I thought you’d like to see this beautiful group charity project was made with blocks done by members using ‘kit’ that contained the center red fabric and foundation. Each member added their strings and returned the blocks to Kathy R, who assembled, quilted and bound the quilt. Fantastic job, everyone! At the last meeting, Kathy said she had enough blocks to make another. You can see more quilts made by members and donated on the Charity page and on our Facebook group.
Hello! I’m hoping that you’ve been enjoying these beautiful September days! Don’t you wish you could just put one or two in a jar and save them for…let’s see…February?
Your Big Red Quilters’ Guild Board wanted to share the following update with you as we look toward our next meeting on Monday, September 20.
Enjoy the weekend, and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Bridget Morel, Membership Chair, Big Red Quilters’ Guild
September 20–Ann Loveless will present her lecture, “Landscape Art Quilts”. Learn more about Ann here, http://www.quiltsbyann.com
–Meeting location: Tiara Yachts, 725 E 40th St, Holland, MI 49423 (enter from 40th St., park in the lot.)
–6:30 social hour & 7:00 pm meeting and speaker.
–This meeting is free for all BRQG members. Guests will be charged $5 at the door.
October 18/19–Coleen Merte–Trunk Show and class, “Pink Grapefruit” (curves without piecing). Learn more about Coleen, https://northwaterquilts.com/about.html
–Colleen will present her trunk show at our meeting on Monday, October 18, 6:30 p.m. gathering time, 7 p.m. meeting and presentation.
–Details about the class to be offered on Tuesday, October 19 are attached, including a photo of the project, supply list and cutting instructions
–The registration form is HERE for your convenience. We can accept the form and your payment at our September meeting or you can mail it as noted on the form.
–Again, this speaker is included in your dues as a BRQG member! Guests will be charged $5 at the door.
November 15–Make & Take project
–This will be a lovely gathering time! We will all work on a quilty project during our last meeting of the 2021 calendar year!
–Kits will be provided at the meeting (including all the supplies needed) to registered BRQG members. You just need to bring your basic hand-sewing kit and yourself!
–To ensure adequate kits and supplies, we ask you that you take a look ahead at your calendar and be prepared to sign up at the September meeting if you are planning to attend the November 15 meeting. If you’re not planning to join us in September but would like to attend in November, please contact Barb Bredemeier.
Other topics:—ELECTION OF OFFICERS: Election of officers will be held at the September 20 meeting. The following people have agreed to run for office:
-President: Kris Kennedy
-Vice President: Barb Sucher
-Program co-chairs: Beth Wright and Barb Bredemeier
Nominations will be accepted from the floor as well, provided the person nominated has agreed to serving in advance.
—MEMBER REGISTRATION: the registration form for the 2021-22 quilting year is HERE for your convenience.
-You are welcome to bring the registration form to the meeting with payment to complete your registration or mail it to Karen Keip as noted on the form.
-All members with paid registrations for the 2021-22 year will be entered in a drawing to win a lovely quilting gift basket, “When Life Gives you Lemons…”, to be drawn at the October 18 meeting.
—GUILD PROJECT: Pick up a pattern for our current Guild project, “Sisterhood of Quilters” so that you can contribute a block or two! Also placemats for Meals on Wheels. Find more information HERE.
—BADGES: Please wear your name badge! We will have adhesive tags available so that we can all get to know each other, members old and new! (My name badge, lost to the world early in 2020, has floated to the top and re-emerged for all to see…now if I can just remember to bring it!)
—SAFETY: We continue to recommend wearing a mask to all BRQG Guild gatherings in light of the continued public health concerns due to the Delta variant of COVID-19. We will continue to do our best to socially distance during our gatherings. We thank you all for your unfailing support of your fellow quilters’ health and wellness.
—QUILTY TIP: When you first use a spool of thread, place a black marker dot at the thread holder slit (a Sharpie seems like it would do well here). This makes it easy to find the slit when you next need to secure the end of your thread. (We will try and include this feature in upcoming emails…let me know if you have a tip that you think others might be able to use! email: bigredquiltersguild@gmail.com )
Greetings Big Red Quilters’ Guild!
Just a note to say “hello” and to remind everyone that we have a great meeting lined up for Monday, July 19! We hope you can join us and catch up with friends and maybe find a little fresh inspiration!
Here are the nuggets you need to know!
Who: Members (and friends of quilting)
What: Monthly meeting PLUS a program with Kathy Jones from New Era, MI, who will share her trunk show, “Mixing It Up”, which reflects her world travels.
