Friday, December 18, 2015

Congratulations!!!!

Congratulations...

Our new slate of Board Members were unanimously voted into office!!!
They are:

President :         Sherre MacClellan
Vice President: Brandy Borden
Secretary:         Bonny Collins
Treasurer:         Shannon Silver

Other filled positions are:

Charity:            Eileen DiPietro, Natalie Syracuse,  and Helen Foster
Program:          Carolyn Braun

Welcome aboard!!!

Meeting Location... 

Over the past few meetings there has been much discussion about our current meeting location... in the Arts Council Building in Ocean Grove. Major concerns have been the monthly fee of $25, lack of air-conditioning in hot summer months, parking issues during certain times of the year, and no availability for sew-ins.

Natalie did a stellar job of working with the VFW to gain a FREE space, but the street side parking and meters made this a less desirable location.

Sherre secured permission for the guild to meet at her church... Colts Neck Reformed Church (by Delicious Orchards) which has plenty of free parking, a large space for us to spread our sewing out, and is climate controlled.

After a bit more discussion the guild members present at the last meeting voted on and passed a motion to keep our monthly meetings in Ocean Grove... and hold our sew-ins in Colts Neck.

An advantage of remaining connected to the Arts Center is its focus on the ARTS, the potential for quilt shows to be held there, and the beneficial outreach in connection with the town—such as “quilt-ins” on the boardwalk to help publicize our existence.

2016 Queen Bees...

Keep your eyes peeled on your email inbox. A requests for monthly Queen Bees will  be arriving soon. Maybe you would like to choose your birthday month? Don't be shy!! If you aren't interested in making a quilt for yourself... think about being a Queen Bee and donating it to charity. 

THANK YOU...

A HUGE, heartfelt THANK YOU to all the out-going board members. We wouldn't be a guild at all without your 'vision' and hard work. You gathered us together, found a space, and frankly 'made it happen'! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Wishing you all a wonderful Holiday Season... and a FABULOUS and CREATIVE 
NEW YEAR!




Monday, December 14, 2015

Busy Meeting Coming Up!!

Monthly Meeting...

It's the time of year we are all running around putting the final touches on the Holiday Season... but don't forget to leave Wednesday free to attend the monthly guild meeting.

Par-Tay...

This meeting will also serve as a Holiday Party! Woo! Hoo! If you haven't signed up to bring a goodie... it's not too late! Here's the FORM. Yum!!! And if you want to know what others are bringing... you can check out the responses on this SPREADSHEET.

Whiskey Cake, Fudge, Veggies, Cookies, Crab Dip are just a few of the expect and delicious treats. Please remember to bring a beverage.

Pincushion... 

Please bring a WRAPPED pincushion to participate in a game of swap! How fun is that???

New Officers...

It is also the time of year to vote for officers for the upcoming year. As mentioned last month, our By-Laws clearly state no officer can remain on the board for more than 2 terms. A slate of new officers was approved last meeting... and now needs to be voted on to be official.

Here are the self-nominated members for our 2016 Executive Board:

President:  Sherre MacClellan
Vice Pres:  Brandy Borden
Treasurer:  Shannon Silver
Secretary:  Bonny Collins
Charity Committee Co-chairs: Eileen DiPietro + Natalie Syracuse
Program/Project Committee Chair:  Carolyn Braun

Dues...

We also have been discussing moving the meetings and sew-ins to a new venue. No matter what decision is made... increased expenses will be incurred. Therefore, dues will have to increase. No final decision had been made at the last meeting... so, please bring a check to be filled out at the meeting.

See You Wednesday!


Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Next Meeting This Wednesday!

Just a quick reminder the next meeting of The Jersey Shore Quilt Guild is THIS Wednesday... and it's a busy one.

Nominations...

According to our By-Laws, Board members must be elected once a year and can serve no more than 2 consecutive terms. Not only is it 'that time of year' for nominations, but our board has served for the allotted time and must step down. They have all done a wonderful job, and I'm sure if we all had our way we would like them to continue in their positions, but that's not how the system works.

I hope you have been giving some thought about a position YOU might like to fill.  Elections will be at the December meeting.

Charity Quilt...

If you are participating in The Modern Quilt Guild Charity Quilt Challenge, please bring your completed Improv block to the meeting. We will be laying out the blocks and, as a team completing the top.

Check out the MQG website and peek at how other guilds from around the world interpreted the rules of the challenge. Given the same set of directions and fabric selection guidelines, it's crazy how different each quilt is. It only goes to prove how unique we all are... not only as individuals, but as a cohesive guild as well.

