Veterans Quilts and October Meetings

Last week I delivered 42 more veterans quilts. The total for the year is 111! Keep up the great work.

Our delivery coordinator is Jennifer. She has been responsible for distributing our quilts since 2018 and has handled around1000 quilts! I always check in with her to make sure she doesn't feel burdened. She says she considered it an honor to play her "small" role. She has contacts at both the Richmond and Fredericksburg VA facilities and makes sure they get delivered where they are most needed and appreciated. At the moment she says about 70% go to Richmond and 30% to Fredericksburg. We really lucked into this situation with Terry Muller when she was a member. Terry met Jen through a Facebook Marketplace sale and started this relationship and we are fortunate. I don't know of anyone else who has visibility and connections in both facilities.

To thank her, I made a quilt this summer and gifted it to her when I delivered these quilts.

I started this quilt just for fun but before I had 3 blocks done, I knew it was for Jennifer. She loves vintage things and this quilt fit right into her guest room.

OCTOBER MEETINGS

Tuesday, October 13, 7:30 - our annual Trash To Treasure event. Bring things you want to donate and be ready to shop! All of the money collected at this event goes toward batting and backing for the veterans quilts.

Wednesday and Thursday, October 21 - 22 - sewing days. Bring your machine and project and sit, sew and socialize. 

May Program and sewing days

 Our May Meeting is Tuesday, May 12 at 7:00 pm. Denise Zaph is presenting a program on Custom Quilting Ideas. As always, we will be collecting veterans finished quilts and tops that need quilting. We have several quilted tops to return to you. Don't forget to bring your show and tell  and pinwheel blocks to share!

Sewing Days are May 20 and 21. Bring your machine and sewing project and hang out with us. Stay for 1 or 2 days and come and go as you please. It's all very casual.

Future Meetings: We need programs for the rest of the year! If you haven't done a program please consider sharing anything that you would like. It could be a new pattern that you have learned, quilt collection to share, tips to share or even something from a different craft. We all have something interesting to share. You could even bring in a special guest. You can sign up here.

Additional notes:

In June we will take up our annual collection for the Montpelier Center. They charge us very little to rent the space for the year. Just a few hundred dollars plus a quilt. Some members wanted to donate more so we decided to do that through an annual donation drive. It's all voluntary.

In July, we will do our semi-annual food/donation drive for WHEAT. In June we will post a list of needs.

To keep the post interesting here are a few veterans quilts that have been quilted this month.

December meeting and sewing days

Let's start with Sewing Days. Our December Sewing Days days are December 17 & 18. Take a break from Christmas madness and join us for a couple of relaxing sewing days......or just one, if that's all you can spare. 

Our meeting dates for 2026 are listed on the right side of the website.

The December meeting is Tuesday, December 9 at 7pm. Ann Webb is coordinating our meeting this month and the program is holiday show and tell. 

The holiday season is starting.  As you pull out your Christmas decorations, think about what you would like to share at our next meeting.(December 9th)  It can be quilted or maybe just a sewing project. Maybe you made it or it was a gift from someone. I loved seeing everybody's ideas from last year and hope to get some new ideas this year.

We will also do our regular collection for WHEAT. If you want to participate, you can make a donation of needed items or money. They appreciate anything! 

Here's a list of items that WHEAT has ongoing need:

• Boxes of breakfast cereal
• Boxes of instant oatmeal
• Oatmeal
• Pancake mix with syrup, some low sugar or sugar free
• Boxes of mac and cheese
• Any size/type of tomato products
• Boxes of spaghetti noodles
• Ramen noodles
• 16 oz jars of peanut butter and/or jelly
• 6 oz cans of tuna
• cans of chicken
• other canned meats
• canned vegetables
• canned beans and pork and beans
• dried beans, black and pinto
• pound bags of white or brown rice
• cans of fruit, some low sugar and sugar-free
• any soups
• any type of one-dish meals like Brunswick stew, beef stew, chicken and dumplings
• Dried milk in 1 quart envelopes
• Dried instant potatoes
• Dressing mixes
• Mel starters, like hamburger helper
• Paper bags
• Hygiene kits in a zipper bag containing soap, shampoo, hand towel, wash cloth,comb or brush, toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, 5 bandaids, deodorant

