Sandygirl

all items probably donated by members or funds allocated via membership dues. Start a fund drive if the Guild "should" provide extras. IMHO. I certainly would not expect a group to supply machines. What a nightmare that would be!

Sandy

Ask not what your Guild should do for you....but what you should do for your Guild.

citruscountyquilter

I like being with other people who enjoy the same things I do. It took me about a year to get comfortable in the guild I'm a member of. When you join a group where everyone else knows everyone it takes a while to learn names and know people. I think people give up too quickly on most groups.

The things I like about being part of the group:
Give-and-take table - I get all my quilt magazines from there. Take them home, read them and bring them back for someone else to enjoy. There is also fabric there that I take sometimes. It's also a good place for me to pass things on.
Show and tell - See what others have made and acknowledge their accomplishments and sometimes show mine. A real feel good time.
Demos - I have learned a lot of new techniques.

quiltin-nannie

Same here, Peckish! Much more fun than sitting through a business meeting. We inspire each other!

SingerSewer

The guilds I belong to charge dues and we use the money to buy fabric and supplies. We also have fund raisers every couple of years or so to keep funds available. We make charity quilts and sometimes people will donate cotton fabrics, batting, etc. to the guilds. One of the guilds has machines that have been donated for those who can't easily bring their machines.

lclang

Our quilt guild started meeting at a church. We set up our own tables and chairs and put them away when we were done. It has progressed from there to a meeting room at a local school property and the janitor sets it up for us (for a monthly fee). We serve very simple snacks and a drink. have some demonstrations from time to time and classes now and then. Always have show and tell. Dues are $15 year and several times a year we have someone come in to do a class or trunk show. The local members participate by doing simple classes. We have a couple of sew-ins a year and usually do a raffle quilt or a craft sale where we sell quilted items at our yearly quilt show. We make quilts for the local NICU, cancer hats for the cancer centers and now there is a group that meets twice a month for an afternoon at a local quilt shop to sew disaster quilts for charity.

eastslopequilter

I belong to a quilt guild that has 43 members from several communities in northern Montana. We meet once/month. We try to have a class each time and we have show and tell, a meeting, and assignment of food each month because we sew all day. It has worked out great. We have done community projects, such as quilts for our returning soldiers, activity bags for our local Family Services Department, and most recently flannel shawls for our local nursing home residents. We have become known for our community work.

trolleystation

I belong to a quilt club, 7 members, and enjoy the friendship and the show and tell. I also belong to a church quilting guild. They involve themselves in charity endeavors, Quilts of Valor, Pillowcase dresses for Africa, Pillowcases for local hospitals and arm pillows for infusion patients at the Roswell Park Memorial Cancer Research Institute. Good fellowship and good intentions. They fully accepted me even though I am of a different faith. I feel so blessed. During Lent I also joined a group at a LQS, who, with fabric donated by the owner, made quilts to be donated to some local charities. Another 'feel good' thing.

tropit

Thanks so much for all of your wonderful replies! There's so many great ideas and it's nice to see how the friendships develop in the guilds and groups.

What about fabric sharing? Does anyone belong to a group that pools money together to by fabric and supplies at a discount?

~Cindy

tropit

OOooppps...I see a hand there, sorry...LOL. How does the fabric and supplies buying work out for your group? I like the idea of having some spare machines around. Not everyone wants to schlep their pride and joys, especially if they have to climb stairs. Having some simple, straight stitchers available would be a Godsend.

~ Cindy

SingerSewer

We do very well with our fabrics and supplies. We try to buy bolts of muslin, backing and batting. We try to purchase thread when it is on sale. We have mats and rulers along with a few rotary cutters. Some bring their own to use and others use the guild ones. The machines we have are portable. Some are donated and others have been purchased by members at garage sales. We bought a couple of new ones a few years ago. It has been wonderful for some of the members to have a machine to use. It is funny because some of the ladies use the same machine each time. They have favorites!

The guild makes quilts for disaster survivors. We also make small quilts for a local center that teaches young parents how to parent.

The guild not only provides quilts, it brings comfort and friendship to the members. We all feel such joy when we have quilts ready for the next disaster.