Category: Monthly News

President’s Message

Hello Thumb Butte Quilters!

Hi everyone!  We just wrapped up our Thumb Butte Christmas party and what a fun time we all had.

I didn’t need to eat dinner after our fiesta luncheon with all the goodies we received at our Mexican feast!  Our party committee did a great job pulling it all together and making sure we had games, prizes, decorations, goodies and food.  Most of us where able to brave the snowy roads and attend.  When the party was over…so was the snow! 

January is here and you know what that means!  PIGS*, WIPS**, PhD***, WIWMI**** AND UFO’S******!  OK…they are just other terms for resolution, but quilters have their own speak and I prefer a PIG to a promise.  I have only met a few quilters that don’t have a half-finished project and for whatever reason, that project just sits and lingers. Never fear!!!! We have a solution to your PIG problem!!

At our January meeting we are having a PIG party!  Oink, Oink!  Here is how it will work.

15 pre-selected people (these people have already volunteered) will bring 2 PIGS to the January meeting.  They will present both PIGS to the guild and the audience will vote on which one they need to complete by December 2023.  But wait……we want everyone to participate!!!  So, we are asking each member to select 2 of their own PIGS from their quilting stash.  You can bring them to show your friends, take a picture of each, write down a description or just bring the pattern for your reference.  Mark each PIG with a 1 or 2.  You will then be assigned a PIG 1 or PIG 2 to complete by December, 2023 as well!  How you ask???  It’s a secret until you come to the meeting!!  If you are PIG resistant (or just don’t want another task on your plate) just pick something really simple. Still need ideas??  How about organizing your fabric or cleaning out that notion drawer?  Anything can be a PIG in your world! Come for the fun and tackle a PIG in the process.

Dawnell Muecke – President

*PIGS – Project in grocery sacks
 **WIP – Work in progress
***UFO – Unfinished Object
****PhD -Projects half done
****WIWMI – Wish it would make itself

wAYS AND mEANS

OPPORTUNITY QUILT

Wishing you a happy holiday and many blessings in the New Year! It’s now time to think about New Year Resolutions and my resolution is to get back to selling tickets for our beautiful Opportunity Quilt after the holidays.    I am researching new venues, but please let me know if you have any suggestions for events that don’t charge a venue fee.  I am also hoping to get our quilt to the local quilt guild meetings in the next couple of months to show it off and generate some ticket sales.  If you belong to another guild and would like to show it at a meeting, please contact me! I already have awesome volunteers that have offered to take it to the Flagstaff Guild!

We finished out our December Last Minute Stocking Stuffer event with $123 in Opportunity Quilt raffle ticket sales.  We also sold a few small quilts and items for the Ways and Means Committee for $115.  Great job ladies!

 The total sales for our Opportunity Quilt are $2681.  Our goal is $4500, so we are about 60 % there.  Look for more information at our next meeting!  Thank you!

Opportunity Quilt Charts Dec. 2022

Kathy Spry, Opportunity Quilt Chair

Hostesses

January Hostesses are: Norma Enfield, Cynthia Falzone, Martha Ferreira, Betty Foley, Cheryl Giovenco, Molly Haney-Burleigh, Liz Hart, and Jessica Bodnicki.

If you cannot attend the meeting, when it is your turn to be a hostess by bringing a treat, please arrange to trade with someone. Plan to arrive early for setup and stay for cleanup. 

Birthdays

Birthday celebrants – When it’s your birthday month, bring a wrapped gift suitable for a quilter, something you would like to receive, with a value of at least $10.  

January Birthdays — Edythe Pries, Yvonne Blitch, Kathleen Bond, Susie Opdahl, Jamie Davis, Pam Jones, Karen Eads, Kate Brown, Shirley Kelliher, Clare Bell, Sharon Harris, Sue Weisshaupt, Ellen Baker, and Deena Knight.

Community service

Handmade Hugs

What a fun fiesta in December.  Thank you committee and helpers for a memorable morning.  Victoria Spears,  Dignity YRMC volunteer coordinator, was able to personally thank the guild for contributions to the Infusion center and birthing center.

