Monday, December 5, 2011

Merry Christmas ...

The December meeting / Christmas party will be at a member's house this Saturday, the 10th of December. If members need directions, please contact the president of the guild. Come around 11:00 a.m. Chicken salad croissants will be served and everyone should bring a favorite dish to share. Amy is providing tea as our beverage. This meeting will include a handmade ornament exchange if you wish to participate.

Election of officers will take place also. The following members were contacted by the Nominating Committee and have agreed to be nominated for these offices:

President, Colleen Schmidt
Vice President, ?
Secretary, Shirley Casebolt
Treasurer, Sheila Parker
Corresponding Secretary, Lois Moore

In addition to Vice President, we still need someone to do the newsletter but this is not an elected office.
If you're interested in taking over these duties please contact the guild president. Nominations will of course be accepted from the floor.

Merry Christmas!

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Notes from the August meeting ...

The Hoosier Hills Rug Hooking Guild held its regular meeting Saturday, August 13 at the library in Washington, Indiana.  There were 16 members and one guest present.

A draft of the proposed bylaws was presented and after discussion a motion was made and seconded to accept the bylaws as adjusted.  This document will assist us in obtaining the proper paperwork so we can have our rug raffle each year at the fiber fair.

The 2012 raffle rug is currently being hooked by members and is handed off to a new person at each meeting.  It was suggested we begin thinking of ideas for the 2013 raffle rug right now because time flies!

Just a reminder ... our October meeting will not be held at the library but will be at a member's house so that we can have a private basket class.  Plans were finalized for this special meeting.

There was discussion about who we might get to come and teach a class to the guild.  Several teachers were mentioned and more suggestions are welcome; please contact the president if you have anyone in mind.  Everyone enjoyed our retreat at Ferdinand last year and something like that again will be welcomed.

Reminder: Dues for 2012 will be due January 1, 2012.  It was decided that members would be sent a reminder to that effect in both September and October.

A nominating committee of three members was named to present a slate of officers for the Guild for 2012.  They will meet and report back to the membership in November.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Notes from July Meeting ...

The Guild met at the public library in Washington, Indiana July 9. There were 17 members present. Below are details from the business meeting ...

Discussion of the fiber fair included Shirley's report that she will send thank-you's to those who took a class and vendors for attending this year's Fair. The raffle rug for 2012 is being hooked by Guild members at present, two members have worked on it so far, and it will be passed off to another member at the August meeting. Guild President Colleen reported that she has applied for a license for a raffle so the Guild will be in compliance with the gaming laws of the state of Indiana when we hold our rug raffle next year; details and updates on this procedure will be reported at future meetings. The Guild received a nice thank you letter from Laura Lathrop, the winner of the door prize (basket and a hooked mat).

It was suggested that there be a nominating committee this fall to present the slate of officers for 2012. The election will be at the November meeting with new officers taking their places in January. Also, it was suggested that we make a calendar of coming events for the entire year so members are more aware and can plan for same.

It was announced that the Woolkeepers Hook-in at Camby will be September 10; vendors and classes will be available. More information is available online. Due to this popular event, it was decided to cancel the regular September Guild meeting.

Shirley Casebolt will teach an "apple basket" basket making class to Guild members at the October 8 Guild meeting. Location is President Colleen's home. Lunch will be pot luck. Class will last approximately 6-7 hours. Members can still sign up at the August meeting. A supply list will be included in a future newsletter.

The Guild membership voted not to demonstrate at the Elnora tractor show this year.

Linda Hines of the Evansville Courier Press, who writes about the arts, met with President Colleen recently and will be writing an article about the Guild for that newspaper in the near future.

Reminder about future meetings and locations:
August - Washington Public Library
September - meeting cancelled
October - Colleen's house (basket making class)
November - Washington Public Library
December - Christmas party, location to be announced

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Notes from June Meeting ...

The Hoosier Hills Rug Hooking Guild met at the Carnegie Public Library in Washington, Indiana, Saturday, June 11. Twelve members were present.

Of course the first topic of discussion during the business meeting was the Wool Fiber Arts Fair which was just held in May. The food vending, which the guild handled for the first time themselves, was a great addition to the Fair and Julia B. was especially honored for the job she did organizing it and working there, too, along with her sister. This was done on short notice, so great job Julia!

The vendor discussion dealt mainly with the four no-shows. Three of the four called with reasons for not coming, but one vendor did not even notify the vendor coordinator.

In the welcome & registration table area, Chrystal stated that most people signed in upon arrival and that 164 people signed up this year as opposed to 135 in 2010. This does not include guild members and most vendors. The door prize of a Curry handmade oak basket with a hooked mat by Judy Foster was won by Laura Lathrop.


In the classroom, everyone liked the way the building was set up and appreciated the classes being by windows where there was lots of good light. Eleven people were in the beginning rug hooking class which was taught by Guild members. In the afternoon needle punch class, taught by Stitches from the Heart, there were eight registrants. The SFTH vendors stated that they want to come back next year and that they have had follow-up customers in their shop since the Fair.

Our Guild market place booth was in a good location and members were well satisfied with the sales. They also thought the way the rugs were displayed this year was great.

On the negative side, advertising this year was a little slack and there was discussion on ways to improve this important area next year. It was definitely decided to advertise in the Country Register (which we have done in the past) and to put the bookmark ads out beginning the first of April. Other means of advertising discussed included Indiana Welcome Centers and on a local Christian radio station. The post card ads sent to registrants who give their address is working well, and of course word of mouth is important.

The raffle rug was won by a Guild member, Betty M., and we did well financially on the ticket sales. This is an important area because it generates almost all of our money to cover the expenses of the Fair!

In new business, the raffle rug for 2012 Wool Fiber Arts Fair has been started and it is called George's Cabin. It is a log cabin design with red "fire lights" in each square. All members are encouraged to work a little on this rug. The color families to be used will be browns, blues and greens, with a light side and a dark side to each square.

The Guild will have a basket making class sometime in the future and this will be discussed again at the July meeting. Shirley Casebolt will be the teacher.

After the business meeting was adjourned, a social time was enjoyed by everyone present.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Fiber Fair over ... looking forward to next year!

The Hoosier Hills Rug Hooking Guild's 8th annual wool fiber arts fair is over for this year. We are already looking forward with anticipation to next year's event. We hope that everyone who attended had a good day. We were blessed with a wonderful spring day and a nice crowd of enthusiastic fiber-holics!

The Guild members who attend enjoy the event just as much as our visitors. Each year we look forward to making this event a fun day for visitors, displaying the rugs we have made during the past year, selling some of our fiber-related items in our marketplace booth, and just generally having a fun (but exhausting) day!

Thank you to all of our visitors, vendors and members who work together so diligently making the wool fiber arts fair a success.

If you attended please send us some feedback. We'd like to know how we can make next year's event even better than the last. You may email us with feedback at hoosierhillsguild@gmail.com

Monday, May 16, 2011

WOOL FIBER ARTS FAIR THIS SATURDAY!

Just a reminder that the 8th annual Wool Fiber Arts Fair is this Saturday, May 21, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (local time) at the Conservation Club, 350 West County Road 150 South, Washington, Indiana. Watch for our signs with balloons to point the way once you arrive in Washington!

Admission is free and there will be a door prize if you register at check-in. We have some wonderful vendors coming, selling their products and demonstrating several different fiber arts.

There is still time to register for the two classes -- needle punch and beginning rug hooking -- but class sizes are limited.

Please check the side bar for specific information about vendors, classes, contact information, etc.

Everyone in the Guild is excited about this year's fiber fair and look forward to seeing you this week!

Monday, April 25, 2011

Notes from April Guild Meeting ...

The Guild met April 9, 2011 at the New Hope Church in Washington.  Fifteen members and one guest were present.

Wool Fiber Arts Fair business discussed included:
  • A report was given by the committee working on display units for the members hooked rugs.
  • The Conservation Club’s sign will be used for advertisement purposes in advance of the fair.  The sign will read, "Wood Fiber Arts Fair, May 21, 2011, 9AM to 4PM, Free Admission, a guild member’s phone number, Sponsored by Hoosier Hills Rug Hooking Guild. Vendors. Demonstrations."
  • Rug display discussion centered on the need for members to give Nan T. the following information on the rugs they wish to display: rug hooked by, rug designed by, name of rug, and year completed.  Nan needs the information in April or early May so she can prepare the labels for the display.  You may email her the information, call her, or give her the information at the next meeting (or give it to someone who will be coming to the meeting).
  • Members were encouraged to come to the Conservation Club Friday, May 20, between 7:00-8:00 a.m. (the day before the fair) to help set up the building.  The vendors are able to start setting up at noon.
  • They were also encourage to be available at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 21, day of the Fair, to help assist wherever needed.
  • In regard to the beginning rug hooking class, several members volunteered to bring their frames for the students to use that day, and two members have volunteered to teach the class.  Two people have signed up for the class thus far.  If anyone else would like to volunteer their time to this class it would be appreciated.
  • Members were reminded to bring items to sell in the Guild marketplace booth.  Pricing labels were available at the meeting. The proceeds are the member's.
  • Members were once again encouraged to distribute the bookmark ads to appropriate businesses in their area to advertise the fair.
  • In regard to advertising in general, one member volunteered to send an email to REMC to advertise our fair and another member will contact WITZ radio in Jasper/Huntingburg.
  • Sheila brought the completed label for our raffle rug and it will be attached to the back of the rug while being bound.
  • Shirley Casebolt, vendor coordinator, announced that Claudie Pearson of the Sunflower Broom Shop will be a vendor this year.
  • Sign-up sheets for the following areas were passed around: welcome table, raffle ticket table, guild marketplace booth.
Three guild members attended the rug hooking class at New Harmony recently and shared what they hooked in the class and their thoughts on the experience.

