August 2016 Meeting Minutes ~ Inspire. Educate. Give.

MEETING MINUTES

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Maitland, FL

President Alissa called the meeting to order; 65 members and 18 guests were present. Several new members introduced themselves.

Gabriela from The Sewing Studio announced an event on Saturday, August 13, 10 am to 2 pm, at which Anna Bond from The Rifle Paper Co. in Winter Park, will be at a Meet & Greet introducing her new line of fabric. The fabric will be available for purchase that day.

PULSE QUILTS FROM CANADA

Laura Cook, here on vacation from Ontario, came as a guest and presented the guild with 3 Quilts for Pulse from her guild in Canada.

TREASURER’S REPORT

Marge, the guild’s former treasurer filling in for Joan, who is out of town, reported that the guild took in income last month from six new members joining the guild and deposits for the November retreat, among other items. Ten new members joined today.

EDUCATION

Education Coordinator Ede said that Amanda Jean Nyberg is definitely coming to teach a class fall 2017 with details to be determined later. She said the Christa Watson class on September 24^th is full but asked interested members to let her know if they’d like to be on the wait list in case of cancellations.

QUILT SHOW REQUESTS

Alissa asked that those going to the Jacksonville Quilt Show in September contact her. The guilds hosting the show would like someone there to receive Quilts for Pulse, and, if a number of members are going, perhaps they can arrange to go on the same day to receive the quilts as a group. She also reported that the Mancuso World Quilt Show, which is returning in January 2017, would again like the guild to have quilts to display and asked members to think about which of their quilts they might like to include and the Board to consider whether there should be a theme to our display.

FESTIVAL OF TREES QUILT

Tanyia had the fabric for the improv tree quilt blocks for those members who volunteered to make them. She will do a blog post on what fabric to use for this quilt for any who want to participate and did not receive fabric purchased by the guild today. The deadline for blocks is the September meeting.

RAFFLE BASKET

Yanick, who won the Raffle Basket last month, was not at the meeting but returned it filled with items, including a number of books and tools and a separate bag of fabric. The basket brought in $38 for education and was won by Leslie R, one of our new members.

UFO LOG

Our UFO log was explained to new members by Alissa, and a printed copy passed around by Kelly E. Members are asked to list their UFOs and let Kelly know when they are completed; prizes at given our December holiday party, with everyone getting one entry in a drawing per UFO finished.

GUILD LIBRARY

Yanick has been bringing the guild’s library of modern quilting books to each meeting and, because she was not attending, Tanyia brought it today. Yanick will bring books to meetings which members have asked to check out, because the library has grown beyond a size easily carried. Books may be checked out for one month and must be returned at the following month’s guild meeting.

QUILTCON CHARITY QUILT

The Modern Quilt Guild has chosen the palette for QuiltCon 2017’s charity quilts from guilds, and Alissa purchased fabric in those colors, which she displayed. The fabric will be cut for various blocks and distributed to members at next month’s meeting. Alissa will email the design for everyone to see; it is a large log cabin made up of mini log cabins blocks, large flying geese made up of mini flying geese blocks, large drunkards path made up of mini drunkards path blocks, to fit the Modern Quilt Guild’s theme of SCALE.

QUILTS FOR PULSE PROJECT

Alissa reported on the guild’s project to collect and complete quilts for those impacted by the Pulse nightclub shootings in Orlando on June 12^th and thanked everyone for all of their work. We have received 262 completed quilts before the 4 donated today from Canada, and the guild also has about 200 quilts in process, being tracked while worked on by guild members who are retrieving mailed packages, sorting blocks into kits, assembling blocks into quilt tops, quilting them, and binding them. Alissa noted that she is amazed by the amount of money donors have spend on postage in top of the fabric and work their quilts and blocks represent.

Alejandrina, Sarah and Yanick are investigating the best way to distribute the quilts to those they are intended to reach, including finding contacts among survivors, loved ones of victims, first responders, people associated with Pulse, The Center, etc. Alissa would like to find an event in October, Pride Month, at which to give them to representatives of organizations which can get them to appropriate recipients. Sarah noted that there are serious privacy issues making it difficult to track where the quilts go, but The Center knows who needs them.

Alissa said she has received 200 labels for the Pulse quilts, and needs to order hundreds more. She will hold a work day at her house where guild members will attach labels, and labels will also be given to binders to attach. More kits were available for members to take. Alissa noted that the number of blocks arriving has not slowed down. She estimates we will have 500-600 finished quilts to give away when the project is completed.

Ede mentioned what a great job Marge, Leslie G. and Jodi are doing moving things around through the process of finishing the quilts. Ede is looking for help piecing backs at this weekend’s Sew Day at Dr. Phillips Library and after. She also asked people to donate nice fabric for backs, because that is one thing we are short. Jodi, Leslie G. and Marge had kits, binding and batting available to members. Rene reported that there are two committees working on thank you’s: Social Media Ambassadors are thanking people online, and others are writing thank you notes to corporate sponsors who have donated materials. Jeff offered to have a Sew Day at his home on a Friday. Several are looking for locations for Sew Days that would be free to the guild; Sharleen has found a large room available at the Renaissance Senior Center, at Curry Ford & Econ, for us to use from 12 noon to 8:30 pm. Marge asked everyone working on quilts to keep the quilts’ numbers attached to the quilts so they can be tracked.

Alissa reported that someone from Channel 6 news filmed at her home for a report on the guild’s Quilts for Pulse project and want to film a promo spot for that report, possibly at Monday’s Maitland Library Sew Day.

LUNCH

The group meeting for lunch after the guild meeting was going to Brio in Winter Park Village.

BLOCK OF THE MONTH

This month’s Blocks of the Month were made from Frank’s pattern. The 39 blocks were won by Leslie G.

Alexis presented next month’s Block of the Month. She said there is a tutorial on the guild blog; the color requirements are to use white and anything else.

RETREAT REPORT

Alissa explained to new members that the OMQG retreat this year will be Thursday-Sunday, November 3-6, at the Kenilworth Lodge in Sebring, where it was last year. Everyone can attend either Thursday-Sunday or Friday-Sunday; the fee is the hotel room cost per night - $238 for a single for 3 nights, $248 for a double for 3 nights, which includes a tip to hotel staff. Please mail checks for the retreat to Marge. The payment is not due until the week before the retreat, but members are able to pay ahead if they wish.

CHARITY PROJECTS

Charity Coordinator Sharleen reported that the guild’s long-term project of making 70 quilts to give to the House Next Door charity at the end of the year has received 58 quilts to date. Quilts are to be submitted by the October meeting.

SHOW AND TELL