November 2023 Recap - Temperature Quilts
Temperature quilts, by-laws changing and future leadership wanted! November’s meeting was chock full of info!
The November meeting was low-key, with just a few leaders and a smaller attendance than what we normally see. That didn’t prevent us from covering a wide variety of topics or taking care of some administrative work! This month we voted on accepting an updated version of the by-laws. Key changes included upgrading the social media position to be on par with the other leadership as far as title and candidate eligibility. Social media has come a long way since the guild began and the part it plays deserved a more thoughtful definition. We also updated our definition of modern quilting to align with the new Modern Quilt Guild website. Leadership terms were clearly spelled out as one year long, and references to a specific month for the General Meeting were removed to reflect that the calendar for the guild has shifted since Covid. The new , and approved, by-laws will be found under the tab in the Members-Only portion of the website. The vote to make the changes was unanimous.
President: Mary wasn’t able to join us, but Erin reviewed the need for new candidates for the upcoming election. Judy Irving is our election official and as of Sunday, nobody had submitted their names. ALL positions are open, as the current leadership will be leaving or vacating their current position. PLEASE consider running for office. The guild cannot function without volunteers and the changes you saw this year were done with an eye to making the roles run more smoothly. Our motto in leadership was that the decisions we made weren’t for today, but were intended for tomorrow. Ask any officer if you have any questions and remember to speak to Judy by the end of the day Friday, November 24, 2023. A ballot will be prepared and shared at the December meeting. Voting will be at the January 2024 meeting (which WILL be in-person.) Our community charity quilt for QuiltCon has been submitted, too!
We added a social time at the beginning of the meeting. What did you think?
Social Media: A progress report on the tasks outlined in the June meeting was given. Over 1, 000 show and tell photos have been added to the archives for member viewing. The Facebook page and members-only group are now linked for cross-posting. The Instagram account cannot directly link to the Facebook account at this time because of limitations in creating profiles in Facebook. Video tutorials were made for the future social media officers to use the new website as well as written instructions. The Flickr photos are 90% moved over and a little clean up needs to happen before that account can be deleted. An emphasis on simplicity and streamlining the job of social media was made, plus a description of the duties required versus personal choice was explained. The Monday Member Roundup feature, for instance, is a personal choice to create. Future officers should feel that they can continue or discard these optional activities as they see fit while fulfilling the duties of the role.
Membership: Two new biographies were added to the website in the members-only area. Thank you, Gerry and Merrilee! We currently have 58 members and 33 attended the October meeting on weaving. Make sure to pick up your MQG membership pin from Gail if you didn’t get it in July. Also, please confirm that you are receiving the weekly emails from the MQG. Your PghMQG membership includes membership to the MQG.
Programs: The meeting topic was Temperature Quilts, quilts that use weather data to determine something about the pattern, usually fabric color. Erin covered how to create a color range for the temps, where to find historic temperature date and how you could add details like precipitation to your design. Anne W brought a temperature quilt that she had previously made as an example. Temperature Quilts are the focus of the Q1 2024 quarterly challenge, due in April 2024. We have a great resource from a guild in Erie, PA that has an algorithm that will take the guesswork out of choosing colors. The email to receive this customized info can be found in the slides rather than here as it was shared with us with special permission. Erin also has many links to accompany this program, also found in the slides. Just a reminder, the Q4 2023 challenge is to include weaving in a project. Due January 2024!
Special MQG Report: Karen Womack, PghMQG member, was elected our regional rep to the MQG board. She shared that the MQG is looking to diversify the programs it offers to include more individual members. We saw the International Scrap Sorting Day and an upcoming Quilt Back Challenge was discussed. Another line item was that QuiltCon is the main source of funds for the MQG. They are looking to apply for grants, so requests for demographic information may be coming in the future to help determine which grants will work best for us all.
Don’t forget:
December will be our holiday sew day & luncheon. Come sew with us December 2, 2023, from 9am-8pm. We are exchanging thread catchers! Links to ideas are on the meeting slides in the archives.
Pam Bice has reserved an AirBnB for QuiltCon and is looking for roommates. Please email or text/call her for more information. She can be found in the roster in the members-only area of the site.
All 2024 dates have been added to the website calendar, including meetings, sew days, etc.
July 2023 Recap
July was all about Color Theory, transitioning between quarterly challenges and reports from the Treasurer & Social Media.
If you tuned in to the meeting via Zoom, we know how painful it was to keep having it drop. We are taking steps to improve the signal for August. Hopefully, no matter when or how you joined us in July, this meeting recap is beneficial.
Programs:
The Q2 challenge of using pre-cuts was a success! All entries can be found on the Challenges page here. They were not included in the Show & Tell carousel below.
The theme for this month is Color Theory. You can access the Meeting Slides in the Member-Only area of the website. Follow this path: Members-Only>Archive>Programs>Meeting Slides>July. There you’ll find the links to the resources that Erin shared and the slides with various definitions and inspirations for choosing colors.
Future programs: August - Skill Builders and Framing Quilt Blocks, September - Sew Day and assembling the charity quilt, October - fabric weaving, November - temperature quilt
Quarterly challenges: Q3 - Limited color palette/due October. Using 3-5 colors, make and finish a quilt of any size. Use the hashtag #pghmqgltdcolor
Sara Goer workshop coming in October - Building An Improv Toolbox… You can now register for the workshop in the Members-Only area: Members-Only>Workshop Registration. You can find more information on the workshop here.
Membership:
The membership year was over as of June 30, 2023. Renewals were due by then. You can now pay by cash or check, and you can also mail your payment to the Treasurer at the following address:
Pittsburgh Modern Quilt Guild
PO Box 105
Wexford, PA 15090
At this point, if you haven’t renewed your membership you will be removed from our social media groups and our roster. You are still a member of the MQG “mother ship” until the end of 2023.
President:
The 2024 QC charity quilt programs has some changes, but we are aiming to be completed in time for entry. The winning design was a yellow version of the Deco quilt by Lo & Behold Stitchery. The volunteers are coordinating the fabric purchase and will have kits to take at the August meeting. A photo of the mockup can be found in the slides.
We are always happy to share news of other workshops, lectures, etc. However, we would ask that members with this information create their own social media post that we can share. We will highlight that information on our platforms, including any posts you might create to sell your sewing items.
Please consider stepping up to lead next year! Several offices will have met their term limits and an organization is only as good as its volunteers.
Social Media:
Progress updates on the website and social media refresh were shared. The new site is active and feedback is positive. All of the old site’s links still need to be updated to the new site. No decision was made regarding a public versus private presence on Facebook. Streamlining the accounts to match emails for continuity and media sharing will take place and the group vs page question will be revisited in the future.
A general overview of Instagram terms and functions was quickly covered. In the meeting slides, a link to an instructional article is provided.
Treasurer:
Jen provided a financial statement for the 2022-2023 year, with details regarding our balance. This information is also in the meeting slides. A budget for the 2023-2024 year is in the works and will be presented at the August meeting.
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Things we want you to remember! In the Members-Only area, you can now submit Show & Tell, register for the workshop and submit a member bio! As functionality grows, we will make more announcements. Thanks for the support of the new website!
