2023 Programs
December 2023:
Our annual Holiday Luncheon was hosted by guild members Carrol Ediss and Gail
Solway at the Palo Verde Country Club from 11:30am - 2:00pm. On the
menu was herb roasted pork loin, rice pilaf,
fresh fruit cup, rolls and butter OR a vegeterian pasta primavera,
along with dessert and beverages.
We had a great turnout of 55 members in attendance!
President Betty Bogaard opened the festivities with a lovely welcome
message to our members. She announced the display of the beautiful
quilt made by Diane Coughlin, who passed away in 2024.
Georgia Hartman announced the winners of the UFO Challenge.
"Graduation" certificates and caps were presented to the winners:
Sally Walby, Georgia Hartman, and Barbara Grimes.
All members received a gift at their place setting. Game and raffle
prizes were awarded. One member at each dining table took home the
table centerpiece.
November 2023:
Our November speaker
was Pam Rackley, a quilter for over 20 years from
Sweet PZ Dezigns in
Gilbert where she offers quilting classes, fabric precuts, kits,
108s, notions, embroidery, vinyl stickers, heat press vinyl, custom
machine quilting, long arm rental and rental retreats. Prior to opening Sweet PZ Pam owned other creative
businesses. Pam provided invaluable information about needles (use
no more than eight hours), thread weight and quality,
interfacing/stabilizers, glue sticks (keep them wrapped and store in
crisper to keep from drying out), magic pins with teflon heads, and
other tools. As quilters, we often focus on fabric, color, and
pattern but using the right notions is equally as important.
October 2023:
Unfortunately,
Karen Fisher of
Karen Fisher Art Quilts in Tucson was forced to cancel due to unforseen
circumstances. She was later rescheduled to return in October 2024.
Whenever this happens, members always enjoy a rousing game of
Quilter's Strip Poker. Don't worry, in this game players stay fully
clothed! There are many variations found online on how to play but in general, to play we use specially marked dice. You can
use a Sharpie or small stickers to alter your dice. For each table
you need a set of three dice. The six sides of each dice is marked
with a "C" (for center), "L" (for pass left), "R" (for pass right),
"X" (for lose a turn), and a Star (player takes all from center of
table). Divide up a jelly roll equally to start. Each player puts
one strip in the center of the table. Players roll the dice and
follow the outcome. Whenever only one player has any fabric strips
left, the game is over and they win the entire jelly roll! There is
always a lot of laughter involved.
September 2023:
This month our invited guest was
Gary Rait from Phoenix. Gary's
specialty is the restoration of treadle sewing machine cabinets, as
well as newer cabinets, and sewing machines. Gary narrated a
wonderful slide show of many of the cabinets and machines he
personally restored explaining in some detail what took place. This
has been his hobby for many years in retirement and he certainly
takes pride in it as well as gets pleasure from it. Having restored
over 150 cabinets, he meticulously replaces veneer, strips, sands,
stains and top coats to preserve these precious historical cabinets.
In most cases, he is able to bring them back to working condition.
Since beginning his hobby, Gary has gained a knowledge of the
history of the Singer Company, from its start in the 1860s up
through the closure of the last plant in Canada in the early 1980s.
June - July - August: Happy Summer -
no meetings were held!
May 2023:
Many members, being snowbirds, have already headed north for the summer.
Consequently, we did not arrange for a speaker due to lower
attendance.
Calling all UFOs! Members were challenged to
bring in their
UFOs (unfinished objects),
WIPs (work in
progress), and
PhDs (projects half done or piled high & deep) and
"register" them at the May meeting. At least seven members, so far,
registered the unfinished projects they plan to finish over the
summer months. Members have until the November meeting to complete
unfinished projects. The purpose is to inspire
members to complete their unfinished projects after which raffle
tickets will be awarded and a drawing held for some very nice
prizes. Members receive a raffle
ticket for each completed project that is turned in.
April 2023:
This month we held an old-fashioned "
bed turning". Bed turning started
back in the olden days of pioneer women. After hand sewing quilts by
candle light and flickering lamps of their log
cabin, their version of "show and tell" would be to
invite all the ladies in town over to their home for refreshments
and a Bed Turning. Log cabins being smaller back then, they would
use their bed for displaying their quilts. Quilts were made from
whatever fabric they had on hand: old flour sacks, curtains,
outgrown children's clothing and even their own worn out aprons and
house dresses. For April's general meeting, our members brought in their cherished
vintage and antique quilts, handed down through the years or perhaps
purchased at a thrift shop. Who could resist? All were sewn by
hand. The quilts were layered on a bed frame and one by one, peeled
back while a member shared what they knew of the quilt's history as
members oohed and aahed. Fifty well-loved quilts were shared by our
members along with the quilt's story. This was one of our highest
attended meetings this year!
March 2023:
Joyce Holley
of
Noah & Her Sisters Quilt Company in Tucson is our
March speaker. Joyce is a Studio 180 Certified Quilt Instructor who
loves sharing by teaching classes, leading retreats, having guild
trunk shows, lecturing and demonstrating new techniques. Her passion
is precision pieced quilts. Joyce became a Studio 180 Certified
Quilt Instructor in 2016. This month she
spoke to us on "The Hunt for Perfect Points."
February 2023:
This month's presentation is by fellow Sun Laker,
Penny Sturges of
Quilts Illustrated. Penny
is a well known designer and writer of patterns for many styles of
bags, pouches, totes, and pin cushions to name a few. She shared how
she got started in this business and brought many samples of her
wonderful bags with her. After her presentation, she was swarmed
with buyers! She and her daughter have a website where these lovely
and functional patterns can be purchased.
January 2023:
Today's presentation is by
Debra Kay, regional rep
for
Studio Art
Quilter's Associates in Arizona (SAQA). Debra shared
many of her beautiful art quilts and explained the techniques used
to make each one special. It was an educational and inspiring
presentation. Debra has sold some of her pieces and has also had a
solo exhibition. We first met her and saw some of her work at the
Arizona Quilters Guild Show in March 2022. Debra has an upcoming class "Accordian Art Workshop",
a 3-day art quilting sampler project designed for beginner to
intermediate skill level. The workshop takes place at Sweet Pz in
Gilbert.
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2024 Programs>>
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Agave
Quilters Guild
March 2023: