2024 YEAR IN REVIEW
BY GUILD HISTORIAN ROBERT TUCKER
January started out on a colorful note with guest speaker Kena Tangi Dorsey and the reveal of our 2024 opportunity quilt titled, The Sum of its Parts. It is a citrus delight surrounded in black by Loretta Duffy and quilted by Kelley Bachli.
January is also the month the annual southern California quilt show Road to California takes place and our guild members look forward to this each year. This show takes place over several days and we displayed our opportunity quilt there and though it is a beauty it only generated $101.00.
The Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival was back again in February, another chance to display our opportunity quilt. Many guild members had quilts entered and ribbons awarded.
During the February guild meeting voting took place on the challenge quilt created by Robert Tucker and again it was an impressive turnout. Cheryl Quesnell, Kelley Bachli and Kathy Dunhan received the most votes for their entries. On the topic of Kathy Dunham, she was the guest speaker that month. Robert Tucker had overseen the challenge quilt for the past eight years and handed the rein over to Cheryl Quesnell for the 2026 Desert Guilds Quilt Show.
During the March guild meeting the Slate of 2024-25 candidates were announced. The meeting was hybrid and the guest speaker was Anne Dawson. There was also a Sew What Table in March but the most exciting thing during March was The Desert Guilds Quilt Show. Once again the three guilds involved worked tirelessly to make it a success and our guild had amazing entries in the main category by, Judy Block, Treese Pflum, Kathleen Herring, Pat Siegel, JoMarie Woods, Rose Mary Jameson, Pamela Kimball, Jan Bruell, Stevanna Collins, Cal Trimpey, Mary Gorfine, Linda Crowe, Deborah Walthert, Cindy Valley, Patti Reyes, Mary McKay, Kelley Bachli, Janna Calkins, Carmen Goldstein, Nancy Wilhelm, Lucy Jewkes, Hilda Koning Bastiaan, Paul Reiss, Annie Houston, Robert Tucker, Leslie Gardiner, Tony DeZego, Patricia Young, Laurie Latta, Loretta Duffy, Erika Echols, Betty Hochhalter, Leslie Herbst, Diana Durham, Jackie Mason and Kathy Dunham.
Our April meeting was hybrid with the witty and creative Catherine Redford as our guest speaker. The slate of candidates for 24-25 were presented and voted on during the meeting. A Global Quilt Connection All-Star Platter was made available for members in April.
Sadly, the month of May saw the ending of President Tony DeZego in that position. The installation of new officers took place during the meeting before we were introduced to our guest speaker Veruschka Zarate.
President – Treese Pflum, VP Facilities – Janna Calkins and Judi Moran, VP Programs – Judy Q Block and Cheryl Taylor, Treasurer – Pat Siegel, Secretary - Nadine Gilfillan, VP Opportunity Quilt – Alena Callimanis and Suzanne Woodward, Membership - Kathy Clewell, Parliamentarian – Carmen Goldstein, Philanthropy – Hilda Koning-Bastiaan and Sarah Bush.
Committee Chairs are, Historian – Robert Tucker, Sew What Table – Stephanie Beasley and Marcia Ulrich, Email Blasts – Debbie Carran and Erika Echols, Block of the Month – Kathy Pratt and Cheryl Taylor, Social Media – Robert Tucker, Zoom – Annie Houston, Website – Kathleen Herring.
Summer meetings were zoom only. Our June speaker was Brandy Maslowski. July, we had a studio tour of the always elegant guild member Jan Bruell and ending the summer heat with Debbie LoCicero as our guest speaker sharing a tour of her sewing space in August.
September we could meet in person again with a hybrid meeting and it was a treat to see familiar faces. Our guest speaker that month was Dana Jones. Another Global Quilt Connection was available to members this month.
During the October meeting President Treese Pflum was on the road so Janna Calkins led the meeting. There were a few hiccups as Annie Houston the zoom queen was not in the house for this meeting. Janna rolled with the punches and did a great job. The guest speaker was Wendy Mathson and she was a huge hit. Everyone raved that took her class the next day. Programs did an amazing job this year bringing us excitement and the lineup for 2025 looks inviting indeed.
