Guild members will share their tips, tricks, and techniques at an in-house schoolhouse session. Presenters to be determined, and more details to follow.

“I am a former school teacher and present quilter/teacher/show off. I grew up surrounded by fabric, in Kirk Austin’s Fabrics in Parsons, KS, our family store. Between my two sisters and my mother, there were nearly always two, sometimes three sewing machines set up in the dining room along with an ironing board and other sewing related items. In 1980, a group of my friends, along with myself, took a “quilt as you go” class in Fort Scott. I loved every minute of my time spent, except the joining the back when the blocks were done. I eventually took over teaching the class and soon became a quilt teacher and have made a whole bunch of quilts in the last almost 50 years. I am a very enthusiastic quilter and in the six years since my dear sidekick passed away, my love of designing, creating, and quilting has kept most of the blues away. I can’t imagine what people do if they don’t have a burning passion for something and mine is anything to do with quilting!”

Be sure to join us for member Willie McCallum’s trunk show and stay for the catered Jack Stack BBQ luncheon featuring brisket and turkey with sides. Board members will provide desserts. Happy holidays to all!

Don’t miss Carl’s talk - “A Modern Take on Amish Quilts.” Carl started quilting in the late 1990s. He did not come from a quilting family, but there was always some sort of handwork going on around him. His mother was a seamstress, his aunt knitted, and his sister Nancy loved to draw. Carl learned sewing, knitting, and pattern making at an early age, probably around ten or so. The internet was still young when Carl started quilting. He learned by watching TV shows such as Simply Quilts, Quilt in a Day, and Love of Quilting. It was only after seeing guest Ricky Tims on one of those programs that Carl decided it was time to buy a sewing mahcine and some fabric and learn to quilt.

In 2000, Carl moved to Denver where he discovered his first qiult shop, block-of-the-month projects, and tons of fabric. He dabbled over the years, still watching his favorite TV shows to learn more. It was when he moved to St. Joseph, Missouri, in 2006 that Carl started to delve deeper into his passion for quilting. “I found a lot of quilt shops in Kansas City and participated in a few sampler quilts and blocks-of-the-month.” By doing these projects, one block at a time, Carl honed his skills.

Join us this month for an inspiring tale of Debbie’s quilting journey! Debbie represents the Eudora guild as a part of KCRQF and works one day a week at Quilting Bits & Pieces in Eudora. She was first exposed to quilting as a child, living next door to a church where “old” ladies quilted all day around a large floor frame. She currently has about 30 projects in process and about the same number of yet-to-be-started projects. She may have a serious problem and estimates she needs to live until at least age 150!

Stephanie is a past president of the Blue Valley Quilters Guild. With a background in graphic design, she has a unique style of piecing and quilting. A contemporary quilter, Stephanie uses guild/group challenges in addition to bees/swaps to learn and experiment with different techniques. Stephanie is a long-arm quilter and owns Summerwind Studio based in the Kansas City metro area.

No program this month! We will stay after the meeting for the annual New Member Luncheon and a Charity Sew Day, working on charity quilts and also finishing up any last-minute quilt show boutique items.

We are looking forward to this trunk show with Becky! Here’s what she wants you to know about her: “Three of the things I love are ice cream, cinnamon rolls, and making quilts. I’ve been making quilts now for 30-plus years. Controlled scrappy and little pieces are my style. I’ve been fortunate and have done a lot of sewing for Renee Nanneman of Need’l Love. I hope you’ll enjoy my program as much as I love sewing.

Join us for Michelle’s trunk show and lecture, “Inspired by the Past…One Quilter’s Journey,” followed by a workshop to make a vintage linen table topper, 12:45 to 4 p.m. (Cost: $25.00)

Michele is a Nebraska native living in Leawood, Kansas, and has quilting roots going back several generations. She grew up watching her Grandmother Marie create hundreds of quilts for family members and church missions. Michele spent ten years as a Bernina salesperson and educator, developing and creating many one-of-a-kind projects on her favorite machines. She has a passion for teaching students how to use their machines to create their own quilting/art masterpieces. She developed a passion for rescuing thrifted textiles, quilts and vintage linens and repurposing them into quilts and wearable art. She can be found teaching classes in the Kansas City area.

