Hello again and welcome back to a new year of quilting. After our two meetings this week it looks like we are headed for another full year with multiple challenges, outreach projeccts and exciting program items. A full run down of everything is in the newsletter sent to all guild members so be sure to read it all the way to the end.

Both the evening and the day meeting followed the same pattern of a business section, show and tell, a social break and then the program sections. Two new members were welcomed to the evening meeting, Deborah is a member returning after a break and Sue is new quilter.

Firstly it was noted that there are a few amendments to the newsletter. A revised copy is available on the website. Tool time for September has started and the list is also on the website. Be sure to send Christine your wish list by the deadline of September 26th. Also mark your calendar for our first retreat of the year on Zoom September 20th and 21st. We will be starting on our theme of Back to Basics with applique and piecing workshops and we’ll learn to make a swiffer duster. Also on the 20th of this month the guild will be represented at the Beaconsfield craft fair in Centennial Park. Contact Julie T if you can help out. Melanie introduced the Quilting Bee for this year which starts on the 15th September. It looks like there will be 4 hives in all, 2 of which are specialty paper piecing and applique hives.

The biannual Show is planned for the beginning of June so now is a good time to start thinking about the topic for the quilt show challenge which is “Sounds of Joy”. Julie T explained what is meant by this as some of us are struggling to visualise it. It is an image that evokes the sound which gives you joy. Not an easy thing to explain. Her example will be on the website along with the requirements for the project. Other new projects for this year include the “Move It Along” project presented by Dawn. A kind of UFO project but with no pressure to finish and it doesn’t have to be a quilt. Anything that you want to move along in your sewing room from sorting your fabric scraps to donating unfinished items. Dawn also presented an outreach project. to join in, collect a 3.5inch square of the centre fabric from Outreach, and add a solid colour surround. These colourful squares will be joined together for a quilt. The instructions will be on the website.

This years program introduced by 2 of the new members of the program team (Brigitte and Lorraine) has “Quilting across Canada” as its theme. The team are aiming to contact and work with other guilds across Canada. It’s still in its early stages but lets hope for some new friends and ideas from far and wide.

Show and Tell was busy at both meetings as many members spent more summer hours than usual in their sewing rooms due to the hot and humid weather. As always the results were amazing and Louise has taken pictures for the photos page of the website. Both meetings ended with a fat quarter exchange and an orphan block adoption.

Beaconsfield Quilters Guild were present at the Beaconsfield St Jean celebrations on 24th June 2025 where they showcased our members work and offered a free childrens activity. Thank you to all those who braved the really hot weather to represent our guild.

The evening meeting started with a welcome by Nicole for two out of town (or even out of country) guests and swiftly moved on to the business portion of the meeting . Outreach have done a stellar job this year and have delivered many quilts and placemats to local deserving causes. Details of the great work done by our members can be found in this months newsletter. Also in the newsletter are all the details from the various committees for the year. Laynie presented the prize from the Shop hop scavenger hunt which went to Liliana. Fay also asked for anyone interested in helping with the childrens craft at the guild stall during the St Jean festivities on June 24th in Centennial Park to contact her.

After Show and Tell and a brief break, the program part of the meeting, entitled “Quilting with the community in mind”, focused on local quilting or sewing organisations which support the community. Some speakers were invited in to talk to us and some speakers were our own members wearing a different hat. The organisations were:

• Mother for Others – Laurie McKeown-Tomassin (no website found)
• Quilts for survivors (Via Zoom) – Vanessa Genier
• Victoria’s Quilts Canada – Karen Besso
• Quilts of Valour – Pat Bradley
• Ronald McDonald House Montreal – Dawn Baxter
• La Source d’entraide, St Lazarre– Karen Besso

The presentations included the history and raison d’être for these groups and the amazing work they are all doing in supporting those in need. A quilt really does make a difference so if you want to help out Outreach has some kits ready for you to do some summer sewing on those rainy days.

After the speakers we had time to buy some material that Karen had brought along from La Source D’entraid and to socialise before the summer break.

