Category: 2021 Meetings

OCMQG Membership Meeting Minutes
May 26, 2022
Laguna Woods Village

Thank you to all who attended in person and via Zoom. It was such a great presentation by our speaker Bill Stearman. It was a wonderful meeting with lots of sharing on many levels and lovely quilts. See all the upcoming events etc. in the minutes below. Don’t forget to check our website for many details on meetings, workshops, speakers, challenges, etc.

Maritza Rodriguez Farr, OCMQG Co-Secretary

Board Members: All Present
Membership Present: 15
Guests Present: 2
Zoom Guests: 10 (Speaker only)

INTRODUCTION: Cheryl Higley, President. Zoom etiquette reviewed.

SPEAKER INTRODUCTION: Susie Johnson, Workshops. Speaker Bill Stearman, known as the BackPack Quilter, from Toronto. He states he just likes to quilt and that our limits are only in our imagination. Sewing for him removed pain, from an injury, from his mind. He is a storyteller through his quilts. His Backpack presentation of quilts included was called The Power Of One. He presented 28 beautiful quilts with wonderful and inspiring stories. Bill noted that he uses fabrics that have a story from those he knows, making purchasing fabrics quite unique. He described how each quilts story was reflected in his life experiences and emotions. How he conveyed all of this in his quilts was amazing. 

CHALLENGES:
August Challenge is a mini quilt challenge. Maximum size is a 118” perimeter.

November is the Book and Quilt Challenge. All quilts and books will be donated to the Orangewood Children’s Foundation, who supports the children in the system and youth who have left the child welfare system of Orange County.

WORKSHOPS: 
Organic Shapes, Carolina Oneto will be presenting via Zoom on June 11th from 1 to 4PM. Members $35, Non-members $45

July 17th Audrey Esarey will be presenting via Zoom the Watercolor Quilt. A $12 pattern will be required in addition to the workshop fee. Members $60, Non-members $70

Workshop Policy – no refunds unless the instructor cancels. Please review policy on the guild website  ocmodernquiltguild.com

UPCOMING SPEAKER: June 30th Meeting Speaker – Audrey Esarey “Finding My Voice In Modern Quilting” 

BLOCK LOTTO: Square Circle block is from City Quilts book. It is a block that appears to have a circle, but is actually pieced. This is more evident when the block is made into a quilt. 

April Block Lotto Winner – Kelly

SHOW AND TELL:
Jason showed a series of quilts that used different colors and other quilts using black and white fabrics. All his quilts were quite stunning and everyone enjoyed his creativity.

Kelly held an old fashioned quilting bee at her home where she used the time as a learning process on piecing and quilting. It was a successful endeavor. Kelly also showed her first quilt ever made and shared the process of her first experience. We all could reflect on our first quilts and how much we have grown.

SOCIAL MEDIA: Please note that the OCMQG has a Facebook page, please request to join on Facebook. Our website ocmodernquiltguild.com has information on all our activities, meetings, workshops, challenges, etc. Please check it out.

PHILANTHROPY:
Needle in a Fabric Stash in Temecula has closed its brick and mortar store and is now only online. Sue, the owner, will be offering knitting classes at Between Stitches in Temecula. Sue was extremely generous in donating many bolts of fabric to the guild for philanthropy and to generate funds for our guild, including purchasing hygiene products for the Orangewood Children’s Foundation youth. We will be selling fabric at meetings and our events. Fabric was also provided for our philanthropy projects. 

Membership voted to present Sue with a year and a half of FREE membership for her donation. Lisa H. will be sending Sue a Thank You letter as well.

New focus for philanthropy will be quilts, pillow cases, and hygiene products.

MaryAnne agreed to quilt a quilt top. Lisa will provide what she needs at the June meeting. Thank You MaryAnne!

LENDING LIBRARY: The lending library now has lots of rulers, bias tape makers, books, etc. Pick up at meeting and return at the next meeting. We still need donations for the lending library.

SUMMER SWAP MEET: Our next Swap Meet is July 23rd, 10:30am to 2:30pm. There will be raffle prizes, quilt show, and selling of fabrics. Please bring hygiene products to donate to the Orangewood Children’s Foundation.

PHILANTHROPY SEW IN: Small Group Philanthropy Sew In is scheduled for June 25th, 11am to 3pm at Cheryl’s home. Two panels will be made into 2 quilts by two teams of quilters. Great opportunity to meet others and learn quilting. Feel free to bring your sewing machine, extra fabric scraps to donate and snacks. Bring your own drink too.

