Monthly Notes from the President

OCT. 2005

Two of our recent programs have been trunk shows by fellow guild members.

Each lady who has participated in these programs, when asked to do so by me or by program chair Kathy, has said, “Yes,” without hesitation; sometimes they were given only a few days to prepare. The effort they have put into their presentations has really impressed me. At least one lady used note cards, and I know at least one lady “borrowed” her quilts back from their owners so she could have them at the meeting. We’ve seen some family heirlooms, and some works in progress, and we have learned something about each lady who participated.

I am also impressed by the quality and variety of quilts we have seen. The ladies have shown us not only their great quilts, but they have also shown us some quilts that they acknowledge are not perfect. It is encouraging to know that a person who does top quality work has had her share of discouraging results, and even some mistakes along the way. That gives hope to those who are just learning to quilt, who may be thinking they will never get it right.

Besides the trunk shows, I also really enjoy the Show-and-tell segment of the meetings, and I want to thank each of you who has brought something to show. Whether you have been quilting for 30 years or are a beginner, it is really nice to be able to show off what you’ve been working on to people who understand what went into the piece. While you get to show off, you might be providing inspiration for someone who needs it. I am somewhat disappointed when only a few show their work.

Keep quilting, and keep sharing, both your successes, and your failures. We learn from each other when we share.

SEP. 2005

I came back from a week of being treated like royalty on my vacation, to the news that Hurricane Katrina was on its way and would be making landfall that night.

Seeing the devastation of this hurricane and the human toll it has taken has made me more aware of my many blessings and how easily they could all disappear.

I have things I’ve been saving for years that I really don’t need, things that have sentimental value, but which I have not used or even looked at for years. It will be hard to let go of some of them, but I think it is time to let them be useful again, instead of just taking up space.

Most of you know by now that the Charlotte Coliseum will be housing up to 500 people from the hurricane damaged areas. They can use our quilts, sheets, blankets, towels, etc. Just be sure they are clean and usable.

I will find out where to take donations, and specifically what they will accept. I will let you know what I find out at the guild meeting. It is very possible that you know more about this than I do; please, share what you know with me.

AUG. 2005

This year’s August picnic will be a true potluck dinner, because I failed to get a sign-up sheet going a few months ago. It should be interesting; if we end up with chips and dips and nothing else, you can blame me, but that doesn’t usually happen at a potluck. From past picnics and refreshment times, you know we have some very talented cooks in the guild.

Please, bring a yard of fabric to the picnic for a game. This game will be different from the “ugly fat quarter exchange” we have had in the past. It’s a game I found on-line that sounds interesting. I’ve never played it, so no promises. Come and participate, and we’ll all find out together how it’s done. This should be a fun game and you will be presented with another challenge at the end of it.

Your fabric should be one piece, at least one full yard, but not much more, and not several pieces to make up a yard. If you have two ugly fabrics, or two yards of the same fabric, please bring an extra in case we have guests, or a member who did not get the word on this.

At last year’s picnic, I asked you to sit with people you don’t usually sit with, to get better acquainted with them. I’m not going to do that this year, but please be sure that you make our visitors feel welcomed by including them in your conversations.

I hope you’ve all had fun building your challenge quilt this year. I’m anxious to see all of the challenge quilts this year. We had a great time last year, and I’m sure this year will be just as breathtaking. Thank you, Tanya, for your hard work planning this one.

JUL. 2005

As most of you already know, we had a paid workshop in June with Cathy Wiggins. As far as I know, it is the first paid workshop this guild has had.

In setting the fee for the workshop, we tried to make it fair and reasonable, with the hope that enough would sign up for it to pay the associated costs. Any money collected in excess of the costs would be a profit to the guild treasury, and would be added to the program budget.

In discussing this at the last board meeting, we recognized that we need to establish a refund policy for future workshops, and any other events for which members will be charged a fee to attend. Since we had no policy in effect for this workshop, we refunded everyone who did not attend.

The board decided on these guidelines for future events:

• If a member has paid for the event and cancels at least five days prior to the event, he/she will receive a full refund. It is hoped that such cancellations would not make attendance so low that the event would not pay for itself; it would be unfair to the instructor to cancel on such short notice.
• If a member has paid for the event, and for some reason does not attend, refunds will be determined by the board on a case by case basis.

