December Luncheon and Gifts

Our December luncheon meeting featured great food, beautiful table decorations, and six agencies in attendance to receive the 152 quilts and tableful of gifts we had ready to give. Connie Hitt entertained us with a quilter's version of "My Favorite Things."

Betty Allen and Connie Hitt

Representatives from the Hattiesburg Fire Department were (right to left) Lt. Stephen Mooney, Ben Thompson, Guy Sanford, Eddie Broome, and Mason Pope. Lt. Mooney said their department worked to decrease home fires by education in schools and working with building code enforcement.

 

Annie Jackson and Sonya Felts from South Mississippi Children Services said they assist abused, neglected, and homeless children and youth ages 9-20. In addition to providing living arrangements, they advocate for the youths in schools and court cases.

Riley Herrin (right) and Mandy Baker (left) received quilts for the Shafer Center, describing that they work with victims of sexual assault and families of homicide and suicide. Riley has been in this job for 15 years. Mandy said volunteers were always needed to assist staff with their hotline and with accompanying victims to doctors' appointments.

Becky Sims (right) and Helen Matthews (left) of DAFS again received our heavily laden tables of gifts for mothers and children. DAFS serves 11 counties with two shelters. They have a staff of 19 and also work a 24-hour crisis line. Becky and Helen both expressed the satisfaction of going to work in these service positions. Becky, director, has been on the job 25 years; Helen, the shelter manager, has 22 years experience. They know their work is life-changing and life-saving, and they appreciate PBQ's help in these efforts.

Leigh Anne Leonard, manager of Forrest General NICU and pediatric unit, and Joan Harper, volunteer at Wesley Medical Center, shared stories of the joy and comfort patients and families had received through the donation of our quilts.

Representing the Veterans Home in Collins was Charles Register. He said their residents loved the colorful quilts, and eagerly looked forward to having one for their bed. Our goal is to provide a quilt for each resident.

Members turned in 70 pillows, nine blankets, three walker totes, and four catheter bag covers. These will be taken to area hospitals (Forrest General, Wesley, Columbia General) to be used on the rehab units, emergency rooms, and pediatric units.

Members who had participated in the Mystery Quilt project this year showed their finished quilts. Dianne McLendon announced plans for a 2014 Round Robin Challenge. More information will come later. 2013 was a very busy and productive year, and appreciation was expressed to our outgoing officers. Betty Allen handed the gavel over to Susie Jackson, who will preside in 2014-2015.

December Quilts at Visitors Center

Anne Hindmarch's quilts have been hung at the Hattiesburg Visitors Center for the month of December. These colorful quilts add to the colorful decorations already in place. Be sure to see these quilts at the

 

Hattiesburg Visitors Center Open House

December 11, 11:00-1:00

 

 

November Meeting

Our November program was presented by Donna Crager on Applique by Machine. Donna was assisted by Betty Allen and Faye Barlow, who showed many examples of machine appliqued quilts. The book Machine Applique: A Sampler of Techniques by Sue Nickels was highly recommended as the best source for instruction.

Betty Allen and Donna Crager (with Betty's cat quilt)



Faye Barlow describes her quilt, held by Donna Crager

We had guests present to receive a patriotic quilt made by Mary Nell Magee and quilted by Wanda Wallace. The quilt was donated to the Wounded Minutemen of Mississippi for raffle on March 17, 2014, in connection with a golf tournament at Pine Creek Golf Club in Purvis. All proceeds from this raffle will be used to meet the needs of area soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. We will have raffle tickets at our meetings, or contact Dianne Herrington, dherrington4578@comcast.net.

 

Mark Morales, Johnnie Sellers, Dianne Herrington

Our generous members turned in 105 pillows, 2 receiving blankets, and 12 walker totes at today's meeting. Members were encouraged to finish and bring in any children's quilts to be donated at our December luncheon meeting. We also will donate stocking stuffers for women and children. Representatives from several agencies will be invited to the December meeting to receive these gifts.

Why We Make Pillows

We received a letter from Vickie Istre saying: "My daughter recently had labs drawn at outpatient Forrest General Hospital, and after a rough morning, your pillow being given as prize was a comfort! Thanks for your thoughtfulness!"

Brenna Istre

Brenna chose the purple pillow with moon and stars. Then she thoughtfully picked the pink and white one for her baby sister who is due in March.




