Chapter members–click here to access the full newsletter.  You will be directed to our private Yahoo group and you will need to sign in.

President’s Message • Other News

President’s Message

Just prior to our meeting last month we received the sad news that our member Shirley F. had passed away. We will no longer be able to gaze upon her beautiful stitched pieces and enjoy her presence in our midst. Several of our members were able to attend her memorial service. Highlights of her contributions to our chapter are in this newsletter. The board has voted to donate $100 from the chapter in Shirley’s name to the EGA Legacy Scholarship Fund. This fund gives scholarships for EGA members to study the art of embroidery. We thought this was a fitting remembrance because of Shirley’s love of taking classes. If members would like to make an additional personal contribution we will include it in one check from the chapter.

This month we return to our normal chapter meeting place. We’d like to express a big thank you to Karen K. for hosting us at her home the last two meetings. Last month’s pot luck and day of stitching was especially relaxing and gave everyone a chance to work on their Tubular Bead Fob, or a bookmark for our outreach. We also got to spend time with our newsletter editor, Shelly, who took advantage of the long holiday weekend to visit her old stomping grounds.

We tried Stitching-In-Public the last Sunday in February at two different Barnes & Noble locations. Maybe not the best venue for attracting new stitchers but it never hurts to try new things. We also have new business cards with all our contact information. Members are asked to carry a few with them and pass them out to anyone that expresses an interest in stitching. You never know who might want to learn more about our wonderful world of stitchery.

Our Stitching for Literacy bookmark project is underway, so we’ll have supplies to share along with patterns at this month’s meeting. We are still looking for free bookmark patterns that you could share. If you have any, bring a few copies along with you. This project will be our Outreach for the year along with the on-going Soldier Kissing Pillows.

PSR’s fund raiser seems to be a big success. The chapter has placed our order that we will pick-up at the PSR meeting in mid April. We are dedicating a meeting to actually working on this beautiful bracelet. If you still want the kit, you have until the end of the month to order it directly from the PSR website. It’s under fund-raising.

Our joint workshop, Diamond Pomegranate, taught by Carolyn Standing-Webb, will be on Saturday, September 15, 2012 at the Scripps Ranch Community Center. We will have the final pricing and information set by mid-April.

Please look over the Group Correspondence Courses available. We’d like to have one to start on in October. We’ll discuss the possibilities at the meeting.

Keep those needles flying.

Heather

Other News

• Upcoming meetings (held at the Live Well Center, 4425 Bannock Ave., San Diego, CA):
  • March 19, 2012:  Meeting back at our usual location and time.  7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Chapter Meeting at Livewell at 4425 Bannock Avenue — one block south of Clairemont Mesa Blvd and Genessee.
  • April 16, 2012:  Join us in learning “chickenscratch” or embroidery on gingham.
• Save the Date: September 15, 2012!  Diamond Pomegranate taught by Carolyn Standing-Webb–the kit includes gold-washed congress cloth, silk threads, Accentuate, gold purl, metallic threads, and beads. The stitches include satin stitch, couching, fly stitch, and Algerian eyelet.

Chapter members–click here to access the full newsletter.  You will be directed to our private Yahoo group and you will need to sign in.

President’s Message • Other News

President’s Message

This month get ready for a fun open stitching and potluck at Karen Krampe’s home on February 20. Our relaxing day starts at noon. There is no menu, so bring whatever you would like to share, and you are not obligated to spend the whole day. Just come and have a good time stitching with friends. We’ll have the business portion of our meeting late in the day, so everyone can attend.

We’ll continue with the Tubular Bead Fob, Petite Project that Jean taught last month. If you didn’t make it and still would like the opportunity, Jean will have an ample supply of kits in many colors that can be purchased. Several members got through the tube part last month, but didn’t get to all the fun embellishments and assembly part.

