December Meeting Notes
SCTMQG Meeting Notes, Dec 10, 2025
28 in attendance.
VISIT OUR BEAUTIFUL SHOW at the Westport Library.
• SCTMQG Reception
NOMINATION COMMITTEE AND 2026 GUILD BOARD
• Proposed Board Roster for 2026 was approved by the 25 non-Board members in
attendance. The Guild thanks you for your support.
o President, Kate Lemmers
o VP, Tait Michael
o Treasurer, Nancy Riggs
o Secretary, Leslie Morgan
• New Programs Committee: Sue, Lin, and Dawn
2026 EXTENDED SEW DATES
Mar 14
May 9
Sept 12
Dec 12
PROGRAMS
Please, please fill out the Programs Survey; it is necessary feedback to assure continued desired
programs.
• Jan 24, 2026 Zoom class 10-4 (with lunch break) – improv pieced letters taught by Sarah
Goer. Attendance restricted to 15.
• Sleep away Retreat May 14-17, 2026 at the Incarnation Center in Deep River (same as
last year); $500 pp includes room & board, shared bathroom, free sew, opportunity for
beautiful hikes/walks. Attendance also restricted to 15.
• 2026 Challenge teaser – ripped fabric
AQS Juried Show the weekend April 8-11, 2026 in Hartford. The deadline for submission is now
past. https://www.americanquilter.com/quiltweek/aqs-quilt-contests/
People who attended previously note that AQS members get preference for classes which sell
out all but immediately. Attending lectures is highly recommended as an alternative. Last
year’s keynote by Hillary Goodwin (entropyalwayswins.com), ER Doc, was phenomenal.
Charity – Columbus House is the focus for Guild charity work along with on-going colorful
pillowcases for hospitalized children. We have a number of quilts which need binding, and, if
you have extra binding, please bring it in. We are happy to use it for the charity quilts.
As folks are able to transition into housing, they take the quilt. Having something personal, such
as the quilts we donate, is very moving and something for which they are responsible. Currently,
about 300 people or families are housed each year and each needs everything. There is a list
of needs by function: kitchen, bathroom, bedroom. Please support by donating items or funds.
The biggest barrier is the lack of affordable housing.
Our joint Quilt Show with the Gees Bend quilters, “Building Bridges through Storytelling” in
Westport Dec 19, 2025 through Mar 17, 2026 has been hung. It is beautiful; don’t missing seeing
it. Please help publicize it via word of mouth and the postcards.
• Reflecting the theme, SCtMQG quilts are in the Sheffer Gallery. Reception and artists talk
Thursday, January 15, from 6-8pm.
• Gees Bend quilts trace the legacy of quilting in Gees Bend, AL through descendants.
Expert Tangular Irby will give a talk at a reception on Saturday January 31, from 1 to 3pm.
• The collaborative quilt between the two groups will be in the Jesup Gallery. It is donated
to the library’s permanent collection.
• Some quilts will be available for sale from 12-5 on Saturday.
Block of the month shared by Laura Lee is a book cover. The pattern is from Quilt Folk.
QUILT PRICING
After the Guild Meeting, a few people stayed a bit longer to discuss quilt pricing in order to
decide the price for the two Guild quits in the Show that will be for sale. Quilts are not broadly
thought of as ART. Non-quilters often have no idea of the cost of materials nor the hours of work
to complete one; much less the training/experience reflected in the finished piece. Don’t
succumb to “imposter syndrome.” We owe it to ourselves and the quilting community to
respect the work. This means including both the cost of materials and the hours required along
with an acknowledgement of the “education” and experience in achieving your level of skill as
a Quilt Artist. It was pointed out during the conversation that the Minimum Wage for Unskilled
Labor in Connecticut is $17/hr. A more reasonable wage for an experienced quilt artist is in the
$50-70/hr range. “Don’t sell your quilt to $0.50 bottled water people; write a full price invoice
even if you’ve accepted less.” Think of your sale as selling your art to a Collector.
POTENTIALLY OF INTEREST
There is an exhibit at the American Folk Art Museum (across from Lincoln Center) in NYC.
https://folkartmuseum.org/programs/blue-magic-2-21-26/?ID=35359
from the website: Program Feb 21, 2026
Blue Magic is a sonic and textile environment exploring the deep histories of the color blue.
This live program is a unique chance to experience the material connections between
textile, color and land while attuning to deep time and ancestral memory.
Join us in the galleries with guest artist Alexandria Eregbu for a newly commissioned sound
work weaving her poetry, field recordings, sampled media, and folk music, with her textile
works serving as a vibrant performance backdrop. Drawing from American quilting
practice, oral storytelling, sound, and her own family history as a Nigerian-American, the
artist will activate both sonically and visually the textiles included in the exhibition An
Ecology of Quilts: The Natural History of American Textiles.
Using her signature indigo-dyed textiles, Alexandria Eregbu affirms the material and
cultural significance of indigo (Indigofera tinctoria), a plant indigenous to West Africa,
India, and Southeast Asia that became a crucial resource in American fashion, arts and
design industries in the 18th and 19th centuries.