REMINDERS:
Samantha announced her upcoming Patchwork Show booth in Long Beach on June 5. 

VA Hospital in Long Beach needs quilts for veterans. Cheryl will be creating a group to work on this endeavor. Sign ups started. Quilts will be lap size for wheelchair use. 

We are open to anyone desiring to create a unique small quilting group. Please let us know your interest.

OC Fair deadline May 26th at 6pm.

Departing message from Cheryl – As humans we can make changes.

Minutes prepared by Maritza Rodriguez Farr, Co-Secretary

OCMQG Membership Meeting Minutes
April 28, 2022
Laguna Woods Village

WELCOME: Lisa Handley, Vice President. A ‘penny’ ice breaker was held and members shared lovely and amusing memories. 

GUEST:  Gail Sevilla, Membership introduced Arlene Stevens representing the California Heritage Quilt Project. She is also a member of the Inland Empire Quilt Guild. The California Heritage Project is eager to build its membership as other states have already started, so they can begin documenting quilts. Efforts have already been made and quilts have been documented from 1850 – 1945.  People interested in being part of the California Heritage Project are encouraged to contact them at www.chqp.org to learn about planned Board meetings in the summer. 

TREASURER: Janet Segner had no new updates. 

WORKSHOPS: Susie Johnson presented Cecile Choi from Sewing Party who will be presenting the next in-person workshop on Mary 15th, 9:30am – 3:30pm on Color Play. Cecile described how color can change a pattern and showed examples of what to expect in the upcoming workshop. There are still openings. Please email the guild at ocmodernquiltguild@gmail.com if you are interested in registering. Cecile’s website is www.Sewingparty.com

Organic Shapes Workshop (Zoom) with Carolina Oneto is scheduled for June 11th, 1pm – 4pm. We have openings. Email the guild if interested in registering. 

Watercolor Quilt Workshop (Zoom) is scheduled for July 17th. Email the guild if interested in registering. In addition to the registration fee, there is a $12 pattern required.

APRIL QUILT CHALLENGE: Each participant presented their quilts to the members.

Betty – used pattern called Spinning Wheel. Did hand and machine quilting with different threads.

Carrie – did different machine quilting techniques.

Jo – did machine quilting and machine embroidery.

Sam – called her quilt Give Me A Squeeze. It was an exploration of design for a larger planned quilt.

Susie J – created a quilt inspired by an art piece. She did echo and reverse quilting from the piecing. Did machine quilting.

Mily – did a llama quilt. Did straight line quilting and circles in areas to highlight fur. 

WINNERS – Winners are to email the guild advising where they would like their gift certificate from.
Best Use of Quilting – Carrie
Best Modern Design – Susie J
Members Choice had a tie – Betty and Mily

BLOCK LOTTO: Kelly Hogan presented the upcoming block lotto sewing technique Korean Patchwork/Bojagi. The https://ocmodernquiltguild.com  block lotto section has information on the technique and construction.

EVENTS AND NEWS: 
Arcacia Quilt Guild is having a David Owens Hastings workshop. If you were not able to attend ours, this is an opportunity to participate. 

The Modern Quilt Guild has just announced the 2022 Make-A-Difference Challenge. Proceeds will benefit “Oceana” to protect and restore the oceans of the world. All of our members are automatically also members of The Modern Quilt Guild. www.themodernquiltguild.com is their website, which contains all the information for the Challenge. Their website also has a lot of other valuable resources.

Orange County Fair Quilt Challenge – deadline is May 27th. Go to the OC Fair 2022 website for additional information and submission guidelines.

The Orange County Quilt Guild is holding its Quilts in the Garden event May 7th from 10am – 3pm at Kiwanis Land Park 9840 Larson Avenue, Garden Grove. There will be quilts, opportunity baskets, and a “garage sale”. Entry fee is $10.

LENDING LIBRARY: Kelly Hogan introduced the beginning of the Lending Library. Donations of rulers, books, etc. are welcomed. The Guild plans on using some of the bank rebate funds for additional purchases. More information will be provided in future meetings.

BEGINNER RESOURCES: We have received some inquiries on beginner quilting classes and the following resources for classes were presented

Jordan Fabrics
Missouri Star
YouTube
Modern Quilt Guild Website
Orange Quilt Bee, Orange, CA
Saddleback Community College

SEW-IN OCMQG EVENT PLANNED: Kelly Hogan is planning a Philanthropy Collaborative Sew-in. It will be held late May or early June. Quilts will be sewn in teams for the Orangewood Children’s Foundation youth. More information to follow.

