July 2026
July Program: Dee Bushrod – My Passion in Pixels
Tuesday, July 21, 2026 – 7:00 pm – Zoom lecture
Have you ever wondered how you can take a picture and turn it into a quilt? Join Dee Bushrod as she presents a Zoom lecture 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 any imageyou want and make it into a picture in quilt form.
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.
President’s Report
“History” seems an important word at the moment - both for our country and for ourselves. A few weeks back I began hunting down information about our guild, mainly to consolidate important documents and records for the President position. Not quite done yet, but I did end up with a fun bin of rather old papers from our guild. Having sorted through them all - and found some useful and important ones –I ended up reading many of the ‘old’ ones. It turns out Village Quilters is celebrating its 55th year! Here's some of the history for those of you unaware:
Back in 1982, It's A Stitch Quilt Shop was open in Lake Bluff, run by a local mother/daughter pair (I think Mary Gustafson and her daughter Becky). Some ladies took a beginner quilting class and started a sewing bee to encourage each other to complete their quilts. They began meeting regularly at the Lake Bluff Library, where they continued to meet until 1989, moving then to St. James Church in Lake Forest. The group's first quilt show was in 1988 in the Library, with a second show held at St. James Lutheran Church in 1991. I attended that show with my infant son, as did Kate Klein and Nancy Smith, all 3 of us becoming members at that time. The oldest Membership List I could find was from 1997, and included current members Eleanor McMurrin, Gayle Springer, Erika Eddy and Robyn McGarrigle!
I think it would be fun to start keeping track of the year members join our guild so we can have anniversary announcements. If you can recall when you joined, please let membership know the year so they can add it to our roster.
Service Blocks
We will be kicking off Service blocks for Staben House quilts in August as the July meeting is being held via zoom. The block for August will be an “I Spy” done in primary colors with a white border. The pieced block will measure 8.5 in. with seam allowance (the finished size within the quilt will be 8 in.), and we are hoping to collect a large amount to put together several quilts for the children residing at Staben House. This is the same block that we made in May 2025. The middle “I Spy” can be one fabric or 4 fabrics.
Instructions will be on the website. We will also get the list of blocks for the remainder of the year on the website.
Please contact us with questions.
Nancy Smith & Yolande Sherrod
VQ Block of the Month - July 2026
It’s the third installment of the Village Quilters BOM! The pattern files are available on the Members Only section and on our members private Facebook group page. Feel free to print any pages and copy them as needed.
I have set up a page to sign up for updates and tips. Please use the link to let me know you are participating. All fields are required, so answer all questions, please.
I call this month’s block Civil War Favorites. It’s another mash-up of two traditional blocks: Signature Star and Yankee Puzzle. Read about their significance and history in the pattern.
Visit the Members Only page to download the cutting instructions, pictures, and history comments for the Civil War Favorites blocks, as well as the actual pattern pieces. There are two foundation paper files that must be printed. If you are doing the EZ version, just print one copy of each. For other versions, print two copies of both files.
If you are a new member reading your first newsletter, this Block of the Month celebrates the 250th birthday of our nation. It runs from May to December 2026. Our goal is to have as many members as possible participate. We plan to hang these quilts together in our 2027 Quilt Show. The quilt is meant to be a skill-builder, so blocks become more complex. Participants can make as many or as few blocks as they like. The history and meaning of each block are included with the pattern. All patterns are released on the first of the month.
I hand out little packets of star buttons to those who bring their completed flag blocks to the guild meeting. If you haven’t finished your flag yet, or you forgot to bring it to the meeting, or you haven’t started yet, no worries. There are still more stars to be handed out and it’s never too late to join the fun! The July meeting is virtual, and I will be out of town for the August meeting, so get those flags done for September.
If you have questions about this BOM, please email me, Kearstie Grenier. My email address is on the Membership Directory.
Kearstie Grenier
Third Thursday Sunshine Stitchers
Would you like to meet more members in our guild? If so, join friends or friends-to-be at the monthly get together at The State Banks of the Lakes. This is an enjoyable way to spend a Thursday.
Time: 10:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Drop in at your convenience.
What to bring: Whatever you want to work on - hand stitching, cutting projects, or machine sewing. Bring your lunch if you are hungry!
Where: The State Bank of the Lakes, 50 Commerce Drive, Grayslake
When: July 16. Notice that this third Thursday will be before our monthly guild meeting. The third Tuesday is July 21! Tricky!
Questions: Call or email Kathy Heusinkveld or Marti Austin
Treasurer’s Report - May 2026
Bank Balance as of April 30, 2026: $40,710.01
Income: $2,130.00
Expense: $1,819.01
Bank Balance as of May 26, 2026: $41,021.00
May income primarily derived from $1,260 in membership fees and $605 in workshop fees
Expenses included $1,254.79 for programs/workshops, and $300 for monthly rent.
Respectfully submitted,
Leitha Schaal, Treasurer
Membership Report
Welcome to new member Sue Shaffer, who joined after hearing Christine Tindell speak at the Grayslake Library. We had 51 in attendance at our June meeting. Let’s keep up the great work!
We had a number of seasoned guild members step up to mentor new members. Would you like to be one? Just let Rose or Robyn know and we will assigned you one. Thanks.
Please remember to silence your phone, so as not to disturb the meeting and/or guest speaker. Remember to wear your name tags (remember your quarters if you forget!). It goes to support our library.
Rose Gray and Robyn McGarrigle are your membership co-chairs. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us!
Happy July Birthdays!
Ruth Pisani - 7/5
Peggy Schemenauer - 7/9
Carol Swartz - 7/10
Eliza Zielazinski - 7/21