 Hello, I'm Jean Byneman. I'm from the Sheboygan County Quilters Guild and today I have with me four other members of our Guild and our intent of this program is to really tell and share information about quilting in Sheboygan County. I'd like to introduce today Brittany Copper Smith, Kathy Weaseman, Lucy Marks-Hock, and June Smazel, and they're all members of our Guild. I want to just let you know that there's a common misconception about quilting in the community and that is that quilting is a dying art and that it's often only done by grannies, no longer true. I'm happy to say that I did a little research before today's program and I found that in the United States there's an estimated 21 million individuals that still quilt. Pretty amazing. When you think about quilting starting back in ancient times in Egypt, can you imagine the quilts hanging on the site of pyramids? I think that would be very exciting. I also think about the early days in our country where women came together as a sense of community and had quilting bees and shared family history and support. And in today's show, I'm going to talk a little bit and as with my fellow members about how that continued camaraderie exists in our community. So as we start, what I'd like to start with is having Brittany, who's one of our co-presidents of our Guild, talk a little bit about what the Sheboygan County Quilt Guild is and what we do in the community. Hello. 33 years ago our quilt guild started and had someone put an article in the paper to meet at the technical college. And there was 30 people that showed up and then they started the Sheboygan County Quilt Guild. And within one year, it doubled in size. They had 16 members by the end of the year. And today we meet for the same reasons they did 33 years ago and that's to just be with fellow quilters and teach each other and learn from each other different quilting ideas and basically have friends within the quilting community. So that is an overview of our Guild. And tell us, tell the listeners about how you came to join the Guild. I became a member. I started quilting in 2013 and I think that's the same year that I joined. I went to the quilt show and just had a love for quilts and I wanted to be a part of it. So I saw the quilts and I decided right then and there that I wanted to be a member. So I went to the members desk at the quilt show and it was just really funny because the ladies there did not know if I was being a member or if I dragged my mom along, if she was going to be a member. And it was for me and it was the best decision I ever made. I have a lot of quilting friends now that I didn't have before. So here I am a couple of years later, the co-president. And I think the last time I checked we had 155 members that I'm the president of. So I'm kind of excited. And certainly Brittany is not a quilting granny. She brings youth to our group along with several other very young members. The aged man, I think when we checked, we have about 60 years covered and we are open to folks from all over. All ages, all races, all sexes. Yes, men can quilt. Yes, they can. We have one member as a gentleman. Pretty cool. We also have members that are out of Sheboygan County. We're called the Sheboygan County quilter skill, but we have members in Keel, in Manitowoc County. One of our most active members is in Appleton. We have them in Milwaukee. We even have one in Shawno. I guess I didn't realize that. Yes. Wow. Yes. And Shawno is a county in northern, further north. And they actually have a barn quilt exhibit there where they have over 300 barn quilts. Last summer my husband and I took a tour of Shawno County and just drove around. And really what was exciting about that is I learned about some of the quilts on the family barns where they really determined the block that they would have painted and hung based on family history. So really had some significance in terms of the history of quilting and just tying families and generations together. And I see that our guild, that's what we really want to do is continue the art, the craft of quilting generations to come. So we're hoping today we'll have some listeners that are between the ages of six and 100 that become inspired and consider joining our guild. What's nice about our quilt guild is every other month we have day meetings and night meetings. So next month is a one o'clock meeting, but the following month is a six, I don't know, it's actually seven o'clock meeting. So you can still work full-time and make a meeting. I'm just going to throw in a little bit of trivia here at this point. When I was doing some reading about quilting, I came upon the fact that the industrial resolution really changed quilting in the United States when Singer and other sewing machines became available. And do you know that in 1856, the Singer Company actually developed a loan service or a buying service where people could pay on installments to purchase their sewing machines? And can you imagine what a difference that made for families across our nation where they had the opportunity to not only sew their clothes but quilts in a much more rapid fashion. So I can only imagine how exciting it would be when the UPS delivery service