Upcountry Quilters Guild Newsletter - May 2025

Newsletter Content Authors:

  • Meeting Minutes – (May 2025 – Cheryl B.)
  • Birthdays – Janice H.
  • Meeting Program Notes – Gretchen C.
  • Community Service – Edith P., Kay M., Pam J.
  • Oconee/Pickens County QOV / Sit-N-Sew – Beth E.
  • Quilt Shows, Workshops & Events – Cheryl B./Gretchen C.
  • Show & Tell Photos – Beth E.

Next Guild Meetings

Tuesday, June 24, 2025 (7pm)

Program:  “All About Binding” presentations by some of our own, very talented guild members:

  • Cathy C. – Flange and Piped binding
  • Beth E. – Specialty machine binding
  • Robbie O.- Facing your quilt project
  • Kris V.- Hanging sleeves

Location:  Grace Methodist Church (309 East Cedar Rock St. Pickens, SC)

Tuesday, July 22, 2025 (7pm)

Program:  Upcountry Quilters Guild Quilt Show CHALLENGE QUILTS

Facilitator:  Kris V.

Location:  Pickens Presbyterian Church, 311 N. Main St., Pickens, SC

Meeting Minutes

UQG Meeting Minutes, May 27, 2025

  • Welcome and opening prayer
  • Never regret your mistakes. Admire the courage it took to attempt the unknown. (Reflection from Yogi tea bag) Reminded Cheryl of the courage it takes to do an unknown project such as a challenge quilt or attempting a new quilting design or pattern.
  • Speaker – Delia Dorn (see Gretchen’s notes on the program. Great program!
  • Approval of April minutes – Approved
  • Treasurer Report – Linda not available.
  • Pickens Azalea Festival recap –  Cheryl gave an update on the Azalea Festival ($201 in quilt raffle ticket sales and $61 in boutique items) and Ag & Art Festival ($42 in quilt raffle ticket sales and $65 in boutique items). No other income this month. Only expenses were speaker fees. SC taxes filed this month.
  • Membership Report – Marina G.  Thirty members present, no guests. Kay M. won the name tag drawing.
  • Community Service – Kay/Edith/Pam          Kay reported Ting is no longer with Hands of Hope Hospice but they have new contact. They are very appreciative of quilt donations. Ting posted on our facebook page a very cute picture of a baby enjoying their quilt.  We are making progress on our QOV quilts. We currently have over 30 completed and over 30 waiting to be quilted. We do have regular nominations in addition to the Easley Army Reserve, so continue to have a need for additional quilts and/or tops.
  • Publicity/PR – Tami M. :
    • Thank you to the members who provided quilts for this quarter to hang at the museum, Clemson Extension, and the Chamber of Commerce. Next time quilts needed will be in August. 
    • We will have a booth at the Easley Farmers Market once a month for the next 3 months to help promote the quilt show and sell quilt raffle tickets and boutique items. The first date is June 21st at 9-noon. See Tami to sign-up to work for a 2 hour time slot over the summer to help promote the guild and quilt show.
    • The County Registrar reached out to us regarding advertising for our quilt show in their newsletter. Tami will contact them regarding cost and requirements.
  • Special Events – Kris.   Our guild’s Quilt Show Challenge quilts are due at the July 2025 meeting. Participants will discuss how their quilt represents their hometown. Guild members will judge for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and Honorable Mention.
  • Tea & Sympathy – Stacey :
    • Mary O. – Lung biopsy positive, awaiting further treatment direction
    • Rosemary G.- Husband placed on hospice (update – he passed away 6/2)
    • Linda C. – fractured arm in a fall; no surgery needed at this time
    • Donna A. – Husband Larry dx with Afib and pulmonary blood clots
    • Margaret C. – Husband Michael has had several recent falls
    • Margaret C. – awaiting corneal transplant
    • Charlie M. – now cancer free
    • Mary P.  – Daughter dx with Pancreatic Cancer – starting chemo
  • Newsletter/Website – Janice H.  Newsletter articles for the May issue are due by June 4th.
  • Vice President – Gretchen C.:
    • Guild Quilt Show Boutique Items – send list of items to Gretchen
    • June 2025 guild  program – All about binding (Cathy, Beth, Robbie, Kris)
  • President – Cheryl B.:
  • Report on Azalea Festival and Ag and Art Tour – very successful!
  • Guild Quilt Show:
    • Presentation Quilt – tickets and flyers for members to sell – envelopes available
    • Quilt Show – list of remaining tasks and needs coming soon
    • Quilt drop off will be sometime the 1st week of September
    • Judging of quilts will be Tuesday September 16th Location TBD
    • May need to make adjustments to quilt category – applique (add percentages)
    • Quilt pick up after the Quilt Show concludes may look a little different than previous years.  Are working on the procedure – more details coming in upcoming meetings.
    • Memorial quilt displays for show of deceased members – need volunteer to coordinate.        (The guild was notified that former guild members Wayne and Laverne M. passed away in January.)
  • Greenville Modern Quilt Guild (GMQG) is having a program Friday May 30th.  Sarah Hibbert from the UK – lecture open to the public.
  • Show & Tell – Beth E.

