Are you a new member of ACQ?  Would you like to hear what activities are regularly on our calendar?  Come and hear about our plans  for future speakers and workshops.  Get to know the board members;  learn about the 2022 quilt show; and get the inside scoop on Zoom to help you navigate our schedule.  

Bring your own tea and snacks and come to the Virtual Welcome tea for new members on May 15, 2021 at 1 pm.

Despite having a laundry list of projects and UFOs, I have to admit that I’ve been in a bit of a funk when it comes to quilting.  My one saving grace is that I have a book where I track all of my projects and blocks due each month.  It feels good to be able to check off a project as done – or in the cases of quilt alongs, checking off the assignment for the week.  Anyone else have a great way of keeping themselves on track when you feel like you have quilters-block?

This month also brings a special day – International Day of Awesomeness – on March 10^th.  This day is touted as a celebration of awesomeness.  And, after the past year, I think that we all need some awesome in our lives.  So, take some time (be it on March 10^th or the entire month) to identify things in your life that are awesome.  Strive to make things in your life awesome, or do things that are awesome.  I think that making charity quilts or finishing a quilt for the online auction in April would be awesome!  It’s the day before our next guild meeting, so I am eager to hear what you did to celebrate your awesomeness.

Jen Dietz

Fun with FMQ with Leah Day & ACQ FMQ Club

ne of the requested topics in a poll for 2021 Guild workshops was Free Motion Quilting. I suspected this request could have easily come from members who have never taken a FMQ class, have taken a class but never felt like they could transfer what was taught to a quilt or members interested in FMQ on a domestic machine or on a long arm. That is a very wide range of skills to tackle in one lecture or workshop, so the ACQ FMQ Club is born. 

Our March Guild meeting on March 11 will include a video presentation by Leah Day and will kick off the much anticipated ACQ Free Motion Quilting Club. Leah Day is an online quilter, artist, author and creator of the Free Motion Quilting Project. In 2009, Leah began sharing online 365 free motion quilting filler designs with quilting videos over a 3 year period. The number of quilting designs she’s shared to date exceeds 500. Leah does not book live Guild presentations or workshops but she has prepared a video perfect for Guilds to share as a Guild meeting lecture titled Fun with Free Motion Quilting. This video is perfect as a first-time lesson or as a refresher. The ACQ FMQ Club is the vehicle to take this beginning knowledge to a quilt for the first time. But the Club is not just for the novice since it is set up as a sewcial and not a class. FMQ is a learned skill and we need those of us with more experience and confidence in this technique to come and share their knowledge, encouragement and enthusiasm. We learn best when we learn from each other. 

The ACQ FMQ Club will kick off with two ZOOM sewcials a month starting with the first Saturday after the monthly Guild meeting, March 13, 10:00 to 11:30 am MDT and the second Tuesday after the monthly Guild meeting, March 23, 6:30 - 8:00 pm MDT. Three generous members, Carolyn Morris, Diana Barry & Heather Schiller, have committed their time to host these sewcials with Lynn through May, 2021. Get the ZOOM links for these sewcials by registering Saturday FMQ Club and Tuesday FMQ Club for these free events on Wild Apricot. You will need the most recent ZOOM version to participate. Please update your device here. Please let Lynn Roginski or Heather Schiller know if you need help updating your ZOOM. 

FAQ:

• What will be different between the Tuesday and Saturday meetings? Can I go to both?

Initially, at least, there is no difference between the two events. FMQ is a learned skill that takes lots of practice and we wanted to make it possible for as many people to participate as possible. Our plan is to create three ZOOM rooms for different skills levels but you decide what room is best for you. As time progresses, the configuration of the rooms can change to meet the needs of the group.  

• Will we be quilting during the meetings?

Yes! It’s all about practice, practice, practice. 

• What materials and supplies will I need?
  

You’ll need a machine and a darning or FMQ foot. If you can’t drop the feed dogs on your machine you’ll need something like a SuperSlider to cover them. 

• Will this be helpful if I have a longarm?

You can FMQ on a domestic machine or a long arm. The best place to learn the specifics for your machine is your machine manual. 

• If I can’t make it to the March guild meeting, will I still be able to watch the Leah Day video?

Yes. The video will be made available to all Guild members to watch anytime, anywhere. 

• My friend isn’t an ACQ member, can she come to a FMQC meeting with me?
  This club is provided as a benefit to ACQ members. Please encourage your friend to join ACQ and she’ll be able to attend the FMQC and guild meetings for the rest of the year.

