Shannon Lanning
Considering how many snowbirds have already left for cooler places, Agave Quilters Guild had a great turnout at their May meeting. This was our final gathering until we meet again in September. Up first was our May speaker, Gail Shannon from Bernina Connection. Gail has been sewing and quilting for over 50 years, and with 6 children and 16 grandchildren, it’s no wonder! She is known for her color coordination skills and shared with us how to develop a sense of color dynamics, principles of design, and composition. A truly gifted quilter, she also teaches how to take the fear out of choosing fabrics and colors for the quilt design you want to make. Gail shared many of her beautiful and colorful quilts while explaining in detail how to identify and choose the levels of color needed in each quilt design. A few of the finished quilts she shared were from patterns called Fractions, Candy Sticks, Fire Escape, The Phoenix, and Circle of Hope. Gail was such a big hit that we are looking into having her possibly teach a class to our members over the summer using her latest pattern, Christmas Wreath. This pattern is so new that our group was the first to see it. Watch for the pattern on the Bernina Connection website, and while you are there, check out the classes offered by Gail Shannon.
Members Jean Hedberg and Sherri Tanner represented Agave Quilters Guild at the IronOaks Oakwood Arts & Crafts Center Open House in Sun Lakes on April 12. The Center is home to more than 20 different arts and crafts clubs, with a wide range of activities available to the 55+ community. The Open House was such a huge success, rumor has it they are planning to hold another Open House in the fall.
Our Community Services Committee has been very busy under the leadership of guild member Judy Crumpler. On May 2 another 73 quilts were delivered to Valleywise Hospital Child Life Services, bringing the total delivered since June of 2024 to 485. This total includes quilts delivered to The Perfect Place (now known as Oakwood Creative Care, for adults with Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other age-related challenges) in Sun Lakes, Chandler Women’s Shelter, and other charities. Since Judy became the guild’s Community Services chair in 2015, our members have made and donated 4,196 quilts, providing comfort to children, women, and men in our local community. Judy’s goal of 4,500 quilts by October gives members all summer to create the quilts needed to make that goal. This is what our guild is all about!
Agave Quilters Guild is open to new members of all skill levels. We meet in the Navajo Room at Sun Lakes Country Club at 25601 S. Sun Lakes Blvd. on the first Wednesday of each month, September through May. For more information, visit agavequiltersguild.com. We hope everyone has a wonderful and active summer. We look forward to seeing you in September!