January 8 meeting reminder

Happy New Year, everyone! We are so lucky to have an early start to our program year with Vicki showing us some new ideas for veterans quilts! Also, if you signed up for postcard ugly fabric challenge, get them mailed, and recipients, please bring them in to show. I am so looking forward to seeing y’all. I plan to bring “Our Community” quilt in for your autographs. We’re also planning to give WHEAT donations. And, of course, show and tell. Hope you can join the fun, January 8th. 7:00pm.

December surprise!

What?! You mean besides the foot of snow?! Yes! I was notified that the December 1st drawing for the raffle quilt we made “Our Community” was my lucky ticket! I am so thrilled, I can hardly believe it. I have been purchasing quilt raffle tickets ever since I began seriously quilting 25 years ago, and have never had the lucky ticket. I am sure that I have found my rightful place here in our community!

I hope that if you were a maker you will sign it for me in January, as I’d like to fully document this beautiful quilt!

With much gratitude,
Marcy

cancelling December meeting

No meeting due to weather! Cathy Williams has told us we can bring WHEAT donations to the January meeting. Everyone stay safe as we experience winter weather! Wishing everyone a joyous holiday season with family and loved ones.

WHEAT Donations and Program Ideas

Vicki here......
 I think that most of us get blog post notifications via email and I've just figured out that Blogger no longer sends that email for scheduled posts, which is most of what I do. I've done 2 posts recently and, in case you missed them, here are the links:

Information about donations for WHEAT at the December meeting

Program ideas post

Just so the post can have a photo here's a veterans quilt top that I finished just an hour ago!

WHEAT Food/Supplies Drive at the December Meeting

WHEAT Food Drive: Each December we donate a car load full of food to WHEAT.  They operate a bi-monthly food pantry in coordination with several area churches and serve about 80 families each month. Everything they do is to help people in need in our own community. If you want to support WHEAT you can bring items from the following list or a donation check/cash to give to Cathy Williams at the meeting Tuesday.

WHEAT is in the business of providing for families. Please, if you hear about a family that needs assistance in Western Hanover County, please tell them about WHEAT. We are waiting to help with our 24-hour hotline, West Hanover Men’s Wood Ministry and our twice monthly Open Pantry. Our hotline can give information on all of these. Hotline number is 1-877-559-4328. 

The WHEAT Pantry is low in stock so they need all the basics!
WHEAT Needs:

• Cereal, oatmeal, pancake mix w/syrup, sugar free also needed
• 1 lb bags of dried beans, rice or noodles. They can break down very large bags if you want to buy in bulk
• Small jars of peanut butter and jelly
• Spaghetti sauce
• Canned soups or mixes
• Canned meats: tuna, chicken, potted meat, sardines
• Canned vegetables
• Canned fruit, including low sugar and sugar free
• Canned beans, any kind
• Coffee and tea
• One-dish meals - Brunswick stew, hamburger helper, etc
• Boxes of mac and cheese
• Pouches of dried milk
• Hygiene products: soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, bandaids, razors, wash cloths, hand towels, combs, deodorant
• MONEY to buy perishable foods
• Gift cards to grocery stores

The also like to get household items such as:

• Bleach spray
• Comet
• Liquid dishwashing soap
• Scrub pads
• Dish cloths and dish towels
• Toilet paper
• Paper towels
• Tissues
• Wipes
• Small boxes of plastic zip containers for food storage
• Foil
• Waxed paper
• Plastic wrap
• Clothes washing detergent

If you belong to another organization that wants to also have a food drive please talk to Cathy Williams at the meeting or get her number off of the membership list. She is the Open Pantry Coordinator.

Sewing Days are this week - Dec 7 & 8 plus more....

Quick reminder, Friday and Saturday are sewing days! If you are feeling a bit "crunched" with how close the holidays are already, come and laugh and sew with us. No regrets, we promise!!

And, our club meeting is coming up, too -- Next Tuesday, December 11th. Bring a dish to share! We'll be starting the dinner at 6:30, so plan to come a little earlier than usual. We will have an opportunity for sharing "ugly fabric" for our postcard exchange (a 10" square will do it, and we have some left from November, in case you forget).

