Bloomington Quilters Guild
at a glance: April 2026
OUR Next MEETING is Tuesday, April 7, 2026.
Time: 5:30 PM Organizational Meeting for new bees
6:00 PM Social Hour
6:30 pm Meeting start
PROGRAM by Krista Moser “Diamonds are a Quilter’s Best Friend”
Location: Congregation beth shalom
3750 E. 3rd Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47401
April 2026 Meeting
The Quilting Life by Krista Moser
Via Zoom, Krista Moser will demonstrate why “Diamonds are a Quilter’s Best Friend.” Krista will astound you with what can be done with this basic shape, imaginative construction & colorful combinations. Krista is a quilting & fiber enthusiast and the designer of the 60 degree rulers for Creative Grids. She has published dozens of patterns & produced numerous videos, as well as teaching & lecturing nationally. You can learn a lot by watching her engaging & helpful videos and by reading her blog posts - Quilting | Krista Moser: The Quilted Life | United States
Interested in starting a new bee?
Many guild members would like to participate in a bee, but the established bees are filled to capacity (i.e. space in member’s homes or meeting locations). What’s a quilting bee? AI describes it as a communal sewing gathering where folks come together to work on projects while socializing, sharing skills, and supporting one another, a tradition that has existed in North America since the 18th century. Please consider starting a bee! It can have a specific purpose or charity, target a certain neighborhood, or just build relationships. To get started, attend the organizational meeting led by Becky Green at 5:30, prior to our April 7th meeting. You can also partner with a friend, plan a first gathering, then announce it at a guild meeting, and reach out to Karen or Kris news@bloomingtonquiltersguild.org to have the announcement put in the At A Glance.
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.
MAY 2026 Meeting
Claudia Lash joins us on Tues. May 5 for a trunk show of her diverse quilting esthetic. 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 now open! At the bottom of the workshop page just click on the green button that says “register.”
If you register before the workshop, you can get the included Cute Cube pattern from Annie Kelly at the April or May Guild meeting.
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 April 30th. Voting will take place online the first week of 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.
New Board for 2026-27-Progress Made & Positions needed
Several key positions are filled!
President – Cathy McFarland
Treasurer - Donna Reynolds
Web/Communications - Kris Stewart
Programs - Annie Kelly
Membership – Brenda Reed
Raffle Quilt – Sandy Bonsib
Looking for a few great women to fill these positions:
Vice President – Assists president in a variety of ways.
Secretary – Records minutes of monthly board meetings.
Co-Programs – Assistant to program chair; speakers are already booked through December.
Community Quilts
During the month of March, 60 more quilts have been donated. This brings the total number of quilts donated to various organizations from July 2025 through March 2026 to 360. Our Guild’s generosity was on display at the Wonderlab Museum during the month of March and in conjunction with the Indiana Heritage Quilt Show. Visitors to Wonderlab were treated to a beautiful array of our quilts which will be donated during the month of April. If you are interested in contributing a community quilt there are resources here. Community Quilts Sizes — Bloomington Quilters Guild
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 Date to sharpen your scissors!
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 at our June meeting for on-site scissor/knife/small garden tool sharpening. Members can drop off items before the meeting starting a 6:00PM with pick-up and pay after the meeting. Quick, precise sharpening and so convenient! They will bring a small selection of new scissors to sell at a 10% discount.
Fall 2026 Retreat Save the Date
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. 10:30
Quilt Raffle Sat. 1:30
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