July Meeting Notes

 Our July meeting is Tuesday, July 8 and the Sewing Days are July 16 - 17

The program for the July meeting is "Managing Your Scraps" presented by Sharon Gustafson and Gwendolyn Waranis. Peg will not be with us to run the meeting so we will have to behave on our own.

A note from out June meeting. We did our annual voluntary collection for the Montpelier Center and I'm excited to report that we donated $730. It was very timely as they were dealing with and HVAC issue while we were at sewing last month. Mary Anne and Anton were thrilled and very grateful!

July is our annual mid-year food drive for WHEAT. When you bring your items you can leave them just inside the front door to the center. Cathy will pick them up there. We will also pass an envelope for anyone wishing to make a monetary donation.

Here's a list of items that WHEAT has ongoing need:

• Boxes of breakfast cereal
• Boxes of instant oatmeal
• Oatmeal
• Pancake mix with syrup, some low sugar or sugar free
• Boxes of mac and cheese
• Any size/type of tomato products
• Boxes of spaghetti noodles
• Ramen noodles
• 16 oz jars of peanut butter and/or jelly
• 6 oz cans of tuna
• cans of chicken
• other canned meats
• canned vegetables
• canned beans and pork and beans
• dried beans, black and pinto
• pound bags of white or brown rice
• cans of fruit, some low sugar and sugar-free
• any soups
• any type of one-dish meals like Brunswick stew, beef stew, chicken and dumplings
• Dried milk in 1 quart envelopes
• Dried instant potatoes
• Dressing mixes
• Mel starters, like hamburger helper
• Paper bags
• Hygiene kits in a zipper bag containing soap, shampoo, hand towel, wash cloth,comb or brush, toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, 5 bandaids, deodorant

June Meeting info

 

Our June Meeting is June 10 and Vicki will refresh a presentation that she did several years ago. It's a collection of veterans quilts that we have all made but presented in categories to help you with ideas for new quilts to make. 

Also, at this meeting we will take up our annual collection for the Montpelier Center. Last year when we moved to the new location and were welcomed with the most reasonable rent ever (about $10 each time we use the space), we discussed an option of paying more in rent. In the end, we decided to instead do an annual volunteer donation, similar to what we do for WHEAT. Vicki will have an envelope to collect cash/checks. If you would like a tax receipt, attach a note to your check indicating that.

Also, the Lakeside quilt has been quilted and will be brought to the meeting for someone to bind. If this is going to be the 2026 Montpelier Center raffle quilt, Vicki can make a label.

June Sewing Days are the 18th and 19th.

December Meeting and Sewing Days

 Our December Meeting is Tuesday the 10th at 7:00 PM. We are not doing a pot luck but, if you feel compelled, you are welcome to bring a treat to share!

December Sewing Days are December 18 and 19

For the meeting, our program is going to be a mug rug swap. It's not a Christmas themed swap. Just make a fun mug rug to swap. If you don't know what a mug rug is, just read this:

https://www.allfreesewing.com/Basics-and-Tutorials/What-is-a-Mug-Rug

At this meeting we will do our regular collection of donations (food, hygiene items and money) for WHEAT. Cathy handed out a list of suggested donation items at the November meeting. I've lost my sheet but I'll include here the old list if you didn't get. But if you have the list, or know someone who got the list, please check that first!

Also, bring show and tell!