Show and tell, and please bring something to share with W.H..E.A.T.!! A list of items most needed will be posted this week.

Thanks, all, and hope to see everyone in a few days!
Marcy

Program Ideas

This is Vicki coming to you today.

As we approach Thanksgiving, one of the things I'm thankful for is this group. I joined 20 years ago this year. I came from a very large guild in Tidewater where I never felt part of anything to this little group near my new home where I was welcomed and embraced immediately. Country School is the only organization that I've remained part of since I moved here.

There are two things that make Country School Quilters really special. The first is NO DRAMA. We had a drama phase several years ago and once that was over I think we all tacitly agreed that we would never allow that again and that has, thankfully, held. The other thing that makes CSQ special is the varied talent of our members. I learn something every month that I attend because there's always someone doing something that I haven't tried or haven't even seen before. Today I want to encourage you to get more involved and consider doing a program for the group.

So too follow up on Marcy's post yesterday I thought I'd offer some ideas that might get you started on a program idea that you could do. We have so many members now that if every member volunteered to take responsibility for 1 program we would have programs for at least 3 years!

My program in January will be some ideas for veterans quilts. It's not anything special that I have to put together because I've already been working on some veterans quilt ideas to help me deal with the massive amounts of scrap and stash fabric that I have.

I'm finishing up an Indonesian batik quilt and I had a lot of scraps from these expensive fabrics. I din't want them to go to waste so I decided to design a veterans quilt to use them up. So my program for January is really nothing more than show-and-tell for what I'm doing in December. Programs do not have to be difficult or require a lot of time. 

Don't let the idea of doing a program scare you. We are a friendly bunch and are grateful for you to share more about what you are interested in or working on at the moment. But if you are nervous, consider teaming up with your quilt buddy and doing a program together. Also, remember they don't have to last a long time. Just 20 - 30 minutes is great!

Here are a few questions/ideas to get you thinking:

• Do you use a lot of specialty rulers that you could demo how to use?
• Is there a gift item that you have made that you would like to demo?
• Are you a new member with lots of quilts? We would love a trunk show. Rita did this for us a few months ago and it was fantastic.
• Do you make a lot of scrap quilts? We would all love your ideas for taking scraps.
• Are you or do you know a physical therapist that might talk to us about quilting injuries and exercises?
• Have you researched different types of batting? 
• Do you specialize in a technique that you would like to share? EPP, trapunto, foundation piecing, writing on quilts, hand quilting.....
• Is your sewing room amazingly organized? Maybe you could share some tips with us.
• Would you like to host a BOM, challenge or other group project? 
• Do you know someone who could do a program? We are in a situation where we could possibly pay for a program if the group agrees.
• Do you work with a local organization that takes donated quilts? Maybe they could come speak to us about that the do, what kind of support they need and how they use quilts.

There are tons of ideas and I know that we have amazing talent in our group. I hope you will consider sharing your talent with us!

Program Notes in the season of Thanksgiving!

It's been so much fun to be a part of our programs this year because of YOU ALL! Thank you to Becky B., Debbie Q., Denise Z., Diane L., Estelle P, Laura H., Margaret G., Rita G.,  who have brought us interesting and wonderful new ideas in the form of a program! And, of course, thank you to everyone who has enthusiastically welcomed and embraced each of our courageous partners willing to share their passion for the craft and the art of quilting! This is truly a talented and giving group! I have learned so much from each discussion, and I know I am not alone!

And, as the end of this year approaches and a new year starts to unfold, I want to ask each of you to consider being a part of 2019 programs for our quilt club! I want to approach 2019 differently.... Instead of asking the group what do we want to hear about, I want us as individuals to think about what do we want to share about? If you have passion & excitement, or fear and loathing of a particular technique, I would betcha you would find willing support within this group of us!

So, I have already heard from 2 people who have come forward to say they are willing to do a specific program next year -- thank you, thank you to Vicki & Miriam. Now, I only need a few more of us. Please let me know with a phone call or an email or a text telling me your topic and a preference for a date, remembering we do have potlucks 2 times a year, Trash to Treasures in Sept or Oct, and that we plan to have our big "quilt show in Montpelier" in Sep & Oct. What do YOU want to share?

