Spring is in the air, the colours are popping up everywhere! On some of my walks I’ve noticed the daffodils, crocuses and snow drops. I’ve even seen some beautiful tulips. Spring is so refreshing and renewing. Speaking of renewing, have you renewed your membership yet? I want to thank the members that have and say Welcome! to our new members. Our new membership list will go out with the April newsletter.

Did you know that in order to participate in the Lions Gate Quilt Guild show, you must be a member in good standing for 6 months prior to the show? That means you must pay your membership in full before the November meeting. So be sure to get your membership in. For renewals, there is no fee break, that is for new members only. Do you know someone who would like to visit our guild? The first visit is free, after that, there is a drop in fee of $ 5.

To date we have 108 members. Congratulations to our door prize winners of the February meeting: Boudina Jones and Tanith Laughton. We had 89 members attend our February meeting.

Happy Stitching!
Kate Burzuk

Hello fellow guild members,

Did you enjoy last month’s coffee and treats? We certainly did and invite all March birthday guild members to make a donation to the goodie table at the meeting on March 26th.

Please remember your cup. If you forget, it will cost you a 25 cent donation to our tea fund.

Thank you to all who donated tea, coffee and goodies in February.

Many thanks,
Debbie Barrett and Dorothy Moseley

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

Hello Members! Thank you to all who completed and handed in your membership renewal forms last guild meeting. It sure does help me out! As some of you know, my computer had crashed last fall and I had lost the 2012 database. I spent a few evenings and rebuilt it with the forms from last year. Now I am ready to get this year’s database loaded up. I also want to thank the members that highlight when there is a change in either their address or email address, it is most helpful.

At the February meeting, be sure to come a few minutes early so you can sign in for the meeting, and drop off your renewal form. The form is always available on our website as a PDF. You can type in your information, print it off, sign it and then drop it off. I will have membership cards ready for the meeting. Please stop by the table during the break to get your 2013/2014 Membership Card.

I will have a membership list ready for distribution with the March newsletter. If you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to email me.

Remember to bring your nametag in order to win the door prize. Congratulations to our January winners: Becky West, Helen Jorgensen and Kate Burzuk (whew, glad I remembered to wear my name tag!)

Have a wonderful month, and Happy Stitching!
Kate Burzuk

We are your new hospitality committee and are looking forward to continuing on with some of the initiatives already started by our predecessors.

The first and very important one is: Please remember your own mug for the monthly meetings. We are keen to keep greening the refreshment table, and are going to avoid using styrofoam. So if you forget your mug, you can use the church china. However, there will now be a cost to you of $.25. There will be a donation box on the table beside the mugs where you can put your quarter.

We are also requesting that you return your cup to the refreshment table where we will then put them in the kitchen at the end of the break so we can get a head start on running the dishwasher.

Goodies are certainly a hit and we are continuing to request that those with birthdays in the month of the meeting make a contribution to the goodie table. We’ll try to set a monthly reminder.

Finally, our supply of herb teas is “patchy.” We are requesting donations of USABLE herbal teas to replenish our stock, if you find that you have extras in your cupboard. Please bring the tea to the kitchen on meeting nights.

Many thanks.
Debbie Barrett and Dorothy Moseley

Thank you to all the members that have been donating pillows for the homeless.

For NEW members the particulars are as follows:

• Use a lightweight upholstery fabric (there is usually some available at the meetings up by the stage) and make an 18″ square pillow casing, leaving one side open.
• Keep a bag handy by your cutting table to toss in batting scraps as you work. Please BATTING scraps only, we have since found that fabric scraps make the pillows too heavy, especially when they get wet.
• Machine stitch closed when filled.
• You may also attach a handle or loop to the pillow if you wish but not mandatory.

Louise Bovet or I collect the pillows at the meetings and deliver to the Look Out Shelter on Bewicke.

Thank you,
Myra (pillow fight!!) Frampton