The costs associated with the recent workshop are as follows:

• Cathy Wiggins: $294.75
• Rental of room: $50.00
• Refreshments: $9.72
• Total: $354.47

We had total attendance of 12 ladies, at $30 each, for a total of $360.00, so we just about broke even on this workshop.

We have another paid workshop scheduled for September. I will need to have a commitment from you at the July meeting if you plan to attend. See details in this newsletter under the heading “Workshops.”

JUN. 2005

From the By-laws, Article IV, Section 3:

Election of Officers: The President shall appoint a nomination chairperson in June. The nomination chairperson shall select a committee. In August the nomination committee shall present a slate of candidates and will solicit nominations from the floor. The nomination chairperson shall deliver the slate of candidates to the newsletter chairperson for publication in the October and November newsletters. The officers of the guild shall be elected by a majority vote of the members present at the regular November meeting, and shall assume office following the December meeting.

This year’s Vice President, Gloria, has agreed to serve as nomination chairperson for this year. The board has been discussing recommendations for next year’s officers and she will be contacting some of you about this. If you are interested in serving, don’t wait for Gloria’s call; call her and tell her of your interest. Some of you who have not served on the board in the past are well qualified to lead the guild next year, and have the time to do so.

In August, Gloria will be asking for your nominations. Two years ago, when the nominations committee asked for nominations, some of you listed six or more names and said something like, “These would be good in any office.” That required that we call each one listed to see if they were interested. Please, put more thought into your nominations this year. If you are going to nominate someone, please be sure she or he is willing to serve on the board.

Certain other positions will be open for 2006, including at least Newsletter Editor, Workshop Chair, and Quilt Show Director. We will need a Program Chair, and it would be good to start planning programs for 2006 now. If you are interested in filling any of these positions, or any others, call me or check out the by-laws to see what is expected, and let me know.

MAY. 2005

One of the requirements of guild membership is to donate at least one Cuddle Quilt per year to Cabarrus Victims Assistance Network. CVAN recognizes and appreciates us for the donation of Cuddle Quilts, but the ultimate recipients will likely never know where their quilts came from.

Most of us have been fortunate enough to never have needed the services of a shelter like CVAN, but I’m glad they are there for those who do need them, and I’m happy to play a small part in giving comfort to someone’s child by making a quilt for them.

Cuddle Quilts are due in November, and we will have a representative from CVAN at that meeting to receive them. This November’s program will be the Cuddle Quilt presentation and we will present them like we do at Show and Tell, so that everyone gets to see all the quilts as they are given, and we will allow time for each person to talk about their quilt if they want to. The CVAN representative will also have time to speak about CVAN’s programs, and will answer questions you might have.

I don’t keep track of who has and who hasn’t donated a Cuddle Quilt, and I’m not going to start now. If you didn’t make one last year, you should try to make two this year. If you don’t make one this year, try to make two next year. Donating a quilt to someone who needs it is a nice thing to do.

APR. 2005

Last month I gave you an overall view of the guild’s finances for 2004. As promised, here is what the board anticipates for the guild’s finances for 2005.

We expect the Guild’s 2005 income to derive from the following sources:

• Membership fees $1200
• Pin Sales $50
• Name Tag Fines $15
• 2005 Raffle Quilt tickets (after expenses) $2000

We expect the Guild’s 2005 expenses to include the following:

• Programs $500
• Donation to CVAN – (2004 Raffle Quilt) $1000
• Donations to churches $300
• Storage rental $445
• Newsletter expenses $500
• Web Site $180
• Miscellaneous expenses $340

We started the year with a balance of $3282.84. We planned the budget with the idea of spending what we anticipate taking in, and leaving with the balance nearly what it was at the first of the year. These projections are subject to many variables.

A program budget of $500 is very limiting. By charging for the June workshop and opening it up to quilters outside our guild, we anticipate that this workshop will pay for itself and any profit from it will be added back into the program budget.

When we use Mt. Olivet church or another church for additional meetings, we send an additional check of $50 per occurrence.

We had to move into a larger storage unit this year, since our new racks would not fit into the old one. Marguerite was able to get a contract for the larger unit for the same price as the old one. Don’t be surprised if they ask for a larger rental fee next year.

Postage rates affect the Newsletter expenses. Some newsletters are sent by email, and some in hard copy; a minimal amount is saved on postage by sending it in email, and it takes a lot more time to execute. When the next person takes over this position, he/she may revert to sending all copies by hard copy.

