Goodness, how did it get to be September already?! Despite temps for the past week having been in the high 90s – as a bred-in-the-bone New Englander, I’m STILL not used to that – the calendar definitely says “September,” and we have a new crop of students running around campus, so it must be true.
And if it’s September already, that means November will be here before we know it – and this year, November brings WFQG’s bi-annual boutique. As you all know, our dues don’t come close to covering the rent on our meeting and workshop sites, not to mention hiring speakers and teachers, and the boutique is one of the biggest fundraisers that keeps our guild running. A couple of weekends ago, I attended the “boutique sew-in” workshop where Francine Loomis and Mary Gothard had lots of examples and instructions for lots of items to make and sell, and 3rd VP Kim Greenfield (who’s spearheading the whole event) even brought cookies to keep everyone’s energy level up! If you need any ideas or suggestions about what you might donate to the boutique, these three probably have some ideas for you. In fact, Francine and Mary did such a good job, they’re in danger of being named the permanent boutique Subcommittee on Making Stuff. (No, that subcommittee doesn’t really exist. But if it did, these two would be it. They were amazing.) Don’t forget we sell baked goods at the boutique, too – and this year, we’re planning to sell coffee to go with the goodies, which I think is a great idea. (Coffee ranks very high on my list of basic food groups, along with chocolate. Hey, they both come from beans, so as far as I’m concerned, they’re vegetables.) So there are lots of ways for all of us to participate! We would like to see each member donate items worth a total of $100 – this sounds a little scary, but once you break it down a bit, it’s really not ($100 might be ten items priced at $10 each, or five items priced at $20, or so on – so not an overwhelming amount at all!). You’ll be hearing more from Kim over the next couple of months about donation forms, drop-off details, volunteer sign-ups and so on – so stay tuned.
September also means it’s time to start thinking about next year’s board elections. Some people have already volunteered to fill a few offices (many thanks!), but a couple of our offices still need candidates. Our nominating committee, under the intrepid leadership of Parliamentarian Linda R. Emery, is hard at work – if you do get a call from them about taking one of the positions, please consider it rather than reflexively screaming and running away. Descriptions of all the offices are in the membership roster, and any of the current board members would be happy to talk with you about what her position entails. Remember that the phrase “it takes a village” applies to quilt guilds, too – if no one steps up, then the guild collapses (yes, I know it sounds hyperbolic and dramatic, but it’s true!), and I, for one, have way too much fun with this group to want to see that happen. I hope you feel the same!
See you at the meeting,
Pam