Wednesday morning was the AGM and Janet led us through the agenda. Committee spokespeople gave their reports and as mentioned above this information is mostly contained in the newsletter. The Program team is bowing out after their term but by the end of the meeting a new team had volunteered. As had a new Newsletter coordinator and a new Treasurer. Thank you all new committee members and welcome to the team

The Retreats team will carry on for another year and they gave us some idea of what they have planned. The first retreat via zoom will be in September ( probably sept 24-25) and the ongoing theme will be Revisiting Techniques. This year long project will take the expertise within the guild and make it available to members. If you are interested in sharing your gifts please contact the team. There will also be a challenge for the show. The format will be a long format wall hanging on the theme of Sounds of Joy. Time to start thinking about your next creation. Also next year will be a Show Year. Lots of fun to come.

Have a great summer and see you all in September.

The penultimate meetings of this quilting year were well attended and as lively as ever. The evening meeting featured demonstrations of Quilt-as-you-go and various binding techniques by members. Details of the binding techniques are on the website under Program. The day meeting was a fascinating presentation by Anna Timm-Bottos from the Concordia University Centre for Creative Reuse (CUCCR). This opened in 2017 and aims to take unwanted items from all the university departments and provide a home for them so that they can be reused in new and innovative ways by other departments. The centre also has a crafting space and volunteers help to prepare the materials for other uses. The centre has taken several tons of what would have been waste and helped to reuse it. There were numerous questions after the presentation as the ideas really hit a nerve with many members. How wonderful that so many new ways are being found to reuse what would otherwise be discarded as rubbish. The centre is also open to the public and items are free.

The business portions of the meetings covered the results of the last Tool Time Raffle and prizes were distributed by Christine. The next raffle is due in September. What a great way to find new homes for the books, tools and pattens no longer required by members. Thank you, Christine, for all your hard work. The guild will also be busy over the summer with a stall at the St. Jean celebration in Centennial Park, Beaconsfield and delivering items for local organistions via the Outreach team.

Membership is now open for next season and next months day meeting will be the AGM. Before that however we are having a Guild Shop Hop to 4 stores in Ontario organised by Laynie. Don’t forget to sign up if you want to participate. The Shop Hop last year was great and produced some excellent ideas as people milled about in the shops and talked over lunch.

Show and Tell was busy and some members showed the quilts they made from the blocks in their Quilting Bee hives. Melanie then presented feedback on the Quilting bee and as it was such a success it’s returning for another year. Sign up starts in early July so that new members can join in and the bee itself will run from Sept 15th to May 15th so that it fits in better with the schedule . The rules are mostly the same but all the details are on the website under Program. For those taking part in this years quilting bee, prepare yourselves for the instructions for the final month. June Queen Bees will be sending out their instructions early so that we can get the blocks done before the June meetings, if possible.

Starting the meeting with the guild business, Janet highlighted that the Tulip and Spring Flowers Challenge quilts are now on display at Beaconsfield library where they have been joined by some selected work from two of our recently deceased members.

Another interesting matter discussed at the meeting was the formation of an ad-hoc online meeting for members who want to sew together outside of the usual Tuesday sew-ins. It was decided to have a sign up option on the private Facebook page Beaconsfield Quilter’s Guild (private) for those members who wish to join in. If you are not yet signed up for the Facebook page, please go and request admission and Franca or I will be happy to let you in.

Also mentioned was the Illusions of Colour project we have been working on at the retreats this year. Fay asked that anyone who has completed their final 6th block should send a photo of it as well as a photo of all of their blocks to retreats@beaconsfieldquilters.ca so that they can prepare a presentation.

The April meetings both ran the same program. After dealing with the business of the month and the show and tell, Pat Bradley gave us a useful run down of the history and scope of Oeko-Tex, a fabric certification seen on labels. Their aim is to manufacture fabric in a sustainable way, so very much in keeping with this year’s theme. Pat’s presentation was detailed and thorough and provided a great snapshot the aims and achievments of this organisation. Their website https://www.oeko-tex.com/en/ is a good place to find more information.

Finally the meeting closed with a fabric exchange.