Hi all I have read what you have said about your experince with guilds. I belong to the Austin area quilt guild we have over 600 members. We are an evening meeting but we do also have morning meeting 4 time a year for the member that work. We also have several men in our group and also younger members. We welcome new guest evey month .We ask member to please welcome new member and guess that are sitting next to them. We have work shops every month and the speaker speaks at the morning and the evening meeting. So if any of you are in the Austin Texas area were having out meeting this monday 10.am morning and 6.45 pm Our show and tell last 15 to 20 minutes then we have our short business meeting then the speaker starts after that. Maybe those that have had a bad time trying to get into a guild needs to go up to there president and tell her what your upset about so it can be fixed. I have always found most quilter to be very helpfull in sharing what they know. Texas garnny

Daytime meetings are usually formed because members do not want to go to an evening meeting. Many older people do not drive after dark. If the only meetings in your area are daytime at a time when you can't attend maybe you could start an evening group. We have a small group at our church we started with 13 and shrunk but we enjoy our times together. Getting together with just a few people who are friendly and want to learn and share can be just as good as a large group.

me too, I would go to your quild

We used to move around every 3-4 years or so and I've found it easier to find another quilter and join whatever quilt groups I could find with a friend. And that might help, send out the message to join your group or club and bring a friend.

Jois

One of my favorite guild meetings is mentor night. There are stations set up and experienced members teach something to the members at large. The time allows for visiting/watching 3 different lessons. I always learn SOMETHING! For me, I go to a meeting when the guest speaker interests me so my goal is met no matter what. I do not go to socialize -that's what the QB is for.

OK I'm with Carla sue ,My experiences would curl your Hair,Not Good at the guild. Unbelievable, Unpleasantness and all because I'm different and I do things differently. Like I had to figure the quilt thing out for myself and I Just quilt my own way. some of you might not like it but mostly I Think You All are very nice folks. I'm not perfect but some think they are at guild ,

I belong to a great quilt guild of about 50 ladies young and old. Everyone is very supportive and willing to teach you if you are having trouble. We do a quilt show every year and raise money for some group in our town that needs help. I'm proud to belong to this quilt guild and anyone is welcome. I'm sorry to hear so many have had terrible times with the ones they have been to. We just did a class for children in our town the kids were great and those of us who helped had a great time. Hopefully we made some kids future quilters. We plan to do another class in the fall.

We have two guilds near where I live - one is closely knit and pretty cliquey, the other is great. Guess which one I am joining?

I'm the president of our local guild in a rather small community, I'm new to the area (about 3 years)and new to quilting so was surprised when asked to be the president. Then realized they couldn't get anyone else to accept the position. We have about 40 members. We try to keep our meetings informative with some sort of quilting related demonstration. When you get 40 women together there are usually cliques and at least one or two negative people. To break into the cliques I showed interest in the work these women were doing and asked them lots of specific questions. As for the negative people we've actually had a few people leave our group (you can't be all things to all people) but we've also had some who have become involved in some of our service projects (quilts of valor and comfort quilts for the community) and some of there negativity has diminished. Most of our members are really good about greeting visitors. Our monthly newsletters with meeting minutes and upcoming events help us all to keep in touch. At a recent meeting we asked each member to bring their favorite tool, tip or trick for quilting. These will be published this summer and shared with guild members. A fun way to recognize each persons special talent and share our knowledge. We also have monthly exchanges, last year was pin wheels this year it is 6" batik blocks. We (14 of us) are also finishing a round robin this month. We have another member who is going to start a mystery quilt group this fall. Tap into your members and you'd be surprised how positive the group becomes.

Should we clap or make a sad face?

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

If you've experienced the same in different clubs in different states then I would have to suggest it's probably not them, it's you.

"goofy club" "high falootin experts" "standards" All those words tell me you have a problem.

Or maybe they're just good friends outside of the guild and hang out together the rest of the month.

I really don't think most guilds are cliquey at all. They're full of women that have known each other for many, many years and are friends outside of the guild and do other things together.

It can take a good long while to get to know people that you only see once a month. Most guilds have people that only come to a few meetings and then disappear.

If you only go to three or four meetings and sit in the back by yourself and never talk to anybody and then go around bad mouthing the guild you really haven't given them a chance. Go sit in the middle! Introduce yourself to lots of people! Tell them "I'm new to the guild." Give them a chance to get to know you!

I joined the local quilt guild a year ago. Guests are given a spool of thread (Connecting Threads brand), and are introduced during the meeting. Yes, there are internal groups, but plenty of friendly quilters, and the new members can always stick together, too.

I belong to a guild, for about a year now. It is mostly very nice ladies, but, they like sitting with their friends and visiting with the ladies that they know, like most of us. It is very hard for newcomers to break into that. The suggestion to just sit in the middle of all of them, doesn't always work, I've had them move to another table to make room for their friends. Having board members sit at a different table each month, is a great idea. The "bee" small groups at my guild are all full, which I understand, most of us can only accomadate so many in our homes, and there is a process to start new groups, but that means the new groups will mostly be made up of new quilters, not getting the help of experienced quilters who know all the ins and out's of the quild nor the help that the new quilters need from the experienced quilters. It would sure be nice if some of those in the groups would be willing to leave their established group to start a new one with the new people. I took on the job of refreshments to try to get to know people, but I spend most of the meeting in the kitchen setting up and cleaning up, missing most of the program. I'm kind of frustrated.

my experience has been similiar to ckcowl "very 'clique-ie'

Most are complimentary at show and tell, but they do tend to stick together.

