Some Shopping and Visiting

Comfort Quilts Summer Project ‘Mad about Plaid (and White)’

It was a perfect day to come together.  Members enjoyed the company of fellow quilters as well as treating themselves to a few fun purchases which raised close to $1400 from the Comfort Quilts Boutique Kits Sale and Summer Raffle and the Library Book Sale.

The Help Doctor

Quilt Kits for Sale

Spin the Wheel to win a prize!

Art Lovers SIG Display

Improv SIG Display

Hello Everyone!

As always, it was fun seeing everyone again at our October meeting.  Some of you got to continue the fun by attending the workshop the next day.  Good for you.

It was also nice to see those of you who were able to attend the in person Fall Social at NSVAC on October 9th.  We had an awesome day.  And, Mother Nature did in fact cooperate and for that were are grateful!

Please note the following changes:

First, December we will in fact be able to have our first in person meeting at Kennedy.  Hooooray!  Please remember to mark your calendars for the date change:  Thursday – December 9, 2021.  Since this will be our first in person meeting, we have decided to keep it light and easy so we can all chat and catch up.  Treats will be enjoyed while we play some fun games with the chance to win some great prizes.

Second, mark your calendars for our next in person meeting which will be: Wednesday – March 16, 2022.  We will be collecting the Challenge Quilts:  Put a Heart on It.  This change was made to make the collection of the quilts much easier for everyone and as an added bonus, you get some extra time!  If you haven’t made one yet, get stichin!  If you have made one, great!  Now, make another one!  Just kidding!!  Our program that evening will be presented by our very own, Mary Cannizzaro.  Mary is uber talented and never fails to please.

Third, mark your calendars again, as we will be voting on the Challenge at our April meeting:  Wednesday – April 6, 2022.  You don’t want to miss the opportunity to see these quilts up close and personal and vote for your favorite.

Happy Stitchin’,  April and Narci,

activities@northernstarquilters.com

Improv SIG group members (L to R): Ashley, Dee, Margaret, Rona, Jody, Meg, Pooa

This month several members of the Improv SIG took a Field Trip to the C.H.Booth Library in Newtown, Connecticut to see two gallery exhibits. Of special interest to us was the FANE Fibre Art & Quilt Exhibit because many of the art quilts and works on panel boards were done by NSQG members. Congratulations artists! We loved this exhibition and were happy to see your wonderful pieces!

Comfort Quilts

CQ October Distributions

Right now the upcoming CQ meeting dates at NSVAC are Wednesdays, 10am-2pm – Nov. 3 & 17, and Dec. 1 & 15.  Vaccination required, no lunch table setup, eating either outside or at your table spot is fine.

All members are welcome to contact comfortquilts@northernstarquilters.com to join in making Comfort Quilts quilts or to make any charity quilt requests or to make any fabric donations.

Narci Medina, quilt made by Carolyn Salon

Harlan Sexton, quilt made by Brenda Strauss

April Russel, quilt made by Althea Nolan

Our Fall Social was fun for all!  The Comfort Quilts Summer Project, ‘Mad about Plaid’ raffle raised over $300 so three quilts raffled – three winners!

Congratulations to the winners and the makers.
Our Boutique Quilt Kits were also a big seller.
Thank you to Carol Auer and Karen Carlson for keeping Comfort Quilts a big part of our Guild.

2022 Raffle Quilt “Bright Star” – Charity Recipient Friends of Karen of North Salem, NY.

BRIGHT STAR was on display at the Fall Social and was admired by all.  All ticket proceeds will go to the charity, Friends of Karen, of North Salem N.Y. Thank you to the Guild members who helped in the making of this beautiful quilt.

Blocks by Alice Dokken, completed by Karen Carlson

Christmas quilt by Patricia Loquet

Two Comfort Quilts were donated to Kennedy Catholic for their Holiday Fundraiser and Silent Auction on December 4th.  Check it out!

Dee Plouffe’,  charitable@northernstarquilters.com

UPCOMING

Sarah Nishiura (online) November 16th will lecture on “Home”. Her workshop date will be later, Wednesday December 1^{st,  “}Deconstructing Design”.

Click HERE  for more details on the lectures and workshops and signup anytime.

Emails with details and reminders about workshops as well as any extra events are sent regularly, be sure to watch for them.  Zoom lecture links are sent out a couple days beforehand, recording links for those lectures that can be recorded are sent out a couple days after.  Workshops are not recorded.

Online via Zoom

Beginning with an examination of some well-known quilt patterns, and moving through a series of hands-on design exercises, this workshop will introduce students to fundamentals of geometric quilt design, offer practical advice on ways to approach design, and also include exercises to help students develop their own designing voice. Rather than sewing with fabric, students in this workshop will work with paper and glue, and brainstorm on graph paper to develop a well realized, self-designed pattern that is ready to be sewn.  Recognizing that no two quilters are the same, Sarah will share the process she uses to design her quilts, while encouraging students to find their own way.

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The cost of a one day workshop is $50.00 for NSQG members, non-members are welcome (based on availability) for a fee of $70.  The cost for a two day workshop varies, check specific workshop information for details.

All workshop sign-ups are subject to availability, no refunds unless workshop is cancelled or overfilled.

