Friendship Star

Meeting Location: West Freeway Church of Christ

1900 S. Las Vegas Trail Fort Worth, TX 76108

President: Cecilia Buckholz 817.480.7606

Email: FortWorthQG@gmail.com
Website: www.fwqg.org
Location: PO Box 121942, Fort Worth, TX 76121
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/2pm9UZpL6yQVgUtY/?mibextid=K35XfP

Board Meetings are the first Wednesday of the month at 6:30pm.

The location for meetings this year will be at Cecilia’s house or via Zoom.

If you have something that needs to be brought to the attention of the Board, or you would like to discuss the issue in person, please contact a Board member.

Board Meetings are open to all, but only board members can vote at the meetings.

I’d like to wish everyone a Happy Valentines Day! I know a few of you have been sewing up Valentine themed table runners and lap quilts and we’re hoping to see some during Show and Tell.

Enjoy this spring-like weather. It’s sure a welcome sight after the deep freeze we went through. Although, I was able to get several quilts quilted while stuck indoors. So there’s that!

I don’t know about anyone else, but February is a busy month for me. From the big QOV sew day, prepping for my part in this month’s program, and then getting ready for my granddaughter’s wedding on the 26th. My sister will be flying down on the 21st to attend, and she is making the wedding cake. My daughter Claire and I will be doing the flowers. No stress at all. Ha!

Please take a look at the 2026 Budget, which will be attached to the newsletter. We will be voting on it at this month’s meeting. Funding for Programs has increased from $4,000 to $5,000. This amount will allow us to have some great speakers come for our programs and workshops.

Cecilia Buckholz

First of all, I would like to say how excited I am to be working with Karen Wiesman this year. She has a lot of great ideas for programs and workshops.

Our February program will be a few of our members demonstrating some quilting techniques.

Demos will be:

Evelyn Hodges: Color Wash Quilt

Jonquele Jones: Art Mediums on Quilts

Cecilia Buckholtz: Borders

Yvette Richey: Freezer Paper Piecing

What a great way to learn some quilting techniques and ideas from our own members. Hope to see you there!

In March we will have Lisa Erlandson, a quilt judge and appraiser. Her program will be "Make YOUR Best Quilt" and she has a lot to say about color, value, quilting, and binding. You won't want to miss this program.

Lisa Erlandson, who is a quilt judge and appraiser, will bring the program. She is a very good speaker with tons of information about making “your best quilt” with information on colors, value, binding, and quilting.

Lisa Erlandson is a compulsive quilt collector whose habit has led to several quilt-related specialties. She is an AQS Certified Appraiser of Quilted Textiles, lecturer, quilt show judge, teacher, and quilt historian. She also owns Le Retreat House in Gainesville, Texas. She learned to sew as a child, but considered it punishment (and maybe it was). She re-discovered sewing in the mid-1980s as a drama teacher and made her first quilt in 1991. Lisa is also a quilt maker and has quilts published in "Quilts: Patriotic and Presidential" and "The Quilter's Night Before Christmas: A Treasury of Tradition", both by Sue Reich. Lisa has a Master of Arts degree in Public Communication from the University of North Texas.

Pamela Gantz

Program: 4 Patch Posey

Workshop: 4 Patch Posey

Yvette Richey -- Program VP

Karen Wiesman -- Program VP

We are having a ‘mystery quilt’. Lynda will present an ‘action’ to complete during the month. The January clue was cutting the pieces. For February, we will start putting it together.

If you haven't decided to join, please do. I have had comments like..." I've never done a mystery quilt before." and "I can't make it if I don't know what I'm working toward". I understand these sentiments. I've only done 1 mystery quilt before this. I didn't think I would enjoy it because I also like to know if I'll like it before I start. But that quilt is hanging on my wall now. If you pick fabric you like, I think you will like this.

The final assembly has lots of options, so you can put your own spin on it. Until then, please join in. If you want to share along the way, feel free to send me pictures of your fabrics. I'll try to get these pics on Facebook, Website, Newsletter and/or the next instruction installment. Have fun.

See you at the meeting. (p.s. I will send out the instructions, via Smores, the next day ..including all previous instructions). If you have any questions email: lyndamcgee@sbcglobal.net

It is time to renew your membership for 2026!

Please visit the membership table and renew your membership for next year.