This year’s miscellaneous expenses include supplies for refreshments; prizes for the challenge; prizes and decorations for the August picnic and the Christmas dinner; fat quarters given to first-time visitors; and other small items.

MAR. 2005

The treasurer’s report is included in the newsletter each month; however you never get to see the complete picture. Here’s an overall view of the guild’s finances for 2004:

The Guild’s 2004 income came from the following sources:

• Membership fees $1350
• Quilt Show (net) $1400
• Pin Sales $95
• Name Tag Fines $25
• 2004 Raffle Quilt tickets (after expenses) $2080

The Guild’s 2004 expenses went to the following:

• Programs $965
• Donation to CVAN – (2003 Raffle Quilt) $625
• Donations to churches $450
• Storage rental $445
• Newsletter expenses $510
• Web Site $135
• Quilt Racks $300
• Miscellaneous expenses $480

In the past, less had been budgeted for programs, but we budgeted $1000 for programs in 2004 since very little had been spent on programs the previous two years.

Due to the size of our 2004 quilt show we needed additional racks, so we had them built. This expenditure was previously approved by the guild. We also purchased the portable rack that we can now use to display the raffle quilt at various shows when we have the opportunity to sell tickets.

Church donations were higher in 2004 due to conflicts with our normal meeting locations.

Miscellaneous expenses included supplies for refreshments; prizes for the challenge and block of the month; prizes and decorations for the August picnic and the Christmas dinner; fat quarters given to first-time visitors; and other small items.

The numbers above are rounded. If you would like to see the exact totals, contact me for the specifics.

Next month, we will explore the budget for 2005.

FEB. 2005

We're well into 2005 now, and things are falling into place for an exciting year for the guild.

Our new program director, Kathy L., has several programs scheduled already, including this month's program about thimbles. Elizabeth Miller is coming in March; Ms. Miller was with us a few years ago, and her work is breathtaking. We'll also be having a fabric giveaway in a few months.

We will be having a bonus meeting on Wednesday, April 27, with Pat Knoechel again. Pat's program last year was really enjoyed by all who were able to attend. Mark the date on your calendar and plan to come and bring a friend or two.

I'm very excited about the new block of the month for beginners that Mildred and Bessie are going to be presenting this month. This is a great time for you to invite all your friends who have said they'd like to start quilting but they don't know how.

This month, we'll be hearing about the new Block of the Month, Round Robin and Challenge quilts. I hope you'll take part in as many as you can make the time for. I'll personally be participating in all of them.

Retreats this year have been scheduled for May and October. Hopefully, these dates will work better for those who couldn't come in June or September.

This month's meeting falls on Valentine's Day. Appropriate for those whose heart is in quilting, isn't it? When we give a quilt as a gift, a part of our heart is in it.

I wish you all happy and heartfelt quilting.

JAN. 2005

The winning ticket for the 2004 raffle quilt was drawn at the Christmas dinner. The quilt was won by Clara H. in Mt. Croghan, SC.

I called Clara the day after the drawing. When I told her who I was, she said, "Did I win the quilt?" She still had the ticket stub!

We decided it would probably be just as economical to deliver the quilt in person as to trust it to the mail, so on December 19, two of us drove to Mt. Croghan to deliver it.

Clara was such a delightful lady, we were both glad we had taken the time to take it to her! She was very excited about winning. Clara attended the Charlotte quilt show in March with a friend, and purchased only one raffle ticket. She invited us into her home and we took several pictures (with my camera and hers). She showed us where she would be using the quilt. It seems like the quilt was made for that room; the colors and the size were perfect.

Pictures will be on the web site soon: 2004 Raffle Quilt Winner.

DEC. 2004

As the year winds down, I want to thank everyone who participated in making 2004 a great year for the guild. Everyone who came to a guild meeting, attended a workshop, made a challenge quilt or a block of the month, brought a friend, helped staff the quilt show, brought refreshments, displayed a quilt during show-n-tell, worked on a round robin, or participated in any other way: thank you.

It is customary to acknowledge the chairladies of all the committees and activities at the Christmas dinner. As I was making the list (and checking it twice!), I was thinking what fun we've had this year, and I'm looking forward to another great year in 2005.

Now is the time for anyone who would like to chair a committee next year to step forward and volunteer. We have several vacancies that need to be filled. Perhaps you have thought of something we might do in 2005 that we haven't done before. Let me know so we can get it started.

