The monthly meeting of VSQ was held on the 4th Wednesday at Lee Hill Community Center. The meeting was called to order at 6:10 pm by Mary Ann C., President. Mary Ann welcomed our members, new members and guests who came for the Spring Potluck Dinner and Installation of new board members.
Mary Ann C. proceeded with the business portion of the meeting.
A motion was made by Mary L. and seconded by Bonnie S. to accept the April minutes as they were published in the newsletter. A vote was taken, and the April minutes were approved.
The treasurer’s report was given by Diane L. There was an account balance as of May 23, 2018 of $11,157.48. There was a deposit made for advertising in the newsletter. The ad prices were explained, and members were encouraged to place ads. Cost is only $40.00/year for any size ad. Discussion for the 2018-2018 budget was tabled until the June business meeting as the board is still working on the proposed budget.
A proposal was made to rent a storage unit to consolidate all of the supplies and items owned by VSQ in one location. These items, such as, fabric, quilt stands, Christmas trees/decorations, etc., are currently being stored at different members’ homes. Diane L. has a large part of these items stored in her garage and would like to have use of her garage again. Also, Vicki W., who has been graciously storing our charity fabrics and supplies at her shop, has asked that we find another location to store these supplies, if possible. Pam L. took on the task of researching locations that would be suitable for our items. VSQ would need an indoor unit that is climate controlled with good security and an elevator. A suitable unit was found on Courthouse Road and the cost for a 10’ x 15’ unit would be approximately $120.00/month. Diane L. made a motion that VSQ add an amount to the yearly budget to cover the cost of a rental unit. Mary L seconded the motion. A vote was taken, and the motion was approved. The unit will need shelving, plastic tubs and at least one table. A request was made asking for these items to be donated. Further, a suggestion was made by Marty M. that at least 2 members should be present any time that the unit is accessed. This would be for safety purposes as well as to keep track of the items in the unit. Guidelines/procedures will be drawn up by the executive board.
Membership sign-ups are ongoing for the 2018 – 2019 VSQ program year. Dues are $25.00 per year and can be paid using PayPal by following the instructions in the May newsletter or via check/cash at a meeting or mailed to the VSQ PO Box (address listed on page 1 of the monthly newsletter). There were 31 people at tonight’s meeting including 3 guests. Sheila J. asked everyone present to fill out an updated contact information form so that corrections/changes can be made to the membership roster.
Our program chairperson, Linda K., was on vacation this month. Information was given on our upcoming program for June 20, 2018 at 7:00 pm, at the Lee Hill Community Center. “Aunt Philly” will be joining us for a lecture/trunk show on making “rag rugs” using her technique. This program can help you use up your “Stash” as each rug takes about 10 yards of fabric to make! Aunt Philly will be staying in our area for about a week and will teach as many workshops as we can set up. The July meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 18, 2018 at Lee Hill Community Center. The center will be open all day for a “senior quilt” workshop to boost our stock of charity quilts for the RAAA. The program in the evening at 7:00 pm will be an “Ice Cream Social”. Our guest speaker in October 2018 will be Suzi Parron discussing “barn quilts. In February 2019, we will have Pat Sloane visiting our guild for a lecture and workshop.
Aunt Philly’s workshops are done in small groups of 8. This allows for her to spend more time with the workshop participants. On Wednesday June 20th and June 27th, there will be a morning and afternoon session both days. The cost for the workshop is $35.00. There is a $10.00 pattern fee and you can purchase her special tool for $3.00. Aunt Philly will also be selling “KITS” of prepackaged prepared strips using batik fabrics for $60.00 at each workshop. This is a great price for 10 yards of batiks!! The money goes directly to Aunt Philly. If you are using a check for payment, make the check directly payable to her. If you have any questions or want to sign up for a workshop, please contact Tracy D. or Karen E. our workshop co-chairs!
Mercy S. reported that sign-ups on a first come first served basis for the 2019 Spring Retreat will start at the September meeting. The retreat will be March 28 – 31, 2019 at Camp Overlook, Blessings Lodge, Harrisonburg, VA. A $50.00 deposit will be required at sign-up to hold your spot for the retreat.
Diane L. was collecting finished squares for the “2019 Raffle Quilt”. More squares are needed. Please see Diane if you have questions. The drawing for this “raffle quilt” will be held during the VSQ 2019 Quilt Show. We are still in need of a member to volunteer to head up the quilt show committee and other members to serve on the committee! Please see Mary Ann C. if you would like to volunteer for this bi-yearly project.
Diane also gave an update on the Fredericksburg Sewing & Quilt EXPO which will be held September 27, 28, & 29, 2018. VSQ members can volunteer as ambassadors for this event. As an Ambassador, you’ll earn free general admission on the day you volunteer (minimum 4-hour same-day commitment), special Expo prizes and you could even earn a free class session! For more information, go to http://www.sewingexpo.com and click on the “Volunteer” tab!
Shelia J. gave a report on the “Heart & Soul – Open Sew” that is held on the 1st Wednesday of each month from 2:00 to 5:00 pm at the Snow Library located in the Marshall Center on Courthouse Road. Attendance has been great with an average of 12 to 14 people each month. This year’s theme is – Everything 9 Patch! The group is concentrating on the many ways to make variations of this block. The participants have varying levels of sewing skills and work on anything from learning to sew to working on large projects. VSQ has been very supportive of this program with donations of 2 sewing machines and cotton fabrics. Donations of 100% cotton fabrics are always appreciated. Sheila thanked everyone for their support and announced that the next Open Sew Day will be June 6, 2018. The emphasis on this date will be to prepare fabric for the upcoming “Aunt Philly’s” Rag Rug Workshops. On June 22, 2018, “Heart & Soul” will hold a workshop for 8 people. They have 4 people already signed up and need 4 more people to close this workshop session.
Monthly board meetings will now be held on the first Tuesday of the month at Salem Fields Community Church/Community Center on Gordon Road at 7:00 pm. The next board meeting will be Tuesday, June 5th, at 7:00 pm. Board members are required to attend as many of these monthly meetings as possible. The general membership is also encouraged to attend and ask questions or bring up items for discussion.
A reminder to sign-up for snacks for the June meeting was given by Elaine M. for the hospitality committee. Members were also reminded of the date for the upcoming “Block Exchange” which will be held on June 3, 2018 at the Porter Library in Stafford. If you have any questions about this event, please contact Michele S.
The business portion of the meeting concluded at 6:55 pm. A prayer was given by Joyce B. Members and guests proceeded to enjoy the Potluck Dinner. After dinner, Shirley K. filling in for Linda K., presented Mary Ann C. with her “president’s quilt” for serving as guild president. The quilt was done in shades of blue and white and was hand quilted by Linda K. Mary Ann C. presented small thank you gifts to last year’s board members for their service to VSQ. They were each given a beautifully hand-crafted wood seam ripper. Mary Ann also presented special handmade gifts to members of the guild who have given generously of their time to VSQ over the past year. Marty M., an original member of VSQ, presided over the installation of new officers by presenting each new board member with a spool of different colored thread and a description of what it stood for.
The meeting concluded with “Show & Tell” by our members. Prior to adjourning the meeting, Mary Ann C. announced that volunteers had stepped up for the 2019 Quilt Show Committee. Lynellen P. has graciously volunteered to chair the committee with support from Donna L., Valerie R., Vanna K., and Shawn F. After a big round of applause for this committee the meeting was adjourned at 7:55 pm.
Virginia Star Quilters' Guild 