Bloomington Quilters Guild
at a glance: April 2024

Follow the links to get more details about what’s going on and to explore the website.

OUR Next MEETING is ON Tuesday, April 2, 2024.

Time: 6:00 PM Social Hour
6:30 pm Meeting start

PROGRAM: Lori Dickman - Scrap Overload: Four Methods to USE up your Scraps
SHOW and TELL
Location: BETH SHALOM 3750 E 3rd St, Bloomington, IN 47401

April 2, 2024 Program

“Scrap Overload: Four Methods to USE Up Your Scraps   

On Tuesday April 2, 2024, Lori Dickman will present a talk titled “Scrap Overload: 4 Methods to USE Your Scraps” Lori recommends that your watch her YouTube lecture “Speedy Solutions Techniques” prior to the lecture. With the information contained in the video and the lecture you will be well on your way to getting your stash ready to make gorgeous quilts! Lori will have some of her books and patterns available for sale. Lori’s website is https://quiltingwithlori.com. For more about Lori see her biography.

Lori Dickman Workshop

There will be a half-day workshop on Wed April 3 from 9-noon titled: Scrap Up Your Stash - the Speedy Way. Grab your scraps and get ready to get organized! During this workshop, Lori teaches her Speedy Solutions techniques as she shows how to cut, sort, organize and store your scrap stash. Students will learn Lori’s “First Scrapping Rule,” her techniques on how to handle bias scraps and selvages, students will learn the importance of cutting template scraps and strip stashes. The $30 fee includes the cost of the required book. Please invite your friends and guests.

Click the link for more information and a link to register.

Road Construction by Beth Shalom

Be aware of major construction at the intersection of 3rd Street and Smith Rd that will continue through August. Road work will impact access to Beth Shalom's parking lot, with Smith Rd closed, sometimes from the north and sometimes from the south. Traffic will also get backed up more than usual. Alternative parking can always be found at University Baptist Church, just west of Beth Shalom, and a short walk across the footbridge that separates the two properties.

Currently, vehicles cannot turn from Third Street (SR 46) onto South Smith Road (or vice versa). Instead, INDOT recommends that visitors reach the Beth Shalom parking lot by driving north on Smith Road. Unfortunately, the large barricades and “Road Closed” signage at the intersection of Smith Road and Hagan Street makes it seem like you cannot get into the parking lot. That is not the case! You are permitted to drive around the barricades near Hagan to park at Beth Shalom. Please go slowly and use caution, as not all drivers are aware of the new traffic pattern.

May 2024

In May, come to a Lecture/Trunk show with Kelly Young, author, quilt teacher, and designer from west Tennessee! You will see the nifty, beautiful quilts from her first two books, as well as a few others. Her lecture has great ideas for making your scraps work with “structured improvisation” and she promises the mood will be light and fun! For more information, go to www.myquiltinfatuation.com. Also you may be interested in Kelly’s biography.

Class will begin by learning how to piece your own scraps using the three methods for improv piecing outlined in Kelly’s book Scrappy Improv Quilting. These methods allow you to use plenty of larger pieces (even though all of the pieces in the finished quit appear tiny!). Then, you’ll incorporate those happy, scrappy blocks into a fun quilt pattern called Churn, Churn, Churn. By using your own treasured scraps, you’ll create a mini quilt uniquely yours, and you’re sure to love it! This fun method is versatile, and with step-by-step patterns to follow, it is doable for every single quilter at all skill levels. Each class participant will also receive Take Flight and Sweet Bee, two free digital bonus patterns!

Click or information and link to registration.

Please register by April 24 if possible to ensure that all participants have the required book.

March 23 Sew Day

Join your quilting friends for a Sew Day on Saturday, March 23, 9:00-4:00 at St. Mark’s United Methodist. Bring your projects and learn from others, including an informal tutorial by Karen Levay on her tips and tricks for free motion quilting on a domestic machine. Come when you can and stay as long as you like. We will have cutting mats and irons. Please bring your own rotary cutters, rulers and other supplies you might need for your project. Please bring $5 for a donation and your own food and beverages. The church requests no nuts or food/drink with red and purple dye in the sewing room.

Board Members for next year, 2024-25

Many of our current Board Members are staying on for another year. Yippee! Officers needed are: Programs Elect Co-Chairs (to plan for 2025-26), Outreach and Raffle Quilt Coordinator. Be thinking how you might step up to fill these roles and join our energetic BQG Board.