November Quilts by Joe and Betty Bingham



Our display at the Hattiesburg Visitors Center was changed for the month of November. Husband and wife team Joe and Betty Bingham hung their works for the public to enjoy. These are displayed around the banister of the second floor. We are told that visitors to the Center are always complimentary of the displays provided by Pine Belt Quilters.


Quilts by Joe Bingham



Quilts by Joe Bingham



Quilts by Betty Bingham

Quilts Displayed at Hattiesburg Visitors Center

We keep a display of quilts at the Hattiesburg Visitors Center for the enjoyment of the staff and visitors who stop in. VISITHATTIE sponsors a challenge at each of our quilt shows, and winners from these challenges are on permanent display along the railing of the second floor above the counter.

Upper row: Martha Ginn, Susan Baskin, Mildred Jenkins
Lower row: Jo-Ann Evans, Jo-Ann Evans, Martha Ginn

Each month a different quilter's quilts are displayed on the other three railings. These pictures were taken from the lobby, where the quilts offer a welcoming view and are high enough to be out of reach. Mary Nell Magee and Doris Dunn organize and hang the quilts monthly.

October quilts by Sally Henderson

October quilts by Sally Henderson

Brookhaven Piecemaker Quilters Present Trunk Show to PBQ

(front) Jan Luter, Betty Zehnder, Juanita Ashley, Jacque Coons, Theresa Wege
(back) Polly Thomasson, Ethel Talley, Loretta Hodge, Sue Thornton, Elizabeth Harris

We were treated to an inspiring trunk show by the Brookhaven Piecemaker Quilters at our October 16 meeting. Ten quilters came and shared their stories of making their beautiful quilts. The bargello quilt hanging was made by Juanita Ashley. Several of the quilts had won ribbons in various shows, and sisters Betty and Juanita admitted to being very competitive with each other.

Sue Thornton, Polly Thomasson, Ethel Talley, Betty Zehnder, Juanita Ashley

We voted to elect the nominating committee's slate of officers for 2014-2015. Appreciation was expressed to the committee for their work.

President - Susie Jackson
Vice President - Paula Jones
Secretary/Membership - Anne Esteve
Secretary/Newsletter - Linda Flanders
Treasurer - Margie Hancock

Special thanks to Linda Flanders and Margie Hancock for contining to serve for second two-year terms! Wanda Wallace will chair the 2014 show. The VisitHattie Challenge theme is THE HATTIESBURG ZOO. All other entry information will be posted on our website soon. (An announcement will appear on this blog when that information is available.)

Dues ($20) are being accepted for the upcoming year; it is important to pay early or on time to be listed in the published membership list in January.
Reports were given on workshops and other guild activities, and several people took home kits (top, backing, batting) to complete before our December quilts giveaway.

We received 123 pillows, 17 walker totes, 17 catheter bag covers, and 9 small blankets at the October meeting. Betty Allen read a touching thank-you note from a nurse/mother about how these gifts calm and comfort children, making us even more aware of why we do these activities!

Blueberry Dance Quilt Winner

The proud winner of "Blueberry Dance" was 10-year-old Brennin Carlisle of Poplarville. He purchased his ticket at the Blueberry Jubilee in June. He is very excited to be the winner.
The quilt was embroidered and assembled by Betty Moore and quilted by Wanda Wallace.

Brennin Carlisle

 

Wanda Wallace and Betty Moore



September

Our September meeting featured a program by Betty Moore, “Quilting with Your Embroidery Machine.” She described block embroidery, adding quilting by the block, and joining with French seams, which produces a finished quilt when the blocks are made. She sometimes uses two and three threads through one needle to add thickness and color. Betty will conduct a hands-on workshop next week on her techniques.

 

 She said these quilting techniques work well on pieced quilts as well as embroidered ones.

The nominating committee presented the following slate of officers for the 2014-2015 term; election will take place in October. Appreciation is expressed to the nominating committee (Anne Esteve, Donna Burges, Margie Hancock) for selecting these people, as well as to the nominees for their willingness to take on these important functions for the good of our guild. We especially appreciate Linda Flanders and Margie Hancock for continuing their commitments for a second term. Nominees are:

Susie Jackson- President

Paula Jones - Vice President

Linda Flanders - Secretary/Newsletter

Anne Esteve - Secretary/Membership

Margie Hancock - Treasurer

We took in a whopping 210 pillows, 2 blankets, 15 walker totes, and 12 catheter bag covers.  Thanks especially to Beth McDaniel and Doris Dunn for their 85 and 36 pillows! We had several children's quilts turned in and several kits taken home to complete or quilt. We stay busy all year on our pro bono efforts--not just at Christmas!