Members continue donating their time and efforts to these organizations as well as the Teen Center and now Gentiva Hospice.  There will be kits available for pick up at the January meeting.  Our next workday will be Saturday, January 28, at Stoneridge Community Center from 9 – 3. Bring your machines and stay as long as you can.  There will not be a workday the first Saturday in February.

Faith Chaney and Olivia Turnham – Co-Chairs

Quilt show

Update

We are moving ahead with accumulating Marketplace items.  Remember, what grabs your attention or interest when you attend or visit a craft show?  Those are the types of items we are looking to have during the two day show in June, 2023. 

The show committee chairs are planning a visit to the Prescott High School gymnasium in January. 

We have a graph of the layout, but want to walk off the layout for a better understanding of the show’s flow.   

As mentioned in the December Guild meeting, if anyone has an interest in learning how to ‘hang’ the show (quilt display), please contact Kathleen Bond or Nan DeChant.  Kathleen is the official quilt show ‘hanger,’  and we need someone to learn and assist.  

If anyone has questions regarding the quilt show, please contact Nan DeChant or Cathy Day.

Nan DeChant and Cathy Day -2023 Quilt Show Chairs

Quilt Show Entry

Enter Your Show Quilts ~ Blooming Encouraged!

Yes, it is that time once again to BLOOM and DISPLAY your amazing quilting talents at our bi-annual TBQ quilt show. This year’s show will be held on Friday and Saturday, June 16 & 17, 2023 at the Prescott High School gymnasium.  We’re so excited to be back in the business of sharing our quilt craft with the greater community of Prescott and beyond. 

As you may already know, the theme of this year’s TBQ quilt show is “BLOOM WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED”.  Coming out of a long period of COVID isolation, we all must feel a bit of re-birth and blooming. Being at home all those months, your quilt making must have been “a-bloom” with time to dream and create.

Please consider sharing your quilting gifts at our quilt show this coming summer.  For each quilt entry we ask that you complete an entry form. These forms can be located under the forms tab on the TBQ website. The form should be self-explanatory, but should you need any help, please don’t hesitate to reach out to one of us on the CHECK-IN/CHECK-OUT committee listed below.  All TBQ members are encouraged to participate whether you are a new member to our guild, a long-standing member, someone new to quilting, or someone lucky enough to have been quilting forever.  Quilting, some say, may be a lost art. Sharing your quilts (or what we like to think of as “BLOOMING” year after year) helps ensure that our beloved quilt art continues for generations to come.

Alicia Czuzak, Jamie Davis, Dawnell Muecke, and Dana Swain – Committee Members

 

 

President’s Message

Hello Thumb Butte Quilters!

Hi everyone!  I’m sorry I missed the November meeting, but my new granddaughter was not informed of the guild meeting schedule.  She arrived on 11/4 @ 11:04 pm.  Mama and baby are doing great and Mimi (me) has been busy running errands, watching other grandkids, and getting baby snuggles on the side. 

I’m staying in our 5^th wheel in Santee, California for 30 days.  It certainly has been bringing back memories of our nomad days, before we established our home base in Prescott.  We traveled all over the United States for 5 years after we sold everything we owned and left San Diego.  My husband was a trouper and would drive me to quilt shops in every town that we visited.  I usually purchased a few fat quarters at every shop and fought the urge to stock up on all the fun stuff I was seeing!  Space is limited, so I had to be picky.  I also had not heard of Missouri Star yet, so we were within an hour drive and never stopped!  Same with Paducah, KY…so sad.  Sewing in a small space was a challenge.  I usually talked my husband into going to play golf for the day so I could really take over all of the space.  I didn’t really enjoy it, like I had hoped I would.  Just too darn cramped!  That’s when I really got into hand sewing, embroidery projects and finding quilt shops that would let me sew for the day.  My favorite quilts were made in our trailer and my favorite scrap quilts came from all of those fat quarters I collected.

On this trip, I thought I would have a lot of free time after the day was over.  I brought lots of projects and tons of ambition, but I’m getting old!  By the time I’m done watching all the kids, I’m exhausted!

Very little quilting is getting done!

I will be back for the December party and I hear it’s going to be fun, fun, fun!  See you there!

Dawnell Muecke – President

PS –  Kathleen Bond produces the most beautiful and complicated quilts….her sewing room is in her laundry room!  How does she do it???

past-president’s quilt

Nan DeChant’s quilt for her service in 2021-2022 as President of the Thumb Butte Quilters was presented at the November meeting.

