Your guilds sound like great fun! The only group I've found doesn't seem to want any new members. I keep hoping to stumble onto a good group one of these days.

Can't speak for a Jessup but our Jesup is about 20 minutes drive from Hinesville/Ft Stewart (miliarty base) GA. We are coastal for sure.

What a good charity to do. I haven't met any little girls or boys who do not like getting a blanket/quilt for there doll. Need to put that down as a project for me to do. One can get alot of doll quilts out in a year for such a project. Thanks for sharing.

Did you ask?

Some groups are small with just a few friends and like to keep it that way.

Now that is a neat idea. Will have to bring that up with our group and see if it's something they'd like to do.

This is one reason I love to read about other guilds..... the sharing of ideas and what each does.

Cost in our area averages from $15 to $25 depending on guild. Most I've seen so far close to me is $15.00 a year.

I think for that small amount each year it is nothing compared to what we learn from each other, and activities we get involved in doing charitible things in the community. Meeting new people and developing friendships as "sisters" is definitely a plus.

Our guild is the Cotton Patch Quilters of Kern County, and has been in existence for about 25 years. Here's what we do:
1. Officers are for 1 year.
2. Bi-Annual Quilt Show - I am chair for the 2012 show. We do an opportunity quilt that is awarded at the show.
3. We do charity quilts & other items for:
Loving Hands - small quilts for incubators at neonatal units at local hospitals
Turtle Camp - one of Paul Newman's camps for kids with cancer about 90 miles from us
Quilts of Valor - local chapter includes Women's Club
Pillowcases - for kids at the local homeless shelter
4. We have a monthly meeting, 3rd Thurs of the month, both day and night meetings on same day.
5. Teachers at nearly every meeting, most of them nationally known. We're lucky to get lots of good teachers out here!
6. Raffle table at every meeting, plus a drawing for everyone who remembered their handmade name tags.
7. Show & Tell
8. Bus trips to quilt shows on the coast and in the L.A. area.
9. Friendship groups

I guess that's about it. We're very busy!! :-)

*Our elected President fills the position normally for one year but we have been able to talk a few into doing 2 years. All the other officers and committee members are also normally for 1 year but many stay on longer.

* Monthly meetings are the fourth Thursday of the month, evening only. Our Guild Board meet earlier in the month to make sure things are lined up for upcoming activities.

* we hold 2/3 open sewing and kit making days. Most of the kits we put together for our charties are from donated fabrics we receive.

*Each month we have something that has been organized by our Guild Board committee. Some times is a new technique, sometimes it's a trunk show. We always try to have 1 or 2 big speakers (either published or well known artist) every year.

*Charity Quilts - we do them all year round but we have 1 day that is dedicated to putting them together. From Sept 1- Dec 31 we had handed out over 100 quilts to various charities in the area.

* Every other year we have a quilt show.

* We have 2 retreats one in Winter & one in late summer. We all bring whatever we want to work on. It's a 4 day retreat south of us in a community that offers 4 quilt stores and other options. They do most of the cooking for us and we have some very cabins to set up in

* we have different classes, workshops, mystery quilts, Out of the Bag challenges, and such through out the year so everyone has the ability to participate. we have also had a new addition to our program where we had a fashion show - Called Strut Your Stuff - where all hobbies/crafts we might like to do in addition to quilting was shared.

* We also seek out a favorite singing quilter to attend our meetings. She sings while teaching us. Fun!

* A number of our members also have their own interest groups outside of our meetings where they make special items for special groups - Quilts of Valor, quilts for Toys for Tots, Knitted items, etc...

* we bring in teachers from all over our state to share their talents, do trunk shows and share their techniques.

* we do a summer pot luck and christmas pot luck to take time to have fun and catch up with each.

* At every meeting members are encouraged to bring finished items as a show and tell for everyone to see.

* we hold an auction of donated items every other year to raise funds for supllies.

* and on the other year we hold a Quilt Show in our local library - free to the public.

* We sponsor and support our local county fair with prizes, and we help with the displaying of entries and offer our time to house sit while they are on display.

* We make quilt/totes/walker pouches/pillowcases year round for donations to our local pediatric ward, senior care facilities, crisis centers and organizations seeking our help.

Our guild has close to 100 members varing ages from 12 on up - male & female - just need to love or want to learn to sew.

I know I probably forgot something but you get the idea. And our doors are welcome to all levels and everyone.

We have a guild here in my Sr. Complex. We make quilt tops, sandwich them and usually tack them. If some soul wants to machine quilt that is great, but most have eye problems or can't use machine. We just donated 15 small quilts to St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store. They either donate to people who need them or sell them in their store.

We do have lots of fun bringing back memories of the Good Old Days and doing our mending, etc while we talk.

"IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE"

My guild has a fat quarter lottery each month with a featured color or type of fabric (batik, 30s, etc.). You put your name in for each fat quarter you take. You may win four or five fat quarters. There is also a block of the month (Buck a Block) in which your name is in the drawing to win all of the blocks if you take the finished block back to the next meeting.