PHILANTHROPY: Lisa Handley received 8 pillow cases and 2 quilts (the latter need binding). 

SHOW AND TELL:
Jo – delightful black, red and white quilt. She got the fabric from one of our going green events.

Susie – her first quilt was made from the Modern Log Cabin workshop. Colorful quilt. Used fabric from her stash – warm and cool colors. Did Sashiko quilting. Her second quilt was from the Libs Elliott workshop. Used one focus fabric plus black and cream. Also did Sashiko quilting. Her third quilt was from an online workshop called Pebble Pop. Beautiful focus fabrics used in each of the large circles. All the circles were made using an improv technique. 

Mily – presented a stunning quilt. Great use of fabric and colors.

DOOR PRIZE WINNERS: Cecile and Jo

BLOCK LOTTO WINNER: Sue Fukuda

NEXT CHALLENGE – MINI QUILT CHALLENGE: Look at Curated Quilts for ideas.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Gail Sevilla has one of her quilts highlighted in the Red issue of Curated Quilts! Congratulations Gail!

NEXT MEETING: May 26th at 6:30pm. Please arrive early so you can meet other members! Meetings are a great way to not only meet members, but to see the work of others during show and tell as well as Challenges. SPEAKER – the May meeting speaker will be Bill Stearman the “BackPack Show”.   www.billstearman.com

Minutes prepared by Maritza Rodriguez Farr, Co-Secretary

Thank you to all of you who were in attendance or participated via Zoom for our first in person membership meeting. Your participation ensures our guild is a success. Your beautiful quilts also made the meeting extra special. Thank you to all and we look forward to seeing you at our next in person meeting on April 28th. 

Maritza Rodriguez Farr, OCMQG Co-Secretary

OCMQG Membership Meeting Minutes
March 31, 2022
Laguna Woods Village

WELCOME: President Cheryl Higley welcomed all in attendance back to LIVE OCMQG meetings!  For many of us, both new and “seasoned” members, it’s the first time we’ve seen each other face to face.

GUEST SPEAKER (via Zoom):  Tara Miller, www.quiltdistrict.com or Facebook “The Quilt District”
Mary O’Bannon introduced us to Tara Miller 

Tara’s fascinating talk focused on quiltmaking in the context of 20th Century mainstream “women’s sphere” and “women’s work” in the United States as well as societal norms for each period of history. Beautiful examples of quilts crafted throughout the century were presented in 25-year increments, with commentary on society’s impact on both quilt design, function and fabric choices. She did not disappoint! An important message from her presentation “Our soul is reflected in what we create.”

INTRODUCTION OF THE 2022 LEADERSHIP BOARD: 
The Leadership Board was introduced to the members by President Cheryl Higley.  

Our 2022 Board Members are:

Cheryl Higley – President
Lisa Handley – Vice President
Susie Johnson – Workshops
Gail Sevilla – Membership
Kaylin Murray – Technical Support
Mary O’Bannon – Workshops
Kelly Hogan – Block Lotto
Sam Saturday – Social Media & Website
Maritza Farr – Co-Secretary
Elizabeth Wing – Co-Secretary
Janet Segner – Treasurer
Ruth Bailey – Facilities/Hospitality/Greeter

MEMBERSHIP – Gail:
Total membership for 2022 to date is 48.

To those of you who rejoined – thanks for holding on through Covid!
Welcome to our new members, we’re so happy to have you!

TREASURER’S REPORT: 
Janet was out of town, but we have been assured that our Guild finances are in tip-top shape!

Guild banking was switched from Wells Fargo to Chase, and we have received the “new account bonus” of $300 – which will be used in various ways for the benefit of our members.

We are encouraging everyone to use Zelle for all Guild payments.  This method is free to the Guild, while PayPal charges a fee.  Eventually, we will transition solely to Zelle. 

Please see the link below to OCMQG Membership FAQs page for ways to pay with Zelle through various banks:

https://ocmodernquiltguild.com/faqs/

And, YES…the Guild will still accept personal checks for workshops (and cold hard cash for Block Lotto)!

CHALLENGES: April is our “Focus on Quilting” Challenge:
Bring your completed quilt with fabulous quilting to the LIVE Membership meeting on April 28th.

These quilts must be a minimum of 18” x 18” and must be SELF-QUILTED – by hand, domestic machine, longarm – or a combination.