    

I love suggestions, especially good ones that work out. During a Charity Sew time it was suggested to donate our quilts to Warren Village. This idea was supported by a number of other ACQ members so I called and exchanged emails with Molly Barfus the Volunteer Services Administrator. Warren Village is transitional housing for single parent families.

To learn more check Denver Post article December 27, 2020 or Warrenvillage.org.

Please see attached photos. Our next Drive Thru is March 27^th a day before the Charitable Sew Day. If you are looking to quilt or sew something specific, please contact me.

Sheila Clark

Charitable Quilts Committee

sheila-clark@comcast.net

Please mark your calendars for the weekend of April 23 – 25.  This will be the first annual ACQ Spring Online Auction.  

Last year (2020) brought many challenges, and one of the things we were unable to pivot was our raffle quilt program.  Seasoned members and friends may be aware that the majority of our income to fund programs and projects comes from the raffle quilt sales.  Without having live, in person opportunities to market our quilt, we were unable to raise the normal amount of funds to help with our budget.

This year we are trying something a little bit different – an online auction of quilts and handmade items from our ACQ members.  That being said, the only way we can make this fundraiser work is if we have awesome sponsors or members willing to donate items.   If you are interested in becoming a sponsor or donating an item, please follow this link, Spring Auction Entry,  and fill out the form, and of our auction ladies will get in contact with you.  We are happy to acknowledge all of our donors throughout the auction.

Donated items will be juried, meaning that only the highest quality products that demonstrate the talent of our guild will be auctioned.  We would like a minimum of 20 items for the Spring auction.  Photos and descriptions of items will be posted in advance, and online bidding will begin at noon on Friday, April 23^rd.  The auction will close on Sunday, April 25^th and the highest bidders will be notified following the close of the auction.  

Don’t have something quite ready for the Spring auction?  Don’t worry - we are also planning on a Fall/Holiday Online auction around September/October to provide another opportunity to the public to purchase hand-made gifts.

ACQ is a 501(c) non-profit, so your donation may be tax deductible.  

Grateful Threads

First Sunday of the month from 12 noon to 3 pm mountain time on Zoom

Contact Barb Pond for Zoom link

This is a new bee starting in 2021 for those who would enjoy meeting on Zoom. When times are better to meet in person, we may do so occasionally, but plan to remain a Zoom bee. We welcome all ACQ, both in the metro area members from out of state to join us.

We will pick a project to do each year, either individually or as a group, for charity purposes. This year we are making the Raffle Quilt for 2022. Since January, we have completed 6 newborn loss quilts and 4 charity quilts. Our goal is to donate at least 40 quilts for charity in 2021.

We will have show- and- tell each meeting for members to share current projects or a special project completed in the past. We enjoy conversation while we are working, sharing ideas and expertise, and are excited to discuss all our projects with one another.

We welcome new members to the bee. Once we can resume visiting and traveling, we may do some fieldtrips to local shops and exhibits.

If interested in joining us, contact Barb Pond.

Each month of this year I will be introducing a new block as well as the history behind the block.  You may take this as an opportunity to build your own skills.  Additionally, I encourage you to post your block creations either on our ACQ Community Facebook page or on Instagram using #ACQPresidentBlock2021.  Each block you post will be entered into a monthly drawing for a fat quarter bundle.  If you aren’t on social media – no problem, just send me an email with your photo (pond.jennifer@comcast.net).  We will draw the winner at the next guild meeting, and you don’t need to be present to win (although we hope you will because we have a great line-up this year!).  The winner of February’s block will be announced at the March meeting, and the March block at the April meeting.

This month’s block is Aunt Dinah.  It can be made in both a 12 inch and 6 inch version.  I am using the color green for my inspiration this month.  And now, a little history about the block.

Quilt patterns reflected our country's agricultural society and the family's dependence on the crops they harvested, the fruit and vegetables they grew, and the foods they preserved. Up until 1920, most people lived on farms. Only 2% of the population resided in towns or cities.

Quilting allowed women to escape from the hard work, rigors, and drabness of their everyday routine. With seven or eight women gathered around the quilt frame, a quilting bee, offered an excellent way to socialize.

It was such a popular event that Stephen Foster, one of America's beloved songwriters, wrote a song about it:

“In the sky the bright stars glittered

On the banks, the pale moon shone,

And 'twas from Aunt Dinah's quilting party

I was seeing Nellie home.”

