I am definately A stay away from quilt guilds Quilter.
I find Im not into Mine is better then yours atmosphere..:o)

AMEN Sistah!~

I am new to the area and need a way to meet new women. Married and my husband introduced me to all the men he knows but few women. I work and moved from a town 55 miles away.

I have enjoyed our guild. It is small and we sometimes meet at someone's home to learn or see special projects. Next Saturday, is a stack-n-wack class.

I don't care to belong to a guild, but I do belong to a quilt group that we limit membership to 12 people. We meet twice a month and have field trips to quilt shows, etc. I teach a lot of the classes we have. I'm the youngest member and I'll be 65 next year. But we have a lot of fun....

Just moved and think I will give the local one a chance but it will have to be really great for me to stick with it long-term. I tend to be more solitary in my quilting and work long days, so the meetings will have to feel like they provide great value to me for me to want to continue.

But if I don't give it a chance, I will never know if it's right for me or not. ;)

Don't belong to a guild,but our LQS has an open house every Thursday eve in the fall & winter. You bring what you want to work on & machine if needed. It's causual & those who come are great. Both owner & quilters ready & willing to help if you need it. Great way to get out & enjoy the company. Check to see if there is something like it where you are, if you don't want to join a guild.
Smiles

I belong to a Guild; for as much as I want. Monthly meetings always have a Guest speaker. The speakers are always good.
I cannot participate in all of the charity work as there are about ten going at this time.
A few of us go for breakfast once a month. This morning, despite the snow, we went.
Two years ago there was a mass exodus and I still don't know why. A new President and about 70 people stopped coming to the monthly meetings. Oh well!
I am not shy so I talk to everyone.
edited to add: We never sew during the meetings. Not enough time.
I guess I could call our Guild a WAVEY group because the mini groups melt and blend according to what is happening. Then again....maybe I don't notice things.

I started out as basically a utilitarian charity quilter, but have grown so much by my participation in guild. The members are so encouraging, and I have really expanded in my quilting capabilities. Our guild activities are fun, educational, and inspirational. We have the opportunity to connect and network with each other. Resources are shared also. There is a synergy that helps each of us to do better and the group to do more than what can be done alone.

Dayle

I moved to Winchester, VA in 1993 and joined a local guild to meet people. I had never quilted before. I soon became Secretary for 3 years and Program Chairman for 2, ending this year. I love my guild. We do a lot of charity quilts - mainly for 3 groups - A Community Action Group, a group for unwed mothers (ABBA) and lots of quilts go to the Oncology Department of our Hospital. We have lots of fun and keep up with new trends in quilting, new notions, etc. I would recommend giving it a try. We meet twice a month in a local Church in the afternoons.

I am thinking about joining a local guild, met some of the members at the lqs classes. It meets at night, but most nights I am too tired to drive anywhere. It is on my "bucket" list.

I joined a guild when I retired and love it. I have made some good friends and enjoy the speakers and the classes they offer.

I have belonged to a Guild in Regina Sask with 130 or so members for about 13 years. Some years it is really good .... depends on who is leading. Other years not so good. But I still love to go. Show and tell is my favorite part. I have held several positions on the Executive. I have had a great experience except for one year. But I won't go into that.

I belong to a Guild in Yuma Ar in the RV park we are in. Love that one too.

There is always clicks everywhere. I just look for someone else to sit with. And I ignore the clicks. I refuse to let them ruin my time at the Guild.

I am sorry you had a bad experience. Because of comments like yours, I have gone out of my way to speak to each new member and try to make them feel welcome. On the plus side, our guild has steadily been getting new members and I think it is because the officers also try to be welcoming! I belong to a guild but also sew with a couple other friends on a monthly basis. Keep looking!

I love this quilting site too. I also thought your avatar is interesting. From that I would say you look like you are creative! We would be glad to have you in our Guild!

I have belonged to guilds for several years now and don't expect to renew membership next year. Why? Because a friend told me about this website. I've learned more here than ever in a guild. It is nice to have quilting friends but I'm expected to devote too much time and money to belong to a guild. And I will never be able to quilt as well as they do so I often leave meetings with a lower self esteem. It also bothers me because there is no written policy or bylaws so new members have to question others about procedures. Also bothers me because the treasurer never reveals how the money is spent, just gives a monthly total. Thanks to all of you for your contribution here.

I just retired last year and the only thing I've joined is a quilt guild, and I love it. I live in a small town and the guild is in a town about 30 minutes away. The other members from my town took me in like a long-lost relative and we carpool to meetings, have lunch, shop at the only LQS in town.

I went to a retreat recently and got to know other members better. My experience with this guild has been nothing but positive. We're going to the Houston Quilt Festival this week on a bus!!

I enjoy the social aspect of the quild I belong to, and I enjoy seeing what all the other ladies are making. It can get trying at times when they require certain things you are not able to provide but all in all, I look forward to the meetings.
Michelle

Went to one meeting of a local guild, and decided that I really don't like to have every stitch and pattern looked at with a fine tooth comb. Plus they had nothing nice to say about most of the quilts that others had made.

I appreciate everyone's candid answers to my post. Sure made me remember why I left the local guild years ago. Believe I will be most happy in the future, keeping my quilting a solitary pursuit. If I could find 4-6 like minded folks that could get together once a month, that would be perfect. Actually, it would be hard to beat what we already have in each other in this Board.