Jan. 8 -- Vicki "Three Easy Veterans Quilt Patterns"

Miriam - date TBD - "Beautiful strips" (I've taken liberty to title this, but have already been inspired by Miriam's "strip" topic)

Marcy - date TBD - "Love, & Fear & Loathing of  __X____" (what I do when intimidated by a technique - find another way!)

Here are dates to consider and claim as yours.....

Feb.12  Mar. 12  Apr. 9  May 14  Jun. 11  July 9   Aug. 13   Sept. 10   Oct. 8  Nov. 12   Dec. 10

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Correction:Upcoming events - November & December

It always seems that the fall months are very crowded with events, but I do look forward to these next 2 months with our group:

Correction: December sewing days are Dec. 7th & 8th

November 9 & 10th we have the opportunity for "sewing days" at the Hanover Parks & Rec center in Montpelier. Come and sew anytime on Friday &/or Saturday! Work on whatever makes you happy, because it truly is amazing how much you can get done with all the cheerleading we all get from one another!

November 13th we have our regular monthly meeting, and we're asking everyone to bring a newly found tool or gadget or technique that you are presently enjoying. Hopefully, this means lots of show and tell to accompany the topics! Denise Z. will lead us in this group activity; please show her lots of support by bringing something to share. Thanks, Denise!

Also at the November meeting, plan to participate in our last "group challenge" by bringing your 10" square of ugly fabric and a 3 x 5 card with your name and address on it. For those participating, you will draw someone else's name and make a postcard using the ugly fabric you pick to be sent in time for our January 8th meeting!

On December 11th, we will have our annual potluck holiday festivities. Plan to join us, and share an old or new holiday tradition with good food and lots of joy. We also intend to support WHEAT, and so canned goods or cleaning products are welcomed as contributions for those in need in our community. If you haven't had a chance, you can still join in the postcard ugly fabric challenge!

On December 14th & 15th, our last sewing days of 2018 could provide some needed respite from the hubub of the holidays, or maybe just give us a chance to make one item to get in the mail before the end of the year????

Start thinking about programs for 2019! What would YOU like to see or hear about? Feel free to send an email or ideas to marcyg2009@gmail.com.

Sewing

Just a reminder that CSQ follows Hanover County Schools closing policy. In the event of bad weather and the schools are closed we do NOT meet. If in doubt, check to see if schools are open. Hopefully, Michael will pass over us without complications.

October is here! Event reminders

Cooler temps and less humidity, and seemingly lots of quilt-related shows (Fredricksburg and Virginia Beach): what can be better than this! In our own backyard, our quilt club meets next week, Tuesday, October 9th. For our program, Estelle will share some of her considerable knowledge about using paints with fabric. You won't want to miss this one! And, of course, our show and tell is always the best, with, hopefully, some cool observations or purchases at these larger show events. For those folks available, on Friday, October 12th and Saturday, October 13th, sewing days will give a chance for more visiting and sharing. Usually between 9 am and 3-4 pm you can find camaraderie and fun at our Hanover Parks and Recreation space. Happy quilting....

Veteran Quilt Display

CSQ appreciate the opportunity to display quilts made for veterans in the library hallway at The Montpelier Center for Art & Education. We try to change the exhibit every couple of months. These two went up today. Thanks to everyone who keeps the project going - piecing quilts, machine quilting, binding and delivering to the V.A. Hospital in Richmond.  We've been doing it for several years and even though we haven't kept a total count, I'm sure it's in the hundreds. Our way of thanking our veterans, one quilt at a time.

Sept 7 & 8

REMINDER: Sewing this Friday & Saturday. Bring your sewing and lunch and plan on having a good time sewing and visiting with friends.

Correction: Sept. Sewing Days 9/7 & 9/8

Thanks for letting me know of my error!! See everyone sooner than I thought! Yippee!

Upcoming Events

(1) Idyll or Ideal Challenge September 11 club meeting
Bring your project, finished or not, and share with us about your process and your quilt.

