In This Issue>>>

April Speaker: Beth Helfter

Charity Committee

Program List 2016 - 2017

Julie Wickware: Adventure in Costa Rica

New Kids On The Block

Paper A bi-monthly newsletter of Macomb County Quilt Guild Volume 16, Issue 4

March/April2017

‘Scrappy’ Beth Helfter to Speak in April

Quilter Preaches ‘Perfection Is Overated’ Beth Helfter, founder of EvaPaige Quilt

Designs, will be guest speaker April 3. On the

web site evapaigequilts.com Beth describes

her work, “Over the years I’ve seen my design

preferences evolve from mainly machine ap-

plique to mainly scrappy. My one constant

design style is one of ‘fun over fuss’ and I una-

pologetically preach the gospel of ‘Perfection

is Overrated.’ Who needs matching points

fouling up an otherwise cool design, after all?”

Since founding EvaPaige Quilt Designs in 2005, Beth has published

more than 40 patterns and has been featured in Quilter's World, The Quilt-

er, Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, and Cotton Spice magazines. She was honored

to be appointed to the 2014 Quiltmaker magazine "Scrap Squad" along with

five other quilters.

DEADLINE

Information for the

next issue of Paper Pieces

is due April 15.

Beth Helfter of EvaPaige Quilt Designs.

Kudos to MCQG members

The Charity Committee Delivers

Since September the Charity Committee has delivered 103 quilts

made by MCQG members to the following organizations; Operation Nev-

er Forgotten, Immanuel Lutheran Prayer Ministry, Divorce Care, Henry

Ford Macomb, McLaren Mt. Clemens, Macomb Hematology & Oncology

(Weber Cancer Center), Turning Point and various individuals for peo-

ple who need comfort.

Please continue to take tops that need to be sewn so that we have

quilts available when the need arises. If you have an organization that

you would like to receive quilts, just contact the charity committee.

Claudia Baker, Charity Committee

Quilters Check List>>>

* Wear a Name Tag

* Say hello to someone

new

* Bring your Show and

Tell projects

* Bring your Fabric Bin-

go Card to play BINGO at

the March meeting

2

MCQG Programs 2016--2017>>>

Fest News>>>

Fests are held at Trinity Lutheran Church in Mt.

Clemens, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Fallfest October 15, 2016

Winterfest January 21, 2017

Springfest May 6, 2017

PRESIDENT

Sue Sharkey

VICE

PRESIDENT

Patti Mitrowski

SECRETARY

Marilyn Woods

TREASURER

Anita Groninger

PAST

PRESIDENT

Jill Stiger

MEMBERSHIP

Sandi Miski

EDUCATION

Peggy Lau

NEWSLETTER

Colleen Belli

MEMBERS AT

LARGE

Barb

Cook

&

Kathy Stevens

CHARITY

Claudia Baker,

Mary Ellen Zajac

& Crew

SUNSHINE

Sue Rakowski

WEBSITE

Tracey Shock

HISTORIAN

Carol Ann Keber Trullard

HOSPITALITY

Carol Holloway, Amy Pribac and Diane Stall

Guild Board 2016-2017 Committees

2016

September 12 — Welcome Back

October 3 — Linda Hahn

November 7 — Nancy Kloster

December 5 — Christmas Party and Potluck

(members only)

2017

January 9—Whistle Stop

February 6 - Lenore Crawford

March 6 - Fabric Bingo

April 3 - Beth Helfler of EvaPaige Designs

May 1 - Mary Hogan

June 5 - President’s Tea (members only)

3

Although our winter didn’t give us much snow, we are glad to see it go! Welcome back spring!

Not too early to start on or finish your quilts for our exciting Quilt show next April, 2018! I have seen many amazing quilts from our members at our Show and Tell time. We have so many talented quilters. I know many of you look forward to our monthly meet-ings to enjoy each other’s company and to escape the normal routine. There are many new members that have joined our group recently. Thank you for joining our guild! We extend a warm welcome to you as you begin your journey with us and make new friends and learn new quilting tech-niques.

We always begin our night with fellowship from 6-7pm and then have our board member reports at 7-7:20ish, followed by our speaker for that month or an activity until around 8:30, then we Show and Tell our quilts until 8:50, then we clean up and leave by 9:00 pm. We provide coffee and tea free of charge. Please bring a treat to pass if it is your “birthday” month. If any of our members need board attention, have a suggestion, please feel free to call or email any of the board members, we are here to assist you. Our phone numbers and emails are in the Membership directory. All of our board members are volunteers and we all strive to do our best to support our members and the current issues. We hope that we inspire you to join our board at one time in the future!

This year, we have 2 national speakers that will visit our guild from out of state. In addition to their lecture/trunk shows at our monthly meeting, we have scheduled workshops for both speakers.

