​ We are still in awe of the prolific trunk show that Kathryn Lilley presented to us in February. She presented 75 lovely works of art, one more beautiful than the last. And her generosity in giving away several of them was unprecedented!  Kathryn’s lecture was followed by a 2-day tote class taught by our own Laurie Shierer. What a gifted teacher! If you took her class, please bring your tote for March’s show and tell! 
 
In March we’re looking forward to being with Piece ‘O Cake co-owner Becky Goldsmith. She’ll be talking about color in her lecture. Friday’s applique class – ‘Best-Ever Quilter’s House’ - has a few openings and there’s a wait list for Saturday’s ‘Pick Up Sticks’.
 
Be sure and stop by the Programs table at the next meeting to check out classes that you’re interested in. 
 
Our speakers receive a welcome bag when they arrive here. Beer Nuts and The Olive Bin generously donate goodies for them and we encourage you to shop at these stores in Bloomington/Normal. 
 
If you register for the April "Paint Your Own Barn Quilt" class, please remember to include the $15 supply registration fee.  (One check for $45 (members) or $55 (non-members) is needed for registration for this class.)   The $15 supply fee includes the 2'x2' primed paint board, paints, patterns, colored pencils, etc. 
 
Please make sure you have renewed your guild membership dues before registering for classes.   The membership form can be found on the HAAQG web site with Pam Riss's contact information for mailing your form & payment.  Per the guild’s guidelines, there must be a 60-day notice on cancellations in order to receive a refund for workshops.
 

  March 2018 – Becky Goldsmith 
Specialty – Wonky Applique and Color. 
She's co-owner of the Piece O’Cake Designs. 
Lecture: A Practical Approach to Color  
Workshops: Best- Ever Quilter’s House & Pick Up Sticks 
Openings for Friday Best-Ever Quilters House. 
Wait List for Saturday Pick Up Sticks. 
 
April 2018 – Suzi Parron
Specialty – Barn Quilts
She’s traveled the country, chronicling barn quilts.
Lecture: Barn Quilts
Workshop: Paint Your Own Barn Quilt
Wait list for Friday's Barn Quilt workshop.   Openings in Saturday’s Barn Quilt workshop.

 Debi Winchester & Linda Click & Jenny Pettinger 

 

​Thank you to everyone who turned in raffle tickets at the February meeting.  Only two more meetings remain to turn in your tickets for a chance to win one of the remaining incentive prizes. Mirium Knoy’s name was drawn as the lucky winner of February’s incentive prize.  Mirium selected the pink and green applique block.   To see the incentive prize Mirium chose as well and the two remaining incentive prizes, visit the guild’s Facebook page.  Also, on our Facebook page, check out the photos of the incentive prizes for “Sold the Most Tickets” and “Sold the Winning Ticket” as well and some close-up photos of the raffle quilt itself.  Please share the raffle quilt photos with your Facebook friends.
 
Tickets for the raffle quilt, “Bunny in the Blooms,” will be available again at the March (and April) meeting.  You can see the raffle quilt in person at the next guild meeting or see a picture of it on the guild’s website.  Tickets are $1 each, 6 for $5, or a packet of 24 for $20.  The winner of the raffle quilt will be drawn at the quilt show on April 14, 2018. 
 
If you prefer not to participate in the raffle, you can still support the guild and have a chance to win the incentive prize.  Just make a donation at the Raffle Quilt table and receive “special” tickets which you can use to enter the monthly drawing.  These “special” tickets are available for the same price as the raffle tickets.   
 
Tickets must be turned in before the beginning of the March business meeting to be entered in the drawing for one of the two remaining incentive prizes.  (Remember to put your name on the back of each ticket you sell to be eligible for the incentive prize drawing.)  See you in March. 

Evelyn Young & Sherrie Snyder

IMPORTANT - IMPORTANT If you intend to bring your Challenge quilt to March 1 meeting 
 
Challenge quilts are due at March 1 meeting! 

• Check-in STARTS 5:30 
• Check-in ENDS 6:10 

• If you cannot make that time, ask a friend to bring your entry. 
• Make plans for taking your quilt home that night. 
• Must have a LABEL with your name on your quilt, prefer on back. 

• Try to bring a pre-filled April Quilt Show entry form, with picture of your quilt attached. 

Forms also will be available on 3/1. 
You may turn in entry forms for other Show categories that night. 

• 6:15 Voting starts (1 ballot per member). 
• 7:00 Voting ends. 

• 8:00 Winners announced (before guest speaker). 
• At end of meeting pick up your Challenge project before leaving. 

 
If your Challenge quilt is not done by 3/1 meeting 
You can still turn in your Quilt Show entry form until the show deadline (3/17, 5:00 pm). Mark your entry form for the Challenge category. However, your quilt will not be voted on at the April show since this category is non-voting at the Quilt Show. 
 
April Quilt Show entry form is available here http://www.haaqg.com/uploads/5/4/2/5/54259865/2018_quilt_show_entry_form_-_final_3.pdf. Instructions are on the form. 
 
Quilt Show entry forms can also be mailed to Ruth Taha or emailed to rataha2@hotmail.com (HAAQG Entry Form as subject line) Deadline 3/17, 5:00 pm.  