$40 per year under age 65

$35 per year age 65 and over

Free if age 80 or older and a member for 10 years

Checks and Zelle (to the guild email address) accepted. Please bring exact amount if paying in cash. We only have a very limited amount of change at any time.

Thanks,

Sue Hilgardner

We are adding a new section to the newsletter - Member Highlight. Each month we will "highlight" a guild member so we can all get to know a little more about that person.

This month our "Member Highlight" is Cecilia Buckholz our current Guild President.

Cecilia has been married to her husband Art for 48 years. They have two daughters and six grandchildren, three girls and three boys.

How long have you been quilting? I first started quilting in 1982 and made three quilts from Elanor Burns book “Quilt in a Day”. They were all tied, not actually quilted. I took a long break from quilting while raising kids and then picked it back up again about twenty years ago.

How long have you been a member of the guild? I first joined the Guild when Gillian Coleman was the President. It’s been about seven years.

What is your favorite part of quilting? I enjoy the precise accuracy of paper piecing and being able to create beautiful quilts.

Name one thing you appreciate about the quilt guild. I enjoy seeing what everyone has been creating and would love to see more involvement in the Show and Tell portion of our meetings. It gives everyone new ideas for future projects.

Do you have a quilt goal for the new year? I’ve started working on the King size quilt I purchased in December at our Silent Auction. I’ve gotten two blocks completed so far and I’m excited to get it finished and quilted. You’ll probably see me working on it at the Guild retreat!

The guild web page is being actively updated.

It can be accessed at fwqg.org

The dates for the North Texas Quilt Festival are July 30 - August 1 at the Irving Convention Center on Las Colinas Blvd. If the idea of driving there freaks you out, talk to me. I found a route that is less stressful. Tickets for the quilt show are $15 at the door, BUT you can buy them from the guild for $12. We will begin selling tickets in May. We are allotted tickets according to our membership; hopefully we will sell all of them since we get to keep ALL the money from the sale of our allotted tickets.

You may begin entering quilts for the show on February 16th. Please enter sooner rather than later because there are now eight guilds competing for the same 400 slots. Your quilt does not have to be completed when you enter it, but it should be recognizable in the picture you must submit with your entry form. You may enter as many quilts as you like, but only three will be invoiced (at $27 each). If, at the end of enrollment, there are still spots available for quilts, your additional quilts may be accepted and invoiced.

On your entry form, be sure to designate Fort Worth Quilt Guild. The committee has a copy of our roster and will verify your membership. Please read all the category definitions carefully. If you have questions you can text or call me at 817-578-5952 or email me at gstroud49@gmail.com. One category that is frequently confusing is Workmanship. If your quilt was made from a kit, it belongs in this category. This means that you did not choose the fabric or the pattern; you bought it as a kit and your workmanship is on display. LEGIT kits belong in the Workmanship category.

The drop off day for quilts has changed. No longer on Sunday afternoon, it will now be on Tuesday, July 28, from 3-7 pm. If this is inconvenient for you, there are always guild members who volunteer to turn in quilts for others. Quilt pick up time is from 6:15-7:30pm on Saturday evening after the close of the show.

I am the guild representative to the quilt show. My job is to attend show meetings on Zoom and to convey information to you. Please let me know if I can help. —Grace Stroud

One of the guild’s biggest money makers is the booth we have at the North Texas Quilt Festival. We sell handmade items made by you, our members. The theme for our booth this year is

HOLD EVERYTHING!

We are asking for items that contain things, such as quilt bags, microwave bowl holders, placemats, project bags, shopping totes. Chris Tomich recently made some little fabric tea bag holders that would be great for taking along your favorite tea or even your personal supply of sweetener. Pat Wagers has made more of the jar and bottle openers that we sold so many of last year as well as microwave bowls. I have been making three different sizes of project bags. Serena Stroop made some very cute holders for the Tooth Fairy. This month I am moving on to a bag from a byAnnie pattern called Clam Up.

Pat and I will be collecting your donations at each guild meeting. We need to have most of our stock by early July, since I’m going on a cruise and will be back on the Monday night before we need to go set up at the convention center on Wednesday. We plan to price and pack everything before I leave.