Originally published in 1940, the Aunt Dinah block is a take-off of the traditional corn and beans block.

Instructions for both a 12 inch and 6 inch versions of the block may be found at https://abyquilts.wordpress.com/sisters-bom-qal/ under the Sisters BOM – April link.

Don McLean, First Plymouth’s Facility Manager
is retiring after 30 YEARS!

Please join us for a
DRIVE-BY GOOD-BYE
on
Saturday, February 6
1:30 – 3:00pm
At the south entrance to the Church
 
Drive by and make some  noise!
Wish Don well!
Bring Don a card!
 
Don will soon be heading to a golf vacation in Phoenix
to celebrate with his son Tony.
We hope to have an in-person reception for Don when the church re-opens.

ONE BIG EXHALE

During the past year, I have found a lot of solace in yoga. The body and mind connection is awesome, and definitely helps with stress relief and resilience. One of the things that you learn in yoga is the importance of breath. With all the heaviness over the last year (COVID-19, social unrest, altered plans and cancelled of events) I didn’t realize that I was, in essence, holding my breath. That was, until I took one big exhale.

I’m not sure what exactly precipitated the exhale – maybe the hope of a new year or the fact that vaccines are flowing and we may (fingers-crossed) be getting back to normal. All I know is that I now feel a lightness which is allowing me to be more creative, take risks, and drop the baggage of heaviness weighing me down.

If you too are feeling heaviness – may I recommend a breathing exercise? This is great for general stress and anxiety relief, as well as more practically rebalancing yourself after many hours in front of your sewing machine. Close your eyes, place one hand on your belly and one hand over your heart. Take a deep breath (1, 2, 3, 4) and hold it for 4 counts. Then exhale (1, 2, 3, 4) and hold for 4 counts. Do it a couple times in a row. This helps to calm the parasympathetic nervous system and rebalance your brain and take you from fight-or-flight to freedom of thought and reasoning.

And the best part of this mind-body connection is that it helps to get your creative juices flowing. As quilters this is always important, as quilting is our creative expression and fabric our medium. This month there will be lots of opportunities to flex those creative muscles, whether it be through our guild meeting and following workshop, participating in the panel challenge, creating president’s blocks, or finishing a charity quilt. So, breath deep – take one big exhale – and get crafting!

Hearts

Each month of this year I will be introducing a new block as well as the history behind the block.  You may take this as an opportunity to build your own skills.  Additionally, I encourage you to post your block creations either on our ACQ Community Facebook page or on Instagram using #ACQPresidentBlock2021.  Each block you post will be entered into a monthly drawing for a fat quarter bundle.  If you aren’t on social media – no problem, just send me an email with your photo (pond.jennifer@comcast.net).  We will draw the winner at the next guild meeting, and you don’t need to be present to win (although we hope you will because we have a great line-up this year!).  The winner of January’s block will be announced at the February meeting, February’s block at the March meeting, and so on.

February’s block is a series of hearts.  I am using up a variety of pink and red scraps to create a scrappy love quilt.  The patterns I chose create 6 inch and 12 inch hearts, so I am going to mix them all together and hopefully end up with something beautiful.

The heart has come to be the universal symbol of romantic love, which is why it is often associated with St. Valentine’s Day.  Though widely recognized, there is no clear evidence of how the symbol originated.  One theory suggests that the origin of the heart symbol can be traced back to an ancient plan called silphium, a now extinct species of giant fennel grown in North Africa.  The seed of this plan supposedly resembled the heart symbol we use today.  

The first known depiction of a heart shape as a symbol of love was produced in the 1250s in a French manuscript, the Roman de la Poire.  The heart symbol may have also been influenced by the writings of Galen and Aristotle, describing the human heart as an organ with three chambers and a dent in the middle, and connecting the human heart with emotion and pleasure, transforming it into a symbol of medieval love.

Up until the late 14^th century, the heart was typically shown upside down.  During this time, the dent on the base started to expand and, by the late 15^th century, the dented red heart symbol was a common sight, even used on playing cards.  As it was already established as a symbol of love, the heart began to appear on St. Valentine’s Day card, candy boxes and other objects in the 19^th century, securing the heart as a symbol of love and affection.

A free pattern for the heart blocks I am making may be found at https://cluckclucksew.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Heart-Blocks-Pattern.pdf and https://www.diaryofaquilter.com/2012/10/be-good-to-your-heart-quilt-block.html