Member Showcase

1 Apr, 2024

President’s Message – 04/24

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March Lecture by Daisy Dodge

Flowers are blooming and so is our guild. This is our busy season with many exciting things happening.

We hope you are all putting the finishing touches on your quilts for what we expect is going to be a fantastic quilt show. Don’t forget to sign up to volunteer at the show. We ask that all members sign up for at least one 2-hour slot. You will receive one free admission (maximum 2) for every two hours that you work. For those of you entering a quilt for the first time to our show, please remember your quilts need a sleeve on the back and a number in the corner which you will receive in the mail. Quilt drop off is April 27th. Please refer to the website for any questions and more information.

The Lancaster bus is half full with seats going fast. Right after the April meeting, we will be opening seats to non-members. If you plan on joining our quilt trip, please get your money in now.

Looking forward to seeing you at our April meeting.

Sheryl and Helen, president@northernstarquilters.com

Member Notices:

1 Mar, 2024

President’s Message – 03/24

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Welcome back to in person meetings. We look forward to seeing you at Fox Lane on Wednesday March 20th at 6pm.

We are busy! If you are involved in a SIG, those meetings are underway. If you are interested in joining a SIG, the guild meeting is a perfect place to learn more about them. Hopefully the SIGs and workshops have given you inspiration and you are getting quilts ready for our show the first weekend of May. Quilt drop off is April 27th! Please remember that quilt registration is now open to non-members so if you would like to show any quilts, please register ASAP so you can be assured that there is room.

If you are planning on joining our Lancaster trip scheduled for September 13-14, please remember to bring a check to register.

We have booked an additional free workshop for ALL our members. On March 9th, there will be a three hour Zoom workshop with Luke Haynes and Nicole Leth on typography in quilts and Nicole’s Affirmation project.

Looking forward to seeing all of you,

Sheryl and Helen, president@northernstarquilters.com

Member Notices:

1 Feb, 2024

President’s Message – 02/24

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Here’s hoping that the cold weather has given you lots of time for quilting.

Remember our Quilt show is only 3 months away!

Exciting news. Our wonderful trip to the Lancaster Quilt show is back! Our new trip coordinator, Christine Bunke, has been hard at work organizing and making plans for the bus and hotel stay. She has arranged for stops at 3 quilt shops along the way. Please see further information in the newsletter. We expect to sell out so if you are interested, please contact Christine asap and get your name on the list.

Just a reminder that our February meeting is Wednesday the 21st at 6pm. Ann Johnston is our speaker. The meeting will again be on Zoom and you will all be receiving the link a few days before.

If you are new to the guild, the best way to meet everyone is to come to our meetings and get involved. Starting March we are back in person at Fox Lane HS.

Happy quilting!

Sheryl and Helen, president@northernstarquilters.com

Member Notices:

3 Jan, 2024

President’s Message – 01/24

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Barbara Glab’s Holiday Trunk Show

2024 is starting off with a bang!

We have a number of new events being planned for the new year. Our established Improv SIGs have become so successful that we are introducing a third new group. Please contact Rita Romeu if you would like more information. An event that you are not going to want to miss is our new bus trip to the Lancaster Quilt show. In previous years this was one of our most successful events and we are so excited to be bringing it back. Mark your calendar for Friday and Saturday, September 13th and 14th. Christine Bunke is graciously chairing this event. Our Super Saturday classes are filling up but there are still a few openings if you would like to join us. More activities details in the Latest News section.

Just a reminder that the January and February meetings are by Zoom. You will receive an email invitation a couple days beforehand so you can easily log on! You do not need to dress for this meeting!

Wishing you all a healthy and happy New Year.

Sheryl and Helen, president@northernstarquilters.com

Member Notices:

1 Dec, 2023

President’s Message – 12/23

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Quilt Retreat at Mariandale

Happy Holiday Season! We can’t believe it’s December already and we are looking forward to our holiday party on Wednesday December 13th. Note, one week earlier than usual.