Awards will be given in 3 categories:
Best Use of Quilting
Best Modern Design
Members’ Choice

Current Challenge information can be found at:

https://ocmodernquiltguild.com/guild-challenges/

Future Challenges (details to come as we get closer to the dates):
August – Mini Quilt
November – Annual Book Challenge

WORKSHOPS & GUEST SPEAKERS: 
Mary O’Bannon reviewed the lineup of upcoming speakers and Workshops

Membership Meeting Guest Speakers:
May – Bill Stearman, “BackPack Show”  www.billstearman.com
June – Audrey Esarey, “Finding My Voice in Modern Quilting”  www.cottonandbourbon.com
July – Teresa Duryea Wong, “Hello Modern Art, Meet Antique Quilts” www.thirdfloorquilts.com
September – Rachel Derstine, “Keep it Simple But Pack a Punch”
November – Janneken Smucker, “Amish Quilts”  www.janneken.org

Workshops (please note LIVE vs ZOOM before signing up!):
May 15th LIVE – Cecile Choi, “Color Play”  www.Sewingparty.com
June 11th ZOOM – Carolina Oneto, “Organic Shapes”
July 17th ZOOM – Audrey Esarey ($12 pattern), “Watercolor Quilt” www.cottonandbourbon.com
September 11 LIVE – Jean Impey, “Spider Web” www.sewjean.com
October 30 & Nov 6 (two ½ days) ZOOM – Rachel Derstine, “Keep it Simple But Pack a Punch”

Important workshop links:
See the link below for all upcoming workshop info:

https://ocmodernquiltguild.com/2022-workshops/

Cecile Choi workshop scholarship form: https://forms.gle/913dgDGoQQhzCcDdA

Carolina Oneto workshop scholarship form: https://forms.gle/QAwu4T7FiKJqetCGA

Be sure to watch your OCMQG emails for workshop sign up information!

BLOCK LOTTO:
Kelly offered the April Block Lotto kits – “Cheater Hexies, No Y-Seams” – for sale, and the response was very positive. There may be some kits left, please email Kelly for information at  kel.hogan@gmail.com.  The “hexie” instructions can be found in the link below:

https://ocmodernquiltguild.com/2022/03/31/March-2022-block-lotto/

Your completed “hexies” should be returned to Kelly at the April Guild meeting, and the winner will be drawn that evening.

At the April meeting, Kelly will also be offering kits for “Korean Patchwork/Bojagi”. Kits are $2 each, or three kits for $5 (please bring cash to pay).

Don’t wait too long..this one is going to be very popular!

SHOW AND TELL:
After many months of (mostly) viewing each other’s accomplishments only virtually, we were excited to see so many beautiful completed quilts! Though we ran short on time, there was no shortage of oohs and aahs. We look forward to seeing those quilts we didn’t have time for, as well as additional creations, at our next meeting.

During Show and Tell, the beautiful OCMQG Community Outreach quilt that had been entered in QuiltCon was presented as a surprise gift to our wonderful Ruth Bailey as a thank you for her many years of service. We hope this quilt, which Ruth had expressed a very strong interest in, will bless her with many warm memories and be a reminder that she is so appreciated.

SOCIAL MEDIA:
Sam got a chance to let us know about the Orange County Fair Quilt competition…it’s coming up quickly, we know that MANY of you have gorgeous quilts to show off – and what better place than the OC Fair?

Info on OC Fair competition entries:

https://ocmodernquiltguild.com/2022/03/11/2022-oc-fair-entries/

LENDING LIBRARY:
Kelly reviewed this new benefit to our members – a “library” of books and quilting related tools that members may check out at the meeting and return at  the following month’s membership meeting. If you have quilt rulers, tools, pattern books, etc. that you would like to donate, please bring them to future meetings. 

PHILANTHROPY:
Lisa was happy to announce that we had 13 beautifully completed pillowcases, and one completed quilts returned. Don’t forget to check the philanthropy table at each meeting and see if there’s a project waiting for you to dive into! Also, bring in those “orphan blocks” and completed quilt tops to the Guild meetings. We love to give!

DOOR PRIZE DRAWING:
Elizabeth drew tickets for three great little prizes. The door prize is something we’ll do at each meeting – no purchase is necessary, just be sure to sign in for the meeting as we’ll be picking winners from the list of attendees in the future.

We look forward to seeing all of you at our next OCMQG meeting on Thursday, April 28th!