September 2026
September Program: Gayle Donahue
Do you have a stash of metallic, pearl cotton, heavy weight, thin weight, and other threads that you are terrified to use? Fear not! Gayle from BERNINA of Naperville will help you tame your fears and anxiety, and have you making beautiful projects with different threads in no time. Gayle has tips, needle suggestions, samples, and solutions for practically any thread you want to use on your projects.
Spend just a few minutes with Gayle, and you’ll be shocked to learn that ‘creativity’ is, in fact, not her middle name! It has fueled her passion in so many areas, including all things sewing, writing, theatre, Cosplay, and trapeze, to name just a few.
Gayle and her creative cohort, Chris Donahue, are co-owners of BERNINA of Naperville. If you can’t make it to her store, you can see Gayle in action by visiting the BERNINA of Naperville YouTube Channel to learn, laugh, and find inspiration.
President’s Report
“Join” is the word that comes to mind today. Quilting is all about joining - those pieces of fabric we blithely cut, sew and iron are joined together help us create a wonderful quilt. Some of us love the modern funky ones, others are traditional quilters. Some of us like to make bags, jackets, or wall art pieces. We use these little pieces, joining them together to build something we are proud of, and we tackle it all one step at a time.
This is much like our guild itself. While we have all ‘joined’ Village Quilters, there are many facets of the guild that are looking for help. Having been a member for over 30 years, I realize it was when I stepped up and “joined in” when needed that I began to feel a sense of belonging. How wonderful to meet enthusiastic ladies from all walks of life while being creative – whether a service project for needy young families, a specular raffle quilt, being on a committee for the large undertaking of a quilt show, or just participating in a small sewing bee group that becomes a wonderful connection. This group can only work when we offer our skills, our enthusiasm, and our creativity as best we are able.
We do need to reach out to our communities, whether to help teach quilting or just to exhibit the wonders of quilts, our work helps us with that goal. Some guilds are no longer holding quilt shows. The hours and work can be daunting, especially as we age. But our guild has a tradition of holding shows, not necessarily as a fundraiser, but more to keep the beauty of quilts available to the public. Please consider JOINING IN and bringing your special talents to the group. Each one of you is an important part of this guild!
Member at Large
There have been some conversations about starting an afternoon group of Village Quilters. We know that there are some members who would prefer to not drive at night for our regular meetings, or want to be home in the evenings. The idea is to have an afternoon group that would meet on the same Tuesday and at the same location as our regular monthly Guild meetings.
We are planning to have the first afternoon meeting on September 15 at 2:00 p.m. At this first meeting, we will discuss what times work best and what would happen at the meetings. Vicki Doolittle has agreed to help spearhead the formation of an afternoon group. Thank you to Vicki for agreeing to help.
The afternoon group would be an opportunity for socializing with fellow quilters. Maybe it would start out as a time for sewing together and grow from there. It would be a time to keep you informed on Guild news. Maybe a Village Quilter member could teach certain techniques or a member could do a show and tell of their work and share their quilting journey. It could grow into the speakers that have been contracted for an evening meeting coming early and speaking to the afternoon group.
An afternoon group could be a fun and engaged extension of the current structure of Village Quilters. If this is something that interests you, or if you have questions about this, please contact Sharon Pierluissi or Vicki Doolittle. We are excited to explore this idea.
Service Blocks
Thank you to everyone who made I-Spy blocks for August! We received so many! Special thanks to two members took the blocks home to make into tops! Many thanks to the members who returned finished quilts and also to those who donated quilts. We have a great stash of quilts to drop off at Staben House!
For September our block is the String-Pieced Block (same block as the once for June 2025). The block should be made with various blue fabrics. It’s a great block to use up your blue scraps! The large triangle should be a dark blue. The diagonal strip should be light blue. Either print/photocopy the full-sized pattern from the website or cut an 8 ½” square of muslin for the foundation for the string piecing. Trim the finished block to 8 ½”. If you are foundation piecing, please remove the paper before turning it in.
