Bloomington Quilters Guild
at a glance: MAY 2026
OUR Next MEETING is Tuesday, May 5, 2026.
Time: 6:00 PM Social Hour
6:30 pm Meeting start
PROGRAM by Claudia Lash: Trunk show Of her Diverse Quilting repertoire
Location: Congregation beth shalom
3750 E. 3rd Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47401
mAY 2026 Meeting
Claudia Lash joins us on Tues. May 5 for a trunk show of her diverse quilting repertoire. From traditional to contemporary, applique to paper piecing, like many of us, she enjoyed them all. Her website is Presto Avenue Designs – Magical Patterns for Today's Quilters
The following day she will conduct a workshop on 3-Dimensional Piecing. Using her Cute Cubes pattern (included in the workshop fee) she'll teach us how to make these floating cubes while providing possibilities for future exploration.
CUTE CUBES WORKSHOP
Presented by: Claudia Lash, Presto Avenue Designs
When: Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 9am - 4pm
(Brown bag lunch or buy local)
Where: Bloomington Convention Center, Zebendon -Hansen Rooms
Cost: $40.00 - Cute Cubes pattern included
Maximum: 20 participants
Click on this link for more information. Workshop May 6, 2026 - Claudia Lash — Bloomington Quilters Guild
REGISTRATION IS STILL AVAILABLE!
Several guild members have taken this workshop, and it comes highly recommended by them. Don't miss the opportunity to attend! At the bottom of the linked workshop page just click on the green button that says “register.” Don't let PayPal deter you from attending the Cute Cubes Workshop. Just send an email to events@bloomingtonquiltersguild.org to let us know you would like to register. You can pay by check the day of the workshop.
If you register before the workshop, you can get the included Cute Cube pattern from Diana Love at the May guild meeting.
Bring canned food items for Hoosier Hills Food Bank!
Thanks to everyone who contributed non-perishable items to the Hoosier Hills Food Bank! We will continue to collect food at every meeting, so, if you forget, you can always bring something next month - food insecurity never goes away. Keep a couple cans in your car after shopping. Anyone interesting in helping please contact Annie Kelly Amnkelly602@gmail.com.This is just one more way our Guild can support our community, especially those in the greatest need.
Nominations for Volunteer of the year
We’re seeking nominations for the 2025-26 Bloomington Quilters Guild Volunteer of the Year! Who would you like to recognize for “service beyond the call of duty?” The Volunteer of the Year highlights a Guild member who has had a positive impact on furthering the mission of the Guild, raised public awareness of the Guild, and promoted the needs of the members. Send your nomination along with a description of the person’s valuable contributions to vice-pres@bloomingtonquiltersguild.org by May 5th. Voting will take place online in early May. The winner will be announced and celebrated at the June meeting and receive a $50 gift certificate.
Our past recipients are Ginny Kopper, Karen Levay, Jane Pitt, Tara Babcock, and Susie Goodman.
BQG Challenge QUilt
If you haven’t already started, put your creativity to use & sew your entry for our annual BQG quilt challenge. The theme, “Mother Nature in Pieces,” is open to lots of interpretation, color combinations & design possibilities. Take a hike & get inspired! We’ll share our efforts at the June 3rd meeting and award gift card prizes of $50, $30, and $20.
Board member Nominations
Several key positions are filled!
President – Cathy McFarland
Vice President - Terry Pate
Treasurer - Donna Reynolds
Web/Communications - Kris Stewart
Programs - Annie Kelly and Nina Ottinger
Membership – Brenda Reed
Raffle Quilt – Sandy Bonsib
Looking for a great woman to fill this position:
Secretary – Records minutes of monthly board meetings.
Community Quilts
During the month of April, 60 more quilts have been donated throughout the community. This brings the total number of quilts donated to various organizations from July 2025 through April 2026 to 428. If you are interested in contributing a community quilt there are resources here. Community Quilts Sizes — Bloomington Quilters Guild
SEW Day News!
Our May Sew Day will be Saturday, May 16 (instead of the normal 2nd Saturday), 9:00 am-4:00 pm, St. Mark's United Methodist Church. Bring a project or just come to chat. Bring a bag lunch (no nuts or red drinks) or plan to go out.
NEW WEEKDAY SEW DAYS will be regularly held on the Second Tuesday of even-numbered months! This will begin on Tuesday, June 9, 9:00 am-4:00 pm, at St. Mark's United Methodist Church. Other dates will be August 11, October 13, and December 8. If the usual Sew Days on Saturdays don't suit your schedule, we hope you'll try out Tuesdays!
