August 2014 Newsletter

President's Letter

Hi Everyone,

It's August, hang on to summer as long as you can! We still have time to enjoy the season.

I hope to see a lot of you at the summer bee. 4:00 at the church on the usual second Monday of the month, August 11.

I trust you are all working on your raffle quilts and show quilts? Not trying to be a nag or anything, but it will be May before you know it.

I have a couple of new meeting logistics to experiment with this year. We now have a meeting set-up and tear-down helper. Those tables get heavier every year and I need help getting them out and putting them away. This also gives us another pair of hands to help take things out to cars (vendors, silent auctions, membership, etc.) Jan Brown has volunteered to be the first to hold this position. Thanks, Jan!

We have have a project underway to add our portraits to the Guild roster. That will help us put names to faces. Please be ready to provide us your favorite picture. Yes, that means a picture of you. Not like facebook profile pictures. No pictures of your dog, cat, goldfish, garden,  etc... Debbie Becker has volunteered to work with Ellen on this. We will be in touch with how we will accomplish this soon.

I welcome Christine Harkins as our new newsletter occasional special guest columnist. You may already know that Christine's work appears in American Quilter. Christine writes this month about the importance of buying from local quilt shops. We were all shocked and saddened by Ramona's announcement to close Chester County Quilting. That was after we already lost several of our local shops this winter. I don't know about you, but every time I see a subject line from a quilt shop that says "news from......" I cringe and brace myself for what may be coming. It is always a relief to see a new class list of photos of a new fabric line. The way to keep our shops in business is to shop there. 

Remember, BJ Titus will be here in September 8 for a daytime workshop and evening meeting lecture. I need you to sign up if you plan to come so I can fill the workshop. Please email me if you plan to attend. I will open it to the public soon and I want to make sure the Guild members have every opportunity to sign up before I do that. 

See you at the August Bee,

Leslie

Programs Suzanne Doonan

Join us for our Bee on August 11. Bring your handwork, your dinner or snack,  and your enthusiasm for quilting!  We'll start at 4 or whenever you can get 

there and end at 8:00. 

Membership: Ellen McMillen/Rita Marie Smith
Approximately 20 percent of our guild members have not renewed their membership. I hope you all will return for the 2014-15 guild year. Penn Oaks needs you! I will be at the Bee on August 11th. The membership form will be sent as an attachment in a separate email. August Birthdays 

Eileen Mincarelli                4-August
Esther Dusinberre             5- August 
Suzanne Stiverson            12- August
Betsy Moses                      15-August
Helen Hofbauer                25-August
Kathy DeCarli                    26-August
Jean Zubert                        27-August
Many happy birthday wishes ladies!  

Quilt Show 2015

We have six vendors signed up.  Timberline Patchwork; The Quilt Block; Pottstown Sewing (3 spaces); Jackie’s Woolens, Happy Valley Quilting plus Quiltiques and Primitives (new) have signed up for spaces.  Waiting on two checks.  This totals 8 of the 12 spaces. I’ve sent out letters to other possible vendors in mid-July with October 1 deadline.  I had previously (in May) sent letters to our previous vendors.

Diana Smyrl is getting lists organized for the program advertisements, along with Pat Sherman preparing to send out requests for door prizes.  Suzanne Doonan is making sure we have all advertising/marketing avenues covered.  If you have suggestions, particularly long-armers who might want to advertise in our program or provide door prizes (the latter is listed in the program and on-line), please contact the appropriate Chair.

Website is being updated with newest information on the Quilt Show.  Maureen will be putting the Vendor and door prize list up soon.  Ellen will provide the whole quilt entry form and rules on the website..

Robin McMillen is getting her food handler’s license and will lead the food committee.  We will need commitment tending the food area if we go this way.  We have tried to get a caterer who will self-fund and supply everything and take the profit (with some cut for the Guild).  No luck so far concerning the latter.

Raffle mini-quilts will be 18”X18”.  PLEASE START WORKING ON YOUR QUILTS AS THEY WERE TERRIFIC FOR PUBLICITY OVER THE YEAR.  TURN THEM IN AS SOON AS THEY ARE DONE.  WE ARE ASKING EACH MEMBER TO MAKE ONE.

Cindy Vognetz and Jean Zubert are re-looking at receiving and returning quilts process.

