Berrien Towne and Country Quilt Guild

 
 

Anyone with an itch to stitch will find useful information here.

Come visit our guild.  We are located in Berrien County, the extreme southwest corner of Michigan, approximately 16 miles from the Indiana border and 1.5 hours from Chicago.  We meet on the second Thursday of each month (EXCEPT AUGUST 2010 - see Events calendar)from February through November at 6:30pm for social time with the regular meeting beginning at 7pm.  Non-members coming to see the special guest speakers in May 2009 and September 2009 will be asked to pay a $5 entry fee.  See the Maps link for directions.


Better yet, JOIN our guild!  A love of quilting is our one “requirement.”  Download our membership form here! Membership 2010.pdf



Articles for both the website and the newsletter are due by the 20th of each month. 

For newsletter placement, contact Andrea at: btcqnewsletter@yahoo.com

For website placement, contact Ginger at stepgingerly@comcast.net

 

Welcome

“Show and Tell” Quilts from 2009

Current Guild News and Reminders Mark your Calendars!! The 2010 Berrien Towne and Country Quilt Show is set for June 26 and 27! If you live within driving distance of Southwest Michigan, this is an artistic event you do not want to miss. More information is on our “2010 Quilt Show” page! To Print and fill out the “show and Tell” UFO sheet in advance, click Here: Show_n_Tell.pdf Reminders and announcements FEBRUARY PROGRAM - SILHOUETTES AND SHADOWS We will learn the technique of shadow applique and how to create two different types of silhouette wall-hangings. Please join us as we all learn this exciting process. Our meeting is February 11. Social time/shopping time is at 6:30 P.M. and the meeting starts at 7:00 P.M. You won’t want to miss this presentation!!   QUILT CHALLENGE - This years quilt challenge will be using 2 ½” strips. (Yes, like jelly rolls) We encourage all of our members to participate and we look forward to seeing the unique quilts you can make using 2 ½ “ strips. We will also have our wonderful “Show and Tell”, so we all can admire everyone’s beautiful work. For this years challenge we have equally divided our members by alphabet - A thru M and N thru Z.   For February we ask the A thru M group to bring in 3 - 2 ½” x 45” strips in the color BLUE. (all three strips in the same fabric) For the N thru Z group we ask that you bring in 3 - 2 ½” x 45” strips in the color YELLOW. (all three strips in the same fabric)   Each month we will have three winners. All you need to do is purchase a ¼ yard of fabric (blue or yellow) and cut it into 3 - 2 ½” strips. You will have a 1 ½” strip remaining. Save this and add it to your “stash” or add a few more 1 ½” strips and you’ve now made your own Honey Bun.   We hope you enjoy this years challenge with the 2 ½” strips. We are excited and hope you are too !!!   Kathy and Barb Program Chairpersons SPRING RETREAT - All BTCQ quilters are welcome to Amish Country Inn in Shipshewana, May 7th - 9th to get away, shop, quilt, laugh, eat, and relax. How much: $140.00* This retreat includes your hotel room (2 per room), a large sewing room (1 table per person!), Saturday & Sunday breakfast, Friday and Saturday Dinner, and more! We realize that this is being held on Mother's Day weekend. You may choose to leave early on Sunday to be with your families or you may choose to enjoy this Mother's Day present to you! It's up to you! Sign up at any quilt guild meeting from February through April. *A deposit of $70.00 is required to hold your spot. The retreat must be paid in full by the April meeting. Note: There are new guidelines for retreats and workshops. In January, the board discussed non- refundable deposits and it was determined that there will be no returns given in the last month. (We need to give the hotel a final count and pay at that time) If there are any questions, call Peri or Elaine. Volunteers are Needed... for additional quilting on the raffle quilt for the 2010 show. Secret Pals is looking for YOU! So far we only have 6 participants. We are still going to have a group, but it could be a lot more interesting if YOU would participate. Please mail your form to Ruth Crum by Jan 15, 2010 if you wish to participate. An extra copy of the form can be found on the “Newsletters” page in the November newsletter. Thanks! A “Behind the Scenes” Tour of the Quilt Collections at the Great Lakes Quilt Center at MSU, Lansing is being organized! Please ask your friends, contact Carol, and bring checks made out to the Berrien Towne and Country Quilters to the February meeting. Each tour includes seeing a portion of virtually all of the museum’s quilt collections in their state-of-the-art rolled storage systems, viewing 10 quilts on examination tables, and receiving a mini-lesson on how to care for old textiles. A topic of interest will be selected by the guild for additional information. The two-hour tours are by appointment only and are generally scheduled on weekdays during business hours (9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.) Tours require a minimum of 10 participants. The tour is not held in a public building and requires participants to climb 8 stairs. Carol will be surveying interest and potential days/dates for the trip. Cost of the trip would be $60. The tour will take place on March 26. COMMUNITY QUILTS A community quilt event was held this summer with a nice turn-out.  However, individual contributions can be given to Denise Donavin at any guild meeting. Hospice at Home is delighted to be our Community quilt recipients. They will gladly receive lap quilts for men and women hospice patients as well as children's quilts for Lory's Place. Can every member make a quilt for this organization? Too much time required? Think again! Here are two “Quilt As You Go” patterns for lap quilts that take 5 hours from start to completely finished quilt. One day’s quilting CAN make a difference! “Scrappy Strip Quilt” QAYG strips.pdf “Single Log Cabin” QAYG logcabin.pdf Hospice at Home offers care throughout Berrien County, offering comfort and compassion to the seriously ill in Southwest Michigan and support to family members. In 2004, Hospice at Home opened Lory’s Place, a community bereavement center. It provides peer support group services for grieving children and their families in Southwest Michigan and Northern Indiana. Melinda Graham has offered a tour of Lory's Place to our members, if anyone is interested, contact Denise Donavin. 2010_Quilt_Show.html2010_Quilt_Show.htmlWelcome_files/Show_n_Tell.pdfWelcome_files/QAYG%20strips.pdfWelcome_files/QAYG%20logcabin.pdfWelcome_files/Challenge%201.docshapeimage_2_link_0shapeimage_2_link_1shapeimage_2_link_2shapeimage_2_link_3shapeimage_2_link_4

Other Quilty News of Note


March 27 - 28

The String-A-Long Quilt Guild of Valparaiso, In will present their 13th Biennial Quilt Show “Quilts in Bloom” on Saturday, March 27, (9am-5 pm) and Sunday March 28 ,(10 am -4pm) 2010 at The Porter County Expo Center : 215 E Division Rd ,Valparaiso IN 46383 (One mile South of Highway 30 on Highway 49).  

Admission is $5, under 12 free


May 22 - 23

LAP Quilt Show

Sat. 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Sun. 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

The Summit 9410 Davis Hwy. Dimondale, MI.

admission $6.00

There will be approx. 200 quilts, 50 vendors, doors prizes, live demos, and a silent auction.  For further info see the LAP website at www.lansingareapatchers.com.