There are guilds online that might work for you ladies who live where there aren't any. Or, if you don't have enough ladies (or men) in your area to start a guild, perhaps there are a couple of people who would just be willing to get together regularly to quilt. Who knows, you could be the beginning of your area's future quilt guild. 8)
I can't imagine being without my guilds. I actually belong to two local guilds. One is rather large, around 100-150 people, and the other is smaller, with only around 40-50 people attending. The friends I have made through these guilds have enriched my life and made me a better person and a better quilter. In my larger guild we just ran a survey and I found it fascinating that the top two reasons most people go to a guild meeting is for 'Show and Tell' and for socializing. Third is learning new techniques, but it was actually a distant third to the other two.
My favorite times have been when I get together with 2-5 of my closest girlfriends. We get together once every other week. Right now we're working on a charity project together, helping to design part of the quilt that our guild will raffle off at our next show in 2009. Wow, talk about a learning experience! I think we each have four very different ways of thinking and working together has been a wonderful growing period for me. I really couldn't imagine my life without my guilds or the friendships I've made within them!