(If you don’t have Acrobat Reader installed, you can download it here.)

NEXT MEETING: FEBRUARY 6, 2012

WHAT TO BRING TO THE MEETING

• Name tag
• Block party block
• Show-and-Tell
• Door prizes for names beginning with J or L

PRESIDENT’S CORNER

What beautiful weather we are having almost like a very early spring.  I always like the cold winter weather.  It makes me want to go into my sewing room and spend as much time in the warm house working on my projects as I possibly can.  We are off to a great start this year.  It was nice getting to know our fellow quilters better at our January meeting.  I hope for those of you who made New Year’s resolutions to finish some UFO’s you have plenty of time to do so.   Looking forward to seeing you all in February.

Happy Quilting!

Jane Lamb

BIRTHDAYS

• Debi Cypert: February 3
• Carol Franklin: February 7
• Jeri Bush: February 10
• Sue Taylor: February 10
• Janis Hill: February 20

GEBRUARY PROGRAM

As quilters, what would we do without rulers?  Rulers are one of the three essential elements of quilting.  Our program on February 6th will be all about rulers – traditional and specialty.  If you have made a quilt using a specialty ruler (Twister, Lazy Angle, Pineapple, X-Block, Strip Tube, or any other specialty ruler), please bring it to show during the program.  Hope to see everyone at the meeting on February 6th!

Michelle Rodriguez

DUES ARE DUE

It’s that time of year again. Dues are due for 2012. We have a great deal …. $20 per year for everyone age 64 and under and $15 per year for everyone age 65+. Congratulations to Jeri for winning the perfect attendance drawing for a free 2012 membership!

Shirley Lewis

TREASURER’S REPORT

Beginning … 1,235.25

Dues…305.00

Disbursements…276.24

Ending balance…1263.01

MINUTES

• The first meeting of 2012 was called to order by President Jane Lamb.  Jane announced that each month she will ask two members to tell, briefly, a little about themselves including how they got in to quilting and any other hand crafts that they do.  This will be a way to get to know each of the Guild members better.  Sue and Jane spoke this meeting.
• Jane was the only member present with a January birthday and chose her fat quarter from the new selection for this year.
• Carol Franklin announced that she has a new great-grandson.
• The minutes were approved as printed in the newsletter.
• Debi reported no change in the bank balance – $1,234.25.  The books will be audited before the next meeting.
• Shirley announced that we have 19 members present.  Dues for 2012 are now due – $15 for those 65 & older; $20 for all others.
• Door prizes were won by Janice, Margaret, and Marty.
• Michelle announced that there are still 2 openings for the retreat to be held in Weatherford on May 18 – 20.  The $40 deposit will be due on sign-up.
• Elisabeth reported that the first workshop will probably be held in March and that she will have more details at our next meeting.
• There were thirteen blocks turned in for our block-of-the-month drawing which was won by Ruth.  Next month’s block will be an easy card trick block made with ½ square triangles.
• Old business:  An audit committee was elected – Michelle, Marty, Barbara, & Elisabeth.  They will meet following our meeting tonight.  We also discussed joining the Texas Association of Quilt Guilds.  Elisabeth moved that we join.  Janice seconded. Motion carried.  Michelle questioned the amount of food donated to the Grand Prairie Food and Clothing Co-op from our December meeting and Marty said that it was a little over 100 pounds.
• New Business:  Michelle moved that we give $200 to the Presbyterian Church as a thank you for letting us meet in their building each month and to go toward the electricity we use.  Marty seconded.  Motion carried.
• Our program next month will be on specialty rulers and templates.  Michelle asked anyone who has made a quilt using one of these tools to bring the quilt to show.
• Grace, Janis, Jane, and Nancy presented Show and Tell.
• Our program was in two parts tonight – Michelle, Shirley, Grace and Nancy showed the results of quilts run amok – some good, some not so good in the first part.  Then, we were randomly paired and reported back to the group with three new facts about our partner.
• Following the program, the meeting was adjourned.

Sue Heard

 TAQG

We recently joined the Texas Association of Quilt Guilds (TAQG).  Their big “Rally Day” is July 14, 2012 with Pam Bono as the speaker.  Workshops precede Rally Day on July 12th and 13th.   For more information you can go to: texasassociationofquiltguilds.org

QUILT TIP

Before prewashing, I cut a small triangular piece from each selvage edge corner to prevent raveling.  The small triangular pieces I save for color matching.  I keep a small notebook in my purse with my swatches taped in place with notes regarding yardage requirements.  If I happen to be out and pass a quilt shop, I can pop in and match up colors without having to guess or remember what shade of blue, green,etc., I need.

— Irene J. Dewar, Pickering, ON

FEBRUARY BLOCK PARTY

Pattern is on page 3 of the newsletter.

(If you don’t have Acrobat Reader installed, you can download it here.)

NEXT MEETING: JANUARY 2, 2012

WHAT TO BRING TO THE MEETING

• Name tag
• Block party block
• Show-and-Tell
• Door prizes for names beginning with F, G, or H

PRESIDENT’S CORNER

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!

Wow, I can’t believe we have already gone into the year 2012. I still remember when we went from 1999 to 2000 and so many people were concerned about what might happen that they stored up what they considered life sustaining items. It’s sad for me to admit that I have “stored up” lots and lots of fabric for my “one of these days” projects. I would be willing to bet that I am not the only one who has lots of fabric stored up for projects.