VQ Block of the Month – September 2026
It’s month five! The September pattern files are now available on the VQ website in the Members Only section and on the members’ private Facebook group page. Feel free to print any pages and copy them as needed.
If you haven’t already, you may use theVQBOM2026 Signup to let me know you are participating. There are a few required questions that let me know how you’re doing. When you sign up, I will add you to the group, send you a welcome message, and you may use a reply email to ask any questions or raise concerns. I will send any updates and answer questions using this email group.
This month’s block is Westward Ho! It’s another mash-up of two traditional block variations:The Road to California and Delectable Mountains. Both blocks are foundation paper-pieced (FPP). Read about their significance and history in the pattern.
Visit the Members Only page to download the cutting instructions, pictures, and history comment for the Westward Ho! 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 the other versions, print two copies of both files.
If you haven’t heard before, this Block of the Month celebrates 250 years of American Independence and runs through December 2026. Previous blocks are on the Members Only page. The goal is to have as many members as possible participate. We plan to hang these quilts together in our 2027 Quilt Show. This quilt is meant to be a skill builder, so the blocks become more complex each month. Participants can make as many or as few blocks as they like. The patterns come out on the first of each month, and the history and meaning of each block are included in the pattern.
Little packets of 13 star buttons are given to those who bring their completed flag blocks (from May) 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 more stars to be handed out. It’s never too late to join the fun! I will be at the September meeting, star buttons at the ready!
If you have questions about this BOM, please email me. My email address is on the guild roster.
Keep quilting!
Kearstie Grenier
Quilt Show – 2027
Fall is such a wonderful time of year, with cool days and beautiful colors. Fall 2027 will bring our “Quilts from the Village” show. It may seem early to start planning, but the raffle quilt committee is already working on the raffle quilt. As you plan your show submissions, please also consider serving on the show committee. All members of the Guild are asked to play a role in putting on a successful show. In addition to general volunteer opportunities, there are some very specific positions we would like you to consider. If you’re interested in being on the show committee, please contact Christine Tindell or Nancy Smith. Many hands make light work!
Raffle Quilt for the 2027 Show
Construction of the Raffle Quilt for the 2027 show is underway! Just a reminder that if you picked up kits at the August meeting, they are due at the September 15 meeting. Thanks to all who picked up kits and are working on this project. We can’t wait to see how it comes together!
Fall Retreat Information
This morning, September 1, sign-up began for our October 16-18 Retreat.
When signing up for the retreat, the system will only allow you to sign up one person at a time. If you want to sign up another member, you will have to exit and go back into the system to register another person.
If you missed the sign up and would like to be put on the wait list, EMAIL Marti Austin. Do not call or text. An email will record the time that you make your request. The time and date determine your placement on the list.
To request a hotel room for the retreat, please email Sharon Pierluissi, and include the dates, roommate, and room preferences.
All of the details for the retreat can be found on the Fall 2026 Retreat page.
Treasurer’s Report – July 2026
Bank Balance as of June 30, 2026: $40,940.50
Income: $349.05
Expense: $1,074.53
Bank Balance as of Jul 31, 2026: $40,215.02
July income derived from $195 in membership fees and $165 in workshop fees.
The major expenses in July were $664.53 for programs/workshops, and $400 for monthly meeting rentals.
Respectfully submitted,
Leitha Schaal, Treasurer
Membership News – September 2026
We have 109 member as of August 2026. It’s great to see both old and new faces at our meetings. If you see someone with a new member name tag (the gazebo), please take a minute to introduce yourself.
We had a number of seasoned guild members step up to mentor new members. Would you like to help? Just let Rose or Robyn know and we will assign you to a new member.
Please remember to silence your phone during the meeting, and remember to wear your name tag. If you forget, your 25 cent “fine” will go to support the 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 September Birthdays!
Nancy Smith - 9/5
Andrea Farr-Capizzi - 9/7
Joyce Allen - 9/11
Lorraine Potts- 9/15
Linda Spring - 9/17
Laurie Waldren - 9/24
Mary Dietz - 9/26
Linda Krismer - 9/28