Eclectic may be the best way to describe Kourtney Govro, owner of The Quilted Cow in Raymore, MO. She is the author of 5 books, PhD student, former CEO of a software company, consultant to major corporations and mergers and acquisitions, advisor to health systems on communications technology, and now a quilt shop owner. Her life motto is “She believed she could, so she did,” and that is how she approaches all tings. In 2020 she lost her brother to cancer, which made her shift from a career-driven technologist to look for a career where she could interact with and help people. In that same year, her mom taught her to quilt. In 2023, she worked with The Quilted Cow in Branson West to be the first franchise of their organization. We look forward to her trunk show and quilting story.

WORKSHOP FULL! Contact Linncea Stevens to be added to the wait list!

We have all admired guild member Charmaine’s beautiful quilts finished one block at a time using the Quilt-as-you-go method. Bring your sewing machine. Charmaine will have fabric kits for participants and will share her tips and tricks in this workshop after the February meeting.

Details to follow….

Kellie Willey—Miniature Quilts

You can’t believe everything you hear! For years, quilters have been telling us that making a miniature quilt is harder that making a large quilt!  This is simply not true and Kellie Willey enjoys busting this myth.  She believes that learning how to create a small-scale quilt can be FAST, FUN and REWARDING!  Enjoy hearing how to quickly and accurately make a miniature quilt from a person who is not afraid to go tiny and loves to share that passion!

Kellie Willey has been quilting for 15 years and is passionate about making miniature and small-scale quilts.  She enjoys taking large traditional patterns and miniaturizing them using various methods. Kellie has won many awards for her little quilts and has recently begun teaching others the love of small-scale quilt making.  During her lecture, you will hear tips and techniques that will take the fear out of miniature quilting.  You will also have a front row seat (from your computer)  to view several of her little quilts up close.  Kellie encourages quilters to enjoy the process and get comfortable with scaling down their work.  Her philosophy is "You already know how to cut, piece and sew, and it's easy to make it smaller once you know the tricks”.

Ginger’s background info…“I’ve enjoyed numerous crafts since cutting out paper dolls as a child. There’s been tole painting, knitting, crochet, macramé, stained glass, and ceramics. I even had a ceramics studio in Kingman, AZ in the early 1970’s. Then I found my first quilt shop, The Quilted Apple, in Phoenix and knew I had found my creative “calling”. It is where I learned the basics, and the special tips and tricks that were known before we had the rotary cutter and specialty rulers. In 1983, my husband’s job required that we move to the Kansas City area. We settled in Shawnee. Such a perfect move for a quilter. I joined the Starlight guild, the Quilt Guild of Greater Kansas City, and the Kaw Valley Guild before I finished unpacking. Such fun times and wonderful new quilting friends. Then I found a job and for the next 25+ years my quilting was limited to weekends and evenings. Since 2018, I’ve been able to devote a lot more time to quilting. Of course, I’ve rejoined the Quilt Guild of Greater KC and haven’t looked back!”

POT LUCK following meeting! Members, please bring a side dish or dessert. Please separate desserts into individual servings before the meeting (ex. put in paper cupcake holders). The board will provide pulled pork and brisket and some side dishes.

Sharla Krenzel first put foot to pedal when she was seven years old in the beginning sewing group in 4-H. Soon she was crafting clothing for herself throughout junior and senior high school, even making her bridesmaids’ dresses for her wedding. Sharla was in her 30s before she discovered quilting and thus started her love affair with textiles and how to cut them up and sew them back together - something her hubby has never understood! Sharla’s love of fabric (and profession in economic development) led her to open a quilt shop, where she honed her quilting skills and began teaching classes and designing patterns. Now retired, Sharla has continued to design quilt patterns as a Moda Bake Shop Chef and has been published in four Moda Bake Shop books, plus had been a contributing Chef for several MBS sew-alongs. Sharla’s quilt designs can also be found in her online shop at www.ThistleThicketStudio.com. She is on Instagram at @thistlethicketstudio and Facebook, Thistle Thicket Studio. Join Sharla as she serves up a delicious trunk show of her Moda Bank Shop quilts and other designs - AND she’ll have some tasty Moda treats to share!