We are all feeling the advent of nice Spring weather, and it shows in our mood at Guild Meetings. We were happy to see you all, this past week — thank you for coming!
General Announcements
Sewing Kits Requested by Yvonne: Yvonne Weinstein took some time to talk about the newest project for her group in Uganda: assembling sewing kits for the women she works with. Supplies were discussed, as well as zippers, types of bags. More information will be sent as we receive it.
Deanna Baldwin announced that she is moving to South Carolina, and had a “Take Party” at her house, this past Thursday.. She has lots of quilting supplies, and fabric (Robert Kaufman, etc.). For more information, see the minutes from the meeting, or contact Deanna (roster in Members Only tab). We will miss you!
QOV: Phyllis Hodel and Jeri Read did a special quilt presentation to a member of our guild, Jennifer Hayford: awarding her a QOV quilt. The poem that was read by Jeri Read was written by Mary Welsh. Thank you for your service, Jennifer!
Treasurer Report: Shelly Niles Shelly reports that our total available balance is $11, 614. More details are in the minutes (found here).
BOM: Charlotte Byrne Char showed us this month’s block, our penultimate block for this series: “Summer in India”.” It will be up on the website next week.
Retreats/Activities
Stepping in for Barbara Mathews, Char also talked about the Collage Workshop that’s coming up on May 18, 2024 at the Lake Matthews Community Room from 9-4 p.m. See form at the end of the minutes, or the Activities Tab, above. (The project is the tangerine tree, held by Barbara.) For lunch, please bring an item for a salad potluck.
Nominating Committee: Debbie Warner of the Nominating Committee, led the floor nominations. Nominations for officers and chairs of the 2024-2025 year are now closed.
◦ President: Barbara Mathews ◦ President-Elect: Maria Copak ◦ Vice President: Fern Fujimoto ◦ Secretary: Barbara Kaiser ◦ Treasurer: Vangie Gorman ◦ Membership: Linda McKenna ◦ Community Projects Chair: Sue Carter ◦ Retreats: Linda Adams/Mary Mertz ◦ Door Prizes/Greeter: Debbie Warner ◦ Communications: Elizabeth Eastmond, although she is looking for a replacement. ◦ Challenges: Evie Rienstra/Jennifer Haywood ◦ Mystery Bag: Pam Waters
We still need the following, but the incoming Board will appoint them: Show and Share (2 people), Hospitality, Ways and Means, BOM, SCCQG. Please get in touch with Barbara Mathews if you are interested in helping out the Guild.
NOTE: If your name is on that list, please send a 2-3 sentence bio to our guild email: raincrossqg@gmail.com. We’ll publish what you write (they will be edited lightly for clarity) and include a photo. If Elizabeth did not take your photo this week, please send in a photo that has just you in the frame and is well lit and clear.
Show and Share: A variety of beautiful quilts and bags and makes were shown by Dorothy Martinez, Rene Phares, Pam Waters, Carrie Alldis, Jennifer Hayford, Fern Fujimoto and Jeri Read.
(Click to advance the slideshow.)
Program
Phyllis Hodel and Tami Alexander gave the program on preparing your quilt for the longarmer. Some of the items covered were: Pressing, Borders, Threads, Battings, the cost of an edge-to-edge vs. a Custom quilt and other tips. For more details, see the Minutes from our meeting in the tab above. Photos are below; click to advance the photos.
Thank you so much for giving us your time and information!
Door Prizes were won by: Maria Copak, Sandie Stout, Valerie Turner, Kay Whiteside, Janice Balakoski, and Ladonne Evers. The Mystery Bag was won by Tami Alexander, and the Angie’s Bags were taken by Vangie Gorman and Patti Guiterrez.
If you have news for our Guild, or something of interest from the greater quilt world, the deadline for our next post is WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2024, AT 9 A.M. It’s always okay to send it early. Send any items to our guild email: raincrossqg@gmail.com If you miss the deadline (it happens), we’ll put it on the next post.
If you have any corrections or additions to this post, please send them to our email. Thank you!
We’ll see you at our next meeting at 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21, 2024.
Our next Raincross Quilt Guild Meeting will be held this coming Tuesday, April 16, 2024. The doors open at 6 p.m. and the meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. Please bring your Goeske check-in card, your Raincross Quilt Guild badge, Show-and-Share and if you want, something foody to share during our Hospitality Time.
Have you ever wondered how to prepare your quilt to take it to your long arm quilter? Join us this evening for a lot off tips and tricks from our very own long-arming-quilters. Seams open or closed? How big does the batting have to be? How much larger should I make my backing? Thread? Pattern? There’s so much to learn about, and we can’t wait to see you!
Please also consider throwing your hat in the ring for a position with the Raincross Quilt Guild. Debbie Warner, the Nominating Committee Chair, will again be calling for nominations from the floor. We have two slots to fill: • PRESIDENT-ELECT • COMMUNICATIONS If you are someone who might like to co-chair in the President-Elect position, we would love for you to contact one of us. And we’ll train you in the Communications Slot — it’s not hard, nor time-consuming.
We’d love to have you serve — we’ll all take turns and help our Guild go forward!
While these two monthly posts come to you in your email, don’t hesitate to re-read any earlier posts, as much of the information carries forward.
If you have news for our Guild, or something of interest from the greater quilt world, the deadline for our next post is THURSDAY, APRIL 18, AT 9 A.M. It’s always okay to send it early. Send any items to our guild email: raincrossqg@gmail.com If you miss the deadline (it happens), we’ll put it on the next post.
We’ll see you at our meeting! Tuesday, April 16, 2024 • 6:30-8 p.m.
