December 2017 Newsletter

President's Letter

Our December meeting is right around the corner.  This is always a fun and casual meeting.  This year Robin McMillen has graciously offered to lead the festivities with a game and prizes.  You can bring a block or blocks to exchange. There is information about this later in the newsletter.  There will be snacks as usual so please check if it's your turn.

Looking forward to seeing everyone on December 11.

Stephanie Braskey

Meeting Minutes Leslie O'Brien

Penn Oaks Guild Meeting Minutes   11/13/17

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

31 members, 5 guests, and 1 new member attended.

Ellen announced that there are 25 enrolled for the getaway with 3 openings. The final payment is due in December. Ellen will send out emails to everyone before the December meeting with your balance total.

Debbie Becker announced that charitable sewing items are most welcome. Some popular recent items include Alzheimer’s Fidget Mats, Pillow Cases, and Baby Quilts.

Stephanie Braskey announced that information about Houston donations will be in the newsletter. The newsletter will also include information about how to donate a quilt to the Paducah Quilt Museum.

Diana is collecting items for the silent auction. Please bring donations to any meeting.

The group then enjoyed a wonderful talk by Kathy Dunkle about Modern Quilting.

Many participated in Show and Tell. This is a production group!

See everyone at the Holiday Party next month.

Respectfully submitted,

Leslie O’Brien

Secretary,

Penn Oaks Quilters

Programs Rita Marie Smith and Linda Kerschner

December 11:  Guild Holiday Party.  Robin McMillen will be hosting an evening of fun, games (quilt bingo) and fabulous prizes!   We'll have our traditional holiday block exchange, show 'n tell, and wonderful snacks.  Take a break from all the hustle and bustle of the season and enjoy a great time.  

January 8:  Round Robin Demonstrations and Charity Project:  Guild members will be giving 15-20 minute demonstrations on Quilt Binding, Embellishment Beading, Paper Piecing, and Continuous Binding.  We will also be devoting time to one of our charity projects.  Jean Zubert has been making snacks bags for pediatric patients and we can give her a helping hand.  When you come to the November, December and January meeting, please bring any individually wrapped snack item such as cookies, crackers, small candy items, granola bars, pretzels, fruit snacks. In other words, something your children or grandchildren would like.  We can sit, relax, and chat while we help brighten a sick child's day !  

February 12:  Annual Challenge.  See special write-up.

March 12:  Silent Auction (there will be a special write-up) and TBA  

April 9:  Gail Kessler, author, fabric designer and instructor.  From Concept to Cloth

May 14:  Sara Bond, quilter and teacher. Her story about family members and quilts dating back to the Civil War. 

June 11: Joyce Hughes, quilter, lecturer and teacher.  Her journey into quilting and thread painting.   

Holiday Block Exchange - Make and bring a 12 1/2" x 12 1/2"  unfinished block with a Christmas/holiday theme of your choice.  You can make more than one.  Please sign, date and wrap the block(s.)   At the meeting you will be given a number for each block you make.  When your number is called, you will select one wrapped package for each block you contributed, show your block to the group, and disclose who made it.

Membership - Diana Smyrl

The Birthdays for December are:

December  13 Kelly Meanix

30 Marianne Caporale

30  Lynn Telson

Treasurer's Report - Debbie Becker

Penn Oaks Budget for 2017-2018

	Receipts	Expenses	Total
Membership	2000
Guest fees	100
Name tag fee
Guild Pins
Silent Auction Proceeds	200
Total Receipts			2300
Programs		2600
Room Rent		550
Challenge Prizes		75
Hospitality		75
Postage		35
Website Fees		150
Total Expenses			3485
Net Loss			-1185

Hospitality - Angel
Snack list for the December holiday meeting is: E.Lance, M.Lewis, R.Lodi*, J.Loncaric, S. Longanecker, E. Mayer, M. McGlynchey, E. McMillen, R. McMillen*, K. Joyce, E. Mincarelli, C. Morano, R. Newlander, L. O'Brien, D. O'Connor, M.Paczok*, M. Paluba, L.Paylor, P. Sherman, Rita Marie Smith. A star after your name indicates to bring a beverage for the group instead of a snack. Please switch your responsibility with a friend if you can't attend so we don't run short!

From Marian Stevenson

Thank you Penn Oaks Guild for the colorful squares from all of you.  I like bright colors and they are here along with cows, dogs, cats and lots of other animals.  Even library fabric which I never bought for myself.  All the colors of the rainbow and some sewing theme fabric which I do have some, but different.  I think there are enough squares for two quilts.  Will find out when I take them to the club here that I go to "Made by Hand" where we bring some handwork to work on for 2 hours on a Wed. afternoon.  I think they will be impressed.  Thanks again for the wonderful surprise and cute wrapping paper.  Marian Stevenson

    Calling all Quilters

          Please clean out your sewing rooms

            and donate to the Penn Oaks Silent Auction

            This can be a major fundraiser for our Guild

            I am collecting all items for the auction starting

            with the December Meeting.

