Events | Greater Hartford Quilting Guild
GHQG Events The GHQG holds a number of events for the public and our members including Annual Gathering, Sharing Day, a Spring Lecture, Quilt Show and Member retreat. We also participate in Stitches United in Hartford, a convention for all types of needle crafts; see details below.
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Annual Gathering |
Each fall, one chapter of the GHQG hosts the Annual Gathering. After a short business meeting, this event continues with lectures by nationally-known quilters, designers and authors. Favors, vendors, boutiques, raffles and tag sales are frequently part of this event. Most years, the Annual Gathering is open to the public for a fee; the hosting chapter determines if space will permit opening it to the public, and also determines the fees of attending. It is always open to all GHQG members for a reduced price.
The 2022 Annual Gathering "Oh the Places We Will Go" sponsored by the Vernon Nutmeg Quilters will be Saturday October 15, 2022 10:00am - 3:00 pm at Illing Middle School 227 Middle Turnpike East, Manchester, CT Speaker Catherine Whall Smith. Cost at the doors will be $12 for members and guests. Gifts, Door Prizes, Demonstrations, Raffle Baskets, Raffle Quilt and Vendors. There will also be coffee and tea with a variety of sweets in the morning. Please feel free to bring a bag lunch or visit one of the many local restaurants. The 2020 and 2021 Annual Gatherings were postponed due to the current restrictions on large gatherings; more information will be provided when available. The 2019 Annual Gathering, hosted by the Berlin Sisters in Quilting, was held on October 19 at the Shriners Hall, 3066 Berlin Turnpike, Newington CT, from 9 to 3. The featured speaker, Debbie Wendt, is a quilter and designer of the Brilliant Bindings tool, Hexamajig and Hexamajig Jr. Her lectures about quilting adventures around the world, and quilting in Egypt, were enjoyed by all. Annual Gathering also featured vendors, a tag sale, a raffle quilt, raffle baskets, snacks, and camaraderie. The October 2018 Annual Gathering featured Kate Themel, an award winning Fiber Artist who has exhibited in art galleries and museums from Boston to Botswana. Kate presented two lectures. The first included a Trunk Show and electronic presentation of portrait quilts, and the second a demonstration of how she free- motion quilts her projects. Click on Photo Gallery to view pictures from this and previous Annual Gatherings. |
Spring Lecture
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Annually, GHQG presents a lecture by a well-known quilter for its members. This lecture is free to all GHQG members; We heard:
"A conversation with Sarah Ann Smith" Saturday, April 30, 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM Sarah Ann Smith is a world class fiber artist who embraces color, line, texture, rhythm, and movement to inspire her wonderfully creative quilts. Having lived all over the world including Spain, Thailand, Argentina and the United States, her creative inspirations are the colors and spirit of these vibrant cultures. Ultimately, her art celebrates what she calls “The Home of Her Soul,” midcoastal Maine. In addition to her spectacular quilts, her work includes the bestselling book "ThreadWork Unraveled", and numerous articles in quilting magazines. Her art has been exhibited worldwide including the US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Sarah will be here to share her passion to create and design textile art and unique surface patterns to fellow quilters. Join us to experience the wonderful, quilted art of Sarah Ann Smith as she presents her two lectures: "How Did She Do That" and "Inspiration in the Ordinary". Be inspired by her work as she shows her quilts, explains her techniques, and see how she uses her cell phone for composition inspiration.  2019 Quilt Show Raffle Quilt
The GHQG Quilt show is a biennial event. Pictures from the most recent and prior shows can be viewed in our Photo Gallery page. The 2019 show was held on June 8-9, 2019, at Rentschler Field, 615 Silver Lane, East Hartford CT, Saturday 9-5, Sunday 10-4. The show theme, "Our Journey In Color", inspired many colorful and inventive quilts from our members; and each of the eleven GHQG chapters had chosen a Journey-related theme to illustrate in the Chapter Challenge quilts. Vendors, raffle baskets provided by the chapters, and special exhibits rounded out this special show. The vendors included Yankee Cloth, Easy Piecing, Lisa's Clover Hill Quilts, OoWhee! Slip Free Rulers, Six Gables Designs, Flew the Coop Designs, Stitch Chicks Quilt Shop, French Design Studio, Close To Home, Christian Lane Quilters, Quilters Treasure, Quilted Ewe, Sewcraft Inc., The Quilt Shop by Lois, Barboriginals, Sew Inspired Quilt Shop, New England Sewing, Charlie's Sew Unique Studio, Dragonfly Quilt Shop, and Christie's Quilting Boutique. Scissors sharpening was also available. The raffle quilt for the 2019 show, made by committee members, is shown at the left. The quilt is two sided and is 95" by 95". Congratulations to the lucky winner! Special thanks to Quilts and Treasures, Lisa's Clover Hill Quilts and Quilting By The Yard for their contributions. |
Sharing Day
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Sharing Day is an event where the GHQG chapters and independent members of GHQG gather to share ideas, accomplishments, and fellowship. Chapters provide short demonstrations and display their challenge results and charity work.
Sharing Day 2022 was held on April 9, 2022 at the Stafford Community Center. It was hosted by Stafford Mill Town Quilters. Sharing Day 2019 was hosted by the West Hartford Quilters, and was held April 13, 2019. Click on Photo Gallery to view pictures from the 2019 recent and previous Sharing Days. |
Connecticut Quilts: Pieces of American History
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From October 11 2019 through May 16, 2020, the Connecticut Historical Society presented an exhibit of antique Connecticut quilts and quilted clothing. They asked GHQG to provide samples of quilted items which could be displayed with eight of the featured quilts, to provide viewers a "hands on" view of how the quilts were made; GHQG members were happy to help!
The exhibit at Connecticut Historical Society, 1 Elizabeth Street, Hartford, was closed before the planned end date; but you can view the quilts in a virtual tour at the Connecticut Historical Society web site, https://chs.org/exhibition/coming-soon-connecticut-quilts/ Click on Photo Gallery to view pictures from this exhibit. |
Retreat |
GHQG hosts a members-only 4-day retreat. It is held annually at the Incarnation Center in Ivoryton, Connecticut.
Click on Photo Gallery to view pictures from the previous Retreats |
Stitches United |
On March 26-29, 2020, GHQG planned to again participate in Stitches United at the Connecticut Convention Center, Hartford, CT. Stitches United, traditionally a knitting and weaving convention, has expanded to include quilting. Unfortunately, like so many other events, this was cancelled. When Stitches United returns, GHQG (along with local quilt shops and other quilt groups) will display quilts, host a raffle of quilted bags, and provide attendees a chance to learning more about quilting. The prior Stitches United shows were a great opportunity for GHQG to promote our guild and share our love of quilting.
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