I've never joined a guild because I'm terribly shy and meeting new people absolutely terrifies me. (I'm a disaster during open house at work every year but I'm working on it.) Maybe have a person or two (someone who is warm and friendly in a non-invasive way) adopt a new person and make them welcome, sit with them, etc. until they got to know some people. Also, if you have a website for your guild, make sure the tone of your site is welcoming. There's a big guild near where I live but I've never checked it out because the tone of their website is not very friendly.

BTW -- The church I've been going to has a quilting ministry on Wednesday nights and I'm going to try to go this week. Wish me luck as I try to meet new people without terror!

Quiltmania, that is a good way to start. Get involved with quilting people however and go with someone to a guild meeting.

One guild I know specifically excludes kids who quilt from the guild. My daughter, now 11, who has won awards in big machine quilting shows, cannot join that guild.

Our machine quilting guild, however, not only accepts junior members, they treat them as equals. They are full members, and pay full dues. They just have to have an adult 'sponsor'. We have two kids and they have been a great addition to the group.

So many ideas, so little time. I belong to two guilds. One meets at night and the other in the daytime. The daytime one is about the same size 90-100 members give or take a few. The daytime group is very laid back. We have a covered dish luncheon each meeting. Everyone is friendly and there are no "quilt" police. The evening group is differnt. When I first joined there were about 6 of us and we met in homes. Now there are 100+, it meets in the evening and most are working women. The mood is totally different. They don't want to change anything and there are definately "quilt Police". Things that were necessary when we were a very small group, like everyone entering a quilt in our show, participating in the BOM etc. etc. is no longer necessary with 100 members, Rules like you have to participate in the BOM for the next 6 months if you win. But are not eligable to win again until after that six months.DUH? No wonder there is low participation. The other problem is having members who make the mistake of volunteering to be saddled with the job for life. I could go on forever.

The church group sounds like a good start. Possibly some of the ladies you meet there belong to a guild, and you could go along with one of them to a meeting. I'm sure it's harder to join in when you are shy. Good luck. :thumbup:

This is such a nice idea. As someone already mentioned, utilize the skills of your members.

MarieM,

Your guild sounds fantastic. I love the idea of monthly exchanges and round robins. Our guild is doing a monthly fabric exchange this year (10" squares) with civil war repros. We have a monthly get-together at a LQS to work on our Dear Jane quilts, and the civil war repro fabric is coming in very handy.

Minda, Have you joined in with the Jane Stickle group here on the board?

No I haven't, since I'm in a local Dear Jane group. We all work at different paces, but I try to keep ahead of the rest because I'm the one that teaches the blocks that people have problems with. Are you doing a Dear Jane? It is a big committment, but it never gets boring since every block is different.:D

I am working along with the board. We have a schedule and I am trying to keep up. We are shooting for 3 or 4 blocks and a triangle each week. Sometimes I get ahead, then I slip, but I haven't given up.

Roselady: If a new group of beginners in your guild gets started, how about asking one of the older members from one of the other groups to come and either spend a meeting talking with the beginners/new members or showing them some of the tips and tricks they don't yet know about quilting.

I'm very interested in this thread as I had some of the same feelings attending guild meetings. It will give me ideas to share with our guild as I have accepted being nominated for VP.

i just read something I thought was relevant, plus an idea for a quilt challenge.
"My sense is that this month our focus is on community/groups/organizations, those that we create and those to which we ‘gravitate’. We could also look at it from the opposite perspective: attraction…that which we pull towards us. Who do we draw towards us? Do they lift us up or put us down? Do we gravitate towards groups/organizations that make us feel better or deplete us of our energy?"
http://mandalaofthemonth.com/

Sounds like a wonderful group!

We have two groups through the local extension office. One meets at night and from what I have heard is more meeting oriented, they do not sew at their meetings, but they do work on projects. The other, the day group, meets from 10:00 to 4:00 on the third Friday, we sew, we talk, we help each other, we laugh alot, and WE SHARE. Oh, and we go on road trips. Just this past week we took the extension office van and drove to two shops, one LQS, and one that is primarily fabric. We also have UFO Days scheduled on the other Fridays. Of course, attendance is optional. I have never enjoyed a group so much. Since most of use shop at the same places and usually together, we frequently purhcase the same fabrics, we always share the extra piece that is needed. We are going to a quilt show, this coming Saturday and will have lunch and go to Hobby Lobby.

With all this, we ACTUALLY do finish numerous quilts and there is a little of each of us in every finished quilts. It is a fun group and we treat newbies like old friends. We have members from seveal surrounding counties. We are fortunate to have one of the best FCS Agents who joins us as often as her job permits.

I've only been a member of my quild for a few months and it's been very enjoyable. I didn't know anyone in town so I thought it would be a good way to meet people.

Every visitor is assigned a "Quilt Buddy" to sit with and explain things and answer questions.

There is a quild book and every member has a page with their picture and personal information that they want to provide. I find this helpful putting the names and faces together.

We have 35 members which includes a man (X-Marine) and a young girl that is home schooled. Our guy will be teaching a block this month.

great topic, I love it!