i can certainly understand their taking credit for (some of) the amish ones, but they don't really deserve any credit for the civil war or pioneer quilts.
they're really stretching it there. and if they think that quilting itself is a european invention, they ought to stay away from the chinese!
are the ladies in your guild young, as young as you are? or is quilting basically a craft for more mature (do you notice how sensitive i am?) women? in this country it is a mixed bag and i've often wondered about european quilters.