Our first meeting in the new year was held on Saturday January 18th, in-person, at the First Lutheran Church in Montclair with 31 members and 4 guests.

Guild Business

• 2025 new memberships and renewals are open; annual dues is $70. Email reminders have been sent to current members with a link to the payment and renewal forms.
  • Members who do not renew by the end of Jan will be removed from the roster and email list.
    Please visit the Join page to sign up.
  • Please note there are 2 steps to becoming (or renewing) a member. Make sure you do both:
    • 1. Fill out the Join Form.
    • 2. Pay the dues by Zelle, Venmo, check, cash or credit card. ($2 fee applies to credit card transactions).
  • New and renewing members will receive a 2025 Welcome email in February which will include the new password for the Members Only section of this website.
• Name Tag Swap in 2025 – contact Ann if you want to participate.
• Due to the concurrence of QuiltCon and our regular meeting schedule, the February meeting is shifted to the Saturday after QuiltCon:
  • February Meeting – Thursday Feb 27th at 7 pm, on Zoom.
  • Plus, for those not attending QC, join us for a Virtual Open Sew in the comfort of your own space, Saturday Feb 22nd 10a-2p, on Zoom.
• March 22nd Meeting in-person – Tea Party Theme.
  Bring your favorite cup or mug; wear a fun hat; and we’ll have an open sew afterward to work on charity items with Kelly. Feel free to bring materials (fabric, zippers, buttons, travel-size toiletries, etc) to work with or share.
• If you signed up for a new round of Bee Blocks, they are due at the March 22 meeting.
• April 26th Meeting in-person will be followed by a Kawandi workshop with Ellaree. Sign-ups will go out in March.
• QuiltCon Outreach Charity Quilt was shipped to QuiltCon! Thanks again to Paula and everyone who participated in making this year’s entry!

Show & Tell

Thanks for sharing your beautiful work – MJ (1, 2), Aubrey (3, 4), Tanya (5, 6), Gretchen (7, 8), Ann (9), Ruth (10, 11), Karen (13), Julia (14).

Jo Ann Lepore Trunk Show and book signing

After our regular meeting, Jo Ann Lepore treated us to a deep, informative dive into the fascinating process of creating her new book, Picture Patchwork, printed by Fox Chapel Publishing.

Thank you Jo Ann!

Ask your local bookseller to order a copy for you.

Next Meetings

Thursday February 27, 2025 Zoom 7-9p** (this is the 4th Thurs)

Saturday March 22, 2025 In-person 11a-1p, plus Open Sew 1-4p.

Saturday April 26, 2025 In-person 11a-1p, plus workshop 1-4p.

See you next time!

xo,
Kathy

Our December Holiday Party/”in-person meeting” was held on Saturday December 7th, at the First Lutheran Church in Montclair with 33 members and 2 guests.

Guild Business

• 2025 new memberships and renewals will open in January, with annual dues set at $70. At that time, an email reminder will be sent out to current members with a link to the payment and renewal forms. Members who do not renew by the end of Feb will be removed from the roster and email list.
  New members, please visit the Join page in January.
• Name Tag Swap in 2025 – contact Ann if you want to participate.
• January Meeting – will be in-person on Saturday Jan 18th at 11 am.
  Our own Jo Ann Lepore will present a trunk show and book-signing after the meeting.
• Due to the concurrence of QuiltCon and our regular meeting schedule, the February meeting is shifted to the Saturday after QuiltCon:
  • February Meeting – Thursday Feb 27th at 7 pm, on Zoom.
  • Plus, for QC refugees, we’ll host a Virtual Open Sew in the comfort of your own space, Saturday Feb 22nd 10a-2p, on Zoom.
• QuiltCon Outreach Charity Quilt – Betsy V. finished quilting it and now it’s off to be bound and shipped to QuiltCon! Thanks to everyone who participated in making this year’s entry and especially to Paula for herding the cats!

Holiday Party

Many thanks to Emily, Paula, and Rochelle for doing such a fabulous job! We loved all the good food, music, and fun activities!

• “Find A Quilter Who…” Scavenger Hunt was a great mixer and a fun way to learn more about or meet for the first time other guild members!
• Each table played Right/Left/Center and nearly everyone got to leave with fabric, a plant, or holiday decoration!
• Giveaway prizes were raffled off!
• Judy won the 50/50 Raffle and we added over $70 to our Showcase fund.
• The Teacup/Mason Jar-Pincushion craft was a hit!

• Amazing items were exchanged in the Upcycle Swap – who knew there was so much treasure in your closets!

Tari picked up her Block-Party bee blocks.

(Bring yours to the January meeting so I can get pictures of everyone’s blocks!)

A new bee will be announced next year.

Show & Tell

Thanks for sharing your beautiful work – Cindy (#1), Sue A. (2), Carol (3), Karen (4, 5), Janet (6), Rochelle (7), Paula (apologies, the picture didn’t come out!).

Other Good Stuff Happening

• Montclair Fiber Arts Club – register through Lifelong Montclair to join this group with your needlework at Edgemont Park House 290 Valley Road every other Wednesday 10a-12p.

• Hunterdon Art Museum – 7 Lower Center Street Clinton, NJ 08809, Unblocked: Improvisation and Identity in Contemporary Quilts, now through January 12th, 2025.
  
  Featuring Elizabeth Brandt, Zak Foster, Coulter Fussell, Chawne Kimber, Basil Kincaid, Kwesi O. Kwarteng, Krystle Lemonias, Sarah Nishiura, our own Melanie Tuazon, and Sherri Lynn Wood.

Unblocked brings together a diverse group of artists whose quilts tell stories, express identity, celebrate community, further social justice, and engage in formal design and color investigations. Comfortable with improvisation, these artists use materials that are readily available—often discarded or donated clothing and domestic textiles—and work intuitively, without a structured plan.

Next Meetings

Saturday January 18, 2025, In-person 11a-1p

Thursday February 27, 2025 Zoom 7-9p** (this is the 4th Thurs)

Saturday March 22, 2025 In-person 11a-1p

May your holidays be filled with good things!
See you next year!

xo,
Kathy