Times, They Are Changing

Hard to believe that the first third of 2022 has already passed! Things are starting to get back to “normal” with a slow down in the pandemic. That also means that we will have opportunities to get together face-to-face in the future. Our March Pop-Up event was great, with many friendly faces stopping by and staying to chat, drop off charity quilts, and learn about the new opportunities in the guild. Our Programs team is also busy planning for our first in-person meeting in 2022, the June Books and Bargains Yard Sale and Social! If you have been missing our in-person events, this is designed especially for you. Think of it as a social event, yard sale, book sale, and meeting rolled into one.

With that being said, these past two years have taught us that quilting guilds are much more than local. With the availability of Zoom, we are able to continue live-streaming of our meetings and workshops. This allows us to bring in teachers and lecturers that we might not have had access to in the past due to travel and budget restrictions. Later this year we will be having a workshop by Australian artist Lisa Walton! In the past it would have been impossible to bring her in because of the airline ticket alone! So, expansion into the virtual world has allowed ACQ not only to continue but to thrive!

The future will likely be a mix of online and in-person events (like it is this year), as we plan out for our 2023 programs. And next year we get to look forward to our Festival of Quilts, quilt show in June!  This is a great time to check out all the things we have to offer for the rest of the year, and let the board know if you have ideas for the future as well.  

In addition, this hybrid approach to guild activities allows for our members who are not in the Denver-metro area to be involved as well. We are fortunate to have members from coast-to-coast, not just in the immediate vicinity. This also means that our members who move away, can still participate and be active in the guild. If you have friends who are looking for a quilty home - please pass our information along. We would love to involve them in growing our quilting community!

Submitted by Jen Dietz

Know a lot of people, but not ready to get involved in a long-term volunteer position?  We are currently looking for members to join our Nominating Committee for the 2023 ACQ board.  While several of our current board members are interested in staying on, we would also like to bring others in to help with the many activities ACQ offers.  Many hands make the work light, and also more fun!  If you are “in the know” and would like to help us out, please contact Jen Dietz (pond.jennifer@comcast.net) or Barb Pond (barb.pond@comcast.net) for additional information.

Submitted by Jen Dietz, President

We are happy to report that as of March 18 we have 180 paid members. Thank you so much your membership and support.  We trust that you will enjoy our monthly program meetings. If you haven’t already, we hope that you will participate in additional activities, e.g., sign-up for a workshop; attend one of the sewcial sewing sessions; or volunteer to help with charity quilts or other ACQ organizational activities. In addition, if you are on Facebook, you will want to make sure that you join our ACQ Community Page. It is a great place to share ideas and get information.

For our new members, we will be hosting a New Member tea on Saturday, April 30 from 1:00 to 2:30. We will be doing this virtually via Zoom and will send out email invites that have the Zoom link. If you do not receive an email invite and would like to attend the tea, please reach out to Ann Roman or Louise Helton and we will be sure to get the information to you.

Submitted by Ann Roman

Are you getting ready to start your Spring cleaning of your sewing room?  If so, as you review your books, please set-aside those books that you no longer need or want.  You can then donate these books on June 11 at the ACQ book sale and they can find a new home with another quilter.

Our annual book fair will be part of our June “Books & Bargains” Yard Sale and Social.  This event will be from 9:00 to Noon at the church on Saturday June 11.  We will have the book sale set up in the church library.  On Saturday morning bring books you would like to donate and we will add them to the other books available for sale.  

Books will be available for purchase at bargain prices:  $1.00 each or 6 books for $5.00.  Please donate and/or purchase books at our Books & Bargains Yard Sale and Social.  Proceeds will support ACQ’s charity activities. 

Tips for Books & Bargains:

• Cash or check are preferred method of payment.
• Credit cards can be used for purchases of $20.00 or more.
• Bring bags to take home your purchases.
• Please register for this event on ACQ’s web page.  This will help us better plan for the event.
• Have fun!!

Submitted by Ann Roman

The March Pop-Up event was spectacular. The trunk of my car was filled with completed quilts. Just one indication of the giving spirit of our members! And my favorite part of these Pop-Ups is learning all the great ideas floating out there and catching up with more than 30 ACQ guild members. And for all our local members, these events have become one our best ways to share time in person. 

The next Pop-Up is scheduled for April 23, 2022. Hope to see you there.

191 quilts donated

  15 Children's Hospital

  25 VOA Family Motel

151 to Marshall Fire Victims

Here’s some evidence of those “quilty hugs” and Thank You's sent to ACQ.