We look for quality over quantity. If you would be proud to give what you make to a friend or if you’d keep it yourself, someone else will probably like it and buy it. Use the good fabric! We try to price our items fairly to reflect the cost of materials, the time involved, and the quality of the finished product.

Thank you in advance for your hard work and your donations.

Grace Stroud and Pat Wagers

The raffle tickets have arrived and “Snow Days” will be on display at our February meeting. I’m confident this raffle quilt will be a great money maker for our Guild. A big thank you to Karen Wiesman for finishing the hand embroidery and assembling the quilt and Dee Ramirez for the beautiful custom quilting. Come check it out!

Send Sunshine and Shadows directly to Ann Houpt: annhoupt@aol.com or via text message

Hope everyone survived the Arctic blast. The groundhog saw his shadow so six more weeks of winter weather. I just checked the calendar six weeks from February 2nd is March 16 four days before spring begins. So of course we will have six more weeks of Winter.

Thank you to everyone that brought refreshments to the guild meeting. Everyone enjoyed them. Sherri Edwards and Sarah Tutt thank you for helping with setting up and clean up after the meeting. I appreciate your help.

Cecilia Buckholz and Wanda Edmunds have signed up to help for February however Cecilia will be busy getting everything lined up for the meeting and Wanda is still recovering from her broken arm and is limited to what she can do, so if someone can step up to help it would be greatly appreciated.

February Birthdays
02-06. Glenda Graham
02-06 Sarah Tutt
02-12. Cecilia Buckholz
02-15. Thayne Rooney
02-28. Meri Cozart

Marilyn Smith, Hospitality Committee

We will meet January 29 at 11 am at Hollis Threads. There is a $5 facilities fee. We discuss various machine embroidery techniques and projects. We typically bring brown bag lunches.

meets 2nd Tuesday evening

This month’s meeting was hosted by Chris Tomich. After everybody caught up with

family illnesses and peanut butter fudge, we started showing and tell.

Margo Grunseich showed a quilt that she was working on. It is the quilt she’s making for someone out of men’s shirts that were their father’s and their grandpa’s. The baby quilt is for the baby of a friend’s niece. She is using the pattern Eggs and Bacon.

Cherie Bigham went next and she shared a children’s quilt and some patriotic quilts that she’s making for her brothers and sisters to celebrate our Centennial.

Pat Ford made two cat rescue quilts.

Pat Wagers was busy this month. She sewed seventy small bottle openers and twenty- five large ones.

Judi Janes presented a quilt you’ve been working on for two or three years. It is a baseball themed quilt for her son.

Grace Stroud had eighteen project bags she’s making for the guild booth this year. They were made of beautiful fabrics and they are three different sizes.

Barbara Hughes is getting ahead of everybody, she’s has her four pillowcases made already for our charities this year.

Next was a panel quilt made by Cecilia Villa. The panel was called Dream Big, and Cecilia added some beautiful quilting and creative borders to the panel.

Chris Tomich has been very busy this past month. She made tea wallets for the guild booth. She also made seven rescue dog quilts and some table runners. And in her spare time, she crocheted baby quilts and fifty baby caps for JPS. Margo asked her, “When do you sleep?” Oh, let’s not forget the wheelchair quilt she made also.

The meeting ended with a pineapple cake with cream cheese icing. Chris, don’t forget we all want that recipe. I guess Chris’ reward for all her work was winning LRC and taking all our fabric.

Thanks, Chris for opening your home to us and providing yummy treats.

One of the most fun parts of belonging to a Guild is getting to know other quilters. But, there aren’t many opportunities to actually get to SEW and learn from one another, except in a bee. Most of the guild bees have been around for many years and don’t have openings for many newcomers. If you want to get know more of your fellow members, start a new bee!

General Guidelines

• Start with the people sitting near you at Guild or advertise in the bee section of the newsletter, or on the FB page.
• A place to meet: dining room table, living room, playroom, apartment clubhouse, nearby church… You may want to rotate hosting among those with enough space.
• Monthly meeting time for 1.5-4 hours. Some groups may also have periodic all-day project days or retreats.
• Some groups organize around a common interest: appliqué, modern, art, charity projects, while some are based on proximity.
• Start simply and see how the group’s dynamics play out through time. There are lots of activity ideas online.

Reserve your place at the Guild Retreat!