(2) Trash to Treasures September 11 club meeting program. Contribute items you no
longer need — quilt-related (fabric/tools), wrapped baked goods, canned garden goods, any-
thing someone else might need. A silent auction will find these items a new home, and the club
will raise funding for batting and backing for our veterans quilts.

(3) September Sewing Days - Friday, September 14 and Saturday, September 15.

(4) October program— October 9th —Estelle P. will share with us an “Exploration of Paintsticks”, another tool for our tool chests.

(5) October Sewing Days - Friday, October 12 and Saturday, October 13.

Hope you can join in for some or all... see you soon.
Marcy George

August 17 & 18

REMINDER - our sewing days this month are August 17 & 18th.

August Program reminder 8/14

Lisa Adams is our guest speaker for August Quilt Club Program:
“Something Old, Something New Again”. 
Lisa has a love for Civil War quilts, finding old fabrics or partial tops, re-purposing and adding to them with newer reproduction fabrics. She will show us some of her finds and her finished products. Hoping all who are in town can attend. (I am assisting my parents at the moment, so will miss, but I hope we can give Lisa a hearty welcome and a lovely evening.) Hope to see everyone soon.-Marcy

Missing Blocks

Thank you to everyone who made red/white/blue blocks and brought them to the July meeting.  For the past week I've been going nuts because I can't find the blocks. I remember stacking them up on the table at the end of the room - did I bring them home? Were they placed in our cabinet? Did someone else take them home? There was a lot going on that night and I'm hoping someone else has the blocks.

The directions for the blocks can be found Here

Quilts on Display

For several years we have filled the hallway to the Library at the Montpelier Center with a couple of quilts that will be given to veterans. We like to change the quilts every couple of months or so, and just hung these on Saturday. I don't get the best pictures in this short space by the door, so I've included close-ups so you can get some details of these great quilts.

 

Note to Calendar! August Sewing Days move to 3rd Friday/Sat

Thanks to everyone able to join us for our summer potluck! Such fun! To those on vacation, or with conflicting meetings - YOU WERE MISSED!

Pokey provided us with an alert from the Hanover County folks -- they are having a childrens' day camp during our usual 2nd Fri/Sat timeframe in August, and have provided us with with the following Friday/Saturday, so our new schedule for August:

Meeting date (regular) - August 14th, 7 pm

Friday/Saturday sewing days (NEW) - August 17th/18th

Hope to see many of you there..... another reminder will come out, closer to the dates.... Marcy

Donations for WHEAT

At the June meeting we discussed having another drive for donations for WHEAT. Cathy Williams suggested that for the summer we could bring either food items or household supplies. Here's the list of items that they need:


Any canned good, package of noodles, canned spaghetti sauce, bags of beans and rice, i.e. any staple food item
Bleach
Bleach spray
Comet
Liquid dishwashing soap
Scrub pads
Dish cloths and dish towels
Toilet paper
Paper towels
Tissues
Wipes
Razors
Small boxes of plastic zip containers for food storage
Foil
Waxed paper
Plastic wrap
Clothes washing detergent
Gift cards and cash

July Potluck July 10th - Note: we start at 6:30 pm

Did July just sneak up on me, yes, absolutely!! Thank goodness, I have spent a good bit of time today sewing, yippee. Our get-together on July 10th will allow us to feast together, and maybe share with WHEAT. Yes, for those who might have missed this, we decided that we can bring donations for our neighbors as well as feeding ourselves. I do believe that Cathy has a list of most needed items, but I cannot remember who has that...whoever might, please post for us. For our feasting, please bring a dish for 6-8. If you can bring something to drink, please let me know via phone or email. I hope that many of us can gather for this fun evening, and for sewing days on July 13 & 14th. (I will be away for sewing days, but am already gathering some handwork to take with me to New Hampshire.) In the meantime, stay cool and happy sewing.

July Block of the Month

 Block should measure 9 1/2" to make a 9" finished size block.

It's been awhile since we had a Block of the Month, so I thought July would be a good month to make patriotic blocks (red white blue) for a veteran quilt. The pattern is easy and you make two blocks which may give us enough to make two quilts.  The more the better, right?