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Please be sure your NSQG membership is up-to-date (you can renew here) before registering as a member for a workshop.

• To signup and pay via credit card: click here.
• To signup and pay by check:  email programs@northernstarquilters.com with your workshop choice and mail your check (payable to Northern Star Quilters’ Guild):  Kathy Tuttle, 9 Coventry Circle, Mahopac, NY  10541.
  

Class confirmation and supply list will be emailed when payment is received.

Contact Kathy Tuttle, kathytuttle9@gmail.com, with any questions.

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North Salem Volunteer Ambulance Corps
14 Daniel Road, North Salem, NY
Saturday, October 9th, 10am-1pm
Vaccination required – Covid-19  guidelines to be followed

• Quilt Display by Comfort Quilts – Summer Project ‘Mad about Plaid’
  with Winner’s Choice Raffle
• Quilt Display – 2022 Raffle Quilt
• Quilt Display by Art Lovers SIG
• Quilt Display by imProv SIG
• Spin the Wheel – Surprise Prizes !!!
• Membership Renewal
• Directory Photos
• Workshop Information and Sign-ups
• Boutique Quilt Kits for Sale
• Fill a ‘Bag of Books’   (sorry, no new donations)
• The Doctor is In – Quilting Questions Help Table
• Gathering Areas to Visit with Fellow Members

• Bring your own bags
• Wear your name tags
• Have exact change or checks

***In case of inclement weather we will send an email rescheduling to a rain date or cancelling.
If in doubt, check your emails before heading out or contact us**

COMING WORKSHOPS

Julia McLeod (online) October 19th and 20th will lecture on “Everything But Cotton” with a next day workshop “Starting with Silk”.

Sarah Nishiura (online) November 16th will lecture on “Home”. Her workshop date will be later, Wednesday December 1^{st,  “}Deconstructing Design”.

Click HERE  for more details on the lectures and workshops and signup anytime.

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Emails with details and reminders about workshops as well as any extra events are sent regularly, be sure to watch for them.

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Zoom lecture links are sent out a couple days beforehand, recording links for those lectures that can be recorded are sent out a couple days after.   Workshops are not recorded.

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October Workshop Description

Comfort Quilts

Quilts from September’s CQ meeting

Right now the upcoming CQ meeting dates at NSVAC are Wednesdays, 10am-2pm – Oct. 6 & 20, Nov. 3 & 17, and Dec. 1 & 15.  Vaccination required, no lunch table setup, eating either outside or at your table spot is fine.

At our Fall Social, Comfort Quilters will display their Summer Project quilts, “Mad About Plaid”.  There will be a mini raffle for one or more quilts.  Boutique Quilt Kits will also be for sale.

All members are welcome to contact comfortquilts@northernstarquilters.com to join in making Comfort Quilts quilts or to make any charity quilt requests or to make any fabric donations.

2022 Raffle Quilt “Bright Star”

Pre-selling raffle tickets for BRIGHT STAR, our NSQG raffle quilt, at the Fall Festival at Somers Rehabilitation & Nursing Center.

Come see our beautiful 2022 Raffle Quilt, BRIGHT STAR at NSQG’s Fall Social, Oct 9th. This year’s quilt was coordinated by Judy Gignesi and a group of Guild members. Thank you Angela Vertucci, for your beautiful job of quilting.  Raffle tickets will be distributed at our December Guild meeting or mailed. This year’s charity recipient is Friends of Karen of North Salem, NY.

Dee Plouffe’,  charitable@northernstarquilters.com

From Jennifer Larrabee:
You may remember that last year, I had asked members who were making masks, to donate a quilt square made from mask scraps, and I created a quilt that represented 45 mask-makers from 17 different states.  The quilt hung at the ArtsWestchester gallery show “Together ApART: Creating during Covid”.  The next chapter in the story is that over Labor Day Weekend, I sold the quilt.  Today, I presented a check for the full sales price of the quilt ($1000) to CHHOP (Caring for the Hungry and Homeless of Peekskill)  I’d like to thank everyone in NSQG who helped by donating a square, and especially to Rosemary DePaola, who quilted it for me.

Greetings to all!

Autumn is upon us which means that it’s time for you to renew your membership, if you haven’t already done so.
October 31^st is the deadline to be included in the hard copy of the Membership Directory.

Dues are $45.
The links for a registration form and payment are below, just pick and click.

Renew by credit card
or
Renew by check and mail

Updates

As of September 29th, 141 people have renewed their membership for 2021-2022. This means there are more than 45 people who have not yet renewed.  We hope you will take a moment to remind your friends to send in their dues!

Please welcome our newest member, Rosheen Taylor of Millwood, NY

A drawing was held at the September meeting which included the names of all of those members who renewed their membership by Sept. 1^st.   A $50. voucher toward an NSQG workshop was won by Barbara Oudheusden and Caroline Naddeo.  Congratulations!

Guild Photo Project Update

More than half of you have emailed your photos to us for inclusion in the Membership Directory. I hope those members who have not yet participated in this project to connect names with faces will consider doing so in the coming month. There will be a membership table at the Fall Social on October 9^th, and Joanne Visovsky will be there to take pictures of those of you who are interested.  If you would prefer to send us your photo, email it to: membership@northernstarquilters.com

Carol Sterk and Joanne Visovsky, membership@northernstarquilters.com

Happy Fall Everyone!

