We received 56 quilts on Thursday, September 7, 2017, for the ‘Children Without Beds’/BED BLITZ.   And if all the ones promised for October come in, we will make our goal of 80 quilts. If there are a few extra, Nancy Stone will use them to better sort for boys or girls.   She will not know the separate figures until 3 days before the distribution date, October 14th.   This number of quilts is amazing.   Thank you, thank you from the committee for making this first request for our gift of quilts a huge success.    

Our next request is from Home Sweet Home in Bloomington, for 50 to 70 pillow cases to be put in Christmas stockings.   We already received 44 at the September meeting.   If you need sewing directions or would like to finish some of the kits, please come to the Community Projects Table.  We have several additional requests for these pillow cases, so this will be an on-going project for the year.    

In October, and again for the rest of the year, we will start filling requests for Fidget Quilts as soon as possible.  These small lap quilts, 20” by 20” up to 24” provide an object for Dementia patients to feel and investigate using their hands and eyes.   The piece is designed by the quilter with varying fabrics and ‘safe” attachments.   ‘From our SCRAPS come a wonderful GIFT’.   Examples and additional directions are on the Community Projects Table. 
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Thank you again to so many of you for your contributions to these special projects. 

Carol Lou Eisenhardt & Cathie Lockwood

New name badges will be available at the October meeting.  They will be the same color as the membership cards for the year, lime green.  You can’t miss them!  We will continue to file, store, and return the badges each month.  So, no need for you to remember where you put it!  
 
Please return them after the break so we can reuse the plastic covers. 
 
Do you know someone in the guild who would benefit from a card (family member death, illness, celebration, etc.), please contact Carol Newberry at 309-696-5773 via text.  Please include the person’s name, address, reason we are sending the card and any other information you think is needed. 

Carol Newberry and Marica Ripsch

Remember to bring your scrap fabrics for the mystery bags for the 2018 Quilt Spectrum to any of the monthly meetings. The March meeting is the LAST time fabric will be accepted. Fabric scraps need to be quality cotton and no smaller than 2 inches. You may put your fabric on the counter outside the kitchen. 

Last year, 200 Mystery Bags were gone by 11 am! Let’s try for 400 mystery bags this year! 

Ary Anderson

The 2018 Spectrum Quilt Show will take place on Friday and Saturday, April 13 and 14, 2018, at the Parke Regency Hotel and Conference Center. Set up will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, April 11 and 12. 

The theme for this year’s show is “Seaming Friendships,” and the theme for the Bed Turning will be “Quilts for Friends.” 

I am pleased to announce that the Featured Artist for this year’s show is Eloyce Slown. It is always difficult to make this decision because we have many talented quilters who have contributed to both the art of quilting and Guild activities. I am looking forward to Eloyce’s display at the show in April. 

We have had our first Show Board meeting and have a good group of experienced people who are helping; however, we still have openings. We are putting up the Sign-Up Genius so members can sign up on line for the remaining openings on the Spectrum Show Board. It will be accessible through the web site soon. 

The openings we still have for the Show Board include: Co-Chairman, Erecting and Disassembling Frames, Put-Up, Take-Down, Door Prizes, Raffle Baskets, Bed Turning, Logo, Bloomington Library Display Case (in March), and Ballot Counting. 

Please go to the HAAQG web site to find Sign-Up Genius and SIGN UP!!! 

The Sign-Up Genius for actually volunteering at the show will be put up closer to the time of the show. 

You may also text, email, call, or talk to me in person at a meeting about any of these openings.  See you in October! 

Ruth Taha

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.   
 
October 19, 2017 
In October, we continue with our Saturday in the Park quilt and we will learn how to make the pinwheel blocks.  Come join us for a fun evening.    

Kay Bowen, Ruth Taha, Deanna & Richard Bilyeu   

Please try to find time before or during our meetings to check out library books.  HAAQG has a great selection of new and old books for most your quilting needs.  So nice to borrow a book and save our money for fabric and tools and classes…..  
 
We will have the Fons & Porter magazine subscription form available.  You can renew your subscription or start a new one for $15 annually.     

HAAQG Library will be selling discarded books from the HAAQG library and a few books already donated for $1 each at the October meeting.     

We will NOT be accepting book or magazine donations at the October meeting.  This is a change from the last newsletter.  Please look through your personal quilt book library and consider books you could donate at the November 2017 meeting.  Storage space is a problem for donated books.  We only have the library cart for storage.  If you have books or magazines to donate, please contact Mary Weakman or Connie J Carstens.  
 
Book Review –   A Joy Forever by Rosalind Webster Perry and Mary Frolli  
 
Mary Weakman has enjoyed this book for many years and wanted to share information about this HAAQG library book.  Rosalind Webster Perry was a wonderful quilter and world-famous leader of the quilt revival of the early 20th century.  She published quilt patterns in the Ladies Home Journal from WW1 thru 1930s.  In 1915, she published Quilts – Their Story and How To Make Them, which included illustrations from photos she took of many old quilts.  As one of the first pioneer quilt “teachers”, Mrs. Perry promoted quilting until she was 80 years old.  A Joy Forever, published in 1992, has a short history of Mrs. Perry and many beautiful pictures of her quilts, with instructions and diagrams to make some quilts.  Many of Mrs. Perry’s quilts were on exhibit at Indianapolis Museum of Art last year.  Currently, her quilts will be on exhibit October 3rd thru December 2nd, 2017, at the The Quilters Hall of Fame in Marion, Indiana.  

Connie J Carstens & Mary Weakman

I’m excited there are 27 members signed up for this year’s Challenge. Woo hoo! If you would like to sign up at the October meeting, I’ll be sitting toward the back of church near the committee tables. Paper copies of the “Rules” are available at the meeting. You may also sign up by emailing Lynne Conder, Challenge chair, lynnejack99@frontier.com, and receive the Rules back by email.

Couple questions from last month:

--Do you have to use the templates on the back of the Rules handout sheet? No! They are just for your convenience and give you an idea of other available templates. If you’d like to know a nifty way to use a paper template with an acrylic ruler, see me.

--Does this year’s Challenge project have to be made during this Challenge? Yes. What you enter for Dare to Dresden needs to be made between 6/2017 – 3/2018.

I found a free Dresden pattern by Pam Buda, our Guild’s November speaker/instructor! It’s called “Prairie Dresden Pincushion” and is a cute 5” Dresden on Pam’s blog, www.heartspunquilts.blogspot.com/p/freebiepatterns.html. It was also in the 12/15 issue of “American Patchwork & Quilting” magazine. Wouldn’t it be fun to show Pam your Dresden pincushion at the November meeting!

If you need other inspiration, look at this Pinterest board full of Dresden ideas: https://www.pinterest.com/lynnejack/dresden-ideas/. Challenge deadline is March 1, 2018. Finished Challenge quilts will be displayed and voted on at the March 1 meeting. • Remember: Difficult roads can lead to beautiful destinations!

 Lynn Conder

Submitted by Kay Bowen

MQX has graciously given Quilts of Valor-Illinois  booth space at their show in Springfield, IL at the end of September (setup on 26th and then show 27-30).  If anyone would like to come and help in the booth, please let me know.

We will be selling raffle tickets for the quilt and we will have presentations all four days.  If you have a QOV quilt or two ready to go, I would gladly appreciate you sending it to me for the show.  They will be hanging in the booth and taken down when awarded and more put up.  We awarded 10 last year.

Jan Copeland
West Central Illinois State Coordinator Quilts of Valor Foundation
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