I'm planning to spend Christmas in Phoenix with my sister and her family. While there, I plan to get my fill of Mexican food. I love a lot about Charlotte, but I haven't found any place to compare to my favorite restaurant in Phoenix.

NOV. 2004

October was domestic violence awareness month, and CVAN wants us to know that half of all women are battered at some point in their lives. CVAN's purpose is to provide safety, shelter and support for battered women and their children. In 2003, CVAN helped 1,093 women and children.

CVAN began in 1983 with just a 24-hour hotline. Today CVAN provides a 24-hour crisis line, temporary shelter, court advocacy, children's and teen programs, transitional housing program, community education, and a resale store.

CVAN's Cool Used Stuff (the resale store), 300 Copperfield Plaza, sells gently used women's and children's clothing and accessories. The store is stocked with donations from the community and is run by volunteers. The public can shop there, and the women CVAN assists access your donations there with gift certificates.

CVAN's 13th Annual Auction and Celebration will be held at the Oasis Temple at University Place on November 13. There will be a silent auction and a live auction of donated items. Last year's event raised $51,500 for CVAN. Tickets are $36; reservations are required.

All profits from the store and the auction go directly towards CVAN's programs.

Each member of the Cabarrus Quilters Guild donates a cuddle quilt to CVAN annually. We also donate at least half of the net profit from the sale of tickets for our raffle quilts. Debbie from CVAN will be at our November guild meeting to receive our cuddle quilts this year.

For more information, contact CVAN.

24-hour crisis line: 704.788.2826

Office: 704.788.1108

OCT. 2004

"One of my earliest memories is of riding the bus to church in Phoenix on a hot summer day, then sitting on the floor under a quilt frame while my mother and other ladies in the church hand stitched a quilt to send to the church's missionaries.

"Many of you probably remember seeing your grandmothers, aunts and mothers quilting. They took scraps too small to be useful for anything else, and made something beautiful and useful out of them. Today, antique quilts are treasured as never before.

"The Cabarrus Quilters Guild today consists of women of all age groups, from 80+ years to an eight-year-old, most of them citizens of Cabarrus County. Each member annually makes and donates a cuddle quilt to CVAN, a local organization you may be familiar with, which in turn passes these cuddle quilts on to women and children who come to CVAN for shelter. We also make a quilt each year which is sold to raise funds for the guild, and a portion of these funds are also donated to CVAN.

"The guild was founded in 1979 as Cabarrus Happy Quilters with 16 members. Later the name was changed to the Cabarrus Quilters Guild and currently boasts over 60 members."

The preceding is part of the presentation that I made to the Board of Commissioners on September 20. The Chairman expressed the board's appreciation for all that our guild does for Cabarrus County. Gloria made a similar presentation to the Mayor and the City Council on September 9.

Thank you all for the generous donations you make each year to Cabarrus county and CVAN, I know they are deeply appreciated and cherished.

SEP. 2004

I don't remember if there was a guest speaker the first time I attended a guild meeting, but I remember being impressed by the Round Robins. That year, there was only the row-by-row. In subsequent years, we have also had medallion style Round Robins; this year's is different from any we've had before.

I've participated in several Round Robins over the three years I've been in the guild. Every month I look forward to seeing which quilt I will be working on. I love the challenge of adding something that is different but still keeps continuity with the other blocks that have been included.

This year's Round Robin will come to a close in October, and we will get to see the final blocks that have been created. Hopefully in a few months, we will see some of them as finished quilts.

Thanks to Janice for taking on the task of leading the Round Robins this year. You're doing a great job!

If you've never participated in a Round Robin, I highly recommend that you join in next year.

Happy quilting!

AUG. 2004

The August guild meeting is always an event to look forward to. This year's is no exception.

I really enjoyed working on this year's challenge quilt. I love the theme Barbara chose, There's Something Fishy Going On. With the option of using a fish patterned fabric or a design that includes fish, there is a lot of room for creativity.

I have heard some of you say that you loved the multi-colored fabric that was chosen. I personally found that fabric to be a challenge, but I loved the orange and blue fabrics. Whatever your reaction to the fabrics and the theme, it's going to be exciting to see the quilts at the picnic, and find out who wins the prizes. I've been told the prizes are going to be very special this year.

What would a picnic be without food? We always have lots of delicious food at the picnic, and we have a member who used to be an assistant chef at a Greek-American restaurant. Doesn't that make your mouth water?

