January General Meeting

Welcome and Happy New Year to all our members and guests.

Ice breaker - Beth

Beth divides the audience in 3 groups: Members who were in the Guild before the Pulse tragedy, Members who joined at the time of the Quilts for Pulse drive, Members who joined in the last 2 years.  Each groups got to answer to 5 questions.

President - Ede

Ede gives an update on Sew Days:

• Dr Philips Sew Day - the library has lots of groups requesting the room and the schedule is established 6 month at a time, which means that we haven't been able to secure the room for the first semester of 2020.  We are looking at other potential locations in the area, and at week days;
• Maitland Sew Day - all the dates for the first semester of 2020 are on the blog;
• Casselbery Sew Day - the blog will be updated with 2020 dates once they are confirmed.

The Lake Mary Museum Annual Quilting & Fabric Art Exhibit  has opened on January 4th and will run until February 1st.  There are 9 quilts from our guild members' exhibited.

Vice-President - Yanick

Block of the Month
December BOM is won by Diana.

Wendy is presenting January Block of the Month.  The instructions are on the blog.  Wendy shows how the blocks could make a secondary pattern.

New Year - New Challenge

If you’ve lost your sojo, been busy with other things and want to find your way back to your sewing machine, we have a challenge for you:  choose one project from a book or a pattern you've got very excited about but never done or finished, and start working on it.  Project from library books are accepted too.

Rules: 

• Anything goes;
• Bring the project, finished or not, to our March meeting for Show'n'Tell;
• A prize will be drawn at the meeting.

Sewing room virtual tours

Yanick invites members to create a short video (1 to 2 minutes, no sound) of their sewing space.  Starting in February, we will show some videos and the owners will be invited to comment on their space.  There's a sign in sheet circulating.  If you haven't sign up at the meeting, you can still email us your video to the guild email.  And please, do not clean up your Sewing Room for the occasion!

Treasure - Zonetta

Financial report
Last month Income was generated by the sale of tickets from Quilty basket, expenses for charity project.

Membership renewal
Membership renewal will be starting in February, and we hope that most members will have renewed by the end of March which is when we have to send our dues to the MQG.  The renewal form will be send very shortly.

The pictorial directory will be updated, if you want to have your picture refreshed, bring your best smile to the meeting.  However, if you like your current picture, you can keep it.

Beth - Sunshine

Beth reminds members that we have a Sunshine person.  Her role is to send out a friendly card to members who are going through special life event.  We want to create a tight knit community, so if you know someone in the Guild in need of some sunshine,  please let us know.

Community outreach - Kelly

Quiltcon
Kathy and Mary present the QuiltCon Charity Quilt which will be sent to Austin for QuiltCon in February.
The theme this year was TEXT and the color palette shades of gray.
Inspired by our Community Outreach drive for this year, our quilt has been designed around the word HOME, using log cabin blocks, and HOME written in different languages.
Once the quilt is back, it will be donated to the Zebra Coalition.

Thanks to Kathy for leading the committee, Jeff and Carla for the research and all the others who participated in creating this quilt.

Call for Blocks
Thank you for the blocks, and keep them coming.  A couple of quilts have been completed during the Retreat in November.

Also we are looking into what we can do to help for Australia.
Update - the Wollongong MQG is collecting Tree blocks (see details HERE).  Connie, Julie and Connie will be collecting blocks at our February meeting.  There is also going to be a collection point at QuiltCon.

Zebra Coalition
It is the last push for the year Community Outreach drive.  We will have a Show'n'Tell for the remaining of the Quilts in February.

Placemats
Thank you very much for all your donations, they are great and always welcome.

Education

Ede announces that Timna Tarr is coming to teach on April 25th (location to be determined).  You can check her website to see her work.  

Ede presents the different class options: Making Map with Fabric, Stitched Mosaic (technique based class), Strung Along (color theory and placement), O Happy Day.

Signs up will start in February.  As usual, your check will hold your spot.

Election committee - Mary & Leslie (Aradria excused)

Here are the candidates by positions:

President - Ede

Vice President - Debra

Secretary - Paula

Treasure - Kathy

Education - Marge

Committee Outreach - Sue

Member at large - Love

Love, Sue, Marge, Katy, Debra, Ede

All candidates are running unopposed.
Absentee absentee ballot: if you can't be present to the February meeting, in order to vote, you will need to send an email to one of the Election Committee members by Sunday, February 2nd, mid-night.

There are some Committee positions that will need to be filled, you can indicate your interest either on the Membership Renewal form, or by email to orlandomodernquiltguild@gmail.com.

Quilty Basket 

Betty won last month and brings the basket back with some books, rulers, water spray bottle, sewing machine needles, scissors, compression gloves…. And the winner is Debbie.

Side note: Betty informs the assistance that Missouri Star will be at The Villages in March.

Sustainability challenge
Following December's Sustainability challenge, Yanick draws a prize amongst all the participants.  Karol is the winner.

Ice dying with Tonny Nichol
Thank you to Tonny for welcoming us in her home and sharing her knowledge and techniques.  Also, thank you to Paula for filming, producing this video.  The video can be watch on our brand new YouTube channel.

We would love to have more demos from our members.  Members are encouraged to contact the Programming team if they are interested in sharing skills, techniques.

Interest Groups - Wrap up 

In February, we will wrap up our Interest Groups' activities with a special Show'n'Tell.  Finished or not, we would love to see what you've been working on.

Our February meeting will also be the occasion for a Members' Speed Trunk Show': bring a project to show if you want to participate.

Update on the Bags for youth getting out of the Foster system
Jan reports that 110 large bags and 125 quarter bags for younger kids have been donated.  She will keep sewing bags and invites you to do so too.  You can also donate fabric.  There is a need for 200 big bags per year and 125 small bags twice a year.  You can find the instructions for the bags HERE, under the Section "Helping Hands".

Show'n'Tell