The raffle rug for 2012 Wool Fiber Arts Fair has been designed.  It is called “George’s Cabin.”  The inner squares will be in shades of red.  Members are encouraged to collect and donate red wool for the rug.  Sheila will start hooking on the new rug after this year's Fair is over.

Upcoming events announced:
Minick & Simpson Quilting and Rug Hooking Seminar
May 6-8, 2011
Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, MI
Sauder Village 15th Annual Rug Hooking Week
Archibold, OH
August 16–20, 2011

Flock:  A Riverside Wool Retreat 
Historic New Harmony, IN
November 4-6, 2011
$235.00
Peggy Taylor & Marilyn Oehler

The next meeting of the Hoosier Hills Rug Hooking Guild will be at the Carnegie Library, 300 West Main Street, Washington, IN on May 14, 2011.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Notes from March Guild Meeting ...

The Hoosier Hills Rug Hooking Guild met March 12, 2011 at the New Hope Church in Washington, IN.  Seventeen members were present.

FIBER FAIR DISCUSSION

Member Rug Display:  A couple of members will research ways of hanging the rugs from painter’s canvas, using our existing PVC pipe frames.  One will get the canvas.  Another will use the dimensions of the frames or an actual frame so she can experiment with the canvas and the frames.  They will report back at the next meeting.

Rug Display Labels:  Labels for the rug display will once again be made by Nan Tate.  Please provide the following information about each piece you intend to display: your name, name of piece displayed, designer, cut of wool (i.e., #8 cut), backing material (monks, linen, etc.), and any personal information you think might be pertinent to your hooked piece.  Get this to her a.s.a.p.

Raffle Rug:  The raffle rug is complete except for binding and was at the meeting for all to see.  The name chosen by the Shirley Casebolt, designer of the rug, is “Spring of Hearts.”  Another guild member will bind the rug.  All members were encouraged to take home pictures of the rugs (available at the meeting) and lots of raffle tickets to sell.  Cost is once again $5 for 15 opportunities to win, or $1 for one.  This is our major fund raiser and all members are encouraged to participate.

Conservation Club Building:  The treasurer reported that the building has been secured for this year and reserved for next year as well.  Many thanks to the CC for their generosity and for working with us on the Fair!

Vendor Coordinator Report:  Shirley Casebolt, the coordinator, read the list of vendors.  She will send info on local lodging to vendors who might need to stay overnight in Washington.  A member brought the name of a broom maker she had encountered (and a sample of her product) as a possible vendor and that person will be contacted by the Vendor Coordinator.  Also Eitenne’s Farms, west of Washington, will be contact to see if they want to vend outside, selling plants.

Advertising:  Balloons will be secured by Nan Tate to use with our signs to be put out the morning of the Fair.  Once again post card reminders will be sent to past attendees; that seems to be one of our most successful forms of advertising the event.  Someone will check on using the Conservation Club’s sign that is out at the highway; last year we weren’t sure it belonged to them.  The bookmark ads were available at the meeting and members are urged to put them out in their home area at appropriate places; good places are libraries, fiber stores, antiques shops and home décor shops.  The fair ad has been sent to Rug Hooking Magazine. 

Miscellaneous:  Members are urged to bring flyers and cards of local businesses to be put on an information table; Judy Foster will get antiques dealers brochures from Worthington. 

Food Vendor:  Judy is waiting on a response from the person she had in mind as a food vendor.  We will try to get someone else if Ms. Collins is not available.  Another member has a backup food vendor in mind.

Classes:  Guild members will teach the beginning rug hooking class in the morning; the pattern to be taught was unveiled to the group.  The needle punch class will be taught by Stitches from the Heart; it is an afternoon class. 

In other business, name tags will be made for members, especially since we have several new members. These will be available at meetings leading up to the Fair and at the Fair that day.

Lynda Heines from The Evansville Courier & Press will attend the next guild meeting in April.  She is a story craftsperson and journaling instructor, and is interested in telling stories of local artisans.  Hopefully a nice story will follow her visit! 

A motion was made and seconded to move the Guild meeting place back to the Library because of lack of space at the church.  After discussion and a vote it was decided to do so.  Sheila Parker, VP, called the library immediately and though they have the room scheduled for April, the May, June and July meetings have been put on their book.  Their policy is to schedule only three months in advance.

