Berks Quilters Guild Activities & Projects

The Berks Quilt Guild offers many benefits with membership. Here is a listing of the activities and projects members can take advantage of.

Local Quilt and Fabric Shop Directory!! In November 2001, Berks Quilters Guild published for its members a Directory of Quilt & Fabric Shops covering Berks and the six surrounding counties (Lehigh, Montgomery, Chester, Lancaster, Lebanon, and Schuylkill). The booklet lists 76 quilt and sewing-related businesses along with a map of each county, with shop locations marked. The directory is free to guild members and may be purchased by others for $3.00 per copy while supplies last. To order by mail, send a check or money order for $4.50 (includes shipping and handling), payable to Berks Quilters Guild, to Barbara Brown, 3004 Merritt Parkway, Sinking Spring, PA 19608.

AQS (American Quilter's Society) Book Orders may be placed at meetings or by calling the committee chair. Books are ordered at a discount. You are charged the minimum cost of the book as orders are not placed until six books have been ordered. This usually takes one or two meetings to accomplish but the discount is well worth the wait. Payment is due at the time of ordering. A list of available books is with the sign-up sheet.

Our Beekeeper maintains a list of where and when each of the bees meets and helps form new groups. A Quilting Bee is a small group of quilters that meets on a regular basis. Groups are usually limited to 6 - 12 members depending on space available. There are several bees existing in the guild. New bees are always invited to form. Size and time of gathering is determined by the members of each bee. This is a wonderful way to get to know other quilters in the guild on a more personal level. Contact the Beekeeper if you are interested in forming a bee or getting into an existing bee.

Block-of-the-Month is announced in the newsletter with pattern, fabric and color requirements listed along with the due date. Participation is optional. The blocks are turned in at the beginning of the meeting or at the break and placed on a flannel board. You place your name into a container once for each block that you make. Following the break the winning name is drawn. If enough blocks are turned in, we occasionally pick two winners. There is no limit to the number of blocks you may make each month.

Every year members of the guild are invited to participate in a Challenge. The guidelines and requirements are given at the time the Challenge is announced. On the due date the completed items are brought in plain paper bags and hung by the committee. The members to vote according to the categories given by those running the challenge. This is a great way to test your creative skills.

The guild has a beautiful Pin and pattern kits for a Collar available for purchase. Every member wears a collar at the guild quilt show which helps the visitors identify members. If you are interested in either of these, please contact the respective chairpersons and they will meet you at the next guild meeting.

Community Service -- Once a year we set aside a meeting to work on quilts for charitable organizations. We usually sew in teams, with one member cutting, one sewing, and possibly a third ironing. Most of the quilts are tied or machine quilted. Durability is a key to the finished project. A few of the recipients of this project have been Berks Women in Crisis, Salvation Army, and St. Joseph's Prenatal Program.

If you know of a member who is ill or has lost a close family member, please contact our Corresponding Secretary.

A Door Prize Raffle is held each month. Proceeds are used to purchase new books for our library. If you are interested, tickets are $1.00 each or 6 for $5.00. See the chairperson at the back of the meeting room for tickets.

Field Trips are offered periodically -- watch the newsletter for details. Where do we go? Fabric shops and quilt shows, of course!!!

Our Guild Historian is in charge of recording the happenings of the guild and maintains a scrapbook with photos. If you have any that you would like to share, please contact her.

Each year we enjoy a Holiday Banquet that is organized by our 1st Vice President. This is a relaxing evening with a great dinner and lots of fun and fellowship. Each year is slightly different - watch your newsletter for details.

Our meeting would not be complete without refreshments. If you would like to provide a snack, please sign up with the Hospitality Committee when they send around a list at the meeting. If you find you are not attending a meeting for which you volunteered, please find someone to take your place, or contact the chairperson. This is an easy way to help fulfill your membership requirements, and everyone loves to try new recipes.

The guild maintains a large selection of books and video tapes in our Library which is located on tables near the rear of the meeting room. To sign out a book, sign the card in the back of the book and place the card in the can. At the next meeting take the card from the can and place it back into the book, returning the book to the table. Circulation is for one month (from meeting to meeting). There is a fine if the book is late. As new materials are purchased for the library, volunteers write Reviews for the newsletter.

The Membership Committee maintains attendance records. Please be sure to sign in at each meeting. A pattern for your name tag is included in the membership packet. Every member is to construct one and wear it at all meetings. There is a fine of 25 cents for not wearing the tag at the meetings. This helps all of us to get to know each other. You have two meetings to get the name tag completed before being fined.

Our permanent NQA Chapter Coordinator is Judy Gammell. If you would like information about joining the National Quilting Association, or becoming a certified teacher or judge, Judy would be happy to point you in the right direction.