The illustration is meant to show color placement - you can use solids or prints, and your white can be any shade of white, your choice.  What is important is the size of the finished block, so before you add those last two strips, measure your block and make the last two strips wider if necessary. It's okay if your block is a little bigger than 9 1/2"  -  we can trim it.

Directions:

Cut 2 squares 3 1/2"  - one white, one blue

Cut all strips 2-1/2"

Begin sewing at the square, adding strips around 2 sides of the square. Don't worry about the placement of your seams - it doesn't matter. 

Deadline?  There is no deadline!  Have fun!

🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽

Reminder-6/19 we meet!

Due to voting last week, we moved to 3rd Tuesday in June! Please join us for a fun program on Wool appliqué with Diane Lutton leading us. Diane asks that if you have Wool appliqué projects you have done , bring them for additional sharing. She plans to show us how easy she found the process, and thanks to Estelle, we’ll each get a little patch to work our own magic!
Look forward to seeing everyone!
Marcy

W.H.E.A.T. Raffle Quilt

Here's a photo of the raffle quilt made by CSQ and given to W.H.E.A.T.

Some of our newer members may not have seen the quilt and may want to buy a raffle ticket. The picture doesn't show the details of all the buildings that represent our community. Maybe Cathy will bring it to our July meeting.

Friday & Saturday Sewing

Bring your sewing and lunch to sew together this Friday and Saturday.

June 8 & 9.

We have irons, ironing boards, cutting mats and big tables!

 

Stop by for a visit if you can't stay and sew.
 

💮💮💮💮💮💮💮

Message from Cathy Williams

Cathy Williams handles the raffle of the quilt that we make for WHEAT. For new members, WHEAT is a local organization that provides a food pantry and emergency services to residents in Western Hanover. We make a quilt for them every couple of years that they raffle for a fundraiser. Cathy takes this quilts to any organization that will welcome her to sell raffle tickets.

Cathy is in a "dry spell" and is looking for women's clubs, book clubs or other organization that would like to share the opportunity to purchase tickets for the quilt. She can loan you the quilt for a visit to your club or venue and, schedule permitting, can come with the quilt.

Please reference your member list for Cathy's contact information or email her using the username southannariver on gmail.

upcoming excitement! NOTE: change in date!

Hoping that everyone is preparing for a meaningful Memorial Day Weekend! This is a reminder that we have a change in date for our June meeting: JUNE 19th!! (This is due to the building needs as a voting arena on our regularly scheduled date.) Our regular sewing days are still set for June 8th & 9th.

Diane Lutton is planning a hands-on program on June 19th with "Wool Applique - It's Easier Than You Think!" We'll provide more details as we get closer, but if you have one of those lovely little kits that you purchased at a quilt show and never opened, or you have wool pieces you would like to work with, start digging through your stash to find them....How's this for a heads up?! Haha....

May Program 5/8 & sewing days

It is May Day, a beautiful time in our spring. We have a beautiful program coming up, Tuesday, May 8th, when Rita Galaska will share some of her treasured quilts! Lucky us, I can hardly wait for what I know will be an inspiring evening. And, of course, the following Friday and Saturday should be great fun as we participate in our sewing days this month.

I do hope that some of us are percolating ideas for our “Idyll” or “Ideal” challenge. We have the summertime to work this challenge, with the sharing of our efforts slated for the fall. And, thinking ahead, be looking for your “ugly fabric(s)”, as we will use them as the basis for a next challenge! More to come on that, but won’t that be fun!?

Gotta go water my garden, and think about all things quilts!!
See you soon,
Marcy

VA Quilt Museum Tea in Richmond May 6

From Elsa:

• Sunday, May 6, 2018
• 1:00 PM 3:00 PM

Enjoy a luncheon/tea at the Westin Hotel in Richmond, Virginia on Sunday May 6, 2018 at 1PM.  The program entitled "I Live in a Closet, What Will Happen to Me?" will be presented by the Virginia Quilt Museum Curator, Gloria Comstock.  Enjoy not only the program, but view the numerous educational quilts on display.  Being family or friends, give as a Mothers Day gift or treat yourself to this enjoyable afternoon of quilt information. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased by calling the Museum.  540-433-3818 You can also send a check payable to Virginia Quilt Museum at 301 South Main Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22801.  Please include a note that it is for the Spring Tea.Virginia Quilt Museum, 301 South Main Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22801

