More question from that new girl...

What exactly is a quilt guild? Is it like a quilt fan club or more like a continuing education type of thing where you learn quilting techniques?

Are there usually membership fees? If so, are they high?

Can you join even if you don't have a quilt that you've made to show off? Are there age limits/requirements?

Do they generally meet during the day or night? Is it a weekly, monthly, quarterly thing?

Are potlucks involved? I love a potluck. :mrgreen:

No requirements here for the Quilt Guild. They meet once a month and it costs $20 for the year. They meet in the evening. They have refreshments at each meeting and Potlucks 2 times a year. You don't have to have show and tells, but they encourage you to bring one when you finish something. They do a type of program at each meeting. They have had discussions on longarm quilting, string quilting, small log cabin projects, at Christmas they make stockings at home and fill them in the December meeting for charity. Part of the group works on charity quilts, and Quilts of Valor during different days of the month. They also organize a quilt show every other year. They also have a small library where you can borrow books.

Hard to answer your questions as all quilt guilds are different. One I belong to has yearly fee of $15, potluck, meets once a month in the evening, has show and tell, has one retreat and one road trip each year, also we do a raffle quilt each year. The other one is small, we have demos from members, sew once a month on third Saturday, and order out for lunch. No fee. Both are fun but very different.

Quilt Guilds all have their own "flavour" and some you'll definitely like some better than others. A good guild has all of the activities mentioned above plus welcoming friendly accepting members. A well functioning guild should have all kinds of quilters from newly interested members to seasoned experienced stitching veterns. It should offer a wide variety of quilting experiences and invite all members to participate as much as possible. Most guilds are very reasonably priced and welcome guests. Go and visit and then determine if it will be a good fit for you.

Try to visit a few guilds before you join, Most will let you assist to one meeting as a visitor, so you can pick the one you feel at ease.

Thanks!

I have met with a group of guilds from all over Northern California. They vary a lot in support, cost, friendliness, guest speakers/classes. My guild is very small, friendly, has $5 membership, 2 retreats a year, 2 potlucks separate from the retreats. We have a LA machine available at $3.50/hour for all members to use after initial training. We gave up meeting refreshments in order to gain access to our current meeting place. Show and tell is probably the most important part of our meetings.

We are way off the beaten track, so we don't have outside experts in. We have an annual quilt show and auction in conjunction with the county fair. In the 10 years I've been a member, there have been several suggestions to raise dues or LA fees, always shot down by the richest members. They would rather donate and keep these things affordable for everyone.

One sorta nearby guild has a $55 membership AND $5 per meeting fee. They have really great guest classes/lectures, but I'd rather have things the way my guild does them. I have heard of other guilds from outside this area that are very selective about accepting new members.

I have also heard of guilds which only allow hand quilting. I know one guild which is an adjunct to a local quilting store.

Everyone in my guild is very supportive to new quilters. We also have weekly classes available to anyone at no cost. We have a tradition of aiding families by finishing the quilts of any disabled/dead member. I don't think any of these things are unique to my guild.

I forgot to mention that each guild has an annual quilt show, and in both we make quilts for Child Services (two different counties). In the second one we've begun to think about short road trips.

I belong to two guilds. One is about 12 miles from my home and meets twice a month in the evening. They started out in homes but have now grown to a little more than 100 members. Their dues are $24 a year. The dues are needed to pay for renting the meeting place, mailing out newsletters to those without computer access, speakers etc. They have two huge retreats every year as well as a fund raising Quilt Bingo. They also have a quilt show every other year. They have light refreshments donated by members at the first meeting of the month. They also have show and tell every month. The members range in experience from first time quilters to long time ones like myself.

The second guild I belong to is at least 40 miles from my home. They meet in the daytime and always have a wonderful pot luck lunch. They meet once a month and not durring July or August. Their dues are now $30 a year. They have speakers, show and tell and several retreats. They also have to pay rent for the meeting venue. The membership also consists of all levels of skill and experience. It is becoming more of a chore for me to attend that meeting because of the drive through morning traffic around Baltimore. I like the ladies there as they are more laid back than my other guild. The pot luck is always great. They haven't had a quilt show in 10 years but they do have a Quilt Bingo once a year and most recently a Tea as a fund raiser.
Many guilds have smaller groups called Bees. They are usually a few ladies from the guild who get together at least once a month durring the daytime and just chat and work on portable projects. I belong to one that is usually no more than 5 ladies. We meet at a local machine dealer's shop in their little classroom. We each bring some handwork or even mending and gab. Then we go to a local place for lunch. Bees can be more organized. Sometimes a group like that is the committee for a raffle quilt or other fund raising project. Over the years I have learned as much from the Bees as I have from the bigger guild.
One thing you can count on with quilters there is aways fabric and food involved in some way. Good luck finding a group that fills your needs.