Minutes of Pacifica Quilters, March 8, 2023

The Meeting was called to order at 7 p.m. on March 8, 2023 by Elaine Yarborough.  Twenty-two people were in attendance.   

Adopt-a-Family:  Elaine read a letter from the Pacifica Resource Center, thanking us for our generosity for the family that we “gifted.”  There was individual thank you notes from each of the children and the parents.  The family also painted a rock which will be given to Liz Arguello for all of her amazing work for the Adopt-a-Family. 

Raffle Baskets:  Jackie Belli is organizing the Raffle Baskets for the September meeting.  Jackie provided a list of basket ideas to circulate.  You can sign up at the meetings or email Jackie Belli with your ideas.  We will have 6 to 8 baskets.  Jackie will put the baskets together, after we all donate.  We can donate to the specific baskets at each meeting from our stashes, or we can shop and donate.

Veterans’ Quilts:  Jeannie Matysiak explained a round robin experience to make quilts for veterans.  Kits are provided.  You can make a portion of the quilt then bring it to the next meeting where it will be passed to the next person to complete the next step. 

County Fair:  Laura McHugh attended our meeting to talk about the upcoming County Fair.  Wanda shared an email from Laura McHugh with all of the details, but here are the most important dates: 

• Fair runs from Saturday 6/3/2023 until Sunday, 6/11/2023
• Entries submitted online no later than midnight on 5/2/2023 - $5.00 fee
• Late entries by 5/9/2023 - $125 fee
• Entry take in: 5/16/2023 and 5/17/2023 from 2pm-8p
• Judging, Sunday, 5/21/2023
• Set up, Friday, 6/2/2-023
• Take down, Monday 6/12/2023, bright and early
• Pickup on Monday, 6/12/2023, between 2 pm – 7pm

Brunch:  Since we did not have a New Year’s breakfast due to the rainstorms, we are going to have a Spring Brunch on 4/13/2023.  Brunch will be held in the Craft Room at 10 a.m.   We are encouraging all to attend. 

Block of the Month:  On the 4^th Thursday of each month, Elaine facilitates a group assembling the blocks of the month.  Feel free to join the Group from 10 a.m. until noon at the Community Center on any Thursday morning; there is always something going on.    

Brown Bag Sew In:  Our next Sew-Ins are 3/24/2023 and 4/28/2023.

The fee is $15 for a fun time sewing from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.  Bring your own lunch.  Some ladies bring sweets to share.  Contact Julie Curry if you are interested in joining. (juliamcurry@gmail.com)

What is the Spring Challenge:  We have beautiful packets of fabric for our spring challenge.  Your name will be recorded if you take a packet, so please commit to making something if you take one!  We can enter our challenge projects into the fair if we have a minimum of six entries.  We will hold a Viewer’s Choice contest at our May meeting. 

ABC’s of Quilting:  At our meeting Elaine facilitated the discussion on the letter “C, and we learned each other’s ideas about cutting. Numerous members shared their tips and they are listed at the end of these Minutes.  Julie will demonstrate cutting on the first Thursday in April, at 10 a.m. 

Raffles:  The following persons won raffle prizes at our meeting:  June Wallach, Gale Green, Judy Meyer, Sandy Kirkpatrick, Kay Arnaudo, Carol Murney, Laura McHugh, Andy Murney and Lynn Madonich. 

Show and Tell: 

Laura McHugh - Went to workshop at Costa Mesa.  Made a wool applique Easter basket.  Beautiful!

Joan Willey - Made two beautiful quilts for her great-great-great granddaughters.  Both quilt patterns were from the book “Three Yards.”

Gale Green

1.   A “hot rod” quilt made from a kit for her grandson. 

2.   An amazing quilt with a whale tail and seagulls and the sea which will be for her own home. 

3.   A sunflower quilt that started with a panel in the center. 

4.   A scrap quilt with many beautiful blues.

June Wallach - A bright and cheery star quilt, quilted by Barbara Conklin.  June started the quilt in 2003.  Love it! 

Judy Meyer - A gorgeous heart quilt made with turquoise and gold with a light green background. 

Carol Green - The Traveler’s Wife pattern, with many different blocks on a gray striped background.  

Kay Arnaudo

1.   A music quilt that may be raffled off for the Terra Nova music department.  Kay used her  scraps of musical fabric from her previous projects.

2.   A terrarium quilt with vinyl terrariums and embroidery work.  Gorgeous!

Our meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m.  

Notes from the “ABC’s of Quilting are as follows.  Enjoy! 

“C” is for Cutting

Elaine asked members for comments on their favorite rotary cutters and scissors. 

• Wanda likes the Martinelli rotary cutter because it’s ergonomic. They’re also made for right handers and left handers.  She also likes Kay Buckley’s serrated scissors for raw edge applique.  They are also great for fleece fabric. 
• Kay uses the big Martinelli #60 size when she’s cutting big stacks of fabric. She also uses a rotating cutting mat to square up her blocks. 
• Some members use weights (2 lb. or 3 lb.) on their rulers to keep the ruler from sliding around. 
• Jackie Belli likes the Fiskars rotary cutter because it has a thumb rest.
• Judy Meyer showed her June Tailor Shape Cut tool that helps you cut in ½” and ¼” strips. Elaine uses hers to cut 2-1/2” strips for binding. 
• Louise brought in rulers she uses to make templates rather than using cardboard.