I belong to a medium size guild. I don't think we have cliques but we do have small groups. Small group is 10 people that meet monthly. Each person in the group plans a monthly meeting. Sometimes we go out for lunch,sometimes we go fabric shopping, sometimes a quilt show, sometimes we go to a members house and sew for the day or weekend. It is nice because you have some one to go with you to quilt shows and other fun sewing places.

I'm trying to give the "waiting list" issue the benefit of the doubt - perhaps the meeting place has limited space.
Any other reasons I can think of (and there are several) are totally unacceptable and I wouldn't want to be affiliated with these people.

On here is the closest I come to being in a guild.

Two of my girlfriends and I joined a local quild last year. We average over 70+ ladies a month. I enjoy getting to meet others that enjoy quilting as much / even more than I do.
They have a new technique/teacher/ some kind of spotlighted event each month.
Our quild also has a annual quilt show each July. We volunteered last year and I will do it again this year.
This is a very friendly group, so willing to help you, answer any questions,or show you how to do something.
We all enjoy the one we go to.

I am Guild-less I prefer the solitude. Just me, my sewing machines and my music.

I've been thinking about the waiting list too. Limited meeting space is the most obvious reason, but there is another. The character of a guild changes completely when it becomes really large. Many people who would volunteer to be on the board of a small guild are intimidated by a large one. Show and tell becomes less personal, and hard to see when the meeting room holds 100+ people. Members can't know all the other members or invite all of them over for tea and cookies (and quilting). Now don't get me wrong - I belong to a big guild (and a small one) and I love the advantages of both. But I can understand people founding a small guild and wanting to keep it that way. And to do so they have to come up with a maximum number of members and stick with it, otherwise they would be rejecting some new applicants and accepting others. So I've come to the conclusion that having a waiting list is perfectly fine and understandable.

When I wasn't working full-time, I belonged to the local quilt guild and even served as President for two years, as well as serving on other positions along the way. It was a great place to learn new things about quilting, see what others were doing and make new quiltng friends. However, when I started working full-time I had to stop going, and since I didn't like going out at night, quilting for me became a solitary thing. However, I miss seeing what people are doing and learning new things. I'll probably start looking for a new guild soon.

I have belonged to the Rivers Bend Quilt quild for 5 years. We have 40 members,a variety of age grouping-some newbies and some Master quilters. We meet first Monday of the month and I enjoy it. No one is mean spirted and every one is helpful. If you need help there is always some near to help. Plus we have a LAQer in the group who makes it easy to take your tops to.

I can understand this as I had the same experience. I know coming into any group is hard but it helps if they are open and friendly. I go it alone.

The last two years I haven't been as involved with my guild as I'd like because of health issues. I have met wonderful, kind, and helpful ladies. I managed to attend two retreats and enjoyed quilting with others and made great friends. Our guild gives away about 200-300 quilts a year. They have interesting national and local speakers, who offer classes the day after the monthly meeting. After the meeting, they have an experienced quilter show a technique. There is no waiting list. All are warmly welcomed. I hope you all find a group as wonderful.

I would love to join a guild but my schedule prolly wouldn't allow it. Also, I don't know how they would be. My quilts dont' seem to measure up and get comments so it may just be a downer for me.

Kyia

Guilds or groups?

These are two different things. Some are very "stuffy" while others are "fun".

Find what suits you

one day guild and one evening. both just once a month

I have so little time...babysit my DGD about 50+ hours per week...so I get my "fix" by teaching and taking classes at my LQS when baby is with her parents. Maybe someday, but I had enough committee work and meetings in past years and now enjoy just sewing with friends on occasion.

Don't belong to a guild, but during summer six months I belong to a quilting club. It really helps to have close friends share your passion, you learn off each other and it makes a good social time. That's not to say you can't get that off a guild, but I haven't found a compatible group during winter months in Mesa.

I have belonged to a guild for seven years. We have eight or nine guilting groups within the guild. We meet every three months. Everyone is very nice and everyone seems to get along well. We have workshops during the year and have our Christmas luncheon in November.

I, too, am a guild member since we started in 1990. I find myself looking forward to guild day for the companionship/friendship more than anything. I usually bring my "work" home. I have to say that the majority of my friends are from our guild. No one nicer and more helpful than a fellow quilter!!

Hi Amy -- Wish you were here!! I would love to sign for you as my daughter is deaf, so I understand the difficulties that come with the hearing world sometimes. Wish you "luck" with finding that person to sign for you. Keep on quilting no matter what.

Its not for me try for 3 years After many years of work and family commitments I want to do what I want and when

Sue Nickels visited our Guild last year. She is a great teacher and her presentation was very informative and entertaining. :-)

I just posted my comments about this on another post. I, too, visited a guild when I first began quilting. The first night was OK, but from then on, after they got my membership dues, I never felt a part of the group. It had 4-5 cliques within the guild, and if you weren't part of their group, tough luck. I tried to join in as best I could. Did not work at all. Like you, I was rarely spoken to, if at all. I finally just quit going, and I obviously was not missed as I certainly was never contacted by anyone. If you feel you are an outsider after going for six months or so, it's time to hang it up ... so I did.