That old Beach Boys tune is in my mind as I write this blog post on our last meeting before summer. Where did the year go? This one has been another busy one and has simply flown by – from our very successful quilt show last fall (despite the challenging weather), to our monthly meetings and lots of workshops, Cuddle Quilt Day, and continuous Sew Zoom and Slow Quilting dates. Now, summer is almost upon us – and at least some of us need the time to rest up before heading back to another year of quilting fun in September.
The June 5th meeting was our AGM followed by a pot luck. Once again, the meeting was on a rainy – very, very rainy – evening. I might normally complain about the long wet drive – but not this time. To a person, we were all so thankful for the pouring rain and its effect on the wildfires tormenting our beautiful province. Our hearts go out to everyone impacted.
You should know that the Guild was able to reach out to a few people in the southwest area of NS, who were coordinating quilt donations for families displaced due to the wildfires in that area. Our Guild had a number of quilts that were originally intended for distribution through our annual Cuddle Quilt program. Given this extraordinary situation, 55 of those quilts that were suitable for children and teenagers were donated to families in need. We are sure that members would agree that this decision to divert some of our donations to homeless families is an appropriate response.
Now back to Monday night’s AGM – in spite of the rain, lots of members found their way there to approve the suite of Executive reports and to vote/confirm changes in the Executive for the new year. Much of the Executive will remain the same and September’s newsletter will provide a refresher. Notably, we will be welcoming Kellie as our new Secretary, Sheena as our Newsletter Editor and Daphne as our Program Chair. Thanks so much to each of them for volunteering!
Speaking of volunteers – the highlight of the evening was the presentation of our annual Volunteer of the Year award. And the winner is (drum roll please!) – Eldora Baillie. I have no doubt that most of you are very familiar with Eldora and the contribution that she continues to make to our Guild. This year, Eldora assumed the responsibilities of the Membership Chair – a role that consumes lots of time as you have seen from her many emails with reminders and newsy items, managing member renewals and our membership list.
In a relatively short time, she has already built a rich history of other volunteer efforts for the Guild. She has put together a program segment on bag making, held a tote bag workshop, worked on the quilt show, directed her prolific quilt-making skills to support for Cuddle Quilt Day, introduced a Project Pouch exchange with another Guild, and managed the Fat Quarter draw. Have I missed something? No doubt, but you can easily see why Eldora is this year’s winner. Such volunteer activities ensure that the Guild remains a rich quilting community for all of us. Congratulations to Eldora – it is a well earned recognition!
The meeting was followed by our usual delicious spread of food – thanks to all those who contributed!
Now, we move to summer mode with time to enjoy good weather, good company and whatever else gives you pleasure at this time of year. For those who still crave some group quilting time, don’t forget that Sew Zoom (Wednesdays at 1 pm) and Slow Quilting (every 2nd week at 2 pm) will continue all summer long. Then, there is Outdoor Quilt Day on Saturday, August 5th (rain date, Sunday, August 6th).
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Quilt Canada – our national celebration of quilts, starting with the Wednesday Opening ceremony on June 7th, and then three days of workshops, lectures, quilt shows and shopping at the 50-vendor Merchant Mall. I am looking forward to all of it – and may see some of you there! Enjoy!
Colleen
