When the groundhog saw his shadow at the beginning of February it was said that we should expect 6 more weeks of winter. By the time you receive this newsletter those 6 weeks have come and gone but after a walk through my backyard between all the rain showers/storms I noticed that my trees are about to burst into bloom. My rhododendrons are not far behind. Spring is definitely in the air!!

To date we have 115 members. Your membership cards and tickets should be ready to be picked up at the March meeting. We had 66 members sign in at the February meeting.

Don’t forget your name tag in March as we will have 2 draws for door prizes as we did not have a draw at the February meeting. Name tags are available for $1 each if you forget to bring yours.

Happy Stitching!
Joan Herrin

Let me start off this Newsletter with great news!! As of February 11th we had filled four of the six Executive positions which need to be filled by the February AGM meeting. Suzanne Patchell has agreed to be our Treasurer, Norine McCaffrey has agreed to be our Member-atLarge, Joan Gold and Sonia Milanez have agreed to act as our Librarians, and Laurel Hickey has agreed to be our Newsletter editor. All of the Executive positions are for a two-year term and all members are expected to attend monthly Executive meetings which are held on the first Monday after our Guild meeting.

We did set up a phoning committee and most members of the guild will be receiving a phone call this month as a last ditch attempt to encourage members to fill the remaining Executive positions which are: Programs and Vice-President. If we can find a group of 3 or 4 members interested in working on the Program for our monthly meetings then we are set for another two years of exciting learning and discovery. There is much, much to learn about the many facets of quilting. The Programs inspire us and currently I am getting my creative juices flowing by trying to piece a quilt back. I was inspired by our January speaker, Felicity Ronaghan who is co-president of the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild. Even though I have a very large stash I find that I still must go shopping for yet more fabric. So, you see folks, our Programs and Workshops are most important for each of us and for the general economy of Canada. By serving on the Programs committee you will be doing a national and public service.

I would like to quote from an email I received from our new Treasurer, Suzanne. She writes: “I have so enjoyed being on the raffle quilt committee and I’ve always felt that you only get as much from a group as you are prepared to give.” That statement is so true. Thank you Suzanne for reminding us of that.

Dorothy Porter has said that members are becoming very good at giving her the written total of the circumferences of their Show and Tell. In January we had a total of 6, 913 quilt inches with a grant total of 25,976 inches or 659.3 metres. At the January meeting it was delightful fun to open a brown envelope and see a beautiful fat quarter in there. It was a gift from the Inuvik Quilting Guild. The Challenge continues for just two more months.

We are going to have a very busy AGM this month with lots of business; time taken to thank all of the members who really help our evenings and months flow smoothly; Show and Tell; plus a program which is piquing my interest. And our Raffle Quilts are going to be on display.

If you enjoy the monthly meetings with its Show and Tell and great Program then please think about how you can contribute. THE FUTURE OF THE LIONS GATE QUILTERS GUILD IS IN YOUR HANDS!!

Happy Quilting,
Betty

Stack-N-Whack quilts, also known as Kaleidoscope quilts, are popular for their bold, striking, symmetrical designs and for their remarkably simple method of construction. Stack-n-Whack is an easy way to create quilt blocks with unique kaleidoscope designs. These designs require a set of identical pieces cut from a print fabric, which are then stacked on top of each other so the printed patterns of each piece of the fabric line up perfectly with the ones above and below. Now it’s easy to cut out the identical pieces of fabric needed to create these stunning blocks.

DATE: Saturday, May 24, 2014
TIME: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
PLACE: St. Catherine’s Church 1058 Ridgewood Dr, North Vancouver
COST: $30

Please make note of the Executive Positions which will become vacant in February 2014. Please consider volunteering for one of these positions and let the Executive know as soon as possible if you can help.

VICE-PRESIDENT: This person assumes the duties of the President in her/his absence. Oversees the storage locker and post office box rentals.

PROGRAM COORDINATOR: Prepares the Program for each guild meeting, including all arrangements for guest speakers and presenters.

All of the above positions are two-year terms and require the members to attend monthly executive meetings.

Our new Executive members:

Suzanne Patchell – Treasurer
I am quite new to quilting but have been sewing since I was 10. Three years ago, on a whim, I took a beginner’s quilting class at Creative Edge and I was hooked. I thought I didn’t have enough experience to join a guild but, at a class, Carol Piercy encouraged me to attend a meeting and I joined LGQG in September /12. I’ve so enjoyed being part of a community of quilters, happy to have made new friends, continually inspired by ‘Show & Tell’, and am looking forward to working on the executive.

