potluck social a success!!

It was so nice to see the thoughtful display of samples for the coming year’s classes at our social this week.

I was pleased to see that the class signup sheets were filling up .

I had 4 new members sitting at my table and I hope we didn’t overwhelm them with too much information. I took them downstairs to our library and showed them what a wonderful collection we have.

things to remember……although you might not wish to participate in a particular demo class on Thurs nights, you are always welcome to come and stitch for the evening, have a cuppa tea and check out the library.

You must reserve your spot in the Sat workshops with payment prior to the class.

The supply lists for all classes will be posted in the monthly bulletin, but if you miss the meeting, any of the teachers would be glad to email a list to you.

The quilt Bee sessions on Tuesdays from 10-1:00 are a great way to get aquainted with your fellow guild members. Bring a snack or bag lunch and plan to stay for the whole session. This is also a great time to sandwich quilts, check library books or ask for help.

September Activities

The pages in the list on the right have all been edited and brought up to date.
If you’re traveling , there are a number of BC quilt shows this fall.

Thurs Sept 10th
meeting for Fiber Speak, bring show and tell, lots of things to discuss about quilt art and surface design.

Sat Sept 12th
a community workbee for charity quilt. Please read you email for instructions about single stand alone blocks to be made for Olive Devaud care home.

Thurs Sept 17th
Social and Pot Luck – Program introductions
Note start time is 6:30 and menu is appetizers, salads, or desserts or sweets.
Everyone is welcome to view the class samples, the library, visit with old and new friends, and get to know your committees and executive.

This is your chance to sign up for car pooling to Hands Across The Water, and reserve you space in class with your fee payment.

Looking forward to seeing everyone there.

Our Guild Challenges

Our guild has had an annual challenge for many years. We have voted that these would be non competitive , and therefore there is no judgeing or voting. They are just for your growth and fun.
This year’s challenge might seem very easy, simple, and a non challenge , But what if you used just those colours in your paint chip to make a monochromatic quilt?
What happens when you look at a colour wheel and pick the one color opposite to your paint chip and combine the 2?
What happens when you pick the tertiary colors to your paint chip?

If you would like the chance to be the devisor of the next challenge for our quilt show in 2011, then you must do this year’s challenge to be eligible.
I picked a paint chip that could look like tree roots, arbutus bark,caramel or butterscotch, rocks, or leather. Now I just have to narrow it down and design.

Hands Across the Water event

This event is being hosted by the Schoolhouse quilters of the Comox valley.  For information on the Theme, Fat Quarter Draw, Block Pattern, Quilt Challenge, How to get there  and much more, read more in their online brochure.

The deadline for signing up is past , but you can contact the host guild and ask to be placed on the waiting list. Our members who signed up have had their names submitted so that name tags can be made.  If you’ve already signed up and paid – do not worry about anything else.   If you are a new member and wish to go on the wait list – go to:  here

There will be approx 200 people attending – so it is impossible for the host guild to pick everyone up at the ferry.  We will be carpooling – so please look for the signup sheet at our social eve on September 17.

Terrific meeting!

My congratulations to everyone who made the meeting a success,gave thoughtful reports, reved up enthusiasm for some community events, or volunteered.
We now have a raffle committee of 2 members. They are going to be looking for patterns and designs for our next group projects. If you have any suggestions, I’m sure that they would like to hear from you.

We finally have some dates for Sat. workbees from the soccer club.
Sat Sept 12th- Community quilts. Sherrill will be contacting everyone via email to describe the plans.
Our guest teacher Eileen Neil will be here on Oct 24th and 25th.
Mark your calendars and bring your $$ to pay for the classes.

Make sure that you check the time for our PotLuck Social.
Sept 17th thurs
Set-up of tables and displays at 5:30
eating ( of course) and visiting at 6:30
then the presentations by teachers , and questions answered about supply lists.
All new members are welcome to check out the library and your questions are welcome on any topic.

If you are interested in Art quilts and alternate /funky art products to use in your work, please come to the Fiber Speak meeting next Thurs ( always the 2nd thurs eve of each month.)

But I’m NOT ready-eek!

oh my – here it is 2 days until the first fall meeting.
Guess you can tell that the bloggers on this site have been busy elsewhere.
So – leaping in…………
Sept Business meeting 7:00 PM Thurs the 3rd at the soccer club.
don’t forget your name tags, as we all try to remember new names and names of old friends as well.
We all love Show and Tell – and it doesn’t have to be a quilt top, just bring a new book, some inspiration from your summer travels, or tell about a special trip to textile or fiber summer school classes.

You have received an email to renew your membership ASAP. You might recall that a membership list was so difficult to coordinate last year and we hope that prompt payment of dues will enable a membership list to be available so much sooner.

Membership lists are not shared with other groups , but it is nice to be able to call a new friend for playdates, arrange rides, easily arrange meetings of committees and
advise of meeting changes.

summertiiiiimeee

and the living is eeeaasssssssssy.
What a stupid bunch of lyrics – the living is certainly not easy when you’re up to your hips in alligators. There’s too much garden produce and the housework suffers. Either we’re complaining about the heat or we’re complaining that it’s too wet to harvest vegetables and everything is rotting or spoiling. But on a cheerier note………
Art in the Park is just one week ahead.
I was seriously concerned about participation this year as no one had stepped forward to coordinate a guild display.
I’m pleased to say that the FiberSpeak group will be setting up and manning the display with some hands on demos. I will setup an info area for new members and newcomers to our community. Please come out and spend a hour chatting with the public about this artform we all love.

