October 2023 Meeting: Jenni Grover on Quilter’s Wellness

November 14, 2023

There is a definite chill in the air as autumn creeps into the Chicagoland area. We love being able to enjoy the sunshine while it lasts and snuggle up under our quilts in the evenings.

Announcements:

Ariel Norquist, our president, kicked off our October meeting and other board members had a few announcements. Jenni Grover, our communications chair, is looking for your announcements for our Full Bobbin Newsletter. Got a quilt in a show? Let us know! Have something else you’d like to share? Let us know! We want to build our community up and what better way than sharing all your good news. 

Vice President Carolyn Strug is searching for 2-3 board members for 2024/2025. Please reach out to her if you would like to shape the future of our guild. Diane Pacquin-Provost has secured the guild a spot showing our shirt challenge quilts at The Great Wisconsin Quilt show. We are hoping for a total of 30 quilts. The deadline is January 2024 and there is still time to join in! If you want to view some great examples of the craft before QuiltCon in February the Botanic Gardens will have the annual Fine Art of Fiber show November 3rd – 5th. 

Featured speaker: Jenni Grover, Wellness Coach for Makers

Before the cold of winter drives our shoulders to hunch against the wind and we feel the lack of sunlight affect our moods, Jenni Grover was here to talk about quilting ergonomics. But more than that, her lecture focused on the Five Threads of Wellness. A wellness coach focusing on makers (and someone who has chronic illness), Jenni has developed an interwoven approach to wellness and creativity.

The five threads of success presented were: Physical, Mental, Social, Creative and Spiritual. She shared so much information with us while encouraging questions and exploration of our own. It was such a positive experience and we had a packed house to take it all in. 

Afterwards we hosted a lively show and tell where we got to take in all a charity quilt recently finished by members, trick or treat bags and lots and lots of gorgeous quilts! We would love to see you in November, when member Amy Struckmeyer will help us reframe color story. We also have our fall retreat in early November and are looking forward to how many projects everyone brings to work on. 

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Photo: Triangles quilt by Erika Mulvenna