Hello there quilters!  I hope everyone is weathering Quarantine Quilting. About a month ago I came to the realization that no matter how you are experiencing the Corona Virus it was all stressful.  Stressful to be home, stressful to be in the work place.  We’re all dealing with anxiety and either way it feels isolating and there doesn’t seem to be any especially good way to get through it.  We just are.   I won’t pretend; it’s been hard for me as I’ve continued to work and I admit I adopted a bit of a ‘head in the sand’ coping mechanism. I need to express my thanks our board members and committee people who have carried on with their guild duties. I appreciate their efforts.  

As quilters we have inner resources that likely made this experience more bearable.  For myself I can definitely say that the peace of my quilting and sewing are a vital part of how I’ve coped.  The sanctuary of my sewing room after work and on the weekends has probably kept me saner than I otherwise would have been. 

At this point we are looking forward to a regular meeting in August: hopefully, we will be cleared to hold meetings by the State of California.  We are also waiting for news about the Riverside Main Library branch location since they will be preparing to move to the new building in the near future.   Have a look at the design of the building located at 3911 University Ave, Riverside here:  https://www.johnsonfavaro.com/riverside-main-library   We’re excited about the new facility, but it’s tentative when our first meeting there will be available.  It’s likely that we’ll take advantage of one of the other library facilities in the meantime. Stand by for news of our August meeting as it becomes available.  If you haven’t joined us on Facebook or Instagram they are both good sources of quick updates, along with the website/blog.

We are all looking forward to getting together!  Take care of yourselves and we’ll see you soon.
Gayle

And now, updates from our Guild Board Members

First up is Judy Racine, of Membership:

Hi everyone!  We now have 46 IEMQG members.  We are really sad to see Jennifer Adams and Simone Bradford leave our group as they are both moving out of the area. They’ll be so missed!  

I was trying to think of a gift I could give you all and decided on this recipe that I found, and then modified from 365daysofcrockpot.com. (spoiler: there is nothing healthy about this!)  I know we are passing out of soup season, but if you’re ever in the mood for Marie Calender’s Potato Cheese soup, this is the recipe for you:

CopyCat Marie Calender’s Potato Cheese Soup

32 oz. chicken broth (one box)
6½ cups potatoes (6-7 cups), peeled and 1/4 inch sliced
½ cup white onion diced
1½ cups celery diced
(JR: I added 1 tsp. of garlic and a couple TBS of butter at the beginning)
16 oz. Velveeta cheese (this is the smaller box)
8 oz. sharp cheese grated (do not buy pre-shredded or it won’t melt well)

1. Add the chicken broth, potatoes, onion, and celery to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours (Cook’s Note: You can also simmer this on the lowest heat on the stove keeping an eye on it – turning it off a couple times to simmer ~ 4 hours since my husband moved my crock pot to the garage and now he can’t find it!)
2. At the end, cut  the Velveeta into small cubes, add that and the shredded sharp cheddar to the slow cooker, stir gently until the cheese melts. (Some potatoes  will break apart, this is ok because it will help thicken the soup.)
3. Taste, then add salt and pepper to your liking.

My mom is a great cook and she told me it was better than Marie Calender’s, so — there’s that!
Hoping to see you all soon!

Candy Scott, Treasurer:

All finances are accounted for, checks and cash from our last meeting has been deposited. We also have a balance in our checking account, with no bills outstanding.

On a more personal note, like many people, I spent the first two days of quarantine just researching various face mask patterns.  Fortunately, I had ordered elastic from a wholesaler in L.A. before many people realized there was going to be a shortage.  To make it interesting I used fabric with sports, music, food, or animals, etc.  Whether we made just one for ourselves, or 100 or more for front line and first responders, family or friends, we are all doing something to help flatten the curve.  Thank you. Now I’m taking a break from mask making and working on a couple of baby quilts. 

Elizabeth Eastmond, Communications Chair:

I have been busy behind the scenes, smoothing out the migration of our Guild’s Website. Hopefully, you didn’t notice a thing (but I also need to say a thank you to my son, Peter, who made all the difference). We are also attempting to get your email notification sign-ups transferred, but until we do, we’ll send out links via a blast email. Please make sure your email address is up-to-date, by contacting us at iemodernquiltguild@gmail.com if it is not.

Kelley, my assistant, is busy keeping Facebook and Instagram up to date. You can see either of those, by clicking on the links to the upper right. I appreciate all the work she does to keep those social media accounts running smoothly! If you have any concerns about this blog, or other communication issues, please don’t hesitate to drop me an email. We check our Guild’s inbox weekly, and will reply to you as quickly as we can.

Like others, I find it hard to concentrate during this time of COVID-19, but have been working on my Sawtooth Star quilts. Here’s a couple of pictures of the quilts in progress. I hope you’ll send us pictures of your finished quilts, so we can put them here up on the blog. Our next Guild deadline of May 25th is coming up quickly for our Urban Challenge (see below for more details).