JUNE meeting
Sharpening via mobile sharpening van in the Beth Shalom parking lot at 6pm. Come early!
Proper care and sharpening can extend the life of your scissors as well as enhancing the experience of their use for projects.
B-Town Sharp Shop will be on-site for our June Meeting. They can sharpen almost anything… pinking shears, any size right or left-handed scissors, straight & serrated knives, as well as garden implements & shovels. They are fast, efficient & reasonable!
Show up a bit early for the June 2nd meeting. Kyle will have the mobile sharpening van ready to go at 6pm in the Beth Shalom parking lot. Your item(s) will be tagged & sharpened during the meeting. You can pick up & pay during a break or after the meeting.
Couldn't be easier & your sewing happier! They will also bring a small selection of new scissors to sell at a 10% discount.
Bring your entry for the Nature in Pieces Guild quilt challenge and we will vote on the entries at the meeting. We will also have the Raffle Quilt drawing and honor the Volunteer of the Year.
Be A Star by Sewing-A-Star!
To celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary, we are encouraging everyone to sew a 12", 2 fat quarter, no point matching star block. Click here for a free No Match Star pattern. Fast No Match Stars - FREE - Pattern
Paper copies of the pattern will also be available at the May & June meetings. We will collect the blocks at the July 7th guild meeting & potluck. Make your block either red/white/blue or spring/summer colors. Red and deep blue fabrics have a tendency to bleed so be sure to wash the fabrics before you start sewing.
Make as many as you like! Anyone can volunteer to sew the quilt top(s) together. They will find a home in Bloomington with love from the BQG.
We Have a New Bee!
The “NewBees” will meet the 3rd Friday of each month, from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm at Meadowood in the Health Pavilion Lounge. This is a large room with tables and chairs, electrical access for plugging in sewing machines, and good lighting. You do not need to be a member of the Bloomington Quilters Guild to join us. Aspiring quilters as well as experienced quilters are welcome. You can bring your lunch or buy your lunch from the Meadowood Dining Room. Lunch costs $11 (cash or checks only) and you can bring it back to our quilting room. Drop in when you can, leave when you have to. Come to see what we’re up to! Contact Marty Swank, 812-287-7597 or martyswank@yahoo.com with questions.
City of Bloomington 50+ EXPO
The 50+ Expo by the City of Bloomington will be on Wednesday, May 6, 3-6 pm at Switchyard Park. (Raindate is Thursday, May 7.)
We will have a booth outside where we will sell quilt raffle tickets, display quilts, and promote the guild. For more information contact Cathy McFarland (cbmcfarland@comcast.net) or Cathy O’Bryan (cathyannobryan@gmail.com) Sandy Bonsib is in need of more raffle tickets for the expo. If you have any that you don’t intend to sell, please give them to Sandy at the next meeting.
50+ Expo | City of Bloomington, Indiana
save the dates for these upcoming retreats
NEWS FLASH! A two-day Sleep-at-Home Retreat in Bloomington is being planned for Summer 2026. Be watching for details!
The Guild’s Fall Retreat will be at Waycross from October 8-11, 2026 (Thursday through Sunday). More information will be available this summer.
Quilt EVENTS
REDBUD QUILT SHOW
2026 at the Anderson Museum of Art, 32 W. 10th Street, Anderson, IN
May 15: 10am-5pm May 16: 10am-2pm
Admission $5 at the door
Quilt display and Bazaar
Feature quilter is Brenda Wilson on Friday at 2 pm
QOV presentation Sat. 10:30am
Quilt Raffle Sat. 1:30pm
THE SEWCIAL COOPERATIVE
Informal gathering of makers, sewists, artists and crafters. This is a bring your own project style club where you can work together, share resources and help each other learn new skills.
What to bring: Your machine, tools and enthusiasm
When: 6-8pm every 2nd Tuesday and 4th Thursday of the month (starts March 26)
Where: Brown County Community YMCA (105 Willow Street, Nashville, IN)
Who: all skill levels welcome! Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a guardian. There is no fee to join.
Any Questions? Contact KJ Rondomanski at 812-320-6831 or crafter@sewcialcoop.com
Here is a link to their website which is a work in progress Home
HELP us keep up to date! We try to include notices of quilt shows and exhibits on the BQG website. If you know of an event, please send mail to news@bloomingtonquiltersguild.org so that either Karen or Kris can update the page. https://www.bloomingtonquiltersguild.org/upcoming-quilt-events