It was great seeing everyone again last month.  We look forward to seeing everyone who can attend our in person Fall Social at NSVAC on October 9th.  We have some fun activities planned.  Please reach out to Mother Nature and request her cooperation in providing great weather on that day 🙂

The Global Quilt Connection All Star Sampler Platter Event took place this past weekend.  The guild-wide subscription provided us all with a great opportunity to tune in and watch some great instructors and preview their classes. We hope you were able to take advantage and enjoy this amazing event.

The format of our December meeting is still being determined but we will be providing some holiday fun no matter where and when.

Lastly, we have some updated information regarding the SIG’s.  Diane Linker after hosting the Long Arm SIG has passed on the baton.  Thank you Diane for all of your past contributions.  And, Roni Gerhardt is offering a SIG “All things Lori Holt”.  Click HERE for updated details on all SIGs.

Happy Stitchin’,
April and Narci, activities@northernstarquilters.com

FREE BONUS WORKSHOP – Carolina Cuevas will be offering a free Zoom workshop on Saturday, September 11th,  2-4 pm.  You will learn to make dyes and dye paste from organic and accessible materials to produce beautiful designs and patterns on fabric. Participants can watch Carolina go through the process or participate along with her in your kitchen.  Additional details to be emailed separately and a supply list will be sent to all participant’s after signing up for the workshop.

Sign up for the workshop with Kathy Tuttle – Kathytuttle9@gmail.com.  There is no fee for this workshop but please register beforehand if interested and membership must be current.

The Global Quilt Connection has scheduled another online All Star Sampler Platter for October 2nd and 3rd.  We will be registering the guild and sending current members more information and the Zoom sign in link when available.

COMING WORKSHOPS

Giucy Giuce (online) is our first meeting lecturer, Modern Quilt Photography via Zoom, September 21st.  His Zoom workshop is September 22.  The Vintage Quilt Revival is the topic of the workshop.  This is a great design opportunity if you are interested in designing and planning your quilt.

Julia McLeod (online) October 19th and  20th will lecture on “Everything But Cotton” with a next day workshop “Starting with Silk”.

Sarah Nishiura (online) November 16th will lecture on “Home”. Her workshop date will be later, Wednesday December 1^{st,  “}Deconstructing Design”.

Click HERE  for more details on the lectures and workshops or check our website, signup anytime.

Emails with details and reminders about workshops as well as any extra events are sent regularly, be sure to watch for them.

Zoom lecture links are sent out a couple days beforehand, recording links for those lectures that can be recorded are sent out a couple days after.   Workshops are not recorded.

Contact Kathy Tuttle, programs@northernstarquilters.com, with any questions.

September Workshop Description

Vintage Quilt Revival Workshop:  Giucy Giuce – September 22

What’s old is new again! Contemporary quilt designers are reaching back to vintage quilts to draw inspiration for their new quilt patterns. But how do you turn a dusty old quilt in the attic into a new and exciting design? Join Giuseppe Ribaudo from Giucy Giuce as he demonstrates how to deconstruct the elements of a vintage quilt and turn it into something new. Giuseppe will share his personal experience working with Mary Fons to redesign a vintage quilt for QuiltFolk magazine. He’ll then share his tips and tricks for dissecting old quilts of your own and give you the tools you need to design your own new quilt pattern!

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Comfort Quilts

Some Comfort Quilts from our August get-together

Comfort Quilters have been stitching away even though we have met infrequently!  We plan to continue with some in-person meetings thru the fall.  Right now the dates planned are Wednesdays, 10am-2pm – Sept. 22, Oct. 6 & 20, Nov. 3 & 17, and Dec. 1 & 15.  Vaccination required, masks still by personal choice, no lunch table setup, eating either outside or at your table spot is fine.

The NSQG Comfort Quilts’ distribution list, recorded by Pat Julian, in the past year has exceeded 507 quilts.  thanks to our wonderful group of Comfort Quilters who make these donations possible.  You can view the distribution summary Here.

All members are welcome to contact comfortquilts@northernstarquilters.com to join in making Comfort Quilts quilts or to make any charity quilt requests or any fabric donations.

2022 Raffle Quilt “Bright Star”

NSQG runs a yearly quilt raffle whose net proceeds benefit a not-for-profit charitable organization. This year’s recipient will be Friends of Karen. For 43 years, Friends of Karen’s mission is to provide emotional, financial and advocacy support for children with a life-threatening illness and their families in order to help keep them stable, functioning, and able to cope.

This year’s quilt, Bright Star, was coordinated by Judy Gignesi and a group of Guild members.  It was quilted by Angela Vertucci.  The quilt will be displayed at the September Zoom Guild meeting.

Dee Plouffe’,  charitable@northernstarquilters.com

Dear members,

September brings the start of a new guild year and the 40^th anniversary of Northern Star’s first open meeting following its founding in May, 1981. We’ve come a long way from making sampler blocks using self-made plastic templates to producing increasingly sophisticated quilts in a variety of styles! This is a good time to stop and reflect upon all that the guild continues to offer us and to celebrate friendships that have been made along the way and continue to be made as we come together to learn, grow and share our knowledge and passion for quilting.

