MEETING RECAP
PDF of Slides
The meeting was called to order at 10:03 by the president, Octavia Pitts (OP).
The treasurer, Susan Muszynski (SM) called for a moment of silence to honor those members that are veterans.
OP reminded us of the upcoming sewing day at Jackman’s Fabrics on November 18. There are still spots available for hand sewers and machine sewers. If you are interested, please register on the event page. Keep in mind that this event is for members only. If you are shopping at the sale that day at the St. Louis location, be sure to stop by the sewing room to say hi. Link to Event
OP - Elections for the 2024 Board will be held in January. Please contact Hope Wyss if you are interested in serving on the board. She is particularly interested in finding someone for the Secretary position. She can be reached at hope.wyss@gmail.com. If you would like to review the duties of each board role, please refer to this document. -Link to Officer Roles
The slide lists that the November Hand Sew Happy Hour has been canceled. That has now changed. Tess McMahon has graciously offered to host the event on November 14 (also a change) at the Bread Co. on Chippewa. Please see the event for the address. Link to event
OP also mentioned that we are attempting to spread out the hand sew events throughout the month in 2024 so if you want to attend all three, you can!
The slide also incorrectly indicates that the date for the David Owens Hastings event as January 24, 2024. The correct date is January 25, 2024. This event is virtual and free for members and $10 for nonmembers. We do ask that members register and that registration will open on November 26. An email will be sent that day. Link to event
Events for 2024 are now on the calendar. Please review the website/phone app frequently to keep up to date on what is being offered.
We are currently seeking committee members for 2024. The sign-up page is available on the website along with descriptions of the committees and current members. We will be also looking for leaders of the committees so please consider volunteering for one of those roles. Link to committee page
The early-bird pricing for the Quiltcon quilt show ends on November 30. Members that register get into the show for free. So even if you are not sure if you are going, you might as well register. Link to Quiltcon
Don’t forget that all library books need to be returned by the December meeting. It is also time to turn in any charity quilts that you have been working on.
Mark your calendars for the December meeting. It will be a celebration of what the guild accomplished in 2023. Please note that it is for members only and it is highly recommended that you register ahead of time. See the slide or event for a reminder about the Favorites swap. Link to Event
QuiltCon Challenge quilt
The quilt top has been pieced together and handed off to Emily Wall for quilting. The committee thanks everyone that helped by creating the blocks.
Quilt Show Committee
Robyn Passig, committee chair for the Quilt Show, updated us on the timeline for the show, which you can see on the slides. An event for the January registration period has also been added to the website calendar. A link for registering your quilts will be added to the event and Quilt Show page once it is available.
Other Business
OP reminded us that the renewal of membership for everyone that joined prior to 2023 is happening now. Renewals for members joining in 2023 will be the date that member joined. You can see the date of your membership on your member profile on the website or the phone app. See below for more information if you are currently renewing.
OP reminded everyone that we are meeting at McAlister’s for lunch after the meeting. Thanks to the social committee for organizing these lunches. They have been great fun.
OP reminded everyone of the Free Table in the back and noted that Nancy Kingston evidently cleaned out her sewing room because she brought a lot of stuff for the table.
The Program - ENGLISH PAPER PIECING
Amy Suiter, the program committee chair led this month’s activity. Everyone worked on an English paper piecing project with a fall theme. We created bookmarks using hexagons. Attendees created either a straight bookmark or a very cute turkey bookmark. Link to pictures
There are links in the slides to various tutorials. A special thanks goes to our EPP Helpers; Leila Gardunia, Tess McMahon, Sally Koczan, Gayle May, Susan Muszynski, Janice Samson and Octavia Pitts who were on hand to help everyone with their project. Thanks to Amy, the committee and all the helpers for a fun activity.
2023 ROUND ROBIN REVEAL!
The final pass was made for the 2023 Round Robin Challenge and again, we were amazed by the talent of our members. 42 members participated in seven nests. A special thanks goes to the “mama birds”, the members that volunteered to keep their group (“nest”) organized; Marie Hill, Em Komiskey, Kristina Olson, Nichole Lewis, Edy John, Pam Hartig and Sybil Fisher. Check out the photos on the challenge page.
Photo Gallery
The winner of this month’s prize of a Carolyn Friedlander FQ bundle went to Jolene Grosch. An overall prize of a Cotton Cuts Modern Maker one-month membership went to Pam Waske. Congratulations everyone!
MORE PRIZES!
The monthly attendance prizes were drawn and once again, Susan M did not win. Remember to wear your handmade name tag to future meetings to receive a chance at the attendance prizes. If you have anything to donate for prizes, please see Susan Muszynski.
This month’s prize of the Riley Blake FQ bundle, Arrival of Winter was awarded to Candy Grisham and Robyn Passig. Thank you Cotton Cuts for your generous donation. Robyn Passig was asked at lunch about her frequent success at winning the fabric raffle and she just replied that she likes to increase her odds. So, be sure to participate in future raffles, you do not need to be in attendance to win. We raised $115 this month in the raffle and the proceeds will help pay for the meeting room.
SHOW & SHARE
We saw lots of great quilts in the show & share. Check out the photos here. Photo Gallery
ATTENDANCE / MEMBERSHIP
87 Members attended in person, with four attending by Zoom. We had six guests of which three have since joined. Membership currently stands at 215.
FINANCIALS
The guild’s checking account is currently $18,722.99. There was a big drop from October because the venue bill for the SewMeSTL retreat was paid.
The October Profit & Loss has been posted to the website. Link to Statements
MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
For the vast majority of us, it is time to renew our membership. You can easily renew online at the website, stlmqg.org or on the handy smartphone app, Wild Apricot for Members. You use the same password and userid on the app that you use online on the website. You can renew at either place by simply going to your profile. The profile will tell you when your next renewal is in case you can’t remember if you have renewed or not (no judging here, it happens). The actual link is not highlighted on the website so it is easy to miss. The link says Renew to 01/01/2025 (The Website won't let me post a picture here).
You will be reminded again, 30 days before it is due and then again seven days prior. To avoid these annoying emails, just go ahead and renew! You are welcome to pay by check if you don’t like to pay online but please go ahead and start the renewal process and create an invoice. Your treasurer will mark it paid once the check is received. Doing this helps her save several steps and she thanks you for it. Her address should be on the invoice or you can pay at the meeting.
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS FOR 2024
Let’s get into the habit of registering for the monthly meetings ahead of time. This helps the board and committee with meeting planning by letting us know how many people to expect. Plus, once you register, it is very easy to add the event to your phone calendar.
CONTACT INFO
Email - stlmqg@gmail.com
Website - stlmqg.org
Facebook Page - St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild
Instagram - @stlmqg
If you need to find someone in the guild, there is a Directory on the website Members Resources and phone app (far left on bottom menu). If you don’t want to list your name in the directory, please go to the Privacy section of your Member Profile. It currently defaults to Member Only and the public cannot see this information.
Respectfully Submitted,
Gail Luther - Secretary, 2023