With the colder weather coming on, I wish for each of you time to work on a project that is important to you. I have spent some time prioritizing my projects. Now let’s see how successful I am at finishing some of them. I am looking forward to seeing the finished projects at our up coming quilt meetings.

Happy Quilting and Happy New Year!

Jane Lamb

BIRTHDAYS

DECEMBER PROGRAM

We’ve got lots in store for 2012 for programs. To start things off in January, our program will be two-fold. First, bring a quilt (or quilts) to show where you deviated from the pattern (either for the good of the quilt or the bad). Lots of times we don’t follow the exact directions on a pattern. Sometimes it turns out ok, other times, it turns out horrible. Bring those quilts that you deviated from and let’s see what happened. On one blog that I read regularly, the author never follows the pattern. She will always cut the pieces a different size and hope for the best. Second, we will take some time to get acquainted with our new (or newish) members. Lots of times, we stick to the group we know and don’t really take the time to get to know others in our group. We’ll have some fun and get to know each other better.

Stay tuned to the newsletter each month for the specifics of the next program. There may be some surprises out there and someone may just be a winner!

Michelle Rodriguez

DUES ARE DUE

It’s that time of year again. Dues are due for 2012. We have a great deal …. $20 per year for everyone age 64 and under and $15 per year for everyone age 65+. Congratulations to Jeri for winning the perfect attendance drawing for a free 2012 membership!

Shirley Lewis

TREASURER’S REPORT

Beginning balance … 1234.25
Ending balance … 1234.25

MINUTES

Our meeting was preceded by a pot luck dinner which was enjoyed by all. It is always amazing that, even though there is no sign-up sheet, we have a variety of dishes brought by our wonderful cooks.

• Marty called the meeting to order and the minutes of the previous meeting were approved as printed in the newsletter.
• Grace announced no change to the bank balance – $1,234.25.
• We had 21 members present and 1 guest. Seven of our members were eligible for the perfect attendance drawing, and Jeri Bush won the free membership for next year.
• Michelle announced there are still two spaces available for our next retreat which will be May 18, 19, and 20, 2012.
• Debi will have the setting of the blocks for 2011 in the newsletter so that our blocks can be made into a top. Janis and Nancy will co-chair ‘block of the month’ next year and showed the finished quilt should anyone choose to make a block to turn in and a block to keep. The January block is a coffee cup (or hot chocolate or hot tea for those who are not coffee drinkers) and patterns were distributed.
• Ruth, Jeri, and Joan participated in Show and Tell.
• Jane reported that Carolyn Troup, president of the Texas Association of Quilt Guilds has asked if we would be interested in joining the association. Jane will talk with her further and bring a report later.
• Shirley presented red/white and blue/white blocks to outgoing president Marty Staten. The blocks are the ‘prairie queen’ block and were made by various members. Marty then presented a gift – a personalized bag – to each of the officers and chairmen who served with her during her presidency.
• New officers for 2012 were installed by Grace Norris. The officers are Jane Lamb, President, Michelle Rodriguez, 1st VP, Elisabeth McMahon, 2nd VP, Sue Heard, Secretary, and Debi Cypert, Treasurer.
• Jane asked for permission to replenish our birthday fat quarter basket. Michelle moved we buy new fat quarters and Janis seconded. The motion carried. Jane also asked the new officers to meet briefly following our meeting.
• Our program is always fun at the December meeting as we pass gifts around a circle – either left or right – as a story is read. The pass comes with key words and we always have fun with this exchange. At the end of the story, we opened our gifts and showed off what we received.
• Following clean-up of the room, the meeting adjourned.

Sue Heard

JANUARY BLOCK PARTY

Pattern ison page 3 of the newsletter.

(If you don’t have Acrobat Reader installed, you can download it here.)

NEXT MEETING: DECEMBER 5, 2011

WHAT TO BRING TO THE MEETING

• Name tag
• Block party block
• Show-and-Tell
• Food for potluck
  (officers also drinks)
• Gift for gift exchange
• Canned goods for food pantry

PRESIDENT’S CORNER

When this newsletter arrives, we will all be getting ready for Christmas and the New Year. I have enjoyed being President of the guild and look forward to the new slate of officers taking over in January.   Our new president, Jane Lamb will do a wonderful job and lets all give her our help and support.  So everyone have a Merry Christmas and get all our UFOs done before the New Year starts.

Marty Staten

BIRTHDAYS

DECEMBER PROGRAM

December 5 is the date of our next meeting. We will have a pot luck dinner…please bring a dish to share. We always seem to have a good variety of food without assigning something, so bring what you wish. Officers should also bring drinks. I have the plates, cups, etc.

Our program will be a gift exchange. If you would like to participate, please bring a wrapped gift valued at $10. The gift should be quilting related. That could include things such as Thangles (triangles on a roll), cutting tools, books, decorative items, patterns, fabric, etc. Use your imagination for something fun or different. I will read a story and we will pass to the left and/or right while we sit in a circle.

In the spirit of the season, we will be collecting canned goods and non-perishable items for the food pantry.

We will also have installation of officers for 2012.

Shirley Lewis

RETREAT

Nine of us had a great time at our Fall Retreat the end of October. The Spring Retreat will be May 18th – 20th at Victorian House Retreat in Weatherford. If you are interested in going, I need your deposit as soon as possible. Ten people are currently signed up and the maximum is twelve. If more than twelve are interested in attending, I will start a waiting list in case someone cannot come after they have signed up.