 

newcomers

On November 28th a dozen newcomers met. During our time together we shared ideas for making excellent 1/4 inch seams, had some great show and tell items shared, made no-sew Scandinavian Stars for Christmas and enjoyed Faith Chaney sharing with us the projects the guild makes for our Prescott community.

The Newcomers are the nicest group of talented women…the guild is lucky to have them!

Our next Newcomer Gathering will be after the holidays on Monday, January 23 at 10:00 at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Park Ave.

Deb Johnson & Carrie Casto, Co-Chairs

Membership

Welcome new member Matilda Bristow.

Thank you!

Angela Smith – Chair

 

Programs/workshops 

Opportunity Quilt

Once again, our TBQ volunteers did a great job marketing our Opportunity Quilt at the “Holiday Boutique Lonesome Valley Quilt Guild” show in Prescott Valley held on November 12^th.  We sold $175 in tickets and another $81 at our last TBQ meeting! That puts our total at $2608 or about 58% of our goal of $4500. 

We have two events scheduled in December, so there are ample volunteer opportunities!

First, we are entered in a new event this year, the “Winter Spectacular” at the Prescott Valley Civic Center at 7501 E Skoog Blvd, Prescott Valley, AZ on Saturday, December 3^rd from 2-8 pm.  It looks like a fun event for all ages!

The second event is the “Last-Minute Non-Profit Stocking-Stuffer Bazaar”.  It will be held at Prescott Activity Center “The Old Armory” 824 E. Gurley, Prescott, AZ from 10-4 pm on Saturday, December 17^th. 

I am hoping to display our quilt at various guilds in our area after the holidays and will keep you updated as I find more events for us in the new year.

Thank you to all the volunteers that step forward to help so graciously!  Volunteering is a great way to connect with your fellow guild members and it’s an easy way to contribute to your guild’s fundraising efforts!

Remember, Christmas is coming, so think about buying some tickets for your friends and relatives for Christmas gifts!

Happy holidays and may you all finish your holiday projects on time!

Kathy Spry – Chair

Hostesses

December hostesses are:  Patty Brownsberger, Judith Dobke, Lois Doerr, Dianna Dunn, Lola Dyroy, Karen Eads, Julie Eastman, Carolyn Edwards, Linda Royce, Dianna Atkins & Michelle Anderson.  These ladies will be hosting our Christmas Fiesta Party.

Birthdays

Birthday celebrants – When it’s your birthday month, bring a wrapped gift suitable for a quilter, something you would like to receive, with a value of at least $10.  

December Birthdays — Carol Rabbitt, Jill Norcross, Karen Adams, David Charity, Catherine Ericsen, Phyllis Byrnes, Carol Wright, Linda Craig, Nancy Lefler, and Iris Lacey.

community service

Handmade Hugs

Our next workday will be Saturday, Dec. 3, from 9 – 3 at Stoneridge Community Center.  Kits for baby quilts, bibs, teen quilts and maybe some kits for making tops will be our task for the day.

 What a great turnout of finished quilts at our last meeting.  Many of them will be auctioned at our show in June since they were so spectacular!  If you have time after the holidays, sew up an easy pattern. Community service will take your lap size tops, add batting & backing and have one of our amazing quilters finish it off.

Thank you members for your generosity and talent. Your work makes many recipients happy!  Keep up the awesome work.

Faith Chaney, Olivia Turnham – Co-Chairs

Adult Center Display

Stop by the Prescott Adult Center on Rosser to see the latest TBQG display.  These beautiful quilts were made by member Barbara Merkel.

Carolyn Edwards, Chair

quilt show

We had our first Quilt Show meeting Wednesday, November 9. The meeting went well; identifying tasks for each area of responsibility, such as, Silent/Live Auctions, Quilt Check In/Out, and MarketPlace.

An update was made to the MarketPlace Chair. Sandy Mazzurco had to bow out of the Chair position due to health reasons. Cathy Day, Kristine White and Nan DeChant will step up to fill the void that Sandy has left. We wish Sandy a successful and steady recovery in the months to come.