McKenna Ryan, among others. In the photo above, at the end of Barbara’s presentation photos, she is holding Emily Taylor’s collage Tangerine Tree.
Next month Phyllis Hodel and/or Tami Alexander will talk about how to prepare a quilt to be quilted on a long arm quilting machine. Can’t wait to see you all again!
French Twist is our Block of the Month, brought to us by Charlotte Byrne. See Block of the Month tab, above, for more information.
Lorraine Halverson
Michelle Coiro
Linda Adams (an array of Half Square Triangles from many friends)
Carrie Alldis (no photo — send it to me and I’ll add it!)
Fern Fujimoto
Linda McKenna (lamb dancing in Spring)
Linda Kim (3 quilts)
Sue Carter
Susan Helliar’s jacket
As usual, click on images to enlarge. If you know the missing names from Show and Share, please send a note to our email: raincrossqg@gmail.com and we’ll update this post.
To keep track of all our outside activities, please refer to our Activities Tab, in our Header above. This will hold all the details for retreats, field trips, etc. The sign-up form for our Ayres Guild Retreat, November 2024, is now up on the website.
Elizabeth Eastmond, Linda Adams, Debbie Warner
Your Nominating Committee is ready to take your name to keep our Guild running. At this point, we have several nominations from the floor, as well as several who wrote on the slips that were on the tables. We appreciate that! Debbie (on the right), our Chair, led the nominations from the floor. We will do it again next month, and are still looking for someone to take the position of President Elect. It’s only a two-year commitment and you’ll work closely with some outstanding women. Think about it?
Add on to this: Show and Share. We’d prefer to have two people in that position.
A N N O U N C E M E N T S for the Guild:
4th SATURDAY SEW DAY: 4th Saturday Sew Days are at the Lake Matthews location. Please drop Barbara Mathews a note ahead of time, so she knows how many tables to set up. Directory is in the Members Only section of our website. See sidebar for updates.
NOMINATING COMMITTEE is on the ball and ready to nominate you to serve for our of our positions, listed here (scroll down). Contact Debbie Warner, Linda Adams, or Elizabeth Eastmond for more information about serving next year on our Guild’s Board or as one of the Standing Committee Chairs. We need you!
BYLAWS/STANDING RULES: The final copies of the Bylaws and the Standing Rules are posted under the BYLAWS & FORMS tab, above. If you have questions, feel free to email us at raincrossqg@gmail.com.
WE’LL SEE YOU IN APRIL: If you haven’t paid your dues, send it to our Membership Chair, Dawn Meade, along with your check for either $15 (for dues from now until June 2024) OR $50 (for dues from now until June 2025). For more information see the form online. Dawn Meade can also give you more information (contact info is in the Directory in the Members Only section).
Don’t forget to take a look at the quilting machine that is for sale. Pictures were in previous post. More information can be found in our Members Only tab. (For the password, check your previous emails.)
IF YOU HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT, please email us at raincrossqg@gmail.com.
If you have news for our Guild, or something of interest from the greater quilt world, the deadline for our next post is WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2024, AT 9 A.M. It’s always okay to send it early. Send any items to our guild email: raincrossqg@gmail.com If you miss the deadline (it happens), we’ll put it on the next post.
We’ll see you at our next meeting at 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Remember to Volunteer for our Elected Offices or Chairs!
This is a longer post, as there is much to share. Please read to the very end.
Our next Raincross Quilt Guild Meeting will be held this coming Tuesday, March 19, 2024. The doors open at 6 p.m. and the meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. Please bring your Goeske check-in card, your Raincross Quilt Guild badge, Show-and-Share and if you want, something foody to share during our Hospitality Time.
quilt by Barbara Mathews
Our program: “Anyone Can Collage!”
This will be given by our very own Barbara Mathews (these are her collage quilts). She’s done multiple collage quilts, and has become quite an expert at doing this, so we are lucky to have her for our speaker. Come prepared to sit back and enjoy Barbara’s story and see her quilts. Barbara writes: “I’ll be showing a variety of styles and techniques in making collage quilts – pieced and applique, cotton and wool, and embroidery embellishment. I’ll be identifying resources for getting started and will have a workshop interest list for those that would like to try their hand at making a collage.”
quilt by Barbara Mathews
It’s finally time, as scheduled on our Transition Page, to get going on elections for Officers, as well as to identify those who will serve as Appointed Chairs. Please pay special attention to the red-titled sections with bullets.
ELECTED OFFICERS
President
President-Elect
Vice-President (Programs)
Secretary
Treasurer
APPOINTED OFFICERS (STANDING COMMITTEES)
Membership Chair
SCCQG Representative
Community Projects Coordinator
Hospitality Coordinator
Communications Chair
Ways and Means Chair (fundraising)
Block of the Month Chair
Retreat/Event Coordinator
The following are other positions that may be filled, as need arises, by the Raincross Quilt Guild Board. If you are interested, we’ll be happy to take your name. If you want to know the big picture of what these people do, more information is available in our Standing Rules, starting on page 5. No, you won’t be doing everything on the list; it’s comprehensive because that’s what the document required. You’ll have lots of help, in whatever you chose.
OTHER POSSIBLE POSITIONS Workshop Coordinator Facilities Coordinator Virtual Team Chair
AUXILIARY POSITIONS Photographer Challenges Coordinator Internal Auditor Past President
SPECIAL COMMITTEES Nominating Committee (serves yearly for two-three months only) ByLaws Committee (functions at request of the Board, about every two years)
Here’s a chance for YOU to serve for a year or two. All Elected Officers and Appointed Officers have term limits, depending on the position, so if you can bring your enthusiasm and talents to share for this short period of time, we are looking for you! We will also be contacting people, so don’t be shy! Let us know!