Membership Update –
As of now, 109 people have renewed their membership for 2021-2022, and we have 2 new members for a total of 111. Please welcome Shari Lanay of Chaska, Minnesota and Alona Harman of Carmel, NY.
92 people have sent in pictures for the NSQG Member Directory. If you would like your photo included, email it to:  www.membership@northernstarquilters.com

 If you haven’t done so, I invite you to renew your membership now. 

Dues are $45.
The links for a registration form and payment are below, just pick and click.

Renew by credit card
or
Renew by check and mail

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*Please note that if you are having difficulty registering online, it may be that you have already done so. There is a check in the system that prevents duplicate registrations.

*We will continue sending reminder notices to members who have NOT registered for 2021-2022.

See you in September!

Carol Sterk and Joanne Visovsky, membership@northernstarquilters.com

REMEMBER – the Guild always likes to reach out to members with a get-well or sympathy card when it would be welcome and to acknowledge donations and gifts with a letter of thanks.   Please let me know if there is a member in need of a little Sunshine or a note of appreciation.
Thank you,
Fran Jacobson, Secretary@northernstarquilters.com

Get a preview of next season’s lectures and workshops on the website and signup anytime.

Emails with details and reminders about workshops as well as any extra events are sent regularly, be sure to watch for them.

Zoom lecture links are sent out a couple days beforehand, recording links for those lectures that can be recorded are sent out a couple days after.   Workshops are not recorded.

Elizabeth Eastmond
Criss Cross Quilt Workshop

Using a sashed four-patch and a Lattice block from the 1930s, this quilt makes up fun and fast, especially if using Layer Cake precuts. It’s also a good scrappy quilt, if kept to limited palette of colors.

June 16, 2021, 9am-3:30pm – online via Zoom

Followup one hour zoom – June 23, 2021, 10am

The cost of a workshop for NSQG members is $50.00, non-members are welcome (based on availability) for a fee of $70.

Class confirmation and supply list will be emailed when payment is received.

Questions can be sent to programs@northernstarquilters.com.

The Criss-Cross Quilt pattern is required;
a downloadable pdf may be purchased for $10 HERE or contacting programs@northernstarquilters.com.

Feel like just doing a whole bunch of sewing, without fussing with tricky patterns? Then this is the class for you! We make sashed four-patches, and slashed diagonals, mixing up the pieces to create a lively quilt.

The class will meet together for the first two hours (Synchronous Instruction), where we’ll trouble-shoot technology, get everyone set up to sew and to access the instructional videos.

The next ninety minutes are Asynchronous Learning, which allows students to sew and work at their own pace. It can also be a time for lunch break, but the focus is still on the workshop and its content. It can be a good time to review the class videos or download any class instruction sheets as well. This is roughly 11-12:30 p.m.We return for more Synchronous Instruction, addressing issues in late-stage construction, quilting ideas (if needed), and, if a lot of progress has been made, a group discussion where we talk about any challenges in the day’s work. This runs roughly 12:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Then solo-sewing by students on Zoom in the company of their guild friends. This has been quite popular as it allows for social interaction, sort of like a group sewing experiences. This end time block can be adjusted to individual Guild needs, but runs until to 3:30 p.m.

One Week Later:
10-11 am: Follow-up Class to show off your quilts! If you send me a photo the day before, I will put them into a Show and Share Slide Show which can then be forwarded to your Guild for their Online Guild Meeting.

Supply List:

• Purchase pdf pattern.
• In addition to the downloadable pattern, basic sewing supplies are all that are needed:
  sewing machine, fabric, rotary cutter/mat, larger square ruler (10 1/2 or similar), thread, needles, access to a computer or hand-held digital device (one per student), sense of humor, iron and ironing surface.

2021 Raffle Quilt –

Congratulations to SHORE/ ICARE…this years charity raffle raised $9000 and a check will be presented to them at our June Guild meeting. Thank you to everyone that sold tickets to support this great cause. Special thanks to Pins and Needles for sending their customers an email that resulted in additional sales.

Comfort Quilts

All members are welcome to contact comfortquilts@northernstarquilters.com with any Comfort Quilt requests.

In addition to all our quilt making efforts, Comfort Quilters find ways to to help defray our expenses and support the guild by raising funds from excess items donated to us with quilt raffles, tag sales, fabric sales, and kit sales, .  Click for the latest summary since we started keeping track.   Good work all around, thank you!

There will be an outside Comfort Quilt quilt drop-off and distribution on June 9^th from 10:30 to 11:30 at NSVAC.  If you would like any batting or fabric, please let Karen Carlson or Carol Auer know ahead of time. You can also pick up the Summer Project, “Feelin’ Plaid All Over”

Dee Plouffe’,  charitable@northernstarquilters.com

May is our Annual Meeting, voting for the new Board will be done via Zoom poll, please be sure to attend.

Co-President:  Margaret Cibulsky

For most of my adult life, I lived happily on Long Island where I taught Kindergarten and First Grade for 32 years, where my husband worked for SUNY and where we raised two sons.  Three years ago, I moved from Long Island to Stamford, Connecticut and a few months later I joined NSQG, and participate in both Comfort Quilts and the Improvisational SIG.  I came to quilting 15 years ago, filled with grief after my husband passed, but I was able to sort out my life by working with my hands, mind, and heart.  A few years later, 2010, the NYC Metro Modern Quilt Guild formed, and I have been an active member ever since.  That is where I fell in love with improvisational and scrap quilts.  Hoping our year ahead is filled with positive energy, good health, and lots of time to quilt.

