Closet quilter...have thought about a guild but WA_A_A_A_Y to much negative spin back, At 75 I don't need the stress and, the way I feel about it, if it's good enough for me I don't need the critique of others because I'm my own worst critic. Would love to have a group of ladies that just get together once a month to chat and quilt but no one in this little community shows any interest whatsoever. I did join and am currently participating in a Round Robin Row on this site and I absolutely love it. The people I quilt "with" are of all different personalities and from various parts of the country which is fun and they're all very nice.

At home or with a small group of friends.

The guilds I would consider joining are all during daytime and the nightime guilds are too far away. Guild meetings can be fun and informative but I still like having a hands on time with my friends. We try to do this one Saturday a month at my church.

I don't really go to classes much anymore. The last couple of classes I took were disappointing.

I guess I just haven't connected with a shop that has a friendly, non-specific machine branded atmosphere since we moved here (7 years ago).

I would love to find a group or quild close to me but for the time being, I am a lone quilter. Some of my friends admire my work but have not interest in joining me.

Love your replies! It's been fun to see how everyone views guilds, groups etc. We don't have a LQS in our small city, we have to travel 70 miles to the nearest ones in small towns, so no classes available other than from our guilds or groups. I too have too many projects on my bucket list to be adding guild ones, I enjoy the encouragement of fellow quilters though as none of my friends quilt. The general theme I'm getting here is that you all love the Quilting Board, I totally agree. There is a real pull to spend time here instead of quilting though;)

Closet quilter here.

I'm a Closet Quilter that belongs to a guild. Closet Quilter's is the name of our chapter. We do hand work at our meetings so my machine piecing is done at home.

Closet quilter..........as I need quiet time. I am a school administrator....need I say more?

Closet quilter. I've tried established groups but you always feel a bit of an outsider.

I quilt at home alone and take to work to show off :-)

I quilt at home or with a friend from time to time. All the groups/guilds meet when I am at work

I am a closet quilter here. I do belong to Pfaff club at my local Pfaff dealer. That is sewing anything and everything so quilts and clothing and such. I am an avid quilting board fan. There is lots of talent in this group!

Both. Generally, I quilt alone, but I belong to two groups! I participate on 'sew-in' days, but generally talk more than I sew. Then I cart my charity quilt home and do the work I was supposed to be doing when I was running my mouth!

I should check with my daughter to see if she would be able to go..She has 6 kids and home schools, but she used to go to a weekly quilting group years ago..Her husband is an associate pastor at North Naples Baptist!!

Look for a different guild. One of my guilds is small and more of a social thing, not much going on besides chit-chat, the other is larger and openly welcomes new quilters. The larger guild has regularly scheduled 'teaching' meetings. There's always something to learn. For example, I recently made a baby quilt with a VERY baby fabric set. I know that once that baby reaches about 2, she (it's a girl quilt) will hate that fabric, so I made the back using a large floral that coordinated well with the front. Now the little sweetie will have a 'big girl' side to love when she gets a little older. One of my favorite ladies (who happens to be in her 80's) said, "Hmmm. I never thought of that!" It pleased me that she said that, because I really respect her as a person and she has wonderful quilting skills.

I have to admit, I felt a bit lost in the bigger group for awhile, but I persevered.

I'm a closet quilter, but I work in a quilt shop, so I have the best of both worlds - fellowship with other quilters at work, and solitude when sewing at home.

Closet quilter here. I tried joining a local guild once and even spoke to one of their members about joining, submitted my application and never heard from them again...oh well...

I am a guild member. I learned to quilt through my wonderful guild. For the last year or so, however, I have been quilting entiely on my own, due to disabilities. My main quilty contacts these days are with my on-line friends.

Perhaps the guild had reached their capacity (fire marshal rules may apply) but should have contacted you to be on a "waiting list". Things can slip through the cracks sometimes so don't take it personally but contact them again. Maybe you were supposed to pay membership dues when you submitted the application...again those darn "cracks". Try again. If you are near Brevard County know that while we have several guilds, at least 2 have reached capacity. If that is the case near your home, why not try to start a new guild. Probably one of the filled groups would be willing to assist you and even send potential members your way. Good Luck and Happy Quilting.

Donna

I belong to a guild, very nice folks, but, it meets at night and it is a distance so I am not inclined to go. I mostly quilt by myself. I have a friend that I get together with when our schedules work out and we either shop for quilting stuff or work on things together or help each other with something. I like that. I have taken some classes which I enjoyed too.

Closet quilter here.

I'd love to join a guild, but l can't find any close enough....going back to my lonely closet now : (

I belong to the local quilt guild and quilt for Quilts for Kids. They keep me motivated!

Started out as a closet quilter, then recently joined a small quilting "class" in teacher's home. I am learning a lot of new things. Of course, I only started quilting this last spring, lol, so it goes without saying that I have a lot to learn!!!!

