Basketman sorry your experience with that one particular guild didn't go so well. I hope you find another one and have fun with it.
when I took my sewing class at Adult Ed in the early 90s' we had a guy in our class who was there to make himself a particular skirt. we had fun, all of us. my spouse was part of that group to learn how to make his first quilt, which I would not do as a first, Dresden Plate.
keep on stiching