for all skill levels—come stitch, design, and leave inspired!
July Program: Dee Bushrod – My Passion in Pixels
Tuesday, July 21, 2026 – 7:00p.m. Zoom
Have you ever wondered how you can take a picture and turn it into a quilt? Join Dee Bushrod as she presents a Zoomlecture titled, “My Passion in Pixels”. This presentation will describe how an image that has been “pixelated” can be transferred onto fabric. You will see how you can take anyimage you want and make it into a picture in quilt form.
Dee Bushrod is a self-described “Brit” who now lives in and says she “loves” Oklahoma. She is a “self-taught quilter” and started making quilts 19 years ago but didn’t fully love the entire process until 5 years ago when she discovered “Pixel Quilts”.
Pixel Quilts are now her main passion, and she travels the world talking and teaching about all things pixels and how others can create their own pixel quilts.
Dee’s comprehensive Zoom presentation will cover the beginnings of her quilt journey right through to the 50+ pixel quilts she has made to date. This presentation will include the quilt made for Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee that celebrated 70 years of her reign. Dee’s presentation, “My Passion in Pixels” will guide the Village Quilters both for creating their own pixel quilts as well as guidance on how to do it most effectively.
Note: Guild workshops will now be held at Grace United Methodist Church. This is where our guild meetings are held. The address is 244 E. Center Ave., Lake Bluff, IL 60044
President’s News
I apologize for not being at the April guild meeting when Board positions were elected, though I am excited to kick off our new year in May. As I think about the direction I am hoping to lead the guild, I keep landing on the term "adjustment". As the new Board members move into their roles, we will all need to allow some adjustments for the bumps in the road for transitioning. But also we, as a guild, may need to make adjustments to what we want and how we want to have our group function. Our guild is only as successful as we make it, both for ourselves and for the communities around us. I would like to adjust our focus a bit - finding the space where our interests, talent and passion can also move out to inspire children and communities around us. Sharon did a wonderful job, and her steps in that direction inspired me to think more about outreach. As a guild we need to decide what WE want for ourselves and HOW we approach outreach.
I think the first step in outreach is to understand what we like about ourselves, what works well, what our strengths are, and where we can improve. Please send me a note, text, email, voice mail if you have any suggestions or thoughts. Let's HAVE FUN!!
Erica Jarrett, President
Block of the Month
VQ Block of the Month -May 2026
The first installment of the Village Quilters BOM is ready! You will find the pattern with instructions in two files:
VQ BBOM 2026 May and ColoringPagesAndStarPlacement. These are PDFs. Feel free to print any pages you would like, and copy them if needed. These files will also be available on the VQ website in the Members Only section and on the Members Facebook group page.
For those who missed the April guild meeting, this is a special Block of the Month celebrating the 250th birthday of our nation. It will run from May to December 2026, and our goal is to have as many members as possible participate so that we can hang these quilts together in the guild’s 2027 Quilt Show. The quilt is made of both traditional and original blocks with several different layouts. It is meant to be a skill-builder, so blocks become progressively more complex. Participants can make as many or as few blocks as they would like. The history and meaning of each block will be included with the pattern. The first month’s blocks are rotary cut and pieced. Future blocks will be paper-pieced, and some instructions will be provided on paper piecing.
If you have questions about the BOM, please email me, Kearstie Grenier. My email address is in the guild roster. I’m looking forward to this exciting new project!
Treasurer’s Report
Bank Balance as of February 28, 2026: $34,972.70
Income: $ 5,488.00
Expense: $ 2,616.47
Bank Balance as of March 31, 2026: $37,844.23
March income included $3,479 from the Brown Bag Hustle and $1,984 in payments for the April retreat. Expenses were primarily for the April retreat rent.
Respectfully submitted,
Melanie Houser, Treasurer
Membership News
April showers are enough, but we do want the May flowers!
Welcome new member Joy Ogden. We now have 128 members as of this writing!
This is membership renewal season for 2026-2027. Save $5.00 during the month of May. Dues will be $45.00 until May 31, and go up to $50.00 June 1. Renew now and save!
We are still looking for seasoned members to become a mentor or buddy to our new members as they come in. Thanks to those of you who have already volunteered. If you’re interested, please contact Rose or Robyn.
At the meetings please remember to silence your phones and wear your name tags!
Rose Gray and Robyn McGarrigle are your membership co-chairs. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us!
Happy May Birthday!
Julie Reynolds
Sharon Pokropinski
Rose Gray
Vicky Doolittle
Donna Derstadt
Marisa McGarrigle
Joan Lagerdrost
Marti Austin
Jonnie Staggs
Kate Brennan
Celia Stratton
Susan Zdebski
Donna Lechowicz
Helen Zallie
Floriann Gulik
Melanie Houser
Peggy Pearson
Linda Wiemerslage