At our April 3rd meeting, we invited Beth Helfter of Eva Paige Quilt Designs for lecture and trunk show. Beth is from Massachusetts. The next day on Tuesday, April 4th she will hold a workshop called “Kickin’Stash” which is a scrap bag cabin-style block project. Visit her website at EVAPAIGEQUILTS.com. Sign- up sheet available at our next meeting.

Our October 2nd meeting we have invited Lisa Bongean of Primitive Gatherings from Wisconsin for lecture and trunk show. The next day on Tuesday, October 3rd she will hold a workshop which features her wool and floss embroidery design pro-ject. Visit her website at PRIMITIVEGATHERINGS.US. Sign- up sheet available at our next meeting.

I hope you have a great Spring season! Sue Sharkey, President

Welcome Back Spring>>>

From Our President — Sue Sharkey

4

I am asking members to contact me with nominations for Secretary. You can nominate

yourself or another member that you believe would be a good candidate. Marilyn Woods has

done a wonderful job for us and she is willing to help the next Secretary get started. The

Board meets once a month and the meetings are usually less than two hours. You can call me

(586) 243-5320 and leave a message or email me at jastiger@icloud.com with your sugges-

tions. The new Board members that joined this year have provided many great ideas and per-

spectives. In fact, the Board always likes to hear your ideas for ways to improve our Guild.

Contact any of us with your suggestions.

Jill Stiger, Past President

From the Past President — Jill Stiger >>>

The Position of Secretary Is Open

Sharyn Gehrke – March 4

Kris Marcath – March 4

Diane McMinn — March 7

Faye Llombart – March 8

Deborah Barnes – March 8

Mary Anne Callaghan –

March 10

Denise Champine – March 10

Darlene Hull – March 11

Muriel Moore – March 13

Annette Kirschenmann –

March 16

Jan Marl - March 17

Barbara Montag – March 19

Kristen Najor – March 20

Pamela Thompson - March 20

Judy Keener – March 21

Judity LaDuke—March 26

Millie Houchins—March 28

Melissa Minke – April 4

Cindy Challis – April 11

Joanne Adriaens – April 13

Dan Markey – April 18

Mary Wennerstrom – April 18

Annetta Bean – April 19

Sher Koglin – April 2 1

Syntha Green – April 28

Lolita Maitland – April 30

If your name is on this list,

please bring a treat to share at

the meeting in your birthday

month.

Happy March/April Birthday>>>

5

This antique ox cart wheel hangs as wall decor.

The central market with isles filled. A traditional 90-year-old home outside San Jose. An ox cart filled with sugar cane.

Adventure in Costa Rica

Traveling Outside the Comfort Zone

Lifetime Guarantee

Did you know that Fiskars offers a

lifetime guarantee on its products?

Recently, my rotary cutter stopped

working properly. I went to the cus-

tomer service section of fiskars.com,

completed the warranty form and sent

a picture of my rotary cutter. A new

rotary cutter is being sent at no

charge. All Fiskars products carry a

warranty, so if you have rulers with

worn numbers or lines, damaged rota-

ry cutters or mats, take advantage of

this lifetime guarantee. You can’t beat

that! Jill Stiger, Past President

Editor’s Note: MCQG member Julie Wickware traveled to Costa Rica in

February on a photography and fabric adventure. She took a week-long

class taught by internationally-known quilter and photographer Pam

Holland of Australia, whom Julie had met several years ago at IQA’s

International Quilt Festival in Houston. Julie’s days were filled with pho-

tography excursions every morning and workshop sharing and learning

in the afternoon. Accompanied by the seasoned traveler Pam as well

as a Spanish-speaking tour guide and driver, the group visited many

sites including the city of San Jose, a coffee plantation and the country-

side. In her own words, Julie wrote the following report.

Sometimes we take a trip to see the sights.

Sometimes we go for family, and sometimes we go for

ourselves. I’ve traveled throughout our country on my

own for work on many occasions, but never to a coun-

try where a different language was spoken. I decided

this was the time to step out of my comfort zone and

try something new. I just returned from Costa Rica, a

country that lives behind fences topped with barbed

wire and bars on the windows. All the shops have a

rolling garage door that closes the store off from the

world at night.

What would a quilter do here? They don’t even

have quilt shops! There is no fabric that is “Costa Ri-

can.” Seven women including myself, and a master

teacher spent a week together photographing the cul-

ture, the people and the art of the country. We spent

the mornings out and about the area photographing

color, texture and whatever caught our eye. The after-

noons were spent in the classroom, comparing photos

and techniques to improve our photography. Try it

sometime. Have a couple people take a picture of the

same thing. Everyone’s photo will be different! See Page 6

6

Adventure in Costa Rica Continued from Page 5

We learned about “molas” and were lucky enough to find some

that were tucked away in the local shops. What is a mola you may ask?

A mola is a handmade reverse applique piece made of many layers of

different colored cloth with the design being cut away layer by layer and

the best are sewn with the tiniest stitches. The more layers the finer the

piece. A mola can take from two weeks to six months to make.