The positions with bullets, with red headers, are especially needed. Send an email to the Raincross Quilt Guild (raincrossqg@gmail.com) or contact one of the members of the Nominating Committee: Debbie Warner, Linda Adams, or Elizabeth Eastmond.
Block of the Month is the French Twist block, and is brought to us by Charlotte Byrne. Inspired by a block from the Quilter’s Newsletter, and in keeping with our theme of “Oh! The Places You’ll Go!” who wouldn’t want to go to Paris in April? Check the Tab for Block of the Month above to download the instructions.
As is so often the case, we are notified when an older quilter is not longer needing her stash, or machines or notions or books. Today we have TWO of these.
Layna R. contacted us to see if anyone would like to purchase this Husqvarna Platinum 16 machine. I went online and many say it is made by Handiquilter, for Husqvarna/Viking. It looks identical to the Handiquilter Sweet Sixteen, a very reliable mid-arm quilting machine. The bobbin winder is separate, and I can see some online in the range of 4,000 to $4500 dollars, a real deal. Please contact Layna if you are interested. I will post her phone number, as well as some details in the Members Only section. (Please refer to an earlier email from the guild for the password for this section, or see Elizabeth Eastmond at our meeting.) It is in excellent condition.
An older quilter in Moreno Valley, who was active and quilting for many, many years, is donating her book collection to our Guild. Right now we have three boxes of like-new titles and we’ll be selling them to help raise money for our Guild. The price is right: $2 bucks-a-book, with 7 for $10. A steal! Some of these titles I’ve seen listed online for 30 or 40 dollars, as they are out of print, so bring your dollars to our Book Sale, beginning at 6:10 to the start of the meeting, and then again at the break. More books are coming next month!
It’s a “new” year for us at Raincross Quilt Guild, which means it’s time to pay your dues. Dawn Meade reports that last month we had 45 of us renew our membership for the Interim + Regular Year, with 4 choosing only the Interim.
You have two options: Pay a smaller amount now, and then pay again when our new fiscal year starts in July (Interim) – OR — pay both the smaller amount and the yearly dues for 2024-2025 all at once. The info is on the Membership Form, up there under RQG Forms & Handouts.
Remember to pay on time for an On-Time Discount. Download the form, fill it out and bring it with your check or cash. The prices will go up March 20th–pay by this month’s meeting to get your discount!!
Retreats have a lot going on!
Barbara Mathews, our Retreat Chair reminds us that: Vina de Lestonac in Temecula is coming up! May 3 – 5, Guild members $385, non- members, $395. We still have a few spots open, so grab a buddy and sign up! DON’T FORGET — balance is DUE at the March meeting ! We accept cash or check made out to Raincross Quilt Guild. Kelly Crittle has been contacted to bring her popup store!
Fall Retreat at the Ayres Hotel in Moreno Valley – November 1 – 3. $35 (members), $45 (non-members), payable to Raincross with registration form. Rooms should be booked directly with the hotel (951-571-4141), and mention Raincross. Rooms are $150 a night, so round up a quilting friend as your roommate! We’ll be charging a fee for the large sewing room, but everyone gets their own BIG table! Put it on your calendar now, and stay tuned for sign-ups.
Any questions about retreats, call or text Barbara Mathews (number is on the Membership Roster in Members Only), or check the Activities Tab, above.
Our next Fourth Saturday Sew Day is March 23rd, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (see sidebar for more information) at the Lake Mathews Community Room. Bring something to add to our salad potluck and your own drinks.)
Phyllis, of the Quilts of Valor writes in to say: “We have four Veterans needing quilts nominated from the foundation, and Rose Marie has at least 6 Veterans from the Goeske Center needing quilts. I’m ordering batting so we can complete the quilts. Need volunteers for either long arm or domestic machine quilting. We are still meeting at Easy Quilting Corner the first Tuesday of the month to piece tops. I actually could use some help cutting batting and backing, Sandy is out of town and I’d like to have some cut before our meeting.” Please contact Phyllis; her contact information is in the Members Only section, on our Membership Roster.
This arrived in our Guild Email:
The RJR Fabrics and Cotton+Steel Fabrics warehouse is relocating, and to celebrate, we are hosting a warehouse moving sale!
If you’re looking for a weekday sale appointment, we can accommodate that as well. Grab some friends, load up the car, let us know when you’re coming, and we’ll reserve shopping time for you. Of course, save some room in the car for fabric! Email us (movingsale@rjrfabrics.com) for more information or to reserve your Guild crew spot for a weekday.
The RJR and Cotton+Steel sale will feature a wide selection of bolts and rolls at deeply discounted pricing. Due to the nature of the sale, there will be no cut yardage. Our bolts will range from 6 yards to 15 yards, and will include favorites from RJR Fabrics and Cotton+Steels collections. Rolls of course offer more yardage in the roll format. There will be blenders, solids, metallics, holiday prints, batiks, canvas substrates and much much more. We will also be offering scraps, bolt ends, pre-cut remnants, and selvage strips by the pound and in mystery scrap bag options. Yep! We’ll have some really fun bins to build your stash in an inexpensive way.
And now for the exciting part and what you’ve been patiently waiting for: Quilt fabric pricing will start at $3.00/yard. This is the same high quality OEKO-100 fabric that you’ve come to expect from RJR Fabrics and Cotton+Steel Fabrics at a fraction of the retail price. Crazy, right? Fabric bolts will be replenished continuously during the sale, and we know you’ll love what you find! Did we mention we will also have quilts for sale too?
Payment for all purchases will be via cash, Venmo or Zelle only. No credit cards or checks will be accepted for this sale.All purchases will receive a special giveaway to say “thanks” for stopping by!