Items for WHEAT

Boxes of breakfast cereal

Boxes of instant oatmeal

Oatmeal

Pancake mix with syrup, some low sugar or sugar free

Boxes of Mac ‘n cheese

Any size and type of tomato products

One pound boxes of spaghetti noodles

Containers of Spaghetti sauce to feed 4-6

Ramen noodles

16-ounce jars of peanut butter and/or jelly

6-ounce cans of tuna

Cans of chicken

Other cans of meat

16-ounce cans of any vegetables

Cans of dried beans, pork and beans, black and pinto beans

Pound bags of white or brown rice

Cans of fruit, some low sugar or sugar free

Any size or kind of soup

Any type of one-dish meals, Brunswick stew, chicken and dumplings, beef stew

Quart envelopes of dried milk

Envelopes of dried potatoes

Dressing Mix

Meal starters like hamburger helper

Paper grocery bags

Trash To Treasure Results + Dues

Look at all the great stuff we were able to shop Tuesday night! It was an outrageously successful fundraiser for us with a grand total of $1165!!

All of this will go toward our purchases of batting and backing.

We also discussed dues for 2025 and forward. Since we now have to pay rent, as modest as it is, we all agreed to raise dues to $25 to help cover that expense. Of course, any member not financially able to pay the fee is still welcome. 

Our December meeting will not be a pot luck,but we will have a mug rug swap. We will also do our usual collection for WHEAT. More information will be provided on that soon.

Info about digital printed fabric

 In January, Laura Hamm's sister, Lisa, joined us with a great presentation about fabrics from Henry Glass. During that meeting, we discussed possible challenges with quilting on digitally printed fabrics. Lisa remembered that and sent us this new leaflet about working with digitally printed fabrics. It's specifically for longarm quilters but piecers may find some good tips there too.

You can download it here.

March Meeting

 This March meeting is Tuesday, March 12 at 7:00 pm. The main part of the program is to work on setting plans for the snip-and-rip blocks that have been collected. Also, I spoke to Marcy Durrer from Hanover Parks and Rec recently and I will share what information that I was able to gather about the new Rec Center and the vision for the quilt club going forward.

These 4 veterans quilts have been quilted and will be ready for pickup at the meeting

January events

 Happy New Year, Quilting Friends!  

As a reminder for the winter, if the local schools are closed for inclement weather on any of our meeting days, our meetings are canceled on those days. Also we do need to register with Hanover County for our meetings at the Park and Rec building. You can register here: https://secure.rec1.com/VA/hanover-county-va/catalog

You will find Country School under Clubs and Social and you can register for meetings through May.

The January meeting is Tuesday, January 9th at 7:00 pm. Please bring your blocks from our Snip and Rip swap in November. For our program we will have show and tell to share a sewing tool that you bought that turned out to be a waste of money.

January 12 and 13 are our Sewing Days. Bring your sewing machine and project and join us for 1 or 2 days of sewing.

If the weather cooperates, let’s meet at Kitchen 33 on Friday, January 17, at 1:00 for lunch and talk. Bring whatever you would like to share and show to everyone. Please let Brenda (bwimmer872 at protonmail. dot com) know by Wednesday, January 15, if you can come so we can reserve tables. Hope to see you there!

Pot Luck Meeting reminder

 Bring your favorite dish and lets all celebrate summer together!

The meeting is this Tuesday at 6:30. Bring your own beverage!

We will also collect much needed food items for WHEAT. This time WHEAT is looking only for food....or monetary donations, if you want. Cathy reported that they are pretty tight on food inventory at the moment. The list of requested food items is below.

Remember that we have to register for all of our events and you can register for free at Hanover Parks and Rec Website. We are under Clubs and Social.