April Program on the 10th, Friday/Saturday sewing days April 13th & 14th

Despite seeing goldfinches in my yard, the weather folks predict possible SNOW this weekend?! Yikes! Thank goodness we have a fun program to look forward to on Tuesday, April 10th. By popular demand, we are covering 4 topics -- English Paper Piecing, Pattern Designing, Applique, and Foundation Paper Piecing. These will be brief presentations by willing discussion leaders (probably 15 minutes each), and you can choose 2 topics to attend. I also was told by each of the leaders that if there is interest, a more hands-on coverage of these topics can be held at an agreed-upon "sewing day", so make your wishes known!! We are so lucky to have so much talent and generosity among us.

Since our next sewing days will be the following Friday and Saturday, we can certainly discuss some future scheduling, while the ideas are fresh in our minds. Also, thanks to so many contributions of blocks for BINGO, let's figure out how to divide these blocks among us and get some Veterans Quilts working. (I think I counted close to 50 blocks provided!)

Looking forward to seeing everyone Tuesday!
Marcy

Virginia Quilt Museum

Hi Marcy,

Could you post on the blog and/or Facebook that we need volunteers to docent at the VQM on March 31, June 30 and September 29, 2018.    
Members can contact me,

Also, I’ve attached information about current exhibit and upcoming events.

Thanks,

Elsa Brooks

Sent from my iPhone.  Please excuse any typos.

Begin forwarded message:

From: Virginia Quilt Museum <vqm.events@gmail.com>
Date: March 24, 2018 at 10:00:24 AM EDT
To: ebquilts@aol.com
Subject: VQM April News & Notes
Reply-To: vqm.events@gmail.com