We would love the opportunity to meet you, help you shop for some amazing deals and say “hi” before we depart Torrance. Thank you for your support, and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Kind regards, The RJR and Cotton+Steel Team
If you have news for our Guild, or something of interest from the greater quilt world, the deadline for our next post is THURSDAY, MARCH 21, AT 9 A.M. It’s always okay to send it early. Send any items to our guild email: raincrossqg@gmail.com If you miss the deadline (it happens), we’ll put it on the next post.
We’ll see you at our meeting! Tuesday, March 19, 2024 • 6:30-8 p.m.
We had a terrific meeting this past Tuesday, where we looked at the Road to California Quilt Conference in the rear-view mirror. We are lucky to have a national, juried quilt show (with vendors!) so close to our city, and called on our membership to bring in their quilts and projects from classes and to talk about this experience.
First up was Susan Helier, who talked about entering a quilt into a juried quilt show (she was a minute-man, taking over for the speaker who was scheduled). These are things to pay attention to:
Deadlines — pay attention to what the forms say about when you have to enter (you can download most Juried Quilt Show Forms online at their respective websites). Some of them are up to three months ahead.
Quilt — make sure your quilt is clean and an original design. That doesn’t mean you have to dream it up; you can take traditional blocks and arrange them in a new way, or use new colors and borders. At Road to California, no kits are allowed for the Quilters’ Showcase (their quilt show).
Quilting — your quilting should suit the quilt. Susan emphasized that it should be evenly distributed all over the quilt.
Photographs — Make sure you don’t have a lot of clutter in the background, and that you have good lighting. It’s okay if someone holds up the quilt for you, but crop them out. The guidelines for photograph resolution is in their entry form. (This image is how Elizabeth Eastmond photographed her quilt for this year’s entry — in her bedroom, on a quilt rack, where the light from the windows was really bright. She cropped out the background before she submitted it.)
There are basically four kinds of quilts we see at Road:
Show Quilts — these are the ones that get the awards, that the makers spend one year making one quilt.
Our quilts — we can enter just like the show quilts. Sometimes there are up to 1000 quilts vying for about 200 slots, so they have to be looked at by the judges to see if they can be accepted into the show. From that selection, they award the different prizes.
Vendor quilts — we see these and notice them and buy them, but generally, vendors don’t enter the quilt show.
Specialty exhibits — Famous Quilters will often offer up their collections for Road to display. We also have a SCCQG exhibit (see their website for more information), Hoffman exhibits, and this year we had a special exhibit at the back of the hall for thread-painted flower quilts.
Paula Wilcoxin brought a mini trunk-show of quilts from classes she has taken this past year and previous years. (Click to enlarge the pictures below.) It’s impressive how many she has finished up from her classes.
A three-hour class on appliqués stitched on a machine
Class using a photograph that is drawn onto fabric pieced over with Organza
She also brought a quilt by Marsha Welch (Ruth Ann Berry?) – floated 3-D designs
She talked about a Mini Splendor Appliqué Stitch Lab class she had taken from Linda Sullivan with Colorworkz (a previous teacher the Guild hired several years ago). She put each flower in its own square on a table runner.
Then she showed her Vintage Windmill from Krista Moser’s class.
She took a three-hour class on Watercolor class
Showed a quilt called Island Breeze from Denton Quilt Works – when you buy a pattern you also have unlimited access to the videos on their website to accompany the pattern.
Paula ended by announcing that Road2CA 2025 classes will be on the Road website June of 2024, with registration for classes to begin on July 1, 2024.
And I found a photo of that Island Breeze class she took, standing there with our very own Susan Miller.
Another photo from Road this year, from Krista Moser’s class (Janice B., is that you?) Looks like we support the classes at Road very well!
Barbara Mathews talked about her time volunteering at the Roadies Give Back Booth. One year Road had a pattern called X’s and O’s, that was assembled by volunteers for charity. Barbara also talked about taking a French embroidery class. She also visited the booth Lucky Deluxe Fabric that had fabric, books, supplies, and lots of interesting things at reduced prices. Barbara show a great book she purchased for $2.00. Website: http://www.LuckyDeluxeFabrics.com.
Charlotte Byrne was next up, showing the quilt she was able to make based on her brother’s T-shirts. She learned that in a night class, The Easiest T-Shirt Quilt. Nighttime Road has a very different vibe. Fewer people, a more quiet time, smaller classes and more one-on-one time with the teacher. The teacher also had a vendor booth, Legit Kits and uses the website and email, crankykangaroo.com.
Sue Carter took a class called Diamond Days using a Sew Kind of Wonderful ruler. She showed the blocks with various sizes of Diamonds.
Shelly Niles was then up and showed her vendor purchase of a Carolina Moore Glow Ruler. The ruler lights up so it’s a great tool for fussy cutting fabric areas. (Carolina Moore will be a guest speaker at the next IEQG.)
Nancy Roth spoke about a really FUN time she had bringing a friend to Road that was new to quilting.
Dorothy Martinez talked about her volunteering to unpack quilts. In four hours a few volunteers unpacked 200 boxes. All of the details regarding how the quilt was packed were noted and entered into a computer program, which would then be used to repack the quilt when it is being prepared to be shipped back to the owner. This volunteering assignment earned a lunch on the unpacking day and an armband for access to the full Show. As soon as the show closes quilts are removed from the walls. Those that aren’t picked up by waiting quilters are taken to a group waiting in a special room for repacking.
Jeri Read talked about purchasing a Silicone Pad for ironing and making pull-through fabric binding. Other activities available at Road were Lectures from Vendors for $5.00 per person, and Make & Take short classes for $20 per person. Future Quilting Show opportunities: Quilt-Con will be in Phoenix, AZ February of 2025. There are other quilt shows around, put on by quilds, so watch for them.
