Guild Activities


Here are some of the activities and community service projects that Brandywine Valley Quilt Guild members participate in.
Click any of these links for details...

GUILD ACTIVITIES   COMMUNITY SERVICE   SPECIAL EVENTS
2008 Raffle Quilt   Community Service   2008 New Member Tea
2008 BVQ Challenge   Charity Projects   (2007 Events have been moved to
2008 Quilt Show   Genuardi's Receipts   Archives)
Busy Bees!   Ronald McDonald House    


2008 Raffle Quilt

  2008 Raffle Quilt   The 2008 Raffle Quilt is finished! Named to tie in with our quilt show theme, “On the Way to Thailand” is a lovely batik quilt, generously sized at slightly over 100" square.

29 BVQ members worked together to piece and assemble the quilt, with husband and wife team Eric Fischer and Moria Wikstrom-Fischer again working their magic with their longarm machine.

The quilt will be on display at Quilt Odyssey in Hershey, PA, July 24 - 27, 2008, where chances will be available for purchase. Hope to see you there!

Your last chance to see the raffle quilt “up close and personal” and purchase chances will be at BVQ's quilt show in Brookhaven, PA, October 18th and 19th of this year. The winning ticket will be drawn at the end of the show on Sunday, October 19.


Visit the BVQ ARCHIVES to view raffle quilts from previous years.

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2008 BVQ Challenge

In keeping with our 2008 quilt show theme, Challenge Chairperson Barbara Gross has selected “My Own Small World” for this year's Challenge theme. Our challenge will be to interpret our favorite spot on earth in a 24" square piece, using fabrics from our own stash (or that of a friend's). Here are some ideas to spark your creativity: The Challenge entries will be displayed at the August Guild meeting when members will vote for their favorite. Prizes will be awarded for the top three vote-getters.

Visit the BVQ ARCHIVES to view the Challenge entries from 2007 and previous years.

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Charity and Community Service

Charity and Community service is an important part of BVQ for both our members and bees. We greatly appreciate our members' giving of their time, material and talents to meet the needs of others. Since we are a nonprofit organization, it is very important to capture the data on the many service projects completed during the year. The detailed results of reports submitted by single members or a group aid us in showing the value of our donation, hours of labor, name and number of participants, items made and recipients.

At the end of the year, the Guild member who has contributed the most hours of service in the name of BVQ will receive the BVQ Charity Award and have their dues paid for the following year. Lee Hickman, the 2005-2006 Charity Award recipient, was the top contributor again in 2007. Way to go, Lee! Runners-up were Nancy DeBerardinis and Barbara DeVault. BVQ thanks our members who contributed to our community service projects, and encourages all of our members to participate in these worthy efforts.

Read on for news of current Guild charity projects...

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Charity Projects

Among the projects that BVQ members are currently undertaking are:
  • “Quilt Hugs” -- crib or youth-sized quilts made by BVQ members to donate to charity
  • Pillowcases -- donated to the ConKerr Cancer project
  • Lap quilts -- donated to Fair Acres Geriatric Center in Lima, PA
We are sad to report that on February 6, 2008, Ryan Kerr lost his battle with cancer. His mom, Cindy, started the ConKerr Cancer Project. We will continue to support this worthy cause in Ryan's memory. The many pillowcases given to young cancer patients bring smiles to their faces and make their days a bit brighter. 		   Show 'n Tell of Charity Quilts

Charity Projects Update
January 2008: 3 Quilts, 10 pillowcases, 6 members
February 2008: (meeting was cancelled)
March 2008: 14 Quilts, 31 pillowcases, 11 members
Total for 2008: 17 quilts, 41 pillowcases, 17 members
BVQ Members: Do feel free to make charity quilts and pillowcases from your own stash if the spirit moves you! Many of you already make quilts from fabric you have or take kits and supplement them with other fabric. Recipients are happy to receive the handmade items. Have you made yours for the year?

There will be more pillowcase kits available at Guild meetings, or feel free to pick up some exciting fabric and make a case or two. For directions, go to www.conkerrcancer.org.

Quilt kits are also available in the standard size or small size for residents at Fair Acres. If you already have a kit, please complete it, return it and sign the Service Report so that our records will be accurate.

As always, keep up the good work and let us know if you need supplies!

Sue Clendenin, Chris Rushton, Kate Sevensky

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Busy Bees!

“Back in the day”, small groups of neighborhood quilters would gather on a regular basis to work together on a project, such as a wedding quilt for a bride-to-be, and to share concerns and provide friendship and support. These groups were referred to as “quilting bees”, and this concept continues in contemporary times.

A number of these groups, made up of BVQ members and some of their friends and family members, are enjoying this camaraderie while working together on their own community service projects. The Brandywine Snippers and the BrandyWine Bee currently have projects underway. If any other BVQ bees have projects in the works, please let your Webmaster know so that they can be featured here!