Michelle Rodriguez

TREASURER’S REPORT

Beginning balance … 1234.25
Ending balance … 1234.25

MINUTES

• President Marty Staten called the meeting to order with 16 members and 1 visitor, Dianna Darbey, present.
• The minutes of the October meeting were approved with one correction – Nancy taught one of the classes, not Margaret.
• Grace reported no activity with our bank account. The balance is still $1,234.25.
• We have one birthday this month, Janice Overton on November 23rd. Janice was not present but will get to pick her fat quarter next meeting.
• Michelle Rodriguez reported that there will be no more workshops this year. She also announced that there are already 8 people signed up for our May retreat to be held in Weatherford on May 18, 19, & 20, 2012. Nine ladies attended the retreat in October and a wonderful time was reported by all.
• Michelle also reported that the star block project was very successful with Moda receiving many more blocks than they anticipated.
• Grace has given 4 more of our string quilts to Soldiers’ Angels and will give the quilts to different groups as they are turned in to her.
• Debi and Sue Taylor made the blockk of the month and will decide who gets them. Next month’s block is the Texas star and Debi also hopes to have instructions for assembly of the blocks into a top at the December meeting.
• Shirley, representing the nominating committee, presented the slate of officers for 2012:

• President – Jane Lamb
• 1st VP – Michelle Rodriguez
• 2nd VP – Elisabeth McMahon
• Secretary – Sue Heard
• Treasurer – Debi Cypert

• The slate was elected by acclamation.
• Door prizes were won by Shirley, Nancy, and Lillie.
• Those participating in show and tell were Michelle, Sue Heard, Margaret, Elisabeth, and Sue Taylor.
• Next month we will have our traditional Christmas pot luck with officers also bringing drinks. We will install the 2012 officers and then play ‘pass the present’. Everyone is urged to bring non-perishable food for the GP Food and Clothing Co-op.
• Following our program – the naming of quilt blocks – the meeting was adjourned.

Sue Heard

DECEMBER  BLOCK PARTY

Pattern starts on page 3 of the newsletter.

(If you don’t have Acrobat Reader installed, you can download it here.)

NEXT MEETING: NOVEMBER 7, 2011

DOOR PRIZES: If your last name begins with A, B or C  please bring a door prize to the September meeting and give it to Jeri Bush. This is a voluntary effort, but most of us like to receive a door prize and we hope everyone will participate. Please bring only quilting related items such as: Quilting Notions, fat quarters, triangle paper, magnetic pin holders, scissors, Pigma pens, etc.

WHAT TO BRING TO THE MEETING

• Name tag
• Door prizes for A, B or C
• Show-and-Tell

PRESIDENT’S CORNER

How thankful we are for the rain on Sunday…in my area, we received a little over 1.5 inches. Fall is in the air and all the holidays are approaching….cannot believe this past year has gone by so fast. Be thankful for family and friends and hold them close. Hope to see so really neat quilts that will come from the upcoming retreat at the next meeting. Y’all have fun and see ya in November!

Marty Staten

BIRTHDAYS

• Janice Overton  … November 23

NOVEMBER PROGRAM

What’s in a name? All quilt blocks have a name, but how (or why) were those names chosen? We will explore that question when we meet November 7. Thanks to all our “teachers” who gave instructions/demonstrations for the October meeting. I think everyone learned something new.

Shirley Lewis

RETREAT  UPDATE

By the time this newsletter is published, we will be getting close to our fall retreat. I hope to see lots of finished projects at the November meeting! The next retreat is May 18-20, 2012.

Michelle Rodriguez

TREASURER’S REPORT

Beginning balance … 1234.25

Ending balance … 1234.25

MINUTES

• The meeting was called to order by President Marty Staten with 20 members present.The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as printed in the newsletter.
• Treasurer Grace Norris reported that there is no change in our treasury since last month. Our balance is still $1,234.25.
• We have 3 birthdays this month – Pat Johnson, Shara Hill-Scheibner, and Cathy Mullin.
• Carol Franklin, Publicity, said that the meeting was listed on the Grand Prairie Calendar of Events. She was also given the name of someone at The Dallas Morning News to contact with our meeting dates.
• Michelle Rodriguez reported that there will not be any more workshops this year. Our retreat is October 28, 29, & 30, and we still have 2 places open.
• There were three blocks turned in this month and they were won by Jeri Bush.
• A nominating committee was formed – Shirley Lewis, Janice Overton, Jeri Bush, Margaret Alsup, and Marty Staten. They will meet following this meeting and will present the 2012 slate of officers at our next meeting.
• Barbara Burnaugh brought a thank you note from four ladies at Dalworth Nursing Home for the quilts we sent to them. Barbara also had pictures of the ladies for us to see with a paragraph about each of the ladies.
• Door Prizes were won by Carol Franklin, Nancy Conner, and Debi Cypert.
• Grace, Sue Taylor, Margaret, Janis Hill, Jeri, and Joan Vega participated in show and tell.
• Following our schoolhouse program – four classes, Margaret, Janis, Marty, and Ruth Goodman – the meeting was adjourned.