NOTE: All of the notes for this write-up were taken by Charlotte Byrne — thank you Char! More details are on our Minutes from this meeting.
After the break, Charlotte Byrne talked about this month’s Block of the Month block: Alaska Lily. Only two blocks are left for our 2023-2024 quilt. Stay tuned for what’s coming next time!
Ladonna Evers – a UFO reboot from a quilt she did not like.
As usual, click on images to enlarge. If you know the missing names from Show and Share, please send a note to our email: raincrossqg@gmail.com and we’ll update this post.
To keep track of all our outside activities, please refer to our Activities Tab, in our Header above. This will hold all the details for retreats, field trips, etc. NEW! today is the sign-up form for our Ayres Guild Retreat, November 2024.
A N N O U N C E M E N T S for the Guild:
4th SATURDAY SEW DAY: 4th Saturday Sew Days are at the Lake Matthews location. Please drop Barbara Mathews a note ahead of time, so she knows how many tables to set up. Directory is in the Members Only section of our website. See sidebar for updates.
GUILD TRANSITION COMMITTEE: Thank you to our volunteers: Maria Copak, Christine Oliver, and Barbara Mathews, who will be joining Jeri Read (with an assist from the Bylaws Committee members) to help us move (slowly) to our updated Guild. Jeri will let you know what and when, but please do read what has to happen with our transition here. For questions or info, contact Jeri Read.
NOMINATING COMMITTEE is on the ball and ready to nominate you to serve for our of our positions, listed here (scroll down). Contact Debbie Warner, Linda Adams, or Elizabeth Eastmond for more information about serving next year on our Guild’s Board or as one of the Standing Committee Chairs. We need you!
BYLAWS/STANDING RULES: The final copies of the Bylaws and the Standing Rules are posted under the BYLAWS & FORMS tab, above. If you have questions, feel free to email us at raincrossqg@gmail.com.
PROGRAM FOR MARCH: We happily get to hear from Barbara Mathews, who will talk about Collage Quilts to us, and give us a trunk show of all the collage she’s done. Can’t wait!
WE’LL SEE YOU IN MARCH: If you haven’t paid your dues, according to the new Bylaws, you have until the March meeting to get the payment in. Send it to our Membership Chair, Dawn Meade, along with your check for either $10 (for dues from now until June 2024) OR $45 (for dues from now until June 2025). We wrote into the By-Laws an “on-time reward:” your dues will be less costly if you pay by the March meeting; after that the amount goes up. For more information see the form online. Dawn Meade can also give you more information (contact info is in the Directory in the Members Only section).
IF YOU HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT, please email us at raincrossqg@gmail.com.
We received this letter this past month, from Mark, of MCC. Every year they have a festival, and all profits go to help worthy causes; this year they are helping Ukraine and Gaza. They are in desperate need of someone to run the Quilt Auction. If you are someone who can help, or know someone who can help, send an email him at the address below.
My name is Mark and I love quilts. We have lots of them in my house – though neither I nor my wife have made them. The majority have come from the Southern California Festival and Sale which sends all its profits to an international non-profit called MCC that provides material aid to people world-wide. They are helping people in Ukraine and Gaza right now with things like food, blankets, and toiletry kits. The Southern California Festival and Sale auctions off quilts to produce sales for MCC. I volunteered to lead this year’s event, May 3,4 and we desperately need a quilt expert who will lead the logistics behind the quilt auction. Our previous quilt expert finally decided to pass the torch on to others after many years of faithful service. Do you know of someone who might be interested in being our expert and donating their time? Could you spread the word through an announcement at a meeting or via your email list? You could just forward this email to people who you think might be interested. I’ll have a full description of what needs to be done soon and will send that if you are interested in assisting in getting the word out. Thank you, Mark McReynolds socalmccsale@gmail.com
If you have news for our Guild, or something of interest from the greater quilt world, the deadline for our next post is WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2024, AT 9 A.M. It’s always okay to send it early. Send any items to our guild email: raincrossqg@gmail.com If you miss the deadline (it happens), we’ll put it on the next post.
We’ll see you at our next meeting at 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone!
Margaret Solomon Gunn, Eyes of the Forest, Road to California 2024
Can’t wait to see you all at Guild next week, because it’s Road to California in the Rearview Mirror! Yes, we want to hear from you if you attended Road in 2023, or 2024. We are interested in:
Did you take a class? Or night class? Or classes?
Did you enter a quilt?
Did you attend a $5 lecture? Quick Classes ($20)? Demonstrations on the floor?
Did you volunteer?
Did you just go to the Show?
Shop the vendors?
And…what was your best purchase from the vendors at Road to California? If you can, bring it to show (no need to bring a sewing machine!).
Please contact Jeri if you were involved in any way with any of these, either this year (2024) or last year (2023). Since we are lucky to have a National Show in our own backyard, we thought this month we’d talk about juried shows, and your experiences with them. [Jeri’s number can be found on Members Only section of our website; the password has been mailed to you.]
Sandra Mollon, Valley View, Yosemite, Road to California 2024
Please bring your Goeske check-in card, your Raincross Quilt Guild badge, Show-and-Share and if you want, something foody to share during our Hospitality Time.
Kestrel Michaud, The One That Got Away, Road to California 2024
Block of the Month is the Alaska Lily block. Char has brought us another beautiful block; this one is the centerpiece of this year’s quilt, and is 13″ when finished. Check the Tab for Block of the Month, above, to download the instructions.
