Coachella Valley Quilt Guild

Message from the President, Kathleen Herring

Happy Fall Everyone! Well, this wasn’t the spring and summer that we expected when we started 2020, but hopefully you all are making the best of it.  

After the missed meetings in March and April, I had my doubts about when we would be able to get together again. Then Annie Houston, one of our new Program VPs, introduced me to Zoom and generously offered to host some Zoom meetings for the guild. I had cancelled the June Studio Tours but when I suggested to the participants that we could do them virtually, they were all willing and eager to do it. So our summer virtual meetings/studio tours began. 

I am so pleased and delighted with how well they turned out. A big thank you to our guild members, Leslie Gardiner, Pat Siegel, Janna Calkins, Kathy Dunham, Kathy Markley, and Mary Gorfine, who went the extra mile to let us into their homes virtually. The tours were fantastic. You were all wonderful. And of course these Zoom meetings would not have gone off so smoothly without the help of our Program VPs, Annie Houston and Heather Keenan, and the other board members. Thank you so much. We had just over 80 members and guests turn out for our July and August meetings.

Now for the future. . . we just got word from UCR that they will not be opening up for meetings until at least January 2021. They will let us know the situation for 2021 as we get closer to that date. We have been planning for this possibility and Annie and Heather have been working with our fall speakers to be ready if we needed to do virtual programs. This of course has its upside and downside. The upside is that our snowbird members can now enjoy the meetings along with the rest of us. The downside is the lack of physical interaction that we enjoy so much. Still having a Zoom meeting and Zoom class in October does allow us to see and talk a bit to each other. And of course there still is the show and share plus a raffle drawing. And now Quilter to Quilter Hints at the meetings.  

Additionally, we have some “special activities” going on. Marcia Ulrich, our Philanthropy Chair has taken on a surgical caps project at the request of Desert Regional/JFK Hospitals. Check in the newsletter for more details.  

There are also two challenges to look forward to. The Southern California Council of Quilt Guilds has a call for quilts for a display at Road to California Quilt Show called “Sharing Our Quilts”. Check the guild website or SCCQG website for more details. Then there is the guild challenge — “The Beatles Quilt Challenge”.  More details on the website or later in this newsletter.  

The guild now has an Instagram account. So follow us there as well as on Facebook if you are on these social platforms. If not, now might be a good time to sign up for one or the other.

So I hope to see you on September 12 at our Zoom meeting and see some of the things you have been working on.  Take care of yourselves and stay safe.

Best regards,

Kathleen Herring, President

Marcia Ulrich, Philanthropy Chair

Hello Quilters, Summer is just about over and it's time to think about charity quilts.  If anyone quilted charity quilts over the summer, please let me know and if you are local to Coachella Valley, I will make arrangements to have them picked up.  I am so excited, with the quilts that you have given me for charity.  Your talent is just beautiful.

Those of you that have been working with me on the Surgical Cap Project, I thank you.

I will deliver to Western Regional Hospital (Desert Regional/JFK) 142 caps of our goal of 1000.  That is great, but we still have a long way to go.  If anyone is having difficulty making the caps, please let me know.  I or someone on my team can help you.  There are 150 kits ready to be sewn.  We need sewers to complete the caps and kit makers.  Any contribution is gladly accepted.

The caps are for the nursing staff at Western Regional Hospital in Palm Springs.  They are using those plastic shields which are irritating their foreheads. I am proud to have taken on this project for the hospital responders.  This is the Coachella Valley Quilt Guild’s thank you for working so hard to help with the Covid 19.

Please join me to reach our goal for the hospital.

Nancy Wilhelm, VP Facilities

Hello Members, I hope you are all enjoying the Zoom meetings.  They are a great way for the CVQG to stay in touch with our members.  I am still collecting President Blocks for Karon Patterson.  When folded, the blocks fit in a business size envelope.  One stamp is all the postage needed.  You can mail them to me.  My address is in the directory. 

Theresa Lake and Kim Johnson, Co-VPs Opportunity Quilt

Thank you for supporting our Opportunity Quilt program.  Our 2020 quilt will be raffled off at our December meeting.  For those of you who still have tickets, please send them to Patti Reyes so they can be included in the draw.

Treese Pflum, Membership Chair

Membership has been quiet over the summer. Look for new ways to join for the coming year as we move forward with technology and social distancing.  I have the 2020 directories for those of you who missed picking them up in February.  You can get your copy at Monica's on Thursdays, 9-10am, during the surgical caps drop off/kit pick up. Otherwise you can email or call me,  and I will send yours out via the postal service.  I still have about 35 or so that haven't been claimed. 