                        Thanks

                        Diana Smyrl

Downingtown Library Quilts - Leslie O'Brien

A Call For Quilts! The Downingtown Library is sponsoring a quilt show to promote quilts as art with the quilts to be raffled off as a fund raiser for the library. We are looking for any interested quilter to make a small “art” quilt as a donation. The size request is 16” wide by 20” long. Any subject matter, any method, including hand or machine quilting and any form of embellishment is acceptable. Please sign or label your quilt and include a sleeve or corner triangles for hanging. A dowel is not necessary. Raffle tickets will be sold at the library while the quilts are on display. Winning tickets will be drawn at an evening reception on April 6th. Winners will be able to take their quilts that night or pick them up later at the library. For a little incentive , the quilter whose quilt sells the most tickets will win a $25 cash prize. Quilts will be accepted any time between now and March 20 at the library or they may be given to one of the following people: Karen Smith (Downingtown Library)- ksmith@ccls.org Debby O’Keefe - dokeefe19@hotmail.com Leslie O’Brien- leslieobriensk8@comcast.net Please send the following information to confirm your intention to participate to Debby - dokeefe19@hotmail.com: Your name: E-mail address: any questions? Thank you so much for supporting the library and quilts as art!

2018 Challenge - Denise Blake

The response for the challenge has been terrific, so far. I'm really pleased. 

So, here's how it works:

I will have fat quarters available at our meetings. Each fat quarter will cost a member $1.00. It's not so much an ugly fabric, as it is difficult to use.

For the challenge, one MUST use at least a 5" square of fabric on the quilt, and no, that 5" can not be used on the back of the quilt. You may cut that 5" square up, just as long as 5" are used.

I came to my senses and thought not everyone would like a 16"x 24" hanging their homes, seeing as how there will likely be no quilt show. So the new size is no bigger than 40" x 40".

The challenge will be at our February meeting, so you have plenty of time to think of something.

That's it. Pretty simple. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail or call me. Please look Denise's phone number or email up in the membership list.

Thank you.

Denise Blake 

Write as desired

Sometime ago I posed this opening prompt to you.

A quilt should be …….

I thank those who responded and I did not forget about you.

At first I was a little surprised at your answers but with a little thought, it all made sense.

Quilters are givers.  From small pieces to large bed coverings, quilters put their hearts into their work and into their gifts.  Overwhelmingly, the responses were not about the look of the quilt or its style or its colors or whether it won a ribbon, but of the love and warmth that went into making that quilt.

So it is no surprise that the emerging theme was

A quilt should be loved and a quilt should be heartfelt.

You wish for your quilt to be loved, cherished and used.

Is it the quilt that we love so much or is it the act of giving something we love to someone we love?  My guess is that it is probably both.

And so at this time of giving and thanks,

may you all have a wonderful season of heartfelt quilting!

Christine Harkins

Getaway-Ellen McMillen and Pat Sherman

Twenty- five quilters have signed up for the Getaway. Please contact Ellen (ejmcmillen@verizon.net) or Pat (patspatch@comcast.net) if you are interested in attending or have any questions. With both sewing rooms we have space for 38 attendees. We hope that some of our newer members will join in the Getaway. The room will have all the functionality of the larger room and has natural light. For those of you who would like a bit quieter working space this would be ideal. By the end of November we will release our reservation for the smaller sewing room if there is insufficient need for it.  We'll return to the former limit of 28 attendees.

The Getaway will be held at the Amish View Inn & Suites at 3125 Old Philadelphia Pike, Bird-in-Hand, from February 21st to 25th. As in the past, this will be on a first-come, first-served basis.You may sign up for all four nights or 1, 2 or 3 nights. A deposit of $100.00 per room will hold your reservation. The balance of the room cost will be due by the December guild meeting. 

The total cost of the two sewing rooms will be $530 including tax, and is shared by all attendees. If we wish to limit the increase in the sewing room/food fee to approximately $4.00 per person we would need 34 attendees. The room rates (including tax) for a single/double room will be $102.12 for Wednesday/Thursday nights, and $150.96 for Friday/Saturday nights. The Getaway reservation form will be sent via email about 10 days prior to the October guild meeting. Should you have any questions please contact Ellen ejmcmillen@verizon.net) or Pat patspatch@comcast.net). We look forward to another wonderful Getaway! If you need to call Ellen or Pat please look their phone number up in the membership list.

Charity Corner

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.  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.

The National Quilt Museum Fundraiser
For more information please checkout the link https://quiltmuseum.org/quilts-for-quilting/

Quilt Happenings

Cheryl Lynch – Mini Mosaic Quilt
Old Country Store
Intercourse, PA
December 2, 2017
9:30 – 4:30
Click here for more details

Carol Heisler Quiltmaker – Open Studio
December 16, 2017 – 9:00am – 4pm
Guest Artists: Laura Heckendorn Ceramics, Megan Horn JewelryBox,
Rustic Rooster Sign Co., Casa De Chick Designs
2932 Michele Drive
East Norriton, PA
Click here for more details

 Susquehanna Valley Quilt Guild

World War I Centennial Quilt Show
March 2-3, 2018
Click here for more details

AQS Quilt Show – Lancaster
March 21-24, 2018
Lancaster County Convention Center
25 South Queen Street, Lancaster, PA 17603
Click here for more details

The Lancaster Quilt Show continued at the Continental Inn
March 21-24, 2018
Click here for more details

An Evening with Mary Fons
April 11, 2018
6-9pm
Easton Fire Hall
315 Aurora Park Drive
Easton, MD
Reservation 8.00
Send check to Bayside Quilters, P.O. Box 2672, Easton, MD 21601 (please include an email address for receipt)

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
Click here for directions

Quiltfest 2108
May 5-6, 2018
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

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

Brandywine Valley Quilters
Quilt Show
October 19-21st, 2018
Brookhaven Municipal Building
2 Cambridge Road
Brookhaven, PA 19015
Click here for more details