June Meeting Minutes ~ Inspire. Educate. Give.

MEETING MINUTES

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Maitland, FL

President Alissa called the meeting to order; 55 members and 3 guests were present. The new members and guests introduced themselves.

TREASURER’S REPORT

Joan asked those who have recently joined or renewed to ask her, if they had not yet received a gift and membership card, so she could give them those items today.

RETREAT REPORT

Marge announced that the OMQG retreat this year will be one day longer than last year’s, Thursday-Sunday, November 3-6, at the Kenilworth Lodge in Sebring, where it was last year. The cost is $75.99 per room (either one king bed or two double beds) per night, with payment due to the guild in advance. If anyone would like to spread the cost over months rather than making one payment before the retreat, Joan will accept partial payments. Marge noted that continental breakfast is included in the room fee and there is a great restaurant next to the hotel. There is also a handy small quilt shop run on the honor system by Granny Sue in a room adjoining the retreat space. Rather than the guild’s paying an overall tip to the hotel, a tip may be added to room fees. Alissa volunteered to solicit items for swag bags for those attending.

EDUCATION

Education Coordinator Ede reviewed upcoming classes, including Christa Watson’s class on September 24th, Machine Quilting with Style, which will be held at the Bernina Sewing Center in Lake Mary; the price and registration will be available at the July meeting. She said that Amanda Jean Nyberg of Crazy Mom Quilts is seeking other area guilds that may be interested in offering her classes, to reduce the travel costs, and asked members with contacts in other guilds to let her know so she can pass the information along to Amanda Jean. She noted that we will have classes given by our members MarySo. and Frank, which have not yet been scheduled, and Jacquie Gering is coming to teach and give a trunk show next March 17-19.

QUILTCON2017

Alissa announced that she is going to send a Google survey to members about the possibility of members sharing a rented house in Savannah while attending QuiltCon 2017 next February. She is looking for someone willing to act as “house mom” to organize details as well as determining the level of interest of members in pursuing group housing. There is concern about parking; there is a ferry from downtown to the Convention Center. Someone said parking is $5/day at the Center, and someone said the ferry is $20 a day. Alissa noted that it is a walkable city, if you are close to the downtown, but parking is an issue.

RAFFLE BASKET

Linda, who won the Raffle Basket last month, returned it filled with new items, including a number of patterns and several sets of interesting fabrics. The basket was won by Kayla Deskins.

UFO LOG

UFO Coordinator Kelly reminded members to give her their list of UFOs to add to the UFO Log, or add them themselves at the website, and to let her know as UFOs are completed.

GUILD LIBRARY

Yanick brings the guild library of quilting books to each meeting. See her to see what is available and to check out books, which must be returned at the following month’s guild meeting. She reported that people have been very good about returning them on time. She also said a number of books have been requested by members, and she will be requesting funds to purchase them.

LAS VEGAS MINI QUILT SWAP - #vegasmeetsorlandoswap

Tanyia collected the last three mini quilts for the swap with the Las Vegas Modern Quilt Guild.

DEMO #1

Debra described and demonstrated a number of tips for keeping quilts square, noting that keeping quilts square is a choice but, if you wish your quilt to be square, you need to take care at all stages throughout making your top so it ends up that way. She said first to maintain a consistent seam allowance width, whether ¼” or scant ¼”, which includes considering the impact of thickness of your thread. She demonstrated how to correctly attach borders to avoid unevenness issues by measuring length (and width) 3-5 or more places (edges, center, and other places as appropriate depending on size) and using the median length as the length for borders on both sides. Mary So. advised that (1) borders should be cut on the lengthwise direction of fabric, for less stretch than if cut crosswise, and (2) to sew with the longer piece on the bottom to ease the two pieces so they end up the same length. Debra said to square the corners of the quilted top before binding.

There was a question about “elbows” created when cutting lengthy strips; Alejandrina advised letting fabric drape and lining it up so sides are even, not necessarily along the crease from the bolt, before cutting; Alissa advised using one of the paper-cutter-like fabric cutters with a rolling blade; others advised using a carpenter square from Home Depot, a 60” drapery ruler from Calico Corners, or a folding ruler that opens to a large square corner.

LUNCH

The group meeting for lunch after the guild meeting was going to Miller’s Ale House at 17-92 and Lee Road.

BLOCK OF THE MONTH

June’s Blocks of the Month were won by Shan.

Patti presented the Block of the Month for July’s meeting. Directions are available on the guild blog.

DEMO #2

Beth demonstrated printing on fabric using shaving cream, which she uses mostly for making special background fabric. She described and demonstrated how to spread and level shaving cream on a flat surface, drop color (Dy-Na-Flo, acrylic paints, or alcohol inks) on the shaving cream, draw something pointed through the color and cream to create whatever design and amount of mixing you want, lay white fabric (she uses regular prewashed white muslin) on the cream, then scrape the foam off of the fabric with a flat edge (she used a cake icing tool). The remaining foam can be reused with more color added or as is for less color. You can let the fabric dry or iron it dry; it can be washed and does not run. Beth further showed a stenciled piece and explained how to use a stencil by spray-basting the stencil to the fabric before spraying on colored paint or ink and noting that you can spray baste on one stencil, apply color, and then spray baste another stencil on top and apply additional color, showing a sample in which she had added stenciled spots to a stenciled cat.

GIVEAWAYS

At last month’s meeting, Tanyia presented a challenge offering two coloring sheets, with permission of Diane Bohn, who designed them for her Celestial Star pattern. Two members among those who returned their sheets colored, Mary and Patti, won one of Diane Bohn’s patterns in random drawings.

Another random drawing was made for a Suzy Quilts pattern, for which Alissa was a pattern tester. That pattern was won by Kelly, who will get her choice of two.

CHARITY PROJECTS

Charity Coordinator Sharleen reported that the Sewing Studio has donated fabric for more Heart of Hope pillows, which was a one-month challenge project for the guild, which is being extended another month. She solicited requests for more kits from members on the guild blog, and those were distributed before the meeting. The pillows will be accepted through the July meeting, when someone will be here from University of Florida Health Cancer Center at Orlando Health to accept them. In addition to the Sewing Studio’s donation, the guild provided the first fabric and labels, and Fairfield donated the stuffing. Instructions are on the blog.

Sharleen also reported that she has collected about 25% of the 70 quilts we hope to collect by December to donate to the House Next Door, which provides counseling to children who have been sexually abused. They ask that quilts be 48” x 60” up to twin size, but smaller quilts will be accepted because they counsel children of all ages.

Beth has 15 quilts with backs that need quilting, but in spite of a possibility arranged by Kate of members meeting one day to quilt them at Wandering Stitches, quilters had to be certified on their machines to do so. Members discussed it and decided to get the quilt sets from Beth to finish at home, so she will have them available at coming Sew Days and meetings for those who will quilt them. Marge offered to bind them.

SHOW AND TELL