Congratulations to our PBQ members who won awards at the Jackson Area Quilt Celebration last month: Susie Jackson - Best Machine Quilting, and Ollie Jean Lane - Lorene Paris Hand Applique; 3rd to Joe Bingham; and Honorable Mentions to Ollie Jean Lane, Martha Ginn, Doris Dunn, and Sylvia Blissett. Susie Jackson's granddaughter, Abigail Fagan, won 1st place in Youth.

Drawing was held for the Blueberry Dance raffle quilt, which raised money for quilt batting and borders for Children’s Quilt activities. The quilt was embroidered and assembled by Betty Moore and quilted by Wanda Wallace. The winner was Brennin Carlisle, a 10-year-old from Poplarville. (Picture later)

August meeting

This meeting report is a month old--sorry. Our August meeting was a giant sit and sew, with a variety of activities going on, from hand stitching bindings, learning to turn tubes, learning to make ruched flowers, sewing walker totes, knitting, and, of course, lots of visiting and talking.
Our busy quilters did not neglect our charitable activities, though. There were 34 children's quilts brought in; 63 pillows, 15 walker totes, and 23 catheter bag covers.

PBQ Members in 2013 Hoffman Challenge

Two of our Pine Belt Quilters members have quilts accepted to travel in the Hoffman Challenge. Jo-Ann Evans' quilt "Kokeshi Dolls" is approximately 28'" x 35". It will be traveling with Group D.

 

Kokeshi Dolls by Jo-Ann Evans
28" x 35"

Joe Bingham has two quilts which will be in the traveling exhibits: "Sanctuary" and “Corner of Judge’s Background Window.” Both of these quilts are 20" x 24".


Sanctuary by Joe Bingham
20" x 24"



Corner of Judge's Background Window by Joe Bingham
20" x 24"

 

MQA Educational Seminar with Nancy Mahoney

We hosted the third session of the MQA Educational Seminar with Nancy Mahoney at UBC in Hattiesburg. We had 15 participants on Friday and 18 on Saturday.

Nancy Mahoney with her quilts Summer Heat and Chocolate Caramel Stars

Nancy has written 14 books and is an author/editor for Martingale. She will be teaching on a 10-day cruise to Alaska on the Grand Princess in August. (See Nancy's website for details.)


Day 1 Class

 

Day 2 Class

 

 

Each student had her own table to work on, and we were spread out all over Kelley Fellowship Hall. It is like moving to pack up the machines, mats, rotary cutters, fabric, and all the other sewing equipment needed to take one of these classes. But we are lucky that MQA hosts these annual educational seminars with nationally known teachers.

Parade of Children's Quilts

Pine Belt Quilters had a large turnout for our annual July luncheon and Parade of Children's Quilts. We had 34 new quilts brought in for the Parade, and members voted for their favorite by ballot. Makers completely encircled the room to give everyone a good look at the quilts.

The tables were decorated with red, white and blue streamers and flags, and we had a full table of delicious summer foods. In addition to the quilts brought in, members turned in 63 pillows, 15 walker totes, and 23 catheter bag covers. These will be donated to Forrest General Hospital and Marion County General Hospital. We have received thank-you letters describing how happy these gifts make the patients who receive them.

 

 



Winners  3rd - Otha Mae Edwards, 2nd - Dianne McLendon, 1st - Kathy Houseal



Representatives from five agencies were present to receive quilts. We gave each agency approximately 17 quilts, for a total of 85 quilts. Teressa Ellzey and Riley Herrin represented the Shafer Center for Crisis Intervention; Annie Jackson for South Mississippi Children's Center; Joan Harper, from the "Chain Gang" volunteers at Wesley Medical Center; and Leigh Ann Leonard from Forrest General Hospital.

Teressa Ellzey and Riley Herrin , Annie Jackson, Joan Harper, Leigh Ann Leonard



Geraldine Simmons and Betty Herring (pictured above) head up the walker totes and catheter bag covers. They write up instructions for the making of these and deliver them to hospitals. Betty and Joe Bingham look after the pillows and deliver them after each meeting.