Rachel Derstine was the November guest speaker. The in-person part of the meeting was very well attended. The buzz of the December holiday party was in the air.
Kathy Clewell reported that our membership was 243 at the year’s end.
Hilda Koning-Bastiaan reported that 368 charity quilts along with placemats, burp cloths, neck pillows, fidget quilts, and story time pillows were generously distributed by the C.V.Q.G. in 2024. Guild members and Friendship Groups worked hard at achieving these goals.
Our annual holiday party was a breakfast brunch held on December 14th at the Desert Willow Golf resort in Palm Desert with over a hundred attending. President Treese Pflum was the hostess. Past president Tony DeZego was presented 125 blocks by guild historian Robert Tucker. These blocks of love were made by guild members. In keeping with our rich holiday tradition there was a silent auction and a gift basket raffle, both were a creative and financial success. The opportunity quilt winner Grant McMillan was drawn and announced.
2023 YEAR IN REVIEW
BY GUILD HISTORIAN ROBERT TUCKER
The year started out on a high note with the entertaining and energetic Dru Ferrell, owner of Sew Treasured Quilt Shop in Murrieta California as our guest speaker.
Not only was she a great speaker she had an impressive mini store set up in the lobby.
January is when we unveiled Lily Field our Opportunity Quilt for the year. The pattern was by Kathy Doughty, pieced by Jackie Mason & Stephanie Beasley and quilted by Treese Pflum.
We had a zoom sit and sew that month. Judi Moran reported Olive Crest, Family Hospice and Bristol Hospice all appreciated the many place mats guild members made and donated.
Hilda Koning-Bastiaan and Patti Reyes had work in the SCCQH Exhibit at the Road to California Quilt Show.
In February President Tony DeZego brought quilt legend Eleanor Burns in as the guest speaker. Eleanor did her complete " This is your life Eleanor Burns" stage show and signed books afterwards and posed for photographs.
After a three-year hiatus the Riverside County & National Date Festival returned. Laurie LaSalle, Leslie Herbst, Treese Pflum, Pamela Kimball, Linda Blake and Patti Reyes had entries in the festival. Our opportunity quilt was on view also.
We had our first Sew What Table of the season this month again at The Joslyn Center. Sixteen new members signed up at this event. We had eighty-four shoppers plus the crew.
The Rancho Mirage Library is where we held our March meeting, a first for us and the guest speaker was Maria Shell. During the meeting the Inland Empire Modern Quilt Guild had their opportunity quilt on display next to ours. Guild Member Tricia Schroeter had an open house this month for the new location of her quilt shop in Palm Desert called Trish Tac Sew.
Back in our home turf of the University of California, Riverside Palm Desert Campus our April speaker was guild member Cheryl Taylor. The new slate of officers was voted in.
May was our last in person meeting before the Summer and Jenni Smith was our guest speaker. The new directory was available and back in hard copy form. It was announced our newsletter as we have known it is a thing of the past and eblasts are the future. At this time Debbie Carran is in charge of the eblasts keeping us informed. Facebook administrator Robert Tucker has been doing the same with weekly posts on social media.
The new slate of officers was announced, and Tony DeZego continued as President, Judi Moran & Janna Calkins VP Facilities, Cheryl Quesnell, Nancy Wilhelm & Annie Houston VP Programs, Alena Callimanis VP Opportunity Quilt, Kathy Dunham as Secretary and Pat Siegel as Treasurer.
Our second Sew What Table of the year took place this month. We also had access to the Quilt Connection speakers which is informative for many.
June was a zoom meeting only with guest speaker Rose Rhoads educating us about the Quilts of Valor. Summer zoom sew alongs were announced to help us stay connected during the summer months of June, July, August and September.
The July zoom meeting featured a studio tour of guild member Treese Pflum's newly renovated work/sewing space.