But after that, we would like to feature your quilts in June and July. As I receive your photos, I’ll post them up. Please take a well-lit picture of your quilt, and include the following information:

• Quilt Name/Title and dimensions (can either include the measurements, or a rough approximation such as “baby quilt” or “lap quilt” or “queen-sized bed quilt” etc.)
• Quilter’s full name
• Origin of Quilt Design (original design, variation on an existing block, pattern, etc.)
• A Few Details about what you want to say about it. This might include some construction details or things you struggled over, or things at which you were successful. It might also include what prompted you to make it, or who it is for. Pretend you are standing in front of us at our Guild Meetings, and give us the quilt’s biography. We’d love to hear it!
(We’ll edit them for clarity and punctuation.)

Laura Greene and Becky Brekke, Program Chairs:

Although we aren’t having everyone-altogether-meetings, we are hard at work at figuring out how to get together. The Modern Quilt Guild (National) has made available time slots for local guilds to schedule Zoom meetings.

Please mark these dates and deadlines on your calendar:
May 25, 2020: Urban Quilt Challenge deadline pictures due. Please see above for what to include.
June 13, Saturday at 2 p.m. (MQG didn’t have the first week available) — We will get to talk about our Urban Quilt Challenge and other Show and Share. To do show and share, we ask that you email pictures of your quilts ahead of time; we’ll put them in a document and share them with you at that time. When it’s your turn to talk about your quilt, please use the suggested outline above. We will have a raffle for those who attend. A few days before our meeting, you will be emailed a link to click on to attend the Zoom meeting.
June 14, 2020: It’s Flag Day!! Email us pictures of any patriotic quilts you have made. We’ll post those throughout June and July, as well as any Show and Share Quilts you want to send us. See above for what to include.
July 4th–Happy Independence Day! (no meeting)
July 29, 2020: We’re getting ready for our Zoom Meeting on August 1st, so send us your Show and Share Quilts, along with the information above (in the green box).
August 1, Saturday at 2 p.m. — We will have a Powerpoint presentation by Laura Greene called “My Best Binding.” Show and Share is also encouraged; details on this to follow. We will have a raffle for those who attend. You will be emailed a link to click on to attend.

A reminder:

The Urban Quilt Challenge is due by May 25th. Just email a picture of your quilt to iemodernquiltguild@gmail.com. Quilts will be posted on Facebook, Instagram, and this blog beginning June 1.  We will have two prizes; one for Participation and one for the Board’s Choice Award. Just to get you going, here are some pictures of two different Urban Challenge Quilts in Progress:

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• 

• 

Notice that blue fabric? That’s “Lapis” by Paintbrush Studio, in their Painter’s Palette line of solids, if you need more. We handed out squares of it early this spring, and this is the common link between our quilts. That, and the fact that our theme is Urban. More information can be found in an earlier post on our blog, and we also have a Mood Board slideshow for you to see.
The deadline is in just 13 days, but you can do this! Remember that these are smaller quilts, with the largest greatest measurement of any side finishing at 24.” So go dig out that square, and start creating.

Simone Bradford, Block Lotto:

We are moving to Sacramento this summer, having just sold our house. My husband is being transferred to a new area. I’ve enjoyed being your Block Lotto Chairperson, and hope you’ve enjoyed creating new blocks every other month. The blocks reside here, on this blog, and also on my blog, Simone Bradford. I will miss you all!

Lastly, a note from our outgoing Secretary, Jennifer Adams:

“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they have the heart.”  This quote by Elizabeth Andrew is one of my favorite quotes and is certainly relevant in my personal life, particularly as it relates my tenure the past two and a half years in our guild. I have been honored to serve as an Executive Board member for nearly my full membership in our guild.  An experience that I have found both personally and professionally rewarding. I stepped into my first role as VP of Communications at my second meeting.  This past year I have served as your Secretary.

Being intimately involved in our guild’s leadership operations provided me with an opportunity to shape our path as well as develop new skills along the way.  One of my greatest accomplishments early on was learning how to revamp our guild’s website to meet the growing needs of our membership.  While I have some general computer skills (and am lucky enough to be married to a software developer) I had never designed a website let alone managed a blog. The reigns of my former role now reside with the tremendously talented Elizabeth Eastmond as she continues to develop our website even more for our members. Beyond that, I got to see firsthand how important social media, both Instagram and Facebook, serve to help solidify relationships both near and far in the modern quilting world.  Considering how isolated we are all right now, those virtual connections are even more important. 

I really believe that while this global pandemic has changed the fabric of our world forever; leaving patches of goodness for us to all rebuild – one ‘block’ or ‘piece’ at a time. As I leave my role as your Secretary with my upcoming move out of California, I would encourage everyone to feel invested in our guild and remain connected. Reach out on Facebook with a current project you are working on or see how you can help with the guild’s operations as we move forward in our ‘new normal’.  As Helen Keller once said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

Stay Safe and Quilt On!

We’ll let our President have the last say:

We are in need of volunteers to help keep our Guild running smoothly, especially at this time. We are in need of a Secretary, a Fundraising Chairperson, and a Charity Chairperson. As Jennifer put it so wonderfully, invest in our guild and remain connected. We need you! If you can give a few hours of your time per month, please contact me, Gayle, at iemodernquiltguild@gmail.com. Thank you.