I would like to hear about your quilt guilds. How large is it? 10 people? 100 people? How often do you meet? What is the structure of your meetings? Are they discussion meetings? Or do you actually sew there? Or Both? Well any way, you get the idea. Thanks for sharing.

I am actually considering joining my local guild. It runs from September through June at a cost of $25.00.

The problem is the October meeting was not an actual meeting. Today is a quilt show that they are running and teh meeting was basically setting up for the show. I do plan on going to the show today.

November's meeting is a sit and sew where they make donation quilts. I don't feel comfortable going as they already have their groups of personal friends they quilt with.

December is the Christmas party, which I don't feel comfortable in going to either since I have not been a member.

That leaves January through June, and January is our worst month of the year for snow, cold, and ice.

I would really like to join a group of people with similar interests.

Basically I plan on seeing how the quilt show goes today, before deciding. Hopefully I will meet some members and feel more comfortable.

Looking forward to seeing other people's responses.

Thanks Jan, jump in there and go to the next meeting. I am sure they would welcome you and have you help with there projects. I say this, BUT, I would actually be just like you. LOL Enjoy the show.

I belong to two local quilt guilds.
One is over 100 members, meets twice a month - 1st Friday morning is for show-and-tell, Robert's Rules of Order-style business meeting, BOMs, other monthly projects (of which there are a ton!), announcements; the 3rd Friday morning is for more show-and-tell (always done first thing), left-over business, and a program/lecture-workshop usually by a guild member. Meetings are full and very busy. This guild gives workshops every fall and a quilt show every other year.

The second guild is small, about 30 active members, and meets once a month for show-and-tell, discussion-type business meeting, BOMs and other projects, snacks provided by members. This membership focuses more on their own projects than community quilts or other team efforts, and they have a lovely show EVERY year for free at the library. It's an amazing show for such a small group, but the members tend to be clique-ish and the guild has not grown much in several years. They also meet every Monday night for sit-and-sew, sort of like a bee, and the same members (about 10-12) attend this every week after meeting for dinner first at a local restaurant.

I'm much more active in the first one, and it's from that guild that help for the Military Barracks Quilt Project is coming locally.

Jan in VA

I am a member and also the newsletter editor. Our guild has about 175 members, but only about 50 are active and regular attenders.

We have both a day group and a nite group. the day group is larger and a little more formal in that one of the two scheduled meetings per month is specifically for the business meeting for the guild. The second meeting for the day group is a program meeting where speakers come in, we have demos, etc. Both groups always have show and tell which is fun. The nite group has programs or activities at all meetings. In addition to the described meetings, on every fourth Thursday we have a day for smaller interest groups to meet and "do their thing" at a central location. These smaller groups also meet separately on their own schedules for their special interests; one is an applique group, one does all kinds of different art quilt techniques, another...well, there are about6 different groups of special interests. In addition, we have guild projects that we work on...our comfort quilts group has a regular sew-in on every fifth Thursday plus on other scheduled days through out the year.

The guild has major outreach activities - the comfort quilts I mentioned, members make small quilts to go with stuffed animals and once a year local groups who work with children come in for a Teddy Bear Tea and pick up stock in these "pairs" to have for giving to children in crisis. The police department takes some to hand out to children they enounter in emergency situations, etc. Recently we have received a special request for adult bibs for a local senior citizen home so one of the programs for the meeting was a sew-in to make these.

We have an annual quilt show and we also bring in well known quilters during the year for classes and lectures. This year Sharon Shamber, last year Larkin Van Horn, next year Vicki Pignatelli, etc.

It's a very active group and quilters can find something to fit their area of interest and level of activity. Like anything, the individual needs to take the first step in attending and choosing their own level of involvement.

I wish we had a local quilt guild! We have a quilt club, but there really are no set rules and mainly older ladies run it. I have gone to a few meetings but found it really boring, more like a gab session than a quilting lesson. So, I continue to be self taught.

Our little guild, 8 members meet the 2nd tuesday of the month during the day time. We have a small business meeting, then we sew, either on a charity quilt, a group project or our own stuff. We eat , talk , laugh, get a lot done some days, not much on others. We make quilts for families in the vicinity that have had house fires, and other local charities that need help. We do outings to quilt shows, shop hops and just excursions to interesting stuff. I really enjoy it.