Nancy Mahoney--MQA Educational Seminar

 Message from Judy Stokes, MQA Immediate Past President:
Calling all PROCRASTINATORS!!!
There are still spots available for the MQA Educational Seminar with Nancy Mahoney. Nancy will teach two classes--Summer Heat and Chocolate Caramel Stars. Fees are $30 for each class and you may take one or both. Locations are Starkville, Jackson, and Hattiesburg (July 19-20). Read more about Nancy's classes on her website, and don't miss the opportunity to study with a nationally known teacher. Registration will be held open a few more days until the classes fill. More information and a registration form is on the MQA website.
Questions?  Contact Judy Stokes: 662-327-5920; 662-574-0593; stokesjudy@yahoo.com.

Nancy Mahoney's Chocolate Caramel Stars

PBQ June Meeting

Our June meeting featured the reveal of the Sampler Quilt Challenge that had been led by Donna Burges, Kim Overstreet, and Rhoda Libiez during 2012. A different block design was featured every month of last year, and members could add any other block of their choice for their quilt. Fifteen stunning quilts were displayed, and members chose these winners:  Frances Good, Ruth Byrd, and Mildred Jenkins for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place; money prizes of $75, $50, and $25 were awarded.

Frances Good (green/black--1st place) with Jean Martin and Donna Burges holding Mildred Jenkins' quilt

Ruth Byrd's (2nd place) held by Pat Faulkender

Mildred Jenkins' quilt (3rd) with Donna Burges, Susan Ellis

 Doris Dunn showed variations of the 3-D bowtie quilt with hidden pockets to introduce the workshop that she will teach the following week. Doris prefers a planned color palette over scrappy. She says “I don’t like scrap quilts--that’s like eating leftovers.”

Doris Dunn showing her scrappy bowtie quilt

 

     The raffle quilt “Blueberry Dance” (fund raiser for Children’s Quilt funds) was on display. Betty Moore embroidered the blocks and assembled them, and Wanda Wallace quilted the quilt. Tickets are $1.00, and the drawing will be held September 18. We often have to purchase solids for borders and rolls of batting to meet the needs of our projects. We donate the quilts at our July and December luncheon meetings.

Reminder: At the July meeting we will have our Parade of Children’s Quilts. In addition to our monthly work days to make quilts, we ask that each of our members make at least one children’s quilt each year. We will vote on our favorite. We also will have representatives of various agencies at the meeting to receive our current supply.

Reminder:  18th Annual MQA Educational Seminar with Nancy Mahoney, July 19th & 20th 2013 at UBC in Hattiesburg. Preregistration is required. Different class on each day; you may take one day or two days. See the MQA website for details and registration information.
     Nancy is an author, fabric designer with a 25 yr. history of quilt making. She has created over 90 quilt patterns for a variety of fabric manufacturers. She has authored 12 books published by Martingale Publishing Co. She has taught many workshops nationwide for guilds, shops and conferences including International Quilt Festival in Houston, A Mountain Quilt Fest in Pigeon Forge TN, and Road to California. Nancy believes quilting should be fun. In her classes, her goal is for students to have a good time, learn something new, and make a quilt they will enjoy for years to come.  

     Our generous members brought in 12 walker totes, 6 catheter bag covers, and 33 pillows today.      The family of former member Jo Steele donated many of her books to our PBQ library, as well as a box of fabric for Children’s Quilts. Correction in last month’s pillow count: instead of the reported 108, we had 170 turned in. Pediatric nurses say these really brighten the faces of frightened, sick children.

Strips and Strings Quilts in May

Ann Shows and several friends showed their strips and strings quilts at our May meeting. Ann will lead a workshop in the making of this string star quilt the following week.

Ann Shows with her string star quilt



Margie Hancock and her quilt; Elaine Magee's red/black quilt

Joann holding Paula Jones' quilt

 

Joann Keeney with her Dresden Plate variation

Jean Robertson also showed her scrappy quilt made of leftover blocks.

Our generous members brought in 108 pillows and 35 walker totes and 8 catheter bag covers.

Shirley Wiltshire reminded members to sign up to help with the Bluberry Jubilee in Poplarville June 8. We were also reminded of the Children's Quilt Parade at the July meeting, when all members are urged to donate a quilt.