It’s a “new” year for us at Raincross Quilt Guild, which means it’s time to pay your dues. You have two options: Pay a smaller amount now, and then pay again when our new fiscal year starts in July – OR — pay both the smaller amount and the yearly dues for 2024-2025 all at once. The info is on the Membership Form, up there under RQG Forms & Handouts. Remember to pay on time for an On-Time Discount. Download the form, fill it out and bring it with your check or cash.
Dawn Meade, our Membership Chair, also writes to report that as of the December 1st, “We have 90 members with 50 attending our November meeting. There were 3 visitors: former member Sharon Gilbreath, Ronda Gilbert and Sarah Mwihaki.”
Claudia Scheja, WaterBALLet, Road to California 2024
Retreats have a lot going on! At our last Board Meeting, Barbara Mathews reported that fifteen members have signed up to attend the Viña Retreat, so that means we are opening it up to non-members (see Barbara for the details; there is a surcharge).
Barbara writes: Hey quilting friends! Don’t miss out on this great opportunity for a weekend of sewing, and friendship at Viña de Lestonac in Temecula wine country! We have just a few spots left, so grab a buddy and sign up! Total cost (including all meals) is $385. (Full payment is due at the March meeting.) What a deal!! Dates are May 3 – 5, 2024.
Heads up on our Fall retreat at the Ayres Hotel and Spa in Moreno Valley. November 1 – 3, 2024. Find a roommate and get ready for fun! Room rate is $147 per night (which includes tax). We’ll be charging an additional fee for the sewing room (everyone gets their own BIG table!), TBD (approx. $20 – $35 per person). Another fantastic deal. Put it on your calendar now, and stay tuned for sign ups.
Ibby Rollert, “Be Kind,” quilted by Linda VanDivner, in a Road to California 2024 Special Exhibit of quilts made from Jen Kingwell’s quilt pattern Green Tea and Sweet Beans.
Our next Fourth Saturday Sew Day is February 24th (see sidebar for more information).
Quilt by Martha Peterson and the 2019 Seattle Modern Bee members. From *here*
Why a VOTE quilt? Our new Bylaws and Standing Rules outline how our June elections will run. Linda Adams and Elizabeth Eastmond are on the Nominating Committee, which is headed by Debbie Warner. They will gather names for people who will run for the Elected Offices, as well as the Appointed Offices. Excerpts from the Bylaws and the Standing Rules are at the end of this post, but basically, by the end of April, the Nominating Committee needs to deliver a slate of candidates to the Raincross Quilt Guild Board.
Here’s a chance for you to serve for a year or two. All Elected Officers and Appointed Officers have term limits, depending on the position, so if you can bring your enthusiasm and talents to share for this short period of time, we are looking for you! Please contact Debbie Warner, or one of the Nominating Committee, if you are interested. We will also be contacting people, so don’t be shy! Let us know!
The positions with bullets are especially needed. Send an email to the Raincross Quilt Guild (raincrossqg@gmail.com) or contact one of the members of the Nominating Committee.
ELECTED OFFICERS
President
President-Elect
Vice-President (Programs)
Secretary
Treasurer
APPOINTED OFFICERS (STANDING COMMITTEES)
Membership Chair
SCCQG Representative
Community Projects Coordinator
Hospitality Coordinator
Communications Chair
Ways and Means Chair (fundraising)
Block of the Month Chair
Retreat/Event Coordinator
OTHER POSSIBLE POSITIONS Workshop Coordinator Facilities Coordinator Virtual Team Chair
AUXILIARY POSITIONS Photographer Challenges Coordinator Internal Auditor Past President
SPECIAL COMMITTEES Nominating Committee (serves yearly for two-three months only) ByLaws Committee (functions at request of the Board, about every two years)
If you have news for our Guild, or something of interest from the greater quilt world, the deadline for our next post is FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, AT 9 A.M. It’s always okay to send it early. Send any items to our guild email: raincrossqg@gmail.com If you miss the deadline (it happens), we’ll put it on the next post.
We’ll see you at our meeting! Tuesday, February 20, 2024 • 6:30-8 p.m.
There is no General Guild Meeting in January. We’ll be dark this month, as our meeting conflicts with Road to California Preview Night. We are most lucky to have such a fine show right in our backyard — we hope you can take time to enjoy all the quilts (and all the vendors) and see friends.
The membership form is now up on the blog, under Bylaws & Forms. More info will be coming in the next blog post.
The new Block of the Month is also up under Block of the Month tab: take a look at the beautiful Alaska Lily.
If you have news for our Guild, or something of interest from the greater quilt world, the deadline for our next post is WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024, AT 9 A.M. (Our website will be dark until that post, given that we’ll be having Raincross at Road.) It’s always okay to send it early.Send any items to our guild email: raincrossqg@gmail.com If you miss the deadline (it happens), we’ll put it on the next post.
We’ll see you at our meeting at 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 20, 2024
To celebrate the end of this year, and to honor all those who wore their Christmas sweaters, we had a potluck filled with amazing food from our talented members.
Thank you to all who read their email and showed up with delicious soups, casseroles, salads, bread and desserts. We feasted, and were happily filled. You are all the best.
We hope you have a good holiday season, and a very Happy New Year!
After our feast, we moved on to Show and Share, which we cleaved into two parts: regular and holiday-flavored. First up: the regular Show & Share: (This time we are using SlideShows; you can click the arrows to advance).
Now, the fun Christmas and Holiday quilts (again, use arrows to advance the photos):
And the photographer wants to commend all those who smiled for the photo!
A N N O U N C E M E N T S for the Guild:
4th SATURDAY SEW DAY: The final 4th Saturday Sew Day of 2023 will be December 30 at the Lake Matthews location. Please drop Barbara Mathews a note ahead of time, so she knows how many tables to set up. Directory is in the Members Only section of our website.
