NQA Membership

NQA Chapter Newsletters: Archive

March, 2012

AT A GLANCE

* What's the Buzz...?

* From the President

* New Bees Classes

* Classroom Etiquette

* From the Member
Services Chair

* From the Chapter
Services Chair

* See Our Quilt Shows

What's "the Buzz..."?

Can't you just feel the stirrings of spring in the air? Humans may not hibernate but many of us certainly alter our behavior according to the seasons. I find myself selecting lighter and brighter colors of fabric this time of year as I anticipate warmer days to come with more chances to spend time outdoors.

March also brings National Quilting Day, an opportunity for quilters everywhere to celebrate their craft and share their art with the rest of the world.

Remember to visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/NQA-National-Quilting-Association/112254952228007

Kathy Lichtendahl, Communications Chairperson

communications@nqaquilts.org

From the President - Judy Taylor

The NQA Board of Directors is preparing to meet this next week for their annual spring Board Meeting in Dallas, Texas. This is a wonderful opportunity for the Board to reflect on what we have accomplished and where we still want and/or need to go. If you have a suggestion or recommendation you would like to make to the Board, please email me at president@nqaquilts.org. We welcome your thoughts and ideas on new benefits of membership, improvements to the web site, the Quilt Show, or our educational and/or grant programs. Without your feedback we operate in a vacuum so don’t hold back, let us hear your voice.

Speaking of benefits of membership, in case you do not know, the Quilting Quarterly is published four times per year, plus the special Show Issue. This year we also added a Projects Issue bringing the total publications to six. For any of you who have already renewed or are now coming up for renewal, and your expiration date falls before you get your full six issues, do not worry, we have extended your membership, at no additional cost, to assure you get your full benefit of membership this year. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the NQA office at nqaquilts@sbcglobal.net. Our staff is always there to assist you in any way they can.

Have you marked your calendar to attend the NQA Quilt Show in Columbus, June 14-16? There’s already a “Buzz” in the air about the exciting class selections, the free lectures and especially the Little Quilt Auction! For more information, go to the NQA Web site at http://www.nqaquilts.org/. We hope to see you there!

Finally, a happy National Quilting Day to all of you! March 17th is not only St. Patrick’s Day, but also a great day to celebrate the legacy, heritage, and joy of quilting. Here’s just a few of my favorite ways to spend the day:

If a military facility is nearby, contact the social services there to see where to give quilts or how to send to soldiers or their families.
Check with a local hospital about giving a quilt to the first baby born on National Quilt Day, 2012.
Nursing homes for those who don't have much, or now without their own home, may be a good place to donate quilts.
Work on a quilt with a school, 4-H, scout group, or spend the day passing along your love of quilting to your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or neighbors.
Celebrate on your own — visit your favorite quilt shops, or spend a few hours sewing or reading your favorite quilt book.
Make a quilt and share it with someone else. After you and/or your guild do this, please send us information and pictures of how you shared. We want to show others what you have done.

Happy quilting,

Judy Taylor, President

New Bees Classes by Andi Perejda, NQA Education Chair

In the interest of welcoming new and young quilters to the National Quilting Association, be sure to check out our New Bees workshops! There will be two New Bees workshops held on Saturday, June 16th. Each class is three hours in length. They are listed as #824 and #844 in your Show Registration booklets. The topics for the two classes are Beginning Machine Piecing and Beginning Hand Appliqué; basic skills that all quilters need to know! The classes will be taught by Certified Teacher, Connie Davidson, who adores teaching beginning quilters! Come join Connie where she will have all of your fabrics available for you with payment of a $10 kit fee.

Classroom Etiquette by Karen Blocher, Co-Director 43rd Annual NQA Quilt Show

Everything I need to know I learned in Kindergarten is the title of a best-selling book, and the title holds some truth. A few simple rules make the world, and classes, a nicer place, Adapting Robert Fulghum’s idea, here is my list for the classroom:

Be on Time. My dad taught me that being late compromises everyone’s time. If you are five minutes late, multiply your tardiness by the number of people affected, and that’s the consequence. If your class has twenty students, and you’re five minutes late, that’s 100 minutes.
Be Prepared. Do your best to find the items on your supply list. Even if they aren’t the products you might choose, try to use what’s suggested.
Be Generous. Share ~ it just makes you feel good.
Be Kind. If you see your classmates struggling, offer your help.
·Be a Good Listener. Your instructor has traveled a long distance to teach students who want to hear what is said. Listen much ~ Speak little.
·Ask Permission before taking photographs or borrowing supplies.
Respect Copyrights. Please don’t make copies of materials without the instructor’s permission for your friends who couldn’t come to class.
Test Your Machine. If you bring your machine to class, make certain it is in working order, and bring the book, pedal and all the cords and feet.
Set Your Cell Phone to Vibrate. We all have ailing parents and needy kids. If you must answer a call, take your conversation into the hallway.
Relax and Have Fun. This is your chance to try something new. Become inspired and motivated. Absorb the beauty around you. Spend the day with new friends. Eat yummy food. Walk until your feet hurt. Buy something. What could possibly be better?

From the Members Services Chair - Lois Arnold

Our friends are our lifeline. They are the ones we seek out when we have good news and the ones we seek comfort from when the news isn’t so good. Have you told your friends lately just how much you appreciate them?

National Friendship Day isn’t until the first Sunday in August, but since National Quilting Day is March 17 this year, wouldn’t it be a great idea to celebrate National Quilting Friend Day the same day by inviting a friend to join the National Quilting Association? If your friend is not a quilter, what better way to bring her into the quilting community so that you will have even more in common?

Your friend can join from the comfort of her own home by going to http://www.nqaquilts.org/ to join. She will receive all the benefits you already enjoy – 6 issues of the Quilting Quarterly, discounts at the annual show, a ready made quilting community, and soon a Members Only area on the NQA web site and many more benefits “in the works”.

Our March Member in the Spotlight is Diane Pitchford, an award winning quilter. Be sure to stop by the Member Spotlight area at http://www.nqaquilts.org/ to see her amazing quilts.

Lois Arnold

Member Services Chair

From Chapter Services Chair - Sue Castelli

PERSONAL NOTE: I have been slow in responding to emails due to family emergencies which have demanded a great deal of time. Please know that you haven’t been forgotten and I will reply to all emails as soon as I possibly can. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

WELCOME TO A NEW NQA CHAPTER!!

Down by the River Quilt Guild, Portsmouth, OH

WEBSITE UPDATES:

Hearts and Hands ECA Quilt Guild ECA from North Carolina is featured during March on the Chapter Showcase. Also, the Raffle Quilt from the Venice Area Quilt Guild in Florida is featured on the NQA Homepage. Come on over!

www.nqaquilts.org.

SOQS – SEE OUR QUILT SHOWS – 17 Shows in the next 60 days!!

March 2-3, 2012 – Cobblestone Quilters Guild, Charleston, SC

http://www.charlestonquiltguild.com/

March 9-11,2012 – West Pasco Quilters’ Guild, Inc., Hudson, FL

http://www.westpascoquilters.org/

March 16-17, 2012 – Pelican Piecemakers Quilt Group, New Smyrna Beach, FL

Email: FayLevine@gmail.com

March 16-17, 2012 – Pensacola Quilters Guild, Pensacola, FL

http://www.pensacolaquiltersguild.org/

March 16-17, 2012 – Springfield Area Quilters Guild, Springfield, IL

http://www.springfieldquilters.com/