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!