Hi Sheila. My name is Chris Lindsay and my wife Erin and I were the recipients of your beautiful quilt. Thank you so much! It means so much to us. Erin just gave birth to our fish child, Ronan, on the 25th and we've been enjoying cuddling with him under the quilt. Our dog Moxie is a big fan too. 

 

Thank you so much for our beautiful quilt. It will go on the end of our bed and bring some much needed color to our room. 

Shaun and Keaton Howe

Submitted by Sheila Clark, VP, Charitable Activities

3 in 1 QUILT CHALLENGE 2022

Here is an opportunity to challenge yourself and be creative! We already have 22 people signed up for the 2022 challenge. The last day to sign up for the Challenge was April 1 but since I have a few kits remaining we are extending the invitation until they are gone. For your $5 sign up fee, you will receive three fabrics that must be included in your project. If you need to have your fabrics mailed to you, there is an addition cost of $4.

Requirements:

1. Maximum size of the wall hanging must be no larger than a 20” x 20” square.
2. Project must be completed with quilting and binding.
3. Wall hanging must have some form of sleeve so it can be hung.
4. Project MUST include all three fabrics in the composition. We need to see enough of each fabric so the three fabrics can be easily identified.
5. All entrants will display their project at the “Books and Bargains Social” on Saturday, June 11th. Be sure you have a sleeve on the back because we will be hanging them on quilt racks.
6. Write your name on the back of the project. Also include your address, email, or phone number.
7. All entries will be judged at the June Social Meeting. If we cannot meet in person to judge, voting will take place on zoom. If we do not meet in person, we will display the entries at the next in-person event.

There are a few spaces left, so if you are interested in participating, contact Barb Pond (text 303-910-2572) to sign up.

Submitted by Barb Pond, Vice President

Did you know we host a sewing get-together every first and third Friday?  This is free to members and the general sewing community alike.  You can access the Zoom link one of two ways - the first is to register on our website.  The registration link can be found through the calendar tab.  You can also access the Zoom link by logging onto the website, www.acqcolorado.org, and log-in.  Once logged in, you can access the Members Only tab, and the zoom link for the Friday Night Sewcial is located on the left-hand side of the page.  We encourage you to come and join us.  It is fairly unstructured, so you can come when you can and leave when you must.

Submitted by Jen Dietz

March marks National Quilt Month, with March 19th recognized as National Quilt Day.  What are you doing to celebrate?

In ramping up to March, our guild has done many things to help members and the community understand and appreciate the art of quilts.  To date, our members and friends have donated over 200 quilts for the families impacted by the Marshall Fires.  We continue to partner with the community up north to provide those quilts.  In addition to these quilts, we have received many blocks and quilt tops which are being pieced and completed by our members.  We hope to share some of these amazing works in our March and April meetings.

We also introduced several blocks and projects in last month’s Virtual Retreat.  It was an overwhelming success, with 30 participants from both our guild and our community.  We are hoping to plan another virtual retreat for those members who were unable to attend.

Another opportunity for projects to celebrate National Quilt Month is to begin considering what you may like to donate for the Fall Auction.  This is our primary fundraiser for the guild, and helps to support our charitable activities, programs and workshops.  We are especially looking for holiday themed small items such as placemats, wall hangings, table runners, and other unique gift items.

And finally, if you want to celebrate National Quilt Day in person, we will be hosting an in-person, pop-up event where members can get together, share stories, pick up and drop off charity items, and stop by to chat with several of our board members.  The Pop-Up will be from 11am to 1pm at First Plymouth Congregational Church, where we typically host our in-person meetings (when we can).

Submitted by Jen Dietz, President

Welcome New Members

We are pleased to have so many new members join us this year!  You are very welcome and we are glad you have joined Arapahoe County Quilters as we all grow and learn more about quilting.

We look forward to seeing you on our monthly guild zoom meetings, as well as workshops, charity sews and Friday night sewcials.  The breakout rooms and the zoom sewing sessions are a great opportunity to meet and chat with other quilters and find lots of quilty things we have in common.  Our periodic drive-thru events are an excellent opportunity to meet other ACQ members and to become more involved in our charity quilting activities.  If you are on Facebook and have not done so already, please be sure to join the ACQ Community page.

Look for news coming up in future newsletters on our New Member Tea. At this event geared to new ACQ members, you’ll meet the leadership team, hear about many of the other things the guild does in the community, meet other new members and learn ways you can be involved.  

If you have questions about your membership, please ask Ann Roman or Louise Helton.  We hope to meet you soon.  Please be sure to check out the article in this newsletter about upcoming workshops.  In addition, please be sure to check out the ACQ calendar for all upcoming events. 

Submitted by Ann Roman