April meeting recap

Our April meeting was held on Saturday, April 7 at the Mary E Bartlett Library in Brentwood, NH. Seventeen people were in attendance, including one guest.

Snowflake mini quilt participants!

Barb opened the meeting by giving the treasurer's report and noting the guild's good financial health.

Barb also noted that final retreat payments are due and some people still need to make their final payment. Contact Barb with any questions about your retreat payments.

Judy demonstrated our new pin picker-upper toy (it works!) and also noted that we had purchased table risers to be used for cutting tables in future workshops and sew-ins.

Sewing together--it's not always a race ;)

Judy asked the group if we were interested in inviting Michelle Wilkie, our MQG Regional Representative, to speak in early November. The guild would pay the speaking fee, and the lecture would be free to all Seacoast MQG members, with a nominal fee for non-guild members. The most likely time would be a weekday evening. Fifteen people out of seventeen present voted yes on exploring this possibility.

QuiltCon Charity Challenge info should arrive in your inbox via the MQG newsletter this month. Our group voted to participate in the challenge this year. Judy put out a call for the charity challenge quilt committee, to be led by Charity Chair Kelly. If you would like to help organize this project, please contact Judy.

Judy is also seeking members to form a Strawbery Banke exhibit committee. Any member of our guild who would like to help plan and execute the 2018 show should contact Judy.

Committees will be announced in an email. You don't need to join either committee to help sew the Charity Challenge Quilt or show a quilt in the Strawbery Banke show; these committees will be the leadership force behind each respective event.

Judy noted that there is a growing need for policy development, particularly re: refund policy. She also noted that we would like to develop a general budget to help us plan how much we would like to spend each year for charity quilting, special speakers, etc.

Suzanne played Sewing Concierge and helped us get our blocks done quickly!

Here is Nancy's blue string slab, 11.5'' square.

Nancy shows us that the lottery blocks can be made two at a time! Note that the seams in the string section run parallel to the center HST seam.

Colleen announced the block lottery block for June. This block will be due at the June 2 meeting. Please see details HERE. Each person drew a color at the meeting so that we will end up with a balanced rainbow of blocks; if you missed the meeting and would like to participate, email Colleen to receive a color.

Snowflake challenge winners were:

First prize, Bethany, with her Snow Squall quilt:

and second prize, Kelly:

Kelly then led the group in a charity quilt sew-in. She provided pre-cut background fabric kits, so that each person who sewed with us was able to make four blocks! I believe Kelly now has enough of these pink blocks to make a whole quilt. Thank you for doing the prep work and for organizing this project, Kelly!

Charity quilt blocks: I spy some precious fabrics (Tula, Thomas Knauer, Lizzy House...)

Our regular May meeting is being replaced by the retreat. Our next regular meeting will be Saturday, June 2, 2018.