Bloomington Quilters Guild
at a glance: June 2026
OUR Next MEETING is Tuesday, June 2, 2026.
Time: 6:00 PM Social Hour
6:30 pm Meeting start
PROGRAM: Scissor and Knife sharpening available starting at 6PM,Quilt Raffle Drawing, Elections, Mother Nature in Pieces Guild Challenge, Volunteer of the YEar
Location: Congregation beth shalom
3750 E. 3rd Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47401
JUNE meeting
Sharpening via mobile sharpening van in the Beth Shalom parking lot at 6pm. Come early!
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 Mother Nature in Pieces Guild quilt challenge in a “brown bag” so it is anonymous. We will vote on the entries at the meeting.
We will have the Raffle Quilt drawing. Bring any unused tickets and we will plan to have sales open at the membership table before the meeting.
We will also honor our volunteer of the year with a tiara and gift card.
Come join us for the fun!
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.
Board member Nominations
President – Cathy McFarland
Vice President - Terry Pate
Secretary - Susie May
Treasurer - Donna Reynolds
Web/Communications - Kris Stewart
Programs - Annie Kelly and Nina Ottinger
Membership – Brenda Reed
Raffle Quilt – Sandy Bonsib
A giant thanks to those who have agreed to serve on the board. We will have a formal vote at our June meeting.
SEW Day News!
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 - 3:00 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!
July Meeting
To celebrate summer and the nation’s 250th anniversary, we will have an inside potluck picnic .Bring a dish to share, serving utensils, and your own plate, cup and silverware. Napkins and beverages will be provided. Please be respectful of the food restrictions of Beth Shalom by not bringing meat, shellfish or dishes made with lard.
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 June meeting. 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.
August Meeting
Our August meeting, aka “Summer Camp” wouldn't be complete without socializing and arts & crafts so we'll make hexagon baskets with Lead Camp Counselor Dee Mortensen. We will be using English paper piecing to make a small trinket bowl. You will need a hand sewing kit with a stout needle, waste thread, good thread to match your fabric, a few wonder clips, and 12 4.5 inch squares of fabric. We will provide the paper pentagons and complete instructions. You can get a jump on the project by accessing a free pattern at paper pieces.com. Search “pentagon bowl” when you get to the site.
We Have a New Bee!
The “NewBees” will meet the 3rd Friday of each month and there is plenty of room for new members! They meet 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.
BQG Swag
Order your BQG Apparel by Sept. 1! Be watching for detailed information to order your BQG T-shirt and zip-up hoodie. All orders must be paid in advance.
Community QUilts
During the month of May, 14 more quilts have been donated throughout the community. This brings the total number of quilts donated to various organizations from July 2025 through June 2026 to 442. If you are interested in contributing a community quilt there are resources here. Community Quilts Sizes — Bloomington Quilters Guild
save the dates for these upcoming retreats
NEWS FLASH! There will be a 2-day Sleep in Your Own Bed Retreat at Meadowood on July 25-26 (Sat-Sun) from 9am to 8:pm daily $15 one day; $25 for both. The guild provides a cutting table, mat, and two ironing boards. Sewing is in the Terrance Room, with two people per table. The Founders Room has a refrigerator, microwave, and a table for snacks, bring your favorite to share. Lunch will be provided or you can bring your own. LRC (better known as Strip Poker) will be played, for each game you need three 2 ½ inch WOF strips. One round will be played each day. The retreat is limited to 20 guild members and signup will begin at the June 2 meeting. For more information contact Jo Ann Sporleder 317-332-5935 or jspor6@gmail.com THIS RETREAT IS SOLD OUT
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
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
ART-CYCLED SHOWCASE AND TEA, Wednesday, July 15, 2:00-3:30, St. Mark's Church
The women's group at St. Mark's United Methodist Church invites community members to its 3rd annual Art-(re)Cycled Showcase and Tea. It will feature several local fiber artisans (including BQG members) who will explain their craft, materials, and creative inspiration. The event is free but serves as a fundraiser for Pathways (formerly Monroe County United Ministries/MCUM). No RSVP necessary, just plan to attend! Questions: Contact Legene White, legene.white55@outlook.com.
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