By now you know how to join Zoom and how to set up to look good, now let's make sure you know how to navigate the features of Zoom. 

More help troubleshooting audio problems.

See you online soon!

It’s easy to use, but we want to make sure your experiences at the Virtual Guild Meeting and Workshop are successful. If you've never used Zoom, see Joining Zoom for the First Time.

Device. For the best experience, we recommend you use the largest screen you have. It will be the best front row seat you’ve ever had at a guild meeting.  While Zoom certainly works on phones, it will be a smaller screen and will feel more like you’re sitting toward the back of the room. If you're on a phone or tablet, turn it to landscape mode to move into a middle row.

Connection. Use the best Internet connection you can. See this article for technical details. (https://wiki.millersville.edu/display/instructdocs/Improving+your+Zoom+connection)

Lighting. Try to have lighting low in front of you so that your face is well lit. Overhead lights will cast shadows on your face. 

Camera. Have your camera close to or slightly above eye level. If you are using a laptop you may wish to set it on top of books or boxes. 

Earbuds. It can be helpful for those who are attending if you use headphones or earbuds—this helps to eliminate background noise and distractions. 

Background. Prep the background that will be visible behind you--let’s see lots of favorite quilts! 

And here's a video that shows how some of these affect your set up—it's especially good to see how different light affects how you look: How to Look Good on Zoom.

Be sure to also see the post Finding Your Way Around Zoom.

It’s easy to use, but we want to make sure your experiences at the Virtual Guild Meeting and Workshop are successful. This post is for those who've never used Zoom. Be sure to also see Setting Up to Look Good on Zoom and Finding Your Way Around Zoom.

How to Join Zoom 

You may join Zoom from your computer, tablet or phone. There are more features and a larger viewing screen from your computer. 

You will get an email with a link to the Zoom meeting.  Click on that link. 

If this is your first time using Zoom, you will get a prompt to download the app. Download and install the app. Plan for extra time for your first Zoom meeting. 

Zoom will bring you into the meeting.

You may need to make selections along the way for your video and audio. 

• You can say yes to video.
• For audio you’ll want to select ‘computer audio’ or ‘internet audio’ as your option. 

If you get to the meeting and your video and audio are not working, look for the toolbar:

1. Computer--mouse to the bottom for the toolbar to appear. If you have a red bar over the microphone or camera, click on them to turn them off.  
    

2. Tablet or phone--tap on the screen and the toolbar will appear at top or bottom. If you have a red bar over the microphone or camera, click on them to turn them off. 

3. If you are unmuted (no red line), and still can't talk you may need to click on that triangle next to unmute and make sure that your internal or system microphone is selected. 

Also here's a video you may find helpful if you'd prefer to watch.
Joining a Zoom Call for the First Time.

You’re in! Say hello!

Be sure to also see these two posts:

• Setting Up to Look Good on Zoom 
• Finding Your Way Around Zoom

Greetings from ACQ President Terry Chase. Here's what Arapahoe County Quilters is planning for our virtual connections in April, 2020 since we can't meet together.

Links mentioned in the video:

April 16 • 6:30 pm  MDT • April Guild Meeting with Guest Speaker Sherri Lynn Wood

April 17-18 • 10 am - 3 pm MDT • April Workshop with Sherri Lynn Wood

Zoom Practice Sessions

Face Masks: Making Face Masks for Front Line Workers

ACQ Member Director (members only: sign in with your password to access)

It’s easy to use, but we want to make sure your experience at the Virtual Guild Meeting and Workshop is successful. Here are three different opportunities for you to practice Zoom and say hello to some other ACQ members. 

Register for one or more of these times (free) and we’ll send you a link before the meeting. You should be able to use your computer, tablet or phone. Viewing on your phone will be small. 

• Tues 4/7 11 am to 12 pm: Hello ACQ 1—pop in to say hello and learn how zoom works for the virtual guild meeting and workshop. Sign up.

• Thurs 4/9 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm: The Wanna Bees—if you’re not in a bee but you want to check in with other ACQ members—pop in to say hello and learn how zoom works. No commitment, but perhaps some will want to continue meeting regularly. Led by Mary Papich, ACQ Beekeeper. Sign up.

• Tuesday 4/14 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm: Hello ACQ 2—pop in to say hello and learn how zoom works for the virtual guild meeting and workshop. Sign up.

Does Your Bee Want to Use Zoom? If you’re in a bee and would like to learn more about hosting a Zoom meeting, let June know. We’ve already got several bees who are meeting this way and they’ll all enjoying this chance to check in and spend time with each other.

We sure hope you're doing well during these upside down days. We have an update for you on the Virtual Wedge Curve Improv Workshop with Sherri Lynn Wood on April 17-18.

NOTE: Details will be available later this week for ACQ's Virtual Guild Meeting on April 16.

Our Wedge Curve Improv Workshop with Sherri Lynn Wood has gone through its own improvisation. Sherri is excited to partner with ACQ to host her first live-stream online workshop. 

This is an amazing opportunity to learn from a national level speaker at the affordable rate of only $40 for two days of instruction and interaction. 

Invite Sherri into your sewing space and spend two days with her and ACQ on April 17-18. Please invite your quilting friends to join you in this creative opportunity.

Find the complete workshop description and registration on ACQ's website.