When: Monday, July 19, 6:30 pm social time, 7 pm meeting and program
Where: Tiara Yachts, 725 E 40th St, Holland, MI 49423 (enter from 40th St., park in the lot–yes, even in the “reserved” spots…). We will be meeting indoors, so you do NOT need to bring a chair! Bring a water bottle (or whatever) if you’d like a beverage during the evening.
Why: Because you LOVE quilting and are anxious to learn more!How (much): Program is free for members, $5 for guests.
Other things to know:
Hoping you are able to be with us on Monday. More to come by email soon! Until then, remember you can always visit our website (link below) for information about what is going on…and coming up! (with sincere thanks to our webmaster, Janet Haines!)
Take good care,
Bridget Morel
Big Red Quilt Guild Meeting
March 31, 2021
Betsy welcomed the BRQG members via Zoom at 7:00 p.m. She reminded members that our
August 16 meeting will feature Rayna Gillman’s lecture to be followed August 17 and 18 with
Gillman’s workshops: Cinderella and No Strings Attached. Betsy encouraged BRQG members
to sign up for these workshops as soon as the information goes out as these 25-participant
workshops will also be opened later for other area quilt guild members.
Kris Kennedy and Betsy then showed the members two Easter projects to make for holding
Easter candy, toys or other treats: bunny bags and carrot drawstring bags. Patterns may be
found at http://www.stitchedbycrystal.com on Crystal’s March 2013 blog. Such easy-to-make and
delightfully cute projects!
Then Kris introduced each of the Challenge Fabric participants, who showed the various
projects each had made with the green fabric incorporated into their pieces:
The challenge group were truly creative with a wide variety of projects using the green fabric!
Betsy closed the meeting at 8:20 p.m. by wishing everyone a Blessed Easter.
Respectfully submitted,
Lorelle Eberly, secretary
Note from the webmaster. Look for a gallery of these projects soon on the Free Fabulous Fabric Challenge page which I will also link to the home page for a short time.
Happy Friday to you all!
Sending you the follow up information from a presentation offered earlier this week by the Lakeshore Museum Center in Muskegon on research into quilts in the African American Tradition, specifically, the work of Rosie Lee Wilkins. What I took away from the presentation was even bigger than this important topic, though, as the presenter, Marsha MacDowell, Michigan State University professor and curator of the MSU Museum, Folk Arts and Quilt Studies, shared wonderful insights about the MSU museum, its collection, its practice of gathering and preserving quilts…I could go on and on. Made me so very curious!
The Rosie Lee Wilkins exhibition will be available at the Lakeshore Museum Center through April 24, https://lakeshoremuseum.org/who-is-rosie-lee-wilkins/. You can look at the presentation on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIqMsp8C1mY&feature=youtu.be Also take a look at the link below on a Hand Quilting program the museum is offering!
Whatever quilt-y things you’re doing on this wonderful, sunny day, I hope that you’re enjoying and celebrating our art! (Great day for matching colors, don’t you think?) I’m looking at my last pot of paperwhites exploding with fresh enthusiasm for the spring that is around the corner!
Thinking of you all…take good care,
Bridget Morel
Meetings and Programs:
Registration for 2021:
President’s Note:
Friends, I pray this message finds all of you safe, healthy, and at peace. Isn’t it wonderful we have quilting to keep us grounded during these times? By the look of our Quarantine Quilt Gallery, you all have been VERY busy! Please keep the pictures coming!
I look forward to the day when we can all gather safely. Until then, Sew On!!
Betsy Muir
President
Big Red Quilters Guild
BRQG Meeting July 20, 2020
Betsy Muir opened the July Big Red Quilt Guild meeting in Tiara Yachts’ conference room on July 20, 2020, at 7:00 p.m. for members in attendance and those participating via Zoom. Two visitors were introduced. Betsy thanked Nora and Barb Slikkers for providing our new meeting place, and Kris Kennedy for operating the equipment for our Zoom aspect of tonight’s meeting. Betsy also thanked Barb Bredemeier, Lorelle Eberly, and Ruth Borg for providing treats for the group.
Kris Kennedy has received 110 houses now for our Village quilt. Kathy Ryzenga received about a dozen charity quilts from members tonight.
Nora Slikkers, one of our program co-chairs, introduced Denniele Bohannon from Harrisonville, Missouri, our presenter of tonight’s program: Forty Years in the Making. Denniele discussed finding that quilting has become her therapy, especially during stressful times. First, she showed her grandmother’s nine-patch quilt, an inspiration for Denniele’s own quilts. She proceeded to display and discuss her wide variety of quilts, from her first-born son’s baby quilt, her first hand quilting work which she learned at her church’s quilting group, and on through many quilts she has designed and pieced over forty years. She discussed patterns, fabrics, and machine quilting, both custom and overall designs.
