Hands Across the Valley Quilt Guild – Amherst, MA quilt guild – sharing the love of quilting in the Pioneer Valley for the past 40 years

Calendar

HAVQG Meetings

Monthly guild meetings are held on Sunday afternoons from 2:30 to 4:30pm.  Meetings in September, December, January, February, March and June are held on the second Sunday of the month.  The May 2023 will be held on the first Sunday.  

April is the Hands All Around Quilt Show, so no Sunday guild meeting.

The locations for the meetings may change from month to month owing to a meeting site needing the room for a prior obligation.  Check carefully each month as to where the meeting will be held.  January 2023 will be via ZOOM.

Guests are always welcome and encouraged!  Non-members may attend individual guild meetings for a fee of $5.00 per meeting.  There is plenty of parking and handicap access.

NOTE: In the event of inclement weather, the Guild President will decide by 9:00 a.m. of that morning whether or not to hold a meeting.  A cancellation will be announced on NEWS40 Storm Trackers WGGB-TV and on this website.

PROGRAM 2022

Stay tuned for details on 2023 meetings

September 11:  2:30pm South Church, 1066 Southeast St, Amherst.  Kickoff for year ahead, with business meeting, quilt show updates, show and tell.
October 1, Saturday, 9:30am – 4pm, Workshop: South Church, 1066 Southeast St, Amherst.  Curved Piecing with Lynn Wheatley.  See Workshop page for more details.  
October 2:  2:30pm South Church, 1066 Southeast St, Amherst.  “Passionately Teaching’ & Stitchin’” Guest speaker Lynn Wheatley will give a trunk show on her work and development as a quilter and teacher.
November 6: 2:30pm Jewish Community of Amherst, 742 Main St, Amherst.  “Quilting in the Slow Lane” features Four Talented Guild Members Sharing Tips and Techniques:
  • Debbie Averill:  “Designing a Dogtooth Border” A Simple Way to Add a Zigzag Border Without Piecing a Stack of Triangles.
  • Carolyn Croteau:  “Embroidered Embellishments with Wool Appliqué”.
  • Sara Fredette:  “Freezer Paper Prep and Ladder Stitch for Hand Appliqué”.
  • Iola Sylvan:  “Recycled Garden Flower Collage” Raw Edge Appliqué and Fusing to Create a Small, Scrappy Wall Hanging.

December 11: 2:30pm at South Church, 1066 Southeast St, Amherst.  Social Holiday Gathering, Refreshments, Show and Tell, with some business and quilt show updates.  Please bring your yummiest finger food appetizers/fruits/desserts to help close out our 2022 season in person. We have so much to celebrate, past, present, and future: once again being in person, amazingly talented fellow members, excellent presenters sharing skills, and our upcoming Quilt Show in April. At the December meeting the Program Committee will provide drinks, a fun game, and prizes. Quilts brought for Show and tell are always welcome and a big part of this closing meeting for the calendar year.

January 8th 2:30pm ZOOM meeting. Guest Lisa Ruble of Kalamazoo, Michigan will give a lecture entitled “Confessions of a Quilt Magazine Editor.” In this hour-long lecture, Lisa will offer an insider’s look at the world of quilt magazine publishing, drawing on her eight years of experience as an editor for several different quilt magazines and providing a behind-the-scenes look at assigning projects to designers, the magic of photo shoots, and insight into how a magazine comes together. She will also share tips and tricks for submitting designs as well as thoughts on how the industry is changing in the advent of digital publishing. This lecture includes a trunk show of projects Lisa had featured in quilting magazines.

Zoom details will be sent to membership prior to the meeting.

February 11th and 12th, 2023     Community Projects Weekend

February 11th, Saturday: 9AM to 3PM, MT Toby Meeting House, 194 Long Plain Road, Leverett. Tie Baste quilt tops, make and attach binding (for finishing on Sunday). What to bring:  

  • Sewing machine to sew fabric strips into binding and attach to quilts
  • Power strip or extension cord to plug in your machine
  • Basic sewing supplies, thread, scissors, pins, etc…
  • We are looking for two volunteers to bring ironing boards and irons

If you are planning on staying for the entire day, bring your own lunch.  Bring a snack is you wish to share.

February 12: 2:30PM to 4PM, South Church of Amherst, 1066 South East Street, Amherst. Hand finish binding and attach labels. What to bring:

  • Hand sewing supplies

March 12th 2:30pm at South Church of Amherst, 1066 South East Street, Amherst. “One-month-to-go” preparations and tune up for the Quilt Show.

April 22nd and 23rd, Saturday & Sunday, Hands All Around Quilt Show, Robert Crown Gymnasium, Hampshire College, Amherst. 10am-4pm each day.

May 7th 2:30pm at South Church of Amherst, 1066 South East Street, Amherst. “Designing Fabric: A Quick Look from Conception to Finished Product.” Join HAVQG members Mary Jane Carey and Timna Tarr as they each share their fabric designing process: How do they design fabric? How do they get from concept to finished yardage? You’ll learn that each designer works in her own fashion and that each got into the business in different ways. Mary Jane works for Henry Glass and Timna works for Studio e, both companies under the Jaftex brand.

June 11th 2:30pm at South Church of Amherst, 1066 South East Street, Amherst. End of the Year meeting, with refreshments, election of new officers, in-house raffle quilt drawing, Show and Tell.