One of the Best Jokes on the Board!

As you know the Board of Directors for our amazing Canadian quilt organization is made up of some pretty awesome people.   This includes all past Board members as well. What you may not know is Board members have an incredible sense of humour!

Today we found out just how funny some of the recently retired Board members are! We have been in meetings for the past two days in Toronto, ON before we go and work our CQA/ACC booth at the Creativ Festival.

Three of the five board members are new and today felt that they couldn't take it any longer and started presenting the rest of the Board with these beautiful handmade gifts! Linda, the President, and myself, Past President, the only 2 members that have been on the Board prior, were completely caught off guard, until we found out the story!

When we asked why this was done, they explained that they were told by the outgoing Secretary that it was customary to give a lovely handmade gift to the Board members at the meetings! Well we just burst out laughing!

These poor 3 new members had been stressing since they signed on what to make, and chatting about it the past few months via email, finding out our favourite colours, what we liked etc, and then stressing since we arrived when we were to do the big exchange of gifts!

Needless to say, Linda and I had nothing to donate back but look at what we scored!   A handmade necklace with fancy crystal beads and felted and embroidered handmade wrist cuff!   (missing is cathedral pin cushions)

On the upside, we are going to look like a million bucks wearing our new jewellery!

Jackie

Membership Director - Laine Canivet

It is always fun to write about members of the Board, because it is a chance to show you just how much fun and friendship is available on the Board.  Don't get me wrong, we do alot of work, mostly through the hundred or so emails that fill up our inboxes daily, but all of that is worth it at the end of the day.

One such board member who has not been highlighted here  makes us laugh till we cry, keeps us in shape during board meetings and brings fabulous snacks.

It is none other than our current Membership Director Laine Canivet. If you run into her at a conference, she is the one promoting CQA/ACC in her gentle manner, encouraging quilters to enter the NJS and completely interested in whomever she is chatting with.

Under The Leaves

What always comes to our minds when we think of Laine is her exceptional attention to detail. Prior to moving into the Membership role, she was our Secretary. Her minutes were incredible, her notes on topics were exact and you could always count on her to find that resolution or comment that was made.  We still rely on her when we need information not readily at our fingertips that rather requires some digging.

Danish Village

It was Laine who spearheaded and single handedly organized and launched our first ever quilt tour around Canada.  The hours she put in just prepping the quilts to be turned into greeting cards is overwhelming and shows of her dedication to our organization.

Machu Pichou

When she is not immersed in our organization, you can find her doing yoga, biking, and working in her studio.
What is wonderful is that she shares much of her knowledge with us. At the last board meeting, after sitting for a few hours, she had us all doing yoga stretches - working on whatever part of our body was sore. It was wonderful!

Tribal Colours

Laine is always willing to show us whatever latest art quilt technique she has learned with us and often brings her work with her so we can admire her results.
There have been times at conferences when she shows her hidden sense of humour. One such time, in Penticton, she had a board member laughing until midnight, barely able to breathe, because she was being so funny.

Laine truly is a professional, dedicated to CQA/ACC, a dear friend to the board members and a talented art quilter. The best thing about Laine is that she is always up for splitting a decadent dessert with you!

Meet Another CQA/ACC Board Member

                   “Whatever you do, do with your might.
                 Things done in halves are never done right!”







This rhyming couplet describes Marilyn Michelin’s philosophy of life. Whatever the task, she is able to focus and pour all her energy into it until completed. Sometimes the task was raising a son as a single mom and earning a university degree while teaching full time.  Sometimes the task was organizing food for a school BBQ for 500 people. Sometimes the task was a 3 year project to host Quilt Canada at Brock University.

You’ve guessed it. Marilyn is a detailed organizer. 

My Jinny Beyer Quilt - Around the World

Her quilting room is organized with bins of fabric according to colour or season. Her threads, rulers, templates, batting all have their place. She generously shares these resources with others who are learning to quilt or are in need of material. Her completed quilts are stashed high in a closet or out on display for all to enjoy.
 

Loyalty is an attribute that Marilyn possesses as well. Her loyalty is evident in the care of her family or organizations for which she has volunteered to serve using her computer and organizing skills.
 

She loves living by policies and bylaws which keep an organization running smoothly. This organization could be the flying club, the teachers’ union or the local quilting guild. Yes, Marilyn had a pilot’s licence, is a retired teacher and a past president of Niagara Heritage Quilters’ Guild.

 

  As a quilter, this is
    M - many quilts          
    A - affirming others    
    R - resources             

     I - independent          

     L - loyalty                   
    Y - yards and yards   
    N - neat stacks.          

 

Some of my quilts

 

A new challenge energizes Marilyn. Her newest challenge is serving on the board of directors for CQA/ACC as Director at Large. Her many talents and years of experience will be an asset to the board where she will give generously of her time and resources.

