AVQ hosts many special events for its members and the community.  Some are yearly and some occur every other year.  These events include a quilting retreat,  a Holiday Brunch for the members and the recipients of our donation quilts,  a welcoming tea for new members, a summertime lemonade social, a mystery trip, a silent auction and quilt challenges.   Below is a full description of each of these events.  Watch your newsletters and our calendar for scheduled dates!

Retreat:

AVQ offers 1-2 Zoom based retreats for our members. It’s a great time for fun, friendship and lots of sewing. Past retreats have featured special projects and time for free sewing and of course socializing.

Holiday Brunch:

Every December our general meeting is transformed into a day of giving. In place of a speaker, we hold a festive brunch, invite our agencies to speak about community quilts, and have a parade of quilts that represent all the hard work from our guild members. This event is held the second Saturday in December at 10:00am.

The tables are set with a different holiday theme each year, and our members bring sweet or savory goodies that create a wonderful variety for brunch. There is plenty of time to socialize, eat, and enjoy meeting our charitable agencies.

Throughout the year, we collect quilts of all sizes, colors, and patterns made by our guild members, and we distribute them twice a year. In December, after our meal, the beneficiaries speak about what it means to receive these quilts. We typically donate several hundred in total each year to these organizations that help underprivileged children, teens, foster children, and adults trying to improve their quality of life. There are many heart-warming stories about the people that receive these quilts, and how they are appreciated and loved.

After our brunch, it’s time for the parade of quilts. These quilts are walked around the room and are shown so everyone can see the beautiful creations that we make. Everyone looks forward to this wonderful display! The holiday spirit combined with giving and viewing of so many beautiful quilts is very inspiring. The collective effort that it takes to make this event happen makes everyone burst with pride to be an Amador Valley quilter.

Lemonade Social:

Usually in the summer we come early before one of the meetings and relax. It is a great time of year to be outdoors and enjoy great company.
We bring our lunches – AVQ provides the lemonade, water and
cookies (mostly homemade from volunteers).
Visit, meet new people or catch up with a pal. Invite a favorite quilting friend or, better yet, make a new friend. This a great time to invite your neighbor or colleague that you’ve wanted to introduce to AVQ. New members are always welcome, so invite a guest. We promise to be on our best behavior!

New Member Welcoming Tea:

For new members, our welcoming teas are a way to connect more personally with some of our members, which are usually held at the outdoor seating area of our guild’s general meeting location, Pleasanton Middle School. We gather prior to the general meeting and Board members are invited along with new members to get to know each other. Questions are answered and ideas are shared. The occasion is completed with tea and treats. Friendships are made with a foundation of sharing the love of quilting. If you are a new member or a current member who would like to share your love of AVQ, please come to the next tea. The dates are announced at the general meeting and in the newsletter. Hope to see you there.

Quilt Challenges:

Challenges are designed to motivate AVQ members to use their imagination. The challenges are presented to the members to promote creativeness and adventure in quilting. A fabric, word, or pattern might be the subject. Guidelines for size and completion date are also provided. The quilter is the master of this project. Members are inspired by this event to try new things and stretch their skills. Projects are shown at our bi-annual quilt show and are sometimes displayed at public events and venues.

Challenge for 2013 Quilt show – Quilts of Valor.

Silent Auction

Here is an event that is a win win for all! Held in place of a speaker, our meeting is transformed into a quilter’s bazaar. All of our members clean out their sewing rooms and donate any unfinished projects or items they no longer need or want. We sometimes receive donations from estates and quilt stores. All of the items are then categorized and prepared for auction. Bring your pocket book, you will find plenty of items to your liking. It is not uncommon for members to covet the same item and a bidding war begins. Some items from past silent auctions included antique quilts/quilt tops, quilting frames and pattern collections. There is always an abundant supply of fabric, unfinished projects, books and magazines. Bidding for most items start at $1. All proceeds benefit AVQ. Everyone benefits from this event. Donors have a clean sewing space, shoppers receive great deals and AVQ acquires funding for all of our activities.