Bring your $25 (or more) deposit to reserve your spot for our 2026 Retreat.

Dates: April 16-19

Price: 2 nights $218

3 nights $327

Location: The Compass Centre in Mt. Calm

We have a great time and hope you’ll join us. We were nearly full last year, so make your reservation as soon as you can.

Thanks!

Shelley Clauss

As I write this for the newsletter, members are preparing for the QOV sew day at Stevenson Oaks on the 7th. I’m anticipating a great turnout and lots of blocks and tops completed. Many of you have put in countless hours and everyone’s contributions are greatly appreciated!

We currently have twelve veterans on our list to award. Two will receive their quilts in a ceremony on February 22, 2026, at the VFW in Granbury, per their request. That will bring our total of quilts awarded to 150! The next ceremony will take place on March 29th, Vietnam War Veterans Day. More information regarding that ceremony will be in the next newsletter.

Cecilia Buckholz

QOVF Group Leader

Bev Ramsey was a charter member of the guild, a past president, a teacher and a friend. We lost her way too early. The Bev Ramsey fund was set up to help those in need enjoy the things she loved very much, retreats and workshops.

Lovies are used for preemie babies and their mother's so they can become familiar with each other's scent.

If you would like to make one (or 100) take two pieces of 14" square fabric - one cotton, and one flannel. Sew them right sides together, leaving a gap to turn. Turn, then topstitch around the entire piece.

Beverly Peterson collects them at Guild meetings to give to Harris Downtown for their NICU unit.

We have a new duo heading up this volunteer opportunity

Linda Roeder and Serena Stroot
NICU Co-Chairpersons

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We encourage each member to read the information below, just to refresh your memory about all the items you can make for JPS. It’s not just NICU quilts. They love to get baby quilts of all sizes. The NICU quilts can’t contain flannel, but other quilts can. A new item added to the list is a wheelchair quilt (approximately 36 x 48).

Our donations are really appreciated by JPS, the moms, and any other patients who receive them.

NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) Quilts

One of our community service projects is making NICU quilts for John Peter Smith Hospital. NICU quilts are 36” x 36” prewashed cotton quilts -NO Flannel. These are placed on the incubators in the intensive care unit and become the property of the baby/baby’s family. As some of you may know, the Tight Knots Quilt Bee makes NICU quilts each year as one of their community service projects. Maybe your bee would consider doing the same.

JPS has also requested other items for their patients:

Baby Items:

Receiving blankets and baby quilts – of all sizes

Layettes and Isolettes no smaller than 52”x56”

Cozy Cub Slipcover (tubular coverlet) See the link below for a sample of this item. 40 inches long

9 inches – circumference for small

11 inches – circumference for large

CozyCub–Dandle.LionMedical www.dandlelionmedical.com

Adult Items:

These items are mainly used for patients undergoing chemotherapy at the JPS Cancer Center and geriatric patients.

Bags to hang on walkers

Adult quilts or blankets (quilted or fleece)

Wheelchair quilt (approximately 36 x 48).

Ostomy bag covers

Small heart-shaped pillows for breast cancer patients to place under their arms after surgery

New request — bags that can be attached to walkers to hold keys, water bottles, and other small items.

More information on these is on the following website:

https://www.jpshealthnet.org/community/volunteeropportunities/other-opportunities-to-serve

Linda Roeder and Serena Stroot
NICU Co-Chairpersons

President -- Cecilia Buckholz 817.480.7606 cbuckholz1@gmail.com

President Elect -- Dee Ramirez 817.228.8024 drramirez65@gmail.com

VP Programs -- Yvette Richey 817.559.5065 richey57yr@gmsil.com

VP Programs -- Karen Wiesman 361.522.4697 karen.wiesman@sbcglobal.net

Secretary -- Linda Roeder 817.673.9688 475ljr@att.net

Treasurer -- Pat Wagers 817.821.1137 pwagers@sbcglobal.net

Member at Large -- Serena Stroot 817.343.6131 serenam365@yahoo.com

Member at Large -- Grace Stroud 817.578.5952 gstroud49@gmail.com

Past President/Parliamentarian -- Lynda McGee 817.343.9124 lyndamcgee@sbcglobal.net