Sue Heard

OCTOBER BLOCK PARTY

Pattern is in on page 3 of the newsletter.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE REPORT

At the October meeting the following members were elected to the Nominating Committee: Shirley Lewis, Janice Overton, Marty Staten, Jeri Bush, and Margaret Alsup. The committee met after the guild meeting and present the following slate of officers for 2012:

President: Jane Lamb

• First Vice President (programs): Janis Hill and Nancy Conner
• Second Vice President (workshops): Elisabeth McMahon
• Secretary: Sue Heard
• Treasurer: Debi Cypert

This slate will be presented at the guild meeting in November. At that time, members of the guild can elect by acclamation or nominate from the floor for any or all positions.

All committee positions are appointed by the President.

Shirley Lewis

(If you don’t have Acrobat Reader installed, you can download it here.)

NEXT MEETING: OCTOBER 3, 2011

DOOR PRIZES: If your last name begins with R, S or V  please bring a door prize to the September meeting and give it to Jeri Bush. This is a voluntary effort, but most of us like to receive a door prize and we hope everyone will participate. Please bring only quilting related items such as: Quilting Notions, fat quarters, triangle paper, magnetic pin holders, scissors, Pigma pens, etc.

WHAT TO BRING TO THE MEETING

• Name tag
• Door prizes for R, S or V
• Show-and-Tell

PRESIDENT’S CORNER

I am writing this on the 10th of September and it has been all over the radio and TV about the 10th anniversary of the tragedy on September 11.   It breaks my heart to see the families of those who perished.   We certainly need to be thankful for our family and friends and a country that can recover from such a devastating event.  Keep all those who lost loved ones in your heart and prayers. Till next month,

Marty Staten

BIRTHDAYS

• Pat Johnson … October 11
• Shara Hill-Scheibner … October 17
• Cathy Mullin … October 27

OCTOBER PROGRAM

Back by popular demand, we will have schoolhouse demos for our October 3 program.  Some of our members have agreed to show us ways to ease our sewing frustrations or to show us new ideas for our quilt projects.  Ruth will show us easy, perfect binding, Janis will show us tricks of applique, Marty will do a demo of the flying geese ruler and Nancy will show us how to do photo transfer.  We’ll have about 10 minutes at each station.  See you soon!

Shirley Lewis

CHARITY QUILT UPDATE

Thanks to everyone who came to our September meeting and helped with the charity blankets for Children’s Medical Center.  We were able to “fringe” 27 blankets.  Big thanks to Janis Hill for volunteering to take these and the donated kids quilt to Children’s.

Thanks to everyone who helped with the charity quilt workshop in August.  Grace reported that 7 quilts were completely finished and 2 just need backs.  We are donating 4 to a local nursing home and will donate more as the need arises.  Thanks to Barbara Burnaugh for taking these to the nursing home.

Michelle Rodriguez

TREASURER’S REPORT

Beginning balance … 1226.75

Membership … 7.50

Ending balance … 1234.25

MINUTES

• The meeting was called to order at 7 pm by President Marty Staten.The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as printed in the monthly newsletter.
• Grace Norris, Treasurer, reported a beginning balance of $1,226.75 + $7.50 membership fee for a new balance of $1,234.25.
• There are two birthdays in the guild this month – Lillie Martinez and Margaret Alsup.
• Nineteen members and 1 visitor, Sandy Douglas, attended tonight’s meeting.
• Michelle Rodriguez reported that 11 ladies attended the workshop held August 22nd and  9 charity quilts (7 completed) were made.  Grace asked the membership for permission to give 4 of these quilts to a local nursing home and all were in agreement.  The other quilts will be given as need arises.
• Michelle also announced that there are 10 ladies signed up for the retreat in Weatherford to be held October 28, 29, 30.  There are two openings if anyone else wishes to go.
• Lillie won the block of the month.
• Shirley Lewis reminded us that a nominating committee will be chosen next month as elections are in November.
• Door prizes were won by Shirley, Debi Cypert, and Elizabeth McMahon.
• Michelle, Margaret, Marty, Jeri Bush, Janis Hill, and Joan Vega shared finished project with the group.
• Shirley announced that our program in October will be a school house.  She already has several ‘classes’ set up but could use a few more.  If anyone is interested in teaching a class, please call Shirley.
• Following adjournment of the business meeting, we tied fleece blankets which will be taken to Children’s Hospital in Dallas.  We completed 27 quilts for this endeavor.

Sue Heard

OCTOBER BLOCK PARTY

Pattern is in on page 3 of the newsletter.

RETREAT UPDATE

There is just a short time left to sign up for the Fall Retreat.  Dates are October 28-30.  Two spaces are still available.  If you are interested in the retreat, please let me know.

Michelle Rodriguez

Get the latest newsletter on PDF by clicking the image above.

(If you don’t have Acrobat Reader installed, you can download it here.)

NEXT MEETING: SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

DOOR PRIZES: If your last name begins with M, N or O  please bring a door prize to the September meeting and give it to Jeri Bush. This is a voluntary effort, but most of us like to receive a door prize and we hope everyone will participate. Please bring only quilting related items such as: Quilting Notions, fat quarters, triangle paper, magnetic pin holders, scissors, Pigma pens, etc.

WHAT TO BRING TO THE MEETING

• Name tag
• Door prizes for M, N or O
• Show-and-Tell

PRESIDENT’S CORNER

Wow ! ! This weather is really testing our patience. The amount of days over 100 is not the record I would like to beat.  Think we should set aside a few minutes every morning and pray for rain.   Thank goodness we all have air conditioning in our homes and cars so we can still work on our quilt projects. So everyone try to stay cool. Till next month!.

