May 2018 Newsletter

President's Letter 
May is almost here and that means a lot going on for Penn Oaks.  Last month, our speaker, Gail Kessler, gave us a wonderful presentation about her background as a fabric designer.  We have another interesting speaker, Sarah Bond, scheduled for our May meeting.  You can read more about her later in this newsletter.  

Our Nominating Committee has been working hard getting ready for elections at our May meeting.  The slate isn’t filled yet so please, please, please consider helping out your guild.

I misspoke at the April meeting.  I said that evening was the last time I could take nominations for Volunteer of the Year.  I was wrong and I can actually take them up until the May meeting.  So if there is someone who stands out in your mind as a great volunteer for the guild, let me know.  Remember, board members and past recipients are not eligible.  After the May meeting, the board members will vote for a winner.

If you love to garden, I hope you are finding time to do some on the nice days that we’ve been having, but also finding time to sew on those rainy days.  April showers bring May flowers for sure!

Stephanie Braskey

April Meeting Minutes

4/9/18

President Stephanie Braskey called the meeting to order at 7:00.

Debbie Becker - Treasurer's Report 

The current bank balance as of today is $18,629.38. In Feb expenses were $107.00. March expenses were $260. There was no income in March.

Debbie Becker - By Laws vote

       A Guild member must be a member for 1 year before being eligible to join the Board.

          Moved: Jamie Loncaric, Seconded:  Ellen McMillen  Approved: All in favor.

      The Programs Deputy is a non-voting member of the Board. 

          Moved:  Jamie Loncaric, Seconded:  Ellen McMillen  Approved:  All in favor.

      The Exec Committee includes co-positions.

              Moved: Jamie Loncaric, Seconded:  Kelly Meanix  Approved:  All in favor

      The Ways and Means Chair description

           Moved:  Jamie Locaric,  Seconded:  Leslie O'Brien,  Approved:  All in favor.

      The Getaway appeared in more than one section. It was combined so it only appears once. 

Jean Zubert - Show Chair

Jean announced that Griffith Hall is available and the down payment, if we decide to hold the show there, is $250. After some discussion it was decided that judging does not provide much additional income to offset the extra work and time required to do the judging. The group decided the upcoming show would not be judged.  Moved:  Carolyn Davis, Seconded:  Robin McMillen, Approved:  All in favor.

Jean said she is still looking for a Publicity and Advertising Chair. The next step, and critical step, is to secure a venue. 

Nominating Committee - Pat Sherman was absent. The list of nominees is

     President - Helen Hofbauer

     Programs - Linda Kerschner

     Programs Deputy - still open

     Treasurer - Cindy Vognetz for Debbie Becker's vacated term

     Recording Secretary - Ellen McMillen

     Corresponding Secretary - Ellen Lance

     Membership - Diana Smyrl

     Ways and Means - still open 

Volunteer of the Year awards - Please nominate anyone who has not received the award in the past and not on the Board.

Diana Smyrl - Membership

Tonight we have 36 members and 0 guests. Renewal forms will be sent out over email. Please strive to renew and pay your dues on time. The auction sale tonight brought in $30.

The group then enjoyed a presentation by Gail Kessler of Ladyfingers Sewing.

Respectfully Submitted,

Leslie O'Brien

Recording Secretary, Penn Oaks Quilt Guild

Programs:  Rita Marie Smith and Linda Kerschner

May 14:  Sarah Bond will be our speaker.  She is an award-winning, incredible quilter, artist and instructor from Philadelphia.  Sarah comes from a family of quilters and has been making quilts for over 30 years.  Many of her quilts are inspired by traditional designs but interpreted in ways that break a bit from that tradition.  She loves color, pattern and texture.  She will be speaking about the quilts and quilters in her family from before the Civil War up to the Civil Rights era.  Not only will it be a wonderful opportunity to see her family's quilts but Sarah's phenomenal quilts as well.  

June 11:  Joyce Hughes is an award-winning, self-taught quilter, lecturer, fiber artist and instructor.  Her lecture is titled "My Journey into Quilting."  It is a very open and inspiring talk about how she started in quilting, leading into art quilts with thread painting, finishing with ideas to use with panels as art quilts.  Joyce's main subject matter will be working with fabric panels showing how, with a little embellishing and/or thread painting, a panel becomes a piece of art.  Learn about the preparation of the panel for a project, the freedom of using thread painting, adding embellishments of ribbon, markers, paint, crystals, etc.

