The topic of our meeting this month was “Quilt Preservation” by Special Events Chairperson Laura McDowell Hopper. Laura is a textile preservationist with the Pick Museum of Anthropology at Northern Illinois University by day and a modern quilter by night.
This afternoon Laura shared with us her tips for properly storing your quilts.
- Use museum quality storage materials.
- Avoid storage in wood or create a barrier using polyurethane varnish on the wood and unbleached muslin on the quilt.
- Choose a storage location in a dark, climate controlled space in your house. Laura said if it’s comfortable for you it will be comfortable for your quilt.
- Clean your storage space regularly. Don’t eat or drink near your storage area.
- Never use chemicals, mothballs, or cedar as pest deterrents.
- Light damage is irreversible. If you display quilts in your home rotate them into storage every 4 to 6 months to prevent long term light exposure.
- Store your quilts folded in a blue board box with unbuffered tissue padding in every fold line.
- Refold your quilt a different way every 6 months to prevent creases.
Laura was kind enough to share with us some of her favorite resources and products:
- Preserving Textiles: A Guide for the Nonspecialist by Harold F. Mailand
- Blue E-flute Deep Lid Textile Box
- Unbuffered Acid Free Tissue
- Polypropylene Label Holders
- Quilt Preservation Kit
- Unbleached Muslin (Make sure to pre-wash.)
- Micron Pens (Laura prefers the black size 0.2.)
For more information on Quilt Preservation listen to Laura’s interview on Episode 8 of the Sit & Sew Radio Podcast and read her article in the 2017 QuiltCon Magazine.
You can find Laura on social media at:
Instagram: @sonicstitches
Blog: Sonic Stitches Quilts
The April meeting marks the transition of Board Members. Member Holly Harper (left) graciously distributed gifts to the 2016-2017 Board Members on behalf of the guild. Below is Prior President Sarah Evans (right) receiving her gift. Here is the list of 2017-2018 Board Members.
We then ended the meeting with some Show and Tell. Refer to our guild’s Instagram account (or click on the Instagram logo at the top of this page) to see some amazing quilts made by our members.
Announcements from today’s meeting:
Programming Chairperson Laura Hartrich made a presentation on Quilt Alliance. She discussed the importance of documenting, preserving, and sharing information about your quilt so it doesn’t get lost over time. Laura also has an Instagram account, @quiltstories, where quilters can share their own “quilt stories.” You can send her your own “quilt story” via Instagram. Stories are shared in the order in which they are received.
Prior Membership Chairperson Sally Prokopec completed the guild’s directory. It was emailed to all members so look for it in your inbox. Please note that if you opted out of being published in the directory you will still receive a copy of the directory. However, your personal information will not be shared.
Member Jennifer Lowe works for the Tinley Park Library and they will be hosting a display of mini quilts and small quilted items from our members. For more info click including how to submit an item for display can be found here.
Have a topic you would like to present, or a technique you would like to demo, or there’s a specific instructor you would like to see come to the guild? We want to know about it! Please take the time to fill out the guild’s annual survey. Members who complete the survey by the end of the day May 3, will be entered into a raffle to win a bundle of sewing goodies. To complete the survey click here.
Our May 21st meeting will be on “Frugal Quilting.” More info to come.
The next Programming Meeting will be held on May 21 at 12:30 pm in the 2nd Floor Cafeteria at the RUSH Oak Park Hospital. If you would like to attend this meeting or be a part of future meetings please contact Programming Chairperson Laura Hartrich.
June 4th meeting will be a Sew-In held at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library. More info to come.
The talented Jacquie Gering will be visiting the guild for a workshop on Saturday, June 24th. This workshop will be held at Loyola University in Chicago (Rogers Park). The workshop will be “Creative Quilting with a Walking Foot.” To learn more about Jacquie click here. Registration will begin on May 6, at 10 am CDT. Please note this is a change from April 29, at 11 am CDT, which was communicated earlier. For more info on this workshop click here.
Jacquie Gering will be giving a lecture/trunk show on Sunday, June 25, titled “Modern Quilting: You’ll Know It When You See It.” This lecture/trunk show will be held at the First Free Church of Chicago. This will be a lecture ONLY and not a regular guild meeting. For more info click here.
Our Special Events Chairperson Laura McDowell Hopper is looking for locations to host guild workshops. She is looking for a space that can accommodate 24 people with ample electrical outlets for their sewing machines and to set-up several ironing stations throughout the room. Must also be reasonably priced. If you know of any place in your area or if you have any questions please contact Laura.
Charity Update:
Member Sarah Shulman is leading an effort to make a quilt (or quilts) for local Veterans through the Road Home Program. For more information on how you can contribute click here. (Please note this charity project has been extended until the end of 2017.)
To quickly find information regarding our current charity endeavors click the “Charity Projects” button in the right sidebar.
All meetings are 2-5 pm on the third Sunday of the month, unless otherwise noted.
This month’s meeting is on May 21, 2017
Meeting location:
Rush Oak Park Hospital
Centennial Room
520 S. Maple Ave Oak Park, Il 60304
Join us for a future meeting! Here’s our schedule.
Not a member, but would like to be? Join us!
We hope to see you there!