GUILD TRANSITION COMMITTEE: Thank you to our volunteers: Maria Copak, Christine Oliver, and Barbara Mathews, who will be joining Jeri Read (with an assist from the Bylaws Committee members). We are having a bye in December, so no meeting, but don’t yet know about January. For sure we will snap to attention come February. Jeri will let you know what and when, but please do re-read what has to happen with our transition here. For questions or info, contact Jeri Read.
BYLAWS/STANDING RULES: The final copies of the Bylaws and the Standing Rules are posted under the BYLAWS & FORMS tab, above. If you have questions, feel free to email us at raincrossqg@gmail.com.
PROGRAM FOR JANUARY: No meetings at Goeske this month. Because Road to California’s Preview Night is the same as our regularly scheduled meeting, we will be having “Raincross at Road.” Ticket info can be found at this link.
WE’LL SEE YOU IN FEBRUARY! There will be a new Membership Form with three versions of payment for three different time periods. It might seem as if we are trying to make things more complicated than they need to be, but during Transition, we wanted you to have options. So, bring your checkbook/cash to pay your dues and a pen to fill out the new form. We wrote into the By-Laws an “on-time reward:” your dues will be less costly if you pay by the March meeting. The form will be posted online some time after the New Year, if you want to bring it already filled out. See Dawn Meade for more information (contact info is in the Directory).
IF YOU HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT, please email us at raincrossqg@gmail.com.
To keep track of all our outside activities, please refer to our Activities Tab, in our Header above. This will hold all the details for retreats, field trips, etc.
If you have news for our Guild, or something of interest from the greater quilt world, the deadline for our next post is WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024, AT 9 A.M. (Our website will be dark until that post, given that we’ll be having Raincross at Road.) It’s always okay to send it early. Send any items to our guild email: raincrossqg@gmail.com If you miss the deadline (it happens), we’ll put it on the next post.
We’ll see you at our meeting at 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 20, 2024
Merry Christmas! Elizabeth designed this mini quilt for us, as a thank-you for being a member of the Raincross Quilt Guild in 2023. The checkered block is titled Round the Corner, and we felt it was about right as we come to the end of 2023 and round the corner into 2024.
Our meeting this next week has a different start time. Please keep reading.
The Goeske Center is transitioning to its Holiday Hours (usually closing at 4 p.m.) but will still allow the Raincross Quilt Guild to have our meeting Tuesday December 19th. The Goeske Center will reopen at 5:30 for our members–if you arrive before 5:30 stay around as the center will be opened for us. At the end of the evening everyone that can, please assist in the potluck cleanup; it would be much appreciated. Should you have any questions please feel to contact President Jeri Read or Charlotte Byrne.
Please bring your Goeske check-in card, your Raincross Quilt Guild badge, Show-and-Share (both regular and Christmasy/Holiday) and a delicious dish to share at our potluck that night. We’ll have our meal first, then go to our Show-and-Share, door prizes and Mystery prize.
HOLIDAYS, HOLIDAYS, HOLIDAYS! It doesn’t matter which religious, ethnic or family holiday you celebrate in December, I wish you all peace and joy and love! Yet, along with the holiday season, we tend to feel some stress and anxiety over shopping or finishing those gifts for our family and friends. I’m sure you can all relate to that! So, let’s remember to SMILE:
S – Sleep at least 6-8 hours every night!
M – Meditate, pray, have a quiet time and be mindful of what you are grateful for. Take time for yourself to keep stress managed and keep yourself energised!
I – Interact with like minded friends (quilters) and build relationships with them.
L – Learn a new technique, or try new color choices or learn a new block . Creativity sparks joy!
E – Eat healthy.
During this holiday season and the coming 2024, continue to be kind to each other. We don’t always know the hardships and struggles people are experiencing in their lives. I love our guild. Connecting with all of you on the 3rd Tuesday of the month brings me great joy!
The December potluck is right around the corner, I hope to see you all on December 19th! Please try to bring something for Show and Share. What a great night it will be if everyone brings something!! May all your stitches be blessed! Jeri
Dawn Meade, our Membership Chair, reports that as of this month “We have 90 members with 50 attending our November meeting. There were 3 visitors former member Sharon Gilbreath, Ronda Gilbert and Sarah Mwihaki.” Welcome to our visitors and members!
Hi Members, Just a short note to share some treasurers’ information with you. Our current general account balance available is $3348.32. This is the money we have available for speakers and other events.
We also have $2890.74 in our Charity account, this is used for Quilts of Valor and Happy Bags. We build this account with the sales of tickets for the Mystery box or bag. Thank you Pam for taking on the challenge of creating this FUN for our members. Pam is not using the budget available and is contributing all the items for the mystery box. I’m sure she would accept any items you would like to share.
In retreat deposits we currently have $1422. This is because we have to pay retreat deposits before we have collected money from members. At this time we hold $1600 maximum to use for deposits.
The total amount of all combined is $7661.06. Shelly Niles, Treasurer
This year our Guild members enjoyed two retreats.
In May, our Spring retreat at Vina de Lestonac in Temecula hosted 13 participants. It’s a beautiful venue, overlooking a grand vista of rolling hills and vineyards. Everyone got their own 6′ table, plus some extra space. The weather and the food were perfect and I think everyone got a lot accomplished. Kelly Crittle brought her popup fabric store and we had lots of fun shopping. Most of us made a very cute zippered bag as a make-n-take project.