Marty Staten

BIRTHDAYS

Lillie Martinez … September 14
Margaret Alsup… September 23

SEPTEMBER PROGRAM

September 5 we will work on fleece blankets for the kids at Children’s Hospital in Dallas. I will bring the fleece and instructions, but ask that you bring scissors. The scissors should be regular fabric cutting scissors, not small embroidery scissors. This is a no sew project and everyone should be able to complete at least one blanket at the meeting.
See you Labor Day!

Shirley Lewis

CHARITY WORKSHOP

Our next workshop will be on Saturday, August 27th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church.  Grace will bring her boxes of strips and we will work on the string quilt blocks for charity quilts. These quilts will be donated by the Guild to charity.

I encourage everyone in the guild to come and participate.   You can come for an hour or you can stay the whole time.   If you plan to be at the workshop during lunch, we will not have an organized lunch.  You can bring your lunch or pick something up.

Michelle Rodriguez

TREASURER’S REPORT

Beginning balance … 1494.39
Membership … 7.50
GP Food & Clothing donation … 100,00
Birthday dinner … (120.00)
G.P. Food and Clothing … (100.00)
Fleece for charity quilts … (155.14)
Ending balance … 1226.75

MINUTES

• The meeting was called to order by President Marty Staten with 19 current and 1 new member present. We are very happy to have Sue Taylor join the Guild and look forward to getting to know her better.
• The minutes of the July meeting were approved as printed in the newsletter.
• Grace Norris reported we had several transactions in our treasury this past month. The opening balance was $1494.39 with $7.50 dues and $100 from our auction added. Disbursements were $120 for the dinner, $155.14 for fleece for our next meeting, and $100 to Grand Prairie Food & Clothing Co-op (the auction money). Our current balance is $1,226.75.
• Birthdays in August: Joan, Ruth, Marty, Nancy, and Judy.
• Michelle announced the next workshop will be on Saturday, August 27th from 9am to 3pm at First Presbyterian Church. We will work on charity strip quilts and will be responsible for our own lunch. Everyone is welcome to come and stay as long as they can. Our next retreat to be held October 28, 29, 30, still has a few openings. We also had show & tell from our last workshop. Those showing were Michelle, Jeri, Shirley, Debi, and Sue.
• Marty announced that she took 69 pounds of food to the GP Food and Clothing Co-op from our July meeting.
• Door prizes were won by Marty, Nancy, and Janis.
• Show and tell: Jane (baby quilts), Nancy, Janis, Jeri, Elisabeth, and Grace.
• Next month, we will make fleece blankets for charity, so please bring a large pair of scissors. This month, Shirley brought us lots of good tips to use in our quilting which will make things easier for us.
• Following the program, the meeting adjourned.

Sue Heard

SEPTEMBER BLOCK PARTY

Pattern is in on page 3 of the newsletter.

RETREAT

Our next retreat is scheduled for October 28, 29, and 30th at Victorian House Retreat in Weatherford. Cost is $40 per night plus tax, which makes it $85.60 for the weekend (plus food). If you are interested in going, please give me you $40 deposit as soon as possible.
Also mark your calendars for the spring retreat, May 18, 19, and 20th, 2012. I will be taking those deposits in December or January.

Michelle Rodriguez

Get the latest newsletter on PDF by clicking the image above.

(If you don’t have Acrobat Reader installed, you can download it here.)

NEXT MEETING: AUGUST 1, 2011

DOOR PRIZES: If your last name begins with J or L please bring a door prize to the September meeting and give it to Jeri Bush This is a voluntary effort, but most of us like to receive a door prize and we hope everyone will participate. Please bring only quilting related items such as: Quilting Notions, fat quarters, triangle paper, magnetic pin holders, scissors, Pigma pens, etc.

WHAT TO BRING TO THE MEETING

• Name tag
• Door prizes for J or L
• Show-and-Tell

PRESIDENT’S CORNER

Hello everyone on this hot, hot day — how lucky are we that we love an indoor sport when the outside is so unpleasant.  Those that did not come to the July guild meeting missed a good time.   The food was good and the “orphan block auction” was a lot of fun.   We raised $100.00 for the Grand Prairie Food and Clothing Co-op which is great.  I will let you know at the August meeting what the poundage is for the can goods we brought.

Marty Staten

BIRTHDAYS

Marty Staten …August 4
Ruth Goodman … August 9
Nancy Conner … August 17
Joan Vega … August 19
Judy Meador

August 23

WORKSHOPS

We had a fun time at our workshop on July 9th.  Six of us got together and worked on the “Around the Corner” pattern by Heather Mulder Peterson.  Two of us worked on tablerunners and got all done with the blocks and the other 4 of us worked on the throw and got quite a bit of sewing done.  I hope to see everyone with their projects (either finished or unfinished) at the August meeting!

Michelle Rodriguez

SYLVIA’S BRIDAL SAMPLER

If you are making Sylvia’s Bridal Sampler Quilt, we have decided to discontinue the monthly stitch group meetings. If anyone is interested in working on the blocks together, let me know and I will see about scheduling a Saturday workshop later this year.

Michelle Rodriguez

JULY PROGRAM

The program August 1 will be tips, tricks, and shortcuts for quilting.  I know all of you have something you have learned while quilting that you could share.  Please e-mail me your tips or come prepared to share with the group.  Quilting is a learning and sharing experience.  Whether you are new to quilting or have been quilting for more years than you want to remember, you have something to share.