Birthdays

JUNE

  • Charlene M.     6/13
  • Tammie Y.        6/14  
  • Linda C.            6/17
  • Sue M.             6/17
  • Cheryl B.          6/23

    JULY

  • Jae S.                
  • Beth E.              7/1
  • Judith L.            7/8
  • Carolyn C.         7/17  
  • Nancy S.           7/21

Guild Quilt Show (Oct. 10-11, 2025)

HOMETOWN QUILT CHALLENGE – July 2025 guild meeting – What to Expect

  • Bring your challenge quilt, labeled and concealed in a bag or pillow case. No need to have a sleeve on it at this time.
  • We will check your quilt in and give you a registration number in exchange for your quilt. We will then attach that same registration number to your quilt and prepare it for your presentation to the guild.
  • You’ll be called up by number to present your quilt with a brief description, explaining how it relates to your hometown.
  • Following your presentation we will collect your quilt and hang it for display and judging by the guild members. -Once all the presentations are complete, all present guild members will vote for their favorite challenge quilt based on the presentation and the quilt by paper ballot.
  • Ballots will be counted immediately following the vote. First, second and third place ribbons will be awarded by the end of the guild meeting. Winners will be recognized!
  • Your quilt will be returned to you after ribbons are awarded. All challenge quilts will be hung together during our Quilt Show. Please make sure there is a 4” sleeve on the back of your quilt for the show and return it with the ribbon if awarded, for the show in September. If you wish to have it judged in the appropriate category for the show you will be asked to prepare a show registration form and indicate that category as well as the challenge quilt category.
  • Any questions can be asked of Kris V. or Robbie O.

 

We are so looking forward to seeing your Hometown Quilts!! !

BOUTIQUE

Please do not forget about making items for our Quilt Show boutique. The proceeds from the sales help pay for our workshops and our quilt retreat next year.

Gretchen C. would appreciate it if you could email her  list of what you will be providing for the Boutique, so she’ll have a better idea of what is needed.   Thanks!

Community Service

We had 13 quilts donated to Hands of Hope Pediatric Hospice through Agape Missions at our May meeting. They are much appreciated. Remember the quilts donated to this project need to be washed. Batting is available at our meetings for this project. Thank you for your generous work on this community service project.

Our other community service project is Quilts of Valor (QOV). You can come to Dacusville Community Center every third Friday to work together or come get fabric to complete the quilt at home. If you want to quilt it yourself you can also get fabric for the backing and batting at the center. You may choose to complete just the quilt top and turn it in to be quilted at the center. Remember to stitch a seam about 1/8 of an inch around all of the outer edges of your quilt top before turning it in.

QOV size guidelines:

  • Width:  55 – 65 inches
  • Length:  73 – 90 inches

Oconee/Pickens County QOV / Sit-N-Sew

Those comforted as of  May 31, 2025

Last Month – 3,025

Year to Date – 12,541

Lifetime Total – 413,902

We awarded 5 Veterans with quilts in May.  Want to say a big thank you to all of the ladies quilting QOVs.  Please continue working on quilts.  We continue to get new entries in the NAMS backlog along with the 83 from the Easley Guard.

QOV will be on June 20th and Sit-N-Sew on June 27th.  We will sew from 0900 to 1600 and bring your own lunch.  See you there.

Upcoming Quilt Shows, Workshops & Events

  • A Mountain Quiltfest at the LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge, TN will be June 10-12, 2025.
  • Lake and Mountain Quilt Guild show, Art Feeds the Soul~Create, June 27-28, 2025 at the new Seneca Middle School on Wells Hwy. Their presentation quilt is titled “Japanese Fans” and is honoring one of their former members, Jan Hannewold.
  • The Original Carolinas Shop Hop is scheduled for July 17-26, 2025 featuring 11 shops in Western NC and SC. This is a fun adventure, start planning now for your group, attire and route (groups of at least 4 receive a special prize at each shop).
  • The Asheville Quilt Show is August 14-16, 2025 at the WNC Ag Center in Fletcher, NC. Hopefully they can avoid any storms this year!! Plan to visit Foam and Fabrics as well during your visit (the bakery across from Foam and Fabrics is pretty good, too!)
  • All Carolinas Shop Hop is September 1 – October 31, 2025. Visit quilt shops all over both North and South Carolina to be eligible for prizes throughout the states.
  • The Quilters of South Carolina (Statewide quilt guild – get to know quilters from all over the state) will have their Fall Retreat “QSC Pieceable Retreat” in Myrtle Beach at the Doubletree Resort October 23-26, 2025. There are many fantastic classes that should provide a variety of experiences/challenges for many quilters.

 

May 2025 Guild Meeting Program

In our May meeting, Delia Dorn, presented “Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Quilt Judge?”   She is the owner, lead designer and quilter at Willowlark Quilt Studio in Landrum, SC.

After giving a very detailed presentation on what judges look for as they are judging, (in their very limited time frame), Delia gave insights on what we should look at while we are creating our quilts to hopefully enter a show.

We should put a quilt in a show to be judged in order to learn fundamentals about quilting.

  1. Entry form – should be looked at to make sure you have entered in the right category.
  2. Read the rules for each category.
  3. General appearance – no cat hair, loose threads, stains, etc.
  4. Is it a WOW appearance? Original design vs kit? Design, colors, balance, intersections, points, curve piecing, thread choice during piecing, lined up sashing, mitered border 45 degrees, shadowing (press to the dark side), applique should be smooth (not judged on technique of applique, but how well it’s done).
  5. Art quilt should enhance, not overkill.
  6. Quilting designs, try using a Boogie Board to audition different designs, stitch in the ditch should be in the ditch consistently, and be careful of quilting issues like tension.
  7. Binding – take time on your binding, technique doesn’t matter as long as it’s done well, thread should be the color of the binding, corners should be squared, and sewing should be consistent back and front.
  8. Quilt should lay flat (not pucker) and quilt may be washed or not washed.


For the “Best in Show” quilt show award, Delia said all of the #!s in each category should be considered for Best of Show, being judged on degree of difficulty, design, technique and WOW factor.

Show & Tell Photos (May 2025 Meeting)