We welcome new members. Learn about the benefits of membership, join us by purchasing your membership, or come to our next meeting.
-
Develop and encourage the art of modern quilting
Encourage new quilters and other fiber artists
Offer formal and informal educational opportunities
Provide opportunity for charitable works that support our greater Lake Superior community through the use of sewing skills
Work with other guilds and groups with similar purposes
-
Article I: Name, Purpose and General Matters
1.1 The name of the organization will be the Lake Superior Modern Quilt Guild, also referred to as “The Guild” or “LSMQG”.
1.2 Purpose: The Guild’s purpose is to:
Develop and encourage the art of modern quilting
Work with other guilds and groups with a similar purpose
Encourage new quilters and other fiber artists.
Offer educational opportunities and sharing of information
Support and provide opportunity for “charity” or other works that provide back to the community through the use of sewing skills
1.3 Location and office: The Guild will maintain a mailing address within the Duluth, Minnesota area and a registered contact.
1.4 Powers: Members and Directors of The Guild are subject to adherence to these Bylaws.
1.5 Fiscal Year: The fiscal year begins on January 1 and ends on December 31 of each year.
1.6 Annual Meeting: The January meeting of The Guild will be considered the Annual Meeting where new Officers take office, the Budget is presented for approval of members and the outgoing President and Treasurer deliver reports.
1.7 Privacy: Member information is for the purpose of The Guild business only and every effort will be made to protect the privacy of individual members. Personal information of members will never be offered for sale or otherwise to non-authorized parties.
1.8 Roberts Rules of Order: All general meetings and Guild Council will be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order unless specifically excluded by these Bylaws.
1.9 Non-Discrimination: No person may be denied membership to The Guild or be denied participation in any Guild events or activities because of the person's sex, race, religion, national origin, ancestry, creed, pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual orientation or physical, mental, emotional or learning disability.
Lake Superior Modern Quilt Guild
Article II: Members
2.1 Membership: Membership is granted to persons 15 years or older upon completion of membership application and payment of dues. Paid members in good standing receive a single vote in Guild matters. Members must adhere to the code of conduct to remain in good standing and maintain membership.
2.2 Dues: The annual dues amount will be set by the Guild Council. If a member withdraws from The Guild, dues will not be prorated or refunded. Dues must be received by the January 31 to remain in good standing. The Guild Council has the authority to authorize payment arrangements on a case-by-case basis.
2.3 Meetings: The Guild will hold a monthly meeting. The timing of the meeting will be
determined by the Guild Council. The time of the meeting will not change in a fiscal year unless special circumstances are determined by the Guild Council. Members may attend meetings free of charge. Non-members may attend one time free of charge within a fiscal year.
2.4 Voting: Each member in good standing receives one vote towards Guild matters.
Absentee voting is allowed by proxy voting only.
2.5 Revoking of Membership: Membership may be revoked in cases of actions that threatens the non-profit status of The Guild. Membership may also be revoked for violating policies set by the hosting meeting space or by participating in any activity related to The Guild that is blatantly criminal.
Article III: Officers
3.1 Officers: The Guild Council shall consist of President, Vice Presidents, Secretary, and Treasurer. Each officer must be a member in good standing for the entire term.
Candidates must understand and adhere to The Guild’s purpose and have been an active member for six months to be considered with an exception of the first year of elections within The Guild. Officers must committed to attending the general and
Guild Council Meetings.
3.2 Nominating Committee: Nominations will be solicited 60 days prior to elections.
3.3 Election of Officers: Officers will be elected to a one year term by a majority of the members present. Absentee voting is allowed only by proxy. Voting is by paper ballot and will be tallied by 2 members in good standing who are not in consideration for an officer position.
3.4 Installation of Officers: Officers will be installed in January following the election for the term of one year unless they resign or are removed from office or membership. All books and papers regarding The Guild shall be delivered to the new Officer by the next Guild meeting.
3.5 Filling of Vacancies: An Officer may resign at any time. Any Officer position with the exception of President can be appointed by the Guild Council. A Vice President will fill in for President until Elections can be held.
3.6 Powers and Duties: The Officers are listed below. Each Officer is responsible for committees as needed.
a. President
b. Vice President of Membership
c. Vice President of Programming
d. Secretary/Webmaster
e. Treasurer
Article IV: Guild Council
4.1 Members: The Guild Council shall consist of the Officers of The Guild.
4.2 Powers: As directed by these Bylaws, the Guild Council will be responsible for managing the business and affairs of The Guild.
4.3 Meetings: The Guild Council shall meet regularly on a schedule as agreed upon by the Officers. Changes to the meeting time or place must be announced in advance by
either electronic communication or oral communication with the exception of emergencies. The Guild Council may invite other persons as guests to these meetings.
4.4 Quorum: At all meetings of the Guild Council, 50% of the members must be present
to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. If the quorum is not met, business decisions will not be made and voting will need to be rescheduled.
4.5 Voting: A majority of the Guild Council members present at a meeting where the Quorum is met will constitute an affirmative vote.
4.6 Electronic Attendance: Guild Council members are allowed to electronically attend meetings.
Article V: Committees
5.1 Committees: Committees are created to assist the Guild Council in carrying out
activities and responsibilities to The Guild. Committees can be suggested by any member and the Guild Council may officially create or dissolve a committee.