Questions? Contact Lynne Conder, lynnejack99@frontier.com 

Our guild is large and has many wonderful groups from which to choose. Whether you are a new member or have been in the guild for many years, you are welcome to come to the mentor class and meet quilters who enjoy quilting and learning new skills just like you.

March 15, 2018
Finish our market bag.

April 19, 2018
Come join us as we make Flying Geese.  There are many ways to make Flying Geese and we will be showing you several different ways and you can choose with which method you like.

May 20, 2018
We are looking for ideas.  Do you have a class or technique that you would like us to teach?  Come see us at a meeting or email one of us.

Kay Bowen, Ruth Taha, Deanna & Richard Bilyeu
 

We will NOT be accepting book or magazine donations until next guild year, September, 2018.  Storage space is a problem for donated books.  We only have the library cart for storage.

Do you want a particular quilt or craft book?  Please contact Mary, Linda or me with your recommendations for books for HAAQG.  We would love to hear your suggestions.
The Fons & Porter magazine subscription form will be available for another month.  You can renew your subscription or start a new one for $15 annually. 
Book Review – Free Motion Meandering - A Beginner’s Guild to Machine Quilting by Angela Walters

I love Angela Walters, her Midnight Quilt Show youtube videos and her books.  This new book does not disappoint.  In Angela speak, the book starts with basics, then gets you quilting quickly.  The Building Blocks chapter includes Angela’s theme chant – practice, practice, practice.  (Yes, I know but why can’t I do it perfectly the first time???)  Other chapters cover quilting patterns; Basic Meander, Loopy Meander, Swirl Meander, Swirl Hook, Paisley, Leafy, Feather and Improv Quilting.
 
Also, I’m looking forward to chatting with 3 or 4 of our HAAQG members who went on a quilting cruise with Angela Walters.  What fun!  Cruise adventures by day and quilting at night.
 
Connie J Carstens

Below are statistics from the HAAQG website on how many times pages on our website have been visited from January 21, 2018 - February 18, 2018.

Home Page - 1,106
​News and Events - 273
Quilt Show - 175
Volunteer - 93
Programs and Workshops - 91
Contact Us - 51
About Us - 55
Newsletters - 49
Board Members - 47
Join Us - 34
Guild Activities - 29

Unfortunately Weebly only  provides statistics for the last month. I am working with Google Analytics to see if we can get more detailed reports and reports that go back  farther in time.

I have placed a banner on the homepage of the website giving information on the Quilt Show. If you have additional information you would like to include, please let me know.

You can now sign-up to volunteer for the Quilt Show and to donate items for Props through SignUpGenie. Links are available on the Volunteer and Quilt Show pages. Signing up is simple and an instruction sheet is available if you need help. 

Mary Wilkins
Webmaster

HOW IT WORKS --- This year the Community Projects committee decided to accept ALL types of projects for our local needs.  Most of these projects are then picked-up by those persons in charge of that single area and distributed.  This means, we are collecting all projects every month.  Our tallies so far, have exceeded all our expectations.  At the May Salad Supper, we will give the yearly totals.
 
In February, we received 4 baby blankets, 4 Comfort Cancer quilts, 1 Valor quilt, 24 Fidgit quilts, and 53 pillow cases.  We handed out all of the kits for pillow cases that were cut, and have more kits ready for the March meeting.  We donated an accumulated 31 Fidgit quilts to 2 local facilities.  Two additional locations have also requested more as soon as they are ready.
 
THINK baby blankets.  March 17th is National quilt Day and Ladonna Marshall will be giving all of the blankets we and she have accumulated to the local hospitals.  Then we start on a new collection for next year.  Comfort Cancer quilts 40” X 60” are also collected continually.
 
Nancy Stone announced February 1st that she is already collecting twin size blankets for next October’s ‘Bed Blitz’.  Last October 2017, we gave 81 quilts to this ‘newer’ concern.  She is asking for 60 this year, mostly for younger children, 12 and under, ‘FUN’  or bright colors. They will still need a few quilts for older children in perhaps more age appropriate colors and patterns.  These larger quilts take more time and thought; so you now have 6 months to make it happen. 
 
A BIG THANK YOU to all of you who have found the extra time and donated to the Committee Projects this year. 

Carol Lou Eisenhardt and Cathie Lockwood          

Since I have been unable to pass my clipboards around at the regular meetings, only was able to pass them out 1 time, I desparately need members to sign up to donate props for the Quilt Show. At the present time I have about 25 items to use for props.  If you have ever helped with Props, you know that we always receive numerous items.  I am desperately asking everyone to help.  I will be passing out the clipboards at the beginning of the March meeting.  I will also have lists at the Library and the Quilt Show tables. I f you are unable to come to the meeting, please contact Mary Weakman or Jackie Pilon or use SignUpGenie on the HAAQG website to sign-up.  Please sign-up or we will have our 1st Quilt Show with no decorations!

I will be mailing out post cards reminding you what you signed up for. You can bring items for the Quilt Show on Wed., April 11 from 3:00 – 6:00 pm, or Thurs, April 12 from 8:00 – 10:00 a.m.  I will be available to check them in. You will have to pick up your Props on Sat., April 14 from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.  No later.  We all need to go home by then! 

Remember, this Show belongs to all to all of us! Thank you so much for all your help!