Bring a plateful of holiday cookies to share and a container to take home extras and enjoy a trunk show by member Barbara Glab.

Looking towards the future, please remember that our meetings in January and February will be on Zoom. You will be sent the access link a couple of days before.

If you have been missing our meetings, please check out our workshops, Super Saturday, and other activities later in this newsletter and on the website.

Though May seems far away, our quilt show is right around the corner. We are still missing two chairs for admissions and quilt handler. Please, please consider by yourself or with a friend taking on one of these positions. We cannot have a quilt show without them!

Wishing everyone a Happy Holiday. See you on the 15th!

Sheryl and Helen, president@northernstarquilters.com

Member Notices:

1 Nov, 2023

President’s Message – 11/23

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The CQ raffle raised $330 to help support Comfort Quilts.

Dee Rizzo chose her own quilt. Jody Sullivan’s choice was by Joyce Sullivan. Mary Rossetti chose JoAnne Hochstein’s.

With our guild now in full swing at our new home, we hope you are enjoying our meetings as much as we are. Little by little we are ironing out the minor problems that arose with the new change of space.

We look forward to welcoming Cindy Grisdela at our November meeting. Her lecture will be followed by a workshop. We look forward to seeing and hearing many of her new ideas and techniques.

And speaking of techniques, Fran Jacobson will be chairing a Special Interest Group for beginner quilters. Please check with Fran for more details.

At our last meeting Comfort quilts had a wonderful raffle from their summer challenge. Comfort quilts under Karen Carlson’s and Carol Auer’s leadership, sews quilts for those in need. If you are free on Wednesdays join them at the North Salem Ambulance Corp. Please see our website for more details.

And as always please read the entire newsletter and check our website. There is a wealth of information right at your fingertips on all our future activities.

Hope to see you on November 15th.
Sheryl and Helen, president@northernstarquilters.com

Member Notices:

1 Oct, 2023

President’s Message – 10/23

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Upcoming Landscape Workshop

Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make our kickoff meeting a great success. We had an enormous crowd of both old and new members and it was great to see everyone again. Since the quilt show we have gained about 30 new members with 4 joining at the meeting. This is very exciting. Please reach out and make our new members feel welcome and encourage them to join our Special lnterest Groups(SIGs) and other activities.

And mentioning our SIGS, Fran Jacobson has offered to lead a beginner quilting group so that our new quilters might have guidance and technical assistance.

Clara Nartey gave a wonderful presentation on creativity. Her trunk show was truly exquisite. We look forward to Rachel Derstine’s lecture in October. She will also be leading a workshop on landscapes. There are still a few openings.

A big thank you to Lisa Alfonzetti of Pins and Needle for the pizza party and fantastic workshop on sewing machine maintenance that she held for our members just before the meeting. Lisa’s shop is close by in Mount Kisco and she will be keeping it open so that members might shop before the meeting.

Also thanks to Meg Mooar for her wonderful Zoom pop-up presentation on Dyeing Fabrics with Natural Materials; the recording link was emailed afterwards in case you couldn’t attend.

Looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday October 18th at Fox Lane.

Sheryl and Helen, president@northernstarquilters.com

Member Notices:

1 Sep, 2023

President’s Message – 09/23

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Fox Lane High School Atrium

Atrium Entrance Area and Parking

We hope you all are having a wonderful summer and quilting up a storm.

This year we have a number of exciting things to look forward to. Jo Thomas has managed to snare Irene Roderick (www.ireneroderick.com) for World of Quilts XLIII. She is planning on 3 unique lectures, so plan on spending the weekend with us. We will also be having a 2 day workshop with her after the show and be sure and check out our other workshops scheduled throughout the year. We have our Super Saturday again in February headed by Lefa Alksne and our very own comedian, Linda Finegan running the ever popular Ugly Fabric Auction. Jody Sullivan will be running 2 retreats at the Mariandale Center in Ossining. Check it out in this newsletter. Constance Toplansky is heading our 2023-24 Black and White Challenge. Orphan blocks are being collected by Patricia Loquet for later distribution to make into Comfort Quilts. Finally, we have a number of SIGs making plans for the year and we hope you will join.