Items for WHEAT

Boxes of breakfast cereal

Boxes of instant oatmeal

Oatmeal

Pancake mix with syrup, some low sugar or sugar free

Boxes of Mac ‘n cheese

Any size and type of tomato products

One pound boxes of spaghetti noodles

Containers of Spaghetti sauce to feed 4-6

Ramen noodles

16-ounce jars of peanut butter and/or jelly

6-ounce cans of tuna

Cans of chicken

Other cans of meat

16-ounce cans of any vegetables

Cans of dried beans, pork and beans, black and pinto beans

Pound bags of white or brown rice

Cans of fruit, some low sugar or sugar free

Any size or kind of soup

Any type of one-dish meals, Brunswick stew, chicken and dumplings, beef stew

Quart envelopes of dried milk

Envelopes of dried potatoes

Dressing Mix

Meal starters like hamburger helper

Paper grocery bags

Monetary donations are used to help citizens with utility bills or other emergency expenses and can be mailed to WHEAT P.O. Box 171 Beaverdam, VA 23015

July Meeting Notes

 Friday and Saturday Sewing days are early this month! Join us July 7 and 8 in our usual place. At our last meeting we had representatives from the VA hospital and they gave us a bag of snacks. We will have those at Sewing and any leftovers will be at the regular meeting.

Our July meeting is July 11 at we will start at 6:30 because it's our annual summer pot luck and collection for WHEAT. Bring your favorite dish to share and we will collect much needed food items for WHEAT. This time WHEAT is looking only for food....or monetary donations, if you want. Cathy reported that they are pretty tight on food inventory at the moment. The list of requested food items is below.

Remember that we have to register for all of our events and you can register for free at Hanover Parks and Rec Website. We are under Clubs and Social.

Items for WHEAT

Boxes of breakfast cereal

Boxes of instant oatmeal

Oatmeal

Pancake mix with syrup, some low sugar or sugar free

Boxes of Mac ‘n cheese

Any size and type of tomato products

One pound boxes of spaghetti noodles

Containers of Spaghetti sauce to feed 4-6

Ramen noodles

16-ounce jars of peanut butter and/or jelly

6-ounce cans of tuna

Cans of chicken

Other cans of meat

16-ounce cans of any vegetables

Cans of dried beans, pork and beans, black and pinto beans

Pound bags of white or brown rice

Cans of fruit, some low sugar or sugar free

Any size or kind of soup

Any type of one-dish meals, Brunswick stew, chicken and dumplings, beef stew

Quart envelopes of dried milk

Envelopes of dried potatoes

Dressing Mix

Meal starters like hamburger helper

Paper grocery bags

Monetary donations are used to help citizens with utility bills or other emergency expenses and can be mailed to WHEAT P.O. Box 171 Beaverdam, VA 23015

More veterans quilts delivered!

 Actually, this batch of quilts were picked up. Last night, we had the pleasure of hosting our liaison at the VA Hospital along with two of her coworkers.

John Scheid, Jennifer Farrell and Kathleen Bunch came to share with us how important and special our quilts are to their patients in the Interventional Radiology (IR) Department. we learned what they do in their department and how they identify the veterans that need our quilts the most. They truly care about the quilts and much as we do.

We had 37 quilts ready for them to take! That brings our 2023 total to 66. Great work everyone! I think we were all inspired to go home and start making more quilts for "our veterans".

Tuesday Meeting

Our Tuesday meeting is going to be a visit from our contact at the Veterans Hospital. Bring any of your finished veterans quilts so that we can send her back with a nice stack!

Also, don't forget to send in your quilt exhibit entries by Friday. You can get the information here.

The July meeting will be our annual summer potluck and food drive for WHEAT. We'll post next month a list of things they need.

May and June meeting information

 Our May meeting is Tuesday, May 9 at 7:00 pm. 

We are fortunate to have Meg Cahill from All Brands joining is to do a program on Needles, Threads and Basic Machine Maintenance.

Our June meeting will be a discussion with Jenn Farrell, our VA Hospital contact. If you have any completed veterans quilts please hold them until the June meeting. I think it would be nice to have all of the May and June veterans quilts in show and tell for Jenn. She will be taking all of the completed veterans quilts with her after the meeting.