Our class focused on how to design our own fabric, choose just

the right color from our photos to coordinate with our designs and to use artistic apps to

transform some of the photos into a work of art unlike anyone else’s. We then created a

piece of whimsy on fabric backed with fusible using Tsukineko markers, just another way to

make something all your own. Lastly, we moved onto slow stitching.

So, what is my “style” of quilting? I’m

working on it. Back at home, our group is stay-

ing connected by creating and sharing 6-inch

squares every month to try to figure that out!

That is, our styles are evolving.

Traveling like this may not be for every-

one, but the ideas and creativity shared made it

all worthwhile for me! It was a great trip for me

outside my comfort zone.

Julie Wickware, MCQG Member

This is a portion of the fabric Julie designed from the mola above. In her travel group, Julie is second from left and Pam Holland is sixth.

This is a sample of a mola that Julie purchased.

7

Win a Prize!

Barbara Barringer won our

prize in January. If your birthday

falls on January 22 be the first* to

call Colleen Belli at (586) 992-

6581 to receive a $20 gift certifi-

cate to Cristina’s Quilt Shop in

Rochester.

*If more than one birthday

falls on the above date, the first

person to call wins. There will be

only one prize.

Volunteers Needed

Polish Genealogy Project Underway

MCQG quilters come from all walks of life and pursue a wide

variety of interests and activities. Linda Fenska has become an ac-

tive volunteer for the Polish Genealogical Society of Michigan.

PGSM has undertaken the “Hamtramck Project” to transcribe

100,000 Birth and Death Reports into a digital database. Volunteers

work on this project at the PGSM Transcription Center located on

Garfield Rd. in Clinton Township. The group is looking for more vol-

unteers.

PGSM is hoping to add 40 volunteers to complete this project

by June. There are laptop computers available to use and volunteers

can set their own schedule. Currently the group works 10 a.m. to 3

p.m. Monday through Friday. An email notice regarding days and

hours of operation will be updated and sent frequently to all regis-

tered volunteers. Training/Orientation of the transcription process is

also provided.

To volunteer or for more information contact Fred Kuplicki, Director

of Projects for PGSM by email at publicity@pgsm.org or by phone at

(586) 909-4700.

Make New Friends

Kids Meet on the Block

New Kids On The Block is a small

group designed to help newcomers to the

Guild make friends. Quilters that are begin-

ners or seasoned members that wish to im-

prove their skills are also welcome.

We meet once a month, usually on the first Friday morning.

Our March meeting however, will be on the second Friday at 9:30

a.m. at my home.

I am located on Oak Grove between Schoenherr and Hayes in

the Hunters Grove subdivision. My address is 53463 Oak

Grove. My email is mnlgramzow@wowway.com and my phone

number is (586) 232-1247.

Marcia Gramzow, Member

Plenty of Seats for All…

To Save or Not To Save

Are you saving seats at

MCQG meetings? We all do it

now and then, but sometimes it

may cause a shortage of seating.

Save a seat if you know your

friend is coming, but if your

friend hasn't shown up, be hos-

pitable and invite someone to

take the seat.

If you're late and your

friend gave up your seat, take

the opportunity to sit with peo-

ple you don't know for that

meeting and make new friends.

8

The Quilt Guild

of Metro Detroit presents

2017 Quilts from the Heart

at the Roseville Recreation Center

18185 Sycamore in Roseville MI

Friday April 21, 2017

10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Saturday April 22, 2017

10:00 am-5:00 pm

Admission: $6.00 for both days

(no strollers please)

Vendors

Two Raffle Quilts

Lunch and snacks available

Silent Auction

For more information www.qgmd.org

Upcoming Events at Sew Many Things

LeMoyne Star Table Runner

A Deb Tucker Studio 180 Technique Project

March 25th

**

Wedding Star Table Runner

A great starter project for the wedding ring block

2 Session Class - April 29th & June 10

Vintage Rose

Judy Niemeyer of Quiltworx.com's newest

Technique of the Month (TOM) quilt

Coming Soon!

**

Save the Date for 2017 Quilt 'n Quisine

July 15th, Tickets available April 1st

Call 586-790-5601 or Register online @ www.sewmanythingssc.com

Quilter To Quilter Sale

Presented by

Great Lakes Heritage Quilters

April 22, 2017 at 10am - 2pm

1st Methodist Church of Troy

6363 Livernois in Troy, MI

Buy or Sell All Things Quilty

A Quilter’s Paradise

Reserve Your Table ASAP

Participants Include:

Great Lakes Heritage Quilters

Oakland County Quilt Guild

Macomb County Quilt Guild

Contact Karen Keller 248-877-9252

www.GLHQ.org

A Helpful Tip

Are you tired of chasing your foot pedal around while you sew? Try This: I put a strip of the hook side of Velcro on the bottom of the pe-dal and set it on an area rug. No more sliding!

Jill Stiger, Past President