Norine McCaffrey – Member-at-Large
Although I began machine sewing when I was twelve years old I did not begin quilting until I was much older. My early sewing consisted of dressing myself and our children, mending, and slip covering. I began quilting at about age 55. I wanted to sew for fun and not have to put in any more zippers or make any more buttonholes. However, I was still working and my play time was limited. Once I retired I thought I would have all the time in the world to quilt. It seems time is still in short supply but I have found a hobby that has become an addiction.

Laurel Hickey – Newsletter Editor
I picked up quilting a few years ago after a thirty year absence from sewing of any sort, and am having great fun exploring all that quilting has to offer, taking courses and buying loads of books. Besides enjoying being part of a community of quilters, my motivation for quilting is greed: I want quilts, I want stacks of quilts. I especially love the muted Japanese-style taupes and yarn-dyed fabrics, but find myself seduced as well by the bright moderns – pinks and greens and lots of white. I have too much fabric and keep buying more. I joined the Lions Gate Quilters’ Guild little over a year and a half ago, and now that I’m retired and have the time, thought I could put my background in writing and print/web publishing to some use as the newsletter editor.

Sonia Milanez – Librarian
I first learned about quilting when I moved to Canada 20 years ago. I took my first sample class in 2001 with Dolores Bell, and discovered my passion for quilting. The first time I went to a LGQG meeting was as Barb Mortell’s guest, and I became a full member shortly after that. I prefer to design my own quilts because I enjoy being challenged. I get my inspiration from rugs, tiled floors, or anywhere I find an interesting pattern. I’ve been involved in the making of raffle quilts and community quilts for the guild, I worked on the cloth letter sent to Japan after the tsunami, and I’ve made many quilts for friends and family. I look forward to being a librarian for the guild.

Our library is now on our web site! Check it out: http://www.lionsgatequiltersguild.com/library/

View covers of recently added books and videos, or explore the library by subject. Browse the library online before you come to the meeting, then check your favourites out of the library at the meeting.

(Note: we’re still getting the last few items into the library collection on the web, so some of the new titles might look a little dated – but that will change as soon as we buy new books for the library.)

 

 

 

Happy New Year Everyone ! I hope you all had a relaxing and happy holiday season.

I want to thank our Programs Committee for sending out the second set of Mystery Quilt instructions. I worked on the project and it felt very therapeutic. With a mystery one does not have to think too, too much. We just follow the instructions and do what they say. I think that instructions for Mystery quilts must be getting better or my quarter inch is getting much better because I think that I may just keep my points in this quilt, if indeed there are going to be points. Who knows? If you are wondering I do not think it is too late to start this project.

Now, to a little business. The Society Act of BC gives guidance as to Executive positions which come vacant during their term. The Executive felt that we need to outline this procedure in our own Constitution. So, we would like to include this following sentence in our Constitution and we will need your approval at our AGM in February. ” If an Executive position is not filled at the February AGM or comes vacant during its term, then the Executive has the authority to appoint a guild member to that position for the remainder of its term.”

This leads nicely into the topic of Executive positions which need to be filled by new people. We MUST have volunteers for the positions of Treasurer and Programs. The Guild MUST have a Treasurer according to the Society Act and without a Program, what would be the point of having a guild meeting? I ask you? Consider getting a few friends together and volunteering to be the Programs committee. You could take turns coming to the Executive meetings and our current Programs Committee has done much of the planning for the next four months and a little beyond. If your talents lie elsewhere we have openings for VicePresident, Newsletter, and Member-at-Large. The Library position has been filled by Joan Gold and Sonia Milanez. Thank you ladies.

We are making much progress in our guild Walk to Brock. In November Dorothy Porter reported that we measured 9731 inches of quilt circumferences which is more than our September and October months combined. Well done everyone. I think we all must be keeping our Quilt Show 2014 in mind as we busily sew, sew, sew. Keep up the good work.

Our next meeting is on Tuesday January 28th. Bring along any Christmas goodies you still have around the house tempting you and bring along any quilting related “Free” items. Don’t forget your name tag, mug, cash for 50/50 tickets and raffle tickets being sold by guests from the Langley Quilters Guild. Bring your cheque books for Workshop registration; bring your Show and Tell projects along with the circumference totals; come to the meeting with your keen spirit of participation and your happy, smiley faces. I look forward to seeing everyone.

Happy Quilting,
Betty

Happy New Year! A time to finish up the quilts and get them ready for Quilt Show 2014!

It is also the time of year to renew your membership for 2014/2015. A renewal form is attached to the newsletter, as well as being available on our website. The dues for this year are $75. This includes the $20 fee for Quilt Show tickets that you will receive at a later date determined by the Quilt Show committee.

If you are planning to hang a quilt in the show in June, you must already be a member as of December 2013. If you are unsure of your status, please consult the membership list. If you don’t have a current list, you can email a request for one. In addition, you must also renew your membership in February 2014.

