June Activities

June's meeting of Vance Quilts R Us was an informative evening of members sharing their favorite sewing and quilting tips and tools.  We found out how other members use everything from hair bands to clothespins.  

The guild welcomes their newest member, Gale Richardson.  Guests included Sharon Raynor and Joyce Bobbitt.

Faith Smith displays her Night and Day quilt.  Faith received a third place ribbon in the Duet category at some quilt show.

 Up close look of the quilting on Faith's quilt.

 Winners of Betty's Arrow Block of the Month were Faith Smith and Frances Owen.

 Ellen Andersen won the bag of 2.5" wide strips.  Betty Stanton's name was drawn from all those sharing a tip or tool to win the Quilts Like Crazy gift certificate.

June's charity quilt workshop was busy as always.  

 Patty's sister, Kathy was visiting and she joined in the fun.

Sue was going to use Miss Lou's machine to sew on a binding.  But the sewing gods were against them.

Quilting with Friends

The May meeting of the Vance Quilts R Us guild was filled with beautiful quilts and many new faces.  Members were asked to bring a friend and a quilt.  Seven members brought friends to help them show their quilts.  Those present were ohh-ing a ahh-ing over the beautiful quilts shown.

Lynn Patiky and her guest share a beautiful Dresden plate quilt that Lynn hand pieced.

Betty Jo Pernell's guest showed a sampler quilt she created in a class taught by Peggy Stocks.

Karen Hanny and her husband, Phil, share a quilt that was once owned by Phil's great great grandmother.

Gale Hayes shows her Carpenter's Star.

Brenda Seaman shows a quilt she pieced and embroidered for her grandson.

Wendy Kruskie and her husband show a wall hanging Wendy created.

Sandra Shorkey shares a 30's era quilt given to her by a friend.

For show and tell, Kaye Pegram shared an embroidered quilt called "Baby Faces".

Peggy Stocks shares a quilt her students made to be given to the dean of VGCC.

Georgia Darnell shares her completed patriotic quilt from last year's Quilt in a Box challenge.

Winners of the May BOM were Lynn Patiky and Sue Marlette.

The winner of the Quilt's Like Crazy gift certificate was Rachel Wessels.  She won for bringing a guest AND a quilt.
Georgia Darnell won the shopping bag filled with fat quarters.

You will want to make sure you attend the June meeting.  Members are asked to bring their favorite gadget, tip or recycled item to share with the other members.

June's Fat Quarter Frenzy will be 2.5 inch strips.  Members are asked to bring a bundle of five with their name on it.

June's BOM is Betty's Choice.  Members participating are to make two blocks, one in black and white and one in red and white.  If you didn't get the pattern, they can be picked up at Miss Lou's.

The Christmas committee is still collecting items for the Chinese Auction to be held in December.  New and gently used items will be placed in baskets to be auctioned at the Christmas party.

Many guild members have been busy making charity quilts.  Ten completed quilts will be given to children at Heart Haven, an abused women's shelter.  Another child's quilt will be going to a friend of a guild member who is often hospitalized with cystic fibrosis.

The charity quilt committee is in desperate need of quilt batting.  Please consider dropping a donation in the jar designated for this at the check in table at our next meeting.

Until then...Happy Quilting. 

Springing into Quilting

The April meeting for the Vance Quilts R Us quilting guild was a wonderful evening of members sharing their enthusiasm for quilting and for the arrival of much needed warmer weather.  

The guild welcomed a new member, Sarah Baskerville.  We also welcomed back long absent members, Hassie Boddy and Jane Reeder.  It is wonderful to see these ladies among us again. Ellen Yancy was in attendance as a guest of Ruth Hicks.

Hospitality goodies for the evening were provided by Georgia Darnell, Ruth Hicks, Dawn Lemons and Phyllis Davis. 

During the business meeting, President Donna Wesemann announced an upcoming worshop and lecture sponsored by the guild to be presented in September by Amy Stewart Winsor.  For more information on this event, check the right hand sidebar under "Upcoming Guild Events".