Thanks to everyone for bringing fabric, orphan blocks, and quilting tools to auction at the July meeting.  The Food and Clothing Coop certainly benefited from your generosity.

Shirley Lewis

CHARITY WORKSHOP

Our next workshop will be on Saturday, August 27th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church.  Grace will bring her boxes of strips and we will work on the string quilt blocks for charity quilts. These quilts will be donated by the Guild to charity.

I encourage everyone in the guild to come and participate.   You can come for an hour or you can stay the whole time.   If you plan to be at the workshop during lunch, we will not have an organized lunch.  You can bring your lunch or pick something up.

Michelle Rodriguez

TREASURER’S REPORT

Beginning balance … 1544.39

Program expense (Liza Faust) … (50.00)

Ending balance … 1494.39

MINUTES

• The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by President Marty Staten following our birthday dinner celebrating the 18th birthday of our Guild.
• The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as printed in the newsletter.
• Grace reported a balance of $1,494.39 in our treasury.
• Barbara Burnaugh has the only birthday this month and picked her fat quarter.
• There were 13 members present tonight including one returning former member – Ruth Goodman. Welcome back, Ruth.
• Sue asked for prayers for the family of her cousin, Norma Mannon, who passed away this weekend.
• Michelle reminded us of the workshop to be held Saturday, July 9th from 9 to 3 at First Presbyterian Church. There are 6 signed up, and Michelle urged us to have our fabric cut before we come. We will order in lunch, or you may bring your own. The retreat is scheduled for October 28, 29, & 30, and the cost is still $85.60 including tax.. If you are interested in going to Weatherford on Thursday, Oct. 27th, there will be an additional $40 plus tax. There are still some spaces left for the retreat, so contact Michelle if you are interested.
• Debi reported no blocks turned in for this month and showed the block for August.
• There was no unfinished business nor any new business.
• Door prizes were won by Barbara, Debi, and Nancy.
• Show and tell included both patriotic projects and regular projects: Elisabeth, Michelle, Sue, Jeri, Marty and Grace.
• Our program was an auction of ‘orphan blocks’, fabric, and tools. The money raised, $100, will go to the Grand Prairie Food & Clothing Co-op along with the canned goods brought tonight by members. The program next month will be ‘Tips, Tricks, and Shortcuts for Quilters’.
• Following the auction, the meeting adjourned.

Sue Heard

AUGUST BLOCK PARTY

Pattern in on page 3 of the newsletter.

RETREAT

Our next retreat is scheduled for October 28, 29, and 30th at Victorian House Retreat in Weatherford. Cost is $40 per night plus tax, which makes it $85.60 for the weekend (plus food). If you are interested in going, please give me you $40 deposit as soon as possible.

Also mark your calendars for the spring retreat, May 18, 19, and 20th, 2012. I will be taking those deposits in December or January.

Michelle Rodriguez

Get the latest newsletter on PDF by clicking the image above.

(If you don’t have Acrobat Reader installed, you can download it here.)

NEXT MEETING: JULY 4, 2011

DOOR PRIZES: If your last name begins with F or H please bring a door prize to the September meeting and give it to Jeri Bush This is a voluntary effort, but most of us like to receive a door prize and we hope everyone will participate. Please bring only quilting related items such as: Quilting Notions, fat quarters, triangle paper, magnetic pin holders, scissors, Pigma pens, etc.

WHAT TO BRING TO THE MEETING

• Name tag
• Door prizes for F or H
• Show-and-Tell

PRESIDENT’S CORNER

Marty Staten

BIRTHDAYS

Barbara Burnaugh … July 31

WORKSHOPS

Our next workshop is Saturday, July 9th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church. We will be making the pattern, “Around the Corner” by Heather Mulder Pederson. If you are interested in participating, you will need the pattern. If you have already signed up, you have received your pattern and can go ahead and do your cutting prior to the workshop.

Because we will have a small group, rather than a potluck lunch, we will order lunch (DoubleDave’s Pizzaworks, Don Juan’s or something similar.)

Michelle Rodriguez

SYLVIA’S BRIDAL SAMPLER

If you are making Sylvia’s Bridal Sampler Quilt, we have decided to discontinue the monthly stitch group meetings. If anyone is interested in working on the blocks together, let me know and I will see about scheduling a Saturday workshop later this year.

Michelle Rodriguez

JULY PROGRAM

We will celebrate our Guild birthday at the July 4 meeting. Wow, 18 years! I have ordered dinner from Eddlemon’s for us. The only thing we need to complete the meal is something to drink, so I ask that the officers furnish that.

As has been our custom, we are collecting food for the Grand Prairie Food and Clothing Co-op. Please bring non-perishable foods that are still in date. They especially need peanut butter and canned meats other than tuna. So many people are struggling in this economy that I hope we can help a little.

The program will be an auction of orphan blocks. Some of us make a trial block to see if we like a pattern or color combination. Others make a block or two and then decide to abandon a project. Whatever the reason, bring your blocks and maybe someone else will adopt them. If you have some fabric in your stash that you no longer want, bring that along too. All money made from the auction will be given to the Grand Prairie Food and Clothing Co-op also.

For show and tell, please bring a patriotic quilt, wall hanging, table runner or something else you’ve made to share with the group.