Next Meeting is still on a Sunday—Sunday, September 21.  Place to be determined.

DONATE AT LEAST ONE MINI-QUILT TO RAFFLE.

Quilt Committee Leaders Filled:  Now we need you to sign up for committees in January.

Quilt Show Co-Chairs:                                    Suzanne Stiverson & Robin McMillen

Floor Plans/Set- up/Tear Down                 Bob DeCarli

Acorn Shoppe:                                                  Pat Smith and Helen Hofbauer

Props:                                                                   Pat Smith

Small Quilts Raffle:                                           Kelly Meanix

Door Prizes (letters--email):                        Pat Sherman

Raffle baskets/Door prizes:                         Jean Fox

Basket Delivery                                                 Marsha Paczok

Lancaster Area Vendors:                               Pat Sherman  Distribution of flyers

Vendor letters:                                                 Suzanne Stiverson

Vendor on-site chair:                                     Robin McMillen

Registration/Admission:                               Denise Blake

Quilt Judging/forms                                        Ellen McMillen

Quilt Check in/out chairs:                             Jean Zubert & Cindy Vognetz

Ads for Programs:                                            Diana Smyrl

Program Brochures:                                        Rita Smith

Publicity/Flyers                                                 Suzanne Doonan

Quilt description/signs:                                 Myrna Paluba

Viewer’s Choice Ballots                                 Myrna Paluba

Signage inside and outside venue:           Elaine Egan

White Glove:                                                     Marti Campbell

Clean-up:                                                            Marti Campbell

Food Chair                                                          Robin McMillen

Food Handler                                                     Robin McMillen

Happy Summer and Aloha

Suzanne Stiverson

Write As Desired......by Chris Harkins

We all remember the show “Cheers” in which everybody at the bar knew everybody else.

In the show, a certain patron would walk in and everyone would shout “Norm” as he entered. Norm would then walk thru the bar and take his regular seat.

The local quilt shop, “The Quilt Block”, is my “Cheers”.

I stop in when I need to get a break from daily life and can just walk thru the bolts of fabric.  I stop in when I need to get a new idea.  I stop in when I need to touch and smell new fabric, see the new colors.

So it was with great sadness that I read that the Chester County Quilt Shop will be closing.  No, it was not my neighborhood bar (I mean quilt shop) but it was close.

Admittedly I was not a consistent customer but just knowing it was there was comforting.

I have heard nothing but good things about Ramona and the service she delivered.

It is romantic to think of owning a store…buying want you want, all the fabric you would ever need, all new and fresh within your grasp. Yet the reality of owning a shop as we are finding out is not quite as romantic.  Long hours, little profit margin and immense competition from the internet and the world around, make owning a store a real commitment and challenge. 

The other day I saw a fabric (well ok more than one) that I loved at the shop.  The next day I received an email that the same fabric was available at a Lancaster area store for a little less money.  I could order it online and have it delivered for a fee. I could also drive there and spend time that I should be sewing.  So this raises a larger question.

I saw the fabric and felt it and fell in love with it here in Exton.  It does not seem right, almost morally wrong, to buy it elsewhere.

I am saddened by the closing of the Chester County Quilt Store as I assume we all are.

It brings the reality of our craft to the forefront.  We all have different purchasing needs.

I am one trying to work through my stash.  I get dismayed at the unused purchases of years gone by.  But even as I look at my piles and bundles, the piles need a little punch, updated.  So why not go have a look at your own neighborhood shop and have a drink of cheer, and buy that yard of luscious red or perky polka dot.

After all, it costs less than that craft beer!

Chris Harkins 

(Not endorsed by any local establishment)

Check out the new Penn Oaks Quilters website!

 The new Penn Oaks website is now on-line.  Please take a look and let me know if you encounter any issues.  It has a lot of pictures and graphics.  If you have a slow internet connection, pulling up the site may take you some time.  If it does, I would like to hear from you! 

The URL is:  http://www.pennoaksquilters.org/

A big "Thank You" to everyone who takes to time to review the site.  As special incentive to do so - the 2014-2015 programs are listed on the site  (Thank You! Suzanne Doonan).  And see if you can find yourself featured there!

As always, if you have materials or pictures you think is news-worthy for the public website, please contact me.  I will be glad to post the items.

Maureen