MARCH 2025 MEETING MINUTES

Jean Craig, President, called the meeting to order at 6:30 PM. In attendance were 32 members,  4 members on Zoom, and 1 guest for a total of 37 participants.

Business / Announcements:

·      Jean reviewed the online calendar and noted that the May 27 program is Trash to Treasures.

·      Phoebe Harrell, Treasurer, announced the guild’s new online payment option through Zeffy. Phoebe will send a Zeffy link to members requesting to make an online payment, which guides you through the payment process. Zeffy serves non-profit organizations and does so through donations. When making a payment, Zeffy suggests a donation amount for the transaction. However, you are not obligated to pay this amount and may enter $0 for the donation amount. Payment collected by Zeffy is deposited weekly to our guild account. Each transaction generates an email sent to the guild leadership. Members may continue to submit payment by check or cash. Recurring transactions, such as annual dues, default to auto-renewal and Zeffy will send renewal reminders. This is an option and the member may opt out of auto-renewal. Please contact Phoebe if there are any questions about this new payment option.

·      Phoebe provided the 2024 income statement and 2025 budget. Please contact Phoebe if a copy is requested. Income in 2024 was $13,313.42 with most of the funds associated with Quilt Camp. Quilt Camp has since been separated from the guild account. 2024 had a net income of $396.19 and the ending bank balance was $4471.13. Responding to a question, Phoebe shared that the Programs budget is $1500, which is separate from Special Events/Classes. Special Events is primarily funded by the fees collected for classes.

Committee Updates:

·      SC District news: Upcoming dates shared by Linda Ambrose:

o   Coastal Carolina fair 10/30 - 11/9

o   Tunnel to Towers Foundation – goal is to open the facility on 11/11/25 and there is a need for 100 quilts; the dimensions are no larger than 64” x 64”. Please contact Linda for more information.

o   Cobblestone Quilt Show 3/19/2026 - 3/21/2026: Special guest Misty Doan will be instructing at Trident Tech College. 

·      Charity: Many charity pillowcases and 6 quilts were displayed by members.

·      Programs: Rachel Cochran shared that she is relocating to Spartanburg and will be attending future meetings remotely, continuing as Programs committee chair. Donna Tello of Spools Quilt & Stitchery will present at the April 22 meeting.

·      Special Events: The upcoming workshop, Annabel Wrigley of Little Pincushion Studio, is scheduled for Saturday, 6/21 10 AM – 5 PM at the Park West Clubhouse with “Deep Dive Into Improv.” Space is available. The clubhouse is reserved until 11 PM so attendees may continue to work on their projects. The cost is $100 and includes lunch. Details of the fabric and supplies requirements will be forthcoming by Susan Brandt. Additionally, Susan distributed and collected a survey form to seek member preferences for upcoming special events.

·      Outreach: The guild seeks an Outreach committee chair volunteer; please contact Jean Craig for more information.

·      Sew Days: There is no Sew Day in April.  Louisa Enright will instruct on stretch canvas during the May 17 Sew Day. 

    Membership: Kim McPeake updated the membership directory and it will be distributed soon.

·      Challenges: Rick Sanchez facilitated the  Upcycle/Recycle fabric challenge with 5 people swapping bags. Participants should return the finished project at the May 27 meeting.

Program:  Rick Sanchez presented “What Longarmers Like” 

·      All fabrics are acceptable, but quilting is tougher if there are mixed fabrics, such as both knits and cotton.

·      Recommended batting and back size: prefer 5” or greater on each side for both batting and back. Example: if 70” in length, need batting/back to be 80” with the additional 10” also for the width.

·      No less than .25" seams.

·      Reduce bulk wherever possible. Example: press seams open.

·      No safety pins holding the quilt sandwich together.

·      Flat and square are best.

·      No embellishments; may be added after quilting.

·      Provide preferences to your Longarmer and discuss with them your expectations, such as type of batting and orientation. Some Longarmers will not press your provided quilt nor batting, some will. Discuss all options with your Longarmer.

Show and Tell:    

Events & Dates to remember; See the 2025 Calendar on the top bar for full details! 

Next sew day at Five Eighth Seams  - May 17.  NOTE NO SEW DAY IN APRIL.

Next meeting - April 22

Annabel Wrigley improv class - June 21st

Quilt Camp - September 4-7

FEBRUARY 2025 MEETING MINUTES

Business/ Announcements:    Jean Craig called the meeting to order at 6:30 PM. The meeting was also available on Zoom with 4 virtual attendees. Molly Piepenburg is the newest member and provided a brief intro. All others stated their names. Total attendance was 29 members with no guests.

