Happy Thanksgiving month! We are so grateful for all of you, and the energy you bring to our meetings. Our meeting is this Tuesday, November 21st. The doors open at 6 p.m. and the meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. Bring your Goeske sign-in card, and wear your name tag so we can get to know you.
Hello quilters,
I always look forward to the November meeting of our Raincross Quilt Guild. Remember we’re making totes/bags and bringing them all wrapped up for our gift exchange. We’ll be playing the steal game which always brings plenty of laughs.
We are looking for some members to help on the transition team for implementing our new by laws and standing rules. Start thinking about how you want to get involved!
I’m thankful for all of you,
Jeri
As Jeri noted, since the Bylaws and Standing Rules were passed last month, the next step is our Transition. (You can read more about the process of giving life to the documents if you want, and then refer to them.) Next step?
Transition to our slightly changed Guild
To that end, the Transition Committee is comprised of:
President (Jeri Read)
Bylaws Committee (Char and Elizabeth)
Member #1 ???
Member #2 ???
Member #3 ???
Yes, we need 2 or 3 members from the Guild. So please help us with getting our Guild into shape, by volunteering your time. This is a temporary position, and will last for a few months, or until the items on the list are completed, and certainly no longer than June 2024. The basic form of our Guild won’t change, but some of the parts will be moved around here and there. A blast email is going out to everyone. You can just reply to that, if you are able to serve.
A word about our Guild: We run on volunteers. Jeri is a volunteer, the person who writes this blog is a volunteer, and so many other wonderful women — past and present — have given of their time and energy. We’ll have some positions that need to be filled, and a change of leadership, come May. None of us will serve for as long as Jeri has, but one or two years only. Let’s rotate the work, and help each other. Just reply to the blast email, and put your name forward.
This month, our meeting will feature our annual Stealing Game, and the items to be stolen? TOTES!! We all need a good tote or two. Or fifty. Here are a series of links for easy-to-make totes, in case you haven’t started on yours (hurry! the meeting is in just a few days!):
En Pointe Bag, a cute carryall with squares set on point, from Moda Bake Shop
Jelly Roll Market Tote, which has fun stripes. Also from Moda Bake Shop
Show-Off Bag, which is great for showing off a piece of fabric, from APQ (American Patchwork & Quilting)
Crafty Tote, made up of cheater quilt fabric, for when you don’t want to piece; from APQ
Color Block Tote, with a series of ombre stripes, from APQ
Pick-A-Pocket Purse, which is really a tote with six different pockets, from APQ
Mini Log Cabin Bag, which uses mini log cabin squares, but could be made with orphan quilt blocks, from APQ
Our Favorite Tote, from Ruby Star Society and Moda Free Patterns, is a simple carry-stuff tote
Quick Sew Tote, from Moda Free Patterns, with a stabilizer piece in the bottom to make it sturdy
Please bring the tote bag wrapped up for the exchange.
Okay, start your (sewing machine) engines, and ready, set, sew!
- Call to Order — Jeri Read
- Brief Monthly Reports from Board and Chairs:
- Block of the Month — Charlotte Byrne
- Retreats — Barbara Mathews
- Quilts of Valor — Phyllis Hodel, Sandy Sheppard
- Membership — Dawn Meade
- Treasurer — Shelly Niles
- Break
- Vice President (Programs)– Dawn Babbe
- Program: Stealing/Exchange Game with all your fabulous totes!
- Show and Share — Dorothy Martinez and Katherine Rolleta
- Mystery Package — Pam Waters
- Door Prizes — Chris Kerns
- Closing Announcements — Jeri Read
Since Charlotte dislocated her elbow, no sewing is possible. But check out the tab, above, for a look at the quilt we are making!
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.
The annual Quilt Market was recently held in Houston, Texas, and Sherri McConnell of A Quilting Life, has written up some posts about her experience. She and her daughter Chelsi have designed for Moda Fabrics for several years now, and her booth this past market was a standout. It’s always interesting to see what designers have in the pipeline for us next year, and seeing what happens at Market is one way to learn.
We received two letters with notices of things people are giving away or selling:
#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 December in Members Only, so if you are interested, take down the numbers/email.
Yvonne Weinstein sent a letter to the Guild. She writes:
“Do you remember the Guild meeting back in 2019 when so many members presented donations to begin sewing classes in Northern Uganda? What a surprise! You sent me off in style with needles, thread, scissors, and so many other items necessary for hand sewing. I can assure you that they are still being used (and treasured) by women in villages and refugee camps throughout Uganda.
“You provided funds to purchase treadle sewing machines that are used today in the more formal classes offered free of charge by Empowering Ugandans. Over 100 ladies (men, too) are on a waiting list for the 10-week-long class because they see their friends finding full-time jobs and even establishing shops to sell their products.”
Please see her blog to see more of this message, as well as photos from the class where they taught how to make monthly supplies for the young women. “Thank you to each of you, ” wrote Yvonne, “you have been true life-changers and life-savers.”
If you have news for our Guild, or something of interest from the greater quilt world, the deadline for our next post is FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, AT 9 A.M.
It’s okay to send it early, before Thanksgiving.
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.
Raincross Quilt Guild • Riverside, CA 