2009 – A Retrospective

What a year this has been! It has whizzed by so quickly I can hardly believe that it was just this time last year that Marge and I began to call on the women who would become your Chapter Advisory Board (CAB) for 2009.

We’ve enjoyed fabric painting with Evie Salzmann; thrift shop hopping, restyling and remaking with member Margaret Tierney; fitting with Jackie Metz; and an invigorating bus trip to the Tampa Expo arranged by Marge, who oversaw chapter education and programs.

We’ve all participated in an abundance of sew-ins, workshops and neighborhood group meetings throughout the year. Every neighborhood group leader has kept her members active and busy, happy and sewing. You manned (womaned?) National Sewing Month display tables, produced informative National Sewing Month exhibits for local libraries. The High Springs Sewing Society even inaugurated a community quilt show that is slated for its second year.

You cumulatively made and donated more than 200 pillowcases which Obie arranged to be delivered to the Albuquerque and local Ronald McDonald Houses. Some of you worked on beautiful dolls that would make their way to the White House to be played with by our nation’s president’s children.

Marge and I went to ASG Annual Conference in Albuquerque, and between us brought back a wealth of program and workshop materials that you’ll benefit from in the months ahead. I was even tapped to present one of the conference bonus sessions, which was a real honor.

Our financial records have never been in better shape, thanks to Marwin, who also secured the chapter’s state raffle permit, and special discounts and donation opportunities from retailers. Our chapter minutes, the written record of the business of Ocala Chapter, have been maintained diligently by Char, with an assist from Obie. We created a new position on our CAB, that of ways and means, which is being established by Jeri. At conference we learned that this was, in fact, a cutting edge move, and will be replicated by chapters across the country.

Kathy developed and maintains a magnificent website that is truly the envy of many chapters; and Renee and Marguerite produced and distributed gorgeous and informative newsletters. And thanks to Denise, our chapter has had articles in every issue of Notions Magazine this year!

We started a DVD lending library, overseen by Marguerite, that offers a wealth of expertise for the cost of postage! Some of the first volumes were donations from Quilting Arts TV and Shirley Adams’ Sewing Connection. Celeste and Jackie enhanced existing and began to establish excellent relationships with area retailers – with whom we share a vested interest.
We’ve been busy! Each person who has served on our CAB has dedicated time, energy and talent to bring you, our members, a quality of programs, communications, and administration of which you can be proud. They have represented you well.

And now, our annual meeting and elections are just around the corner. Makes you wonder what the year ahead will bring, doesn’t it?

So my first order of business is to say a heartfelt thank you to the ASG Ocala members who agreed to serve on your CAB, and a heartfelt thank you to those members who agreed to serve as your neighborhood group leaders. Without these members and their contributions, there would be no ASG Ocala Chapter. I cannot stress this fact enough. Without these members and their contributions, there would be no ASG Ocala Chapter.

Thank you, ladies, CAB members and neighborhood group leaders, for all you have done, especially over the past year, to make our chapter successful.

2010 – Ready for another great year?

Which brings us to 2010, and my second order of business. Thank you to our slate of officers who have agreed to serve as your board of directors for 2010. They include Renee Carson, who also will continue as newsletter editor; Celeste Beck, who also will serve as neighborhood group coordinator, secretary Susan Farr and treasurer Candace LeGro. I look forward to working with you all.

Now, what can we look forward to in the year ahead?

Chapter Resource Directory

A list of chapter program and workshop resources is coming together that simply blows my mind. I’ve always known we had outrageous talent in our chapter, but seeing it in one place is a real eye-opener. This will be distributed to each NGL in a week or so, and you all can make use of these resources as you plan future meetings. There are some GREAT sewing opportunities ahead!

Of course, that begs the question, “What can YOU add to the list?” I firmly believe that there is at least one good program or workshop in each and every one of us. What’s yours?

Bottom line is, Ocala Chapter members will get the kind of chapter, the kind of programs and workshops, that they are willing to support. I cannot stress this fact enough either. YOU will get the kind of chapter that you support.

Surveys

To learn just what it is that you do want and will support, we’ll be using surveys. There are some neat new ways to do a survey, one of which is called “Survey Monkey.” So, when you get a survey, whether it’s an e-mail survey or one from Survey Monkey, take the minute or so required to complete it.

If we don’t know what you want, we can’t very well arrange it for you.

This past year, on at least five occasions, activities, classes or workshops that had been arranged for you had to be cancelled due to lack of participation. What a disappointment – for those who planned the event, for those who signed up but were thwarted due to lack of sufficient enrollment. We intend to avoid that this year by offering ONLY activities that you indicate you want and will support.

Kicking things off . . .

In January, we’ll be working with an affiliate organization to bring the lovely Ms. Shirley Adams of The Sewing Connection to town! January 7th – mark your calendar! Shirley will present a program on wearable art.

In February we have Jane Hardy (Rusty) Miller, author of French Braid, coming to town to present a French Braid trunk show, and workshop from her newest book, French Braid Obsession, on the French Braid Tree Skirt or Table Topper. If you haven’t seen her spectacular but amazingly easy to do masterpiece, you can find her books in most quilt shops, or go to: http://www.ctpub.com/contributorinfo.cfm?ContribID=401 Mark your calendars for February 4th and 5th. You can come to the trunk show, the day-and-a-half workshop, or both.

During the Bev & Marge Show – our annual conference wrap presentation to the neighborhood groups – you got to see and hear about the bra-making workshop I did at conference with Anne St. Claire. Well, in April – assuming there is sufficient support for it (no pun intended, of course!) – we will have our own bra-making workshop with Anne St. Claire! Sign-ups will begin very shortly, and there must be a minimum number of paid participants before this workshop can be confirmed. So don’t miss out! By the time you complete this workshop, you will have a pattern for a bra that fits you 100%, better than any bra has fit you in years, if ever, and you’ll be able to duplicate it in gorgeous fabrics for between $10 and $15 in about an hour and a half. What a deal! And, you’ll have a ball doing it!

That’s the first half of 2010. I’m going to keep you in mystery as to what’s in store for the second half. OK, go here for a peek: http://www.vikkipignatelli.com/

ASG is not a spectator sport!

If you like what you see, SIGN UP! If you don’t like what you see, TELL US WHAT YOU DO WANT TO SEE! If we don’t know what you want, we can’t give it to you. So speak up, participate, contribute. That old adage, “You get out of it what you put into it,” applies. And remember, when all is said and done – You will have the kind of chapter that you support. ASG is NOT a spectator sport!