There are other interesting facts you're going to learn about each other. For example, one of us was married on roller skates and one of us -- well, we'll leave that for the meeting.

JUL. 2004

There are so many wonderful tools available that weren't available 20 years ago: books and magazines; classes; TV shows; quilt guilds; on-line help, including chat rooms; rotary cutting tools; plastic templates; sewing machines designed especially for quilting; and many more.

My mother was a quilter without the benefit of the tools we have now. She cut her fabric with scissors and sewed it together on a machine that did nothing but straight stitches. Her templates were made of cardboard from cereal boxes, whether it was a Grandmother's Flower Garden, a Sunbonnet Sue, or a nine-patch. Her applique was hand stitched. Her fabric was left over from clothing she made for her children, or from feed sacks. (Feed sacks were not hard to come by back then.)

My early quilts were also made without benefit of rotary cutting tools, and for many years I wouldn't make anything that did not consist of squares and rectangles.

There's something really special about a quilter's first quilt. I remember where, when, why, and for whom I made mine. I still love that quilt in spite of its faults.

I've come a long way since making my first quilt. I've learned a lot from magazines and from Alex Anderson and her guests, and I've been inspired by seeing what fellow guild members have made. I have even done some curves and some applique, and I'm doing a lot better at getting my points right. I'm really grateful for the many tools I have now that I didn't have then. It's a wonderful time to be a quilter.

Happy quilting.

JUN. 2004

The purpose of Cabarrus Quilters Guild, as stated in the by-laws, includes: encouraging excellence of craftsmanship; fostering a sense of beauty in color and design; and providing opportunities for the exchange of ideas and information among the members of the guild. I can think of no better way to accomplish our purpose than by the workshops we're having this year.

Candy M. first brought up the idea of having free workshops late last year when she and I were trying to decide what we wanted to do for the guild in 2004. We intended to plan them together, but since I became President, she's been doing most of the planning herself, with help from Debbie R.

To date, we've had workshops on better binding technique, machine quilting, hand applique, stained glass technique, and landscape quilting. This month's workshop is on paper piecing, and for July's workshop, Cena H. will be teaching a Snowball Puzzle quilt design. Future workshop possibilities include such projects as Stack 'N' Whack, Lettering, and Square Dance quilt design. The fact that the workshops are free does not take anything away from the quality of the instruction that has been given.

If you haven't attended one of our workshops yet, consider it an opportunity to learn a new technique or quilt design you wouldn't otherwise be exposed to. You may just find yourself exploring a whole new dimension of quilting.

If you have an idea for a workshop you would like to attend or to lead, please let Candy know. She'd love to hear from you.

Thanks to Candy for planning and organizing the workshops, and to Debbie for helping her. Thanks to all the ladies who have been willing to share their expertise in leading them. Special thanks to Florence and Hancock Fabrics for providing us the room at no charge.

MAY. 2004

This year's Block of the Month is a new twist on an old idea.

In previous Block of the Month plans, instructions were given for one block each month and all who brought their completed block were eligible to win the blocks for that month. One person got all of the blocks, and everyone else got none. Some months, there were as many as 20 blocks, and sometimes, only one or two.

In this year's version, instructions are handed out for several blocks a month, and at the end of a year or so, we will have received instructions for 72 blocks, all of which are intended to be put together in one quilt. Each person keeps her own blocks, and everyone who finishes the assigned blocks for the month and brings them to display, is eligible to win a fat quarter.

I have a box of selected fabrics set aside just for Block of the Month, much like a Round Robin box. I love getting to keep my own blocks. (From the participation in this project, it seems you like it too.) It's nice to know that at the end of this project, my blocks will all be color- coordinated, and that they will all be the same size (well, almost).

There are other things to like about this year's Block of the Month: new members can participate from their first meeting if they choose to, and they can get previous month's instructions; if I miss a month, I can catch up; and I am making blocks in patterns that I would not otherwise try.

Thanks to Rebecca for leading this year's Block of the Month program, and thanks to Mildred for coming up with that great idea of pinning all the blocks to a single piece of fabric to display them. Way to go, Mildred.

When all of the instructions have been passed out and all the blocks are finished, we will have another challenge: to actually put the quilt together.

APR. 2004

About fifteen Cabarrus Quilt Guild members were privileged to visit with Alex Anderson at the Concord Bernina Says Sew store on March 10. We found her to be just as friendly and personable to each of us as she is to each of the guests on her show. The following is excerpted from an article written by Lori D. for the NCQuilters Newsletter. Lori's full article will soon be on this web site.