As mentioned in the November Guild Meeting, what catches your eye when you visit the marketplace of any quilt or craft show? Are you drawn to pincushions, zippered bags, totes or quilt carry bags? Do you like witty sayings or signs depicting the uniqueness of a quilter? These are the types of things we are looking to have for sale in the MarketPlace. The show is two days, so enough inventory is needed to cover the two days. We don’t need hundreds of any one item, but a nice variety to display and sell. As the items for sale are completed, Cathy, Kristine and/or Nan will price mark and store until Show time, so bring items to guild meetings or contact one of us to arrange pick up or delivery. All members of the guild are encouraged to contribute to the MarketPlace.

The meeting touched on all aspects of the show from Admissions, Vendors, to Publicity. When discussing Kathleen Bond’s role of hanging the quilts, drafting the layout and identifying space for all aspects of the show, Kathleen needs a Co-Chair. If any guild member would like to be mentored and work with Kathleen on what it takes to ‘hang’ a quilt show, please let Kathleen Bond or Nan DeChant know!

Like all Chair positions we need a team to ensure the show will run smoothly and successfully, and that includes being a team member that can step up if an unforeseen event occurs.

As members work on their Bloom Where You Are Planted pattern quilts, keep in mind it is up to the maker to decide if the quilt will be available For Sale or Display Only. The maker will be able to indicate the disposition at the time the quilt is entered into the show.

Don’t forget there will also be a small quilt auction. So give some thought to starting a quilt for the auction.

The next 2023 Quilt Show Meeting will be held in January.  An email will be generated in early January providing date, time and location.

Nan DeChant and Cathy Day – Show Chairs

president’s Message

Hello Thumb Butte Quilters!

It’s already November and I’m excited for sweater weather!  Goodbye shorts and flip flops…I will see you sometime in June next year.

We had a great October meeting with lots of new guests and members.  I hope everyone was inspired by our speaker, Cindy Seitz-Krug.  Her presentation was very informative and her work is amazing.  I’m already giving her tomato paste can trick a try and I WILL give my invisible thread another attempt.  I have a love/hate relationship with that thread, but the message I got from her lecture was, ‘maybe it’s user error and not the thread’!  You just have to figure out how to make something work for you and don’t fight it, just play around until it’s happy.  Sounds like a life lesson as well.

We talked a lot about our quilt show, birthday raffle, company store and opportunity quilt that we do as fund (and fun) raising events throughout the year.  The majority of the guild’s funds are used to bring us these fantastic speakers and workshops at a cost you could never get at a major quilting event. We keep the cost very low to give everyone an opportunity to take the workshops and the guild usually just break even if the workshop fills up. Please consider taking advantage of learning something new by taking a workshop during the year.   It’s an inexpensive way to learn a new technique!

Our guild is always looking for new ideas and inspiration to offer the members, so if you have an idea or maybe something you did at a previous guild, I would love to hear from you.  We may not be able to incorporate them for this year, but I think it’s always fun to try new things!  After all, we don’t make the same quilt time and again….unless we are in a hurry for a gift.  Then it’s …where is that ‘Turning Twenty pattern!’

The Elks Lodge is having a toy drive for underprivileged children and our next meeting is last opportunity to donate before the Dec. 1^st deadline.  If you would like to participate, please bring an unwrapped gift for a 2-12 year old, under $20 and leave in the Christmas box in the meeting space or on the back table for them to collect when we leave.   Let’s share the love!

Have fun at the November meeting, my quilting friends!  I will be in San Diego welcoming my new granddaughter, Indy.  Kathleen Bond will be running the show in my absence!

Dawnell Muecke, President

President’s challenge

Everyone is invited to enter a quilt into the President’s Challenge “Name that Song” contest this year.  The challenge is to make a quilt based on a popular song.  You will have until May to complete and turn in.  Anything goes!  Pieced, applique, art quilt…anything you want!  We will then display them and have a contest to see who can name the most quilts (songs) and  prizes for the entries based on various categories. There is an entry form under the forms tab. 

Here is an example I came up with, can you guess the song title???  Find the Donation Station article and you will find the song that goes with this quilt.

Membership

Welcome new members Shelley Graham, Terry Purkable, Judy Peyret, and Sharon Silva.

Thank you!

Angela Smith – Chair

Programs/workshops 

President’s Message

Hello Thumb Butte Quilters!

