Happy Spring! It seems there is always lots going on with our Guild, and specifically for me, the Workshop Committee.

We continue to really enjoy the Canadiana in Cloth series, and are including a couple of pictures to show the creations which are in the works. Each block tells part of the story of Canada. We have been told that the upcoming Boundary Bay Quilters’ Guild show will have several Canadiana quilts on display, and look forward to seeing those!

Our Mola Style Applique Workshop filled up fast! It will be quite different than others we have had this year—all hand work, so no need to bring our machines.

We still have room in the other two workshops planned for this spring, Twist and Turn Bargello and Shattered Angles. Please let us know asap if you are interested in either of these, as we have opened registration up to people outside the guild. The March Guild meeting is the deadline for signing up for both of these workshops. We are having difficulty getting enough participants, and if we don’t meet the breakeven point by then, we will have to cancel or postpone them.

As mentioned in the email which was sent out, we are planning a survey of our Members, to get an idea of what you are interested in for future workshops. If you have any great ideas, let us know!

The Workshop Committee is looking for another couple of Members to join us. Please let me know if you can help out.

Jane Andrew

Well–on my daily walks through our neighbourhood in this glorious sunshine I have seen a rhododendron in full bloom, hyacinths along with daffodils and even a dandelion in bloom. It is too early to start thinking about planting our summer gardens so all we have left to do is enjoy our time quilting. And that, I can always find time to do!!

We have 99 new or renewed members signed up with the guild as of the February meeting. For those who still need to renew your membership, try out the membership form online. It is a pdf format that you can type your information right into and them print it off, sign it, and bring it along with your cheque to the March meeting.

Your membership cards will be available to be picked up at the March meeting and the new membership list will be emailed out with the April newsletter. If you have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Remember to wear your name tag in order to win a door prize. Congratulations to our February winners: Dianne Ritter and Paula Wohlgemuth. If you forget your name tag I will have sticky tags for a donation of $1.00.

Happy Quilting!
Joan Herrin

Let me tell you about the Lions Gate Quilters Guild Executive. It is made up of 11 members who basically run the guild for us. There is the President who kind of knows what is going on overall. I chair the monthly meetings and the monthly Executive meetings. We have a Vice President, a Secretary and a Treasurer. We have two members who oversee our Workshops and our monthly meeting Programs. Then there is the Membership Coordinator and our Librarian. Our Members-at-Large sell 50/50 tickets, help with Show and Tell, and generally keep an eye on everyone, their health and their general well being. Our Newsletter editor keeps everyone informed as to upcoming Programs, Workshops and general guild activities. WHAT A GREAT BUNCH OF PEOPLE !! And just as we get into a groove of working together an AGM comes along and about half of the Executive change. Each term last two years. This year the President is leaving along with one Member-at-Large and our Workshops Co-ordinator. We are lucky enough to have our Secretary, Paulette Morton, and our Membership gal, Joan Herrin, volunteer to stay on for another term. We already have two volunteers to fill the positions of Workshops and Member-at-Large. You can read their bios in this newsletter.

These members, our Executive, take care of the whole guild but they need guidance and one person is needed to oversee all things and that person is the President. Now, that may sound a little overwhelming but there is help out there. When I first became President I read over the guild Constitution and the Calendar of Executive Tasks. These two documents were invaluable and the guild runs so very smoothly with them guiding us. Whoever agrees to accept the role of President will have such awesome support from the rest of the Executive the job will indeed be very rewarding. Mind you, there is some time required in running the guild and organizing agendas, etc. and the President does get a fair number of emails but you get used to that. Enough said.

Maureen Wood was our speaker at the January meeting and if you still want to purchase a pattern you saw or even a kit, you can contact Maureen just by googling her name. That is what I did when I realized just who I could make the Tea Time Placemats for as a gift next Christmas. She is very accommodating and she has mailed me my pattern and I have already sent her my cheque.

