|
|
|
             
|
February 2005 An
open letter to Texas Association of Quilt Guild members: Greetings from the
2005 TAQG Board. We have started
out the year with some innovations that we believe will benefit our member
guilds. The first is that we have
added a second informational forum to each of the TAQG meetings. In the past, we have had one meeting in which the officers of
the guilds, such as presidents, program chairs, quilt show chairs or
newsletter editors, discuss topics of vital interest to their groups.
When the TAQG reps were surveyed in November, so many topics were
suggested that it was decided to double our educational meetings.
In January, two very productive meetings on the topic of presidents and
librarians were well attended by your guild officers. Upcoming meetings will
include forums on the following topics: March 29 – Volunteer
Hours/Recognitions and Community Service May 3 –
Membership/Publicity and Websites July 26 – Fund
Raising/Raffle Quilts/Guild Stores and Retreats/Workshops Sept. 27 – Programs and a
Vendor Forum (more on this event later!) Nov. 29 – IRS/Legal Issues
for Quilt Guilds TAQG is also making smaller
guilds and their needs a priority at meetings this year.
Our speakers will be asked to focus at least part of the discussion on
the particular needs of smaller guilds and how the larger guilds in the area
can act as mentors and sources of information. To that end, TAQG’s second
innovation is to add a Resource List to our Directory.
This list will include long-arm quilters, professional seamstresses,
speakers, workshop leaders or any other services that are available to the
quilting community by a member of a TAQG guild.
Already we have received dozens of forms (available on our website – www.texasassociationofquiltguilds.org)
from those who wish to be included in this free listing.
In addition to human resources, we are also compiling a list of
workshop spaces and retreat locations. This
information will be available later in the year to your TAQG rep. As you can see, TAQG
continues to grow in its ability to meet the needs of its member guilds and is
striving to remain a vital force in the north Texas quilting community. But I’ve left the best for
last – Rally Day! Our
yearly event is always a special treat for our members.
This year’s speaker will be Joen Wolfrom, a color and design expert.
Check out her work at www.joenwolfrom.com.
Her book, Color Play, is a classic in the use of color in
quilting. Joen has also designed
some incredible impressionistic landscapes in her book, Landscapes and
Illusions. This year’s
Rally Day is hosted by the four guilds of Collin County – Allen, Frisco,
McKinney and Plano – and will be held on Saturday, July 16th at
the Eisemann Center in Richardson. Make
plans to attend now – lots of prizes, freebies and a mini quilt auction will
be part of the fun. In closing, I want to
personally thank all the reps who travel in some cases in excess of a hundred
miles to attend TAQG meetings. These
ladies are contributing their time and efforts so that each of your guilds
will prosper. I also want to
thank all the guilds and the individual members who faithfully support TAQG
and its mission by making mini quilts, donation items and attending Rally Day.
We welcome your comments, ideas and suggestions – simply click on the
Board Members’ link on our website and direct your comment or inquiry to any
of us. Thank you again for
supporting TAQG, Brooks Wilson President, 2004-2006 |
|