As a reminder, our new location is Fox Lane High School, 632 South Bedford Rd. Bedford, NY 10506. This is just east of Exit 4 (Mt.Kisco) of I-684. There are 2 entrances. The first is the immediate right turn just past 684. It is not labeled but the road enters at the back of the campus where the two story atrium is our entrance. If you miss that turnoff, make a right at the light and follow the main roads around to the back. This will lead you to the other end of the campus where the 2-story atrium is at the back of the last building. There is ample parking adjacent to the door. We will be meeting in the cafeteria which is almost immediately on your right upon entering the building.

Before the meeting, at 4pm at her shop, Lisa Alfonzetti of Pins and Needles in Mt. Kisco is running a Sewing Machine Maintenance class and pizza party, free of charge for members, signup is requested – use the signup link later in the newsletter. Thank you so much, we are sure your pointers will be very helpful.

September is here. Hope to see you at our first meeting on Wednesday, September 20st at 5:30!

Sheryl and Helen, president@northernstarquilters.com

Member Notices:

17 Jul, 2023

Special Edition July 2023

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2023-24 Board Members

Member Notices:

1 Jun, 2023

President’s Message – 06/23

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Our term as your presidents is coming to an end and we can honestly say it’s been an education as well as a rewarding experience. We wish to thank the current board for all their help and hard work throughout the year. The guild is indebted to you for what you have accomplished the past two years. And thank you again to each new and continuing board member who stepped up to serve 2023-2024. We wish you the very best.

We’ve had our challenges from finding a new venue for the quilt show, a new venue for workshops, and most recently, securing a new space for our monthly meetings. Now we can announce that we have a new location – the large cafeteria at Fox Lane High School in Bedford, NY. We believe this new location may prove to be advantageous to many as it is located right off Rte 684. Meeting dates are expected to continue on the third Wednesday of the month, except for December which will be on the second Wednesday. You will be receiving more information from your new presidents, Helen May and Sheryl Fleishaker. We look forward to seeing you there in the fall!

Once again we wish to thank Lisa Alfonzetti and her incredible committee who made World of Quilts XLII a success. We gained 17 new memberships during the show!

We hope to see many of you on Wednesday, June 21 at the Salad Supper Meeting which starts at 6 pm at Kennedy Catholic HS. Details follow in the hospitality section.

Warmest wishes for an enjoyable summer,

Margaret and Jody

Member Notices:

1 May, 2023

President’s Message – 05/23

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The Annual Meeting of the Northern Star Quilters’ Guild will be held from 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 17 at Kennedy Catholic High. At this meeting the membership will vote on the candidates who have generously stepped forward to serve on the Board for the 2023-2024 guild year. Please read the brief bios below and come to the meeting and take part in the voting.

Our speaker that evening will be Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill — a designer, quilt pattern publisher, award-winning quilter, educator and creative entrepreneur.

You may be reading this as you’re viewing our amazing World of Quilts XLII or perhaps sitting home with your feet up after enjoying the show. It is truly something we can all be proud to present for public enjoyment. We sincerely thank everyone who contributed their time, energy and talents to make this show a success. We especially thank Lisa Alfonzetti and her incredible committee who worked tirelessly to make it happen.

Weren’t this year’s “Card Tricks” Challenge Quilts fantastic? Thank you, April Russell, for all of your efforts to pull together a stunning exhibit.

Do you have something you’ve recently finished or is a work in progress? What’s holding you back from sharing it during Show and Tell in May? We love seeing what our members are working on and We want to cheer for you.

Margaret and Jody

Annual Meeting and Board Election - May 17th

The Guild’s Annual Meeting and Board Elections will take place at the May Guild Meeting, April 19th. No bylaw changes are proposed.
Pics and bios for candidates for election to the NSQG Board for 2023-24 follow.

