Meeting Recap (August 8th, 2015)

A big thanks to everyone who came out today, we know that time is precious...and we are thankful you spent it with us.  Let's do a meeting recap, shall we, as there were lots of things discussed.

• Kelly shared the second of our two "BOM" Block of the Month blocks today, as designed/decided by Carol K.  

• Jessica talked a little about our first charitable project; which was making totes for a local shelter.  Our members came thru as we knew they would, donating a little over 40 bags. If you search the hashtag #stlmqgcares and/or #stlmqg on Instagram, you can see many if not all of the totes which were made and donated. A big round of applause goes out to all of those who helped with this project.

• Our second charity project, collecting quilts for Project Linus is ongoing with a due date of November 14th (our Nov. meeting).  Casey announced that all those who donate a quilt to us in November or have donated a quilt as part of this project to us earlier in the year will be entered into a drawing (1 quilt donation = 1 entry, 2 quilt donations = 2 entries...so on and so forth). Additionally, be sure to enter your quilt into the 100 Quilts for Kids charity drive...which is an online drive encouraging quilters to make a quilt for a child in need.  Please rest easy knowing that you can still entering a quilt into the 100 Quilts for Kids, and yet donate it to our Project Linus collection.  

• Casey also announced our final swap for this year; which will be a Tool Swap.  We all have those tools that we love and reach for time and again, so let's share that passion with someone else.  All those who want to participate should bring a new tool to the November meeting, with a retail value between $10-$25.  We will then do a brief show & tell so you can let our members know why you chose that tool, followed by a Rob-Your-Neighbor style swap.  If your tool retails for less then the amount noted above, please include an additional item/fabric/thread, etc so everyone who participates can walk away with something of a relatively equal value.

• Jan Ochterbeck, one of our upcoming SewMeSTL Teachers, shared a little about the workshop she will be leading this October based on her book Cut and Shuffle Quilts. She is one of 4 Teachers we will be featuring this Fall, so keep an eye out for more information as it becomes available.

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Finally, we have some official guild business to attend to, as Kelly Smith, our Secretary for the last 3 years will be stepping down at the end of 2015.  We have not only enjoyed working along-side her; but appreciated her willingness to step up and give back to our guild in so many ways.  Thank You!!

While the other Officers are happy to continue in their roles; should someone be interested in one of those positions (not just the vacant one), they are welcome to follow the process below so they can be put on the ballot.

If you have been a member for at least one year, and have an interest in giving back to the St. Louis MQG by way of becoming an Officer, we would love to hear from you. Please review the process below regarding how elections work within our guild.

1.   All those who would like to be considered for an Officer position, should review the roles [see this document] so they are aware of what is expected from each of the Officers.

2.   Please inform Jamie Mueller, our Election Officiate, of your interest in a position and she will gather the names and provide them to the current Officers on November 1st, so a ballot can be made.

3.   At the November meeting, candidates will have the opportunity to express why they would like your vote for (___) position.  

4.   All dues-paying members in attendance at our November meeting will be given a ballot which they will use to vote for the candidate they chose.  

Easy Peasy!! 

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Now, if you are a member who would love to do more; but you don't want to be an Officer, there are always other opportunities available too.  We are always looking for self-starters, who the Officers can count on to assist with various projects and events; which includes making phone calls, gathering item donations, being an STLMQG advocate on social media, and physically being available at meetings/events to help with setup, etc.  Please email us at stlmqg@gmail.com if you are interested. 

As we don't have another meeting until November (due to our two large Fall events). Please! Please! keep your eyes on social media, this website, and your inbox as we will be distributing information you need to know for the next two months via those outlets.

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We hope to see you in September at the Elizabeth Hartman Trunk Show, or at October's SewMeSTL.