Our in-person meetings will be held at the Chanhassen Recreation Center, 2310 Coulter Blvd., Chanhassen, MN. The regular meeting night will be the second Monday of the month. See the individual meeting information for any changes to time or place for special meetings. Our meeting social time starts at 6:30 pm, the business portion starts at 7pm unless listed otherwise for an individual meeting. Some in-person meetings will feature a speaker presentation over Zoom.
NOTE: If the Eastern Carver County School District calls a snow day, the Community Center is closed, and our meeting will be canceled.
Meeting News
Upcoming 2026 Meetings
January 12th meeting
Remaining meetings to be announced
2026 Meeting Details
January 12th CAQC Meeting:
The January 2026 meeting will take a look back and a look forward.
-- There will be a replay of the video shown at the Holiday Party featuring some of the 2025 club highlights.
--The list of the upcoming and exciting 2026 programs will be revealed.
-- There will be quilt reveals!
-- The 2025 Mystery Quilt will be revealed in a separate Show and Tell segment.
-- The 2026 Quilt Show Raffle Quilt will be revealed.
-- The 2025 CAQC Resolution Quilts Wrap-Up will occur. The Drawings for the winners of the final quarter of completed quilts as well as the Big drawing for the winnners of the fat quarters will take place.
-- Members will again break into small groups to get to know other members better. Members are encouraged to bring a "failure" quilt or project to share at this time.
-- Members will also share their work at the regular Show and Tell time.
-- Members can still turn in completed President's blocks.
Dates to Put on Your Calendar
• January 3, 9–3, Mount Calvary Saturday Group
• January 7, 10:00-1:30, DAGS Small Group
• January 15-18, 2026, CAQC Retreat
• January 20, 1-3, Try Something New Group
• January 22, 2026, 11-1, Small Group Organizational Meeting in Longfellow Room, Chanhassen Library
Check out the newsletter for more information on the following:
Resolution Quilts News:
Time for 2026 quilt resolutions! Whether you call them UFO’s (unfinished objects), PIGS (projects in grocery sacks), or WIP’s (works in progress), it’s time to finish them.
The 2026 goal is to resolve to complete up to ten quilts during the year. We’re keeping the changes made in 2025 so you will have TWELVE MONTHS to finish them. For each project you commit to complete, give/send a quilt shop quality fat quarter to Joy H. or Jenny D. by the March meeting.
These FQ’s will be used for the Grand Prizes. For instance, if you register three projects, you need to turn in three FQ’s. Receipt of your FQ’s confirms your participation and eligibility for prizes. (See Resolution Quilt document attached to the January newsletter for information and sign-up information.)
Comfort Quilt News:
In December CAQC has sent donations to the following organizations:
• 168 placemats to Bountiful Basket Food Shelf
• 9 quilts to Crescent Cove Children’s Hospice
• 6 quilts to Hope House, Chanhassen
• 11 quilts to Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative
That brings our total number of donated quilts this year to 241, along with 82 pillowcases and the 168 placements. Phenomenal job, members!
Some suggestions for donation quilts next year were received. Three of our recipient organizations prefer quilts that could be used as spreads for twin beds, so we are recommending around 60”x 80” for a size. We found that many of our donation quilts met the 60” width but were short in the length. If possible, if you would like your donation to fit a twin bed, please add another row or border to come close to the 80” length. Any quilts for beds must be machine quilted vs tied as they get washed frequently and this makes them more stable through the many washings. Also, it was suggested at Crescent Cove to make coordinating pillowcases to go with the quilts. Just suggestions as there are still many needs for smaller lap quilts and infant quilts.
We once again want to offer our thanks to all our members for their generosity in giving this year. It was much appreciated by us and our many recipients.
For a sneak peak of our 2026 Comfort Quilt block click here or check the attachments.
Making a comfort quilt at home? Approximate sizes desired
Kid’s size – 40 x 50”
Lap size – 50 x 60”
Twin size – 60 x 80”
Fidget quilts – 18 x 20”
Kid’s/Teen’s pillowcases – Cut 27” WOF and a 9” WOF border
Quilts of Valor – minimum size 55 x 65
Placemats -14" x 17"
Membership News:
Please be sure your dues are up to date so that you do not miss any important information. We have great speakers lined up for 2026 and don’t want you to miss out. Per our bylaws, your name will be removed from our monthly newsletter and monthly meeting roster if your dues are over two months late. However, it is easy to get back on. At our monthly meetings, bring your check or use Clover to electronically renew. If you wish to pay dues with a credit card, but cannot attend the meeting, you may request an invoice be sent from membership OR you can send mail a $35 check (made out to CAQC). Questions or changes to contact information please send emails to caqcmembership@gmail.com.
