Northwest Suburban Quilters Guild celebrates 40 years at this weekend's show in Elk Grove
Joyce Drenth of Hawthorn Woods spent years as an assistant principal with schools throughout Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54, but her retirement opened up time for her real passion: quilting.
"Being an administrator is data-driven and looking at analytics," Drenth says, "but quilting lets me use the other side of my brain, the creative side."
Drenth is a member of the Northwest Suburban Quilters Guild, which draws its members from nearly two dozen communities in Cook, Lake, Kane and DuPage counties. They meet every month at the Rolling Meadows Community Center to hear speakers and share their designs.
This weekend, Drenth is co-chairing the guild's popular quilt show with Ann Kelly of Elgin. The event takes place Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 2 and 3, at the Holiday Inn Chicago-Elk Grove in Elk Grove Village and features more than 200 quilts made by guild members.
They mount the show every other year, and regularly draw hundreds of patrons. But this one is different. It falls during the guild's 40th anniversary year.
"We're expecting a record turnout," Kelly says. "We're excited to be able to keep people passionate and fueled about the art of quilting."
In celebration of the group's ruby anniversary, members have called this year's show "Time Flies." They also issued a challenge to guild members to create a quilt that incorporates specific criteria, including at least four ruby red elements, flying geese pieces - a common quilting block with a triangle across the width of the square - embellishments, and all tied into the theme.
The guild drew more than one dozen entries, including Drenth, who embraced the intricate criteria woven into the challenge. In the end, her quilt took first place. It was her second consecutive time winning the guild challenge, which came one week after she won the "Viewers' Choice" award at a quilt show held at Lynfred Winery in Roselle for the same quilt.
The exhibit of quilts from members offered a unique pairing with the winery's tasting session, but it turns out both Lynfred and the Northwest Suburban Quilters Guild shared the same milestone: their 40th anniversary.
Drenth explains that she designed the award-winning entry on the computer, using the Electric Quilt program. The unique software transforms into an online worktable to block out designs and measure the number of squares needed to bring designs to life.
In keeping with the theme, Drenth made the focal point of the quilt a clock face, only the hands are formed by a pair of scissors - an essential tool for every quilter - whose blades are pointed to 4 o'clock, representing the four decades spanned by the guild.
A closer look reveals the required flying geese blocks surrounding the face of the clock, with 3-dimensional prairie points, or folded triangles, that when pulled up includes squares from 40 different quilts Drenth has made. Each point contains the name and year of the quilt.
"I've made hundreds of quilts," Drenth said, "but these were some of my favorites."
Another prominent feature on the quilt is a giant ruby slipper, poised to kick a bucket stocked with a list of Drenth's bucket list items.
Drenth's winning quilt, plus all of the challenge entries, will be featured at the show, along with the other creative designs by members.
The quilt show is the guild's only fundraiser and it raises money to bring in quilting experts for the group's monthly meetings. At last week's meeting, nearly 85 members listened to a speaker from the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts.
Kelly says the guild offers a social side to quilting.
"Quilting can be a solitary art, but coming together every month offers us the social aspect," she says. "I've made so many friends through the guild who enjoy being creative as much as I do."
Drenth agrees, but adds that the nationally known speakers are a big draw.
"It doesn't matter how much you know, you can always learn new techniques, perspective on colors and other viewpoints," Drenth says. "It just offers a spark of information."
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"Time Flies!" Northwest Suburban Quilters Guild's quilt show
When: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3
Where: Holiday Inn Chicago-Elk Grove, 1000 Busse Road, Elk Grove Village
Admission: Adults $7, free for kids 12 and younger
Details: nsqg.club/special-events/2019-quilt-show/