Originally Posted by Eddie
For starters, guilds need to be open to men, too. (Yes, here I go again. :) ) My local county guild specifically prohibits men from joining (it's actually written into their bylaws), so yeah, that's a sticking point with me.
In the statewide guild that I'm in, they are very accepting and open to any and all comers. How refreshing! They actually appointed me to a committee chair position (Sponsors) as well. Since then, I have acquired 4 new paying sponsors for the guild, which brings in newsletter advertising revenue for us.
But anyway, I would just say to be as welcoming as you can to newcomers, because all people are nervous to some extent when meeting new people. Making the extra effort to to extend the little niceties to people makes a large difference.
Wow! I thought all that was behind us. I don't ask or look for differences except in how we quilt. Even then I am willing to learn more. Color is only important in the material we use for our quilts and quilts don't have to be gender or ethnic specific.
I am sure glad my guild welcomes the men among us. Thanks for the reminder.
Hopefully, anyone who attends such a restrictive guild will help t hem rewrite their ByLaws and move into the present century.