*********Cindy Kerr will be presenting at our November 2018 meeting. Cindy is the mother of Ryan Kerr and the founder of ConKerr Cancer, now Ryan’s Case for Smiles. Ryan died ten years ago, but his memory lives on through Cindy’s charitable works. To date, Case for Smiles has delivered 1,700,000 pillowcases to pediatric patients in hospitals worldwide. Their goal is to make and donate 44,000 each September, enough for a pillowcase for each child in treatment for cancer.

Cindy was a quilter before she was called to give comfort to sick children. She and her family live in a pre-Revolutionary War home adjacent to Valley Forge Park, and she has decorated it with quilts that would have been right at home when it was built. She will be sharing her quilts and her quilting story with us.

To welcome Cindy to our guild, consider making a pillowcase or two. Rita Marie and I are accepting fabric donations toward this cause. Carolyn Davis has already put together 25 kits from her own stash. We will have kits available at the May meeting. Since the fabric is already washed and cut, it will only take an hour or less to make a pillowcase.

Here is the link to the pattern from Ryan’s Case for Smiles: http://caseforsmiles.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Case-for-Smiles-Hot-Dog-Instructions_updated-1.pdf 

You also received the instructions in a separate email.

Thanks for any help you can give!

Treasurer - Debbie Becker
A $100.00 donation was made in the name of our member Betsy Moses, who passed away last December, to the Neighborhood Visiting Nurses Association.

Hospitality - Angel
The snack list for the May meeting is: C. Ferrandino, F.A.Grider, C. Harkins, A. Henderson, H. Hofbauer, B. Holden*, D. Holzwarth, M.Hopkins*,J.Kathy. A star after your name indicates to bring a beverage for the group instead of a snack. Remember to switch your responsibility with a friend if you can't attend the meeting......we don't want to run short!

Newsletter - Kelly Meanix
Articles are due by the 20th of the month. All members are encouraged to send any articles or information to share with the guild. Please send them to Kellymx@aol.com

Accuquilt Cutters and Dies

Just a thought since several of us have these cutters, are any of you interested in sharing dies? We could have a list of our collective dies. Those borrowing dies would need to use their own mats with the dies. If other guild members, who do not have a machine, would like to participate, they can buy a die they want, but no one has, and provide the mat. I am sure someone would do the cutting for them or with them.

I just want to see if anyone is interested. Seriously, we don’t all need to have every die there is. Send me an email and we can try to set this up. 
Carolyn Davis
Daviscarbob@msn.com. 

Marian Stevenson was very happy to get the cow fabric we sent her that was in the auction. I am sure she will make something very fun with it!

Calico Cutter's Quilt Show
Calico Cutter's will be holding a quilt show on Friday May, 4  from 10:00 to 5:00 and Saturday May, 5th from 10:00 to 4:00 at the Church of the Good Samaritan at 212 W Lancaster Ave in Paoli. Admission is $8.00. For more information please check out http://calicocutters.com/a-world-of-quilts-may-4-5-2018/
They have been very supportive of our show so let's support them too!

Library Quilts- Leslie O'Brien

The Downingtown Library quilt raffle raised over $700! Thank you to all the members who participated. This may be an every year fundraiser so keep it in mind for next year.

Charity Corner - Debbie Becker, Susan Longenecker and Suzanne Doonan

Baby Bits  As always, feel free to make baby quilts, 30 x 30, for the NICU at Chester County Hospital. CCH also accepts knitted or crocheted baby blankets that are used in the general nursery. At this time, the nursery does not need baby hats. 

CCH also has Ob/Gyn Clinic Services for those in need.  The clinic will happily accept blankets and hats that are quilted, knitted or crocheted. Color is not important. Use scraps of yarn and fabric!!

Pillowcases  Children’s can be given to Debbie Becker or Suzanne Doonan.. Adult pillowcases can be given to Diana Smirl. Links to pillowcase instructions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrYWCma9wgM&list=PLN02zJgWGLKu-VExeoYcjgAy4OZvQ44-b     (you can  use just 2 different fabrics)

http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/millionpillowcases/freepatterns/index.html

Frustrated Fidgeters.  

PLEASE CONSIDER MAKING ONE OF THESE AS THEY ARE VERY NEEDED! The Pocopson Nursing Home has asked us to make sewn or knitted  items for dementia,  Alzheimer’s, etc. patients, who may become agitated and need to keep their hands occupied.  These are designed to offer an outlet for anxious fidgeting.

