www.hqgsaugus.org President Gretchen Berkowitch -- 978.740.1355 Fat Quarter Louise Nazzaro – 781.233.8147 Vice President Dottie Macomber - 781.932.3602 Sally Nimblett – 617.846.6726 Treasurer Terry Cronin – 781.598.1003 Quilts & Bears Lynda Garniss – 781.233.2606 Secretary Patricia Burwell – 978.532.5556 Ellen Moore – 781.233.9029 Irene Dwyer – 617.846.0055 Hostess Coordinators Annette Thibault – 781.233.5768 Member at Large Anne Smith – 781.631.8197 Pat MacIntyre - 617.389.1248 Sunshine Marsha Gadzera - 978.774.7165 Monthly Raffle Joyce Basset - 781.592.0632 Creative Quiltworks Bev McGrath - 781.231.0161 Pat McIntire - 781.592.7535 Carmen Arnone - 617.605.6018 Program Committee Dottie Macomber – 781.932.3602 Anne Smith – 781.631.8197 Name Badge Jean Balliro - 781.324.0720 Sally Nimblett – 617.846.6726 Kathy Connors - 781.322.5672 Pat McIntire - 781.592.7535 Jean Bilsbury – 978.887.6282 The Hammersmith Quilters’ Guild meets at 7:00 pm on the first Wednesday of the month at the Saugus Senior Center, 466 Central Street, Saugus. Meetings will not be held if Saugus schools are closed due to inclement weather. If it is necessary to cancel a meeting before a school closing announcement has been made, notice of cancellation will be sent by e-mail and posted on the Guild website as early as possible on the day of such cancellation. Members without Internet access should call a Guild Officer. It is also sent e-mail to all members with e-addresses; MEMBERS RECEIVING THE NEWSLETTER BY REGULAR MAIL ARE REMINDED TO BRING SELF-ADDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPES TO BE GIVEN TO THE SECRETARY. Fat Quarter Theme: Paisley Show ‘n Tell: YES Condolences: To Jean and Mary Balliro who’s mother and grandmother passed away, members who might like to send a card their address is 128 Bainbridge St. Malden, MA 02148 Congratulations: Trish Horgan is getting married on Sunday January 3rd. Best wishes to Trish and John. January Birthdays: Ruth Ashton, Kathleen Connors, Terry Cronin, Mary-Anne DiMarco, Lynne Kulakowski, Dorothy Macaione, Ellen Moore and Pam Strout. JANUARY HOSTESSES: Merle Gordon, Dana Giunta, Ruth Ruggeri and Pam Strout JANUARY PROGRAM: WHAT AM I BID? GOING, GOING, GONE! Our annual Brown Bag Auction: the emphasis this year is on Quality! Members may each bring ONE paper grocery bag (hence the name “Brown Bag”) containing quilting items that you want to donate for a good cause. You CAN bring leftovers, but we ask that you include only good quality items: please, no poor quality fabric, only quilt-related items and no “junque”! (Except for the Chinese junk! Long-time members know what I’m talking about, and new members will soon find out!) Remember, this is a fundraiser for charity; we typically donate at least $100 to the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell and divide the rest of the proceeds among three or four other charities, depending on how much money the auction brings in. You will have a chance to view the bags before the auction begins; each bag will have a number on it, so you can make a note of the bags you are interested in. Then the bags will be auctioned off to the highest bidders. You may BRING only one bag, but you may bid on and win as many bags as your personal budget allows! In your bag of donated items, you can include good quality fabric- yardage or scraps (but please put the scraps in a zip lock bag), quilting books, notions, unfinished items like quilt tops, thread, etc. but please, no magazines. (You can bring quilting magazines you no longer want to monthly meetings and leave them on the back table with the announcements for people to take.) We have made a couple other changes for this year: 1) we ask that you include no more than 6 items in a bag. However, like items may be grouped together and counted as one item. For example, you can put notions or fabric scraps in a zip lock bag and count that as one item. You can bundle several books together and count it as one item. 2) Please attach a list of your 6 (or fewer) items on the outside of your bag near the top. We are hoping that this will expedite the auction process, so the auctioneer and her helpers do not have to remove items from the bags as the auction proceeds. So be sure to get there early and preview the bags so the bidding can move along! And bring cash! DECEMBER RAFFLES: Name Badge: Anne Smith Fat Quarters: Pat MacIntyer, Dana Giunta, Leslie Pew and Jean Balliro Raffle Basket: Mary Housman, Mary Whitaker and Mary Whitaker December Show and Tell: Margie Berkowitch – Christmas Red Work Kathy Connors – Christmas Card Holder Kathy Cusack – Mystery Quilt 2009 Mary Housman – Three Bags Louise Nazzaro – Mystery Quilt 2009 Molly Conlin – Flag Quilt, Autumn Square Dance and Christmas Wall Hanging Terry Cronin – Garden Hearts from Sentimental Hearts to Quilts, Chippewa Nine Patch Civil War Fabrics from Minick and Simpson P E A C E Q U I L T S 2009 So much has changed in our lives this year. We are now earning a living and can help all the members of our family. We are so proud of the quilts we have made and happy that people in the United States are using them in their homes. We are now training other women to quilt so that they can have better lives too. Two of us traveled to the United States this fall for the opening of the exhibition of our quilts at the Bennington Museum called Patience to Raise the Sun. That was so exciting! Thank you for your interest and help. It has made a real difference in all of our lives! In just two short years, PeaceQuilts has come a long way. Here are some of the highlights: ! The first cooperative was formed in Lilavois, just outside of Port-au- Prince, with six women. ! There are now about 45 women (and a few men) who are in various stages of being trained and organized into independent cooperatives. !The newest group is in Cité Soleil, one of the most notorious slums in Haiti. ! Patience to Raise the Sun, an exhibition organized by the Bennington Museum, premiered there this fall and is now being organized as a national touring show. ! A book of the same title has been published which chronicles the project and features the women and their quilts. ! We have reached our halfway goal of 100 people who have joined the 100 for Haiti Club with a donation of $100. We just need 50 more! (Any amount helps, even $5!) 2009 BULLETIN BOARD: We will be posting all notices regarding items for sale, announcements not pertaining to Hammersmith Quilt Guild and any other information people would like to share to the websites bulletin board. Don’t forget to check it out when you read the newsletter. NOTIONS NEEDED: If you are putting together your bag for the January auction and find some item you no longer need but that might not belong in the auction bag either, please consider donating them to a Revere school teacher who teaches sewing. Notions, especially straight pins and thread are particularly welcome and since class does simple garment sewing (boxer shorts this year) polyester thread that doesn’t work for quilters would be great! Thanks, Irene.