February will also kick off our Stitching for Literacy bookmark project, so we’ll have supplies to share along with patterns. If you have any free bookmark patterns that you could share, bring a few copies along with you. This project will be our Outreach for the year along with the on-going Soldier Kissing Pillows. There are lots of choices for the day and you can always work on a project of your choice.   PSR’s fund raiser seems to be a big success. We have sent in our orders and we expect to pick-up the kits at the spring PSR meeting in mid April. We are dedicating a meeting to actually working on this beautiful bracelet.

We have one workshop in the final planning stages; Diamond Pomegranate, taught by Carolyn Standing-Webb. We are trying something new with this workshop and partnering with San Diego ANG to sponsor it. Because of that change, the tentative date is now September 15, 2012. Look for more information soon.

We have something new that we will be trying at our meetings, thanks to Wendy. If you are having problems with a technique or need some help with a project, there is going to be a new sign-up sheet with request for help. We hope to circulate this at every meeting and see it we can get our members to assist each other. Some of you have hidden talents that we want to expose.

Another stitching opportunity that we are exploring is doing a Group Correspondence Course. It has been a while since the chapter chose to do a GCC, so we would encourage everyone to look on the EGA website at those courses that are available and see if there is one that you must stitch starting the end of this year or the beginning of next year. We’ll discuss the possibilities at the meeting.

Keep those needles flying.

Heather

Other News

• Upcoming meetings (held at the Live Well Center, 4425 Bannock Ave., San Diego, CA):
  • February 20, 2012: Meeting at Karen K’s home. There will be a stitch-in/potluck starting at noon, then the meeting starting at 6:00.
  • March 19, 2012:  Meeting back at our usual location and time.  7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Chapter Meeting at Livewell at 4425 Bannock Avenue — one block south of Clairemont Mesa Blvd and Genessee.
• Mary Corbet’s website Needle ‘n Thread features “Tips, Tricks, & Great Resources for Hand Embroidery.”  A recent post featured the work of Muchas Manos’ own Margaret C.!  Go here: http://www.needlenthread.com then look under ‘Recent Posts’ on the left, for ‘Some Gorgeous Needle Painting’.

Chapter members–click here to access the full newsletter.  You will be directed to our private Yahoo group and you will need to sign in.

President’s Message • Other News

President’s Message

The holidays have passed and the last of the decorations are being put away in my house. This year I’m keeping out a few of the stitched decorations to adorn the drawer pulls on a small chest of drawers that sits right next to my computer. I really want to appreciate and see some of the small items that have been hidden away all year. I’d love to hear from our members on other ways to display needlework beyond the traditional ways of hanging it on a wall or making it into a pillow.

This month and next month we will be meeting at Karen K’s home, because both our January and February meeting days fall on holidays and the Live Well center is closed. Our meeting will start at 6:30 this month, but Karen’s home will be open at 5:00 for open stitching or an early start on the project. Jean will have an ample supply of kits in many colors that can be purchased for $5 at the meeting to participate in the Tubular Bead Fob, Petite Project, or you can always work on a project of your choice.

In February plan to attend an open stitching and potluck starting at noon. February will also kick off our Stitching for Literacy bookmark project, so we’ll have supplies to share along with patterns, but it would be great if all our members could look for some free bookmark patterns that we could share. This project will be our Outreach for the year along with the on-going Soldier Kissing Pillows.

I hope some of our members will consider entering a piece of needlework in the Shoreline Stitchers’ Showcase that will be held April 28-29, at South Coast Botanic Garden, Palos Verdes Peninsula. It is a Judged Needlework Show & Boutique, and arrangements are being made for a group transport of pieces from the San Diego area up to the show.

PSR is having a fund raiser. The bracelet is very elegant and the picture does not do it justice. A sign-up sheet will be at the meeting and we expect to pick-up the kits at the spring PSR meeting. If we get enough interest, we may dedicate a meeting to actually working on the bracelet.

We are actively working on some future workshops. There is a rumor that we may have another internationally known needleworker in the fall, since we so enjoyed hosting Jane Nicholas last year.

As you all can see there is an abundance of stitching opportunities. None of us can ever say that we are bored and don’t have anything to keep us busy. For that I am extremely happy and ready to keep those needles flying for the New Year.