Co-Presidents: Helen Nash May, Sheryl Fleishaker

Helen Nash May

I have been quilting for the past twenty years. In the 80’s and 90’s I designed quilts for my mother-in-law who was an avid quilter and made numerous quilts for all her grandchildren. I eventually inherited both her stash and sewing machine; when the machine finally died in 2004, I decided to both buy a new one and put it to good use taking a quilting course at Hartsdale Fabrics. I made my first granddaughter that first quilt. Four more grandchildren within the next couple of years and I was officially a quilter!
I soon began inventing my own patterns. A few years later I purchased a longarm so I could enhance the quilts with free motion designs. My favorite techniques are hand dyeing fabrics and abstract art quilts.
I’ve been a member of both Northern Star Quilters Guild and Village Square Quilters since I retired in 2011. I’ve been VP of Programs for NSQG for 2 years and Treasurer of VSQ also for 2 years. For the past two years Sheryl Fleishaker, whom I’m grateful to call a very good friend, and I have organized the Volunteers for our Quilt Show.
I’ve been happily married for 53 years and have three great kids (although I say six with their spouses), and six wonderful grandchildren.
I’m looking forward to Sheryl and I, as your Co-Presidents, continuing the wonderful traditions that make our Guild so special.

Sheryl Fleishaker

I guess it can be said that I’m the third generation from my family of women who sew. They all sewed clothes, made curtains, and even recovered furniture. However, I am the only quilter. I started becoming interested in quilting about 10 years ago. My husband and I raised three children who are now grown and out of the house and suddenly it was too quiet. I took a quilting class at Hartsdale Fabric and was hooked. I joined Village Squares to meet other quilters and I met Helen May who became my friend and travel partner attending workshops and quilt conferences both near and far. About 5 years later I joined Northern Star. I loved going to the meetings and participating in the workshops that were offered. With quilting there is always something to learn. I enjoy the energy and the talent that is offered by the people at Northern Star and look forward to an exciting and fun year ahead as your co-president along with Helen May.

Secretary: Amanda Curley

Amanda Curley

When I joined the NSQG in 2015, the world of quilting I knew as a child had changed. I’ve been fascinated with the different quilting techniques and approaches and captivated with the quilts made and shared while enjoying the friendship of so many quilters. As we all know, there is a time to give back and in 2021 I decided to volunteer to be the Guild’s Treasurer. Your votes gave me the position and this journey has been as informative as have been the years as a new quilter. As the Treasurer, my understanding of how the Guild works has grown exponentially. With my experience of the past two years, I would like to contribute to the Guild as the Secretary.

Treasurer: Kathy Vanacoro

I have been of member of NSQG for many years, albeit absent for the last 5+ years due to a conflict on Tuesday nights when I bowl with my hubby. While at last year’s show, I was so happy to hear the guild was moving to Wednesday nights…..I immediately rejoined. In my past years as a member, I have served as VP Programs as well as VP Quilt Show.
I learned to sew at the age of 14 by my sister and made many outfits for myself, and then my two children. I took up quilting 25+ years ago to quit smoking, it worked, but I now have another addiction, FABRIC.
I recently retired in Sept. 2021 as the Principal’s secretary at George Fisher Middle School in Carmel after 31 years and four Principals. While at school, I was the student activity treasurer for the past 27 years.
My quilting interests these days are just using up my massive stash. I am loving being able to participate in Comfort Quilts in person, as well as teaching children to sew with 4H. I love appliqué and making easy, traditional quilts. I also enjoy making ByAnnie bags… my latest addiction.
When I first joined NSQG as a member, Nancy Mirman made a statement “If you want to get to know fellow members, join the quilt show committee.”….The rest is history and I’m so glad to be back.

