2011 Quilt Show
I would like to begin my tenure as the 2011 Show Chair by thanking everyone who helped make our anniversary show the best yet. It was a record year for attendance, income and number of quilts displayed. A lot of planning and work goes into the success of our shows, not to mention ALL THAT QUILTING !
We had good participation this year, but we can do better. We had 67% of our members enter quilts, 45% worked the show in some capacity, and 23% of the guild did not participate. While 100% participation would be incredible, it is also unrealistic. Some of our members live out of state, several were in the process of moving, and some suffered from illnesses or personal tragedies. Although we don’t require participation from our membership we do hope for it.
We should all be very proud to be part of this organization. We have a far reaching reputation for a high quality and very diverse show. We use our quilts and demonstrations to help fulfill our mission statement, which is to promote the art and education of quilting. We apply a generous portion of funds raised by the raffle quilt to support our community. Remaining funds from the show are used to support the guild for two years. These funds cover workshops & programs as well as pay for the next quilt show. As you can see the show is very important to both the guild and the community. It also generates a sense of fellowship within the guild itself. It is very rewarding when we all work together towards a common goal. That reward is multiplied by the overwhelming success of our show.
I know it may seem early to some of you but, it really does take us two years to pull it all together. We have 16 of 24 chair positions already filled for 2011. I am thrilled that so many of you have already stepped up and agreed to serve again. I am really looking forward to working with all of you. I am currently reviewing and updating the timelines and job descriptions of each committee. If you think you are interested, but have questions or reservations, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I will be discussing the jobs that make up the quilt show committees at an upcoming guild meeting. None of these jobs are difficult or complicated, nor do they require an inordinate amount of time, especially if you have help. I will be using the newsletters and website to keep the entire guild apprised of our progress over the next two years. I want everyone to feel as though they are part of the process.
The two most critical areas that we need to address as soon as possible are the Raffle Quilt and a new set of quilt racks. Both will be discussed at our first quilt show meeting in January. If you are interested in heading up or serving on a committee, we hope to see you there. The 2010 Quilt Show Committee meeting schedule is below. This schedule is tentative and changes will be made as needed. These meetings are at UCC and will start one hour prior to our regularly scheduled guild meetings, unless otherwise noted.
January 14 - 5:30, April 8 - 5:30, June 10 - 5:30, August 12 - 5:30, October 14 - 5:30.
Again, thank you all for your confirmed or prospective participation.
We had good participation this year, but we can do better. We had 67% of our members enter quilts, 45% worked the show in some capacity, and 23% of the guild did not participate. While 100% participation would be incredible, it is also unrealistic. Some of our members live out of state, several were in the process of moving, and some suffered from illnesses or personal tragedies. Although we don’t require participation from our membership we do hope for it.
We should all be very proud to be part of this organization. We have a far reaching reputation for a high quality and very diverse show. We use our quilts and demonstrations to help fulfill our mission statement, which is to promote the art and education of quilting. We apply a generous portion of funds raised by the raffle quilt to support our community. Remaining funds from the show are used to support the guild for two years. These funds cover workshops & programs as well as pay for the next quilt show. As you can see the show is very important to both the guild and the community. It also generates a sense of fellowship within the guild itself. It is very rewarding when we all work together towards a common goal. That reward is multiplied by the overwhelming success of our show.
I know it may seem early to some of you but, it really does take us two years to pull it all together. We have 16 of 24 chair positions already filled for 2011. I am thrilled that so many of you have already stepped up and agreed to serve again. I am really looking forward to working with all of you. I am currently reviewing and updating the timelines and job descriptions of each committee. If you think you are interested, but have questions or reservations, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I will be discussing the jobs that make up the quilt show committees at an upcoming guild meeting. None of these jobs are difficult or complicated, nor do they require an inordinate amount of time, especially if you have help. I will be using the newsletters and website to keep the entire guild apprised of our progress over the next two years. I want everyone to feel as though they are part of the process.
The two most critical areas that we need to address as soon as possible are the Raffle Quilt and a new set of quilt racks. Both will be discussed at our first quilt show meeting in January. If you are interested in heading up or serving on a committee, we hope to see you there. The 2010 Quilt Show Committee meeting schedule is below. This schedule is tentative and changes will be made as needed. These meetings are at UCC and will start one hour prior to our regularly scheduled guild meetings, unless otherwise noted.
January 14 - 5:30, April 8 - 5:30, June 10 - 5:30, August 12 - 5:30, October 14 - 5:30.
Again, thank you all for your confirmed or prospective participation.
A Plea for Help!
March 2009
The Show Must Go On! For those of you that haven’t heard, this is the tenth anniversary of our “Festival of Quilts” presentation.
We still have several open positions that need to be filled. We currently have 92 guild members and only 25 have signed up to help with the show. None of the positions involved with the show are difficult, neither do they have to be time consuming. Some jobs need to be carried out in the months and weeks leading up to the show while others are not needed until the days of the show. The more help we have the easier it is on everyone. There is an old adage that states, “Many hands make light work.”
