Our guild has about 120 members with about 50 attending each month. We have a business meeting, some type of program, show and tell, announcements, retreats every so often, classes, several sew days, charity sewing, national teachers (Bonnie Hunter in Jan.). At the meeting during your birthday month, you bring something new or from stash for the raffle table, and tickets are 25 cents. This money helps pay for teachers, supplies, donation to the church for the meeting room, etc. We have a short "ice breaker" every meeting just to get everyone moving and talking to someone they're not familiar with.

We had an auction and raffle this summer to benefit a member with liver cancer and made $23,000!

I enjoy the meetings and most everyone is friendly and giving. I signed up for the challenge committee and am looking forward to meeting with those ladies to see what we can come up with for 2011.

I am a founding member of the local quilt guild. I also meet with 9 other members of the guild in a small group once a month. I love doing both. I think that guilds have a lot to offer. They are always looking for volunteers and ideas. If the local guild is not for you, why not try your state guild or start your own guild.

I love our guild.........we are a small resort town in the mountains.........some members are snow birds in the winter. We have around 70 members, that are so friendly, helpful, etc. We just had our Christmas dinner...about 55 attended........so much fun! We have a quilt show every year on Labor Day weekend........we have 4 small groups who get to gether some every two weeks and some once a month. We have visiting teacher and or lecturers about 6 times a year and sometimes our own members lend their expertise to the rest of us.......

I love my guild. We have so much talent, and we all have a passion for quilting. Our meetings are structured, but we also have workshops and retreats, and lately we've been having some awesome speakers!
The ladies in our guild are great, and I wouldn't trade them for anything!

I tried my local quilt guild, and they were more about business than fun. I see no reason not to include business, just not all business. I agree with 'shequiltd', I joined to have fun making quilts. When they 'drafted' me to help re-write their by-laws, I quit attending. I do keep in touch, but I am not into the whole 'show off' thing. Too political for my tastes. Quilting is what I do to relax, and they took the fun out. I wish them well, but this board is more personal and helpful. God bless you all and Happy Holidays!

They are very well worth it -- first for a selfish reason -- I love the praise and applause when I show a finished project. I get a lot of inspiration from other quilters works.

Second is what I give back to others. One of my forst meetings when I moved to Maine, I showed a huge applique quilt. A lady told me later that I was her inspiration during a very difficult time. I also make quilts of valor with whatever groups I belong to as well as Linus, preemie and McDonald quilts.

I travelled the world meeting quilters through on live quilt guilds.

A group is what you put into it. Give it a try

Mim

I love my QG. I made many friends, and met my two best friends ever, we go to retreats together. But, I have learned so through my guild, and they are so supportive. There is a bit of work involved, like for shows, and volunteering to do things that are necessary to keep the guild functioning. I believe it is more than worth it.

So sad hearing all the bad experiences of guilds.

When I moved 17 years ago, the first place I went in town was to the local quilt shop, and the second was to the quilt guild. I have been a member 15 out of the last 17 years (work conflict for a couple of years) rejoining again this last year. It is something I look forward to each month.
We do have a very active guild, over 150 members, each meeting includes a speaker or program, we have lots of workshops each year, we do charity quilts, there is show and tell, a Christmas party, a wonderful library of books to check out, and more.

I am a part of a small quilt group, and I know through the guild many small groups have started up-usually by someone standing up during show and tell and asking if others would like to have a group...many friendships have started that way amongst guild members.

If you are going to be new to a guild, it can be at first hard to feel like you fit in, but talking to others about their quilts is a good way to start a conversation, working on charity quilts with others is another way, joining a committee also gets you involved. Before you know it you will feel like part of the group.

Like most things Quilt Guilds take time. Time to go to the meetings, time to go to the various workshops and classes and time to enjoy the companionship of other quilters. The Guild I belong to has an annual membership fee. We donate a quilt a year, to a worthy cause of our choice. The guild covers the cost of the material and the membership does the work. Last year's donated quilt earned the gifted group over $4000. I hope to make a sampler quilt out of the different blocks we have used in our donated quilts; as well as techniques I have learned in our many workshops. So, yes, I think Quilt Guilds can be a good thing.

Enjoy the guild I belong to of about 45 members. Each month we have a sewing session on the first Monday of the month and then the third Monday is our meeting. It is structured, but also very down to earth. Our officers are wonderful and spend a lot of time making our guild successful. We have show and tell, a speaker usually with a new project, Secret Sister, a Birthday Club called Strippers (you bring two 2 1/2 inch WOF strips for the girls who have a birthday that month) and socializing before and after the meeting.