Co-President:  Jody Sullivan

I am married to my high school sweetheart Jim for 53 years.  We raised our three children in our 150-year-old house which we were constantly renovating ourselves and when it was finally “finished” after about 30 years, I found time to buy a sewing machine and discovered quilting.  I started by taking several classes at The Country Quilter and was hooked!  I have now joined the fabric hoarders’ society and spend much of my free time (particularly this past year) making quilts.  I joined NSQG few years ago and discovered an amazing group of fellow quilters and look forward to joining in their future.

Secretary:  Francine Jacobson

I took my first quilting class at The Niddy Noddy in Croton on Hudson in 1980 and I haven’t stopped since!  I have a large family and mostly make quilts for weddings and babies.  I worked for 30 years as an educator in Ossining and since my retirement I am able to dedicate much more time to quilting.  Since joining the guild a few years ago, I have begun to explore many new avenues in the world of quilting and appreciate the opportunity to give back!

Treasurer: Amanda Curley

When growing up, my grandmother always had a basket by her chair filled with quilt piecing.  Once she had a top pieced together, she would take it to Effie, an elderly country woman, who lived down a backwoods road with her flock of chickens.  Effie would finish the quilt by hand.  One of these quilts was my wedding gift.  I’ve been using Grandma’s Bear Claw Bed Quilt since 1972.

It has taken many years of travel, raising a family, and a career before the gift of retirement returned me to the world of quilting.  When I joined NSQG in 2015, doors opened that I had long forgotten and missed.  The world of quilting I knew as a child has changed.  I am fascinated with everything I am learning through the guild and captivated with the quilts made and shared while enjoying the friendship of so many quilters.  I look forward to giving back as the guild’s treasurer.

 Vice President – Communications: Anne MacDonald

I began quilting in 2014, and it was love at first stitch.  My mother had been a hand quilter in the 70’s and I learned how to machine piece from my sister-in-law after admiring all her creations.  Quilting is a welcome change from using my brain at work, and I especially like the tactile and repetitive nature of the activities – cut, sew, press, cut, sew, press!
I joined the guild in 2015 and enjoy being with others that are interested in all things fabric and creative.  My favorite day all year is Super Saturday and I have found that smaller group activity to be a good way to get to know other members.  Although we have had some great remote experiences, I am looking forward to being able to have in-person activities again!  I joined the board first as the Charitable Activities Chair, and then as Assistant to the Presidents and have really enjoyed the experience.

Vice President – Membership:  Carol Sterk

I was a college junior when I discovered some unfinished Dresden plates in my grandmother’s closet.  It was an “aha” moment for me, and I decided to learn to quilt once I finished my education.  I took my first quilting class in 1976 at Riverside Church in Manhattan where I learned to cut pattern templates out of cardboard.  I persevered despite many setbacks until, several months after we moved to Westchester, my husband discovered an article in the newspaper about a quilt show at JFK High School in Somers.  It was a revelation!  I bought my first quilting book, attended a tutorial given by Claire Oehler, a founding member of NSQG, and put my name on a sign-up list to be notified about the first meeting of a new quilt guild that was being formed.  I have been a member of the guild ever since.  I am incredibly grateful for the friends I have made, the educational opportunities that have helped me grow as a quilter and for the show that has challenged me to be the best I can be.  I have served in several board positions over the years including Hospitality, Membership, Education, Assistant to the President and Quilt Show (co-chair) and am excited about returning to Membership, a role that will allow me to take an active part in board’s commitment to keep the guild vibrant.  My special passion is making complicated pieced quilts out of as many “scraps” as possible from my extensive stash.

Vice President – Programs:  Kathy Tuttle

I am a retired educator who took up Quilting when I was waiting for my second grandchild to be born.  A good friend of mine told me I had to make a giraffe/measurement chart for the nursery, and she would help me.  Having been a sewer for most of my life I thought it was a great idea. That was five years ago.  While the project was way over my head in reality, I fell in love with quilting.  I am a self-taught quilter with a few classes here and there.  I was delighted to join the guild last year, excited to meet wonderful people and learn from experienced quilters.  Since joining the guild, I have realized through the many wonderful programs and workshop that my love lies with art quilting.  I am a life-long learner and I look forward to in person meetings and workshops as the world opens its doors again in the not too distant future.