You may hand in your renewal form and cheque, or cash at the January meeting to save you (and me!) time. You can also mail your renewal to our guild mailbox.

At the November meeting, we had 76 members in attendance. The door prize winners were Joan Herrin and Margo Novak. To date we have 141 members in our guild.

To be a door prize winner you must sign in, and be sure to be wearing your name tag at the meeting. If you have any concerns or questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Happy Stitching!

Kate Burzuk
Membership Coordinator

In this workshop, you will learn how to use Derwent Inktense blocks and Sue’s stitch explosion techniques to create a landscape pillow/wallhanging. We will paint out pillow in the morning and stitch in the afternoon. Sue encourages you to explore your creative side and have fun. This is not a difficult class but a busy class. You cannot make a mistake in this class, you just find new horizons! These are techniques that can be incorporated into many artistic and landscape quilts, or borders or any number of applications.

DATE: Saturday, April 26, 2014
TIME: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
PLACE: St. Catherine’s Church, 1058 Ridgewood Dr, North Vancouver
COST: $60.00 which includes a $15 kit fee

It seems to me that the past few months have just flown by. We did have that lovely Fall weather so maybe that had something to do with the passage of time. This is our last meeting of 2013 and 2014 brings us to another Quilt Show year. Dianne Ritter and Carol Piercy should be commended on finding us a lovely venue. At the last meeting Dianne told us to get started on producing some quilts for that Show. Wow, it really won’t be long now and our “Album of Quilts” Show will be happening. And not just quilts need to be started and finished but also there should be lots and lots of pin cushions being produced. Barbara Beatty had only one little bag of glass left which pleased her very much.

I was sorry to see some of our members leaving before the Program began last month. Tasia Pona was our speaker in October. She is an energetic, successful young business woman who told us how she got started in her business of creating and producing commercial clothing patterns. She told us of her education, her work experience and how she came to use the internet with its blogs and other assorted communication devices to start her business. She was fun to listen to. She showed us samples of all 13 of her patterns and we were able to shop at the end of her presentation. Life is sooo good when one gets to shop after a presentation! Our Programs committee has also started us on the road to a Mystery Quilt. If you forgot to register last month, as I did, it is not too late. You can register in November and will be emailed the first clue. So far I feel it is going to be a very good exercise in studying value. I am very partial to mystery quilts and I want to thank Paula, Jo Ann and Andrea for organizing this for us. Our members are getting very good at remembering to measure the circumference of your Show and Tell quilts. Over the past two months Dorothy Porter has sent our results to CQA and our total to date is 236.72 metres. Just imagine if you had to wash, iron and fold that quantity of fabric AND store it.

Our November meeting is going to be a social one although we always have a little business to do. During the business portion of the evening some of the current Executive will be coming to the mike and describing their jobs because you know what is coming in February. Yes, you guessed it!! Our AGM is happening along with the turnover of Executive members. We will need 6 people to step up and fill the positions of Vice-President, Treasurer, Programs, Newsletter, Library and Member-at-Large. Please consider which of these positions might best suit your talents. And it would be very nice if you let a current Executive member know of your intentions. Thank you.

November 26th is our next guild meeting before the holidays. We have no meeting in December. We shall do a little business, have our Show and Tell, then have a cup of coffee or tea, eat a few goodies and we shall play a few games. I guarantee that everyone will go home with a prize or giftie of some sort. We have spared no expense to make sure our members have a jolly, good time! Please remember to bring your mug, name tag, cash for 50/50 tickets and any late library fines. If you are doing some early Christmas baking please bring along a plate to add to our festive table. Don’t forget your library books and your cheque book for registering at the Workshops table. I look forward to seeing all of your Show and Tell and don’t forget to measure the circumferences.

Happy Quilting,
Betty

Once again, this month I want to thank both Linda Heese and Kathryn Gillis for carrying out Library duties while I was off traveling last month – Many thanks, Ladies!!!

I’m not sure whether it is good or bad, but I have managed to spend the Library Budget for this year, so no new books have been added to our Collection this month. Not to fear though next year’s budget will be available soon. And, I have a list of member requests to fill so there will be lots of exciting, new books to borrow in January.

As you are aware the two-year Guild Librarian position will be up for grabs in February. The plusses of this position are that you get to order the books that YOU like (and get to review them before anyone else!) And you get to meet and get to know other members – what could be better? As a relatively new member of LGQG I have really enjoyed being the Librarian. It is not a terribly onerous position – maybe taking one day/month in total in addition to manning the Library at Guild meetings, where it is advantageous to have an additional person helping. If you are considering taking on this fun position and have any questions about it, please don’t hesitate to contact me!