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About ESQG

The Evening Star Quilters Guild
Belvidere, New Jersey

Welcome to the Evening Star Quilters Guild.

The guild was founded by Jane Schreffler in September 1987.

The purpose of the guild is to promote an interest and knowledge in the art of quilt making and a commitment to educate people in all aspects of quilting, while engaging in charitable projects. ESQG is a 501(c)7 not-for-profit.

Membership in the guild allows you to enjoy participating in any of the following activities:

WAYS AND MEANS

Ways and Means is a raffle that members can voluntarily participate in during monthly Guild meetings. It helps to defray some of the guild's expenses. For a dollar(s), tickets can be purchased for a drawing to win money, a surprise gift, or a gift card.

TUESDAY SEW DAY

Tuesday Sew Days are held the first Tuesday of each month at the Belvidere American Legion from 10 am to 2 pm. This is a day to sit and relax, make connections with fellow quilters, possibly learn a new technique, work on a community project, or just work on your own project.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Evening Star Quilters' Guild has two social media platforms:

Members are encouraged to visit these social media sites for various information pertaining to the Guild, and members are also encouraged to post to the ESQG Facebook page, which is moderated by an administrator.

SUNSHINE

Star Quilters' Guild sends “Sunshine” to members in the form of cards - get well, sympathy, thinking of you, words of encouragement, etc.

VICTORIAN DAY

Victorian Day is held the Saturday after Labor Day and is an annual celebration held in Belvidere, New Jersey at the Town Circle to commemorate the town's Victorian Heritage.

Our Guild has a space to display our beautiful vintage quilts, while we work on hand sewing projects, educate visitors about our craft and sell tickets for our annual raffle quilt.

Members volunteer to work the event for a few hours that day. Bring your hand work, if you like, and help sell raffle tickets. Some members dress in Victorian garb, if not - dress nicely (no jeans please). It is advisable to wear something that identifies you as an ESGQ member (which may be provided by the Guild). This is a fun and relaxing day to spend time with your fellow Guild members and enjoy other crafts and food vendors.

"HARVEST OF QUILTS" QUILT SHOW

Evening Star Quilters' Guild holds a biennial, two-day quilt show, “Harvest of Quilts,” typically in the fall (October/November timeframe) with dates dictated by the venue. This event showcases the talent, skill, and artistry of Guild members.

Members are encouraged to enter their quilts in the show. To enter quilts in the show, members must be current with their dues and volunteer for at least four hours during the show.
The Quilt Show is made up of the following components:

RAFFLE QUILT

Guild members assemble a large bed-size quilt to be raffled as a fundraiser.

Guild member(s) volunteer to chair this project, choose the pattern, decide on the color scheme, and organize the construction of the quilt.

Tickets are sold at various functions and venues throughout the year. Members are welcome to request tickets at any time. After public sales are concluded, remaining tickets are evenly distributed to Guild members to sell.

The Raffle Quilt drawing is held at the Evening Star Quilters' Guild December meeting.

QUILTS OF HONOR

Awarding a Service Member or Veteran with a Quilt of Honor is a very important part of the Guild’s community outreach.

A Guild member works with local organizations and Guild members to present Quilts of Honor to Veterans who have served in the Armed Forces.

Donations of red, white, and blue fabrics are collected, and members assemble quilt blocks into quilts.

Quilts are often presented on Veterans Day, Memorial Day and at special presentations throughout the year.

CHALLENGE QUILTS

Occasionally a Guild member steps up and challenges other members to try something new or out of their comfort zone. Rules and parameters are set (which may consist of a surprise or unique fabric, ugly fabric, or whatever the leader chooses), and a timeframe is set for completion of the project. A Viewer's Choice vote establishes who gets the prize!

MYSTERY QUILT

The name says it all...it's a mystery!

A chairperson chooses a mystery pattern and distributes a step each month to participating Guild members. No one will know what the quilt will look like until it is finished. A date is chosen to meet for a suspenseful workshop where the last instructions will be unveiled, and quilt tops are assembled. This is a fun-filled day, including food and lots of laughs as we piece together the “mystery.”

BLOCK OF THE MONTH

A chairperson offers a block pattern each month. The following month members who participate bring in their completed blocks, a drawing is conducted, and one member wins them all. Participation is voluntary. Sometimes there are “too many” blocks so there's more than one winner.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

The chairperson asks for suggestions or shares ideas for community outreach. Members either work on a project of their own or workshops may be set up to work on specific projects. The completed items are then distributed to the organization in need.
Recent projects include, but are not limited to:

If you have a charity close to your heart and you would like to see projects and/or quilts donated to that charity, contact the Chairperson. Your charity will be considered in the future

The Evening Star Quilters' Guild also participates in the following events:
Quilts in the Vineyard
Warren County Farmer's Fair
Victorian Day in Belvidere, NJ

Guild membership dues are $25 annually. Guild meetings are held at the Belvidere American Legion, 122 Greenwich St., Belvidere NJ. Doors open at 5:30 pm and the program begins promptly at 6:00 pm. Guests are welcome to come and see what we're all about.

The guild maintains a web site where you will find our newsletter, current and upcoming events and special projects or activities. Several of the sections are password protected. When you become a member, you will be given access.

Our New Member Liaison will be happy to answer any questions that you may have and introduce you to the members.

We welcome you and look forward to seeing you at our next meeting. Happy Quilting!