A bi-monthly Newsletter is mailed to all members. Committee members have been asked to submit detailed reports for the newsletter so that all members will be well informed about guild activities. It is our best means of communicating information to 100% of our membership. Please be sure to read every issue cover to cover. You will find lots of information about committee meetings, programs, classes, new books, refreshment assignments, challenge, retreat, field trips and block-of-the-month. Quilt show listings and new quilt shops are also included.

We provide a wide variety of interesting topics during the Program segment of our monthly meetings. Some meetings are set aside for Community Service, picnics and challenges. If you have an idea for a program or know of a fantastic speaker, please bring them to the attention of our 2nd Vice President.

Publicity keeps us informed about upcoming quilting events and related activities. This committee will also make arrangements for any press releases to inform the public of accomplishments achieved by the guild and its members. If you have information that needs to get out to the public, please inform the chairperson.

We have been presenting a Quilt Show every other year since 1994. This is our opportunity to display our quilts to the public. Lots of help is needed to work the two days of the show and for set up and tear down. This is another great way to get to know other guild members. In 1998 we started a silent auction of small quilts with the proceeds benefiting Breast Cancer Support Services of Berks County. These quilts are displayed throughout the county for about 2 months prior to the show. Bids are taken, with the quilt going to the highest bidder. In 2000 we were able to donate $5,000 to this very important organization. Our quilt show has grown each year and has been something the guild is proud to present to the community.

A Raffle Quilt is made every other year. The winning raffle ticket is drawn during our Holiday dinner meeting. This is usually our only fund raiser and is a major source of income for the guild. There are several opportunities during the year to sell tickets at local events and for members to work on the quilt. This is also a great way to get to know other members - similar to an old fashioned quilting bee.

Meeting minutes are maintained by our Recording Secretary. If there is anything you need to know about a previous meeting, please give her a call.

During the fall the guild holds a retreat at either Black Rock Retreat Center in Quarryville or at Mensch Mills. The number of participants is limited only by the number of rooms we may reserve. Usually the group is about 40 - 48. Rooms have two single beds and one double with private baths. Delicious meals are provided by both centers. Some activities are planned during the weekend, including show and tell on Sunday morning. If you get stuck on a project, there are willing advisors in the room to help. What a great excuse to have a slumber party, sew all day and night, not have to cook, do dishes, answer phones and deal with the kids and husbands! Space is limited -- so sign up early -- this retreat fills up fast!!

The Sewing Room Tour is an exciting opportunity to see how other members organize their sewing areas. This is a fun day of travel, ideas and door prizes.

Show and Tell is an exciting segment of every guild meeting. It is the time when all the members who have completed projects since the last meeting get up and show their work. It is fun to see how members grow in their ability and color preferences. Please share your work regardless of your level of experience.

Sit and Stitch is held at Bern Evangelical Curch and begins at 4:30 PM and ends at 8:30 PM, usually the first Tuesday of the month. Come and go anytime within the time period as your schedule permits. Great lighting, plenty of outlets and tables are available to work on your projects. This is an opportunity to have some personal time to work on your project, mingle with fellow guild members, and free advice and suggestions are always readily available. There is no fee, no sign-up or obligations -- just show up and sew. You need to bring your own sewing machine, hand-work and cutting tools.

Sourdough Quilts are small quilts that are based on a theme with a starter block and/or fabric. Members (about 6 to 12) volunteer to sign up to work on each project. As each person’s turn comes around, she reads the directions and adds to the quilt - sharing extra fabrics, buttons and embellishments. When all of the participants have worked on the quilt, a drawing is held and one of them wins the quilt. This is a great way to stretch your creative skills. There is usually a journal included in the box to share your thoughts and experiences. Some of the Sourdoughs we have worked on in the past were a quilted pizza, Halloween, 3-D flowers, Of Ship and Shore and Once Upon a Time. We usually have several of these projects circulating at one time. The only person allowed to see the project is the member who is currently working on it -- NO PEEKING!!!

Watch the newsletter for the announcement of Workshops offered by the Guild. Supply lists are provided at the time of payment for the class. Some classes are offered by members of the guild and some are given by speakers brought in for meetings.

There is a small Junior Guild composed of children who are sponsored by our members. They meet in each other's homes several times throughout the year. Watch the newsletter for announcement of their meetings. The sponsoring member is required to stay with the junior member during the meetings.

We hope you enjoy your membership in Berks Quilters Guild. If there is anything we can do to make your membership in our guild more enjoyable, please feel free to contact any committee member or officer. We will do our best to help you.

If you have any approved guild related expenses, please request a disbursement form from our Treasurer. Attach a receipt for all expenses.

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