I used to belong to a guild when I lived in a different county. Unfortunately, I joined just before we decided to move, so didn't attend very many meetings. What I remember most from them was that at my last attendance, I won the doorprize! A gifty bag chock full of charms. I was so excited! However, we left the area right after that win, and I've always felt a little uncomfortable about that - I knew it looked like I took my booty and Ran. lol...

I joined a quilt group 10 yrs ago. I knew nothing about sewing let alone quilting. I have benefitted in so many ways from meeting with these ladies every friday. We have many charities that we support, have demonstrations, put on a big quilt show every 2 years and at the demo's we always have a pot lunch. Sometimes we say we dont do much but we eat good! We solve all the world problems on friday mornings.

I do and I love it! In fact, in just a bit, I am leaving for the first part of a class a member is teaching (free), One Block Wonder. My supplies are all packed!

Our dues sre $20/year. We have about 60 members; generally half to 3/4's of that number show up for our monthly meetings (always the 1st Monday of the month, 7 PM). Meeting follows Robert's Rules, then a show and tell.

We have a monthly sew-in also, which is a nice chance for us to gather and work on whatever we'd like w/out being interrupted.

A charity quilt every two years, one year to chose quilt, recipient of proceeds, start making, then the 2nd year we finish, sell tickets. We are also starting more service projects, chemo caps, walker bags, bags for DSS to provide for children who are being taken from homes.

The December and June meetings are held at a local Sr. Citizen residence. Residents are invited to join us; dish to pass dinner and show and tell. The December one is also a gift swap, homemade only.

We have a great program committee, and I'm really looking forward to this year!

I have just joined a local guild, after 3 years on the waiting list (the membership cap is 55). Dues are $45.00 a year. We meet on the 1st Tuesday of the month and the meeting has a business segment, a demonstration/workshop segment, show-and-tell, and refreshments. This past weekend there was a workshop with a teacher brought in from BC cooperatively by the 3 guilds in our area. There are workdays 2 Fridays a month when members can go and work on projects, etc.. in a social setting.

We have a year-long project...... we are creating our own squares according to the directions given each month. We choose our own theme and each month we are given a different technique and have to produce a square using our theme and the technique given. Last month the technique was a hand-cut, hand-stitched square - no rotary cutters, no machines. My theme is "Hens and Chickens and Roosters, Oh My! - it came to me out of nowhere - so I am doing a "Hens and Chicks" square. We will each put all of our squares in a journal as a summer project for display at the September meeting next year.

I am enjoying the guild so far - it was worth the wait. I knew many of the ladies in the guild already through other organizations, church, school, etc., so it was an easy transition for me.

i'm in 3 guilds.

all of them meet just 1 day a month

one has over 250 people, one has about 100 people, and one has about 25 people.

i like the really large one because it has the money to bring in the most well known quilt artists from around the world.

i like the one with about 100 people because its very local to me and many of these people are my neighbors.

i like the small one for their charity work. we have an outreach program to the local women's prison to teach the ladies to make quilts for the children born in prison.

I used to belong to the local guild and it was OK but I would rather "do my own thing" than be structured into this and that.

My guild has about 150 members but about 100 are active. We have monthly meetings, quilt show every 2 years, community outreach with quilts and pillowcases, program at each meeting, guest speaker, member trunk show, workshops by guest or guild members, many small groups for applique, round robin, art quilts, Tea Party at May meetings and Show and Tell at every meeting.

We are associated with a local park and have our meetings and many sew ins per month in one or another of the park's buildings. We even have a stash room in one of the buildings and our quilt shows are held in all the buildings in the park. We raffle a queen sized quilt every year and the proceeds go to the park for our 'rent' for the buildings and grounds use each year.

Some quilters don't like guilds because some are clicky but you need to find some activity within the guild that you enjoy and stick with that. May in Jersey

I don't belong to a Guild, but I go to the local MAC (Mature Adult Center) I guess they didn't like it being called the Senior Center. LOL. We have get togethers every other Tue for a couple of hours. They are doing a round robin quilt there. There are about 12 to 15 that belong to the club but usually about 7 to 9 make it to the meetings. Then I go to a Demo at our LQS every Friday morning. I also take some classes at the LQS if it is something that I am interested in. So I get alot of tips and hints and patterns from all the above plus the fun I have on the QB.

