Meeting Recap (September 11th, 2021)

We are getting into the groove of things with our second month back - we appreciate everyone's patience and good humor as we get used to all the in-person things and the quirks of running zoom meetings with them. We had a fabulous turnout Saturday and we just love seeing old and new faces alike (behind masks of course). Thanks to everyone who came out! 

Guild Business:

• Gail Luther, treasurer touched on the current state of the guild finances - if you're ever interested in more information about our finances please connect with Gail.
  
  
• Christine Boyd, our secretary gave a quick update on member numbers. We are currently sitting at about 160! We had at least 2 new applications Saturday - we are thrilled to see our membership growing strong! If you're not a member yet - check out how to join.
  
  
• Our Vice President Em Komiskey covered some of the online happenings coming up, below is a list. 
  
  - Monogram Embroidery at Perennial STL!   Saturday September 18th, 10am - 12:30pm Learn More  
  - Stitching Stories from the Past - St. Louis Field House Museum Learn More
  - Denyse Schmidt's Snake Trail Sew Along Begins September 7th Learn More

Items Covered:

• August Skill Builder - Needle Turned Applique with guild member and previous guild president Jessica Schunke! Zoom with us Wednesday, September 22nd from 7-8pm. Look for your member email and zoom link reminders the night before.
  
  
• 4x5 Quarterly Bees - Quarterly Block Bees - Round 3 is underway - please reach out to guild Vice President Em Komiskey with any questions - and please make sure to post progress pictures and tag #stlmqg4x5bee on IG!
  
  
• Hand Sew *Home* Happy Hour September 28th from 6-9 - come and go as you please!
  
  
• Board Elections - President & Secretary Positions are open for next year - they are two-year terms and we ask that if you are considering that you please notify Pam Hartig (pmhartig21@sbcglobal.net) by Oct 1st so we can announce the candidates in the October meeting and vote in November. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to past or current board members to see if these positions might be a good fit for you.
  
  
• QuiltCon 2022 - The Quilt show entries are open NOW through October 31, 2021. 
  
  
• 
  2021 Remaining Monthly Meetings: If you were with us this past weekend we met in the Multi-purpose room at the Shrewsbury City Center - this will be our new home for the rest of 2021 - it was a bit chilly in there so we defiantly suggest bringing along a cozy sweater. A Zoom option will be available for those unable to attend. 
  NOTE: Our October meeting will be on the 16th - this is NOT the 2nd Saturday of the month. 
  
  
• Guild Merch - we only have a few items left! Let us if you're interested in snagging anything - we will have these at our next in-person meeting for sale.
  
  
  
• Quiltcon Community Challenge
  This year's quilt is an interpretation of a map that depicts the racial diversity/integration in the STL metro area. Blocks are due NEXT MONTH! If you picked up a packet they are addressed too so if you can't make it to the meeting drop it in the mail (3 stamps should cover it)
  
  
  
• Vet Quilts - the deadline for this is coming up in November - we still need some quilts to hit our goal so read more about those here.
  
  
• Charity Committee Summer/ Fall Project - we are making small quilts for the Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (CG PICU). Our goal is 60 quilts - please check out the blog post for more information about sizes, color schemes, and deadlines. Make sure to share your finished quilts on social using #stlmqg #stlmqgcards and #stlmqgpicuquilts!
  
  
• Two-Color Challenge - to help bump up the creativity with the baby quilts the challenge committee announced that they were going to have members pull two random colors from the color chips pile to use to make your PICU quilt. You can pick colors at the October meeting as well! Lots of ideas and patterns can be found on the blog post. Read more here. 
  
  Bring the quilts to the November meeting (distance members can email photos). Two winners will be drawn at the November meeting to receive gift certificates.
  
  Be sure to share your creations on Instagram with #stlmqgpicuchallenge
  
  
• October Meeting Holiday Cards - We will be making holiday cards to send to local nursing homes in the area - check out some of the tutorials ahead of time in the link in your email to prep for the meeting - things to bring with you: glue, scissors, pinking shears, markers/pens, large needle/thread, trim, sequins, beads, fabric (holiday-specific and whatever else).
  
  
• Quilt Photography - Angela Armstrong (@todd_studios)
  
  
  Angela has started out as a family photographer but recently connected with guild president Lilo Whitener-Fey to help her take photos for her business Trace Creek Quilting. Angela & Lilo have learned a lot through their adventures in photo taking and Angela was kind enough to share some of her best tips & tricks.
  
  Things to take pictures of:
  - Full length of the quilt
  - Details of the fabric
  - Details of the quilting
  - Details of the backing
  
  Use Instagram, Pinterest & Google search to get ideas of how to display your quilt - so many options of how to fold or drape quilts. 
  
  Check out STL parks! There are tons of great photo places around St. Louis - check out the parks around you for great places to start. Cool walls, buildings, sculptures - always keep your eyes peeled for interesting locations!
  
  Bring a quilt photo 'toolbox' with things like scissors, tacks, hammer, step stool, lint roller, double-sided tape, etc...
  
  Consider the time of day - mornings and late afternoons work best - noon is a harsh time of day as well as weather - the wind is not your friend!
  
  
  
  
  Angela covered different lighting settings and how to make the most of them, or what to avoid such as having the light behind you - this can cause the quilt holder to show up in the photo which is probably not your goal. If you're shooting photos inside - make sure you shoot near a window - move your furniture or find props to use but make use of the natural light.
  
  Don't forget the details! Use the all the swirls and twists to make your up-close photos interesting - but you want to record the close-up details of your quilt. 
  
  Editing apps and cameras - make use of your phone - newer phones have a portrait mode and this can be an awesome way to get great pictures of the details while also blurring the background. Use the setting in the camera & in the photos app you can usually use the editing features that come with your phone to do things like bumping up the contrast and clarity. But you can make use of free apps out there like Studio, Snapseed, or PicCollage to quickly edit from your phone.
  
  

• Fabric Raffle 
  Thanks to another very generous donation from our sponsor Cotton Cuts we had two excited members win some awesome fabric and goodies!