Brandywine Snippers

The idea of making charity quilts came to Heidel Gerhard when she heard about a family of a single mother and her four children, ages 8 - 18. She presented the project to her Bee, the “Brandywine Snippers”. Most members agreed to participate. BVQ provided some of the material, with additional fabric donated by the Bee members. The quilts were designed with motifs matched to the ages of the children.

The quilts have been completed! The machine quilting was done by Rikki Newlander, Moria Wikstrom-Fisher and Ann Tumolo. After the Bee has put on the various bindings and the Guild's label, they will present the quilts to the family. They are confident that all four children will appreciate their new bed covers!

BrandyWine Bee

Based in north Wilmington, the BrandyWine Bee's latest community service project is a quilt for the new VA hospital which is being built near Odessa, Delaware. This project was suggested by Louise Ludecke, primarily because her husband uses the services of the VA hospitals.

The Bee members have chosen as a centerpiece an appliqué of the hospital by Irene Butcher who will also do a “Rosie the Riveter” and an airplane. Barbara Gross, the newest Bee member, made blocks from 9/11 graphic prints, Judy Filipkowski had patches from the 5 armed forces which she has sewn onto log cabin blocks, and Louise had some great stars that she will adapt. Ann Tolman is adding some squares as well. Additional blocks provided by Betty Jean Boyd and Lil Koster may necessitate a second quilt!

We are looking forward to seeing their creation(s) at Show 'n Tell at an upcoming Guild meeting!

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Genuardi's Receipt Program

Now is the time to renew your support of BVQ and the Genuardi’s program through Escrip. You can do this in one of two ways: If you haven’t signed-up to support the Guild with your Genuardi’s purchases, now would be a great time to do it. You will find the information on the Escrip website or just tell Ellen and she’ll take care of it for you.

Escrip offers other programs that will benefit the Guild. Why not check them out at www.escrip.com? Our group number is 150239819. BVQ receives a payment for 1 percent of your total purchase. Register today! Ask your family and friends to register too.

Escrip is also offering money for recycled cell phones and printer toner and ink cartridges. So please bring your empty printer cartridges and any old cell phones you have around the house to the next meeting and help BVQ and the environment!

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Ronald McDonald House Flip Tab Program

A flip tab seems like such a little thing… Ellen has had a number of questions about the flip tab program she thought she would answer them “Q and A” format for all to read.
Q: What does Ronald McDonald House do with the flip tabs?
A: The Ronald McDonald House gains from the flip tabs by recycling them. They are paid by a recycler for the aluminum and the money generated is used to offset the difference between what they charge a family (about $10.00 a night) to stay at the house and what it costs to operate ($54 per night).

Q: Why just the tab?
A: Tab collection is a clean way to collect aluminum. Collecting cans can cause sanitation and storage problems. It seems like a tab is a small thing -- but to date they have collected over 55 tons of tabs generating over $38,000. Our BVQ collection is up to 36 pounds!

Q: Does BVQ get “credit” for donating tabs?
A: Yes, Ellen collects tabs from almost everyone she knows and started the program as a charity program at work. When tabs are taken to the Ronald McDonald House she tells them how many tabs came from each source. They are always very happy to see the tabs arrive. Ronald McDonald House is always listed as one of the charities the Guild supports.

TIP: To remove a flip tab from a can, lift the tab up and then rock it up and down about 3 or 4 times and it will come right off!

The Guild is doing a great job of collecting tabs and spreading the word. Many members have collection receptacles at their offices. Summer is a big time for cookouts and also a good time to grab those tabs from all of the cans of soda and beer! Don’t forget about the tabs on other canned food too!

And a letter from the Ronald McDonald House to BVQ:
I am writing on behalf of the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House to thank you for your TERRIFIC donation of aluminum pop tabs to the House. 100 pounds -- WOW!!! The families who stay here especially appreciate your support for this home-away-from-home...

The Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House, a 44-room facility, is a home-away-from-home for over 1700 families a year from all over the world. The families pay $15 a night to stay here, whereas the actual cost to operate a room each night is $54. No family is ever turned away due to an inability to pay. Although we receive 20 percent of our operating expenses from the Ronald McDonald Children's Charities of the Philadelphia region, we must find ways to raise the remaining 80 percent. Collecting tabs is one way.

We recycle the aluminum tabs, selling them to a scrap metal dealer. Since November 1996 we have collected over 79 tons!! I hope that you will continue to support this community service opportunity. The word is spreading and our project is growing.

Thank you for your participation in this important, long term, fund raising program. As you can guess, every little bit helps! We truly appreciate your friendship and continued support of the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House. YOU REALLY DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Sincerely,
Caroline Coleman, Tab Director

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