Heather

Other News

• Upcoming meetings (held at the Live Well Center, 4425 Bannock Ave., San Diego, CA):
  • January 16, 2012: Meeting at Karen K’s home from 6:30 to 8:30 with open stitching starting at 5pm. The program for January will be the EGA petite project “Tubular Bead Fob”, taught by Jean. The supplies needed are: 3 colors of size 11 delicas, 1 focal bead – drilled vertically, fringe beads (smaller than the focal bead,) and 1 cell phone cord or large lobster claw clasp. Jean will provide drinking straws for the inside, 6mm metal spacers, and 6 mm closed jump rings.
  • February 20, 2012: Meeting at Karen K’s home. There will be a stitch-in/potluck starting at noon, then the meeting starting at 6:00.

Chapter members–click here to access the full newsletter.  You will be directed to our private Yahoo group and you will need to sign in.

President’s Message • Other News

President’s Message

This is our last newsletter of the year. I’m amazed at how quickly this year had flown by. We are rapidly approaching the holiday season with all our expectations in tow. Each year I wish for that “Hallmark Christmas” for myself, my family, and my friends, but somehow I fall short of those exalted expectations. This year I’m vowing to enjoy the things I do have planned, and not be constantly thinking of how it could be better or what else I need to do.

With that in mind, how about throwing the diet to the wind for just our afternoon holiday dessert party? Bring a wrapped, stitching related gift valued at $20 or a wrapped, stitched ornament, to participate in our awesome gift exchange. Remember, it’s all about the enticing packaging that people are vying for as we laugh and steal from one another. Of course there will be other surprises, along with the drawing for a free year’s membership to our chapter with a ticket in that drawing for every meeting that you have attended.

Our November meeting brings to a close this year’s UFO contest. Several people have already gotten their money back on their pledged and completed projects and we’re hoping that there will be more completions brought to this meeting. Jean will give us a final tally at the Holiday Party on how prolific everyone has been this year.

Our program for November is a Snowflake Ornament, designed by Barbara, owner of Periwinkle Promises. The directions are very clear and everyone should be able to finish the ornament in a few hours of stitching time. This design would also work for a bookmark, or maybe a gift tag. If you didn’t sign up for these instructions, and would like to participate, please contact me by Sunday, November 20.

Also, at the November meeting is the election of officers for 2012. I’d like to thank the current board members, Jean, Angelina, Margi, and Marque for pulling together and keeping us on course this last year. Also, a huge thanks goes to our newsletter editor, Shelly Pope, for putting together such a wonderful newsletter every month that keeps everyone informed on what the chapter is doing. Susan F. has been responsible for getting out all those birthday cards for the last couple of years and we really appreciate her. Many other members get hugs and thank yous for chairing committees, teaching a class, volunteering at the fair or workshops and other behind-the-scenes tasks that keep our chapter viable.

For the New Year: Stitcher’s Showcase is in April and is soliciting entries from all stitchers. Our outreach: Bookmarks for Literacy goes on all year along with Soldier Kissing Pillows. The fair comes up in June with entries registered the first week in May. We had all better keep those needles flying!

Heather

Other News

• Fifty-two completed Soldier Kissing pillows were sent to the Evergreen EGA Chapter in mid-October and our chapter received a nice thank you note from Nancy B. recognizing our contribution.  We already have two completed pillows for our next call to contribute, so please keep stitching.  They do make a great “purse-project”, and materials are always available at our meetings.
• We will be making bookmarks for donation to literacy programs in the San Diego area for the year 2012.  It’s not too early to start.  We have patterns and evenweave ribband available to help get started.
• Upcoming meetings (held at the Live Well Center, 4425 Bannock Ave., San Diego, CA):
  • January 16, 2012: Meeting at Karen K’s home from 6:30 to 8:30. The program for January will be the EGA petite project “Tubular Bead Fob”, taught by Jean. The supplies needed are: 3 colors of size 11 delicas, 1 focal bead – drilled vertically, fringe beads (smaller than the focal bead,) and 1 cell phone cord or large lobster claw clasp. Jean will provide drinking straws for the inside, 6mm metal spacers, and 6 mm closed jump rings.
  • February 20, 2012: Meeting at Karen K’s home. There will be a stitch-in/potluck starting in the afternoon, then the meeting starting at 6:00.