Vice President – Quilt Show:  Lisa Alfonzetti

I graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology in 1985 and began a job at a public relations firm in NYC.  It did not take me long to realize I was not on the right path.  The next step on the journey for me was purchasing a local fabric store that was for sale in 1987.  My fiancé and I took money we were saving for a house down payment and purchased the shop instead, and there has been no looking back.  We purchased the shop and got married all within the same month.  The shop had primarily a garment sewing focus, but we quickly added quilting cottons into the mix and, needless to say, quilting took over.
In my 34 years of shop ownership, I have strived to provide an environment that provides great products and experiences for our customers.  In recent years, my business has expanded to include sub-dealerships, working with other shops in the area to provide sewing machine expertise and service.  Working together has benefited not just us but our customers as well.  Our primary goal every day is a great customer experience.
While running my shop, I also raised 3 kids during this time, who are now 26, 29 and 31 years old.  And I am, with great excitement, expecting my first grandchild in July.  I served in many fundraising and event planning leadership roles during their school years – fundraisers for sports teams, the PTA, and most significantly, a Teen Safe Driving Program.  I feel my experience from these events will be my best preparation for running a successful Quilt Show.  Organization and a great team are the keys to success.
I am a new member of the guild, although I have been involved for many years.  Our participation as a vendor has included the donation of a BERNINA Sewing Machine for each show that we have been a vendor at.  I have always been appreciative of all the volunteers that make the guild, and the annual show, a success, and I feel like it is time for me to give back.

Click HERE for a pdf of the nominees info above as well as pics and bios of Board Members currently in appointed positions, not a part of the  election.

2021 Raffle Quilt –

CONGRATULATIONS to Amy Davenport of Connecticut, winner of the Grand Prize, “Painted Prism”, coordinated by Daisy Dodge and Debby Warren, made by the members of the NSQG Guild  and quilted by Angela Vertucci.

Winner of the First Prize, BERNINA sewing machine donated by Pins and Needles of Mt. Kisco is our very own guild member Patricia Loquet.

Congratulations to SHORE / ICARE, they will be receiving a very generous check from our Guild.

The latest Guild pin, designed by Daisy Dodge and based on the beautiful 2021 Raffle Quilt, is now available ($5) and was on sale at the Spring Fling.  Contact me if you wish to purchase one.

Comfort Quilts

All members are welcome to contact comfortquilts@northernstarquilters.com with any Comfort Quilt requests.

At the Spring Fling, Comfort Quilts distributed kits as well as the Surprise Summer Challenge – Feelin’ Plaid All Over.  If you need a kit or a summer challenge pack, just let us know.

We hope to have a few in-person meetings over the summer so stay tuned.

Dee Plouffe’,  charitable@northernstarquilters.com

Traditional to Modern

Scrappy

Art Lovers

Improv

Review our upcoming lectures and workshops on the website or signup anytime.

Emails with details and reminders about workshops as well as any extra events are sent regularly, be sure to watch for them.

Zoom lecture links are sent out a couple days beforehand, recording links for those lectures that can be recorded are sent out a couple days after.

Lisa Walton – Sydney Australia 

Workshop –  Fantastic Fusion – Two 3hr Zoom sessions

May 12th* & 19th – Wednesday evening 5:30pm-8:30pm (ET)

*Note – the first session is the Wednesday evening the week prior to Lisa’s lecture at the guild meeting.

No sewing is required to create this unique quilt top. All fabric is fused together and then the quilting is what holds it together. Learn to cut with no rulers and create your own original quilt.

This will be a two day evening workshop and is suitable for all skill levels.

See samples at this link – https://lisawaltonartist.com/portfolio-items/fantastic-fusion-2/

Skills learned

• Fusing
• Freehand fabric cutting
• Quilt Design
• Colour theory

Linda Stern, programs@northernstarquiltersguild.com

Happy Spring to all!

April brought two new members and one guest to NSQG last month bringing our total membership to 183.
Please welcome:
Rita Romeu of Crosswicks, NJ
Kristen Scheyder of Rye, NY
Denise Giardullo (guest)

I look forward to seeing you at the May zoom meeting!
Carol Sterk, membership@northernstarquilters.com

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ArtsWestchester Exhibit: Together ApART – Creating During Covid

ArtsWestchester is opening their first live art exhibit since March of last year on May 7.  The exhibit on display at their White Plains location will feature more than 250 works of painting, photography, sculpture, sewing, crafting, songwriting, poetry and other creative activities by 224 artists and community members from throughout the Hudson Valley.  All of the exhibited works were made between March 2020 and March 2021.

Over 500 works were submitted for the exhibit and we are pleased to announce that six NSQG members will have quilts on display.  The exhibit will include works by Donna Chambers, Susan Fasnacht, Linda Finegan, Jennifer Larribee, Judy Simek and Rona Spar.  Congratulations!

The exhibit will run until August 1.  It is open Wednesday – Friday and Sunday from noon until 5 pm and Saturday from noon until 6 pm, with entry every 30 minutes.  Reservations are required and can be made through the ArtsWestchester site by clicking Here.

It should be a great exhibit and a great opportunity to see art in person again.
Susan Fasnacht

NSQG is planning a Spring Fling for members!

The event will be held on the grounds of
North Salem Volunteer Ambulance Corps, 14 Daniel Road, North Salem, NY
Saturday May 1st, from 10:30am-2:30pm.

2021 Raffle Quilt –

LAST CALL for returning your raffle tickets…the drawing is in a few weeks at our next Guild meeting, Tuesday, April 20^th.  If you would like to purchase more tickets, or if you misplaced your tickets, the best way is to purchase them is online…click HERE, and I will fill out the stubs for you.

You could be our lucky winner!!

Thank you to all of our Guild members, their families and friends, for supporting this years charity, SHORE/ ICARE of Westchester County.