Janna Calkins and Patti Reyes had works in the Quilt Festival Long Beach.
The Fairmont Water Works Museum in Philadelphia accepted the commissioned quilt made by Robert Tucker into their permanent collection.
Guild member Cal Trimpey entertained us during the August zoom meeting with a studio workspace tour.
Patricia Bitter Young was awarded several ribbons for her quilts entered into the Kenosha County Fair in Wisconsin this month.
Hybrid meetings resumed in September. Queen of the tumbling block, Claire Victor was our guest speaker. Claire was a very active member in our guild until she moved out of state a few years ago.
Once again guild members had access to another Global Quilt Connection All Star Virtual Sampler Platter.
Our October speaker was guild member Mary Gorfine. The Beach Cities Quilters Guild had their opportunity quilt on display during our meeting.
During our November meeting Annie Houston orchestrated guest speaker Rose Rhoads and her musical husband Bill to give a beautiful Quilts of Valor presentation.
Debbie Cannon, Kathleen Herring, Janna Calkins, Cheryl Quesnell, Annie Houston, Leslie Herbst, Kathy Dunham, Kate Baron, Linda Blake, Patricia Bitter Young, Linda Jones, Hilda Koning-Bastiaan, Tony DeZego, Nancy Wilhelm, Jan Bruell and Jackie Mason each made and donated a quilt of valor.
November was truly a month of giving and members worked on panels for a new large AIDS Quilt panel. The Mizell Center in Palm Springs had two of the original panels on display, also panels made by guild members which will be sewn together to make one large panel that will go into the official national AIDS Quilt collection. Alan Calgaro, Deb McCarran, Cal Trimpey, Tony DeZego, Robert Tucker, Mary McKay, Jackie Mason, Vivien McGuire, Cathleen Jolley, Kathleen Herring, Treese Pflum, Mary Gorfine, Marcia Ulrich, Annie Houston, Janna Calkins and Ronda Guillaume all gave their talents and passion to this project.
The Sew What Table had its third event of the year in November. Leslie Herbst and volunteers worked hard at making this yet again another success with offering rock bottom prices and a fun time.
On the topic of volunteering, Treese Pflum reported we had 400 charity quilts made and donated by guild members this year which at this writing stands at 233 reported by Stephanie Beasley of Membership. Quilts were not the only items donated with 485 placemats, burp cloths, pillows and fidget quilts all going to good causes. Many of these items were the efforts by members of Friendship Groups.
December was our month to celebrate, and our yearly holiday party was a brunch held in the ballroom of Desert Willow Country Club. Over 100 people attended with President Tony DeZego running the event with the help of many others. Kathleen Herring spear headed the gift basket raffle and Janna Calkins the silent auction. Robert Tucker made the centerpieces which were one-of-a-kind wreaths also raffled off.
Guild member Connie Fleischner won the Opportunity Quilt.
2022 YEAR IN REVIEW
BY GUILD HISTORIAN ROBERT TUCKER
We started the new year off with a new logo designed by Tony DeZego.
New membership badges were given out showcasing our new brighter logo.
During our January guild meeting our 2022 opportunity quilt titled Music is Universal was revealed. Also reported, 146 charity quilts were given out between July and December 2021.
The meeting was hybrid and masks were still required for those attending in person. To the shock and dismay our January speaker ( name withheld ) made anti white male comments and made clear her thoughts on the appropriateness of male quilters which were negative. We hope out of bad comes good and this unfortunate experience sparked a change in our bylaws which encourages inclusion of all, these changes will discourage this behavior in the future.
Road to California quilt show took place as usual at The Ontario Convention Center. Several members had quilts in this show. Loretta Duffy and Cheryl Quesnell had quilts accepted in the main show. Robert Tucker had a quilt accepted in the Twins Challenge. Patti Reyes, Mary McKay and Hilda Koning-Bastiaan were part of the SCCQH exhibit.
February our guild guest speaker was Mel Beach.