New Location...

There has been a lot of discussion off and on about a new location. The subject was broached quite a while ago because our host has initiated a use fee of $25 a month, plus an additional fee for sew-ins. It had been suggested we seek out other alternatives. Time moved on, and the discussion was dropped. As this year comes to a close we need to seriously have a conversation about this and decide what we would like to do. If you have any ideas of meeting places, and are willing to check them out and provide information at this meeting, that would be WONDERFUL!!

And there's MORE...

There are a few more items on the agenda for this meeting, and we really need your input. Please make every effort to attend. If you simply CAN'T make it, please email a board member with your thoughts so you can still be represented.

Cookies...

As you can see we have a lot on our plate this month... soooooo... Deb will bring a plate of home baked chocolate chip cookies for a kick of extra energy! BYOB (bring your own beverage).


Monday, November 2, 2015

Minutes from last month's meeting...

Meeting of 10/21/15


Queen Bee: A couple of Blocks were brought for Rose, our September Queen, and many members have some catching up to do. The blue and white star blocks that did come in for Rose were really nice! Our October Queen Kat was unfortunately unable to attend.

Patchwork City Quilt-A-Long: Phyllis, Mary, & Eileen had lovely blocks to show - Eileen is working in a colorful range of cotton and steel fabrics, Mary in neutrals and blues, and Phyllis in a range of blues, pinks, whites and greys! We applaud their efforts!

QuiltCon Charity Quilt: A few finished improv blocks for the Quiltcon Charity Quilt were shown! They are colorful and coming together wonderfully!!!!  Scraps were returned and can be used to piece the final quilt if necessary.

Charity Update: Deb Loeb brought a placemat for our charity project and Sherre donated a placemat and quilt.We need 21 quilts for our donation to HABCORE in Red Bank. HABCORE is a group which assists military and displaced people with transitional housing. Placemats are still needed for our next donation. Batting is available and stored at the Art Center for charity quilts... Ask Diane if you need it.

Business: Deb H. has taken over as WebMistress and is doing an excellent job of writing lively content and engaging our members with news and inspiration throughout the month!
At the November meeting we will be accepting self-nominations for officer positions in the guild and officers will be voted in at the December meeting and those elected shall take office in January.
The Sew-ins for November and December have been cancelled by the Arts Center. We need to find an alternate location to sew. We also discussed the fact that we are still requiring 6 participants to hold a sew-in.
The guild has started a Pinterest page. Anyone who wishes to be invited to join must email Deb or Diane and they will add them. If any members would like to add a board titled JSMQG on their own Pinterest pages Deb will find pins and move them over to the group page.
The possibility of moving our meetings and sew-ins was discussed and Natalie intends to talk to the VFW Commander soon.
A sunshine committee was discussed and appropriate gift amount. We should establish a committee to send cards and gifts when our members are in need.
Bonny and Deb went to South Shore Stitcher's quilt show and have pictures to post.
Carolyn and Rose recently went to see Pat Sloan at Quilting Possibilities

Pincushion Swap: We are planning to have a Pin Cushion Swap in December. Deb brought nut shells and passed them out for filling the cushions. Anyone who wishes to participate should sew a modern pin cushion in any size and shape, wrap it, and bring it to the meeting in December. We will distribute the gifts in a manner similar to what we did for the Tote Swap except we will leave them wrapped til the end!  We will have a party and food sign-up sheet will be emailed so we have an idea of what everyone is bringing.

Coming Events: Central Jersey Retreat - November 13-15 - Shannon announced that she has a room and intends to use it well and enjoy her sewing time and has welcomed others to join her!

Show and Tell:
Joani showed her "On the Road" quilt. She put together a bright and beautiful quilt top using cuties and fat 1/8's of batiks on a sunny light background that she put together on her extended road trip - adventures of which were relayed at the meeting. She was also inspired by the speaker at the Camaco meeting this summer, Jessica Skultety who took the fear out of Modern Quilting and opened Joani's mind to see that the definition of "Modern Quilting" was broader than she originally thought... With this inspiration along with that of Diane's improv queen bee block Joani created her Morse Code Masterpiece... The background is an improv pieced area of blocks in various light neutral fabrics with a colorful message in morse code which reads... "When life gives you scraps make a quilt." 

Brandy brought 2 economy blocks in greys and pinks made from the adorable Michael Miller Alpaca fabric that was donated via Eileen's efforts for charity... Brandy is two cute blocks closer to a charity quilt....