We had a great September meeting with lots of new guests and members.  It’s so nice to see so many enthusiastic quilters that want to get involved and make new friends.  The 2022/2023 membership directories were passed out along with your guild membership card, so if you missed the meeting be sure to get yours in October.  A big shout out to Angela Smith who is the membership chair for this year.  Getting the directories organized and printed is a big job and she made it look easy!  Woot Woot!!

Our October meeting will host Cindy Seitz-Krug who will be giving a presentation on ‘Better Machine Quilting’.  Her website is quintessentialquilting.com and it’s worth taking a look at her amazing work.  I have taken many machine quilting workshops and I always come away with a new tip, trick and inspiration.  Her workshop will be the following day on Tuesday, October 11^th from 9-4.  Head over to the program and workshop tab on the website for a supply list and description of the class.  If you want to sign up, use your new directory to contact our workshop chair, Sherri Hubbs. 

Thumb Butte guilds’ upcoming ‘Bloom where you are planted’ quilt show in June seems so far away, but it’s really not! I’m already busy making cute bowl cozies for the Marketplace and planning which quilts I’m going to put in the show. It takes an entire year to plan and organize our 2 day show which is our biggest fundraiser for the year.  The money earned from the show funds speakers, workshops, the rent on our meeting place and so much more.  Julie Eastman and I co-chaired the 2021 quilt show and we had a great time!  Neither of us had ever put on a show and Julie hadn’t even been to a quilt show before.   The guild members were amazing and volunteered for everything we needed.  We worked together and all of the things we needed to do were in very detailed binders with directions.  The show was a really fun success and we loved doing it together. This year we have Nan DeChant as the chair and she is already getting everything started.  Nan is also very experienced in putting on a show like this, but she really needs a co-chair or even 2 co-chairs.  Splitting up different responsibilities makes the work more manageable and enjoyable and most of the other show jobs already have volunteers in place, so all the hard work is already done.  Take a look for a more detailed job description under the want ad section of the website and maybe you and a friend will want to volunteer as co-chair!

On a personal note, I’m expecting grandbaby #5 on Halloween I’m busy working on her quilt!

Happy Quilting my friends and I will see you at the October meeting.

Dawnell Muecke, President

WANT ADS

 All of our volunteer jobs can be done by 1 or several people.  If you have a friend, consider sharing a job.  Half the work and twice the fun!  New members are always welcome to volunteer and there will be someone who has done the job before to help you.  Just ask our membership chair, Angela Smith!  She was a member for about a month or two before she took over membership and that’s a big job! 

Job:                Co-chair or co-chairs for June 2023 quilt show

Qualifications:                Enthusiastic, easy going and willing to help                                                                           No experience necessary

Job description:              Work with the current Chair person, Nan DeChant, to organize and facilitate the June 2023 Quilt Show.  The quilt show has many job chairs to break all the show functions down and make them more manageable.  The co-chairs make sure the show has all the pieces in place before the show and is responsible for smoothing out any issues on the day of the show.  Think of this job as the circus ringleader!  You don’t have to ride the elephant…just direct him.

Help guides:                    There are VERY detailed binders for this job so you are not re-inventing the show.  Just follow what has already been done, put your own touch where you want and the individual job chairs (already in place) will do the rest!

Why co-chair:                 Every job is easier if you have a backup.  Vacation, sickness, need a hand, bounce ideas off each other and it’s just more fun.

When:                               ASAP!

How to apply:                 Use your directory and contact Nan DeChant to help!

_______________________________________________

 Job:                 Publicity chair or co-chairs for June 2023 quilt show

Qualifications:                Organized and no experience necessary

Job description:               Use the detail binder to advertise the quilt show.

Help guides:                    The job binder lists each contact to advertise the show.  Just reach out, send them the already completed information about the show and they will advertise.

Volunteer time:              This job does not involve much time.  It’s completed mostly thru email contact and a few phone calls.  Easy, peasy  but important job!

When:                              Volunteer now to get involved with the show, but most of the work won’t take place until June 2023.

How to apply:                 Use your directory and contact Nan DeChant to help!