A twiddlemuff is a double thickness hand muff with bits and bobs attached inside and out. Fleece would work well.  An activity blanket or pillow serves the same purpose.  Activity blankets are comforting of they have some weight to them (3-5 lbs.) – this gives a sense of security. A blanket can be weighed down with thicker fill, rice, dried beans, etc. All items must be firmly attached or, if detachable, must be too large to be swallowed.

http://alittlebitoflou.typepad.com/my-blog/2016/07/my-twiddle-muff-journey.html

http://www.sewmanywayskimi.com/alzheimers-sensory-blanket/

For more ideas google twiddlemuff images  and look on pinterest.

Chester Bears

There is a group led by Susan Longenecker that makes stuffed bears for use in the CCH emergency department.

Anything you make can be given to Debbie Becker or Suzanne Doonan at meetings. 

Quilt Happenings

A World of Quilts
Calico Cutters Quilt Guild
May 4-5, 2018
Ashton Hall at the Church of the Good Samaritan
212 W. Lancaster Ave.
Paoli, PA
Quilt Show Flyer
Click here for directions

Quiltfest 2108
May 5-6, 2018
Admission $8.00 a day.
Colonial Quilters Guild
Charles Chrin Community Center
Palmer, PA
Click here for more details

Celebration of Quilts 2018
May 18-19, 2018
York Quilters Guild
York College of PA
Click here for more details

Penn Dry Goods Market
Antiques Show and Sale
May 18th and 19th, 2018
Friday – 10:00 – 5:00
Saturday – 10:00 – 4:00
Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center
105 Seminary Street
Pennsburg, PA 18073
Click here for more
details

American Quilts and Their Stories
Friday, May 18th, 2018,
9:00am – 10:00
25.00
What’s in Your Shrank? A View of the Evans’ Shenandoah Valley Quilt Collection
11:30 am – 12:30 pm
25.00
Embedding: Putting Hadassah Chapin Ely’s Wholecloth Quilt in Context
2:00pm – 3:00pm
25.00

Saturday, May 20th, 2018
The Social Fabric: American Quilts in the National Collection
10:15 am -11:15 am
25.00
New York Quilts
12:45 pm – 1:45pm
25.00
Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center
105 Seminary Street
Pennsburg PA 18073
Click here for more details

“Trash to Treasure”
A Sale for Quilters, Crafters & Friends
Saturday, June 9, 2018
10 am to 1 pm
Tredyffrin Township Library
582 Upper Gulph Road
Strafford, PA 19087
Quilt fabric, yardage and fat quarters, fabric kits,
quilt kits, orphan blocks, UFOs, and decorator fabric
Yarn, cross-stitch and needlepoint kits.
Lace, beads, and embellishments.
Lovingly used books, magazines patterns
and more, all priced to sell!
Bring your friends and family and take time to browse.
Homemade baked goods available.
Click here for more details

Kutztown Folk Festival
June 30th – July 8th, 2018
Click here for more details

Quilt Odyssey
Hershey Lodge and Convention Center
July 19-22, 2018
Click here for more details

“Quilts All Around the Town 2018”
Clamshell Quilt Guild
Connecticut College Student Center
Mohegan Avenue
New London, CT
Click here for more details

Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza
Oaks, PA
September 13-16, 2018
Click here for more details

“Quilts From The Heart of Berks”
Berks Quilters Guild
October 5 & 6 2018
$8.00 Admission
Friday, 9-5pm
Saturday 9-5pm
Leesport Farmers Market
312 Gernant’s Church Road
Leesport, PA
Click here for more details

The Valley Forge Quilt Show
Friday, October 19, 2018, 10am-7pm
Saturday, October 20,2018 10am-4pm
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
132 E. Valley Forge Rd.,
King of Prussia, PA 19400
Click here for more details

A Thread Runs Through it
Brandywine Valley Quilters Show
October 19-21st, 2018
10.00 for both days
Brookhaven Municipal Building
2 Cambridge Road
Brookhaven, PA 19015
Click here for more details

Lebanon Quilters Guild
12th Annual
Exhibition of Quilts
November 9th & 10th, 2018
10am- 4pm
Lebanon Expo Center & Fairgrounds
80 Rocherty Road
Lebanon, PA
Click here for more details

The Lancaster Quilt Show @ The Continental Inn*
March 27-30th, 2019
*DoubleTree Resort
2400 Willow Street
Lancaster, PA 17602
Watch for more info at www.lancasterquiltweek.com