In October, we found ourselves back at the beach in Oceanside. We had 17 participants who all enjoyed the beach scenery, rock hunting, Kelly’s popup shop, and listening to the waves crashing on the rocks at night. Everyone made a mad rush to the back patio and upper deck every evening as the sun went down to get amazing sunset pictures. [Picture are up on the Activities Tab.] And we DID get a lot of sewing done. Menus and food purchase was handled by Jeri and Barbara, and everyone took turns preparing the meals and cleaning up as “many hands make light work!” This time we had everyone bring their own breakfast, which I think worked well. A grand time was had by all.
Future Retreats
We are currently taking $100 (or more) deposits for the Spring Retreat at Vina, May 3 – 5, 2024. The total cost is $385, which includes all meals. We have reserved 10 rooms for 20 participants, so get your deposit in soon – don’t get left out! The Board has decided at this time not to reserve the Oceanside venue for the Fall. Barbara Mathews, Retreat Coordinator
To keep track of all our outside activities, please refer to our Activities Tab, in our Header above. This will hold all the details for retreats, field trips, etc. Currently, there are some beautiful photos of the recent Beach Retreat, as well as fun ones from the Hoffman Tour. If you are hosting an activity, or know of one we should be aware of (yes, Quilts of Valor ceremonies too!), please send an email to raincrossqg@gmail.com.
Since Charlotte Byrne, our BOM Chair, dislocated her elbow, no sewing is possible. But check out the tab, above, for a look at the quilt we are making. She write to say; “Arm should be back closer to normal after Christmas and I will have the next block ready for January. After January two blocks remain, then makers can plan to put the blocks together as they like. 2024 BOM is nearly finished and I will have that ready to show the guild in April.”
If you are making the Block of the Month along with us, bring your tops in April for a fun show and share!
We received two letters with notices of things people are giving away or selling. This was posted in November, but it’s probably worth posting again:
#1 I have a couple of boxes of fabric to donate. I cannot come to your meeting on Tuesday, but I can take them somewhere during the day to a member or… There is a little Christmas fabric in stash. (from Barbara C.) NOTE: IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THIS, YOU’LL NEED TO CONTACT HER DIRECTLY. SEE MEMBERS’ CORNER FOR HER EMAIL ADDRESS.
#2 I am helping a friend sell her Mid Arm Quilting machine. Please see attached pictures and if you are interested or have any questions, please contact her (Pam O’bier) directly at (951) 662-3616. She will consider all offers. Thank you so much for sharing this information with your quilting groups! NOTE: IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THIS, YOU’LL NEED TO CONTACT HER DIRECTLY. SEE MEMBERS’ CORNER FOR HER PHONE NUMBER & PHOTOS OF THE MACHINE.
The info for these two items will remain up through the end of December in Members Only, so if you are interested, take down the numbers/email.
If you have news for our Guild, or something of interest from the greater quilt world, the deadline for our next post is WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2024, AT 9 A.M. It’s always okay to send it early. Send any items to our guild email: raincrossqg@gmail.com If you miss the deadline (it happens), we’ll put it on the next post.
For our November 2023 General Meeting we played the annual exchange game with tote bags. We had some fun moments, as you can see by these photos. Thanks to all who participated!
We had a fun and varied group of shares this meeting, from poodle skirts from Dorothy Martinez (on the left) to Christmas makes.
Row 1: Chris Kerns (table runner), Chris Kerns (quilt), Kathy Votzmeyer (quilt with small figures)
Row 3: Lorraine Halverson (tree), Michelle Coiro (Santa Quilt, picture of Michelle, who was shy)
Below: Karen Dunivent (Dr. Seuss quilts), Barbara Mathews (bag)
Many thanks to our photographer, Patty Huddleston, for all these photos.
A N N O U N C E M E N T S for the Guild
4th SATURDAY SEW DAY: If you have plans to attend our 4th Saturday Sew Days, please drop Barbara Mathews a note ahead of time, so she knows how many tables to set up.
QUILTS OF VALOR: Please see Phyllis or Sandy to help with turning our Quilts of Valor quilt tops into quilts. We need quilters, so if you are a quilter and have room in your schedule, or know of someone who would be happy to volunteer their time, please contact these two ladies. Phyllis writes: “We had a wonderful Veterans Day Program at the Goeske Center, November 9th at 10 AM. I only had 4 confirmed names attending and we gave out an additional 5 quilts. I had mailed 4 quilts to Veterans who could not attend the program. We have 11 quilts available and will schedule another date with the Goeske Center as soon as we get a list together. Thanks to all who helped make the the quilts, quilt the quilts, bind them, wash them and attach the labels. “I just ordered more labels. Our workdays are the second Tuesday of the month at the Easy Quilting Corner. You can sign up on the website at eqc-services.com.. If you can’t come we do have blocks and kits available you can work on. Just contact me or Sandy Sheppard.”
GUILD TRANSITION COMMITTEE met after last week’s meeting, and it was a success. They were able to map out our gradual transition to working under the Bylaws and Standing Rules, that were passed in October 2023. Thank you to our volunteers: Maria Copak, Christine Oliver, and Barbara Mathews, who will be joining Jeri Read (with an assist from the Bylaws Committee members).
BYLAWS/STANDING RULES: The final copies of the Bylaws and the Standing Rules are posted under the BYLAWS & FORMS tab, above.
PROGRAM FOR DECEMBER: At this posting, the plans are to have a potluck in December, but there is no further information to share. Please contact our VP, Dawn Babbe, if you have questions.
IF YOU HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT, please email us at raincrossqg@gmail.com.
To keep track of all our outside activities, please refer to our Activities Tab, in our Header above. This will hold all the details for retreats, field trips, etc.
We’ll see you at our meeting at 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 19, 2023
Most of us made a very cute zippered bag as a make-n-take project. 
Raincross Quilt Guild 