April Meeting - Clean and Cluter

Clean and Clutter is the program for this Tuesday, April 11 at 7:00 pm. Look around your sewing workspace and find those sewing notions and supplies that you know you will probably not use. We all have them—fabric, thread, pins, rulers, irons, stabilizer, patterns, etc.   Bring them to the meeting and let someone take a treasure home. Please limit yourself to a box size of about 12” x 12”.

This is not the same as our Trash and Treasure Program. This is a free swap limited to sewing items. 

In addition to the program we will have our Show and Tell with a twist. If you have an organization idea that has helped you, please share it with us during Show and Tell.  

Hope to see you Tuesday at 7pm!

February Meeting and Sewing Days

 The meeting for February is Tuesday, February 14. Sharon Gustafson is hosting and the topic is sewing-related collections.Sharon says "I quilt", therefore I collect (save, hang on to, put in a box to save for an idea). Just share something you have that you would not have if you didn't quilt."

Do you collect sewing/quilt themed items or collect weird things that "you might need for a project". Bring something that you collect and share with the group.

Sewing Days are a week late this month because of a scheduling conflict with Hanover County. We have the building February  17 - 18 for our sewing days.

December Meeting Reminder

 Our December meeting is scheduled for December 13. It's our annual holiday pot luck and collection for WHEAT. Cathy Williams has provided this list of the items that they always need at the pantry. She said that they are seeing heavier traffic this season.

Bring your favorite dish to share. There's no sign up because we can always count on you to bring a great variety of delicious food!

Don't forget to bring show-and-tell.

Boxes of breakfast cereal

Boxes of instant oatmeal

Oatmeal

Pancake mix with syrup, some low sugar or sugar free

Boxes of Mac ‘n cheese

Any size and type of tomato products

One pound boxes of spaghetti noodles

Containers of Spaghetti sauce to feed 4-6

Ramen noodles

16-ounce jars of peanut butter and/or jelly

6-ounce cans of tuna

Cans of chicken

Other cans of meat

16-ounce cans of any vegetables

Cans of dried beans, pork and beans, black and pinto beans

Pound bags of white or brown rice

Cans of fruit, some low sugar or sugar free

Any size or kind of soup

Any type of one-dish meals, Brunswick stew, chicken and dumplings, beef stew

Quart envelopes of dried milk

Envelopes of dried potatoes

Dressing Mix

Meal starters like hamburger helper

Paper grocery bags

Hygiene kits in a zip bag containing soap, shampoo, hand towel, wash cloth, comb or

brush, small hand sanitizer, tooth brush, tooth paste, razor, 5 bandaids, deodorant

Monetary donations are used to help citizens with utility bills or other emergency expenses and can be mailed to WHEAT P.O. Box 171 Beaverdam, VA 23015

November Meeting Reminders

 Before we get into the revised meeting schedule for November let's celebrate the huge success of the Trash to Treasure even in October. We raised $1458!!! That will cover our veterans quilt project supplies for a year or more. 

Tuesday is election day and the county has something going on for the weekend so our meeting room is unavailable normal schedule.  Our meeting is November 15, and sewing days are Nov. 18 and 19.  For the meeting, Debbie Q. is doing a program on pineapple quilts.

CSQ Meeting Schedules for the rest of 2022

 We have some changes to meeting schedules because of conflicts with voting and other County scheduling issues. Following are the dates of all events for the rest of 2022. Changes are in BOLD.

September 13 - Monthly Meeting - Program being presented by Julie VanDen Elzen

October 7 - 8 - Friday and Saturday Sewing

October 11 - Monthly Meeting - Trash to Treasure Sale

November 15 - Meeting - program needed

November 18 - 19 - Friday and Saturday Sewing

December 13 - Meeting - Potluck and collection for WHEAT

December 16 - 17 - Friday and Saturday Sewing

You can sign up at the Parks and Rec website here:

https://secure.rec1.com/VA/hanover-county-va/catalog

Look under Clubs and Social for the Country School Quilters listing of meetings