I do all three, but prefer quilting alone or with my small group. The local guild is too big and does too much "business" and not much quilting. I get tired of the bickering etc. The problem with closet quilting is I don't get enough stimulation to try new things etc. My small group is fabulous, but we are all too busy and don't get together as often.

I am not reallly a closet quilter by choice. I know very few people that quilt, none are really close by. Our LQS 5 min. from me is not all that friendly. I can't imagine how welcoming these people could be at a guild meeting, hence i quilt alone. I can browse the store for 10 min. and the workers don't even acknowledge my presence. This has happened more than once. I gave up on them, my favorite LQS is about 90 miles from me. I have reason to go that way every few months. So I just sort of make a list for when I go their way. Otherwise it is online shopping or Joanns if i need something soon.

I quilt alone. Being disabled makes it impossible to attend a guild. Wish I could,but I can't.

Closet quilter.

Closet quilter. I have limited free time, and I'd rather use it quilting than going to a meeting about quilting. :)

Since I am a fairly new (and inexperienced) quilter... I am comfortable being a closet quilter but... if given the opportunity and had access to a guild or local quilting group, I think I could learn a lot from experienced quilters. Since I live on the coast of Maine, I have not found a local group but I will continue to keep my eyes open.

LOL, I am a little of all three. Have quilted at my church for world relief for about 15 years, have a long arm business, just started and a litte struggling right now in my home, and also belong to a quilting guild in town for the last year and 1/2. The church quilting is very social and since I am the youngest of the group, I am needed, everyone else is getting old and hard for them to come. My longarming, is coming along, but still in the infant stage (I short armed with my Juki for several years before getting my longarm). The guild is my problem. Like any organization, there are people who I adore and like to see, and then there are the quilting snobs who make the experience less than desirable. I keep wondering why I am still going...I do have a coworker that belongs and when we are there together, it is very fun. I am trying to fit in, but I have only been going there a short time. I do almost all of my quilting at home as a closet quilter.

I have had bad experiences with trying to join a guild, being a newbie it is hard to break in. I belong to a quilt class, which I spend $ for, but I get the benefit of the teacher helping me with color selection and guidance. Also looking at other people's projects is really educational, and fun! I have learned so many tips, and help when I have been stumped, for me it is worth it.

Reading over all these replies now I don't think I even want to look for a guild. It sounds like they're all clicky with snobby women. Not really my thing because I can't keep my mouth shut. I'd be giving someone a piece of my mind.

I still go every Tuesday to the LQS where I first learned to quilt five years ago. Several of the women I started my first class with still go. We work on different projects, but enjoy the fellowship of other quilters. I have learned so much from them - how to select a new quilt pattern to work on, how to choose colors, etc. The LQS owner/instructor is there to help or to teach new techniques. Sort of like the old quilting bees where we visit, solve the world's problems, and quilt.

I am a closet quilter. In my area it is hard to belong to any group because outsiders are not welcomed into the clique. And I like small quilts and hand sewing. But that's okay...there's a wealth of information here and in quilting blogs.

I do a lot of shopping online to buying many kits from Pieceful Gathering, if it is okay to say that. If I lived near by their shop I would probably be there all the time.

I was a closet quilter for over 40 years but last year joined a guild (small, only about 30 members) and I'm having a ball. There are people who like different things. There are some "pro" longarmers, teachers, just homeys like me. There are experienced & newbies.
I'd try it & you can always not join or withdraw later.

I have two good friends who I'm fortunate to quilt with, one more than the other... one friend is still working, but the two of us are both retired, so we get to "play" more often. We shop hop together in the summer when Ann (school secretary) is off. We all belong to the guild where there are always lots of good ideas... It's a sweet bunch...
Most of my quilting is done here at the house, though... either me here during the day with the dogs, or in evenings watching basketball with the DH... I'm so fortunate!!

I belong to a guild, and also an independent quilting group that meets a our LQS. Then quilt at home too. Love them all!

I belong to a local guild. I have belong to three guilds in the past but decided I needed to belong to just one. It is a guild that has all kinds of members and I feel very welcomed there. We have members who have quilted for years, won big awards and then we have young quilters who are just getting started. I also have belonged to a long arm quild in the past that I did not feel welcomed at. I live about 50 miles in a small town and there was so much they did that did not pertain to me.

I belong to a group that works on all sorts of crafts, including quilting. That's how I got started. You can take the classes or bring your own work. There's lots of sharing and chatting. It's a lot of fun. I also meet with my neighbor and friend once a week. We are making a hand-pieced sampler quilt. We also go to quilt shows and do our own shop hops. Mostly I quilt on my own. I like going at my own pace. And I do love the Board - I learn so much from everyone.