AUGUST 2026 MEETING MINUTES

Kerry Bevers, President, called the meeting to order at 6:40 PM with 29 members and 7 guests in attendance, 3 of whom joined this evening.

 

Program:  Tonight’s topic Choosing Threads Weights with Bob Purcell, YLI Threads

●      Bob previously owned Superior Threads and sold it after 18 years, then he bought YLI. 

●      YLI’s HQ is in St. George, Utah. 

●      Thread quality is 40% of the solution when having thread breakage issues. Bob provided information about cotton, polyester, and Egyptian cotton thread. He shared that the 50-weight Perfection thread is perfect for most every need. The Elite poly thread has a sheen, similar to metallic thread.

●      Needle recommendation: for quilting, embroidery, quilting, and clothing is Topstitch needle, titanium coated.

●      Tension: All tension is set for a polyester 50 weight thread and one must adjust if weight or thread type is different. Often, the tension is too tight.

●      Regarding thread shelf life, if it doesn’t break, use it.

●      YTI is offering a new type of thread for long arms that has 36 colors and is made to not break.

●      YLI (You’ll Love It) has a newsletter. 

●      Bob shared a promo code for 25% off thread, needles, and color cards. The promo is valid for 10 days using the code “Charleston.”

●      Any questions, contact Bob at bob@ylithreads.com

 

Business / Announcements: 

●      The next monthly meeting is September 22 for our annual Trash to Treasure program.The cost is $10 to shop for treasures brought by the members. Please contribute anything related to sewing. The funds go toward the 20 Christmas stocking contents. Each treasure contributor needs to take back with them anything that is not claimed.

●      The next Sew Day is September 19, in which we will work on charity quilts making Improv blocks and wonky stars.

●      Kate shared the ice dying requirements for Quilt Camp. Fabric must be washed and be cotton, silk, or linen.

●      Programs: Connie will be assigning months to members going forward, 15-20 minutes per program.

 

Members shared their quilts at Show and Tell.

The meeting adjourned at 8:00 PM.

Events & Dates to remember - Check the “2026 Calendar” in the right hand column. 

Sew Day at Five Eighth Seams - September 19

Next meeting - September 22

QuiltCon 2027 Atlanta - February 25-28

Camp Quilt Along - September 16-19, 2027

JULY 2026 MEETING MINUTES

Kerry Bevers, President, called the meeting to order at 6:31 PM with 28 members and 4 guests in attendance.

Program:  Tonight’s topic  “Taking Good Quilt Photos” was presented by Karyn Iserman. 

●      Use a natural light source to best represent your quilt. 

●      Suggestions provided were: 

o      no need for a fancy camera

o      can use a phone in good light

o      may need a portable quilt stand to hang it straight with clamps

o      can attach to a wall with masking tape

o      before using your phone camera, clean the lens

o      turn the flash off and turn on grid lines to line it up squarely

o      lock in focus, do not use digital zoom, and hold it steady

●      QuiltCon requires 3 photos; overall, front detail, and edge detail. 

●      Crop the photo without cropping the edges. If submitting to a contest with a facing and no binding, may need to state this in the submission. 

●      Prep your quilt by pressing, using steam, and use a lint roller; trim loose threads, check the corners, and add a sleeve, if required.

●      If indoors, be near windows with light, but do not allow streaks created by sunlight or hot spots. Turn off all artificial lighting.

●      If outdoors, it is best early or late in the day. Cloud cover is helpful. Under a porch provides bright indirect light. Show special details, such as texture. Indirect light enhances texture. A flash will make the texture flat. 

●      Square and straighten the photo by aiming at the center, also using gridlines.

 

Business / Announcements: 

●      Kim McPeake circulated the membership directory for members to make adjustments, if needed.

●      The next monthly meeting is August 25 and the program is Thread Weights by Y.L.I. Threads. 

●      The next Sew Day is August 15.

●      Charity quilts: Jean Craig and Kate Weston shared quilts they made and stated that 50” X 69” is a good size for charity quilts.

 

Committee Updates:

●      Swaps/Challenges:  Elaine Woodward and Terry Wischerath presented the bird color challenge, Birds All Around. Each participant selected an envelope with an enclosed bird photo. Make a quilted item of any size, using the bird as inspiration and bring it to the November meeting. The quilt may be a charity quilt and it was suggested to be twin size for teens.

●      This month’s theme for the Midnight Garden 2026 quilt challenge was to make your favorite flower. Several were displayed, as well as one of Jimothy. 💖🦝  Next month’s challenge is items on the garden floor, such as grass, snails, and worms.

●      The fabric postcard swap in celebration of America’s 250th birthday was completed and 17 of them were displayed by those who brought them.

●      Charity quilts: we will be making charity quilts at the September Sew Day.

 

Members shared their quilts at Show and Tell.

The meeting adjourned at 7:50 PM.

Events & Dates to remember - Check the “2026 Calendar” in the right hand column. 

Next meeting - August 25

Sew Day at Five Eighth Seams - August 15

QuiltCon 2027 Atlanta registration - August 19

Camp Quilt Along - August 27-30, 2026

JUNE 2026 MEETING MINUTES

Kerry Bevers, President, called the meeting to order at 6:31 PM with 25 members in attendance.

Program:  Tonight’s topic was Color Theory presented by our guest speaker, Ester Araujo. Ester attended SCAD, studying fibers and surface design. She works out of Redux, teaching primarily landscape painting using gouache.

One of Ester’s favorite quotes is by Joseph Albers: “In visual perception a color is almost never seen as it really is—as it physically is.” Ester says that what we see as color is light bouncing off a surface. Color is always changing; it’s very personal and evokes many emotions.

She talked about how color can change depending on what you put around it, and she brought color swatches for us to play with so we could see for ourselves the dramatic difference achieved by placing one color against two different backgrounds.

Business / Announcements: 

• The next monthly meeting is July 28 and the program is “Taking Good Quilt Photos.” 

• The next Sew Day is July 18.

Committee Updates:

• Swaps/Challenges: this month’s theme for the Midnight Garden 2026 quilt challenge is to add your favorite flower to your garden.

• The fabric postcard swap in celebration of America’s 250th birthday is due by the end of June for delivery by July.

• Charity quilts: we will be making charity quilts together at the September Sew Day.

• The next challenge will be a color challenge coming from nature.

 

Members shared their quilts at Show and Tell.

The meeting adjourned at 7:30 PM.

Events & Dates to remember - Check the “2026 Calendar” in the right hand column. 

Next meeting - July 28

Sew Day at Five Eighth Seams - July 18

QuiltCon 2027 Atlanta registration - August 19

Camp Quilt Along - August 27-30, 2026