came to drop off their sewing machine. Tony Express. Yeah, you're probably right about that. One of the traditions with quilting, and I think about my family and gifts that were made by quilters. And those items might have been something as small as a hot pad or a large bed quilt or a baby quilt, welcoming family members, welcoming marriages, providing comfort for those that were sick and perhaps dying. And that's always been a big part of quilting and the heritage and the legacy of quilting. And today we have June in Smuzzle, and she's going to talk a little bit about some of the charity work that quilters here in Sheboygan County continue on. Yes. Thrivent Project allowed me and accepted my application for my passion of charity work. And as you can see some of the baby items that we sew are nesters that the babies lay on in the incubators. And we also do caps and baby quilts. Our guild donates every year. This year it was 185 quilts, excuse me, to the neonatal unit at Mount Sinai in Milwaukee. We also donate, these quilts go over the incubators and do not touch the newborns. When the baby goes home, the quilt goes with them. So my charity money this year for baby quilts allowed us to buy 180 yards of flannel. And each guild member receives flannel for one quilt backing. There is a pattern that is new every year designed by the committee. So then you go into your stash, select your favorite colors and complete the rest of the baby quilt. We turn them in throughout the year and in the month of May, Mount Sinai hosts us with a brunch. So we get to go down, have a tour, have brunch and share our gifted items. They gave us a tour this year of the neonatal intensive care unit and I found that June to be very inspiring. You see those tiny, tiny babies. They're little one pound babies and laying on one of the nesters which is just 18 by 18 inches. And it looks like they're laying on a king size quilt. So to know that that's providing warmth and comfort, not only for that infant but for their family members that are going through a very trying time. It was really very inspiring. June, you mentioned stash. Going into our stash. I'm thinking that perhaps there's some misunderstandings on what kind of stash quilters have. When you become a quilter, your vocabulary changes because you have a stash. You have square it up. You have fudging and that's not what we eat. The stash would be an accumulation of fabric that we have at home. When you go shopping, you always see something that, oh, you just fall in love with and you need to bring it home. Well, now where am I going to put it? So it goes into a tote and it's called stash. Waiting for the next project. Yes. And we might just throw in another term, UFO. If anyone wants to know what a UFO is in the quilting world, it's unfinished objects. And we all have just a few. Something to look forward to. Something to, on a cold winter snowy day in Sheboygan County, there's nothing better than pulling out a project and finishing something. Well, because you can't get to the quilt shop, it's snowing and it's freezing. So go to your stash. Absolutely. Some of the prettiest quilts come out of our stash. Totally uncoordinated. Scrappy. We like scrappy. June, there's some other works of chili that our guild members participate in. You want to talk a little bit about those? Yes. We have a camel quilt project. You will see in front, this is a lap quilt that we sew at Camel Quilts in Plymouth, Wisconsin. And this lap quilt is given to veterans that are in assisted living and nursing homes. When we do not have orders for the camouflage quilt, as you see behind me, this camel quilt would go to the veteran, to the soldier that is on active duty. Our present order is for 100 quilts for the soldiers and they will be leaving for Afghanistan soon. So our veteran quilts are then put on hold and we sew for the soldiers. On the top, you can see that there are two ties and this quilt for the veterans is folded in thirds, rolled up and tied. And so when they are deployed, you will see the soldiers carrying it on their shoulders and they use it as a pillow in transport. Their duffel bags are filled with items that the government issues to them. So it's all cotton, it is waterproof and it is a free gift to the soldiers. And I can't remember the numbers of soldiers that have been outfitted with one of our quilts. I can't tell you that. I want to say that I... Thousands. Thousands and thousands. Thousands, thousands. So that's a really exciting project where people really give from their heart and their soul to improve. We sew three days a week in Plymouth at Camel Quilt Project. And it's a fun group of, again, ladies who just love to sew. And we should really acknowledge Linda for her effort. She really is the founder of the Camel Quilt Project, which has really gained national notoriety. Yes, it has. Yes. My nephew who was in the Air Force, he was in charge of transporting troops. And one deployment he had, he was taking troops out of Afghanistan. And it was like a cargo plane which isn't heated or air conditioned. And these got, when they got higher in the sky and it started getting cold, these guys started pulling out these little Camel Quills. And they're