December 2019 Newsletter

President's Letter
Hello Guild Members!

We only have two more meetings for this year, and two major holidays to keep everyone in a stir! Just remember to stop and take the time to tell your loved ones how thankful you are for them.

I had a few interesting suggestions and ideas for the request I asked of you last month. Let’s see how we can work with them to give you a great guild to enjoy! More info to come...

If anyone was wondering, I did get that quilt done in time for Thanksgiving. It will be a nice throw to help decorate in the living room when my guests come to visit. 😁

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving and I’ll see you at our next meeting!

Helen Hofbauer

Programs - Denise Blake and Jen Burke
Greetings fellow quilters,

Are we all ready for the holidays???? How about a break from all those chores and have some fun?

Our December (9th) meeting will be just that. Fun and games! Yay!

We will also be doing our annual block swap. Make a winter/holiday themed block 12 1/2'' x 12 1/2". Wrap it up and we will draw names and pick a new block. Don't put your name on it the package, it's supposed to anonymous. But, please do, sign your block. You may also make more than one. How ever many you make, you will get that many back. It's a lot of fun.

Here's a brief look ahead:

January 13, 2020

Happy New Year!

We will be doing a "Round Robin" of sorts. Rescheduled from last year.

Carolyn Davis will be demoing binding and facing your quilt to make it "show worthy".

Helen Hofbauer will be demoing how to make continuous bias binding.

Kelly Meanix will be demoing how to paper piece. (Hint: we may see some of this in our near future).

February 10, 2020

We will be working on charity quilts. 

Details at a later time.

March 9, 2020

Our annual challenge. Looking forward to seeing all of down on the farm animals you make. What a fun challenge, Lynn Telson!

We may be having a silent auction or other type of sale that evening, as well. Details to follow.

I'm still "truing up" the rest of our guild year, so that's all I have for now.

If you don't make to the December meeting, hope you have wonderful holidays and we will see you next year.

Denise Blake

Hospitality - Angel

The snack list for the December Holiday guild meeting is: E. Lance, J. Loncaric, E. Mayer*,E. McMillen, R. McMillen, K. Meanix, E. Mincarelli, R. Newlander*, M. Paluba, S. Reindel, P. Sherman, P. Smith, RM Smith, D. Smyrl, S. Stiverson*, L. Telson. In honor of the holiday, please bake your favorite seasonal treat that your family loves and bring a drink for the group instead of a treat if a star follows your name. Switch your responsibility with a friend if you can't attend. 

Ways & Means - Robin McMillen

Hi Quilters

Please continue to collect items quilting and other items as well as you clean up the cutter.  Old Jewelry, Chotchkes, knick-knacks, kitchen serving pieces etc for the Ways and Means Committee.  If at all possible please hang onto them in your space.  Mine is filling up.  If you cannot hang onto them, then call me (610)836-1363 and we can make arrangements.  The Sale will be on a Saturday next fall, more details to follow.  

Recipe recommendation.  

My family loves this Triple Chocolate Pumpkin Pie from Martha Stewart.  I made one little tweak.  There is a chocolate layer that you add to the top of the crust before pouring in the filling.  Martha's chocolate layer was to hard to cut through so I made a tweak.  Melt 3 oz of choc in the microwave 30 seconds at a time then add 1 1/2 TBSP of heavy cream.  Mix it up and then pour it over the crust this works so much better.  

Also - I just use Ghiradelli chocolate chips not all the fancy chocolate in the recipe, makes it easier and cheaper.  

Triple-Chocolate Pumpkin Pie



Make Something For Yourself!

This caught my eye especially because it is my favorite color, aqua! You might want to give it a try during a quiet time when you feel like sewing something quick! You can find all the directions right here....Sewing Machine Ornament by Betz White

Community Outreach - Elaine Mayer
HI Penn Oaks Quilters!

I am your new Community Outreach Chair. I have been talking with other members, and members of the board, to gain some insight on the goals and expectations of this committee. We aim to hold three different charitable programs to donate items of need. I am happy to accept suggestions that will be presented quickly at the December meeting (or via email) for a vote from the group. Please be patient as I get my feet wet; feel free to email me at elainemaye@gmail.com. I look forward to seeing you all at the December meeting.

Elaine Mayer

2020 Getaway Reminder

The final payments for the Getaway are due at the December meeting. Approximately one week prior to the meeting Ellen will email each attendee with the amount of their final payments. The sewing room fee will be approximately $18.00 per person. If you're unable to attend the meeting please mail your checks to Ellen no later than December 9th. Thanks all and Happy Thanksgiving!

Ellen McMillen (ejmcmillen@verizon.net) and Cindy Vognetz (cvognetz@hotmail.com) 2020 Getaway Co-Chairs

Membership-Bob & Kathy DeCarli and Marianne Caporale

    The November meeting was great. We had 29 member and 2 guests. Sadly we said good bye to Rob Lodi but she promised to visit when she is in the area.

     Our speaker for the evening was Brita Nelson her work was helpful to those among us who collect scraps but have no idea what to do with them.

     The quiltalong produced a wonderful collection of quilts the photos have been posted by Kelly.