Chapter members–click here to access the full newsletter.  You will be directed to our private Yahoo group and you will need to sign in.

President’s Message • Other News

President’s Message

Looking back on the last month we had two terrific workshops with Jane Nicholas. They were both sold out and everyone enjoyed themselves. The mystery of how beautiful goldwork is accomplished was illuminated in the first workshop. The second workshop had us crafting delicate dragonfly wings, “juicy” berries, flower petals, and life-like leaves to make our stumpwork pieces look alive. Nothing compares to attending a workshop for those stitching suggestions that aren’t written down, and having an expert give you pointers that help you improve your stitching technique. Jane was wonderful and is looking forward to coming back to San Diego the next time she comes to our country. We all thank to Margaret C. for being our chairperson for the workshops, and taking care of all the details. Marque hosted Jane and along with Margaret and Angelina, showed Jane the best that San Diego has to offer.

This month Kathy R. will continue teaching us twining. As a group, we learned how to start, add a new weaver, change materials and got up to adding beads. She’ll teach us the technique of ending at the October meeting. Also, it’s the big push to finish lots of those UFO’s to turn in by the November meeting. At the November meeting I’ll be presenting a reversible, blackwork ornament. It will be quick to stitch and finish.

We have our nominating committee searching for new members for the board. Please consider serving if they contact you. We have commitments for president, programs, and secretary. Two of the five positions are still looking for just the right person to help guide our chapter for another year. The slate of officers will presented at the October meeting with a vote at the November meeting.

I hope everyone took advantage of early registration for EGA 2012 seminar in Santa Fe, NM that concluded October 1. If you are up in the air about going, you will have another opportunity to register the beginning of 2012. Also, remember we have the EGA seminar even closer to home in 2014.

Jean and I are off to the PSR meeting on the 29th. If you have any concerns that you would like presented at the meeting, please let us know.

Remember our holiday party on Sunday, December 4… yummy desserts, good friends, gift exchange, surprises, etc. What better way to really get the holiday season rolling?
Karen K. has graciously offered her home as a location for our January and February meetings. She would love to have a potluck and open stitching day at the February meeting since it is Presidents’ Day and many people have the day off then. We’ll have more details in our November/December newsletter.

Hope all of you are able to find some quality stitching time this month. Keep those needles flying.

Heather

Other News

• Don’t forget about the Soldier Kissing Pillows.  This is our outreach program for the year.  Kits are available at every meeting.
• Upcoming meetings (held at the Live Well Center, 4425 Bannock Ave., San Diego, CA):
  • Monday, October 17 — UFO Push to the Goal! We will be pushing to get those pesky UFOs done and see who will come out on top.
  • Monday, November 21 — Holiday Blackwork Ornament
  • Sunday, December 4 — Holiday Party (No regular chapter meeting in December)

Chapter members–click here to access the full newsletter.  You will be directed to our private Yahoo group and you will need to sign in.

President’s Message • Other News

President’s Message

I’m wondering if anyone tried to stitch during the great San Diego black out? I did think about it, but after arranging my candles, I decided to just sit and listen to my portable radio. Thoughts went through my mind of those needle artists in the past that only had candle or lamp light to stitch by after the sun went down and was I ever thankful for all our modern conveniences.

This month we do a completely different program. Kathy R. will be teaching twining which we hope will inspire a lot of creativity after we learn the basic stitches. She promised us lots of different color choices, so bring your $15 for the kit and join in the fun. Use this month to look over the projects that you have started because in October we’ll all be pushing for UFO completions to turn in by the November meeting. At the November meeting I’ll be presenting a reversible, blackwork ornament. It will be quick to stitch and finish.

We need volunteers for our nominating committee. We have commitments for president and programs, but there needs to be some shifting of board members for the other three positions. The nominating committee is an easy place to volunteer, since the duties are just for one month until the slate of officers is presented at the October meeting.

