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The Helena Quilters' Guild celebrated its twenty-sixth anniversary in May, 2007. The first years of the Guild are briefly reviewed. "Stitches in Time" was the name of the infant quilt club in Helena which was organized by Cherry Cowan, Kathleen Brown, Sandy Clark, Nanette Warfield, Thelma Gilbert, Jan Vulk, and Rose Bausch in May, 1981. We still have one charter member of that first meeting, Doris Hitt. One other continuous member that joined in 1982 is past-president, Juanita Padden. The club had a beginning newsletter that was also named "Stitches in Time" which was issued six times a year. Through July, 1982, the newsletter postage was paid by the Cooperative Extension Service, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. The quilt club eventually became known as the Helena Quilters' Guild.
The first quilt show was held in the Grand Street Theater for one day. Quilts were draped over the seats in the theater. Admission charge was $1 per person. Even though the first show revenues did not completely cover the show expenses, the Guild members were not dismayed and began work on the future second quilt show.
The second and third quilt shows were held in the mezzanine of the Helena Civic Center. Admission was not charged, but a quilt was especially made for the event and was raffled. Those proceeds covered the costs of the show.
As soon as each show is over, the Guild members begin planning their next show. It takes many months of planning, a great commitment of money, and dedication to formulate and follow through to a quilt show.
The past Guild Quilt Show Directors were: in 1982 Grand Street Theater - Cherry Cowan and Rose Bausch; 1983 Civic Center - Helena Kaczmarek and Moneisa Magnuson; 1984 Civic Center - Judy Donaghy; 1986 Library - Terry Sampson; 1987 Library Marjorie Sharp; 1989 Centennial Quilt Show in conjunction with the Montana Historical Society - Jane Addy, Doris Hitt and Moneisa Magnuson; 1991 Library - Dorene Williams; 1993 Library - Debra Pappas and Karen Sedlock; 1994 & 1996 Library - Julie Dess; 1998 Civic Center - Carina Zook; 2001 Civic Center - Shannon Gabbert; 2003 & 2005 Civic Center - Sydney Taber; 2007 Civic Center - Nancy Alley, Ian & Bonnie Steel; 2009 Civic Center - Lorena James; 2010 Civic Center - Nancy Alley and Susan Douglas.
Guild Meetings
The Guild has monthly meetings September through May. Unofficial meetings are held in the summertime and members do sometimes also gather for special summer events such as a featured nationally-known quilt teacher or road trips to a quilt shows.
Past Presidents of the Guild have been: 1982-83 Rose Bausch, 1983-84 Judy Donaghy, 1984-85 Juanita Padden, 1985-86 Doris Hitt, 1986-87 Marjorie Sharp, 1987-88 Det Meskiman, 1988-89 Moneisa Magnuson, 1989-90 Nickie Addis, 1991-92 Shar Short, 1992-93 Julie Dess, 1993-94 Sue Clark, 1994-95 Shannon Gabbert, 1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99 Lenore Adams, 1999-2000 Teri Reymann, and 2000-01 Carol Gabriel, 2001-02 Lorena James, 2002-03 Lois Kahns, 2003-04 Cheryl Heldt, 2005-06 Irene Kominos, 2006-07 Lorena James, 2007-08 Ian Steele, 2008-2009 Jill Larson,2009-10 Kerri Myles, and the 2010-11 President is Jill Larson.
The Guild members have been very active in community service projects by making and donating quilts for non-profit organizations. There have been quilts donated to special education, the Original Governor's Mansion, to the Montana Centennial Quilt Show, Habitat for Humanity, donations of doll clothes and doll quilts for the underprivileged at Christmas, 13 quilts to the Margaret Stuart Home for Children, Gerontology Association, East Helena Fire Department, CHAIRity quilts for Florence Crittenton Home, Shodair Children's Hospital, Cooney Convalescent Home, Race for the Cure, Holter Museum of Art, St Peter's Hospital in the children's ward, and countless other charities. Since 1997 the Helena Quilters' Guild has given a total of 962 quilts under the Guild's "Quilts for Comfort" charity program. This spring for the year of 2010, the Helena Quilters' Guild has donated 90 quilts to local charities.
Members have many times chartered buses or vans and taken trips to the various quilt shows in Carter, Montana; Spokane Washington; and Bozeman, Montana. The Guild sponsors many mini-retreats and invites internationally-known quilt teachers to come and instruct the members in new and innovative quilting methods. Guild members are constantly looking for new ways to hold our retreats in great locations with wonderful "quilting," boarding, and rooming accommodations, but also at an economical cost. Each year since 2002 the Guild rewards its members by conducting a three-day Quilt Retreat at Camp Mak-A-Dream, Gold Creek, Montana.
In May, 2008 a decision was made to change our retreat location to the Ursuline Center, Great Falls, Montana. It was a wonderful new choice; and, a great time was had by all Guild members who went to the Retreat. We will have our second Ursuline Center Quilting Retreat on April 23-26, 2009. This Retreat will take place during the Great Falls Quilt Show. Anticipation for the Guild Retreat is building and members will reward themselves for all the hard work done for our own soon to be recently past quilt show 2009. In the Spring of 2010 the Guild had another wonderful Retreat at the Great Falls Ursuline Center and have already booked the dates for the 2011 Retreat.
Guild meetings are held the second Thursday of the month at the Evangelical Covenant Church, 800 N. Hoback at 7:00 p.m. in the first level Sunday school rooms. The Guild has a very dedicated membership which is 75 members; but the Guild monthly welcomes new members.
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