Thank You! Been thinking this for years! I no longer belong to a guild, mainly because I always do my own thing. Name brands mean nothing if you don't have the basics down first, and then do your best work with what you do have. My Mom didn't have a "Bernina" and she made everything! Even made her own smocking patterns with newspaper and pencil! I know, I wore the dresses and so did my dolls!
Just because you have "the best" doesn't make you "the best"!
It's supposed to be fun, and rewarding and open you to new ideas, not a competition of who can spend the most!