There is early registration for EGA 2012 seminar in Santa Fe, NM starting the week before our chapter meeting and going until October 1. Early registration can be in the form of an e-mail or sent USPS.

Jane Nicholas is already in the country and we are counting the days until the workshops begin the end of September. We will keep everyone informed of no-host dinner opportunities while she is here. Members are welcome to attend, even if not attending the workshops. We’ll have more info as the time approaches so watch our Yahoo group for the latest details.

Remember our holiday party on Sunday, December 4… yummy desserts, good friends, gift exchange, surprises, etc. What better way to really get the holiday season rolling?
In order to get back into the swing of things once the New Year starts, we need to find a place to hold our January and February chapter meetings. Since those meetings fall on Martin Luther King’s Birthday and Presidents’ Day the recreation center where we normally meet is closed. The Shepherdess space is no longer available, so we are asking members to help find an alternate space, or we won’t be able to hold those meetings. There must be some space out there that can hold 20 people that one of you know about.

Hope all of you are able to find some quality stitching time this month. Keep those needles flying.

Heather

Other News

• Don’t forget about the Soldier Kissing Pillows.  This is our outreach program for the year.  Kits are available at every meeting.
• Upcoming meetings (held at the Live Well Center, 4425 Bannock Ave., San Diego, CA):
  • Monday, September 19, 2011 — Twining with Kathy
  • Monday, October 17 — UFO Push to the Goal! We will be pushing to get those pesky UFOs done and see who will come out on top.
  • Monday, November 21 — Holiday Blackwork Ornament

Chapter members–click here to access the full newsletter.  You will be directed to our private Yahoo group and you will need to sign in.

President’s Message • Other News

President’s Message

It’s the height of summer and the stitching is easy, or maybe just sticky with all the humidity. When I do get to stitch or bead, it’s usually late in the evening sitting in front of a fan. Any and every way to stitch that works for you and gets your needle moving is the way to whittle down those UFO stacks and get to show off what you’ve accomplished. Tall cool drink, glass of wine, air conditioning blasting; whatever works for you is the way to go.

It was great to see everyone at the last meeting! I’m looking forward to what Jean will be presenting at this month’s meeting. She’s using the Pacific Southwest Region’s beadwork study box as her foundation for a talk on beading. We’ll be following up in 2012 with a beading project that is a beaded scissor’s fob. It’s a new Petite Project from EGA.
We discussed what a great resource these boxes are, and that we can request one at every PSR meeting that our representatives attend. We’re looking for a few members who would like to explore the contents of any of the other study boxes. PSR education department currently has the following study boxes available: Beading, Blackwork, Brazilian Embroidery, Bunka, Canvas Work, Counted Thread, Design, Florentine, Hardanger, Needle-made Lace, Overlord Embroidery, Pandora’s Box, Pulled Thread, Seminole Patchwork & Smocking, and Youth Study Box. Please let any of our officers know if you would like us to get one of these boxes and present a program using the contents. We would have the box for approximately 6 months, so there is plenty of time to discover everything included in the box.

Sign-ups continue at this month’s meeting for the twining class that will be our September program. Cost of the kit is $15. Kathleen R. will be teaching this fun technique, which we hope will inspire a lot of creativity. October brings our UFO push to turn in all you can by the November meeting. At the November meeting I’ll be presenting an ornament, quick stitch that could be finished to hang on a tree or give as a gift.

We are looking forward to hosting Jane Nicholas the end of September for the two workshops she will be teaching. We expect to have at least one no-host dinner out with her that members are welcome to attend, even if not attending the workshops. We’ll have more info as the time approaches.

Save the date—Sunday, December 4, 2011. Our annual holiday party will include our fun gift exchange, awards, and surprises. Start planning now for an afternoon filled with a potluck of mouth-watering desserts. I’ve already spent too much time looking though my recipes for the perfect contribution.

Hope all of you are able to find some quality stitching time this month. Keep those needles flying.