The Virginia Quilt Museum  Celebrating and Nurturing Virginia's Quilting Heritage   April 2018 News and Notes Visit these exquisite exhibits and attend the Hollis Chatelain event on April 7. Current Exhibits Opening February 20, 2018                       Exhibit I (Feb 20 - May 12) Hollis Chatelain - Stories of West Africa This is the debut exhibition of art quilts created from Hollis's drawings included in her coloring book - adaptations of photographs she took while living in West Africa - that expresses her feelings and impressions of the West African people, telling a story of strength through family and community.  The textile medium suggests an intimacy and softness, underscoring the people's sparkle and joy. African American Quilters: Stitching our Stories in New & Traditional Expressions curated by Wilma Gerald When Africans were brought to this country, their inherent knowledge of piecing, appliqué, embroidery, and weaving came with them.  Enslaved women made quilts for utility, while some chronicled their struggles and triumphs.  Quilts as vehicles of artistic expression thrive still.  Quiltmakers of African descent draw on their history and experiences in this selection. African Textiles curated by Paula Golden This exhibit explores the textiles of Africa and represents the beautiful diversity of design, culture, and history present in the woven, dyed, and printed fabrics. Treasures From the Vault:  Itty Bitty Pieces of Paper curated by Gloria Comstock On occasion, VQM accessions quilts are accompanied by pieces of paper with notes about their makers and families.  These quilts, and their stories, will be on display. Wrapped in History - The Search for Virginia Quilts and Quiltmakers: The Jenny and David Powers Collection curated by Pam Pampe Jenny and Dave Powers descend from Valley families that are passionate about preserving the past. Their love for quilts made in the Valley is represented in this exhibit. Names, locations, and provenance on the pieces make this collection unique.  UPCOMING EVENTS!  Mark your calendars and share with others! April 4- Stash Blast, a Fabric Flea Market in Harrisonburg, 9 AM-1 PM.   Asbury Methodist Church, next door to the Museum.  Come build up your stash and support the VQM!  Yardage, precuts, scraps and fabrics of different sizes and designs will be available for you to select.  See just how much fabric a pound can yield!  Fabric sold $8 per pound ($2.50 - $3.50 per yard average) Cash or check only! April 6- First Friday, 5-8 PM. - Quilts in the Park.  Come by and see selections from the VQM educational collection hanging in the fresh spring air behind the Museum. April 7- Hollis Chatelain presentation 1:30 PM at Asbury Methodist Church. Tickets $25 and can be purchased by calling VQM at 540-433-3818 or Click Here to purchase through Eventbrite! Drum Circle will be held at the museum!  April 7-22- On Line Auction!  See the new and varied articles offered on this first of two auctions this year. Click here to enter and be sure to bookmark the site!   April 26- Volunteer recognition at Cross Keys Vineyard 3-5!  RSVP today!  Enjoy an afternoon with other volunteers at a beautiful setting! May 6-  at 1 PM Spring Tea at the Westin Hotel in Richmond VA.  Tickets $40 Program will be " I Live in a Closet! What Will Happen To Me?"  by  Gloria Comstock, Curator of the VQM. Call the VQM 540-433-3818 or Eventbrite for tickets! Click here.  May 26- Exhibit 2 Meet and Greet the Artist reception and activities all day corresponding to the exhibits!  Neva Hart presentation on the Botanical. Come visit the artists. Reception 1-3pm Looking ahead: Fly Me to the Moon exhibit coming this summer along with engaging educational activities for children and groups!  Call today to sign up!   July 28- This year we will host an applique workshop taught by Doreen Johnson. Plan now!   MUSEUM WISH LIST The Museum has several display cases that need to be replaced to allow visitors a better view of the displayed items.  Gloria has found a local company to replace these cases.  If you would like to help offset these expenses, please send any contribution to the VQM with                         CASES on the   memo.   At our last event, it was very apparent that the Museum is in need of a coat rack(s)!  What a good problem to have! If you have an extra or would like to donate to the cause, please indicate on the memo of a check.  COAT RACK For questions on these wishes, please contact the museum!      The Museum honors all active and retired military and families from       Memorial Day to Labor with free admission.  Plan a visit today! Did you know.... Shop at AMAZON SMILE and Amazon donates to the Virginia Quilt Museum The museum now has a senior admission...Student of Life...$5 Our 25th anniversary is looming!  Let's aim for a soaring membership First Fridays for the VQM start in April!  Plan on coming by! Help us reach our  goal of 750 visitors from April to October! Follow us on Facebook! Our new Volunteer Administrator is working hard!  Like and share! Contact: Virginia Quilt Museum 301 S. Main St. Harrisonburg, VA 22801540.433.3818 info@vaquiltmuseum.org www.vaquiltmuseum.org

Virginia Quilt Museum301 South Main Street Harrisonburg VA 22801 Forward this email About our service provider Sent by vqm.events@gmail.com in collaboration with Try it free today

Veteran's Quilts

Marcy and Becky changed the quilts that hang at the library entrance at The Montpelier Center. These two beauties will be enjoyed by everyone coming and going and then they will be given to veterans.

Thanks to everyone for showing appreciation

of our veteran's by making quilts for them.

Upcoming Programs and Challenges

First, of course, thanks to all who participated in QUILT BINGO yesterday evening. Hope y'all had fun. Big shout out to all who gave us the scrumptious prizes for the winners to choose from, and to Julie, who made it all happen on that gift table, YOU ROCK!

Upcoming Programs:
April - techniques in 20 minutes - we have several topics from applique to foundation paper piecing to pattern creation and maybe one more! So come and interact and have some fun!
May - one of our new members, Rita, will do a trunk show of her work. I, personally, can hardly wait to see more of her quilts.
June - another new member, Diane, whose lovely wool and flannel applique quilts, will show us some of her techniques - bring some of your wool pieces, and create with her!
July - our yummy potluck
We have lots to look forward to!!!

Upcoming challenge:
"Idyll" - Definition: 1. a simple descriptive work that deals with rustic life or pastoral scenes or suggests a mood of peace and contentment; 2. an extremely happy, peaceful, or picturesque period or situation, typically an idealized or unsustainable one.

We'll have from now through the spring and summer to put our thoughts into a wall hanging type quilt. Be ready to share in September!

Happy quilting, all!

Do you have a blog?