VP Communications: Debra Oaks

Debra Oaks

I come to quilting through my mother who has been a very accomplished quilter for my entire life. As a kid I used to “help” her when she hand quilted all the pieces she made. For myself, I really started sewing during the pandemic. As my daughter says, it was the hobby I was looking for and, once I found it, it exploded. I love learning all the techniques and intricacies of piecing and, as a longarm quilter, the finishes. I’ve met some great people too and look forward to deepening my relationships in the community.

VP Membership: Joanne Visovsky

Joanne Visovsky

I’m not really a quilter but was interested enough to join the guild in 2019. As a full-time real estate agent, I don’t have an abundance of free time. I wanted to get back into sewing and liked the idea of Comfort Quilts. As a young girl I hand-sewed doll clothes with my grandmother’s help. Started machine sewing in junior high and high school. Bought myself a Bernina Nova 900 after college and considered it a huge gift to myself! Then life took over and my machine sat idle for decades while I worked and raised our four kids. Now it’s time to get back to creating and I find all you guild members so inspiring! Being on the Membership Team has been fun for me and I look forward to continuing.

VP Programs: Jo Thomas

Jo Thomas

Like many of us, my love of textiles was inspired by my mom and grandma. Their ingenuity, attention to detail, sense of accomplishment, charity and community of sewing friends made an enduring mark on my own maker self. Combine a love of learning with that love of textiles and the obvious outcome for this girl is a quilter who attends lots of lectures and classes. Over the past few years I’ve taken, organized, or both taken and organized 40-something workshops and many, many lectures. I learn something every time and I look forward to continuing this journey, overseeing the programs and searching and selecting speakers and teachers for the Guild. I will be in my happy place and grateful that I can give back to a guild who has given me so many opportunities.

VP Quilt Show: Deborah Warren

Deborah Warren

Following in my mom‘s footsteps, I attempted my first quilt at the age of 13 using cardboard templates and leftover fabric scraps – and I’ve been quilting ever since. I currently live in Tarrytown and travel frequently to the Midwest to visit family – and I always take my sewing machine to sew along with my sister and brother! As an active member of NSQG for the past 7 years, I served as co-chair of the 2019 Quilt Show and with that gained experience, I’ve enjoyed assisting the 2022/2023 Quilt Show VP to ensure our show goes off without a hitch.

1 Apr, 2023

President’s Message – 04/23

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Click to Print our Poster

We are pleased to announce the proposed slate of candidates. They will be introduced at our Guild Meeting on April 19 and we thank these candidates for agreeing to give their time and talents to this guild. Voting will take place at the May Annual Meeting.

Nominees for elected Board positions for the 2023-2024 year are:

Co-Presidents: Helen May and Sheryl Fleishaker
Secretary: Amanda Curley
Treasurer: Kathy Vanacoro
VP Communications: Debra Oaks
VP Quilt Show: Debbie Warren
VP Programs: Jo Thomas
VP Membership: Joanne Visovsky (returning for a second year)

Additionally, the following members have agreed to serve as appointed chairpersons of the Board Standing Committees:

Charitable Activities: Dee Plouffe
Activities Liaison: Rona Spar
Hospitality: Alona Harmon
Library: Susan Andrews

Furthermore, we have a crew of members who have agreed to assist both the elected and appointed leaders. HOWEVER, we are still seeking more members who can be counted on “when life happens” and assistance would be wonderful. Won’t you put your name forward? Volunteerism is an important factor in this organization and responsibilities ought to be spread among as many members as possible. It’s what makes all of our ongoing activities successful. We welcome your service.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, April 19 at 6 pm at Kennedy Catholic High School. Our speaker will be David Hornung, a painter, author, and professor of art who has taught workshops designed for quilt makers and fiber artists. David’s workshop, Investigating Color, takes place Thursday at Millwood Fire Company.

Thank you to Linda Finegan. Rosemary DePaola and the rest of their committee for another entertaining and successful Ugly Fabric Auction!

Reminder – Quilt Show drop off is Saturday, April 29 from 12-4 at North Salem Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

Margaret and Jody, president@northernstarquilters.com