Yesterday I sewed up a bag with a “magnetic snap.” My first “magnetic snap” EVER!!! So, thank you so much Krista and the Workshops Committee for arranging that event. Some others in the class installed a zipper which may have been their first ever or something that they have not done in a long time. And I overheard someone say, “That was not too hard!”. Gosh, I enjoy taking Workshops and if I were not so tied up being your President for another two years I would consider taking on that job. But right now we need a few members to take on this very important and fun task. This week the phoning committee will be on the phones and by the time you read this article in our Newsletter we may have those few people ready to form a Workshops Committee. I hope so. We also need someone to come forth to act as Secretary. It is a commitment of coming out to evening meetings, usually on the Monday after the Guild meeting, and taking minutes of the Executive meetings and at the AGM. We also need a Raffle Quilt Committee and last night one lady expressed an interest in being a part of that endeavour so that is a good start.

This month I want to tell you a little more about the Guild Gathering meetings that were organized by the Fraser Valley Guild in the fall of 2011. There were 14 guilds at this first meeting and there were 17 different guilds represented at the last meeting in the fall of 2012. We have had 3 meetings and our next meeting is on Saturday April 13th in Langley. I welcome some company on my next trip to Langley especially those interested in workshops and programs. A member of this group has set up a Dropbox system which is like a universal post box to which all members can access. In the dropbox are things like: Meeting agendas and minutes; Quilting teachers and presenters Data Base; Discussion topics such as: information on issues of border crossings, membership increases and decreases and Copyright. We are having our fourth meeting in April and hopefully it will grow into a valuable and exciting resource for all guilds.

The North Shore Needle Arts Guild had a presentation at the Silk Purse in West Vancouver from Feb.5-17. Sometimes I miss these notices and I rely on members to let our Newsletter editor or myself know if events are coming up that may be of interest to others in the guild. Perhaps some of you were able to go to that event. A member informed me that it was “Awesome”. I wish I had seen it. Maybe next year.

We have a new Hospitality Committee and they are laying down some ground rules for us in this issue of our newsletter. Please read them along with the Financial Statements and the Minutes of our 2012 AGM which should have been sent to you all by the time you read this. We will be discussing our finances for 2013 and acknowledging the fine work done by past Executive members and other guild members who have been active in the guild over the past year. Please plan on participating in our Annual General Meeting. It is an important one and I will try to make it as painless as possible.

Remember to bring your Show and Tell including all of those finished UFOs or TGIFs or PHDs. You need to bring your mug and nametag, money for 50/50 tickets and your chequebook for workshops you may want to register for. And, of course those library books need to be returned and put back into circulation. See you all on the 26th of February (the fourth Tuesday of the month).

Happy Quilting,
Betty