I belong to 3 guilds
one is a statewide and meets twice a year. I rarely go but like to support it.

2nd is in my town (Cheshire Quilt Guild), dues $20, great e-mailed monthly newsletter, talented people, meets monthly all year round in the evening. Terrific show and tell. semi-annual show. Probably 75 or so members, some people sew, most don't as the seating is in rows of chairs.
Does lots for charity; has an all day monthly Saturday meeting where members bring their machines sew for charity or work on their own. There are many weekly small group home meetings to which you have to be invited.

3rd (SooNipi Quilt Guild) is about 35 miles away and is a monthly daytime meeting.
$20 dues, year round, semi-annual show, also c.75 members.
We're seated at tables so many, sometimes most, women work on sewing or knitting projects.
Also has small weekly groups and one half-day monthly mtg open to all.
Great show and tell, very talented members. Annual all day charity sew-in, next one making D9Ps for women's shelter moms and kids. E-mailed newsletter every other month.

Both groups have programs at each meeting; some interesting, some not.
Both begin meetings with "guild business" which can be interminable.
Both periodically have a BOM going.
Both guilds have libraries, SooNipi's has more recent publications.
Both offer workshops with well-known (at least in NE) teachers for which member pay separately, usually held on Saturdays at near-by large spaces; typically costs $25-$50 for the day.

In addition, I belong to 2 small groups that used to meet in homes, now meet at local libraries. Open to all.

I like belonging to quilt groups. I have friends in them, many that I otherwise don't see and find show and tells motivational.

I belong to 2 guilds, one evening and one morning...both about 60 members. They are very different in personnality. I like going during the day and we do sewing projects taught by the members...morning has a number of beginners and evening one has 70% advanced appliquers and quilters..

I started our small group at church about three years ago. We have 12 members and meet twice a month on Thurs. morning. No dues, no formal meeting and we bring our machines to sew on ouw own projects. Sometimes we make a charity quilt or two as a group. Take turns bringing lunch. just a fun day.

Thanks for all of your input. Keep it coming, I love hearing about what each group is doing.
If anyone has a pattern for adult bibs they would like to share I would love it. This seems like a small project that could be done at our evening guild meeting where we have limited time. Thanks again for sharing.

There is no guild close to where I live. But I've recently found out there are several quilters in my area. I'm considering starting a quilting bee at our local fire station. They have a really nice , huge meeting room, however it is still under construction.
I've been told that a bee is much more manageable than a guild. Guild's are more structured financially and more organized, where a bee is kinda do your own thing. It was suggested for me to start with a bee and see if a guild is where we wanted to go later on.

I have been in my guild for over 20 years. We have a membership of over 400 people. Active ones- probably 150. We have a day and a night meeting, except for twice a year we only meet at night for a Christmas party and when the board changes over. We have a couple of national speakers a year, just last week David Taylor was here -WOW!- is all I can say about him. Go see him if you get a chance. Our members do a few meetings, we have one a year where we have 6-8 tables set up with members showing how to's. Sometimes we have grant recipients come back and tell us what they have done with the money we gave them.We always have vendors, door prizes, show and share, along with our meeting. We have a quilt show every other year. We have classes most months from the speakers, Heartwarmers meet every month (charity quilts), and I know I am leaving out stuff. There also lots of small groups that meet in homes. There were times I didn't attend regularly, but I have enjoyed my self most when I was involved, especially with the quilt show.

I recently moved to the Carolina area from the west coast and have not been able to located quilters I have built a sewing shop and I m looking for Christian ladies to sew with me to make quilts for childern that are sick maybe even unwed mothers. I live in Rock Hill SC. Joyce

I joined one of our local Guild's last month but I'm having second thoughts for a couple reasons.

There are around 60 members and they meet once a month. They have show & tell, fat quarter drawing (every one brings one and each month is a different theme, then they draw a name), BOM, a meeting, snacks (sometimes) and that's about it. It's very clique-ish and I don't really feel comfortable there. They don't do any sewing. Another drawback is during the fall and winter I cannot drive at night because I can't see that well at night. My DH has offered to take me (8 or 9 miles one way) but I don't like going that well so I guess I'm not missing much. They have a nice web and the minutes are posted so I can always see what's going on. Something that bothered me was when I joined, the President didn't even come over to say she was glad I joined or anything and there was nothing in the minutes about new members. Like I said, these ladies have been together for a long time and I didn't feel that welcome.