And on another cheery note – there’s only 3 weeks until our first Sept meeting.I always feel that the year starts in Sept. – off to a fresh start, renewed interest, and the chance to catchup on everyone’s news and photos.
In the next 3 weeks , I hope that there will be some dusting and housekeeping here on the blog and we will bring you up to date on what’s planned for the fall.
Hope you drop back again often.
Nina

Hurrah! full program committee

Yes, we now have a full committee of 6 – but that doesn’t mean the rest of us can just sit back and wait to see what they propose for the program schedule in Sept.
They need some imput.
What do you want to explore next year?
what did you enjoy last year? do you want more videos, Block of the Month, exchanges like the cookie tin round robin, or a row by row round robin?

Do you have a short 1/2 hour to 1 hour demo that would interest the group, for Thurs nights?
Do you have some ideas for our Sat workshops? Can you teach that class?
I would like to see us explore some areas that we’ve not covered for a decade or so , and it might be of interest to some of our newer members.
There’s several books in the library that I’ve thought would make excellent classes, so I will be attending the meeting on the 9th of July.
Put your thinking caps on and then send an email to Jennie or Gay with your ideas.

This is also the time to bring forward any problems that you feel need to be addressed to make the program run smoothly.

Information arising from the June Meeting

Did you miss the meeting and want to know what is going on?

June 18 – Year End Wrap Up.    Bring your favourite Pot-Luck dish at 6:30.    A reminder that the Brown Bag Swap is due.  Be sure to bring yours, and see what your brown bag has in store for you.

June 20 – Wimpy All-Nighter.  For those of you who may not know what this is, it is our Year-End Wrap Up Class.  It starts at 9:30 am, and goes until the last quilter stops sewing (usually about 9:00pm, or sooner for some).    Bring your own lunch (or duck away to one of the stores nearby), and $5 for pizza that evening for supper.   For more info contact Kathy, or Gay. Kathy O. is facilitating the class “Take 5″ – take 5 minutes, choose 5 fabrics and in 5 hours you will have a quilt 64″ x 76″ .  There is a $5 fee.  The supplies required are:

.5 yards of five different/coordinating fabrics for the quilt top
1/2 yards for the inner border
11/4 yards for the outer border
Approx 3/4 yard fro  binding
4 yards for the back
Batting – 70″ x 82″
Sewing Machine and usual sewing notions – New Rottary CUtter blade
Display Wall
You should be able to sandwich and quilt this the same day, so don’t forger to bring the batting and backing.

Hands Across Water registration deadline is looming.  Fees are due at the end of the month, but should be paid to Jeannette W. at the year end wrap up.  Schoolhouse Quilters of Courtenay/Comox will be the hosts, and they have information at their website.  It is a couple weeks early this year, on October 3.

Some other activities coming up:

Sea Far Artist Pavilion – something new this year.

Studio Tour – August 22-23, 2009 – I would have liked to have seen the TQG invovled in this.  Wouldn’t it be great to have an Open House, and show the community what we do, and what we are all about.  Perhaps someone would like to volunteer to organize?

Art in the Park – August 15-16, 2009.  – We’ve been involved with this for the last few years.  A great opportunity to meet visitors to our community as well as community members, and show and tell them what we are all about!

If I have forgotten something, please feel free to leave a comment, and I’ll add the information.

Thanks a bunch!

-Alice

What makes a good guild?

When I ponder what I gain from my membership in the guild , I believe that I value our program and group activities the most.

And who can have a program of activities without a strong and dynamic planning committee for the program?

Yes! the program committee is the most important of all the volunteer positions in a guild. They not only plan the program for the year , but they promote the teachers, the extra activities, group projects, plan the calendar, and ensure that the Sat workshops or the demonstration evenings run smoothly, checking that supply lists are available, doors are open, equipment is available, and people are happy and enjoy their experience.

The program committee is not a group that meets for a few summertime evenings and is finished – No! they work hard all year to make your guild a very valuble learning center.

Now tonight at our AGM, it was disappointing to see that there are only 4 of the 6 positions on this committee filled. If you did not step forward to help – then what sort of complaining will we hear from you next year when there are gaps in the program schedule and you are not happy with the classes, activities or workshops ?

Did you come forward with ideas, offers to teach, offers to demonstrate a new technique, offers to assist at a workbee, or coordinate something like Hands Across the Water. Every activity requires helping hands, and the Program committee needs YOU!
Call Gay D if you are willing to step up and assist.

While I’m on a rant – it appears that apathy will also close our library. The books do not reappear on the shelf by themselves, the new books do not get cataloged by themselves and they don’t get purchased by themselves. The doors will be locked and the ability to borrow from such a vast collection will cease. We have close to 400 books. We need at least 2 volunteers to spend several hours a month doing housekeeping chores in the library area. I’ve written a 4-5 page set of guidelines and they are available to get you started, so there is no reason for you to say you don’t know what is involved with the job.
Gail W. would be glad to hear from you.