all wrapping themselves in these things. And Chris says, where the heck you guys get those from? That's pretty cool. And one guy said, I don't know, some little lady in Wisconsin. And they're little ladies, but we certainly would take little men or all ages to work on the Camel Quilt Project. Yes, yes. Linda and Joanne will take anybody who would like to volunteer an hour a week, two hours a week, whatever. Any other projects that you can think of in terms of charity? I know there's Project Linus in the community where they make items for children. Quilts of Aller are also being sewn. And they're doing fidget quilts for Alzheimer patients. That is also being done at Camel Quilts. Oh, really? That's a neat thing. Yes, it is. Yeah, I can't imagine. When I get to be in the nursing home and I want to be able to have a fidget quilt. I'll strive for that. Keep that in mind, Brittany, okay? Yeah, you know, just this morning I was on a blog and obviously the quilters from the Civil War era didn't have their quilting blog. But I saw that there's a national initiative trying to get quilted items for some of the victims of Hurricane Harvey. So when I think of quilters, I just think of people with big hearts trying to make the world a bit brighter through fabric, through warmth, just through caring. Yeah, so thanks for sharing that. Anything you want to mention about your involvement with the Guild and how you came to be a Guild member, June? I was invited as a guest by a co-worker. And I was working full-time, so of course it had to be an evening meeting. And I attended, oh my, to be in a room with everybody's passion is to sew and create. I was hooked. So I signed up and that was in 1989. We're glad they invited you, June, because you've really contributed. I've had a quilt on display. It was jured into the Des Moines show for American Quilter Society. And I've also had a quilt that was jured in to Knoxville several years ago. So it's a thrill to be able to go and see your quilt hanging. Yeah, and some of those shows, there are exhibits from across the world, the globe, Japan, Australia, quilters coming together to really brighten the world. Thanks. Now I'd like to introduce Kathy Weisman. And she is actually one of our co-chairs for this year's quilt show coming up on September 30th. Kathy, do you want to just tell us a little bit about yourself and the upcoming show? Well, my name is Kathy Weisman and I'm co-chair with Ruth Madden, who couldn't be here with us today. And we are very excited about the quilt show that's coming up every year. Our beautiful quilt and fiber artists come up with 150 to 165 brand new quilts every year. It is truly amazing. So we have some new things that are going on this year. First of all, we are going to be at the Southside Alliance Church. That is on County Road A. If you go past Home Depot. And it's not too far past Home Depot. And past Best Buy. And you'll come along on it. Follow the signs and we're there. And we're there on Saturday, September 30th from 9-4. And something new this year with your paid admission. We have a quilt table runner pattern designed by our member from Appleton. And she has designed this for all of our guests who are coming to the quilt show. We have a mystery quilt display this year. And behind me is our mystery quilt. We decided this year to try something different. And 30 people signed up. And the premise of a mystery quilt is that every month you got a clue. And you sewed the parts of that clue. And nobody knew how it was going to turn out in the end until it got all put together. That is amazing. It was surprising if we found it. And tried it out, see if all the instructions were correct. I spoke with the lady who designed it. And she was very happy to share her pattern with us. And I'm looking forward to it. We've seen a couple quilts that people have completed. And they are gorgeous. Simply gorgeous. Different fabrics on every single one of them. We also have a drawing, special drawing, that's going to happen for our non-members when they come to the quilt show. And included in that basket of goodies will be a free membership coupon. So if you would like to take a chance, come and sign up when you come to the door at the Southside Alliance Church. And take a chance for fun people. We are fun people. We've got that right. Thank you. Maybe we can mention the quilt behind me today. That's one of our winners from last year's quilt show. Lori Epping wasn't able to join us today, but she did a fantastic job putting this quilt together. And she told me a not-so-funny story about it after she had constructed some of the fabric bled. You can see all these browns in here. So it bled into the cream-colored fabric. As a quilter, I can say that, my goodness, that's a very scary thing to happen. She took it to the local sewing basket or a quilt store, and they recommended that she soak it in a product. And all the brown ink was, or dye, came out of the white. And she had to recreate the quilt then. But look at that. And she did win an award last year for that applique quilt. So just want to share that. Yes. So thank you. We hope that individuals, you know, try out the quilt show. Just look around, meet some of us. I think