Register for the Workshop

In these challenging times I needed something to make me laugh. This is not such a stretch for a quilter but it is time to try a new block. For me this was Wonky Star Block. There are so many free tutorials to view. My favorite is Jenny from the Missouri Star Quilt Company. She shows large and small.

I have a good start on my next quilt to donate. I do not know when we will each other again, so I wish you hours of good quilting. Please remember we will see each other again and I look forward to sharing donated quilts with people in our community.

Sheila Clark
Charitable Quilts Committee
sheila-clark@comcast.net

News from the Library Corner

We hope you are staying healthy and practicing social distancing. Hopefully your time at home includes some fun sewing.  If you are cleaning and organizing your sewing space, please feel free to donate to the ACQ book fair any quilt books you no longer need. 

If you were at the March meeting, you heard that we now have 3 jigsaw puzzles (500 and 1000 pieces) that can be checked out by members.  These puzzles have pictures of beautiful quilts.

We would still love to get your input for new books that should be purchased for the library this year. We are looking for suggestions for recent books (published in 2019 and 2020).  Please email your suggestions to Mary Rogers (mary.c.rogers@outlook.com) and Ann Roman (annroman8858@icloud.com).  We will keep you posted of our progress.

Check out the websites below to find inspiration for quilt books:

https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Books-Quilts-Quilting/zgbs/books/5171

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/books/quiltmaking/quilting/_/N-29Z8q8Z2jy2

https://www.textileartist.org/top-10-quilting-books

Library Reminders:

• Each month we feature a small selection of our library books for our members to peruse and check-out before the program meeting.  This selection changes each month.

• A complete list of the books in the ACQ Library is available on the ACQ website by title, author and subject.  Find the Library section on the Members page. If you are interested in a particular title, please contact Mary or Ann.

• Books can be checked out for up to 2 months.  

• Please be sure to return books in the marked basket at the library table at the back of the room.

• If you are a new ACQ member you may not realize that at monthly meetings several members donate quilting magazines.  These are free to members, so please be sure to check out the selection. These are located on a table close to the library table. 

Submitted by:  Ann Roman and Mary Rogers

Social Distancing has put off our plans until the end of June to sell raffle tickets to the public on our lovely quilt.  I am hopeful that we will have plenty of opportunities the remainder of the year to sell tickets.

In the meantime, if you picked up your raffle tickets at the February meeting, please mail back your filled out stubs and a check to the address below.  If you would like to purchase tickets, you can send a check, an addressed stamped envelope, and how you would like the stub filled out.  Return address labels are perfect for this!  We will send the ticket stubs to you in return mail.  

Arapahoe County Quilters

PO Box 5357

Englewood, CO 80144

Thank you!

What crazy times these have become. New terms have instantly become a new common language: social distance, self-isolation and flatten the curve. ACQ cares about our members and we want to do what we can to support one another through this worldwide health event. 

The ACQ board met virtually Monday night through video chat to discuss our programs and schedule over these next few weeks. We’ll be following CDC and government guidelines that currently call for no large gatherings until at least May 10. We know this is a fluid situation, so we’ll be paying attention in the weeks to come how this will affect our events. In fact, we just heard this afternoon that First Plymouth Church has closed their building until May 15. 

Sherri Lynn Wood, our planned speaker for April, has offered to present her program and workshop virtually. We’re excited to explore this option for ACQ. We believe that we’ll all be ready for this kind of connection with each other by mid-April. Holding these events online will allow safe distance while still giving us the opportunity for quilting inspiration and education. 

Cindy Monserud, Lynn Roginski and June Dudley are spearheading this effort with Sherri. Details are still being worked out, so please be patient and we’ll let you know more information as soon as we can. 

April • Guild Meeting and Workshop

Watch for updated info about ACQ’s first ever virtual meeting on April 16 and virtual workshop on April 17-18. For those who have already registered for the workshop, you will receive an email explaining your options as soon as we have finalized details. Then registration will open for additional participants. Hospitality Volunteers: no cookies or treats will be needed in April—thanks for volunteering. 

April 20 • Board Meeting
Online video meeting. 

April 25 • New Members Welcome Tea
Postponed. We’ll let you know when it’s been rescheduled. 

May • Guild Meeting and Workshop
Watch for updated information about a virtual meeting on May 14. Our speaker has canceled her physical appearance with us, so the May 15 workshop has been canceled. For those who have already registered for the workshop, you will receive a full refund; details to come in a separate email.

You can watch the website for updates on the calendar and in the news section on our website. We’ll send important news as it becomes available, and keep you informed in the monthly newsletter. 

Stay in touch with ACQ and with each other:

• You can follow our Facebook page that is open to all at Facebook.com/ArapahoeCountyQuilters. You can read this page without joining Facebook.

• Connect and interact with ACQ members in our private Facebook group at Facebook.com/groups/ACQ.community. On your first visit you will request to join and an admin will verify your membership. You must have a Facebook account for this. We're seeing a lot of activity here with members sharing photos. Join the fun. 

• Need someone’s contact info? Sign in to the website to view the member’s directory at acqcolorado.org/members-only. 

• Stay in touch with ACQ Business Members at acqcolorado.org/business-members if you need to order any quilting supplies or fabric by mail.  

Remember that social distance is NOT social isolation. Please reach out and connect with one another as we journey together through these upcoming days and weeks. 

Thank you,

Terry Chase, ACQ President, and the ACQ Board