Michelle has been busy with her modern projects! She brought 2 quilts and a student to the meeting! One quilt is a baby quilt for her husband's niece Skylar who is two weeks old and has a colorful and beautiful quilt with her name on it... literally! It has a white background with bright Michael Miller fabrics leftover from the Michael Miller challenge! They are colorful appliqued circles in pinks, yellows, oranges, greens and turquoise! She also brought a quilt that she constructed from her Tula Pink City Blocks primarily bright greens on a vibrant blue background.

Shannon has been slow stitching away working to hand quilt and embellish her hand dyed mermaid panel.

Mary had a sparkling lap quilt to show in black, white and silver with varying polka dots pieced together in a really cool pattern of stripes and squares from Michael Miller Glitz fabric and she also brought a Charity Quilt top in blues and purples that she put together using more of Eileen's charity procurement fabrics in Michael Miller Fairy Frost!

Phyllis has been super busy as usual piecing together a bunch of oversize improv blocks from her scraps.... she is working with many variations of improv blocks in various colors, shapes and sizes.She also brought a large colorful quilt top in a rainbow of colors moving across the quilt. She pieced multiple colors of butterfly blocks onto a background of white moving across the quilt and in a diagonal from top to bottom and covering the entire color spectrum.

Carolyn has been working on more projects for Project Quilting. She showed a mini-quilt made of flying geese pieced on curves in various shades of turquoise and blue moving across a neutral background of cream on cream patterns of.... you'll never guess... flying geese.... she is committed to her flock of geese and exceptionally skilled at her craft. She was playing with free motion quilting of a feathering pattern which was executed wonderfully!
Carolyn also brought a quilt of interlocking squares pieced from triangles of silver and pewter on a white background that she made for her sister's upcoming wedding. She embroidered their names and wedding date into the quilt and was forced to gift it early and unbound at her sister's wedding! I'm sure it was as greatly appreciated unfinished as it will be finished!!!


Sherre brought a full bag as usual.. Her Mary Poppins bag was brimming with beautiful projects both finished and in-progress. She brought a modern quilt of colorful squares pieced to appear in 3D on a white background. She also brought a "mystery" quilt top in apricot, white and turquoise in a star pattern as well as a multicolored quilt of white squares framed in multicolor strips which move across the quilt on a diagonal... Also in her bag of tricks was a shop sample for Needles and Pins and a Pat Sloan Mystery Quilt in pinks and greys pieced in a pattern of various blocks featuring various triangles and stars.

Happy sewing!

Brandy

Sunday, October 25, 2015

A Tale of Two Quilt Shows

While we wait for photos and minutes of our last meeting, I thought I'd share my past two weekends with you.

A tale of two Quilt Shows…
Submitted by: Deb Hathaway

I believe it’s important to support local organizations as much as possible. Since quilting is near and dear to my heart I try my best to attend as many quilt shows held by New Jersey guilds as I can. October is an extremely busy time of year for these shows.

Last week I drove an hour and half south to attend the South Shore Stitchers’ show in Tukahoe, NJ.  Held in a local community center it was exactly as I expected. Once I entered and paid the donation at the door I was handed a form (cutely folded to look like a letter) to vote for my favorite quilts in 3 categories… Small, Medium, and Large. Vendors lined the perimeter of the gym, with a boutique and demo section in a room off to the side.

Handpainted!!!
The quilts were AWESOME! So many different techniques, proudly displayed together. In addition to pieced and applique, some were hand-painted, others were cross stitched, and still others were embellished with beads. The raffle quilt was beautiful!!!

I don’t know about you, but I enjoy the stories behind the quilts just as much as the finished piece. Most of the stories began with, “I made this quilt as a gift…” for my daughter, my husband, my best friend, grandaughter, cousin, and on and on. Very few stated they were made for themselves! We quilters are certainly generous with our time and talents.

Love the colors!
Yes, the quilts were creative, beautiful and certainly worth the price of admission… however I found the mini-quilts made to remind everyone to ‘Don’t Touch’ a wonderful surprise. I believe these were the product of a guild challenge.
Guild Challenge
Please Don't Touch!


 Sadly I wasn’t able to participate in any demos. The instructors needed the use of a microphone to be heard over the others sharing the open room… like the boutique and other non-profit organizations. My personal hearing issues impeded my comfort… so I had to walk away. I’m sure they were great.

This weekend I drove an hour and a half in the opposite direction, to Belvidere, NJ to attend The Evening Star Guild’s show. Again… Once I paid the admission I was handed a program and voting slip… AND a lollipop of fabric! That was a nice touch!