She did a tremendous amount of work putting this together. The “proof as they say is in the results “

   Everyone who participated were delighted with the quilts and with Kelly’s help we learned a lot and stretched our skills. Thanks and a round of applause.

Lynn Telson won the drawing.

December Birthdays 

Lynn Telson

Marianne Caporale

Kelly Meanix

  Bob and Kathy DeCarli

Printable Label Quilt Care Instructions

There's a reason why I always find good ideas at the blog, Diary of a Quilter! She has fun and simple yet adorable ideas. Now here's a fun idea for all those quilts you will make this year! Maybe even include it in your holiday quilts!

Sew Along Finish!----Kelly Meanix

Wow, Wow, Wow! Ladies you all did such a wonderful job on your quilts! I am  beyond happy so many of you participated and finished! Congratulations to Kathy DeCarli on winning the $25.00 gift card to The Old Country Store. I wonder what she will buy with it????

I am so proud of all of you for jumping in and doing something that took a lot of courage and time having no idea what it was going to look like! They all are different and unique, just like all of you. Now I look forward to Show and Tell for the quilted finishes.

I wanted to let you know that the sew along pattern is by a lovely woman named, Diane Knott and her blog is called Butterfly Threads Quilting. She has another sew along that started in September, so be sure to check her blog!

December 23rd I will be sending out the January newsletter and our first 3 blocks for our new sew along. I'm thinking we will call this one our Sew Along Sampler. After December (which are the January blocks), you will receive the blocks every month on the 1st. I am giving you some extra time to get started by releasing the first ones in December. So the second installment will come out on February 1, 2020.

We will be making (3) 6" blocks per month. For a total of 30 blocks. If you would like to make your quilt bigger, just make more blocks. 

This time we are going to add some paper piecing or foundation piecing to make the blocks. Not all, just a few to introduce some of you to this technique. So make sure you are at the January meeting to see my demo on this very accurate way to sew! I promise you it is not hard.

I will have lots of instructions and tips to help you along. Once again you will pick out your theme (think Christmas, Halloween, Reproductions etc.) and or colors. So start checking your stash and fill in if you "need" to so you have a quilt you love. I am also leaving the quilt settings up to you as well. Think about sashing, maybe a square in a square, sewing them right next to each other, or maybe a very out of the box setting. Keep your eyes open for just the right thing.

Congratulations once again on creating such lovely quilts! You all are so very creative 😊

Newsletter Articles

As always members are invited to send items to be included in the newsletter. Please send them to Kelly Meanix at kellymx@aol.com Items are due no later than the 24th of the month. The newsletter is published on the 25th. Please send them in an email and not as an attachment.

Guild Challenge _- Lynn Telson

Theme: Your Favorite Farm Animal.

Item to make: No guidelines. You can make a quilt, wall hanging, pillow, stuffed animal, anything…..

Judging categories: Funniest, Best Use of Color, Most Original, Best Workmanship

Items are to be brought to the March meeting for judging.

Any questions? Call me. Lynn 717-799-0638

Corresponding Secretary 

I am the corresponding secretary for the coming guild year.  I am asking each guild member to help me fulfill the mission of the Corresponding Secretary position.  Part of the position responsibilities is what is called "sunshine".  Sunshine is where cards are sent to members of the guild that have been ill, hospitalized, have lost a loved one, or are struggling in some other way.  Since I don't talk with each and every guild member consistently, I will need you all to e-mail me if you know of someone who could use some Sunshine in their lives from Penn Oaks!

Thanking you in advance for your assistance this year with this endeavor.  

Maureen Carlson

mlcarlsonwc@gmail.com

484-880-1984 (Cell) or 610-696-7736 (home)

More on Women's Fight for the Right to Vote: 
Many of this month's posts in the Pennsylvania Piecemaker blog highlight prominent women in the suffrage movement.  There is also a post entitled "The Night of Terror" posted 11/13/2019 which highlights suggrage protestors being jailed for picketing in front of the White House.  The Atlantic magazine has this recent article (https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/06/most-dangerous-women-american-politics/590959/) talking about the same topic.  In our season of celebrations, abundance and gifting as well as a nation that is politically divided, one has to ask oneself if today you would do similar things in a fight for a principle or belief.

Maureen Carlson

Quilt Happenings

Quiltoni Workshop
November 23, 2019
Steve’s Sewing, Vacuum and Quilting
For more information:  Quiltoni Event

Stitch Central Pop-Up Fabric and Yarn Shop
December 14, 2019
2524 West Chester Pike
Broomall, PA
For more information, click here.

The Lancaster Quilt Show at The DoubleTree
March 25-28, 2020
Willow Valley Resort
2400 Willow Street Pike
Lancaster, PA  17602
For more information, click here.

County Line Quilters presents “A Quilter’s Home”
March 28-29, 2020
St. Cyril of Jerusalem Social Hall
1410 Almshouse Road
Jamison, PA  18929
For more information, click here.

York Quilters’ Guild Presents “Celebration of Quilts”
May 29 – 30, 2020
Grumbacher Sports & Fitness Center (York College)
899 S. Richland Ave.
York, PA  17403
For more information, click here.

Diamond State Quilt Show
Ladybug Quilt Guild
July 30 – August 1, 2020