Newsletter Editor -- Danna Webber 682.429.1840 2danna.webber@gmail.com

Newsletter Sub -- Sarah Tutt 817.312.2960 sarahtutt@yahoo.com

Greeter 1 -- Barbara Dumas 817.925.8724 dumasfamily5@sbcglobal.net

Greeter 2 -- OPEN

Hospitality -- Marilyn Smith 817.917.9294 marilyn.smith1934@gmail.com

Membership -- Sue Hilgardner 817.308.5472 gohawksrockchalk@gmail.com

Membership 2 -- OPEN

JPS -- Linda Reder 817.673.9688 475ljr@att.net

JPS – Serena Stroot 817.343.6131 serenam365@yahoo.com

NICU Lovies -- Beverly Peterson 817.320.3905 bpete1900@yahoo.com

QOV -- Cecilia Buckholz 817.480.7606 cbuckholz1@gmail.com

Hugs -- Molly Risewick 817.721.0500 molly.risewick@gmail.com

Hugs 2 -- OPEN

Raffle Quilt -- Grace Jackson 682.229.4267 jacksongrace82@yahoo.com

Raffle Quilt Tickets -- OPEN

President’s Quilt -- OPEN

Retreats Shelly Clauss 817-994-0195 shelleyclauss@gmail.com

Show & Tell Alice Clayton 682.201.7088 aliceclayton@gmail.com

Webmaster -- Dorene Joyce 817.995.5740 dorenegaye.joyce@gmail.com

Asst. Webmaster -- Wanda Edmunds 682.560.9101 dooleymac@gmail.com

Sunshine/Shadows -- Ann Houpt 817-689-7678 annhoupt@aol.com

Smore Administrator Shelley Clauss 817-994-0195 shelleyclauss@gmail.com

Facebook Administrator Becky Reavis 817.475.4912 alrubaiie1@hotmail.com

Quilt Show Rep 1--- Grace Stroud 817.578.5952 gstroud49@gmail.com

Quilt Show Rep 2 --- OPEN

Quilt Show T-shirts -- Dorene Joyce 817.995.5740 dorenegaye.joyce@gmail.com

Quilt Show Minis -- Ann Houpt 817-689-7678 annhoupt@aol.com

Quilt Show Booth -- Grace Stroud 817.578.5952 gstroud49@gmail.com

Granbury Quilt Guild is having a fabric raffle at their February meeting.

Monday, February 16th at 6:30 pm at the First United Methodist Church 301 Loop 567, Granbury, TX.

If you are looking for a quilt show (ANYWHERE), try out this website…

Quilt Guilds and Quilt Shows - Quilt Guilds and Quilt Shows

Saginaw Thursday Quilters meets every Thursday from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm at Joyce Spindor Community Center, 620 Park Center Blvd, Saginaw TX 76179.

We hand quilt for our members and clients. We take a snack break at 10:00, hosted by members for a month at a time.
Once a month we celebrate members’ birthdays. On third Thursday we have a themed luncheon.
Contact Kay Lotz, guild member, at 817-946-8286 (leave a message please) for more information.

Texas Quilt Museum, LaGrange, Texas

Check out their website http://www.texasquiltmuseum.org

We would love to put your advertisement in the newsletter. Personal item or business.

NOTE: the description of ad categories has changed.

SIMPLE AD

-- Short paragraph plus one photo submitted in JPG format

-- $5 members, $10 non-members

COMPLEX AD

-- more than one photo

-- file(s) that must be attached

-- picture that must be reformatted (might or might not be accomplished.

-- extra formatting

-- $10 members, $15 non-members

Same ad running for three consecutive months - the third month is free

Payment should be made via Zelle at the guild email address

Email: FortWorthQG@gmail.com

We accept ads from Members and local merchants.

After working with Smore for a while, we have run into limitations of the formatting available to us. It is easiest if the information is sent either as text, JPG or JPEG pictures. Sometimes the PNG format also works. We can attach PDF, Word, and XL documents to the newsletter, but they will appear as links and the reader must download them to their device to read them (easier if done from a laptop/desktop). DOC files that contain text only will be copied into the newsletter, but some of the formatting may be lost.

I would like to share pictures of show-and-tell items, but we must have someone willing to take pictures and email them to the guild email address.

If you are unable to bring your project to the meeting for Show and Share, send a picture to the guild address - with subject - Newsletter show n share. We can include a brief description