The show was held in the local High School, which allowed the guild to spread out the different venues. Once inside the gym to view the quilts, my attention was diverted to the silent auction table. Instead of the usual table filled with ‘things’ to bid on… it was overflowing with a huge selection of handmade purses and totes, each one more interesting than the next. Each bag had a coffee can in it for you to place your ticket. Such a unique idea!

Again, Vendors selling fabric, sewing and quilting machines, jewelry and more lined the perimeter. Yet the quilts still stole the show! As expected I drooled over many of them… enjoying the creativity, surprising color choices, and expert sewing ability of the makers. I consider myself more of a ‘modern quilter’, preferring crisp, clean, geometric designs in bold colors, yet that doesn’t stop me from appreciating the work of more traditional quilters. Mini quilts depicting which entries were quilted by hand was a nice touch.





The demos were held in the library… plenty of space, easy to hear, and very informative. Lunch was available down the hall in the cafeteria, I felt like I was in High School again!

This particular show stands out in my mind of the best ones I have ever been to… and do you want to know why??? Because I felt ‘welcomed’. Every guild member I came in contact with was ‘engaged’, friendly, hospitable and informative. I was treated as a friend. They made everyone feel that way.


Fall is the season for cuddly quilts… and there are many more shows to attend. I look forward to every one. Feel free to join me!

BTW... If YOU have a story you'd like to see on this page, please send along to deb(at)debhathaway(dot)com.

Monday, October 12, 2015

We have a PINTEREST board!!!

PINTEREST

JSMQG officially has it's very own PINTEREST (pronounced Pin-trest... NOT Pin-Interest, or Pin-Ter-Est) account and is now under construction!!! How exciting!!! HOWEVER... you MUST BE a JSMQG member to view it. All boards, except ONE, Member Showcase is in the process of being set as a private board. In the next day or two you must be invited to join in order to view our boards and pins. Although this must seem to be a strange decision, let's explain why.

For those of you with Pinterest accounts already, you certainly understand the amount of time it takes to weed through all the information and cull only what is important. Pinterest is a public platform. JSMQG is a dues paying organization. It's not that we want to be 'unsociable'... we just would rather consider all this dedicated work as one of the many benefits of your membership.

So far only a few boards have been created, but as time marches on it will be a super source of information. Boards on specific designers, techniques, and tutorials as well as stunning and innovative quilts are already available for you to drool over and pin to your own boards. Future boards on member blogs, Local MQG activities and the mothership, The Modern Quilt Guild will be made to keep you totally informed of what's going on in the wonderful world of modern quilting.

ONE public board is marked 'MEMBER SHOWCASE'. The intent of this board is for members of JSMQG to pin their latest creations and projects. We want the world to see how wonderfully creative and talented we all are :-)

If you don't have a Pinterest account, I bet the above few paragraphs were 'greek' to you. The Modern Quilt Movement is fueled by the Internet and a computer presence, so why not jump on the bandwagon and open an account??? In a nutshell... think of Pinterest as a huge wall in your home covered in bulletin boards. Each board is labeled with a category, like 'Quilting', or 'Recipes to Try'. When you see something in a magazine you like, you cut it out and pin it on the board...  Except in Pinterest instead of magazines you find the information on the Internet... and instead of tearing out a page, you simply click a button and choose which virtual board you want to place it on. All you need to join is an email address. Go to www.pinterest.com today!!


Quilt show this weekend...

South Shore Stitchers in Tuckahoe is holding their 30th Anniversary Bi-Annual Quilt Show this weekend, October 16, 17, &18. Located at Upper Township Community Center  - 1790 Rt50 - Tuckahoe, NJ. Admission $7. Lots of Vendors... and take a look at their Raffle Quilt!!!



Sharing...

Look what Bonny has been up to!!! Working really hard her Patchwork City Blocks...






Sunday, October 4, 2015

Sunday News!

Survey...

Imagine you are wandering around your favorite quilt shop when out of the corner of your eye you spot the most PERFECT bolt of luscious fabric you just HAVE to add to your stash. Quick! How much do you purchase???

Share your fabric hoarding... ah, stash procurement thought process in the comments below.

NQM Quilts for Quilting...

Diane received this informational letter on how to donate a quilt for the annual National Quilt Museum Fundraiser. If you have some spare time and fabric, please consider donating to this worthy cause.

The National Quilt Museum
2016 Quilts for Quilting Campaign
Dear Diane, 
A Full House at the 2015 Live Auction
It's time for the National Quilt Museum's 2016 Quilts for Quilting Campaign to begin.  The Quilts for Quilting Campaign is one of The National Quilt Museum's largest and most important fundraisers.  Last year over 500 quilt enthusiasts participated.  We hope that you will participate this year and help the Museum achieve its fundraising goals. 