New member badges are coming, but I don't have a solid delivery date yet. When I have them in hand an email will go out. If you have other questions about membership you can reach me at 2quiltnutz@gmail.com or my cell, (760)799-3405.  I haven't melted yet....but I am close....

Pat Siegel, Treasurer

Hi All, I have been busy during Covid setting up some new services on our website.   

You can now buy Opportunity Quilt raffle tickets, pay for a workshop, pay your dues and, if you are not a member, pay your guest fee for our online meetings.We are taking baby steps at this point, so you can only use a Paypal account to make the payments on the website.   If you don’t have a Paypal account, you might consider opening one. There is no cost to you. Otherwise, you can also use Zelle available through your checking account at most banks.

Robert Tucker, Social Media and the Beatles Challenge

During these troubling times, the weight of a pandemic, political unrest, so many personal and global concerns, fears, doubts, if not dreads, those of us with needles in hand find solace. Sheltering in space is not so foreign to us as we shelter in space in our sewing spaces, whether a dining room table, rooms or studios. We have safe spaces that allow us to continue what is rewarding, calming and integral to our peace of mind. That is not to say there are no sewing or quilting catastrophes that make us yank our hair out and bark at the nearest object with frustration.Many of us are involved positively with the pandemic by making face masks and surgical caps much needed by local hospitals and clinics.

We can socially connect via the Coachella Valley Quilt Guild Zoom meetings. Whoever would have foreseen that a year ago. If you have not joined in, it is easy to do so with some advice. Just ask. It is wonderful to be able to interact and display our current projects this way. We  also have been doing studio tours via zoom. You do not have to worry about social distancing nor hand sanitizers nor face masks. Who knew!

Keeping connected is the core of our Facebook Coachella Valley Quilt Guild page. Please follow us and click the likes if so inclined as well as share to broaden our base. It is easy to stay connected and informed, as well as simply FUN!

Speaking of fun, The Beatles Challenge is in full swing. An email was sent with specifics. Each month a reminder will be on Facebook. The challenge is to be completed for the February 2021 guild meeting. Let us see how creative and inspired we can be. With questions contact Robert at Lickaretta@yahoo.com. 

As crazy as current issues are, we can continue our passions even now. How lucky are we?

Judi Moran, Chair, Bylaws Review Committee 2020

The Bylaws Review Committee 2020, comprised of myself as Chair, Annie Houston, Heather Keenan, Theresa Lake and Kim Johnson, met by Zoom to consider changes to the Bylaws and Standing Rules.  As per our Bylaws, the following changes, approved by the Board, are being presented to the membership at large in this newsletter, will be presented at the September meeting, and then voted on by the members at the October meeting.

1.  Under Article IV Section 8 A, remove "8B" so that Section 8A shall read:

" Maintain control and inventory of the Opportunity Quilt and its quilt frame.  (See Standing Rule 9.)"

2.  Under Article VI Section 1, add a second sentence so that Article VI, Section 1 shall read:

"The general meetings will be held on the second Saturday of every month, except the months of July and August, at a place determined by the Board, unless otherwise ordered by the Guild.  The general meetings will be either physical or virtual, as determined by the Board."

3.  Under Article VI Section 2, insert the words "physical or virtual" so that Article VI, Section 2 shall read:

"At all meetings of the membership, physical or virtual, the members in attendance shall constitute a quorum."

4.  Under Article VIII, add a Section 3 to deal with balance retention, so that Article VIII, Section 3 shall read:

"The Board as described in Article IV shall on an annual basis in August review the cash balance available as of June 30 with the goal of maintaining balances that will provide for a year of operations.  If at that time, that balance is less than the operating expenses for the prior year, plus any known obligations not reflected in the prior year's financial statements, the Board shall consider measures to increase revenues or decrease expenditures.  These measures should include membership dues, programs and rent, as these budget items represent the more significant ones that can have an impact."

5.  Under Standing Rules, 1.  General Meetings A., add the words "for both physical and virtual meetings", so that Standing Rules 1. A. shall read:

"Guests are welcome.  There shall be a guest fee for both physical and virtual meetings, to be determined by the Board."

Kelley Bachli, Newsletter Editor

Hello, I’m your new newsletter editor and email blaster!  Did you know we now have a "subscribe" button for our e-blasts on the website?  Let all your quilting friends know that anyone can sign themselves up to receive them.  If you have any comments or suggestions for the newsletter, please let me know at newsletter@cvquiltguild.org