_____________________________________________

Job:                            TBQ Treasurer  

 Qualifications:       Accounting background; organizational skills, knowledge of Quickbooks 

Job Description:    Available upon request 

Help Guides:            Treasurer’s Notebook and Job Description 

Volunteer Time:    Approximately 7 to 10 hours per month for a knowledgeable finance person 

When: Immediately 

How to Apply: Contact Dawnell Muecke (use directory for contact information) 

______________________________________

 Recent Jobs filled:  Small quilt auction co-chair and 2024 Opportunity quilt team! 

Thank you to all of our volunteers!  Your participation is greatly appreciated and recognized by all!  

Dawnell Muecke, President

Membership

Welcome new members Shelli Leffert, Kim Keogh, and Deena Knight.

Thank you!

Angela Smith – Chair

Programs/workshops 

                   

President’s Message

Hello Thumb Butte Quilters!

It’s already September!  Hobby Lobby  has Christmas decorations up…it’s making me anxious to start working on my Christmas quilts that I want to give as gifts.  I started too late last year and they ended up as pillow cases!

If you weren’t able to attend the August meeting, you missed a great speaker!  Lenna DeMarco put on an interesting show and was very knowledgeable about dating antique quilts and giving a brief history.  Members were able to bring their own quilts in, and she was nice enough to give a history of each one.  The moral of the story is to check out the local antique shops and garage sales.  There is a treasure out there to be found!

Kathleen Bond gave a workshop on Freezer Paper Foundation Paper Piecing the following day.  The class was full and she is going to hold a second workshop on September 13^th for everyone who was not able to sign up.  If you HATE ripping out paper from a paper pieced project then this workshop is for you!  NO RIPPING out paper!  Contact Kathleen Bond if you are interested in getting on her class list.  I highly recommend it.

Next month we will be hosting Joann Hankey who will give a lecture on ‘For the Love of Feedsacks’.  Joann has a great collection and I’m sure we will all be on the hunt after her lecture.  You won’t want to miss this presentation.

Our meetings start at 9:30am, but please feel free to come early!  You can buy your raffle tickets, visit the BOM table, workshops, Handmade Hugs, Marketplace, the Company Store, Opportunity Quilt and more!  Sometimes our breaks don’t feel long enough to visit our friends and get our quilting fix in.  Our general meetings are also growing so we are never sure of the number of chairs to set out.  Grab a seat when you walk in the door so we can add chairs, if need be, before the meeting begins.

Did you know that anyone in the guild can attend the monthly board meeting if they are interested in finding out what goes on behind the scenes?  You are welcome to stop by on the 1^st Monday of the month from 10:30am – 12:00 at Prescott Quilt Works.  Email me if you want to come!

Happy Quilting my friends and I will see you at the September meeting!

Dawnell Muecke, President

president’s challenge – 2023

Name that Quilt!

Everyone is invited to enter a quilt into the President’s Challenge ’Name that Song’ contest this year. The challenge is to make a quilt based on a popular song. You will have until May to complete and turn in. Anything goes! Pieced, applique, art quilt..anything you want! We will then display them and have a contest to see who can name the most quilts (songs) and prizes for the entries based on various categories. There is an entry form under the forms tab.

Here is an example of a ‘Name that Song’ quilt that I made in a San Diego guild. It was lots of fun! Can you guess the song?

My momma told me….You Better Shop Around!

Membership

Welcome new members Georgia Lindsey, Sue Parks, and Secorro “Coco” Alaniz

Thank you!

Angela Smith – Chair

Programs/workshops 

President’s Message

Hello Thumb Butte Quilters!

I hope everyone was able to attend the July meeting and enjoy the fun festivities put on by our party committee.  Everyone was very impressed with all the fun decorations, yummy food, games and fun times had by all.  They put so much work into this event that they deserve a WOOT WOOT!! 

Speaking of the party committee…….did you know that the party committee members are actually listed in our membership directory?  Look under the Hostess Roster when the new directory comes out.  If you are asked to bring a treat in the month of July or December then you are on the party committee for that month.  Someone will contact you as the month approaches and get your input on the party.  Are you obligated to help?  Of course not!  This is a volunteer-based club.  The solution would be to ask someone to take your place or offer to help in a way that you can participate that fits your situation.