How it works?  The program is simple and everyone can participate.  To get involved simply donate a full size quilt or miniature quilt to the Museum for fundraising purposes.  The quilt can be a new creation or an antique and it can be any size.  Most donated quilts will be a part of one of our three annual auctions.  In a few cases they are held to be used in later events.  The Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization so all donations are tax deductible as allowed by law. 

Over the last 6 years, the Quilts for Quilting Campaign has led to critical funding for the Museum.  The dollars raised in this program have helped us expand several programs and expand our promotional efforts.  These proceeds along with other donations have ultimately led to thousands more people experiencing the work of today's quilting community through educational programs, in-facility exhibits, travelling exhibits, and other programs. 

In addition to helping the Museum, each campaign donator will receive a free gift.

How to donate your quilt to the "Quilts for Quilting" campaign:
  1. Send quilts to:
                National Quilt Museum
                215 Jefferson Street
                Paducah, KY 42001
  2. Please write "Attn: Quilts for Quilting" on the box.
  3. Please include your name, address, and contact information so that we may send you a receipt and a gift.
There is no limit to the number of quilts you may donate to the campaign.  We welcome multiple donations.  If possible, please donate by April 1, 2016.

Thank you so much for your donation.  The Museum relies heavily on the generosity of the quilting community for funding and we need everyone passionate about quilting involved.  2016 is the Museum's 25th Anniversary and we would love to ring in this wonderful milestone with the most successful auction ever!

If you have any questions about this program please contact Lori Robbins or Amanda Ball at 270-442-8856. 

Sincerely,
frank bennett signature 
Frank Bennett
  

The National Quilt Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Click here to get more details about how we are funded.  A full annual audit is available upon request.  

FYI...

Did you know the National Quilting Association dissolved this summer, after 46 years, due to lack of interest and dwindling attendance at shows. Why do you think is happened? What changes in the quilting world predicated this sad demise? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Here's a copy of the letter the NQA Board sent out:


September 4, 2015


Dear Friends and Members of NQA,


At a special meeting of the NQA Board of Directors held August 18, 2015, the Board celebrated NQA’s 46 years of achievements and successes. However, when looking toward the future, the Board has determined that NQA has had its season and by unanimous vote the Board of Directors voted to dissolve the National Quilting Association, Inc.


All this may sound like a sudden turn of events, but we assure you it’s not sudden, as the warning signs have been there for nearly 10 years. The steady decline in show attendance, consistent decrease in membership, lack of contingency planning and dwindling operational funds made this a clear but difficult decision. The current Board has worked tirelessly to find alternatives to keep NQA solvent and sustainable into the future, however our efforts did not result in a partnership with another quilting organization or adoption of our programs as we had hoped. 


NQA can measure its successes through the fostering of other quilt organizations and quilt shows, establishing criteria for excellence in quilt making, establishing a Masterpiece Quilt designation, professionalizing the role of the quilt judge and quilt teacher, offering grants to communities to fund quilt related projects and originating the National Day of Quilting. NQA is considered a leader in the quilting world and there is much to be proud of.


You may be filled with a variety of emotions – sorrow, concern, anger, bewilderment, and grief. All those are legitimate and we hope you will accept these facts and understand all efforts were made to keep NQA viable. It’s a time for decisiveness, clarity, and conviction. The NQA Board of Directors wishes to thank all of our faithful members and supporters who have done remarkable work together over the years. We all should feel a sense of pride and completion. 


Moving forward the Board is working to arrange transfer of our memberships to another national quilting association. Alternatives for management of our programs are still being researched. Watch for more news on this later.


You can help make this transition easier for NQA by being optimistic about the future and grateful for the wonderful experiences and friendships created because of NQA. We wish you all the very best as you continue those friendships and in al of your quilting endeavors.


Sincerely,




Marcel Miller, President
Mary Ann Guidos, Communication Chair
Margaret Powers, Vice-President
Heather Tighe, Chapter Chair
Margie Engel, Grant Chair
Mary Lou Paoletti, Treasurer
Priscilla Godfrey, Secretary
Sandra Dorrbecker, Education Chair


Look What Fellow Guild Members Have Been Up To...

Helen planned to get this up on the frame this week. It's a sample she made this summer of a retreat project several girls will be doing.


And here's what Sherre has been up to...


Meanwhile... 

Bonny shared the following Show and Tells from a Rebecca's Reel seminar today...