Painted Prism

Bernina 475

Charity for the 2022 Quilt Show

Congratulations to Friends of Karen, the charitable organization to be our next year’s quilt raffle recipient.  Since we only had one nominee, no election will be needed. Thank you to Nancy Mirman for nominating this wonderful organization that has been providing emotional, financial and advocacy support for children and their families for the past 43 years.

Dee Plouffe’,  charitable@northernstarquilters.com

Comfort Quilts

All members are welcome to contact comfortquilts@northernstarquilters.com with any Comfort Quilt requests.  Need fabric, batting, kits or have fabric to donate, let us know.  Mini Comfort Quilts are scheduled every few months at the North Salem Volunteer Ambulance Corps for members to pre-order any supplies needed to make the beautiful quilts we donate to various organizations.

At the Spring Fling, Comfort Quilts will be distributing our Surprise Summer Challenge as well as our regular CQ kits.

The Board candidates will be introduced at the April meeting, voting will occur the following month.  Details will be provided in the May Newsletter.

Co-President:  Margaret Cibulsky

For most of my adult life, I lived happily on Long Island where I taught Kindergarten and First Grade for 32 years, where my husband worked for SUNY and where we raised two sons.  Three years ago, I moved from Long Island to Stamford, Connecticut and a few months later I joined NSQG, and participate in both Comfort Quilts and the Improvisational SIG.  I came to quilting 15 years ago, filled with grief after my husband passed, but I was able to sort out my life by working with my hands, mind, and heart.  A few years later, 2010, the NYC Metro Modern Quilt Guild formed, and I have been an active member ever since.  That is where I fell in love with improvisational and scrap quilts.  Hoping our year ahead is filled with positive energy, good health, and lots of time to quilt.

Co-President:  Jody Sullivan

I am married to my high school sweetheart Jim for 53 years.  We raised our three children in our 150-year-old house which we were constantly renovating ourselves and when it was finally “finished” after about 30 years, I found time to buy a sewing machine and discovered quilting.  I started by taking several classes at The Country Quilter and was hooked!  I have now joined the fabric hoarders’ society and spend much of my free time (particularly this past year) making quilts.  I joined NSQG few years ago and discovered an amazing group of fellow quilters and look forward to joining in their future.

Secretary:  Francine Jacobson

I took my first quilting class at The Niddy Noddy in Croton on Hudson in 1980 and I haven’t stopped since!  I have a large family and mostly make quilts for weddings and babies.  I worked for 30 years as an educator in Ossining and since my retirement I am able to dedicate much more time to quilting.  Since joining the guild a few years ago, I have begun to explore many new avenues in the world of quilting and appreciate the opportunity to give back!

Treasurer: Amanda Curley

When growing up, my grandmother always had a basket by her chair filled with quilt piecing.  Once she had a top pieced together, she would take it to Effie, an elderly country woman, who lived down a backwoods road with her flock of chickens.  Effie would finish the quilt by hand.  One of these quilts was my wedding gift.  I’ve been using Grandma’s Bear Claw Bed Quilt since 1972.

It has taken many years of travel, raising a family, and a career before the gift of retirement returned me to the world of quilting.  When I joined NSQG in 2015, doors opened that I had long forgotten and missed.  The world of quilting I knew as a child has changed.  I am fascinated with everything I am learning through the guild and captivated with the quilts made and shared while enjoying the friendship of so many quilters.  I look forward to giving back as the guild’s treasurer.

 Vice President – Communications: Anne MacDonald

I began quilting in 2014, and it was love at first stitch.  My mother had been a hand quilter in the 70’s and I learned how to machine piece from my sister-in-law after admiring all her creations.  Quilting is a welcome change from using my brain at work, and I especially like the tactile and repetitive nature of the activities – cut, sew, press, cut, sew, press!
I joined the guild in 2015 and enjoy being with others that are interested in all things fabric and creative.  My favorite day all year is Super Saturday and I have found that smaller group activity to be a good way to get to know other members.  Although we have had some great remote experiences, I am looking forward to being able to have in-person activities again!  I joined the board first as the Charitable Activities Chair, and then as Assistant to the Presidents and have really enjoyed the experience.

Vice President – Membership:  Carol Sterk

I was a college junior when I discovered some unfinished Dresden plates in my grandmother’s closet.  It was an “aha” moment for me, and I decided to learn to quilt once I finished my education.  I took my first quilting class in 1976 at Riverside Church in Manhattan where I learned to cut pattern templates out of cardboard.  I persevered despite many setbacks until, several months after we moved to Westchester, my husband discovered an article in the newspaper about a quilt show at JFK High School in Somers.  It was a revelation!  I bought my first quilting book, attended a tutorial given by Claire Oehler, a founding member of NSQG, and put my name on a sign-up list to be notified about the first meeting of a new quilt guild that was being formed.  I have been a member of the guild ever since.  I am incredibly grateful for the friends I have made, the educational opportunities that have helped me grow as a quilter and for the show that has challenged me to be the best I can be.  I have served in several board positions over the years including Hospitality, Membership, Education, Assistant to the President and Quilt Show (co-chair) and am excited about returning to Membership, a role that will allow me to take an active part in board’s commitment to keep the guild vibrant.  My special passion is making complicated pieced quilts out of as many “scraps” as possible from my extensive stash.