Heather

Other News

• Don’t forget about the Soldier Kissing Pillows.  This is our outreach program for the year.  Kits are available at every meeting.
• Upcoming meetings (held at the Live Well Center, 4425 Bannock Ave., San Diego, CA):
  • Monday, August 15, 2011 — Beading lecture based on the study box.
  • Monday, September 19, 2011 — Twining with Kathy
  • Monday, October 17 — UFO Push to the Goal! We will be pushing to get those pesky UFOs done and see who will come out on top.

Chapter members–click here to access the full newsletter.  You will be directed to our private Yahoo group and you will need to sign in.

President’s Message • Other News

President’s Message

We had so much fun at last month’s meeting with Betsy Morgan teaching us her technique for making pincushions using napkin rings. She provided us with wonderful patterns for two different designs, and gave me permission to copy her instructions for any members who missed out on the meeting. I even went antiquing to find the perfect napkin ring to make my pincushion, which of course needed to be polished, and at the moment, its little sparkly self is calling to me to get stitching.

Now that the San Diego Fair for 2011 is history, please check out the pictures in the newsletter of our chapter’s winning entries. We are looking forward to welcoming back Susan S. who received our special stitched ribbon, a one-year membership to our chapter, and national membership, which includes Needle Arts magazine. We all hope that her schedule will allow her to participate in our chapter activities. Thanks to every member who manned the booth this year, and a special thanks to Margi who keeps up our calendar of workers from all the guilds, puts up and takes down the booth, makes sure everyone gets back their stitching, and keeps the whole process running smoothly. Also, it’s not too early to start thinking about what you will be entering next year. I’d love to see every chapter member have at least one work of art in the fair next year.

We still have openings for both of the Jane Nicholas workshops. Jane is spotlighted in the current issue of Needle Arts magazine with the first piece she will be teaching on the cover of the magazine. This is such a fantastic opportunity to work with an international teacher. In addition to the class fees, we have also put together supply kits that can be purchased for each of the classes, but orders for those must be postmarked by August 1, so that we will have time to receive all the components from the different suppliers. Remember, class size is limited to 24 stitchers in each of the classes.

Sign-ups begin this month for the twining class that will be our September program. Kathleen will be teaching this fun technique, which we hope will inspire a lot of creativity. Also, this month, Jean will be taking us through the contents of the Pacific Southwest Region Beader’s Study Box. There are lots of books and samples of different techniques. We are planning on doing a beaded fob at one of our 2012 meetings. It is the newest Petite Project from EGA.

Don’t stop making those Soldier Kissing Pillows. A call has gone out for 4500 by December. If you stitch a top, there are several people in the chapter that can make your tops into finished pillows. Directions and kits are available at every meeting. Each one takes a couple of hours and is a great project for doing while watching those new summer programs that pop up at this time on TV.

In January we start looking for bookmarks for the “Project Literacy” bookmark challenge. We did bookmarks a few years ago for the “Summer Reading Program” as an outreach project for our local libraries and they were greatly appreciated.

Hope all of you have a tall cool drink and a sheltered spot to get some serious stitching done. Keep those needles flying.

Heather

Other News

• Don’t forget about the Soldier Kissing Pillows.  This is our outreach program for the year.  Kits are available at every meeting.
• Upcoming meetings (held at the Live Well Center, 4425 Bannock Ave., San Diego, CA):
  • Monday, July 18, 2011 —  The program will be open stitching so that we can continue to work on our Betsy Morgan pieces or other projects.  We will also have the EGA Beading Study Box available to look at.
  • Monday, August 15, 2011 — Beading lecture based on the study box.
  • Monday, September 19, 2011 — Twining with Kathy

Chapter members–click here to access the full newsletter.  You will be directed to our private Yahoo group and you will need to sign in.

President’s Message • Other News

President’s Message

Congratulations to the winner of our Animal themed basket, Carolyn W., whose winning ticket was drawn at the PSR Seminar. This opportunity basket netted our chapter $94, with the same amount being donated to PSR. Jean and Margi did a great job making the baskets very enticing to opportunity ticket purchasers and Ina reported there was quite a buzz at the seminar on how much terrific stuff was included in those baskets. You all did a great job on your contributions!