Nora Slikkers thanked Denniele for her program and indicated there were a few spots left in the workshop class Tuesday, July 21, for Denniele’s quilt Celebrate!
After a brief break for refreshments, several members participated in Show and Tell. Kris took pictures which will be posted on the BRQG website.
A drawing for several door prizes was held. Members were reminded that our August 17 program will be a presentation by Nancy Roelfsmema from Grand Rapids. August 28 is the date for our next workshop, The Tiled Background, led by Barb Bredemeier and Janet Haines. The meeting ended at 8:40 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Lorelle Eberly, Secretary
All–Greetings!
Checking in with reminders for July activities–see below.
Important Note: We’re all in this together! In accordance with State of Michigan requirements, facemasks/coverings will be required to attend the in-person meeting and workshop. Our new meeting space at Tiara Yachts is comfortable and large; seating/workspaces will reflect social distancing. If you have any reservations about attending in-person, we understand and invite you to take advantage of the Zoom option! We hope you will be with us in any case!
Until then,
Bridget
July 20–first in-person meeting since February (!)
July 21–workshop
Quarantine Quilt Gallery is LIVE! https://bigredquiltersguild.org/?s=quarantine
Charity Quilts–Kathy Ryzenga will be collecting Quilts for our charity partners, Project Linus and Mannasseh project.
Village Quilt–Kris Kennedy has received 95 house blocks (see attached photo). We need ~40 more to make the original 132-block quilt. The instructions were included in the last several emails; contact me if you need them re-sent.
Greetings fellow Big Red Quarantine Quilters!
We hope that this finds you well and enjoying (as you can) this time of staying home a bit more! We hope that it has renewed your love of fabrics and quilting and that you’re all ready for new content from your Big Red Quilters Guild! Following is an update on meetings and programming. At the end are two questions to help us gauge interest and comfort in gathering in July. If you would be so kind as to respond to these questions, it will help guide us as we prepare to meet.
Meetings. The Board met today, and based on most recent direction from the State of Michigan, we are canceling our June 15, in-person meeting. That said, we are looking forward to the following meeting activity:
Pulsecheck. In an effort to gauge how we can best put our programming forward, please send an email to bigredquiltersguild@gmail.com by Monday, June 1, and let us know your interest in joining us for the July meeting and/or workshop. We will plan to adhere to all guidance provided for meetings by the State of Michigan. Additionally, we are working to provide the Monday meeting/lecture via Facebook Live.
a) yes, I would plan to attend the meeting and lecture
b) no, I would not plan to attend the meeting and lecture, but would join online
c) no, I would not plan to attend the meeting and lecture this time
a) yes, I would plan to attend the all-day workshop
b) no, I would not plan to attend the all-day workshop
Quarantine Quilting Pandemic Project Portfolio! We know you’ve been busy, so Janet Haines, our webmaster, is going to help us create a gallery on our Guild website. Send a picture of projects you’d like to share along with a description (for example: name of the piece, basics of the project, inspiration, recipient–the sorts of thing that tell the story of your quilt!) We will post photos as we receive them!
Thank you for reading–I look forward to hearing back from you on the Pulsecheck questions and Quarantine Quilting Pandemic Project Portfolio soon!!
Bridget Morel
Membership ChairBig Red Quilters’ Guild
Dear Quilters, We would like you to be aware of the following programming that has been cancelled or rescheduled as noted due to MI stay-at-home orders:
March 23 Deborah Richmond – Lecture – “Best Quilters Tools & Gadgets” – will be rescheduled
Mar 24-26 Retreat…… Move to September
April 20 School House – cancelled for now, will reschedule as time allows
April 28 Tile Background Class (Barb Bredemier and Janet Haines) – will be rescheduled
May 18 Airing of The Quilts & Finger Food Buffet – cancelled
The following programming is pending future direction from state agencies:
June 15/16 Denniele Bohannon – Lecture – “Forty Years in the Making” Workshop – “Celebrate”
July 20 Laureen Searing – “Joy of Sharing” lecture and trunk show
Aug 17-18 Nancy Roelfsmema – Lecture – “Why We Quilt”
Workshop – Paper Piecing Basics 9-3
Sept 21 Sew In 1-9 pm in Lodge
Sept 22-24 RETREAT
Oct 19-20 Coleen Merte – Lecture/Trunk Show
Workshop: Pink Grapefruit (making curves quickly & easily without piecing)
Nov 16 Sew-In – Holiday Project “Make & Take” and Finger Food Buffet
Dec No Meeting
Big Red Quilters' Guild 