Mystery Quilt 2025 News:
Yes, there is a mystery quilt again this year since it’s a non-show year for the Club. The finished quilt measures 60 x 60 with a medallion type center and several borders, some of which are block rows. It’s not a sampler, but there are several different blocks. The quilt is a straight set, not on point, and has five fabrics – a print, two darks, and two lights. The print should be relatively small, and can be floral, swirly, or just something you like. Then pick out two darker coordinates that will be both parts of blocks, as well as narrow borders, and two lighter fabrics for blocks and background.
March 2025 Newsletter -- contains an intro and fabric requirements
April 2025 Newsletter -- has a cutting instruction attachment
May 2025 Newsletter-- attachment contains instructions for making 20-- 1 1/2" half square triangles using the 4-at-a-time method.
June 2025 Newsletter-- attachment contains instructions for making 80--2"x4" flying geese
July 2025 Newsletter-- attachment contains instructions for making 80--2" Half Square Triangles (HST)
August 2025 Newsletter-- attachment contains instructions for making 20-- 4½” Square-in-a-Square units
September 2025 Newsletter-- attachment contains instructions for assembling the center medallion
October 2025 Newsletter-- attachment contains instructions for making 16 "Birds in the Air" blocks
November 2025 Newsletter-- attachment contains instructions for making 4 corner blocks for center medallion
December 2025 Newsletter-- attachment contains instructions for making 20 star blocks
January 2026 Newsletter-- attachment contains instructions for quilt assembly
Social Media News
Please submit pictures to show others via our Facebook and Instagram accounts all the fun that we have. Send any pictures you want posted to Penny K. at the addresses listed in the newsletter. Please include what the event the entry is for and any names you want included.
Zoom News:
To all members: The club pays for a zoom account all year. If you want to meet for a club meeting or small group on zoom, you are welcome to use it. Please contact Eva V. for help setting up, or training and passwords.
Small Group Organizational Meeting:
Do you want to meet more quilters in the Chaska Area Quilt Club? Are you a new member hoping to join a small group?
An organizational meeting will be held on January 22, 11:00 a.m. at the Chanhassen Library, in the Longfellow Room. We will be planning groups based on interests, skills or any other thing you want. Everyone is welcome.
Small Group News:
Try Something New Group: The Try Something New Group meets quarterly. We work on specific challenges that test our creativity, skills, and (sometimes) patience. All are welcome to join. Please consider joining us, even if you don't do the challenge.
The next challenge for the Try Something New Group is to contribute to a group quilt. There are enough participants that we can get 2 quilts done, possibly for the MN Quilt Show and/or for our own September quilt show. There are 2 options for blocks.
1. Variations on the Shoo Fly Block. Have fun with this. Play. Experiment. See Shoo Fly instructions attached to January newsletter. If you need more help, there are many tutorials on the internet. Make a 9-inch finished (9 1/2 unfinished) block with dark and light corners (high contrast). The center is your choice. The middle section on each side is the piece you can vary. All four squares should match within one block, but you are invited to try several variations from one block to the next.
2. Free Hand Curves: Make a 12-inch finished (12 1/2 unfinished) block with multiple free hand curves and multiple colors. Use fabric that is solid, or that reads as solid. There is a great YouTube tutorial on this technique from 2015 featuring Rob Appell. Search for Quilts with Curves: Curved Piecing with Rob Appell of Man Sewing.
We are already thinking ahead to a future challenge. Please bring 1 fat quarter of the ugliest fabric in your stash. It will go to a new home and be used as the dominant fabric in a future project.
The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 20th, 1-3 in the Longfellow Room, Chanhassen Library. Contact person: Kathy W.
DAGS Small Group - All CAQC members are welcome to join+.
Meets: 1st Wednesday of the month
Location: Meet at Christ Community Church, 897 3rd Ave, Excelsior, MN 55331, (the gray building)
Time: 10:00-1:30/2:00
Cost: $5.00 Contribution to the church; this is a donation not a requirement.
What to bring: A sewing machine, sewing supplies or hand work and lunch.
Supplies provided: Iron, ironing board, cutting mat, fridge and microwave available for use.