5.2 Chairpersons and Members: Any member of The Guild in good standing can belong to one or more committees at any one time. Chairpersons will be appointed by a member of the Guild Council.
5.3 Chairperson Responsibilities: The Committee Chairperson is responsible for the general supervision of the committee and its membership. The Committee Chairperson reports to its respective Guild Council officer. The Committee Chairperson is responsible for providing the President monthly reports of pertinent information and for notifying the Guild Council immediately of any concerns or issues.
5.4 Term: The Guild Council will determine the term for the Committee and Committee
Chairperson.
5.5 Resignation and Removal of Committee Chairpersons: The Guild Council may remove a Committee Chairperson no longer in good member standing. In the event of removal or resignation, the Guild Council may appoint a replacement Committee Chairperson.
5.6 Meetings: Each Committee may meet as needed and set its own rules for quorums and voting.
5.7 Financial Affairs: Each committee will work with the Treasurer. At no time should the committee be considered to be independent of The Guild nor fail to submit money or
expenses to the Treasurer.
Article VI: Execution of Documents
6.1 General: The Guild Council will be responsible for maintaining the good standing of The Guild in all matters regarding legal documents and contracts.
6.2 Contracts: The Guild Council has the power to execute contracts on behalf of The Guild and to delegate such power to others on a case-by-case basis.
Article VII: Guild Funds
7.1 All funds delivered to The Guild will be deposited in The Guild bank account. The Treasurer will oversee the bank account and will deliver any check or other payment of monies on behalf of The Guild. A member of the Guild Council will be designated as the back up to the Treasurer.
7.2 Treasurer Review Committee: A Treasurer report will be given at every meeting.
7.3 Budget Adoption: Guild Council will approve a budget every 6 months for the first year of The Guild operation and on a yearly basis after that.
Article VIII: Indemnification and Insurance
8.1 Indemnification of Officers, Members, Volunteers: The Guild may purchase indemnity insurance as needed for Guild business.
8.2 Insurance: The Guild may purchase and maintain D&O insurance for any member of the Guild Council.
8.3 Fidelity Bond: The Guild may purchase and maintain a Fidelity Bond when non-profit status is achieved.
Article IX: Amendment
9.1 Amending the Bylaws: The Guild Council may propose an amendment to these Bylaws at any time. The proposed amendment must be electronically proposed via The Guild’s website 2 weeks prior to a regular meeting. Voting will occur at that meeting with the majority of members attending constituting an affirmative response.
Article X: Dissolution
10.1 In the event The Guild is dissolved, the money in The Guild’s bank accounts will be donated to museums and historical societies and/or given to charity.
We’re quilters that love to learn, share, and sew with each other. We’ve been a local guild of The Modern Quilt Guild since 2013. Our hybrid meetings (in-person and online) meet on the second Thursday. LSMQG also offers smaller group opportunities with monthly online Sew-Ins, in-person Color Club, as well as a variety of other learning and collaborative opportunities throughout the year.
Crafter’s Sanctuary Retreat
LSMQG Members please join us to work on a quilting project of your choice in a 4,000 square foot renovated church in Duluth from October 10-12, 2025.
We will be sewing in the 1,000 square foot sanctuary with 20-foot ceiling and plenty of natural light. The chairs are comfortable, each quilter has their own table and light.
The Crafter’s Sanctuary has space for 12 quilters. We will be planning and providing the meals in small teams.
Registration closes on September 4, 2025
If registration is not full with members by August 20, we will open registration to the public for $145.
Modern quilts are primarily functional and inspired by modern design. Modern quilters work in different styles and define modern quilting in different ways, but several characteristics often appear which may help identify a modern quilt. These include, but are not limited to: the use of bold colors and prints, high contrast and graphic areas of solid color, improvisational piecing, minimalism, expansive negative space, and alternate grid work. "Modern traditionalism" or the updating of classic quilt designs is also often seen in modern quilting.
Modern quilting has existed in many forms for much of the 20th century. It wasn't until the 2000's that quilts with a modern aesthetic began to appear in greater numbers and quilters began to describe themselves as modern.
A defining event occurred in 1998 when Martha Stewart Living featured Denyse Schmidt, calling her quilts a “chic, modernist aesthetic." For many quilters in the early days of the movement, this was a key inspirational moment.
The growth of the movement was facilitated by four factors: the cultural shift of quality design being recognized by the general public, affordable digital cameras, the changing fabric industry and the rise of social media.
In 2002, the Quilts of Gee’s Bend exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and the publication of Yoshiko Jinzenji’s book Quilt Artistry, further provided inspiration to a small but devoted group of modernist minded quilters.
Two influential books were published in 2005, Denyse Schmidt Quilts and the Modern Quilt Workshop by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr. The first online quilt alongs were established on blogs around these two books and awareness continued to increase in the online world.
The Flickr group Fresh Modern Quilts, established in 2008, provided the first online centralized social media venue for quilters in the movement. With that flickr group and many active blogs, the online world of modern quilting took off like wildfire.
In 2009, Alissa Haight Carlton and Latifah Saafir founded the Modern Quilt Guild giving the online community a chance to form in person connections with other modern quilters.
The Modern Quilt Guild’s role in this amazing and evolving movement is thrilling and we can’t wait to see what comes next!