March 2026 meeting, and all future meetings will start at 6 pm not 6:30. Doors open at 5:30pm as always.
Our potluck in March will be provided by members with last names beginning with H, I, J and K
Remember all the ways to receive a ticket for the attendance drawing.
- Wear handmade name tag = 1 ticket
- Wear RQG Membership pin = 1 ticket
- Donate a non-perishable food item(s) to the Goeske food pantry = 1 ticket total
- Completed charity quilt/project (e.g., dog or cat bed, QOV Quilt, Comfort Quilt. NORA bag = 1 ticket total
Dear fellow fabric lovers / hoarders!
I don’t know about all of you, but it’s not just the fabric that I love, it’s the patterns and the next exciting project (that I may or may not get to!). Well, enough of confessions and on to more fun stuff!
Tuesday’s meeting brought us a spectacularly entertaining program, starting off with Cassandra Gray’s uncle Christopher, an outstanding musician visiting from Indiana. He played several numbers on the fife and the Uillean Bagpipes interspersed with charming wit and storytelling.
Our speaker for the evening was Jo Melis, a down-to-earth quiltmaker extraordinaire. At first, I thought, this is just going to be standard information, BUT, I kept hearing people around me (including myself) saying “wow! I didn’t know that!” Or “I never thought of doing it that way!” The hand-out was very comprehensive and she’s all about efficiency.
Well, we finally got winter! A great opportunity to hunker down with your fabric and machine and produce something amazing. (if you’re not up to producing, you can always just sit and fondle your fabric while watching your favorite show on TV! Ha! Ha!) I bought a new machine at Road and I’ve only taken a few stiches with it, so time to get busy!
Stay warm and dry and try not to do any UNSEWING!
Barbara
We’ve started a new tradition by donating non-perishable food items to the Janet Goeske Senior Center Food Pantry at each monthly Guild meeting,
Remember, donation(s) will earn you an extra ticket to our door prize drawing.
Next Guild meeting’s potluck will be provided by members with last names beginning with H, I, J and K
Barbara introduced Christopher Layer (professional musician and Cassandra’s Uncle), who entertained us with wonderful and fun musical selections on pipes and wooden flutes. Thank you, Christopher for sharing your talents! (Thank you, Cassandra, for sharing your uncle!)
Good Quilting Advice from Jo Melis
Jo Melis shared many of the tips, tricks, and methods she’s found helpful in her quilting journey. As a bonus she provided everyone with an extensive handout outlining her methods to take with us for use as a reference in the future.
See the Workshop tab on the website for further information.
Jo Melis workshop – Saturday, February 21 – 9 to 3 at Victoria village Clubhouse. Cost $40. Sign up and pay tonight. Open to non-members as well. Workshop is on Easy-Peasy Foundation Paper Piecing. Patterns are on the RQG website under the Workshop tab.
Candy Glendening (rescheduled) workshop for thread painting – Saturday, April 25th – 9 to 3 at Victoria Village Clubhouse. Cost $40. Contact Maria Copak to register.
- Reminder to buy tickets for the Blue Bag drawings. $5 = 6 tickets, plus each $5 earns 1 special ticket for the monthly door hanging kit drawing.
- Viña Retreat – May 1-3.
- 12 openings available –
- $150 non-refundable deposit and completed registration form to Amy Printup to hold your place.
- July Meeting –
- “Bring a Friend”
- All Hands Potluck
- Night of round robin demos – looking for volunteers to demonstrate a tip or technique.
Barbara Mathews, Patsi Fountaine, Angie Nudge, Cassandra Gray, Pam Waters, Evie Rienstra, Carrie Alldis, and Kay Whiteside shared their quilts/projects for all to enjoy.
Barbara Filbin shared 2 Quilts of Valor quilt tops completed by two new members to our Guild.
February 2026
February’s Block of the Month pattern has not been received for uploading to the website as of the publication date of this newsletter. Stay Tuned.
Block 2 will finish at 9″ and is a friendship star block. Your focus fabric is in the middle and the start points are 2 of your accent fabrics.
For everyone who brought their completed January Block of the Month, Jeri proudly displayed them and gave everyone a free fat quarter.
- 12 Cat/Dog bags were completed for the animal shelter
- 10 NORA bags were completed for the Rape Crisis Center
Quilts of Valor
- QOV National Sew Day – 5 quilts were started
- QOV Monthly Sew day – 1st Wed of each month at Goeske Center in our usual meeting room
- Barb outlined number of veterans currently on her list to receive quilts
- The next big presentation will be in November during the Goeske Center’s Veteran’s Day Program
- Barb needs a volunteer to go with her to a single-veteran presentation.
- As always, she welcomes any volunteers to assist with any part of the quilt-making process.
- Any 2 fabrics of any kind
- Any type of project
Attendance Drawing
Winners – Nancy Poole, Pam Waters, Vangie Gorman.
Blue Bag Drawing
8 lucky ladies took home goodies from the Blue Bag Drawings.
Special Door Hanger Kit winner – Vickie Mihelich
Angie Bags – (Circulating bags of Take-Something-Leave-Something) – Lorraine Halverson, Liliana Davis
If you have news for our Guild, or something of interest from the greater quilt world, send any items to our guild email: raincrossqg@gmail.com If you have any corrections or additions to this post, please send them to our email. Thank you!
For more info and announcements, please refer to the Minutes of this meeting, which requires the password you receive when you join.
Our next Board Meeting is Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. If you are not a member of the board, but wish to attend, please contact our President Barbara Mathews or our Secretary BJ Kaiser at least 1 week prior to the meeting.
Our next General Meeting is Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at 6 p.m. Doors open at 5:30, so come early for a good seat. Potluck will be provided by members with last names beginning H, I, J and K. See you then!
Raincross Quilt Guild • Riverside, CA 