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2023 Placemats Community Project

May17

Big Red Quilters’ Guild and Pressing Matters Quilt Shoppe

Jointly Sponsored Community Project

Fabric Placemats for Allegan County Home Delivered Meals

The guild and Pressing Matters Quilt Shoppe, along with your help, plans to donate quilted fabric placemats to Allegan County Home Delivered Meals program by the end of 2023.  At least 350 placemats are needed to make this project a success!

All are welcome to sew and contribute placemats; no need to be a guild member.  Drop off finished placemats no later than December 1, 2023, at Pressing Matters Quilt Shoppe, 399 E 32nd St., Holland.  A collection receptacle will be near the shop door.  Or bring to a BRQG guild meeting, third Monday of the month.  See meeting details at http://www.bigredquilters.org.

Size for placemats is approximate:  12-13” high and 16-18” wide.  Please stick to this size range as placemats are being packaged for ease of delivery.  Use 100% cotton fabrics that are colorful and cheerful but no religious, juvenile, holiday, or political themes please.  What a fantastic way to use up those scrap fabrics or orphan blocks that are awaiting in our fabric stashes.  It’s also a nice scale project to practice some free motion quilting, ruler work, or those fancy machine stitches.  Placemats should consist of 3 layers:  colorful top, batting, bottom- plain or colorful.  Placemats may be simple as an envelope style or a miniature quilt with binding…your choice!

Address all questions/inquiries to:  BRQG member and Vice President Barb Sucher

Example Placemat fronts: envelope style in purple and bound quilt style in yellow

Placemat backs

Meeting Reminder and News

Aug20

There will be a special Sew Day on August 22nd from 9-4 at the Beechwood Lodge to make book pockets for chair backs. Here’s the scoop if you’d like to help out…  Did you see the recent news about Holland Language Academy having to move buildings? https://whtc.com/news/articles/2019/aug/08/mold-spores-close-holland-language-academy-for-2019-20-school-year/925920/ The teachers had to leave everything in the old building and are moving for a whole year!!   They need book pockets for the back of the chairs in the classrooms. So far there are 4 teachers that want them – ~ 26 students per class.  And there could be more!  Stretchy fabric will be provided. Here’s a picture of what they look like. https://heathershandmadelife.com/2017/09/diy-chair-pockets-for-classrooms.html

Our Guild meeting is Monday, August 26th! The Jane Sassaman workshop is full.  Please do still attend on Monday evening and hear her talk: Jane’s Textile Treasure Garden.  Arrive at 6:30, meeting starts at 7.  We will be meeting in the Beechwood Church Sanctuary – there will be signs and greeters to direct you!

Hard to believe it’s almost time for another round of renewals! But it is since our year runs from Oct 1 to Sept 30th. Check out the well appointed, very quilty and patriotic basket that has been put together as an incentive for you to join/renew before Oct 1.  Bring your cash or check made out to Big Red Quilters’ Guild to the August meeting or mail it in later – Just be sure it’s postmarked Sept 30th to be eligible for the basket!
A fun new Block of the Every Other Month Guild Challenge will be starting up at the August meeting!  The info will be passed at the meeting and will be on the website soon.
Future Programs and Sew-Ins:
The September 23rd Sew-In will be focused on charity quilts. Bring your sewing machine if you would like to sew one or your cutting tools to cut kits.
October 28th is  Lecture by Nancy Clark McNally titled: What was I thinking?  Workshop: Tuesday Oct 29th – Nancy will teach Machine Quilting with Rulers using your home machine. Sign up will be at the August meeting and on the web site soon!
November 25th  Sew-In will feature a Wool Applique Project led by Jackie Bailey.  We also think it would be fun if everyone attending would bring some finger food to share!
There will be no meeting in December.
An Event you might be interested in:
The Niles Piecemakers Quilt Guild presents ‘Inspire Me!’ Quilt show.  Saturday, Oct 19th (10am – 5pm) and Sunday, Oct 20th (11am – 4pm) Admission $5. Location: Ballard Elementary School, 1601 W. Chicago Road, Niles, MI 49120. They promise Vendors, Boutique, Raffle Quilt, Refreshments, Silent Auction, 100+ Quilts on Display.

 

National Quilting Day Retreat Saturday March 17

Mar18

 

We had a wonderful time yesterday sharing our love for quilting.  Many sporting the green honoring St. Patrick’s day, we met new people, we quilted, we ate and laughed, played games, learned “the quiltmakers shuffle”, and won prizes ( more than $400 retail value). Everyone went home pretty tired….and some even got some work done on their projects. Here is a recap of the prize winners:

Miscellaneous Sewing Notions – Colleen Dekker

Timeless Treasures 4 Fat Quarters stacks – Barb Bredemeier, Ann Prins, Kris Kennedy, and Lauretta Burrows

Shabby Fabrics Easter Egg table runner kit – Janet Haines

Robert Kaufman batiks 12 Fat Quarters stack – Sonja Swanigan

Grand Prize tisket a tasket complete quilt kit, Fiskars easy action razor-sharp scissors,  WilliRaye Studio patchwork figurine, Riley Blake 4” polka dot magnetic pin bowl, 3.5” Thangles, Clover patchwork pins, Bigby coffee gift card – Betsy Muir

Thanks to Pat Navis, Jim Borgman and Beechwood church for facilities, and Robert Kaufman Fabrics Los Angeles and Timeless Treasures NYC  and individual contributors for their generous prizes.

Barb Schippa

BRQG Special Events Coordinator

 

Final call National Quilting Day Retreat

Feb28

Don’t miss out on the fun! Be sure to send your registration in today.  All forms must be received by Tuesday March 6.

