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 2025 Meetings
October 13th meeting featured speaker M.J. Kinman
November 10th meeting featured speaker Tom Maidl
December 8th meeting Holiday Party
2025 Meeting Details
The October 13th meeting featured speaker will be MJ Kinman presenting "Gems of the Smithsonian and the Quilts They’ve Inspired"
MJ will share the history and lore of these gems and introduce you to their eccentric, intriguing and often outrageous owners throughout the ages. Then she will lead us through the step-by-step process she uses to transform images into quilt designs and share her quilts based on these gems. She says, “It’s all about the faceting pattern!”
MJ works with fabric and paint to create larger than life images, based on actual gemstones. MJ says she studies the gems to understand “its personality - the play of color and light across its facets, with a goal of capturing the luminosity.”
MJ has been featured in many quilt publications, beginning in 2017. She had a solo show at the National Quilt Museum (Paducah, KY) in 2020. She was an instructor at this year’s Minnesota Quilt Show and had several of her gem quilts on display there. Her quilts have been/are displayed in galleries, museums, national juried competitions, and private collections.
A ZOOM link for our speaker presentation will be emailed to CAQC members about a week prior to the meeting.
Dates to Put on Your Calendar
• September 27, Mount Calvary Saturday Group, 9 to 3pm
• October 1, DAGS Shop Hop, information in the newsletter DAGS article
• October 11, 9 to 3 pm, WOW Quilt Show, Maple Grove Community Center
• October 17, DAGS Shop Hop, information in the newsletter DAGS article
• October 14, 5:30 pm, Quilt Show Committee Meeting, Chanhassen Library
• October 17-18, 2025, Stitches in Time Quilt Show presented by White Bear Lake Ladies of the Lake Quilting Society
• October 21, Try Something New Group, 1 to 3 pm,
• October 25, Mount Calvary Saturday Group, 9 to 3pm
• Jan 15-18, 2026, CAQC Retreat
Check out the newsletter for more information on the following:
Resolution Quilts News:
Just a reminder Resolution Quilt participants should send a snapshot of their finished piece to Kim A, and include “Resolution Quilts” in the subject line. Text submissions should include the participants name as well as the picture.
The second completed Resolutions drawing for 39 finished quilts was held in September. The last gift certificate drawing of the year, along with the fat quarter drawing will be held at the January 2026 meeting.
At that time, we will also have the grand drawing for the black and white fat quarters.
Comfort Quilt News:
And the quilts just keep coming! We had another big night of quilts turned in by members at our September meeting.
Donations recently went to various organizations.
5 small quilts went to Bloom Child Care Center.
20 lap sized quilts went to Auburn Manor Nursing Home.
11 twin sized quilts went to the Sleep in Heavenly Peace Program.
With a recent fabric donation, we will have plenty of fabrics and kits for members to choose from in October to sew up more comfort quilts this fall. Thank you once again to all our members for your generosity in however you have helped in making these donations possible. The recipients’ joy in receiving the quilts makes it all worthwhile.
We will be making holiday placemats again this year. They will be distributed to seniors through CAP and possibly Bountiful Baskets. The suggested size is 14” X 17”, but other sizes are also welcome.
Request backing or batting from Sharyn R or Carolyn S. at the addresses listed in the newsletter.
Making a comfort quilt at home? Approximate sizes desired
Kid’s size – 40 x 50”
Lap size – 50 x 60”
Twin size – 60 x 70”
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 2025 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). Send emails to caqcmembership@gmail.com or use the USPS mailing address contained in our monthly newsletters.
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
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. Please include what the event was for and any names you want included.
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.
The next meeting will be Tuesday, October 21st, 1-3 pm at the Chanhassen Library Longfellow Room. Photos of projects from the most recent challenge (Secret Messagge) were posted on the CAQC FB page. Please consider joining us, even if you don't do the challenge.
The new challenge is "Roll of the Dice." We rolled the dice twice; the first time to determine the dominant color of our next project, and the second time to determine the element to use. If you'd like to play along, please take out a dice and roll it twice to determine YOUR color and element. Projects can be anything of your choosing, any size.
Color: 1. red/pink 2. Orange 3. blue 4. green 5. Purple 6. yellow/gold
Element: 1. star 2. mostly triangles 3. rectangle/squares 4. strips/strings
5. recognizable shape (eg. house, leaf, heart, etc) 6. 9 patch or 4 patch
Contact person: Kathy W.
DAGS Small Group - All CAQC members are welcome to join+.
Meets: 1st Wednesday of the month
Place: 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.
Two DAGS field trips are planned for October 2025
Shop Hops - October 1 - Meet 9:00 at Christ Community Church in Excelsior, 897 3rd Avenue.
Shops on the list: Affinity Quilts in White Bear Lake, Buttermilk Basin in Spring Lake Park, Tiny Apple in Anoka and Front Porch Quilts in Anoka. A stop for lunch in Anoka is planned.
October 17: Meet 9:00 at the Cub Parking Lot in Chaska, Hwy 41 & Pioneer Trail.
Shops on the list: Sew Quilty in Arlington, Sewing Seeds in New Ulm, Thimble Box ub New Ulm, Sue’s Quilt Shop in New Prague. A stop for lunch in New Ulm is planned.
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 scheduled meetings are Saturday, September 27th and October 25 bothe 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 next quilt show planning meeting is scheduled for Tuesday October 14 at 5:30 pm in the Chanhassen Library.
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 October 2025 Newsletter to see a description of the challenge and the necessary requirements.
Holiday Party 2025
The club will be celebrating the December holidays and all the festivities that go with it at our December meeting.
Our Club party will be held Monday, December 8, at 6 pm at Turtles 1890 Social Club, 112 Lewis Street, Shakopee.
Cost will be $35 per person payable at sign up. Sign-ups will start at the October meeting
Please plan on joining in the merriment and good food with your quilting friends.
2026 Retreat – January 15 – 18
We hold a retreat every January for members of the Club to sew and chat and connect and enjoy each other’s company. You sew on your own projects for the most part. We will likely have a sew-a-thon to make blocks for the Comfort Quilts committee kits at some point of the retreat. If you are interested in leading a Make and Take project, let one of the committee members know. This is a great way to get to know more members of the Club! We hope you can join us!
• The retreat will be at Green Lake Camp in Spicer, MN on January 15-18, 2026
• Cost will be $330 for 3 nights. This includes meals, bedding, and a great place to sew.
• To join in the fun, complete the registration form attached to the October newsletter.
• Payment must be made with your registration.
• You must be a current member of CAQC.
Any questions, please contact:
Diane B., Kathy D., Beth H., or Anne A. at the addresses in the October newsletter.
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.