Vice President – Programs:  Kathy Tuttle

I am a retired educator who took up Quilting when I was waiting for my second grandchild to be born.  A good friend of mine told me I had to make a giraffe/measurement chart for the nursery, and she would help me.  Having been a sewer for most of my life I thought it was a great idea. That was five years ago.  While the project was way over my head in reality, I fell in love with quilting.  I am a self-taught quilter with a few classes here and there.  I was delighted to join the guild last year, excited to meet wonderful people and learn from experienced quilters.  Since joining the guild, I have realized through the many wonderful programs and workshop that my love lies with art quilting.  I am a life-long learner and I look forward to in person meetings and workshops as the world opens its doors again in the not too distant future.

Vice President – Quilt Show:  Lisa Alfonzetti

I graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology in 1985 and began a job at a public relations firm in NYC.  It did not take me long to realize I was not on the right path.  The next step on the journey for me was purchasing a local fabric store that was for sale in 1987.  My fiancé and I took money we were saving for a house down payment and purchased the shop instead, and there has been no looking back.  We purchased the shop and got married all within the same month.  The shop had primarily a garment sewing focus, but we quickly added quilting cottons into the mix and, needless to say, quilting took over.
In my 34 years of shop ownership, I have strived to provide an environment that provides great products and experiences for our customers.  In recent years, my business has expanded to include sub-dealerships, working with other shops in the area to provide sewing machine expertise and service.  Working together has benefited not just us but our customers as well.  Our primary goal every day is a great customer experience.
While running my shop, I also raised 3 kids during this time, who are now 26, 29 and 31 years old.  And I am, with great excitement, expecting my first grandchild in July.  I served in many fundraising and event planning leadership roles during their school years – fundraisers for sports teams, the PTA, and most significantly, a Teen Safe Driving Program.  I feel my experience from these events will be my best preparation for running a successful Quilt Show.  Organization and a great team are the keys to success.
I am a new member of the guild, although I have been involved for many years.  Our participation as a vendor has included the donation of a BERNINA Sewing Machine for each show that we have been a vendor at.  I have always been appreciative of all the volunteers that make the guild, and the annual show, a success, and I feel like it is time for me to give back.

Click HERE for a pdf of the nominees info above as well as pics and bios of Board Members currently in appointed positions, not a part of the  election.

Signup – Workshop –Inspired By Architecture April 21

David Owens-Hastings – Mountlake Terrace WA

https://davidowenhastings.com

Review our upcoming lectures and workshops on the website anytime.

Emails with details and reminders about workshops as well as any extra events are sent regularly, be sure to watch for them.

Zoom lecture links are sent out a couple days beforehand, recording links for those lectures that can be recorded are sent out a couple days after.

Linda Stern, programs@northernstarquiltersguild.com

Some updates from our various SIGs:  We hope you all are enjoying your time together.  Our volunteer SIG facilitators have been generously sharing their time and skills to provide us with additional social and educational opportunities during this difficult time.  We will be seeing some of their efforts at the Spring Fling.  Many thanks to them all!

• For Art Lovers – Tamar Drucker

At our March 8^th meeting, we all chose our own medium to work with, while listening to 4 different styles of music.  Some flowing classical string music, then rhythmic percussion, and so on.   At our next meeting, we are going to welcome Spring by working on flowers using paper collage.   It will be a study tool for fabric work in the future.

• Quilting Skills – Diane Linker

The Quilt Skills SIG has been progressing well.  Everyone seems to be at roughly the same level and the group is cohesive.  Some of the people knew each other from the class I taught at Comfort Quilts summer before last, and all the members seem to be comfortable with each other.

• Scrappy – Jennifer Larrabee, Anne MacDonald

The Scrappy SIG has held 2 meetings so far, and things seem to be running well.  We have a big group, but everyone seems engaged.

• Embroidery – Luann Bruce

We have been meeting every 2 weeks.  for a little over an hour.  During our meeting we have learned new embroidery stitches while making a pattern found online for free.  We have just about finished this embroidery.  We will be starting cotton crazy quilt block.  I have 4 blocks for us to do.  We will learn new stitches for the blocks.  I think we have all had fun trying new stitches.

• Domestic Machine Quilting – Roni Gerhardt

Each time we meet we learn about one of the 5 basic shapes in machine quilting designs.  So far, we have done arcs and s curves.  Next time we will learn about free motion quilting straight lines.  I demonstrate different designs that they can do with these basic shapes.  I also share different YouTube videos and websites where they can find more designs.  The last part of the SIG is sharing time, sharing their successes and their failures, helping each other solve problems.  We also do a show and tell of quilts they have quilted and quilts that need to be quilted.

• Traditional to Modern – Yvonne Clayton

The Traditional to Modern SIG has met four times and things are going quite well.  There are 10 of us with a possible new member joining.  Each member has taken a traditional block and has incorporated modern elements.  We are using bold colors, high contrast colors, solid colors, multiple block sizes, oversized blocks, alternate grid work, negative space, as well as going wonky and asymmetrical.  When we meet, we discuss a particular topic that may include sharing YouTube videos or links to websites.   We have a show and tell and help each other solve problems.  At our next meeting we will discuss quilting design ideas.