Shirley Lewis

TREASURER’S REPORT

Beginning balance … 1594.39

Program expense (Sam Winover) …  (50.00)

Ending balance … 1544.39

MINUTES

•  The meeting was called to order at 7 p.m. on June 6, 2011 by president Marty Staten.
• The minutes from the May meeting were approved as printed in the newsletter. The treasurer’s report was approved as printed in the newsletter and will be filed for audit.
• June birthday: Grace on the 19th.
• Membership was 17 members and 1 guest, our speaker, Liza Faust.
• Workshops: next workshop will be on Saturday, July 9th at First Presbyterian Church from 9 a.m to 3 p.m. We will be doing the pattern, “Around the Corner” by Heather Mulder Peterson. Anyone interested should sign up and pay $8.50 for the pattern.
• Retreat: 11 people participated in our May retreat. The next retreat will be October 28-30. The location will be the same — Victorian House Retreat in Weatherford. Cost is $40 per night plus tax and whatever you decide to do for food. If you are interested in going please get your deposit of $40 to Michelle as soon as possible.
• Jeri won the block of the month drawing. Next month’s block is State of Arizona.
• Door prizes: Jeri asked everyone to keep in mind that she has lots of fat quarters to give out as door prizes but is low on other items such as notions and patterns. Door prizes were won by Janice Overton, Nancy, and Elisabeth.
• Show and Tell: Michelle, Shirley, Lillie, Elisabeth, Janis Hill, Grace and Marty.
• Next program will be our birthday party on the 4th of July. Our guild will be 18 years old on July 5th! Shirley asked the members present what they would prefer to do for dinner and it was decided to have Eddlemon’s cater our dinner again this year. Shirley will call and make the arrangements. We will also have the Orphan Block Auction and collect items for the Grand Prairie Food and Clothing Co-Op. They especially need peanut butter and canned meats other than tuna. Shirley also discussed an upcoming charity program to make the fleece blankets like we made last year. There was a motion and second for Shirley to spend up to $150 on fleece to make the blankets.
• Tonight’s program speaker is Liza Faust, the English Street Quilter. She is going to talk about color.

Michelle Rodriguez (for the vacationing Sue Heard)

JULY BLOCK PARTY

Pattern in on page 3 of the newsletter.

RETREAT

Our next retreat is scheduled for October 28, 29, and 30th at Victorian House Retreat in Weatherford. Cost is $40 per night plus tax, which makes it $85.60 for the weekend (plus food). If you are interested in going, please give me you $40 deposit as soon as possible.

Also mark your calendars for the spring retreat, May 18, 19, and 20th, 2012. I will be taking those deposits in December or January.

Michelle Rodriguez

OPERATION RE-GUILD JOPLIN

If anyone is interested in helping the quilters of Joplin, MO get back to quilting, The Quilt Asylum in McKinney, Stitchin’ Heaven in Quitman and The Quilt Shoppe in Stewartsville, MO have started Operation Re-Guild Joplin. You may read about it here: http://tqanews.blogspot.com/2011/06/operation-re-guild-joplin.html

Michelle Rodriguez

Get the latest newsletter on PDF by clicking the image above.

(If you don’t have Acrobat Reader installed, you can download it here.)

NEXT MEETING: JUNE 6, 2011

DOOR PRIZES: If your last name begins with B or C please bring a door prize to the September meeting and give it to Jeri Bush This is a voluntary effort, but most of us like to receive a door prize and we hope everyone will participate. Please bring only quilting related items such as: Quilting Notions, fat quarters, triangle paper, magnetic pin holders, scissors, Pigma pens, etc.

WHAT TO BRING TO THE MEETING

• Name tag
• Door prizes for B or C
• Block party block and Just One Star Block
• Show-and-Tell

PRESIDENT’S CORNER

Marty Staten

BIRTHDAYS

Grace Norris … June 19

WORKSHOPS

Our next workshop will be Saturday, July 9th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church.  We will be making the pattern from Heather Mulder Peterson called “Around the Corner”.  If you are interested in participating, please let me know as soon as possible as you will need the pattern which costs $8.50.

What we do for lunch will be determined by the number of people who sign up for the workshop.

Michelle Rodriguez

SYLVIA’S BRIDAL SAMPLER

It’s been decided that the Stitch-A-Bit Stitch Group will no longer meet on the 4th Monday of each month to work on Sylvia’s Bridal Sampler Quilt (or our own projects).  If there is sufficient interest, I will try to set up a Saturday workshop in August or September for people to come and work on their blocks and get feedback or help (or inspiration) from others who are working on the blocks.

Michelle Rodriguez

JUNE PROGRAM

I’m excited that we will have a guest speaker for our June 6 meeting.  Liza Faust, owner of The English Street Quilter will give a program on color.  She will show us how color plays an important part in our quilts.  How we place a color in a block or quilt can change the whole look of our project.  I’m sure we will pick up some great tips.  Bring your friends and come join us!

