There are at least 6 guilds within 1 hr driving distance and I live way out in the mountains. In our previous location there were 5 and maybe 8 depending on which way you wanted to drive. They all do a lot of the same things: block of the month, speaker/teacher, retreats, fund raising quilt, quilt show, philantrophy, auction/trade/etc stash stuff, fat quarter trade, newsletter.
What I like best and helps me decide on a group:
1. Friendly and welcoming and encouraging
2. Programs and committment to the quality of teachers with $ and attendance
3. Retreats
4. Innovative
5. Doesn't try to make members feel guilty for not wanting to participate in an activity (and I tend to be involved)
6. Humor
Things I don't care about
1. Selling raffle quilt tickets (I'll design, make, quilt it, but hate selling tickets)
2. Out-giving other guilds to charity (when I belonged to 4 groups, got so I didn't have time for my own projects, now I rarely participate in any of it)
3. Food
4. Fat quarter exchange
5. Block of the month
6. Snobby people; if they don't want me, I don't need them
Things unique to some guilds I especially like
1. Quilt in the city retreat (4 days of quilting and getting to know other guild members at a business location in the same town, on your own for food and lodging), cost is $35 for all 4 days
2. Extensive library and librarian who loves the job.
3. First class program every month and $ to back up this goal (if there's not a GOOD program, I'll probably not attend that month)
4. Voluntary Quilt challenge, one guild does a monthy challenge that is using a technique demonstrated the last meeting
5. Monthly raffle (5 members/month donate items (high quality) that are raffled at the meeting)
6. Art sewing circle
7. Business meeting and all announcements less than 1/2 hour
8. 1/2 hour before meeting all activities are available to participate (program sign up, raffles, library, block of the month, food, magazine swap) and room is open for meet-n-greet
9. Magazine swap: anyone can put magazines out and anyone can buy them for $.25/ea-goes to guild
10. At another guild: stuff swap similar to #9
Last edited by petthefabric; 03-29-2013 at 10:22 PM.