As the year progresses there will be lots of ways to get involved with the guild.  Some take a lot of time, but most are very simple and fun in the process.  I encourage everyone to help in some way during the upcoming year and make new friends while doing it!  Take a workshop, sit by a newcomer who may not know anyone or grab a friend and volunteer for a job and share the load!

Moving on…..I’m going to announce the President’s Challenge for this year at the August meeting and give all the details to participate, but I’ll give you a heads up before we meet so you can start thinking about it.   It’s a challenge that has certainly been done before in most guilds, but it’s so much fun that I think you will enjoy it.   It’s called ‘Name that Quilt!’  Pick a popular song and make a wall hanging to represent the title of the song.   You will have until June or July (not sure yet!) to complete.  Anything goes!  Pieced, applique, art quilt…anything you want!  We will then display them and have a contest to see who can name the most quilts (songs)!  Prizes for the entries will be based on various categories.  Have you done this challenge before??  Yes???  Bring it to the August meeting so other members get an idea of what direction to head in.  I’ll bring in mine and I’ll see who can guess the ‘Name that Quilt!’

Please be sure to read your newsletter every month!  Our web team puts in a lot of work to make our guild website professional, fun and informative.  This year we are going to focus on getting more information on the site so that you have a place to go with questions and get more detailed information about upcoming events and ways to participate.

Happy Quilting my friends and I will see you at the August meeting!

Dawnell Muecke, President

Installation of Officers – 2022 – 2023

Membership

Welcome new members Michelle Anderson, Jessica Bodnicki, Alicia Czuzak, and Sharon Harris.

Thank you!

Angela Smith – Chair

Programs/workshops 

President’s Message

Greetings Sisters of the Thread!

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter and/or Passover.  We had a fun time celebrating the holiday with our son and his family.  I have come to realize that a 4-year old has two speeds, On and Off!  My goodness, if I could capture my granddaughter’s energy and bottle it, I could own every die, machine, BOB and Cube sizes Accuquilt sells!  Hope you enjoyed some great family time, and chocolate bunnies, too!

I think Spring is here to stay!  Our maple is leafing, our lemon and apple trees are in bloom and the deer are eating the foliage off of our roses.  We finally were able to get the netting around our trees so the trees actually have a chance to produce fruit this year!  I love the deer who visit our backyard, but I prefer they eat the grain and not our fruit trees!  We now have a beautiful buck and doe who frequently visit.  What a treat as they jump the wall and venture to the birdfeeders, quail block and bird bath to wash everything down.  We love the nature that frequents our yard.

If anyone is interested in a large quilting frame, please contact me, as Norma Kurr’s daughters are wanting to find a home for Norma’s floor frame allowing for hand quilting of larger quilts.

Our May meeting will include the display of the Lonesome Valley Opportunity Quilt, and provide the ability to buy tickets from the LVQ Guild.  I always love to see how creative other guilds are with their Opportunity quilts.

Our next meeting will be Monday, May 9.  May 9 also happens to be Tom and my 35th wedding anniversary!  We’ll be celebrating on the 10th with an excursion on the Verde Canyon Railroad.  I’ve been wanting to experience this train ride ever since our arrival in Prescott four years ago.  My paternal grandfather was a ticket agent for the Union Pacific RR long before I was born, and my Dad loved trains, too.  The last big trip we took with my parents was in 1996 when on our cruise to Alaska we took the White Pass railroad up the mountain in Skagway, Alaska.  My Dad loved that trip, and the history it held from Jack London’s, “Call of the Wild” and he would love this one, too!  This time, he’ll travel with me in my heart and memories.

Things are slowly moving along with the upcoming 2023 Quilt Show.  With the venue secured for June 15-17, 2023, at Prescott High School, and the Opportunity Quilt tickets procured, progress is being made.  A sign up board will be displayed at May’s meeting for the Quilt Show tasks. Take a look and see how you can help to make our show a great success! 

Handmade project ideas and materials for the Marketplace are underway, we have a chair for vendor solicitation and a volunteer to ‘hang’ the show quilts.  There will be something for everyone in the guild to do!  So let us know how you would like to help!  It is hard to believe our show is just 14 months away.  

Our Guild is growing!  Every month we are adding new members and increasing our numbers!  Don’t let June slip up on you!  Submit your dues for the coming year.  See Angela Smith at Membership so you can be in the 2022-2023 Directory when we go to press with the new Directory.

