PaperPrincess

Most guilds allow guests, so just go to one or two meeting to get a general feel for the organization. As mentioned, you are only going to get out what you put in.

copycat

I have enjoyed being in a guild since 2009. We meet once a month. Also we meet the first Sat. of each month to sew...ufo's, get help on a new project or work on a service project. Some come to sit and chat between their busy Sat. errands. I always learn something new from our Sew days.

Pro's: Making new friends, learning new quilting tricks, enjoying the quilts made by others at the Sew and Tell, helping others through doing service projects of your choosing.
Cons: No complaints for me.

lovelyl

Some good advice has already been given here. For me, joining a quilt guild was one of the best things I have done. My skills have grown, but more importantly, I have made several close friends! I actually belong to two guilds, one meets about 10 minutes from my house and the other is 45 minutes away. Each guild has its own personality, but I love them both!

WMUTeach

I have truly enjoyed my guild. When I joined it was about 30 women, meets once a month and we have a once a month work day where we can bring what ever project, quilting or not to work on. Something about all being together for the day makes the work go faster. We do have two retreats, Spring and Fall.

Pros: I have gotten so much help with sticky problems and lots of opinions when I needed them on arrangement, quilting new skills etc. We are a casual bunch with a wide range of skills and we like it that way. No competitions or challenges. We have grown to 50 (This is a pro and a con). What is happening is sub groups are forming naturally without any particular organization from our guild leader. Her word is if you want to get together to do some specific quilting task, go for it. We have a quilt of valor group, a knitting group and a paper piece subgroup. Best of all I have a new group of friends. It took some time to be "friends" but they were never unfriendly. I was just the new kid.

Cons: We only meet for one hour monthly and sometimes feel rushed when introduced to new techniques. We have grown to 50 which can be too many for our meeting space.

My recommendation is to visit, attend any special meeting and see how friendly the members are and if you like their focus. Are meetings open to all, are retreats or special events open to all or are they limited to members only. Choose the guild that fits YOU! Try it, like it or graciously back out if the organization does not fit. I just thought of another thing to consider, cost. One guild in my area brings in national speakers and the yearly fee is high. My guild is $22 per year.

cashs_mom

I'm in the process of looking for a quilt guild also. Many years ago, I was a member of an extremely large guild here (100+ members at some meetings). I found it too large, not overly welcoming and too many "quilt police" for my taste. On the other hand, there were some really nice ladies there. I'm going to try a couple in my area that I have heard about and see how they are. I think overall the pros usually outweigh the cons for most guilds. Just go and talk to people and enjoy! Then decide if you want to return.

dc989

Our guild is very clique and it is hard to be the newbie. Folks who seem to assimilate well are friendly, not too braggy and are willing to help without acting like they know it all. Those seem like obvious behavior, but in our guild which is in a retirement area we get interested members who try to remake the group or are constantly telling everyone about their history. I'd say try to make a friend early so you have someone to sit and visit. Ask questions, but don't monopolize the conversation. Go to the classes, sew ins and so on so you get acquainted with folks. It's hard to meet people at a business style meeting.

AZ Jane

Go, if you don't enjoy, don't go back. No foul, no harm. Nothing ventured, nothing gained???? LOL can't think of any more!!

cashs_mom

Great advice! I went to one American Sewing Guild group here. After spending a big part of the hour listening to one woman tell us how much better the group were where she used to live, I decided that it wasn't the group for me.

And, yes, getting more involved than just going to a meeting is how you meet and get to know people. Go to classes, sew ins, volunteer to help out. You'll meet lots of nice people.

oksewglad

I'm in a small community quilt guild; go for a visit, not just once, but at least twice....every group can have an "off" meeting. I have enjoyed the quilting camaraderie and the sharing of talents and flubs...yes the "oops" and problems. The group has inspired me to improve. It's not a perfect group, but the benefits well worth it.

Wanabee Quiltin

Some are great and some aren't. Go to a couple of meetings before making up your mind. Pay the visitor fee if need be and keep an open mind.