Activities
Southern Comforters meetings begin business at 7:30 pm on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month.
Meetings are held at the Christian Community Presbyterian Church at 3120 Belair Drive in Bowie, Maryland.
(see a
map) Doors open at
6:30 for those who wish to socialize prior to the meeting.
Meetings include announcements from various committees and officers, show and tell, and often
special programs. Occasionally, potluck celebrations are held. Doorprizes are awarded most
meetings for birthdays, nametags, and block-of-the-month winners. Selections from the guild
library are available for borrowing, and often members clean out their stash of fabric, magazines,
and other supplies for other guild members to enjoy. Mostly, though, members sit around large
round tables, work on various sewing (or knitting) projects, and catch up with each other.
Emergency Weather Meeting Cancellation Policy:
Southern Comforters meetings will be cancelled if any of the following occurs:
1. If it is snowing at the time of the meeting.
2. If Prince George's or Anne Arundel County Schools are closed on a meeting day.
3. If Prince George's or Anne Arundel counties cancel evening activities on a meeting night.
Other Cancellations:
The meeting in November is on the 5th Wednesday (if there is one), rather than the day before Thanksgiving. No meeting on
the 4th Wednesday in December.
Guests are welcome to attend one general meeting at no charge, but we encourage you to join to take advantage of
programs, newsletters, the library, and other sharing opportunities.
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Through gifts in kind and proceeds from the annual quilt show, Southern Crafters supports the following worthy causes:
- Chapel Forge School
- Bowie Therapeutic Nursery Center
- Anne Arundel County Library
- Maryland Historical Society
- Soldier Quilts
- National Quilt Museum
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When we want to meet between meetings, Southern Comforters members turn to our Yahoo Groups site. Only
available to members of the Guild, the site allows us to send general email threads to all who have joined,
find the latest Block of the Month pattern and instructions, and other postings of interest. Guild members
interested in joining can do so by visiting the site at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/southerncomforters
and clicking on "Join this Group." You'll be asked to enter your Yahoo ID or create one. Follow the instructions
from Yahoo.
This will send a message to our moderator, Amy Morusiewicz, please include your first and last name in your note.
If you are having trouble signing up, send an email to our moderator, Amy Morusiewicz
(southerncomforters-subscribe [at] yahoogroups.com).
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Once a year, dozens of our members join each other for a long weekend of fellowship and sewing in February. The retreat has been at a
camp on the Eastern Shore of Maryland for the past several years. Mystery
blocks, block exchange, fun, food, and quality sewing time have characterized this retreat. Those that attend usually
repeat the experience each year.
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We also have a monthly fabric exchange at the first meeting of the month each month. To participate,
bring in as many 5-inch wide strips AS YOU WANT (width of fabric) of the designated color or theme in a
bag with your name and the number you brought written on it. Members
take the bag home with the same number of strips, but different ones. This should not increase
or diminish the stash, but add diversity to it. Members are encouraged to review the
schedule for
the year, decide what months they want to participate, see what fabrics they don't have in
their stash that they'd like to add, and what to be on the look out for if by any
remote possibility
they happen to be in a quilt shop looking at fabric. Participants should include pre-washed, quilt shop quality material.
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Once a year, the Birthday Block Club opens for folks who wish to join. Members create and mail each other the requested blocks
on their birthdays. Some folks have very specific requests, others just want to be surprised on their birthday.
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In addition to our twice a month meetings, some of our members gather on a regular basis to ensure time is set aside
for sewing. Some meet weekly, some monthly, some during the day, some on the alternating Wednesday evening from our
meetings. Some sew on group projects, some on community projects, and still others simply enjoy the companionship
of fellow sewers as they complete their own projects.
Read about the beginnings of the
Grateful Threads Sewing Bee...
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