The Passion of Quilting (and Alex Anderson!) by Lori D.

"Quilts are far more than pieces sewn together," she said, describing the old-time, hand craft of piecing fabric into squares and shapes and sewing it into a quilt. She said the process of making a quilt has feeling and reflects into the quilter's soul - creative, unique to a period of time and filled with memory.

Calling herself an "ambassador" for quilting, Anderson spent most of the time telling personal stories and narrating a slide show titled, "Behind the Seams." The presentation was the humorous inside story of how she set out to be a professional quilter and teacher 25 years ago. "I didn't know I had to have experience," she laughed, talking about how fate soon landed her the starring role in Simply Quilts.

For the rest of Lori's article, Click here.

MAR. 2004

At our last quilt show in the spring of 2003, upstairs in the library in Concord, how many of us would have dreamed we would be hosting our next quilt show at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center? On October 2 and 3, 2004, that is where it will be! WOW! This is going to be our greatest quilt show to date!

We have reserved Gold Hall II at the Events Center. This building has 10,000 square feet, which allows for fourteen vendor spaces, plus plenty of room to display our quilts. It is near the main arena, and will draw interest from people who are attending other events, as well as attracting people who see our advertising on the arena's marquee.

For the first time, we will charge admission ($5 for adults), and we will have vendors. As of this writing, thirteen of the fourteen vendor spots have been spoken for, and six of them have already sent in their deposits.

Flyers and pamphlets are being prepared. We will be displaying our raffle quilt and Charlotte Quilters Guild's raffle quilt. CVAN has been offered a table, and will likely set up a display.

I remember very clearly the moment last summer when Nancy P. volunteered to plan the quilt show. It was a real surprise, since at that point, we weren't even asking for a quilt show chairman, but the board eagerly accepted her offer.

Nancy has a vision for our quilt show that is going to make it a major event. Lori D. is working on publicity for the show. Marguerite K. and Rebecca V. bring to the committee a wealth of experience and knowledge from this guild's previous quilt shows.

These four ladies are committed to organizing the finest quilt show that it is possible for us to have. Their enthusiasm is evident in their meetings and in the e-mail that has been flying from one to another since the first of the year.

I hope you are all as excited about this quilt show as I am. Please let all of these ladies know you appreciate the work they are doing for the guild and volunteer to help when they tell you about things that need to be done.

FEB. 2004

I had a near tragedy in my home last month, a far cry from the happy events I mentioned in last month's newsletter.

I share my home with two cats, Jaxon and Molly. I adopted both from the shelter last March, and I love these cats more than any other pet I have ever lived with. They are my constant companions. They follow me around the house and they 'help' me sew. Molly has a peculiar interest in thread, whether on the floor, on a spool, or hanging from my stash.

Molly became very ill the week of the January guild meeting. I won't get graphic and describe her symptoms here, but she was in a lot of pain. After X-rays revealed intestinal blockage, she underwent major surgery. The considerable amount of thread she had ingested over time had clogged her system; she would have died without the surgery.

Molly has recovered, and all of my fabric is now stored in plastic boxes with lids that fasten securely. Even though I have made my sewing room as free of threads as I possibly can, I am keeping a close watch on Molly to be sure she doesn't find any threads I miss.

We all know that our rotary cutters, scissors, seam rippers, pins and needles can cause injury if not handled properly. If you have cats, now you need to consider thread to be a dangerous tool, too.

I wish you all happy and safe quilting.

JAN. 2004

Happy New Year. I am really excited about the events coming up in 2004.

This month, January, we will have the first of many workshops. Rebecca V. is going to introduce a brand-new block of the month program. In August we will have our annual picnic. Nancy P. is already working on the Quilt Show for the fall. The Opportunity Quilt is ready to be quilted. We will have our cuddle quilt presentation with a representative from CVAN in November. In June and September, we will have our quilting retreats in Lynchburg. You won't want to miss the Christmas Party in December that Beverley is already planning. And, of course, there will be Show-and-Tell at most meetings, and always, great refreshments.

I am really happy to be your Guild President for 2004. I will put my best efforts into making this a really great year for the guild. If you have ideas you would like to see implemented, or suggestions for programs we might pursue, please call me or any other board member to discuss it. With everyone's help and participation, we can make this the best year ever for the Cabarrus Quilters Guild.