Thank you all for helping Angelina send our renewals off to National EGA and our Region membership chairperson by the yearly deadline. She has made wonderful membership cards that will be distributed at the next meeting. We are a growing chapter, with 32 members, and always looking for other stitchers that share our world. We welcome back Wendy P. who brought a friend, new member, Kathleen R. She’ll be teaching the September program on twining with sign-ups starting in July. Also, Judy B. just had to join us, and we welcome her.

Laura B. did a great job teaching Dorset buttons at the last meeting. It was very interesting thinking about the women who earned money to help support their families making these buttons in their homes. They are labor intensive, and it’s easy to see how mechanized buttons replaced them. However, they still could have a special place as an accent on a stitched piece, or maybe to replace a single button on a woman’s jacket, or used as Christmas decorations.

All of the stitchers that are participating in our Betsy Morgan, 2-day workshop, are busy working on their pre-stitching. I’m really looking forward to the design part of this workshop, and I readily admit to ransacking my stash for more silk threads so I can have even more colors to choose from. I love the fun of design and my head swims with different possibilities. Oh, the fun of stitching, it is simply infectious! Remember, Betsy Morgan will be teaching at our June chapter meeting. She’ll be teaching the finishing techniques for her napkin ring pin cushions, and will be bringing the instructions and patterns for making these delightful minis.

It’s time for the San Diego Fair! We’ll have pictures of the winning entries from our chapter members in the next newsletter. Our chapter ribbon, stitched by Jean L., was awarded to a previous member, Susan S. She receives our special stitched ribbon, a one-year membership to our chapter, and national membership, which includes Needle Arts magazine. We hope that her schedule will allow her to participate in our chapter activities. Hope all of our members get a chance to see all the entries in Home and Hobby. This was the first year that entries were all done on-line, and there did seem to be fewer entries than in previous years.

The board has set the final price for the Jane Nicholas workshops. Jane is spotlighted in the current issue of Needle Arts magazine. We understand that Orange county’s workshops have already sold out, so we have decided to ask participants to pay for their chosen workshops when they sign-up. The board is in the process of negotiating a contract for class space. The place under consideration will have lots of lunch time choices close by, or you can bring your own. Remember, class size is limited to 24 stitchers in each of the classes.

Better get back to my pre-stitching. Which color, which color…where do I go from here?

Heather

Other News

• Don’t forget about the Soldier Kissing Pillows.  This is our outreach program for the year.  Kits are available at every meeting.
• Upcoming meetings (held at the Live Well Center, 4425 Bannock Ave., San Diego, CA):
  • Monday, June 20, 2011 — Betsy Morgan will have a prestitched piece and will show us the construction in finishing the piece.  This will be a relaxing and informative program since we won’t have to bring any supplies.  We will still have the opportunity to create the project since she will provide the instructions and charts for us.
  • Monday, July 18, 2011 —  The program will be open stitching so that we can continue to work on our Betsy Morgan pieces or other projects.  We will also have the EGA Beading Study Box available to look at.
  • Monday, August 15, 2011 — Beading lecture based on the study box.
• Upcoming chat and stitch evenings (held at Kearney Mesa Recreation Center, 3170 Armstrong St., off of Mesa College Dr (just before the entrance of Mesa College) in the Craft Room):
  • Wednesday, July 6, 2011
  • Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Chapter members–click here to access the full newsletter.  You will be directed to our private Yahoo group and you will need to sign in.

President’s Message • Pacific Southwest Region Meeting • Other News

President’s Message

We are so excited about how things are progressing for our upcoming workshops. There are ten people signed up for the Betsy Morgan 2-day workshop in June, and we are keeping it a secret as to what she will be teaching at the June chapter meeting. Instructions will be handed out at the meeting and she will demonstrate the finishing of the chosen project. Look to our next newsletter or here on the website for more information as it becomes available.

