The meeting was called to order by the President, Paula Mooney, at 1:12 p.m.
Secretary's Report - We dispensed with the reading of the minutes since they were previously distributed to the members via email. A printed copy of the minutes is available for review at each meeting if anyone is interested.
Treasurer's Report - The checking account balance on November 8th was $4,917.56. Receipts for the last month totaled $1,847, and expenses for the same period were $1,334.06. The ending balance on December 13th is $5,430.50.
Membership Committee - An updated roster will be included with distribution of the minutes. Members should take a moment to check their personal information on the roster to ensure it is accurate.
Program Committee - Sharon Musch provided information about upcoming Guild programs:
January 23rd - Debbie Jones fabric collage jewelry class
Feb. 7th (11:30-3) and 8th (8:30-12 and 12:30-4) - Mark Sherman - extra sessions of Mark's workshop on machine trapunto have been added to the schedule.
Feb. 24th - 11-Noon - Sandy Blackwell - Squareagonals: Lecture, Trunk Show, & Demo. Cost is $5, and the lecture will be held at the library on 466A.
Mar. 6th - 12:30-3:30 - Marie Anderson - Quilt As You Go - Marie will be demonstrating the technique with a table runner and placemat pattern, but the pattern is easily used for larger projects as well.
April 4 - 9:00 - 1:00 - Ellen Lindner - Art Quilts. Paula mentioned that Ellen is a wonderful teacher, and this would be a good class for anyone interested in learning more about this type of quilting.
May 8th - Noon-3:00 - Kimberly Einmo - Jelly Roll Magic - Lone Star techniques using no Y seams. Cost is $10, and class will be held at the library on 466A.
Sharon encouraged members to check the Guild website (www.qgotv.org) to check out the latest information regarding upcoming Guild programs and classes. If you are interested in attending any of the classes, please contact Sharon at sharonmusch@comcast.net or see her at a meeting to register.
OLD BUSINESS
4-H Community Service Project - Carol Fox shared an update on this project. Meetings with the girls have been changed to Thursday nights. The original Wednesday night time was not working out due to conflicts with school activities. Carol is looking for 1 more volunteer to help out at this month's meeting, which is on the 15th from 6:30 to approximately 8 p.m. Volunteers need to see Carol to complete the necessary 4-H paperwork. This month's project is a small denim purse.
Retreat - There are 22 members registered for the retreat, which will be held on February 21-23, 2012 at the Life Enrichment Center in Fruitland Park. Final deposit will be paid to the Enrichment Center this month, and Monique will be meeting with attendees some time in January to share information specific to the retreat.
Allamanda Banner for Showcase 2013 - Marlene Jensch will be working with Nancy Wilcox and Sharon Hannahs early in 2013 to begin designing Allamanda's banner. She will be seeking volunteers to construct the banner after the holidays.
Marketplace 2012 (One Stop Shop Hop) - Dona Black was not able to attend the meeting, but if anyone is interested in volunteering for our responsibilities at the event, please contact her at dona918@gmail.com. All spots are currently filled, but she needs a list of possible substitutes in case calendar conflicts arise as the date approaches. Our job is to sell armbands at the door, and you only have to do it for one 2-hour shift. If you're able to help with this, please contact her. Don't miss all the latest information about the Marketplace event on the Guild's website!
Holiday Luncheon - Dee Dean was not at the meeting today, but many people expressed the opinion about what a wonderful luncheon she and her committee hosted. A big thank you goes to the whole group!
Allamanda Block of the Month Blotto (A-BOMB) - This month's A-BOMB winner was Heather Farnell. For January, the block will feature an appliquéd flower with yo-yo center. The green background and yo-yo center fabric were provided with the pattern.
50/50 - Donna Palladino won $10, and Carolyn Page won $5.
NEW BUSINESS
Sister Chapter - Cathy shared information regarding the concept of having a "sister" chapter within the Guild that was discussed at the November Executive Board meeting. After a brief discussion, the members present agreed that they would like to participate in this Guild effort. The suggestion was made that it would be nice to be a sister with the Sterling Stitchers chapter since we are partnering with them for our responsibilities at Showcase 2013.
2013 Charity Quilt - Marilyn announced that she volunteered to lead and organize the ticket sales for the Guild's charity quilt. She provided some background regarding discussions at the Executive Board meeting surrounding the donation quilt and raising money for charity. The end result was that SeaBreeze volunteered to create the quilt with the help of all the chapters in the Guild, but someone else needed to take responsibility for ticket sales. Marilyn has stepped up to this challenge, and she will be looking to us, along with other Guild members, as she puts some structure around the process. She plans to visit each chapter early in the year to request volunteers. While it would be nice if Guild members purchase tickets, the idea is to seek donations from others as well. We'll be hearing more from Marilyn on this soon.
January 31st Meeting - Cathy mentioned that we will not be able to hold our regular sit-and-sew meeting at the recreation center on January 31st because it is a voting day. There was a sign-up sheet to determine the interest of members to do something as a group that day. In the past we've done a shop hop type activity. There was some concern that that might not work this year because the Marketplace Shop Hop is only 10 days before this. We could, however, choose shops that aren't represented at the Marketplace event. Another idea that was suggested was organizing a lunch. If there is enough interest, Cathy will send an email to announce the idea and look for a volunteer to organize something.
Minutes Issue - Cathy explained to the group the problem she had in the past with sending out minutes and the roster in Microsoft application format. She solved the problem by converting the files to a .pdf format. However, the software she has used is her personal copy, and she was seeking the group's approval to purchase a copy of Adobe Acrobat for use by the chapter's secretary. A suggestion was made that newer versions of MS Word will also permit you to save a file as a .pdf, and there may also be some free software that will allow us to do this. Jo Loder made a motion that, as a contingency, if we can't get MS Word to work or can't find a suitable free solution, the chapter should purchase a copy of Adobe Acrobat. The cost is around $100. Sharon Musch seconded the motion. The motion passed.
New Officers Installed - Paula installed Cathy Barlow as president, Sharon Musch as vice president, and Regina Bozza as secretary. She presented insightful and inspirational comments to each before presenting them with a flower pen. Dee Dean wasn't able to be at the meeting today, and she will be installed as treasurer at a future meeting.
General Items & Announcements
Allamanda Block of the Month Blotto (A-BOMB) - This month's A-BOMB winner was Heather Farnell. For January, the block will feature an appliquéd flower with yo-yo center. The green background and yo-yo center fabric were provided with the pattern.
50/50 - Donna Palladino won $10, and Carolyn Page won $5.
There were many interesting and beautiful items at this month's show-and-tell. Check out the pictures when they're up on the website! We thoroughly enjoyed seeing the creativity of our members!
Paula Mooney made a motion to adjourn the meeting. It was never seconded because we went back to do the A-BOMB and 50/50 drawings, and then we were looking at all the great show-and-tell items! …in other words, I let it get out of control! ?
Respectfully submitted,
Cathy Barlow
