Location and Date of Nimble Fingers Meetings

Nimble Fingers Quilt guild meets the first Wednesday of the month at 10:00 AM at the Potomac Community Center,11315 Falls Rd., Potomac, MD. Directions: from 270, Falls Road exit to Potomac, Community Center is on the left about 1/2 mile past Glen Rd.

Nimble Fingers Officers - 2007 - 2008
President:  Susan Sellers
Vice President:  Burt White
Secretary:  Sue Walen
Co- Treasurers:  Anne Datko, Lisa Walker
Current Events:  Ann Plunkett
Historian:  Francie Parrack
Hospitality:  Mary Hagan, Anne Hammond
Membership:  Jill Ruspi
Newsletter:  Kim Jalette
Programs:  Betty Ford, Morna Golletz, Burt White
Quilting Bee:  Loretta Quinting, Priscilla Lai
Quilting for Others:  Beth Smith
Sunshine:  Betty Ford
Retreat::  Shirley Hangen
Quilt Show: Susan Sellers
Welcoming:  Sheila Kramer, Mary Hagen
Website:  Karen Plunkett, Carolyn DeGroot, Jane Van Horn

February 2008 Executive Meeting Notes(Word Doc)
March 2008 Executive Meeting Notes(Word Doc)

President's Message

Do you ever find yourself chasing colors? I was at a gas station recently, trying not to fret over the rising cost of gas, when I spotted someone wearing a sweater in the most beautiful shade of purple. Immediately, my mind raced to the possibility that I could include that exact color in a quilt that I have been planning. At that moment I began another quest. I must confess that this is not the first time that I have spent months or years searching for the perfect color of fabric to go into a quilt. There have been other incidents, like the quest for the perfect black, or for a particular shade of red. I also realize that there are many other less wholesome things that I could be searching for instead of fabric!

Whatever the reasons for my color obsession, I immediately drove to a succession of fabric and quilt shops looking for this elusive shade of purple, a deep rich shade called aubergine. Of course, I haven't found its exact match in fabric yet, but I am not giving up hope. Ironically, instead of finding it in fabric, I keep seeing the color in other objects, like carpeting, clothing, and jewelry. I have resisted buying all of these substitutes while I continue my chase. I may be forced to dye my own fabric, as I have done before, if I can't find it in commercial fabric, but it's much to early to resort to that. There are still other shops to visit and places to look for the beautiful aubergine.

For me, one of the greatest joys of quilting is color. I spend most of my planning time auditioning different color choices and have often set projects aside to wait until the perfect colors are found. Pattern choice and quilting stitches are often secondary to the choice and placement of color in my quilts. Perhaps this is why I enjoy my color quests so much. Which aspects of the quilting process appeal most to you?

I look forward to continuing to see the gorgeous quilts that our Nimble Fingers members have made as I end my year as your president. I will be chairing the quilt show, but also hope to find time to actually make some of the quilts that I keep planning and to finish ones that I have already started. I am very pleased to know that the Nominating Committee was successful in recruiting a dream team of candidates to serve as the officers for next year. Thanks to the five individuals who have stepped forward to give their time to support Nimble Fingers. Please plan to attend our May meeting to participate in the voting process.

Happy quilting!

Membership - Jill Ruspi
There are NF Membership Lists available for sending via email.  If you can download and print an Excel spreadsheet, then you can save the guild money by requesting that the list be sent via email.  Please consider this option.  You can either see me at the next meeting or send me an email at jruspi@aol.com.

The membership dues for 2007-2008 are $25 per year.  Considering all that we get for our dues and the rising costs of places to meet, I believe that this is a small amount.  In addition, prompt payment of dues also helps when the 2007-2008 budget is prepared.

Thank you for your patience this year as I learned a new job and survived losing all my information to the black hole of lost computer data.

Sincerely, Jill Ruspi, Membership Chair

Revised September 2005

BY-LAWS
Nimble Fingers Quilters, Inc.

ARTICLE I. Name

The name of the organization shall be Nimble Fingers Quilters Inc., the "Corporation" or "Nimble Fingers." The Corporation has been formed as a nonstock corporation in the State of Maryland.

ARTICLE II. Purpose

The Corporation is formed to promote the study and practice of methods of quilting and related types of needlework, to preserve the art and history of quilting and related types of needlework for future generations and to engage in community outreach through exhibits and charitable projects. The Corporation is organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes, including, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under Section 5O1(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code.

No part of the net earnings of the Corporation shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to its members, directors, officers, or other private persons, except that the Corporation shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in Article Two hereof. No substantial part of the activities of the Corporation shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the Corporation shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office. Notwithstanding any other provision of these articles, the Corporation shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by a corporation exempt from federal income tax under Section 5O1(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or (b) by a corporation, contributions to which are deductible under Section 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code.

ARTICLE III. Membership

Membership is open to any person upon payment of dues.

ARTICLE IV. Dues

Section 1. Annual dues shall be established for the following year by majority vote of the members at the Annual Meeting in April, upon recommendation of the Executive Committee and a 30-day notification to the members.

Section 2. The membership year shall be from May 1st through April 30th. Anyone whose dues are not paid by October 15 shall be dropped from the membership rolls. New members joining after January 1 will be charged one-half the annual dues for the first year.