Contact people: Kim S. or Kathy W.
An email will be sent out before the we meeting. Please contact Kim S. or Kathy W. to be added to the email list. (DAGS has been known to take field trips instead of sewing) All quilting skills are welcomed! Come be inspired by the joy of quilting together. DAGS stands for the Day After Girls, back in the day when they met the day after the CAQC meeting.
Mount Calvary Saturday Group is an open quilting group. An RSVP to Eva V. is required.
Location- Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, 301 County Rd. 19, Excelsior, Mn 55331
The next meeting is scheduled for Saturday, January 3rd, from 9:00 - 3:00 pm, Attendees can drop in and sew and chat throughout the day. Attendees need to provide their own lunch if they stay all day. Some people often walk across the parking lot to Kowalski's to pick something up.
IMPORTANT - Attendees must RSVP to Eva V. by the Wednesday prior to the meeting if they plan to attend. The meeting will be canceled if there aren't 6 confirmed attendees.
Some people hand sew and some bring machines, your choice. There is a convenient side door to the room where we sew on the north side of the church on William Street. This group generally meets one Saturday a month. Email Eva V. to be put on the email list to receive emails about future dates. Eva's email address can be found in the newsletter.
2026 Quilt Show News:
The 2026 Quilt Show Challenge Quilts has been announced. This is a voluntary project, and all members are welcome to participate. Quilts will be hung outside the theater in the Chaska Community Center about a month before the 2026 show. There is no fee to enter, and all member quilts are accepted as long as they meet the requirements set out in the challenge description. See the January 2026 Newsletter to see a description of the challenge and the necessary requirements. There is also a link in the newsletter for registering to enter the challenge.
2026 Quilt Show Boutique News:
It is not too early to start making items for the 2026 boutique. More details will be given at the January meeting, including samples of boutique items.
Collections will begin later this Spring. Each item will need a slip attached, to identify it with pertinent information.
There may be opportunities to join others and make items for the boutique. Please sign up in January, to be notified about these gatherings.
Previous 2025 Meetings
January 13th meeting. This will be an organizational meeting for 2025 Committees. Two CAQC members, former math teachers, shared math tips and tricks to make your quilt project planning clearer in their presentation "What’s Math Got to Do With It?!".
January 16 – 19, 2025 The 2025 Retreat was held at Green Lake Bible Camp near Spicer.
February 10th meeting The featured speaker was Diane Murtha Diane presented her lecture "License to Play".
March 10th meeting The featured speaker was Heidi Parkes.
April 14th meeting This meeting was our annual Comfort Quilt Work Night. Members stitch quilts that will make their way into the hands of refugees, abuse victims, veterans, elder care residents, and children who are severely sick or injured.
May 12th meeting The featured speaker was CAQC member Penny Kaspszak. Penny presented an entertaining view of her quilting journey.
June 9th meeting A small reception was held to honor CAQC member Sharyn Resvick.who was selected by the Minnesota Quilters as the 2025 Minnesota Quilter of the year.
The regular meeting featured a presentation by speaker Debby Boyles who described her artistic journey and shared a trunk show of her quilts and textile works.
July 14th meeting The annual CAQC potluck picnic was held on Monday, July 14 at Lake Ann in Chanhassen in the Klingelhutz Pavilion.
August 11th meeting The featured speaker was Jean McElvain, a curator of the Goldstein Museum of Design. Jean discussed the impact of quilting on fashion through photographs of quilts and wearables from the Goldstein Museum of Design’s collection.
September 8th meeting A last minute speaker cancellation changed the meeting plans. Attendees were treated to a trunk show of the many Comfort Quilts that have been turned in. Then we broke up into small groups and shared quilting histories, favored quilting styles, quilters that we followed online and in general got to know more about fellow CAQC members.
The October 13th meeting The featured speaker was MJ Kinman presenting "Gems of the Smithsonian and the Quilts They’ve Inspired". MJ shared the history and lore of these gems and introduced their eccentric, intriguing and often outrageous owners throughout the ages. Then she lead us through the step-by-step process she uses to transform images into quilt designs and shared her quilts based on these gems. She says, “It’s all about the faceting pattern!”
The November 10th meeting featured speaker will be Tom Maidl. His presentation was "Country Classic Quilting: It’s All About the Journey" describing his personal journey and featuring a trunk show.
The CAQC 2025 Holiday Party was heald at Turtles 1890 Social Club, 112 Lewis Street, Shakopee.