May Meeting

I have been a lifetime sewer.  As a teenager, I had to sew my own clothes out of necessity.  I learned to sew from my grandmother and my mother.  I have a legacy of Home Economic teachers in my family (my mother, my aunt, and my sister).  It was my sister, Sheryl, that got me interested in quilting in 2004.  Her home economics department at school had several prolific quilters and she thought I needed to learn a new skill.  I was hooked from the first quilt I did:  a block of the month from Joanne’s.  I joined Genesee Valley Quilt Club in 2009, a couple of years after I retired from teaching secondary Mathematics and serving as a school administrator.  I am in awe of the skills our members have and I learn something new all the time.  I’ve served as member/President of the Board of Directors, the Program Committee, Policies and Procedures chair, Genesee Valley QuiltFest Committee chair for 5 quilt shows and recently served as President of the Club for four years, two of them during the pandemic.

I embraced my new passion for quilting with passion and enthusiasm.  Since that time, I have completed (or started) approximately 100 quilts or quilting projects.  I discovered wool applique when I attended the International Quilt Festival in Cincinnati.  I took a class by Charlotte Agnotti and that was it. I was hooked!   I would say I probably do more wool applique now than traditional quilting, but I’m always in search of a new skill to add to my repertoire.  I’m not afraid to tackle something I haven’t done before.  My friends and family tell me my sewing room is like a store.  I think I have every ruler, book and quilting supply that exists.

The thing I like best is learning something new whether it be a quilting skill or a wool stitch to incorporate into a design.    I’ve recently gone outside my comfort zone to explore designing my own version of a pattern.  I’m not afraid to take a chance on what I think is a better version of a design.

My quilting advice would be to step outside your comfort zone and try something new.  Learn as many skills as you can.  Embrace the challenge!  You can’t fail – you just make something new.

Program: A Little Help From My Friends

Most of you have seen my wool trunk show and heard my story when I presented in 2024.  I have created a few new pieces since then, but I wanted all my Wool Group friends to share what they have been working on.  This trunk show will involve about 8-10 of the people that have been doing wool applique. My wish is that it will inspire club members to give wool appliques a try.

Workshops with Donna Schalge:

May 14: How to Change Traditional Applique to Wool Applique

May 15: Surface Embellishment with Embroidery