Section 3. Members are encouraged to become members of the National Quilting Association, Inc. (NQA).

ARTICLE V. Meetings

Section 1. The organization shall meet monthly except July and August unless the Executive Committee notifies the membership of changes in this schedule.

Section 2. The meeting in April shall be the Annual Meeting for electing officers; amending the by-laws, if needed; electing three members of the nominating committee for the following year; and conducting other business.

Section 3. Special membership meetings may be called by the President for the purposes of enabling the organization to work on individual and group quilting projects and to accomplish other guild activities.

ARTICLE VI. Officers and their duties

Section 1. The elected officers shall be President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. They shall be elected at the Annual Meeting for a term of one year. Officers shall take office at the May meeting. A vacancy in an office shall be filled by appointment of the President; the appointed person shall serve until the next election.

a. The President shall preside at meetings of the general membership and the Executive Board, appoint chairs of committees, and have the usual powers of management and supervision of such an office. The office of president may be shared by two people.

b. The Vice President shall assume the duties of the President in the absence of the President and assist the President in such management duties as assigned.

c. The Secretary shall take the minutes at each meeting, recording the official business and other information as assigned and maintain the permanent records of the organization in a businesslike fashion. A brief summary of the minutes shall be published in the newsletter.

d. The Treasurer shall collect and deposit revenues, pay bills, file tax reports, and keep permanent financial records in a businesslike fashion. Reports of Nimble Fingers shall be given to the membership as determined by the Executive Board.

ARTICLE VII. Fiscal Matters

Section 1. The Treasurer shall prepare a budget for the following year and submit it to the Executive Board for approval.

Section 2. No member shall obligate Nimble Fingers to any contracts or expenses without the approval of the Executive Board. No officer may approve a non-budgeted expenditure exceeding $100.00 without the approval of at least one other elected officer.

Section 3. Two (2) signatures shall be required on all checks exceeding $100.00. All contracts obligating Nimble Fingers shall be signed by an elected officer. The checking account shall have three (3) authorized signatories (President, Treasurer, and Secretary).

Section 4. An annual audit shall be performed in May by two members who are not members of the Executive Board.

Section 5. The fiscal year shall be May 1 – April 30.

ARTICLE VIII. Nominations and

Elections

Section 1. The nominating committee shall consist of five members; three shall be elected from the general membership at the Annual Meeting; two shall be appointed by the president from the Executive Board. The nominating committee shall serve for one year and shall present a slate of officers at the March meeting. They shall be encouraged to identify persons willing to serve as chairs and members of committees and provide this information to the President.

Section 2. Any member may make a nomination from the floor at the March or April meetings provided that the nominee has given consent to be nominated and will serve if elected.

ARTICLE IX. Executive Board and Committees

Section 1. The Executive Board shall consist of the elected officers, the chairs of standing committees, and the chairs of any current special committees, and shall meet as needed throughout the year.

Section 2. The Standing Committees of the organization shall be: Program, Membership, Hospitality, Historian, and Newsletter.

Section 3. Officers and Committee Chairs are responsible for keeping a record of the duties of their jobs, documenting the year's activities and transferring these records to their successors to effect orderly transition from year to year, insuring effective continuity of the organization.

ARTICLE X. Quorum
Twenty-five (25%) percent of the membership, present and voting, shall constitute a quorum. ARTICLE XI. Parliamentary Authority

Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall be the parliamentary authority for the organization in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws.

ARTICLE XII. Amendments

Amendments to these bylaws may be adopted at any meeting if notice of the proposed amendment(s) is given at previous meeting and in writing to the membership at least 21-days in advance. Adoption will be by majority vote of the members attending.

ARTICLE XIII. Dissolution

Upon the dissolution of the Corporation, assets shall be distributed to the National Quilting Association, Inc., if at the time it continues to qualify as a Section 5O1(c}(3} organization or, to a Section 5O1(c)(3} organization or to a governmental entity for a public purpose, as provided for by the board of directors. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by a Court of Competent Jurisdiction of the county in which the principal office of the Corporation is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.

ARTICLE XIV. Conflict of Interest

Any officer, or committee member having an interest in a contract, other transaction or program or whose spouse or significant other has such an interest presented to or discussed by the Board or Committee for authorization, approval or ratification, shall make a prompt, full and frank disclosure of her interest to the Board or Committee prior to its acting on such contract or transaction. Such disclosure shall include relevant and material facts know to such person about the contract or transaction, which might reasonably be construed to be adverse to the Corporation's interest. The body to which such disclosure is made shall there upon determine, by majority vote, whether the disclosure shows that a conflict of interest exists or can be reasonably be construed to exist. If a conflict is deemed to exist, such person shall not vote on, nor use her personal influence on, nor be present for deliberations on such contract or transaction, except to present factual information or to respond to questions as deemed necessary by the Board or Board Committee. A person shall be deemed to have an "interest" in a contract or other transaction if she or her spouse or significant other is the party (or one of the parties) contracting or dealing with the Corporation, or is a director, trustee or officer of, or has a significant financial or influential interest in the entity contracting or dealing with the Corporation.