Our show is more than just a venue for us to show off our quilts. It is our way of inspiring people to be creative. It is our way of educating the public. It shows our appreciation for the past and our ancestors and this year we will be demonstrating our commitment to future quilting generations. But, more that anything it is our way of giving back to those in need. This is the culmination of two years of preparations. This is how we raise thousands of dollars to give back to a community that supports us.
Since the guild’s inception in 1986 we have donated hundreds of quilts, thousands of dollars and untold hours to those in need. Our raffle quilts, silent auctions, charity quilts and educational programs are all centered around our quilt show. Over the last 22 years we have built a reputation for both our show and our community service efforts.
There have been suggestions recently to limit both the number of quilts we display and the number of days we conduct the show. In my opinion, to regress would be a mistake. Over a span of 20 years we have spent the last 10 shows building a reputation, one that should be preserved.
One of the main reasons we don't limit the number of quilts is participation. The minute you restrict the number of quilts a person can enter is the minute we lose entries. A lot of people do not have the confidence in their work that they should and decide not to enter their work, allowing the more experienced members to enter more. We lose the people we are trying desperately to recruit. .
Our show is not juried or judged and that plays a significant role in its appeal. We draw a large number of non-quilters to our show. We inspire them because of the wide range of talent on display. We show quilts that people think they can go home and try themselves as well as works of art that render them speechless. We have increased membership after our shows because people are not intimidated by every quilt on display.
We have a beautiful and much larger venue now. A space that will continue to grow with us if we choose to do so. If we limit the number of quilts now, we would get lost in the space. And besides, all the same positions have to be filled and work has to be done whether we accept 200 or 400 quilts for the show.
Our show is well known and well respected. We are constantly receiving donations of fabric, yarn, batting, and other supplies from people that have heard of us and wish to help our cause. We have gotten to a point where vendors and other esteemed members of the quilting community are now approaching us to be involved in our show. A certified AQS appraiser & quilter has sought us out and asked to be a part of this year’s Festival. Aside from not charging the guild a fee she will donate 10% of her written appraisals back to us for our charity work .
Three days is not unreasonable. The Major’s Inn runs three days and Fenimore's show runs for two weeks every year. We only do this every two years and we have nearly 100 members. You do not have to be there every hour of every day. If everyone would just give a couple hours, we would have more than enough help to present another in a long line of successful shows.
With everything that is going on with the economy the community needs us now more than ever. So enter your quilts, sell raffle tickets, volunteer to help put the show together, sign up to work the show. Please help! There will be a sign-up schedule at all future meetings and it is also posted on the website. Please e-mail the Piecemakers and we will put you on the list. Let’s make our tenth anniversary the best show yet!
Thank you,
Kim Betts
The Show Must Go On! For those of you that haven’t heard, this is the tenth anniversary of our “Festival of Quilts” presentation.
We still have several open positions that need to be filled. We currently have 92 guild members and only 25 have signed up to help with the show. None of the positions involved with the show are difficult, neither do they have to be time consuming. Some jobs need to be carried out in the months and weeks leading up to the show while others are not needed until the days of the show. The more help we have the easier it is on everyone. There is an old adage that states, “Many hands make light work.”
Our show is more than just a venue for us to show off our quilts. It is our way of inspiring people to be creative. It is our way of educating the public. It shows our appreciation for the past and our ancestors and this year we will be demonstrating our commitment to future quilting generations. But, more that anything it is our way of giving back to those in need. This is the culmination of two years of preparations. This is how we raise thousands of dollars to give back to a community that supports us.
Since the guild’s inception in 1986 we have donated hundreds of quilts, thousands of dollars and untold hours to those in need. Our raffle quilts, silent auctions, charity quilts and educational programs are all centered around our quilt show. Over the last 22 years we have built a reputation for both our show and our community service efforts.
There have been suggestions recently to limit both the number of quilts we display and the number of days we conduct the show. In my opinion, to regress would be a mistake. Over a span of 20 years we have spent the last 10 shows building a reputation, one that should be preserved.
One of the main reasons we don't limit the number of quilts is participation. The minute you restrict the number of quilts a person can enter is the minute we lose entries. A lot of people do not have the confidence in their work that they should and decide not to enter their work, allowing the more experienced members to enter more. We lose the people we are trying desperately to recruit. .
Our show is not juried or judged and that plays a significant role in its appeal. We draw a large number of non-quilters to our show. We inspire them because of the wide range of talent on display. We show quilts that people think they can go home and try themselves as well as works of art that render them speechless. We have increased membership after our shows because people are not intimidated by every quilt on display.
We have a beautiful and much larger venue now. A space that will continue to grow with us if we choose to do so. If we limit the number of quilts now, we would get lost in the space. And besides, all the same positions have to be filled and work has to be done whether we accept 200 or 400 quilts for the show.