Announcement:  The University of Southern Indiana is sponsoring a rug hooking class taught by Rita Davis, a rug maker from Poseyville.  She will present a primitive rug hooking workshop from 1:00-4:30 p.m. at the New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art in New Harmony on March 13.  Three members of the guild plan to attend and will tell us about their experience at the next meeting.

When the business meeting concluded members enjoyed a social time.  Many thanks Jan Cabel and Nan Tate for the wonderful refreshments!

The next meeting of the Guild will be April 9, 2011 at 10:30 a.m. (local time) at the New Hope Church in Washington.  Visitors are always welcome!

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Notes from February Guild Meeting ...

The Hoosier Hills Rug Hooking Guild had their regular meeting February 12, 2011 at the New Hope Church in Washington.  Thirteen members and one guest attended.  The Wool Fiber Arts Fair was the main focus of the business meeting.  Items pertaining to the Fair included:
  • The Conservation Club building has been secured for the day of the event as well as the day prior for set-up.
  • The raffle rug was at the meeting and passed to another member to work on.  Shirley Casebolt is the go-to person for the rug this year and it is progressing nicely.
  • It was decided that guild members will teach the beginning rug hooking class at the fair this year.  The guild will provide a pattern, hook and cut wool.  Members will bring extra frames to use that day and that will give the students a chance to hook with various brands of frames to see what they like best.  There will be a maximum class size of 15 people.  Five extra kits will be prepared.  The fee for the class will be approximately $35.00.  This class will be in the morning.  Sheila Parker, class coordinator, is still working on a second class for the afternoon and will give an update at the March meeting.
  • Postcards will again be sent this year to all of the people who registered at the last Fair.  Chrystal Goodpaster is in charge of this mailing.
  • The Washington Chamber of Commerce will be contacted to see if they would donate funds to assist with advertising this event.
  • All members are urged to bring their rugs to the Fair for rug display.  Information to include is: name of piece, dimensions, cut of wool, type of backing, designer, and who hooked the rug.  Nan Tate will be making the labels and needs this information as soon as you can get it to her.
  • Vendor update: Hooked on George, Green Hills Farm, Turkey Trot Workshops, Country Comforts, Esther's Pressed Flowers, Indiana Fiber Producers Association, Nicole Wilson & Judy Stone, Mid-Indiana Alpaca Ranch, Barb Elliott, Wooly Woolens, Heirloom Wool Room, Hollyhock Hills, Spiderweb Specialties, and The Rooster Run.
  • Ads will be completed and printed in March.  Sheila Parker is in charge of this.  She needs all info a.s.a.p., no later than the March meeting.
  • Sign-up charts will be available at the next meeting for members to choose where they would like to volunteer their time for set-up and Fair day.
Remember, dues ($15) are now due; Sheila Parker, Treasurer, will be glad to receive your dues.  Also, every meeting includes a White Elephant sale; bring the stuff you want to sell to the next meeting!  Keep the $$$ or donate it to the Guild treasury.

The next meeting of the Hoosier Hills Rug Hooking Guild will be Saturday, March 12, 2011, at 10:30 a.m. (local time) at the New Hope Church, 559 E 100 S, Washington, Indiana.  Visitors always welcome!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Notes from the January Guild meeting ....

Twelve members and guests attended the January 8, 2011 meeting of the Hoosier Hills Rug Hooking Guild.  The meeting was held at the New Hope Church in Washington, Indiana.  The main priority during the business meeting was discussion of the Fiber Fair coming up in May.  Items of business covered included:
  • The Guild website has been changed to a blog so that it can be more interactive and user friendly.  Judy Foster will keep it updated.  The old website will be taken down as soon as possible so that frustration and confusion can be avoided.  Updates on the Fiber Fair will be posted there.
  • A possible food vendor for the Fair was discussed and will be explored so that our guests, vendors and members can enjoy lunch on-site.
  • A member has started to design a second raffle rug pattern to keep the Guild ahead of the game, and work on this year's raffle rug is progressing nicely.  A picture of this year's raffle rug will be posted on the web blog a.s.a.p.
  • Shirley Casebolt, vendor coordinator, informed the members that already three vendor registrations have been received.  Vendor registrations forms are due February 1.
  • There was no information available at the meeting about what classes will be offered this year at the Fair.
  • The Guild president has started the process of obtaining not-for-profit status for the Guild.
  • A lengthy discussion took place regarding to display member's rugs at the Fair using the PVC units already purchased.  Several different options were suggested.  Some members will follow up on various ways of hanging a rug and report back at upcoming meetings.
  • Officers were officially re-elected for another one-year term.
Remember, member dues for 2011 ($15) are now being accepted.


The business session was adjourned and members enjoyed a social time for the remainder of the meeting.


The next meeting of the Hoosier Hills Rug Hooking Guild will be February 12, 2011 at the New Hope Church, 559 E 100 S, Washington, IN from 10:30 to 2:30 (local time).