The opportunity to host Jane Nicholas, an internationally acclaimed needle artist, author, and teacher is extraordinary. I urge chapter members to get your name on the sign-up sheets if you would like to participate. Class size is limited to 24 stitchers. We are confident that there will be waiting lists on both, and are planning on collecting a deposit of $100, starting in July. So far we have only determined the kit fee, Jane’s teaching fee, and our share of travel expenses. We are still calculating costs for where the classes will be held, which will include lunch daily. We expect the cost for each 2-day class to be between $250-$300. Don’t forget to check our website for the most up-to-date information on these workshops. We are also putting together some stitching supply kits for each of the workshops that can be ordered to make participation more hassle -free.

The San Diego Fair is coming. Did everyone get their entries in for this year’s competition? I’m really looking forward to seeing all the projects and awarding our ribbon to the item that best exemplifies “a sampler of stitches.” Thanks to Jean for stitching our logo on the center of the ribbon again this year. It’s been a diverse group of needlework that has taken our ribbon home the last three years. Also, with the award, comes a year’s membership to our chapter and EGA.
Annual membership is due by the end of May. A great many members have already renewed and Angelina is working on notifying members who haven’t sent in their checks. Please help her out with mailing or having it at the meeting on May 16.

It looks like our meeting place at the recreation center, has avoided city budget cuts at least through the summer. So there will be no change in meeting place for July, August, and September meetings.

Had so much fun stitching and in fact, (drum roll, please) finishing the Aztec stitch notebook cover, designed by Lois Kershner, that Jean taught last month. I’ve actually gone with this idea and have been trying it on other sizes of canvas, with other threads and really like how each are looking. I know that I will be doing a bit of shopping for finishing materials at the May Craft Fair this weekend.

Hope to see everyone at the next chapter meeting on May 16. Laura will be teaching her beautiful Dorset buttons. More information is available on the website. Until the meeting, hope you can keep your needles flying.

Heather

Pacific Southwest Region Meeting

We had a great time at the EGA Pacific Southwest Region meeting in Tucson, hosted by the Tucson and Yuma chapters.  We voted to accept the Thread Painting collection of Jan J. which was donated by her friend who has been storing the collection in a controlled environment.  These are beautiful pieces (27 in all). The main goal is to preserve these pieces for future generations and hoping to exhibit them at the appropriate venues to raise donations to fund the preservation of these pieces. Another bit of good news it that the board has decided not to raise regional dues at this time.  Also in the works is the officer training sessions.  The first one as far as we know will be after the Betsy Morgan workshop on Saturday evening. Anyone is invited to join in and learn what the job descriptions are and what will be necessary to do to fulfill the positions.  It should be very informative and interesting.

Other News

• The Del Mar Quilt, Craft & Sewing Festival will be held Thursday May 12th through Saturday May 14th. The show hours are from 10 AM to 5 PM. The demonstration shift hours will be the same as last year: 10 AM to 1 PM and 1 PM to 4 PM. We will also be offering a Make it and Take class in our booth. This will give us a better opportunity to draw new stitchers into the guilds.  Contact Margi to sign up or for more details.
• Don’t forget about the Soldier Kissing Pillows.  This is our outreach program for the year.  Kits are available at every meeting.
• Upcoming meetings (held at the Live Well Center, 4425 Bannock Ave., San Diego, CA):
  • Monday, May 16, 2011 — Laura will be teaching Dorset Buttons.  (She made a bunch of them and showed them at our November meeting.)
  • Monday, June 20, 2011 — Betsy Morgan will have a prestitched piece and will show us the construction in finishing the piece.  This will be a relaxing and informative program since we won’t have to bring any supplies.  We will still have the opportunity to create the project since she will provide the instructions and charts for us.
  • Monday, July 18, 2011 —  The program will be open stitching so that we can continue to work on our Betsy Morgan pieces or other projects.  We will also have the EGA Beading Study Box available to look at.
• Upcoming chat and stitch evenings (held at Kearney Mesa Recreation Center, 3170 Armstrong St., off of Mesa College Dr (just before the entrance of Mesa College) in the Craft Room):
  • Wednesday, June 1, 2011
  • Wednesday, July 6, 2011