During this guild meeting our Fortune Cookie Challenge took place with 19 beautiful and creative entries. Just a peek at what to expect at the next months Desert Guilds Quilt Show. Cheryl Quesnall, Pene Owens and Judy Elliott received the most votes for their entries.
The March guest speaker was Phyllis Cullen. The highlight of the month was the 12th Biennial Desert Guilds Quilt Show housed once again at The Pavilion in Palm Springs. This show consisted of the combined efforts of Cactus Sew-Ables, Pass Patchers and the Coachella Valley Quilt Guild. Awardees from our guild in this show were Loretta Duffy, Joanne Hunt, Robert Tucker, Cherryl Chandler, Deborah Walthert, Patti Reyes, Janice Bruell, Nancy Wilhelm, Calvin Trimpey, Mary McCay, Cathy Clewell, Alan Calgaro and Pene Owens. There were many entries from our guild in this show and each one a gem.
During the April guild meeting the Slate of Officers was announced by President Kathleen Herring. Also, in April we had a zoom wool embroidery sew along hosted by Joanne Hunt and Laura Fiedler. Our guest speaker at the meeting this month was Anna Maria Sonner.
The changing of the guard ( welcoming the incoming board ) took place during the May guild meeting with Mary Gorfine MCing the event with bead encrusted star wands which she made herself.
Kathleen Herring gave a farewell speech during the June meeting as this was her last month as president. Zoom studio tours this month were the environments of Nancy Wilhelm and Tricia Schroeter.
July we made history with the guilds first male President: Tony DeZego
Vice President of Facilities: Treese Pflum
Vice President of Programs: Nancy Wilhelm and Cheryl Quesnell
Vice President of Opportunity Quilts: Patti Reyes
Secretary: Kathy Dunham
Treasurer: Calvin Trimpey
Membership: Stephanie Beasley and Marcia Ulrich
Parliamentarian: Janna Calkins
Philanthropy: Jackie Mason and Judi Moran
July had a very sad event and that was the closing of Monica’s Quilt Shop which had been a meeting place for quilters and guild members for several decades. President Tony DeZego and guild member Brian Brown put together a farewell event in Monica’s store which included eats, drinks and a lovely cake. Tony produced a video from this event which can be viewed on YouTube. Monica and her store are greatly missed.
July zoom studio tours were the environments of Leslie Herbst and Tony DeZego.
Several times during the year guild members had access to the online Global Quilt Connection which has been a great learning tool for many. In August the Coachella Valley Quilt Guild was included in the Quiltfolk Guild Locator.
In September Ceil Woodward, one of the two co-founders (1985) of our guild passed away. Our guest speaker that month was Kathryn Pellman
Annie Houston hosted a zoom “Gnomes & More “class.
In October the board and members of the Desert Guilds Quilt Show met up in the Cathedral City Library to discuss the 2024 quilt show.
Our guest speaker at the guild meeting that month was Pat Hadfield and it was an in-person presentation with an impressive trunk show.
We had four Sew What Table events this year in the months of January, April, July and November. They took place at The Joslyn Center in Palm Desert. Leslie Herbst and volunteers worked hard at making these events fun and profitable. The membership table was very busy at the November Sew What with renewals and new members. With those added members we are at 218 strong, the most members in the history of the guild.
Lyric Montgomery Kinard was the November guest speaker.
December was our annual holiday luncheon and this year it was housed at the Desert Willow Resort in Palm Desert. Over 100 members and guests attended. Janna Calkins spearheaded the silent auction, Kathleen Herring the raffle baskets and Patti Reyes with table decorations. The opportunity quilt drawing, membership drawing and Eleanor Burns class drawing also took place. Treese Pflum, vice president of facilities made sure things ran smoothly. Guild historian Robert Tucker handed out hard copies of the History of the CVQG. President Tony DeZego gave a moving speech thanking everyone that makes the guild work.
It is always nice to end the year on a positive note. Philanthropy gals Judi Moran and Jackie Mason reported we received 368 charity quilts in 2022.