Evelyn Lawrence
Friend of Marilyn

Rug Class with Al Cote, displayed in my garden

My First Landscape

Meet Our New Vice President - Linda Schmidt

Spunk. That is the word that comes to mind when I think of our newest Vice President of CQA/ACC. 
The girl just has spunk. The dictionary defines it as courage, spirit and determination. Linda Schmidt has it all. Plus a smile that lights up a room.

We discovered this talented woman when we were in Penticton at Quilt BC 2013. She was the National Juried Show Coordinator... and so much more, as we soon discovered. She was organized to the last detail, efficient like none other and she is unflappable. We can't get that smile and calm demeanour off of her!  And we have tried. She just grins, takes the crisis and solves it. And we all just sigh and think 'thank goodness she represents Canadian quilters.'

'The Tree' done in 2008 for a challenge.

Who is Linda Schmidt, other than the woman who has these amazing qualities? She is super talented with her long arm machine and loves getting her quilts under the machine to do her magic.

Double Wedding Ring variation from McCall’s Quilting May 2011 issue.

Linda has recently fallen in love with modern quilts.  Her favourite thing about making quilts is doing the quilting on her long arm or less frequently on her domestic machine.

Being part of the  Quilt Canada 2013 Local Organizing Committee was such a rewarding experience that she thought working with the amazing board members would be even more fulfilling.  She tells us that she likes to organize and coordinate events so thought she would have something to contribute. 

Inspired by Louisa L. Smith’s book A New Twist on Strips ‘n Curves- titled ‘All Roads are Connected’, done in 2008.

I can tell you she has been with us for only a month and is definitely an asset to the Board. In due time will do a fantastic job at the helm of this wonderful organization of quilters! 

What completely sold us on Linda is when she said her favourite food was cinnamon buns! How can you not adore a quilter who loves cinnamon buns?

Please join me in welcoming Linda to the CQA/ACC Board of Directors.

Jackie

Judy Kelly- Our President

As you all know, CQA/ACC is run by a whole gang of wonderful volunteers, from Sylvie, our French translator to Jo our youth ambassador, to our fun gang of regional representatives, to Jill our Artist in Residence and to you, our members who support and encourage quilting in Canada.

Among all these fantastic quilters there is a fabulous lady who simply adores quilters and wants to do all she can to promote quilting in our country.   This gal is none other than Judy Kelly, President of CQA/ACC.

If you know Judy, then you are blessed.   To hang with her and share in her hilarious sense of humour, or talk to her in her calm easygoing manner, or watch her at a vendor's market is pure pleasure.   That is our Judy.

If you don't know her then you simply have to meet her, whether it be at Quilt Canada or virtually by email.   She is someone that impacts your life, in all the right ways.

A WIP- Judy wants to be able to quilt faces better.

It seemed a good time for you to get to know her a bit better as she has took over the helm of our organization about two months ago.   The best way to do that is to delve into her quilting life.

What type of quilter are you?
I am an art quilter wannabe! I have done lots of traditional quilts, but I am easily bored with repetitive things. Art has always interested me, in one form or another. I recently joined SAQA, thinking it would put me in touch with art quilters in my area. Apparently I have the distinction of being the first Newfoundlander to ever join. So I will have to source out information online. Modern trends are starting to pique my interest, also.

'Girlfriends'  Judy is the one in the middle.

 Do you hand or machine quilt?
I do both. I use the machine for anything that it can do. With the resurgence of handstitching, sometimes I tend to use this technique to embellish pieces.I would have to say free motion is my favorite method. I like the  freedom and the fact that there are no rules! It’s like I can play all day with my sewing machine, using the needle as a pencil and the fabric as a sketchpad.

3D quilt for her granddaughter Amy

Lastly, what is your favourite food?
Cod is my favorite food. Cod Loins,  Cod Tongues, Cod Sounds, Cod Cheeks ,  Cod Heads, Cod Britches, Cod Cakes, Salt Cod,… anything Cod!!! I didn’t   eat it  until I  was 50 years old,  just because my mother told me I had to. Now I eat  it, in some form or another, everyday, to make up for lost time.

Judy loves dyeing her own fabric.

She has even tried ice dyeing.

Pictured below is Judy teaching her beautiful granddaughter Amy how to quilt.   Good job promoting youth quilting Judy!

Here is a little secret about Judy that only her guild knows about.  She brings a little basket to every guild meeting and sets it at a table by the door.  Do you know what members put in that basket?

Selvedges, hundreds and hundreds of selvedges Judy has collected over the years.   Here are two of her projects that she has made with the selvedges.

Please say hi to Judy at president@canadianquilter.com!   She loves getting to know the members, and be sure to ask her what she is going to do with all those selvedges!



Jackie W.