Shirley Lewis

TREASURER’S REPORT

Beginning balance … 1594.39
Ending balance … 1594.39

MINUTES

• With 17 members and 1 visitor present, Marty called the meeting to order at 7 PM.
• The minutes were approved as printed in the newsletter and filed for audit.
• Grace Norris reported the balance in our account is $1,594.39 with no activity since last month.
• We have one birthday in May, and Sue chose her fat quarter. Marty also reported that Barbara Burnaugh’s birthday is July 31st and it is not listed in the membership roll.
• Michelle reminded everyone to send in their articles for the newsletter before the 10th of the month and also announced the workshop date has been set for July 9th. We will use the pattern “Around the Corner” by Heather Mulder Peterson and $8.50 for the pattern will be due at sign-up. We will also have a potluck lunch that day.
• The Block of the Month drawing was won by Elisabeth.
• Door Prizes were won by Michelle, Sue, and Margaret.
• Nancy and Joan brought quilts to show.
• There being no business tonight, Shirley announced that next month our program will be brought by Liza Faust and will be color placement within our quilts. Shirley then introduced San Winover of Two Sisters Quilting who brought our program on templates for making the X-block, twisting pinwheels, and a non-traditional block.

Sue Heard

JUNE BLOCK PARTY

Pattern in on page 3 of the newsletter.

RETREAT

We had a great time at our Spring Retreat!  Eleven of us went and sewed, shopped, ate and had lots of fun!  Our next retreat has been set for October 28th – 30th, 2011.  We will be going back to Victorian House Retreat in Weatherford.  The cost is $40 per night plus tax, which makes it $85.60 for the weekend.  If you are interested in going, please give me your deposit of $40 at our June Guild meeting.  Space is limited to 12 people.

Michelle Rodriguez

Get the latest newsletter on PDF by clicking the image above.

(If you don’t have Acrobat Reader installed, you can download it here.)

NEXT MEETING: MAY 2, 2011

DOOR PRIZES: If your last name begins with S, V or A please bring a door prize to the September meeting and give it to Jeri Bush This is a voluntary effort, but most of us like to receive a door prize and we hope everyone will participate. Please bring only quilting related items such as: Quilting Notions, fat quarters, triangle paper, magnetic pin holders, scissors, Pigma pens, etc.

WHAT TO BRING TO THE MEETING

• Name tag
• Door prizes for S, V or A
• Block party block and Just One Star Block
• Show-and-Tell

PRESIDENT’S CORNER

Marty Staten

BIRTHDAYS

Sue Heard … May 16

WORKSHOPS

Our next workshop will be on Saturday, July 9th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church.  We will be working on the pattern by Heather Mulder Peterson called “Around the Corner”.  If you are interested in participating in the workshop, I will have a sign up sheet available at the May meeting.  The cost of the pattern is $8.50 and you’ll need to pay me when you sign up.

We’ll plan to have a potluck lunch that day, as well.

Michelle Rodriguez

SYLVIA’S BRIDAL SAMPLER

The blocks for the next meeting (May 25th) are Children’s Delight, Grandmother’s Flower Garden, Crow’s Foot. Even if you are not doing Sylvia’s Quilt, you can still come to the stitch group and do bindings, other hand work or another project that you are working on. We meet the 4th Monday of each month from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Woods United Methodist Church on Bardin Road (just west of Robinson).

Michelle Rodriguez

MAY PROGRAM

I’m excited to announce that our guest speaker for the May 2 program is Sam Winover from Two Sisters Quilting. Her program will be “Templates, A Quilter’s Best Friend”. It will be a show and tell and how to for several projects. She will bring products and fabrics to sell, so bring $$ in case you see something you can’t live without! She plans to have special pricing for us.

Sam is owner of an online quilt shop – check it out at www.twosistersquilting.com. She travels to most of the quilt shows and you may have seen her at one of the shows.

Bring your friends and join us May 2.

Shirley Lewis

TREASURER’S REPORT

Beginning balance … 1594.39
Ending balance … 1594.39

MINUTES

• The meeting was called to order by President Marty Staten at 7 PM with 16 members present.
• The minutes of the March meeting were approved as printed in the newsletter.
• The treasurer’s report shows we have a balance of $1,594.39 with no activity this month.
• We have one birthday this month – Elisabeth – who picked her fat quarter.
• Michelle reported that we will be having another workshop but the date is not set at this time. Michelle also announced that there are 2 spaces now available for the retreat. Anyone who wants to go should give her the $40 deposit immediately. Michelle collected the star blocks which she challenged us last month to make for the quilts for veterans and announced we turned in 32 blocks.
• Door Prizes were won by Jane, Carol, and Elisabeth.
• Several members brought show & tell. Those sharing were Nancy, Barbara, Janis, Margaret, and Marty.
• Our program next month will be brought by Sam Winover from Two Sisters Quilting. The program will be ‘Templates – A Quilter’s Best Friend’. She will also have products for sale at a special guild price including bolt ends for $6 a yard.
• Shirley brought a very interesting program on Feed Sacks and Feed Sack Quilts.
• Meeting Adjourned.

Sue Heard

MAY BLOCK PARTY

Pattern was not available at press time.

RETREAT

We have had a couple of spots become available for our retreat on May 13th – 15th.  If you are interested in going, I need your $40 deposit absolutely no later than the guild meeting on May 2nd.  The cost for the weekend is $40 per night plus tax plus your food.  We always have a great weekend of sewing, eating, and shopping!

Michelle Rodriguez

MODA CHALLENGE

Thanks to everyone who turned in blocks for the Just One Star Moda Challenge.  We collected 33 blocks for Moda to make into quilts for soldiers.  Each quilt takes 18 blocks, so we had enough for almost 2 quilts.  Also, thanks to Marty for donating the postage to send the blocks to Moda.

Michelle Rodriguez