I like doing my own thing at home and I don't like to feel like I need to do a certain project by the next meeting. Last month it was making a pillow to show at the Sept. meeting. I could care less about making a pillow! I thought we'd be doing some charity quilts like I did when I lived in TX and met at our LQS and sewed all day making blankets or quilts for Linus Project.

There are several long-armers and the quilts they bring are fabulous and I don't feel like showing anything I've made because they don't quite measure up to theirs.

I would like to join the local guild but they meet during the day and I work so that would be tough. I emailed the contact person and she said there had been interest in an evening meeting but they had issues like where to have it without room rent and they needed a person to head it up. She asked if I wanted to be that person and if I would host a group in my home?? I thought that a little strange since I'm not even a member, haven't been to a meeting and she wanted to know if I would take the lead on this? I just started quilting about 4 months ago. I'm not even sure what is done at a quilt guild meeting?

The local guild I belong to has both a day and night guild. The day one is the one I joined 2 years ago. Just held a show at a local school, shows are every 3 years, next one will be 1013.
The guild I belong to has over 100 members. The day our 100th member joined I won the raffle basket and gave it to her as a welcome gift.
I do enjoy going twice a month to the meetings as it is an outing away from home.
I was in the show and tell yesterday with 2 pieces. One was a stack the deck using very bright colored fat quarters and a brick border that I designed myself as I didn't want just a plain border.
The other piece is a small wall hanging, I got the pattern out of one of the block a day calendars. Going to tie it using buttons in the intersections! Something different. It was also done in bright colors for my white walls.

Why not use this opportunity to get active and then you'll be the one calling the shots...perhaps the evening meeting could be one targeting new quilters with the more experienced quilters coming as mentors...a different technique each month - to training on it one meeting and have folks bring machines to sew at the next meeting...a show and tell could be a block made from the new technique. it could be a really helpful and fun group, I think.

In 2002 4 of us started a guild we just wanted to share our quilting with others and make it a fun social time. We are not part of a national guild and are quite informal. We have made donation quilts,chemo caps, mystery quilts,And once a year we do a group project. One year it was an angel wallhanging another time we did a snowman wallhanging.We have also taught a beginner rail fence. We are now completing a D9P.We have many younger quilters and every year we have more.We do a BOM each meeting it is explained and brought back next month for a show and tell.We also do a FQ draw ( 3 for $1.00 tickets) the money made from this goes to buy FQ for the next months FQ draw.To start this or group of 4 donated FQ from our stash This draw is a hi point in our meetings. Dues are $20.00 and when we taught courses we put the money back in the guild. A lot of our new quilters are making a sampler with the BOM blocks some are scrappy and others chose color co-ordinated. Next month we are doing ironing mats so they will learn machine quilting sandwiching and how to make and sew binding.We have about 22 members and that is a lot for the small community I live in.Also 2 of the first 4 are here now!

No quilt guilds in my area. They have 1 about 25 miles from here, but, mostly elderly women who talk about families and things of that nature, rather then quilting.
self learner here

I belong to my church group not guild I have yet to find one besides this group where I belong. My church group is like the old time quilting bees we make dedication quilts, and such. It is fun I like it!

No, guild for me. I am not very competitive and I feel that there is a lot of competition in guilds and that is okay for some people. I just quilt for my own enjoyment, although I would welcome the fellowship from other quilters.

No, I am pretty busy with family, church, gardening, and quilting but would love to have a christian friend to quilt with or share with. I'm not the social one in our family!!! None of mine quilt. I live in Puyallup, up hill from the fair!