Our show is well known and well respected. We are constantly receiving donations of fabric, yarn, batting, and other supplies from people that have heard of us and wish to help our cause. We have gotten to a point where vendors and other esteemed members of the quilting community are now approaching us to be involved in our show. A certified AQS appraiser & quilter has sought us out and asked to be a part of this year’s Festival. Aside from not charging the guild a fee she will donate 10% of her written appraisals back to us for our charity work .
Three days is not unreasonable. The Major’s Inn runs three days and Fenimore's show runs for two weeks every year. We only do this every two years and we have nearly 100 members. You do not have to be there every hour of every day. If everyone would just give a couple hours, we would have more than enough help to present another in a long line of successful shows.
With everything that is going on with the economy the community needs us now more than ever. So enter your quilts, sell raffle tickets, volunteer to help put the show together, sign up to work the show. Please help! There will be a sign-up schedule at all future meetings and it is also posted on the website. Please e-mail the Piecemakers and we will put you on the list. Let’s make our tenth anniversary the best show yet!
Thank you,
Kim Betts
Super Sew Sunday
Dear Editor,
One of our big charity events is our Quilting Bee on Super Sew Sunday. That's the day we put all the donation blocks together into quilts. Holly gave us a nice survey last month of all the places our quilts go to warm others. But our donation blocks have seriously fallen off. We are below our tally from previous years. So let's warm up those sewing machines and put forth some effort to make this Super Sew Sunday one of our best quilting bees.
REMEMBER FEBRUARY 1ST !
January 2009
One of our big charity events is our Quilting Bee on Super Sew Sunday. That's the day we put all the donation blocks together into quilts. Holly gave us a nice survey last month of all the places our quilts go to warm others. But our donation blocks have seriously fallen off. We are below our tally from previous years. So let's warm up those sewing machines and put forth some effort to make this Super Sew Sunday one of our best quilting bees.
REMEMBER FEBRUARY 1ST !
January 2009
The Piecemakers and Donating Quilts
Dear Editor,
As keeper of the Quilts, I thought I'd give the Guild an update on our charity quilts, where they go, and how they are used. We have always supported our community by donating quilts. We've implemented many new ideas that have resulted in the increase in the number of quilts we've been able to donate in any given year. Some of these include focus fabric packs, pre-sorting donation blocks to Super Sew Sunday, orphan blocks and changes in the way we finish quilts. Since 2003 we've donated moe that 650 quilts to charity.
The Guild currently supports numerous community efforts. For example, our donations to Catholic Charities are distributed not only to battered women's shelters but also to young mothers through their Roots and Wings program. Hospice of Chenango County request a quilt from us each year which they, inturn, auction off to raise funds. Now, both Habitat for Humanity and the American Quilting Museum in Paducah, KY have also begun the practice of requesting quilts for auction.
The Maternity Center at Chenango Memorial Hospital has gratefully received many quilts and blankets from us over the years. We donate to CMH through their Volunteer Services office and every blanket and quilt donated by the Piecemakers gets delivered to the Maternity ward and is given to new moms, free of charge and obligation. The Volunteer Services office has even held yarn drives just to help supply us with some of the materials necessary for our donations. Naturally, the hospital and the Piecemakers would like to see that every newborn goes home with a handmade gift, but there are just not enough to go around. Although we donate the majority of the quilts and blankets, we simply can't ensure that every one of the more that 300 births that occur each year is provided with a quilt.
Thank you all for your time and effort andplease keep them coming. For a more complete listing of the Guild's charitable work, check out The Act of Giving on our website.
Holly T
December 2008
As keeper of the Quilts, I thought I'd give the Guild an update on our charity quilts, where they go, and how they are used. We have always supported our community by donating quilts. We've implemented many new ideas that have resulted in the increase in the number of quilts we've been able to donate in any given year. Some of these include focus fabric packs, pre-sorting donation blocks to Super Sew Sunday, orphan blocks and changes in the way we finish quilts. Since 2003 we've donated moe that 650 quilts to charity.
The Guild currently supports numerous community efforts. For example, our donations to Catholic Charities are distributed not only to battered women's shelters but also to young mothers through their Roots and Wings program. Hospice of Chenango County request a quilt from us each year which they, inturn, auction off to raise funds. Now, both Habitat for Humanity and the American Quilting Museum in Paducah, KY have also begun the practice of requesting quilts for auction.
The Maternity Center at Chenango Memorial Hospital has gratefully received many quilts and blankets from us over the years. We donate to CMH through their Volunteer Services office and every blanket and quilt donated by the Piecemakers gets delivered to the Maternity ward and is given to new moms, free of charge and obligation. The Volunteer Services office has even held yarn drives just to help supply us with some of the materials necessary for our donations. Naturally, the hospital and the Piecemakers would like to see that every newborn goes home with a handmade gift, but there are just not enough to go around. Although we donate the majority of the quilts and blankets, we simply can't ensure that every one of the more that 300 births that occur each year is provided with a quilt.
Thank you all for your time and effort andplease keep them coming. For a more complete listing of the Guild's charitable work, check out The Act of Giving on our website.
Holly T
December 2008
