Meeting News:  We are still experiencing some very trying times for the country as a whole.  I hope and pray that you and yours are doing well.  With the current restrictions in place, and concern for everyone, as well as the Spring meeting May 11 having been cancelled, the Board has decided to cancel the July Picnic as well as the Quilt Show.  We are all hopeful for things to return to a ‘new normal’, but considering our membership demographics as well as requirements for social distancing, it is in the best interest of everyone to take things slow.  We are keeping a close eye on the Fall meeting on October 5.  I will look into a back up plan of possibly a ZOOM meeting.  I am a member of an embroidery group and they have started weekly ZOOM sessions just to keep the members feeling connected.  They seem to be working well for all technical skill levels.  Any other options or ideas on how to keep us all connected, please let me know.

Dues suspended:  Normally the CMQHOF dues of $10 is collected at the picnic.  The dues for this year are suspended.

 

Carrying Tradition Forward:

While doing our part, we may be returning to some old traditions and carrying them forward in new ways.  Even the ‘quilting bees’ are continuing, albeit online in many cases.  I hear of many joining quilt-a-longs, block of the week, classes of the week, etc. all online.  We do miss the more personal face to face communications, sharing of joys and burdens and even quiet times together.

 

While not having grandchildren myself, I was able to remotely assist my niece’s daughters on their first sewing experiment.  I had given them this very inexpensive sewing machine, which sat in the box until a few weeks ago when they started their first project of making face masks.  I tried to give them tips remotely.  During a text conversation with my niece, she included a short video clip of each of her twins sewing a mask.  Yikes!  She had taped a ruler to the machine bed to ‘help keep them sewing a straight seam’.  That was like a teeter totter bouncing as they sewed, causing me and my sister to panic.  She went to layers of masking tape as we suggested.  I’m not sure it was a good idea that this sewing tradition skipped a generation.  I gave them homework on considering how the machine actually made a stitch, when the top thread was always on the top, and the bobbin thread always on the bottom.  I sent them a link to a PBS kids video for how a lock stitch machine works (and also got myself an education from Sharon V on the chain stitch sewing machine workings.)

https://florida.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/arct14.sci.dssew/how-does-a-sewing-machine-work/

I hope you are able to connect with the next generation or two downward to help carry creative traditions forward.

 

Another activity I hear many are engaged in is tackling those UFOs.  The more ancient they are, the more likely you will be engaging in traditional quilting and bringing it into the present.  I have had time to hand embroider on a quilt that was fused with MistyFuse!  What a combination.  I also picked up a sashiko project for hand stitching. While making masks, I used a box of 3 ½” pre-cut squares I bought from Marie Reed for $3 awhile ago (cicadas were invading that year).  As I was sewing masks, I used them as leaders/enders in sets of 2’s.  Then into 4-patches.  After adding a bunch of plain blue squares, I have ended up with a king size quilt top made of alternating 4-patches and plain squares.  What is more traditional than a 4-patch quilt?  And I thought I would never use those squares (see photo on website).  Maybe many are finishing up a hand quilted quilt you started years ago.  What traditional quilting have you come across in the cobwebs that you have now brought forward into 2020?

 

Quilt Show Update – Creating new traditions:

As mentioned earlier, the 2020 quilt show has been canceled.  I know we all had been looking forward to our new venue at the MTC, and with joining forces with the Cauliflower Festival.  And it is always great to see the works of all our guild’s members.

But we need to start a NEW tradition.  We can have a virtual quilt show!  Please send your quilt photos so we can share with our members as well as the public.  I plan on posting them under the 2020 Show and Raffle Quilt tab on our website.  We should be able to ‘walk’ through a Virtual Quilt Show, and it can be added to at any time. 

If you are a FaceBook member and Follow our page there, you can post there as well.  For those not a FaceBook member you can send to Hilda Pleva at  hpleva@gmail.com. 

For posting to the website, send photos to clrkquilt@yahoo.com

 

If you have any suggestions in line with the CMQHOF’s Mission and By-Laws, please contact me, your guild representative or any of the Officers.

 

Website/Facebook

The website is at this link:  https://www.catskillmountainquiltershalloffame.com/   Can you share your talents by giving classes within and across guilds?  Want to add your information to the website as either an instructor or machine quilter?  Got pictures to share?  See the website for finding instructors and maybe add your name to the list if you can teach.    

Send your information to Pat Clark.

 

Our Facebook site is http://www.facebook.com/groups/quiltershalloffame/   If you are a Follower, you can post to the site.  Please share with us the projects you are working on, even if not yet complete.  If you are not a FaceBook member, you could send photos to Hilda Pleva (address below) where she could post for you. 

 

Raffle Quilt update

The name of the quilt is "A Catskill Mountain Hometown" – see a picture is on our website. 

Several quilt shows where we planned to sell quilt raffle tickets have been cancelled. 

We plan on reserving the raffle quilt for the 2022 show and not holding the raffle until then.

Sharon has the quilt raffle tickets ready, but selling tickets will wait until the show date is nearer.

 

Book Update:

The board agreed to pursue a follow-on book to The Unbroken Thread, A History of Quiltmaking in the Catskill by Steve Hoare.  Debra Steup is heading up this effort.  Monetary support for this book is via grants, and we are seeking any assistance that guild members can offer in writing grant requests. 

 

Personal Items:

Carter Houck, a 1998 inductee into the CMQHOF from Greene county, passed away at the age of 95 on April 19 in Virginia.  Carter provided the Introduction to the book The Unbroken Thread – A History of Quiltmaking in the Catskills by Steve Hoare that is about the CMQHOF.  Here is a link to her obituary and also to a blog spot that mentions the many books and articles she wrote. 

https://www.everhere.com/us/obituaries/va/charlottesville/carter-houck-holt-10726669 - obituary

http://barbarabrackman.blogspot.com/  blog dated May 4, 2020

 

Guild News:

 

Let Pat Clark know if you have any guild news to share.  It could be included in the next newsletter and/or posted to the website. 

Wiltwyck Quilters Guild has cancelled their October 2020 quilt show along with many meetings.  http://wiltwyckquilters.org/

 

CMQHOF Overall Calendar:

2020
Spring Meeting - May 11th –  Catskill Center, Arkville  ***CANCELED***
Picnic - July 13  - the presenter will be Dr. Jacqueline M. Atkins. ***CANCELED***
Quilt Show - Sept (setup 25) 26-27 – MTC Building, Margaretville ***CANCELED***
Fall Meeting - Oct 5 - Catskill Center, Arkville ***TENTATIVE***

2021
Spring Meeting -  May 10
June - Induction Committee/Judging
Picnic - July 12
Induction Ceremony- Sept 18
Fall Meeting - Oct 4

 

Facebook Contact:  Hilda Pleva ( hpleva@gmail.com )

Officers:

President: Pat Clark  845-297-3160  clrkquilt@yahoo.com

Vice President: Judy Craddock  518-817-5107   jgcrad72@gmail.com

Secretary:  Sharon Vrooman  518-295-7753  shavroo53@yahoo.com

Treasurer:  Ellen Adams  607-363-7414  ellenthesequel@yahoo.com

Historian:  Debra Steup   518-622-2270  yoyo25cat@gmail.com

 

Happy Quilting,

Pat Clark