I (Vicki) was at sewing today and found out that Christa Burr has a wonderful quilting blog and that got me wondering if any other members have blogs. Later in the day Jennifer Raymond visits to introduce us to her new family member and I got her blog address.

I've added a sidebar section with member blog links. If you have a blog please leave the link in the comments and I'll add you to the list as well.

Sewing days 3/9 & 3/10

come sew with us! Fun!!!

Thank you to Henry Glass Fabrics

I sent the following message to http://www.henryglassfabrics.com

On behalf of Country School Quilters, Montpelier, Virginia, I want to thank Lisa
for presenting a special program for our quilting group. What a delight she was, giving us a good understanding of what goes into producing fabric. Her enthusiasm and dedication to fabric was very refreshing. It was so very kind of her to share fat quarters with all of us, and I'm sure many of them will be used in our ongoing project of making quilts for veterans at the V.A. Hospital in Richmond, VA.  Last year we made about 60 quilts and are on track for doing the same this year.  Again, Thank you, Lisa, for giving of yourself to come and speak to us!  Becky Brown

Received an immediate reply from Lisa's boss:

Thank you so much for this very nice email.

Lisa is a gem and we are very honored to have her.

Larry Reichenberg

 

and shortly after a message from Lisa:

Dear Becky and all the Quilters at the Montpelier Country School group:  

Thank you for the warm welcome and for sharing your creativity with me.  It was my pleasure to come and share a few hours with all of you.

I am looking forward to seeing what you create in the future and please if any of the group creates something using Henry Glass, Studio e or Blank fabrics  Let us know. 

We want to know and if you feel you can share an image please send it along with information regarding the creator, the inspiration and the fabrics used. 

We love to post images of what our customers create on our Facebook and blog pages. 

Thanks Again

Best Regards,

Lisa Loessel

And it is official we did purchase Free Spirit and are delighted to add Free Spirit and Westminster to our Family of companies and brands.

March, 2018!

My goodness, March is upon us. Our March program is Quilt BINGO, requiring a 10” quilt block for participation - square of any size within a square, in red, whit or blue fabrics. With all received blocks, we’ll make a veteran’s quilt, so please come prepared to play for fun prizes. Bring buttons or small candies to cover those spaces on your card.

Also, hoping to see some show & tell from our current challenge, “Embellish the Cloth”! Even if you haven’t totally completed a piece, please bring and share what happened as you worked on this one! We help each other, even when something doesn’t work out as planned!!

Our newest member

Jennifer Raymond's baby has arrived!

Morgan Winfield Raymond was born on February 16th at 11:15 pm.  She weighed 6 lbs 10 oz, is very cute, and has lots of dark hair.  Mother and baby are doing well.

If you'd like to help out Jennifer and Michael, Jennifer's sister has created a Meal Train for them: https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/12z81w

Tuesday 2/20 at 6:30! Special program

Reminder: our special program on Henry Glass fabric design! Hope you have it on your calendar, and please bring Show & Tell to share with our speaker.

Feb 13th & 20th

Thank you, Debbie Q., for an energizing and FUN program last evening. And, thanks to all who participated in our Postcard Challenge. We had a great crowd, and plenty of laughter, and if you weren’t able to make it, you are in luck because we have another opportunity on Tuesday, Feb. 20th, at 6:30 pm! Laura Hamm’s sister, Lisa, will be giving us insights into her work as a designer for Henry Glass. If you go to the Henry Glass website, her labels are Art Loft, Elizabeth Isles, and Color Principle, and she manages production of 40 different other artists’ labels as well. Bring your show & tell, too, and prepare to be inspired! You might even go home with some fabric, shhhhhh!

Annual Dues

Plan to bring in your annual dues of $15!

Heidi's O (Owl) Challenge

Last month I shared a post about my sister-in-law joining our Alphabet Challenge. You can read about it here. She hand quilted it and sent me this picture of it finished.

So nice to see another cool quilt as a result of Marcy's challenge. Heidi joined a facebook group, where she has been sharing pictures at various stages. People have wanted to purchase her patterns of the fox, chipmunk, etc. I told her she could create her own Critter Pattern Company. I can't wait to see her NEXT quilt!

 

Heidi's Owl Quilt