BIG RED QUILTERS’ GUILD
Beechwood Church
October 22, 2018

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 by Barb Bredemeier, president.

Election of Officers: A motion was made and seconded to elect Lorelle Eberly to the position of Secretary and Kris Kennedy to the position of Treasurer for two-year terms beginning October 2018.  Motion passed unanimously.  Barb thanked outgoing secretary, Sally Zenas and outgoing treasurer, Becky Stevens.  Board members for the fiscal year October 2018 – September 2019 shall consist of:

President – Barb Bredemeier
Vice President – Betsy Muir
Secretary – Lorelle Eberly
Treasurer – Kris Kennedy
Program Co-Chairs – Kathy Ryzenga and Barb Sucher
Publicity – Carol Vinnedge
Membership and Website:  Janet Haines

Bee Organizational Meeting:  Barb Schippa, Bee Keeper in authentic garb, met prior to the meeting with members interested in forming small sewing Bees.  For further information contact Barb at 616-335-2771 or bschippa@chartermi.net.

Basket Drawing: To encourage early membership renewal, board members put together a gift basket of sewing items.  This year’s winner of the basket drawing is Kim Frisch.

Charity Quilts:  Barb Bredemeier encouraged members to donate quilts for local victims of human trafficking and showed several that were recently completed for this worthwhile community project.  Kits and fabric are available.  For more information contact Mary Botsis at 616-291-6383 or newoneagain@comcast.net.

Refreshments: Donated refreshments are always welcome and sign-up sheets are available at all meetings.

Fundraising Results: Betsy Muir thanked the membership for their generous support for the successful Boutique/Auction in September and Fall T-shirt/Hoodie sale.  Profit from the Boutique/Auction is just shy of $1,600 and the shirt sale netted $236. This money enables the guild to bring in interesting and inspiring quilters to Holland so they can share their quilting journey, style and methods.

Tulip Time Raffle Quilt Proceeds: Carol Vinnedge reported that this year the Tulip Time Committee has agreed to split the profits from the quilt raffle with BRQG and Living Threads in Zeeland.  Colleen Dekker and Sheryl Zylman have completed the Tulip Time 2019 raffle quilt and members are urged to volunteer to help with the 2019 quilt show.

Future Member Opportunities:  Kathy Ryzenga and Barb Sucher announced that we will be making holiday ornaments at the November 26 meeting.  A few supplies are needed, so consult the website. On February 25 members Barb Bredemeier and Janet Haines will lead a workshop on how to do tiled backgrounds. March will feature a three-day guild retreat, March 26, 27 & 28.  Mark your calendars now.

Guest Speaker: Barb Sucher introduced Lynn Harris from Chelsea, Michigan, who shared stories and her beautiful quilts as she encouraged us to “Do It for the Process”. Her class scheduled for October 23 is entitled “Liberated Log Cabins and Intuitive Techniques”.  Lynn’s most recent series of quilts are made to increase awareness and understanding of the pervasive problem of domestic abuse. She reminded us that quilts connect the past to the present and honor the beauty and artistry of the handmade.

Once again, we were “wowed” by the show and tell segment of the evening where several members shared their recent creations.

The meeting adjourned at 8:40 pm.

Sally Zenas, Secretary