19 Aug President’s Message – September 2026

It’s mid-August with no sign of Fall – not when we have temperatures at 90 plus degrees! Yikes!

When you’re stuck inside . . . trying to stay cool . . . working on your next masterpiece . . . What do you do with your scraps? Hopefully, you got some great ideas from our August Zoom speaker, Kim Jamieson-Hirst of Chatterbox Quilts. One idea that caught my attention was to use an over the door shoe holder for your scraps. There are so many ways that you could “tailor” your scrap contents – by color, by size, by fabric line. She had “sew” many clever and useful ideas!

By now, the Williamson County Fair has come and gone, and it was a huge success even though the weather was a bit uncooperative. The quilt area is always spectacular thanks to the leadership of Connie Little and Valerie Curtis, who have been a great team for at least 13 years that I know of. Kudos (and thank you) to both! And congratulations to our new member, Karen McMillen, who took home the “Best in Show” ribbon (photo below)!

With the Fair behind us, it’s time to make plans for 2027. Katie has done a fabulous job of explaining the duties of each of the Board positions in the past few newsletters. Maybe her descriptions have enticed you to volunteer to fill one of the positions – if so, thank you! At the same time, Marianne and her nominating committee have identified candidates for several of the positions. If you are interested in serving on the Board, don’t hesitate to put your hat in the ring. It’s a great way to make a valuable contribution to our guild while making lasting friendships with your fellow Board members. Let Marianne or one of the current Board members know of your desire.

At our August meeting, two members shared their “Outta Your Box” creations:

• Beth Bryant met the challenge by stitching a several month Mystery Quilt created by Wendy Sheppard in the AQS publication. Beth, who never uses solid fabrics, created the entire quilt using solids.
• While on a trip to Alaska, Peggy Bowker bought several fabrics and created a keepsake quilt using “new to her” methods.

Both quilts were outstanding! .And as usual, Show-n-Tell was fabulous! Thank you all who shared your talents and your creations.

As an FYI: although time is getting short, I still have three pieces of fabric for my President’s Quilt Challenge. There’s also a free, must use, pattern. The quilt – at least the completed top – is due at our November meeting.

If you are a committee chairperson, please remember we will have a short meeting after our September Guild Meeting. Please decide if you are going to continue your chairmanship and also if your budget is adequate. If you are unable to stay for the meeting, please email me at jeoberle@gmail.com with your 2027 plans.

Whew! Time is whizzing by and soon it will be the holidays. Now is a great time to begin your holiday stitching – or maybe you’ve already begun!

Looking forward to our September Meeting…… Keep on Quiltin’………

Lots of Hugs, Joyce