Because we do have a great Program at our February AGM meeting I want the business portion of our meeting to move along as quickly as possible. All Budget information and Motions which will be presented at the AGM have already been sent out by our Newsletter editor. Please read these documents and if you have any concerns or questions please email our Treasurer  or myself  and we will answer your questions as best we can. This will help our meeting move smoothly along.

Besides business we are also going to take time to acknowledge all of those members who have helped run the guild. Because of all of this activity we may NOT have time for Show and Tell. Bring your work but please beware that you may have to take it home and then bring it back next month. Rita Solkin has asked if any members have antique quilts to bring those so hopefully we will have a little show and tell from our members.

As usual please wear your nametags, bring a mug and lots of loose change for the 50/50 tickets and for visiting FVQG raffle quilt tickets. Return your library books and remember to pay your library fines. Come prepared to participate and enjoy our Annual General Meeting followed by a lovely and informative Program.

And please give me a phone call if you want to find out more about the President’s job. I guarantee you will enjoy it just because you are surrounded by such helpful, creative, funny, smart and supportive individuals. I miss them already.

Happy Quilting
Betty

Workshop Coordinator 
Jane Andrew

As one of four daughters to an amazing home seamstress, I learned to sew quite early on. I first started on an old treadle machine which belonged to my grandmother, then moved on to Mum’s Singer Featherweight. Although my grandmother sewed and hand quilted many quilts with “the church ladies,” my mother was more interested in garment sewing, and encouraged us in that vein. My sisters have all quilted for years, but I didn’t come to it until maybe three or four years ago. Now that I’m (mostly) retired and have more time, I just love to create quilts! The colors, designs, fabrics . . . wow! I have so much fun locked away in my sewing room!

Member At Large
Becky West

In my teens and twenty’s I did a lot of dressmaking for myself, along with children’s clothes, for my two nieces. Also it seems I have always been doing some needlework since school days and have completed a lot of needlepoint and cross stitch. About 20 years ago, after admiring her quilting work, a friend finally convinced me to try quilting and of course, I have been hooked ever since. I mostly like to work on traditional scraptype quilts, the more fabrics the better. However, I enjoy all aspects of this art form and always marvel at the many different styles and forms of quilting, which keeps evolving. I have been a member of the Lion’s Gate Quilt Guild for 15 years plus and look forward to working as a Member at Large.

Secretary
Paulette Morton

Since the guilds inception in 1994 there have been numerous past and current members who have volunteered to take on an executive position. Often I think with some trepidation but I am sure most have ended their terms feeling fulfilled and inspired by the experience as have I.

The day my grandmothers treadle sewing machine arrived was the day I started sewing. Since then I have tackled everything from costumes, bridal gowns, drapes and upholstery but quilting is still new to me. I have learnt so much from the myriad talents and abilities of the members of this guild that so often has me in awe. I am looking forward to another term on the LGQG as your secretary.

Membership Coordinator
Joan Herrin

I began quilting in earnest when I retired in 2003. At that time I enrolled in a beginner’s quilting class with Jackie Thaysen at the Cloth Shop. That was quickly followed by enrolling in a class with Dolores Bell at Thread Bear. At the conclusion of those classes Dolores convinced me to join the quilt guild. And from there it has been many hours of ‘happy stitching’ with very little ‘bitching’. Quilters are great people and always good company!

A few years later the guild was looking for a workshop coordinator to look after a number of workshops that were already booked and planned. I thought ‘I can help with that’ and signed on. Little did I know that the executive at the time was not going to let me off the hook so easily. I continued with workshops for four years and it was an amazing way to get to know the members of the guild and feel like I was a part of something.

However, I still haven’t learned my lesson so I have been your Membership Coordinator for the past year while completing the previous coordinator’s two year term and I would be happy (crazy?) to continue in this role over the next two years. With the help of Laurel Hickey, our newsletter editor, we have used Excel to put the membership file into a spreadsheet and that has made life very easy indeed.