My quild's last meeting of the year is our Harvest Supper in early November. Everyone brings food or donates money for a ham or turkey and there is always plenty of desserts. Tables are decorated and everyone gets a FQ, one year the FQ was an orange fabric wrapped around a roll of toilet tissue to look like a pumpkin, had a twig in the center and a real leaf. Another year the FQ was our 'napkin' in a corn cob fabric which we were to make a small challenge quilt with for the next Harvest Supper. We also display the Dolly quilts we made and prizes are awarded. 60 or more of the dolly quilts are given to a local senior center group to be added to their Christmas gifts for the kids in their town's Head Start program They wrap the little quilts around dolls for girls and teddy bears for boys. Havest Supper is also last call for charity quilts which we give to local churches and social services groups for Christmas gifts. Past few years we've added fun pillowcases. May in Jersey

When I moved to a new town, I joined a group. However, I was unaware at first that they had a history of forming cliques, not sharing, silly in - fighting and ostracism. It broke up into other groups at least two times whilst I persevered as a member and after I was given the brush - off, I stopped going as well. Later on, I was invited to join a group which is 100 km away. It is a very friendly, sharing group and I don't resent the journey to visit with such a stimulating, talented and thoroughly nice bunch of women every month. I heard on the grape - vine that the other group has five members now...it may change in the future.

--I have joined one in denver and have attended one as a guest in atlanta. I like going solo. I might add that I have learned 0a lot from tv and mags. I have been quilting for 20.yrs. llike the quiling buddies I met along the. Way and this web site

Joan_quilt where in south central Pa do you live? I live in the Carlisle area.

I belong to 2 guilds. One had over 200 members, they meet once a month for the business meeting. One month that is at 1:00 the next month it will be at 7:00 pm, it consist of the business portion, and then snacks, show and tell, and usually either a trunk show or something similar. Then weekly they also meet every Tuesdays and have small meeting, show and tell, we take snacks as we feel to do, and something to work on if you want, alot of the ladies do their hand work there. Whether it be applique, binding, some gals work on project warmth or ?? They also meet once a month, and have a "Work Day" which is making quilts for project warmth and also is pot luck. This group had 2 different meetings times so to speak one in the mornings and one in the evenings. We do Round Robins, pick a bags, challenge quilts, stash busters, and different ones voluteer to do a class sometimes, and they also have ones come in to teach a class also.Do a huge Quilt Show this last year there were over 400 quilts entered, the quilt show is not limited to members or even just our state.
The 2nd Guild I belong to is a bit smaller in fact I'm not sure how many, I'm thinkin around 30. They meet once a month for the business meeting, usually start at 5pm with bring your lunch and visit or whatever and then the actually meeting starts at 7pm. They have a program committee that usually shows how to do something or a bit of info on something. Then once a month they have a work day which varies from month to month, sometimes there is a free class on making an item (this last month it was using the 60 degree ruler and making fan wallhanging quilt) and working on our Raffle quilt,and also charity quilts. Some gals bring their quilts to baste and use the bigger tables to make it easier. Some of the gals also meet on Tuesdays for a work day, they do a show for Christmas in the Hills and also do challenge quilts, Round Robins and things like that. I really enjoy both guild and have been gong for about 2 years.

Are you talking about Q.U.I.L.T.S Schenectady? I was at their quilt show on Saturday, so in love with everything there!!

Our group is not an organized guild--no officers, no dues, no food served (we do offer coffee and juice) and no more rules. We meet in our homes, projects vary from year to year, this year's is a real gem--will tell you about it when I get the fabric,various skill levels. And we all love it, that's the most important. piecefully, the old one

After work on Thursdays 3 pediatric nurses and 2 nurse practitioners meet to "sew" we crockpot it but are slow to sew but lots of laughs and food.

I don't belong to any guilds but do go to two local "drop in" type groups. One meets the first Monday of the month at the library. This group is open to all quilters. The other group meets every Friday morning and is only open to quilters 55 and older. It meets in the Senior Center. Both groups are free and each has made a queen size quilt for the "host" to auction to raise money for their respective endeavors. (The library quilt was just raffled last month and raised over $2300. We were all quite proud of that accomplishment.) I have tried "organized" groups and found I do not care for them - I fit in better when things are more relaxed and fewer "rules/laws" have to be followed.

I agree with the other repliers, just take a deep breath and follow your instincts. I was always afraid to do anything alone - ie: go to the movies, a museum, the theater, shopping (except grocery), etc. At the age of 55 I finally decided that if I wanted to do any of these things I had to go alone or remain a dull scaredycat. Now, at age 64, I do what I want and am much happier. AND there was really no reason for me to be scared: there are more friendly, helpful people in the world than one would believe.
Barbara W