I recently returned from a trip to the Chicago area. I worked with both the Heritage Quilter’s Guild in Lockport, Illinois and the Quilter’s Plus Guild in Flossmoor, Illinois. Some of you reading this know how things work when a quilting teacher comes to a guild and others may not. When I arrive at the airport most of the time someone from the guild is there to meet me. I am not always sure what to call this person (helper, hostess, luggage lifter, chauffeur, food provider….the list goes on..) because she helps me with so many things: like getting my luggage to the car and most of you know quilting teachers do not travel light. This person helps lift two 50 pound pieces of luggage into the car along with two heavy carry-on pieces of luggage. So, anyone reading this who will be assisting a quilt teacher visiting your area….send a big vehicle and a person who can help lift! I’m going to refer to this person as my “helper”. Marie was my helper from the Heritage Quilter’s Guild. We had about an hour ride from the airport to the hotel and I really enjoyed talking with Marie. She is a retired math teacher. She may be retired from teaching math but she’s still putting her math skills to good use when quilt making. Marie took me to the hotel and again helped me get my luggage and boxes I shipped ahead to my hotel room.
After a good night’s sleep Marie came back to pick me up in the morning and take me to the workshop location. Marie also took care of all of my meals while I was visiting her guild. She made us one fantastic salad for lunch along with lots of other goodies. The Heritage Quilter’s Guild holds its meetings at the SOS compound. I had never heard of the SOS program. SOS CHILDREN’S VILLAGES ILLINOIS is a series of independent homes surrounding a large, central meetinghouse. Rather than traditional foster care, children who come to live at SOS stay with their biological brothers and sisters in a private home. A full-time, professionally trained foster parent lives with them, and the whole Village gives them support, compassion and strength. I did not know places like this existed, but I am so happy they do. The guild uses a very large open, well lighted room for the workshops at no fee and in return makes quilts for each child. What a fantastic relationship. You can find out more about this program at www.sosillinois.org
After a wonderful workshop we dined and then went to the evening meeting at a local church. Here is a picture I took at the guild meeting while the president, Tina, was conducting the meeting. This guild, like most guilds is involved in lots of charity work and trying to provide good programs for its members. This requires a lot of work on the part of the guild officers and the members. Show and tell at this guild was fantastic. If you are from the area and want to find out more about this guild and when and where they meet go to http://www.heritagequiltersguild.com
After my lecture, Marie returned me to the hotel around 11pm. We are both tired from a long, but very good day.
The next morning my new helper, Grace, from the Quilter’s Plus Guild in Flossmoor, Illinois, showed up in a beautiful purple jacket and purple and red scarf. Grace had attended my workshop with the Heritage Quilter’s Guild so we had met the day before. We drove to the guild’s meeting early so I could set up for my lecture. I like to arrive early to make sure all my equipment is in working order. The guild meets in a large room in a local church and the lecture went great. I had fun and so did the members who left with thoughts for doing new borders on current and future projects.
After the lecture I was free for the day. First Grace and I joined several other guild members for lunch. I had a veggie croissant that was really tasty, along with a veterinarian chili. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Quilter’s know the best places to eat. Grace was an angel and chauffeured me around the area. She took me to their local quilt shop, The Top Shelf, located in Frankfort, IL. If you are in the area the shop is definitely worth the stop. The owner and employees were very helpful and pleasant. You can find out more about the shop by going to their website www.topshelfquilts.com
The town of Frankfort has lots of quaint little shops. We also visited a new yarn shop while we were in the area. Again, this little town is worth the stop.
The next day Grace drove me to the workshop, Ocean Sunrise. Here are some photos of the students hard at work.
And here are some of the blocks the students finished during the workshop. This class is a combination of paper foundation piecing and machine applique. The blocks looked fantastic.
The Quilter’s Plus Guild also is involved in a lot of charity work. I think if anyone ever conducted a survey of the amount of charity work done by quilting guilds it would be staggering. If you would like more information about the Quilter’s Guild Plus go to www.quiltguilds.com.
I appreciate all the hard work on the part of my helpers, Grace and Marie. Grace did not have to give up her free time to take me to Frankfort for the afternoon, but she did. And that made my trip so much more enjoyable plus I got to know Grace a little better. The limo driver who was supposed to take me to the airport never showed and being the gracious host that she was Grace drove me to the airport. THANK YOU Marie and Grace for all of your help while I visited your guild. It was greatly appreciated because it makes what I do that much easier and more fun. I feel like I made two good friends.
If you are a member of a quilt guild and are not currently holding an office or working on a committee jump in and offer some help. You get to meet a lot of incredible people that way. And you’ll make some friends for life.