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Normally I would be reporting on a full slate of officers nominated for next year’s Board; however this year the Nominating Committee has been unable to find someone to take on the position of President.  The Committee spoke to nearly 50 members looking for volunteers to fill four open, elected Board positions – President, Quilt Show Chair, Membership, and Education.  We were successful in finding someone for only three of those four offices.

This has caused great concern for me.  Volunteerism is an important factor in our guild’s operation.  It is what makes our annual quilt show so successful and is vital in carrying out our ongoing activities.  It is unfair to expect the same people to step forward to serve on the Board; it should be spread among as many members as possible.

I have had people say to me, “why don’t you just stay on another year?”  While flattered to be asked, it is not something I should be doing.  First of all, our By-laws have specific restrictions as to how many consecutive years a person can hold a position on the Board; this prohibits me from serving a third year as President.  Additionally, I have served on the Board the past 5 years; one as Membership, two as Quilt Show and two as President, and  I will still have another year or two to serve as Ex-Officio President.  While I did not find the jobs to overly time consuming, they did impact my life.  For the past four years in particular, I have had to juggle personal activities around Guild Board and Membership meetings, as well as other events.  I am looking forward to getting that flexibility back in my life.

To address the apprehensions that a job may be too much for a single person, we have used co-chairs for several positions – Quilt Show and Hospitality for example.  While it has not been done with the President’s position, having co-Presidents is something the Board would consider.  Since we need to have a President, at our April Board meeting we will discuss our options for filling the position, even if it is on a temporary basis.

I am once again asking all members to consider becoming President.  You can do this as an individual or you could team up with another member and create a co-Presidency.  You don’t need to have Board experience.  The Guild has detailed policies and job descriptions to guide you.  Additionally, I will be on the Board as Ex-Officio President to help and you also appoint an Assistant to the President to help with tasks.

Please seriously consider helping us in filling the slate of offices for the 2018-2019 year.
Susan Fasnacht, President@northernstarquilters.com

Annual Meeting – Election of Board Members and By-Laws Amendment

The Annual Meeting for the Northern Star Quilters’ Guild will be held at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 at Kennedy Catholic High School.  At this meeting we will be voting on Officers for 2018-2019 and an amendment to our by-laws.  The specifics of the proposed by-laws’ amendment were sent to all members via the US Postal Service, as well as by email.  The proposed slate of officers follows.

The Nominating Committee is pleased to announce the Slate of Officers for 2018-2019. The nominees will be introduced at the April Guild Meeting and voting will take place at the May Annual Meeting.

NSQG 2018-2019 Ballot
President – To Be Determined
VP Quilt Show – Daisy Dodge and Debby Warren (co-VPs)
VP Membership – Rosemary DePaola
VP Education – Linda Finegan

Returning for a 2nd year in their current positions:
Treasurer – Annette Nash-Govan
Secretary – Anne Chehebar
VP Communications – Julie Long
VP Programs – Helen May

Thank you to the nominating committee, Dee Ploufee, Julie Long, Anne Chehebar and Susan Fasnacht, for their work on putting together the slate of candidates.  I also thank the candidates for agreeing to share their talents with the Guild.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s Super Saturday so successful. Pooa Bloomberg did a great job organizing the day.  I also want to thank the members who taught the classes – everyone I have spoken to enjoyed their class.  A final thanks to our Hospitality Chairs, Micky Green and Christine Langan for arranging for the food that day. It seems like we have found a home for Super Saturday at the Yorktown Presbyterian Church.  If you participated in a class, bring your work to March for our Show and Tell that meeting.

Once again we had another fun evening at our February meeting with the Ugly Fabric Auction.  A special thanks to our auctioneers, Sandy Bright and Carolyn Lewis, for doing such a good job.  Our sales exceeded last year’s auction!

We also saw all the wonderful Challenge Quilts at the February meeting.  It is always interesting to see how people interpreted the theme.  Thank you to Carla Wdowski for organizing the Challenge and to everyone who submitted a quilt.

Don’t forget to register your quilt for the World of Quilts XXXVIII.  Registration will be open until the end of the month.

Susan Fasnacht, President

There are a number of things happening this month, so make sure you read through all of the articles in this month’s newsletter for the details.  You can still sign up for a Super Saturday class, it’s a fun day and a great bargain.  There is also room on the Lancaster trip, lots of quilts to see and shopping to do.  We have exciting speakers and workshops coming in March and April – sign up for a workshop.  Don’t forget quilt registration is open.  Register your quilt early.

Our February meeting will also be busy.  This year’s Challenge quilts – Quilts Inspired by Doors – will be on display.  Come and vote for your favorite quilt.  Also, back by popular demand we will be holding the Ugly Fabric Auction.  If you missed last year’s event, make sure you come this year, it was lots of fun.  Don’t forget to bring your dollars!

Finally, I just returned from the Bahamas, and I was excited to see as we drove into town that the local guild, Stepping Stone Quilt Guild, was holding their quilt show.  Naturally, I had to add it to my things to do.  It was fun to see what people do in other parts of the world.  Their quilts were very nice and often reflected a Caribbean theme.  I was particularly amused by their guild challenge, quilting a cover for a 5 gallon water jug.
Susan Fasnacht, President@northernstarquilters.com 

Happy New Year to all!  This weather sure is conducive to cuddling up under a nice warm quilt or staying inside to sew.  Quilt registration for a World of Quilts XXXIX opens in just a few weeks and I hope you have been busy working on your entries.  Don’t forget, your quilt does not have to be finished to register it – it only needs to be done by quilt drop off on April 28.  Also you don’t have to register all of your quilts at one time.  So, please if you have a quilt that is ready to be register, do it sooner than later.  It would be a big help to the Registrar to get the entries in early.  She only has about a week after registration closes to get the final list together so she can mail out quilt numbers.  By registering early she can check your entry immediately and avoid having to process so many quilts at the end.

We will be starting the nominating process for the 2018-2019 Board.  Click  here to find the list of positions with brief descriptions. Being on the Board is quite rewarding.  It is a good way to give back to the Guild, meet members, and see what the Guild does.  I encourage you to consider serving.

If you are interested in serving on the Board or would like more information about any position, let me know.

Susan Fasnacht, President
president@northernstarquilters.com