Hello all! Hope you’re enjoying this gorgeous fall we’re having in North Jersey. A few reminders and notes:

• Our October meeting is next Saturday, October 18, from 10AM-2PM at the LDS Church at 209 Mountain Ave, Caldwell, NJ. It’s an Open Sew meeting, so bring your machines, extension cords and WIPs. We’ll also have charity quilt tops and batting for anyone who wants to help with our donation efforts.
• Our November meeting will be Thursday, November 20 at Rock Paper Scissors at 7PM.
• It’s almost time to swap names for our annual holiday swap! We’ll be using Elfster again to keep it anonymous. We’ll post about it here and you’ll also receive emails from Elfster.
• If you have anything you’d like to address or discuss with the board, please don’t hesitate to email njmqginfo at gmail.com.
• In that vein, one of our members emailed after our last meeting because she was made ill by someone’s fragrance. If possible, when we get together– especially on nights where we’ll be up close and personal with one another– please refrain from wearing perfume, cologne or fragrant products. We want everyone to be able to participate and enjoy.
• We have started a Facebook group for NJMQG members attending Quiltcon in Austin in February! Links and information are in the members-only group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/NJMQG/
• There are also links there to recent MQG webinars, including a very inclusive and inspiring one by Jacquie Gehring from last week: Modern Quilting: Know it when you see it. All you need to do is log in to the Community site.

Hi Guilders! We’re trying something new this month and having our first open sew meeting on Saturday, July 12 at the Church of Latter Day Saints in Caldwell, 209 Mountain Ave. We’re going to try to have quarterly weekend meetings.

We’ll start at noon with announcements as we do in regular meetings, then sew. You can work on your own project or a charity one for the guild. We have donation quilts in all stages of completion, but we especially need help with quilting and binding. (We’ll have another post in a day or two coordinating this.) At 3:00 we’ll have show and tell, with special emphasis on the Michael Miller challenge and charity projects worked on during open sew. 

What to bring:

• Your travel sewing materials, machine, rotary cutter, cutting mat, iron and ironing board, a power strip and an extension cord.
• A nametag
• Your Michael Miller Challenge project (deadline is July 25, so unfinished projects welcome)
• A snack to share (optional)

There will be door prizes during Open Sew, so we’re looking forward to a fun time! See you there!