I just wanted to update this a bit - I went to the guild meeting last night and formally joined up, and promptly won a copy of City Quilts (a book I've been wanting) in a raffle! Woohoo!
And once again, everybody I talked to was very friendly, warm, and welcoming. Several people recognized me and said they were happy to see that I came back and cheered when I said I had formally joined, which made me feel great! So anybody else out there who was like me and scared of going...just go and see. Maybe you'll get lucky! I seem to have gotten very lucky, and I'm really happy and excited about it. I've already signed up for a class to make a quilt that intimidates the heck out of me (all hexagons and triangles, yikes!) and I can't wait to see if they can teach me some new skills! I'm also really looking forward to making a whole bunch of new friends.
I do get a little lost still now and then, and I wish they had an "official", dedicated person for taking newbies in hand - it's a busy group and it feels like there is a LOT to learn - lots of names and faces, lots of projects, lots of acronyms... I'm trying to be bold and ask questions but I'm sure I'm missing things and I have occasional bouts of shyness that make me keep quiet. I wish I had a specific person I could get to know quickly and ask all my questions. Once I learn the ropes and people's names and get comfortable there I think I will suggest that role, and volunteer for the job.