Phoebe Harrell has CMQG tote bags for sale for $25. Reminder: annual dues are $60.

Jean shared the 2025 calendar with dates for all meetings, sew days, and special events, and it is posted on the website/blog. Meetings that are not on the regularly scheduled 4^th Tuesdays are in bold. June 21 is a special program, Deep Dive into Improv workshop by Annabel Wrigley. The cost is $100 and the $50 deposit is due now. Attendance is limited and the deposit must be paid to reserve a slot. The workshop includes lunch, which Susan Brandt said will be nice.

Jean suggested that we have an upcoming demo for a stretch canvas technique by Louisa Enright. The membership agreed this would be great for a Sew Day. Those participating will want to bring a finished quilt block. More details are to come, tentatively scheduled for May.

Committee Updates:

·       Charity: Kate Weston brought 2 quilt kits for members to make a quilt for the foster children we serve. She also has 4 pillowcase packs for members to take, as well as extra fabric to be used for charity quilts. Our teen foster recipients live in 2 cottages for each the girls and boys, for a total of 32 children, plus an extra 16 that are needed. Quilts should be a size minimum of 50”x60”.

·       Quilt Camp: No updates, but reminder that attendees may want to make a vest or sash to wear at camp. More details will be provided by Phoebe about the vest pattern used last year.

·       Membership: The updated member directory was provided by Kim McPeake. Please provide Kim any needed photo or contact info updates.

·       Challenges: The current challenge for upcycled/recycled fabric was to be swapped, but only a few brought the fabric so Rick Sanchez shared more info and members will be prepared next month. Bring a fabric item (clothing, linen, etc.) that you like but are willing to let go. We will swap them in April and return them finished in May.

Committee signup: More help is needed with Programs (Rachel Cochran), Charity (Kate Weston), Community Outreach (Martha Ferguson), and Special Events (Susan Brandt). Susan requested help from a few members to review a  teacher directory for future speaker recommendations.  Connie Zafiris and Phoebe Harrell volunteered for this task. The membership broke out into the committee groups for further discussion.

Many members shared Show and Tell creations.

Linda Ambrose shared announcements as the district representative for Quilters of SC. 

·       There are openings for the spring meeting in Columbia, March 14/15. 

·       Cobblestone Quilt Show will be at Trident Tech on March 19-21, 2026. 

·       Oct 30, 2025 is the Coastal Carolina Fair opening; intake is Oct 18/19; quilt return on November 10. 

·       Tunnels to Towers purchased the Comfort Suites in N Chas and will have 90 permanent apartments for veterans. Cobblestone is making 60”x64” quilts for each and requests volunteers.

The meeting adjourned at 8:00 PM.

Events & Dates to remember; See the 2025 Calendar on the top bar for full details! 

Next sew day at Five Eighth Seams  - March 15th

Next meeting - March 25th

Annabel Wrigley improv class - June 21st

Quilt Camp - September 4-7

FEBRUARY 2025 BOARD MEETING MINUTES

Attending: Jean Craig, Nancy Tye, Phoebe Harrell, Kate Weston, Rick Sanchez, Susan Brandt, Rachel Cochran, Kim McPeake, Martha Ferguson

 

Jean Craig called the meeting to order at 5:31 PM.

 

Jean has had a couple of fabric donations and will provide more information as she sorts through the fabric.

Martha Ferguson is the new chair of Community Outreach and has performed Community Outreach for 35 years. 

Phoebe Harrell provided the Income Statement and 2024 and 2025 budgets; Carryover to 2025 is $4471.13.

Quilt Camp funds were mingled in the prior year’s income statement and the Quilt Camp funds have been separated into a different account. The removal of Quilt Camp funds from the budget explains the large increase in the balance carried into 2025.

Kate Weston questioned the charity budget, as the committee needs to purchase resources. Nancy Tye suggested using a member’s wholesale license to purchase batting. 

Susan Brandt said the cost of the upcoming workshop is $100/person with a goal of 24 attendees. If there are less than 24 paid attendees, we will need to open it to other guilds. Most presenters have a $400 booking charge and the booking fee for this workshop is $900.

Susan suggested that the Stocking Project be separated from Programs in the budget. The Yard Sale provided funds for the Stocking Project. There may be more sources for the stocking, which will decrease costs. Ideas were shared with Susan for soliciting contributions to stuff the stockings.

The meeting adjourned at 6:00PM.