you'll be impressed. Well, we have some interesting things going on. We have bed quilts and baby quilts to show, wall hangings and art quilts, traditional style quilts, holiday items, clothing that's been created into quilts or quilted items and accessories. And what's interesting, I think, too, is that we have 11 vendors from Appleton, Stevens Point, Ashkosh, Manitowoc who are coming to sell their items from different quilt shops in Wisconsin. And then we have our bed turning, which is wonderful. It is kind of like the highlight of the show. And with that, I'd like to introduce Lucy who's taking charge of the bed turning this year. Yes. I'm Lucy, and I did the bed turning last year. Generally, we had a bed turning, and one year we had a guest come in to do it, but she canceled it the last minute. So we couldn't have a bed turning. And then we decided we have to do it in-house. So I took over the bed turning last year. And a bed turning is something that's been going on for eons. Years ago, ladies would just gather several of their friends in their house, and they, in one of their bedrooms, simply put layer after layer after layer of quilts on top of the bed. And they, one at a time, would talk about the bed quilt and how they made it. And then they would peel that one off, and then they'd talk about the one underneath it and peel that one off, and all the way down to the bottom of the bed. Well, this year, and in many, we don't do them at homes anymore, but in many of the quilt guilds in any quilting organization, they have bed turnings. And some are called bed peelings, because it's like peeling an onion. And last year, I was astounded. We had 30 quilts in the theme. We usually have a theme. Our theme last year was heirloom quilts. And the ladies in our guild came forth with just these absolutely beautiful quilts. And a couple of them that were my favorites, this one in particular. This is an adorable little baby quilt that was made for one of our members when she was born. Okay? She didn't know it existed until 60 years later when she was cleaning out the attic of her parents' home and found this quilt in a bin. And then on the back of it, there's a ribbon that says Elizabeth. So she knew that that had to have been her baby quilt, but she'd never heard of it. But this is just the most adorable applique or embroidered quilt. And mother took very good care of it and packed it away before Elizabeth could run around the house with it and ruin it. So now she gets to have her quilt 60 years later. Another quilt that we had was jeans. The center of this, it's a Dresden plate, was made by her grandmother. And these are all 30s fabrics from the 1930s. And Jean's sister-in-law had the quilt and decided to share it with other people in her family. So she took it apart and she made little wall hangings like this for other family members so that they would have part of grandma's quilt also. This year we're having the bed turning again and I think we're going to have a quilt from the 1840s, one of our members is going to put in. And another member has one that she finished a few years ago, but it's made from a chenille bedspread that her mother had received for her wedding 46 years ago. So it's going to be interesting to see the stories of all these quilts and just appreciate the amount of work and the artistic abilities of all these ladies from past years and from past generations. You know, I'm very proud of the work that the Sheboygan County Quilt Guild does in our community. And I have to say that it fills a part of my life that really brings a smile to my face. I joined as a younger woman, well not that young, but about 12 years ago and I was working and it really provided another outlet and a way to just enjoy life and to connect with others with common interest and passion. I certainly encourage viewers to take advantage of coming to the quilt show. Just take a look. One point that I want to make is that the folks that come together to quilt are from all backgrounds. I've met people as we do traveling across our country who quilt and it's a common bond and something that really, I think in this day and age, that communication, that face-to-face, that pulling together for something you love is something that we need more in our country and in our communities. So I certainly would encourage individuals to come to the show. Also our meetings are open to guests. So come and just stop by. I actually came to the first meeting with one of my colleagues also and it was so amazing to, especially at the end of the show, where members showed some of their quilted work and we had a woman who bought this bag of this pile of quilts that she got done in the last one to two months and it just made my heart warm and I thought, I want to be that woman someday. So here we are, we're well on our way and I want to thank viewers for listening today and I encourage you to look at our website. We also, with Brittany's help, we have a Facebook page now and we're really getting with the time. So trying to build our legacy moving forward in the future and keeping hearts warm through the art of quilting and by putting a few quilts in our beds too. So thank you very much and you have a great day.