Then watch your in box for information about what to bring, lunch choices, etc. which will be sent shortly afterwards to attendees.

Hope you can join Saturday March 17!

Barb Schippa

BRQG Special Events Coordinator

Muskegon Museum of Art Postcard Salon

Dec9

How timely is this?!? Our guild members just learned to make textile collage postcards and now Muskegon Museum of Art is hosting a their annual post card event called….. Create Awesomeness, Buy Awesomeness.

The exhibition runs February 1-15, 2018.
The Salon Reception is February 15, 5:30-8:00 pm (sale starts at 7:00 PM).
You can join the fun by creating your own cards for the show and attending the party on February 15. All postcards will be on sale for $30 each, so show them, sell them, and buy them.

For more information, and what qualifies as a postcard, check out The Muskegon Museum of Art at:

http://www.muskegonartmuseum.org/postcard-exhibition-salon-sale/

Barb Schippa

BRQG Special Events Coordinator

2017 Sale-A-Palooza on MONDAY!

Sep22

Are you ready for the Sale-A-Palooza??  We have some spectacular items coming in. Keep reading to see pictures of some of our items.

It’s almost time!  We hope you are getting your sewing rooms cleaned out or revving up the oven and plan to drop off your goodies, early on Monday morning Sept 25th at the Beechwood Church  Great Room in the main church, 895 Ottawa Beach Road.  Doors open at 8 AM for drop-offs.   If you can stay and volunteer some time that would be appreciated as well.

Please have items neatly packaged and priced. Make sure  volunteers know if it’s a consignment item (25% goes to the guild) vs. rummage sale item (100% to the guild). Auction items will be determined by the program committee from the rummage sale items.

The agenda:
5:30 to 6:30 PM  Rummage sale
6:30 to 7:30 PM  Socialize, pay for rummage sale items
7:00 to 9:00 PM  Auction of bigger items
The bake sale will run concurrently thru out the night.   Consider baking cookies, bars, bread or pies for our bake sale.  Package them up creatively so they could be frozen, used as gifts or deliciously devoured.  Please bundle cookies or bars into groups of a dozen or less, depending on size.  Drop baked goods off at the Beechwood Church Lodge the morning of September 25.

If you need to drop off items earlier here’s the locations:

Kathy Mueller   616-399-4685    North side of Holland
Betsy Muir         847-507-4305     Saugatuck
Sally Leep          616-772-2041     Zeeland

Don’t forget to come back at 5:30 to shop some of these wonderful items and help your guild at the same time!

Circular Abstractions exhibit returns

Sep21

In case you missed the CIRCULAR ABSTRACTIONS exhibit at the Muskegon Museum of Art last year, it returns to west Michigan beginning this Saturday, September 23, 2017 thru January 18, 2018 at the Kalamazoo Institute of Art, 314 S. Park St., in Kalamazoo.

Not our grandmas quilts, the curated collection by 24 artists focuses on quilt as fiber art using fabric as the medium. This bold exhibit of “Bull’s Eye Quilts” is a celebration of improvisational design and the skill of the artist, using the elements of art — pattern, color, design, composition, rhythm, value, and movement. Each quilt pushes the boundaries of quilt, fiber, craft and art. Whether you are a traditional, modern or art quilter, you will be awed by the bold color, striking design and incredible workmanship of this collection.

The traveling exhibit was curated by world renown quiltmaker and artist Nancy Crow.  A quilter for 40 years works from her studio and teaching facility on her 100-acre farm east of Columbus, Ohio, known to students as “the barn”.  Her intense master level classes fill a year in advance. Nancy has forged quilt making as art thru solo exhibitions at the Renwick Gallery, Washington, DC; the Museum of Arts & Design in New York City; the Cultural Arts Museum, Konstanz, Germany; the Auckland Art Museum and the Hawke’s Bay Exhibition Centre, New Zealand; The International Quilt Study Center & Museum at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln; and Carnegie Mellon University’s Regina Miller Gouger Galleries, Pittsburgh, PA. She has taught quiltmaking in Finland, Denmark, Belgium, Ireland, Austria, England, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, and South Africa. She is featured in two recent books: Nancy Crow , and a Synderman Gallery exhibition catalog titled Crossroads: Constructions, Markings, and Structures; and has authored several quilting books.

For more information: http://www.kiarts.org/page.php?page_id=1551

Barb Schippa

BRQG member and blog contributor

Sale-A-Palooza

Sep11

Hi everyone!

Sale-A-Palooza is right around the corner, September 25.  This is a
FUNdraiser for our guild so that we can provide speakers and events
through the year.  So please clean out those closets, donate items,
and come out and enjoy the fun!  Please support your guild.

The agenda:
5:30 to 6:30 PM  Rummage sale
6:30 to 7:30 PM  Socialize, pay for rummage sale items
7:00 to 9:00 PM  Auction of bigger items
A bake sale will run concurrently thru out the night.

Just a sample of items that will be available:
Fabric
Thread-rayon, polyester, cotton, embroidery
Rotary cutter
Light box
Fabric cutting turntable
Baby Lock-Intrigue embroidery machine
Patterns
Rulers
Homemade items

There will be a consignment table for more expensive items, with the
guild keeping 25% of the sale price.

Drop off locations:
Kathy Mueller      North side of Holland
Betsy Muir            Saugatuck
Sally Leep             Zeeland

We are in need of volunteers for this event for set up during the day
beginning at 8:00 in the morning the day of the sale at Beechwood
Church, 895 Ottawa Beach Road.   Volunteers are also needed for the
evening.  Please contact Kathy Mueller if you can volunteer.

From your membership chair,
Sally Leep