Desert Thread members prepare for annual Quilt Show

Sue Armitage holds her “Fidget” quilt for clients of Neighbors Who Care.

With the Arizona Quilters Guild Quilt Show opening on March 21 through March 23, 2019, at the Mesa Convention Center, many Desert Thread members are busy putting finishing touches on their show quilts. This is the first year Desert Thread members will have their quilts adjudicated by two nationally-ranked judges with a written score sheet. Please save the dates and attend if you love seeing 300+ quilts, hearing great speakers and visiting unique vendors from California, Utah, Arizona and beyond. Our members are also volunteering at the show, doing jobs like “white glove” and admissions, as volunteers get a free show pass; so, remember to sign up to volunteer ASAP.

Our January workday resulted in eight finished “fidget” quilts, with more planned for the February workday, Wednesday, February 6, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Arts and Crafts Room of Phase 1. A “fidget” quilt is a small lap quilt designed to keep the hands of people with memory impairment safely occupied. Come by and help us sew if you can, and we will find something for you to do, like cutting fabric, binding or putting together kits.

The next regular Desert Threads meeting is February 13 at 9:30 a.m. in the Arts and Crafts Room of Phase 1, and every quilt enthusiast is invited. The coffee pot is always on, and visitors can attend three times (three months) before we ask you that you join. As our membership continues to grow, we ask that current members pay their 2019 Chapter dues of $20.00 in February to remain active. Prospective members should join the Arizona Quilters Guild first, then join the Desert Threads Chapter. AQG is our “mother” guild and provides us with liability insurance, a 501(c)(3) status and the ability to attend low cost workshops with National teachers. The cost of joining AQG is $30.00 the first year and $25.00 for renewals. If you are already a member of AQG, stop by and see if we are what you want in Chapter home!

More information on the Arizona Quilters Guild can be found on the web, including how to join online and the other benefits of membership. The program for our February 13 meeting at 9:30 a.m. in the Arts and Crafts Room of Phase 1 is planned around “Zen Quilting,” a special kind of continuous-line, free-motion quilting. Along with our monthly business meeting, we always have a special speaker/program, a new “Block of the Month” with Sue Armitage and a “Show and Tell” segment. During January, we got to know each other and shared our favorite type of quilting. Hope to see you there.