GUILD CHALLENGE QUILT

Each year, members are invited to participate in a BQG Quilt Challenge. Every year a new theme is presented for the challenge. Karen Levay issued this year’s quilt challenge at the October 2023 meeting: Sampler. Guild members will vote at the June 2024 meeting.

Time to start finishing up your project!!!

For more information and guidelines and to see challenges from previous years see the Challenge Quilt web page.

Raffle Quilt

Now is the time to start turning in the money and tickets you have sold for the beautiful raffle quilt! Who knows who will win this one! The drawing is in June so just three more meetings to sell and turn in raffle tickets.

HOLD the DATES FOR Fall 2024 and Winter 2025 retreats

For the 2024 fall retreat, we will be returning to the Waycross Convention venue on October 31-November 3, 2024. Watch for registration opening this summer! The Waycross retreat is all inclusive: sewing room, meals and rooms. Day sewers are welcome paying only for the meals while they are there!

The 2025 winter retreat will be held at McCormick’s Creek January 30, 31, February 1, and 2. We will use the same format as this past retreat. Pay one price for access to the sewing room for the entire weekend. You are resposible for meals and lodging. Day Sewers are welcome!!!

Sunshine

Amber Brooks-Wolfe has been doing an outstanding job as the sunshine person. In addition to bringing the birthday fat quarters each month, she also sends cards if she knows about and illness and death. If you know a member of the guild who has been hospitalized, had surgery or is recovering from a major illness or you know of a member of the guild who has died, lost a spouse, parent, child or other close family member, please let Amber know at sunshine@bloomingtonquiltguild.org.

Quilts from the Heartland

Every three years, the Bloomington Quilters Guild holds a quilt show called Quilts from the Heartland. The next guild show will be October 4 and 5 at the Monroe County Convention Center. We will be setting up for the show on October 3rd.

Quilts from the Heartland is an opportunity to showcase quilts made by our talented members. We would love to have each guild member submit at least one quilt. All quilt styles are welcome whether your choice is a traditional, modern, appliqué or art quilt! The only requirement for submitting your quilt is guild membership. The show is not juried or judged! There is an award for best hand quilting and another for viewer’s choice. So either finish up or start your entry today!

We would like to add to the show revenue by selling ads in the program. We need volunteers to help sell ads to local businesses. The businesses that advertised in the last program reported that several customers said they saw the ads in the program.

Please contact co-chairs Karen Levay and Sandy Bonsib to volunteer by sending email to quiltshow@bloomingtonquiltersguild.org.

Treasure Shop 2024 — A part of the Quilts from the Heartland Guild show

The Treasure Shop is open for donations! We are excited about the donations we have received so far and hope you keep them coming.  Our plan is to receive the majority of donations by the end of August to allow ample time for final inventory preparations. Donations will be accepted during the Sew Day, March 23 at St. Marks Church and at all Guild Meetings. If you have a lot to donate and wish to drop it off or need pickup service, please email treasure@bloomingtonquiltersguild.org  or call Ginny Kopper or Becky Green. Their numbers are in the directory emailed to members earlier this winter. 

We are accepting all quilting related items:  fabrics, notions, tools, books, art quilt type embellishments, patterns, rulers, kits, etc. You do not need to measure fabrics. We do ask you to remove all straight pins. 

Happy Spring Cleaning!

Quilts from the Heartland: THE CHALLenge

Lisa Stantz from the Unraveled Quilt Store has issued the show challenge for this year’s quilt show. Make a wallhanging that reflects your vision of the eclipse using the challenge fabric. You may purchase this fabric from Unraveled for $7 a yard. We sold over 20 yards of fabric at IHQS and so we are looking forward to a good selection of entries!

UNRAVELED
381 N. Fletcher Avenue
Spencer, Ind. 47460

Phone: 812-821-0309

Email: unraveledquilts@gmail.com

More information about submisstion coming soon.

REMINDERS:

• Don’t forget your name tag at the next in-person meeting!
• Bring used rotary blades to any in-person meeting for recycling.
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MORE INFO

~Contact us for a Membership Directory. A 2023-2024 directory was e-mailed in January. If you would like a printed copy see Legene White at the meeting.
~See our list of Board Members.
~See a list of upcoming quilt shows and shop hops. Let us know of other future events by sending mail to webmanager@bloomingtonquiltersguild.org.