Debbie Powell, charity quilts chairman,  explained receiving a letter from St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Arlington, VA.  They asked our guild to help them reach their goal of 100 quilts for their St. Peter's Love Quilt project.  These completed quilts will be sent to St. Francis Outreach Trust of South Africa to give to orphaned children.  Vance Quilts R Us has requested five sets of 4.5" blocks painted by children to include in these twins size quilts.  Find out more about this project at the link here.

Donna Compton, Christmas committee chairman, requested members bring new or gently used items to be used in baskets for the Chinese auction planned for the December meeting and Christmas party.

Big winners of the evening were Donna Wesemann, Stevie Scaramelli and Lynn Paticky who won the appliqued bunny blocks.  Rachel Wessels won the Fat Quarter Frenzy and Sue Marlette won the Quilts Like Crazy gift certificate in the raffle draws.

The evening's program was presented by Donna Sontag of Whatever's Quilted of Wake Forest.  Donna demonstrated the ease of use of HQ's Sweet Sixteen quilting machine.  Guild members were given the opportunity to test "drive" this wonderful machine.

 Dawn Lemons shares her "Veggie Quilt"

Kathy Solomon displays a Calendar Kids quilt she made for her brother using his grandchildren's hand prints.

 Hassie Boddy used a centuries old pottery design to create this reverse applique quilt.

 

 Sue Marlette created this "Orion's Star" to donate to the bone marrow clinic for a fundraising raffle.

 Janelle Bowen proudly displays her tulip wall hanging.

Below are pictures taken at the March 26th charity quilts workshop.

Clockwise - Barbara Bockiaro, Pat Beasley, Sandy King, Karen Hanney and Faith Smith

Patty McCrary and Debbie Powell

Linda Wincovich and Pat Beasley

Clockwise - Karen Hanney, Faith Smith, Rachel Wessels and Barbara Bockiaro.

Never caught on camera but enjoying the work were Belinda Leach, Sue Marlette and a tiny little mouse.

March Meeting

The March meeting of the Vance Quilts R Us quilt guild met on Monday, March 11th.  It was another evening packed with fun and learning opportunities.  

If you did not get a copy of the March newsletter, you can find it here.  

The guild welcomes six new members this month.  They include Pat Beasley, Gale Hayes, Wendy Kruskie, Frances Owen, Patty McCrary and Brenda Seaman.  We continue to grow!  

Members were given a copy of the rules for the 2013 challenge.  Finished challenge quilts will be judged for prizes at the September 9, 2013 meeting.  Here is the challenge:

• Pick a favorite movie that inspires you.
• Design a quilt that represents that movie.
• The quilt can not be any larger than 30" x 30".
• Quilts must include piecing, applique and embellishment. 

The evening's program, "Color Theory in Quilt Making" was presented by Belinda Leach.  Belinda explained how understanding how colors relate to each other and using the color wheel can help make choosing fabric for your quilts easier. 

The winners of the March block of the month were from left to right, Debbie Powell, Stevie Scaramelli and Lynn Patiky.

 

Faith Smith shares the April block of the month, an appliqued bunny using 1930's fabric.  If you did not get a pattern, contact Faith.

Show and tell included Donna Compton's completed Quilt in a Box from last year's challenge.  Donna also shared a t-shirt quilt she made for her niece from shirts she received in 

Race for the Cure marathons.  

Thanks to the hospitality committee, Sue Marlette and Donna Coltrane for set up and cleaning after our hospitality time.  Also thanks to Betty Jo Pernell, Janelle Jackson and Faith Smith for bringing yummy treats this month.

Hope to see you in April!

March Meeting and Charity Quilt Workshop

  The March 11th guild meeting will be another fun and exciting evening.  Here is what we have in store:

• Hospitality goodies provided by Janelle Jackson, Betty Jo Pernell and Faith Smith.
• Betty Jo Pernell will share with us about her trip to Mid- Atlantic Quilt Festival in Hampton, VA.
• The program for the evening is "Color Theory in Quiltmaking" presented by Belinda Leach.  Bring five swatches of tone on tone or solid fabric (no black, white or brown) to use in an activity with this presentation. 
• A raffle drawing for the March Block of the Month, the shamrock.  
• Presentation of the April Block of the Month.
•  Fat Quarter Frenzy - Bring a fat quarter, green if you can, to throw in the shopping bag for the chance to win all the fat quarters.

The first charity quilt workshop was held on Tuesday, February 26.  It was the perfect activity for a rainy day.  Much was accomplished by the six members in attendance.  Two quilts got quilted and taken to have the binding added.  There are two other quilts ready to be quilted and three tops that are in progress.  Be sure to join is for the next workshop on March 26.

Debbie Powell instructing Betty Jo Pernell in the use of the 

long arm.

Karen Hanny and Donna Wesemann putting together quilt tops.

Betty Jo looking on as Thearica Burroughs quilts.

February Fun

Vance Quilts R Us had a great turnout for their February meeting.  There were thirty five enthusiastic quilters in attendance on Monday, February 11.  The guild welcomes two new members, Ellen Anderson and Sandra Shorkey. 

The program for the evening was presented by charter members of the guild.  Pictured below from left to right are Georgia Darnell, Janelle Jackson, Betty Jo Pernell and Peggy Stocks.  These ladies were with the guild in its beginning in 1990.  They shared the history of the guild along with fun stories. 

 

 The first month of the Block of the Month was a huge success with thirty nine blocks made by guild members and guests.  The lucky winners of the blocks were from left to right, Debbie Powell, BK McCloud and Belinda Leach.

The block for March was presented by Faith Smith.  The scrappy shamrock pattern can be downloaded here.

 Other lucky winners for the evening were Georgia Darnell, left, who won the shopping bag full of fat quarters brought by members.  Betty Jo Pernell was the winner of the gift certificate to Quilts Like Crazy for wearing her name tag to the meeting.  Can you tell how excited the ladies were to win?

Our members have been productive if the items brought for show and tell are an indication.  Below is Barbara Bockiaro, left, showing the quilt she made for Quilts of Valor Foundation to be sent to a wounded warrior. 

Sandy King, front right, shares a very old quilt she has been asked to repair.

Kaye Pegram, left, shows the quilt she made from blocks made by other guild members last year in the Quilt in a Box Challenge.

Dawn Lemons shows a ribbon blanket she has made as a baby gift.

Donna Wesemann shares a fabric weave bag she constructed.

Donna also shared a large quilt called Tobacco Road.

Those legs behind the quilt belong to Donna Wesemann, who shows her Tree of Life.

Members bringing treats this month were Stevie Scaramelli, Donna Compton and Rachel Wessels.

If you missed the meeting, you can download the February newsletter here.

Exciting New Year

"What's all the buzz about?", you ask.  It is a new and exciting year for Vance Quilts R Us!  If you were not at the January meeting, here is some of what you missed.


Hospitality Time was introduced.  It is a time from 6:00 - 6:30 to enjoy light refreshments and catching up with quilting friends.

A Block of the Month Bonanza has begun.  Each month a new block pattern will be introduced.  Return a completed block (or two!) the following month for the chance to win all the blocks made that month.  Block winners will be challenged to create something with the blocks.  At our Christmas meeting, a "Viewer's Choice" prize will be awarded to one of those creations.   The block pattern handed out in January is pictured below. 

(Clicking on any of the images will enlarge it.)

 

A BIG thank you to Kathy Solomon for publishing our monthly newsletter.  She does a marvelous job!

Stevie Scaramelli shares her beautiful creation, "Goose Tracks"

Guest Ellen Anderson shows her table mat.

Donna Compton was given some blocks from a thrift store from which she created "Becky's Boots".

Thearicia Burroughs made "Word Play" from meaningful words.

The February 11, 2013, meeting will include:

• Refreshments provided by Rachel Wessels, Stevie Scaramelli and Donna Compton.
• Review and discussion of the revised guild by laws.
•  "A Trip Down Memory Lane", the guild's history presented by charter members through photos, news clippings and stories.
•  A new Block of the Month.
•  Grab bag door prize - bring a fat quarter labeled with your name for a chance to win all the fat quarters. 

Can't wait to see you!