Enjoy this beautiful weather, and, if you have been putting off outside activities waiting for warmer weather, now’s your chance to take a walk, or hike a new trail! We quilters seem to enjoy sitting at our sewing machines, so now is the time to get out and get our circulation going!

May your seams be straight, your bobbins be full and your quarter inch be precise.

May Blessings,

Nan DeChant, President

Membership

 

Please remember that your membership dues of $35.00 are due by June 15, 2022 in order to make it to the directory.
There were no new members this month.
Thank you!

Angela Smith – Chair

Programs 

Handmade Hugs

President’s Message

Happy Spring, Sisters of the Thread!

I just love when the trees begin to bud, the Ornamental Plum trees turnout with their pink blossoms and everything looks fresh and new here in the High Country!

Wow! What a busy March we’ve had, and April is looking like a lot of fun, too!

Quilt Camp was a great success and a fun time was had by all in attendance!  Kudos and GREAT JOB, Cathy Day and Kristine White!  Fun games, wonderful food, a lot of fellowship; and if clothes with threads all across the front was any indication a lot of sewing was done, too! We even had a former member, Carol Godfrey from Lusk, Wyoming, join in the fun, and renew her membership with the Guild!  Great to have you back, Carol!

We are fortunate to have our tentative Executive Board for the coming year:
President, Dawnell Muecke
Vice President, Kathleeen Bond
Secretary, Nancy Lande
Treasurer, Cathy Day

In order to make our guild successful and grow, there are many committee positions that need to be filled, so please take a look at open positions at the April meeting. See what you can do to make the 2022-2023 year a great success!  Dawnell will have the sign-up board with the open roles that need to be filled. So see Dawnell at the April 11 meeting!

The Opportunity Quilt is currently being hand quilted for our first showing, and ticket sales, at the June, 2022 Mountain Top Quilt Show, Findlay Event Center.  Faith Chaney, had the quilt at her work station at Quilt Camp, as she diligently hand stitched the quilt.  Ladies, it is beautiful!   If you would like to assist in taking the quilt to various High Country events & guilds, please see Liz Hart for information.

We have some great workshops on the calendar this spring, so please check the website and/or contact Kathleen Bond for information and sign up.  Full  day workshops are held at the Aztlan Masonic Lodge on 1028 Willow Creek Road, Prescott.  It is a lovely facility and a great place to meet and learn new techniques.

Blessings, 

Nan DeChant, President

“Don’t be afraid to take risks with your quilting. 
If you succeed, you’ll be ‘sew’ happy.  
If you fail, you’ll be ‘sew’ smart.”

Membership

 

We want to welcome our new members Pauline Singleton and Carol Godfrey. 

Angela Smith – Chair

Programs 

The Quilt Camp for 2022 was a huge success! Please go to “Quilt Camp” tab to see more pictures of this fun event.

Handmade Hugs

Friendship Groups

You are invited to a new Friendship Group!

Hi!!  My name is Martha Ferriera and I’m hosting a new Thumb Butte friendship group called ‘Shuffle Around the Block’

What we will do: Each member will purchase 4 to 5 yards of fabric of their choice and it will be placed in their box (provided). Each month we will meet and your box will be “shuffled” between other members. The receiver will make a 12-1/2″ block (12″ finished) from this box.  At the end of one year we will have a reveal party where you finally get your own box back with 12 finished blocks to make a quilt top!   What a fun surprise to see what everyone has made for you.

This swap works best with a minimum of 12 members and a maximum 18.

Other nice things to put in your box – You can place a journal in your box to let others know if you just love applique (or not) or if it’s okay to add some different fabrics, or any other requests.  Block makers can also add a fun note in the journal before passing it to a different person.

You can also add a treat or a small gift for the next person who gets the box.  It’s like a ‘secret santa’ gift every month!  This friendship group is just that…a Friendship Group!  No sewing machine required at the box swap and you have a month to make one block..it can’t get an easier then that.

Start date:  After the required number of people sign up we will establish our meeting schedule and decide when to get started.  Our target month to begin is May, but that may change based on when we reach our required number of members.

Will you join me??  To sign up contact Martha Ferreira.