It seems like we have a lot of members who have had unhappy experiences with a quilt guild, so I thought maybe some of us who belong to groups could make suggestions on how to make new people feel welcome.

(First, though, for the person looking to join a guild, be sure that it is a teaching guild that welcomes beginners. Some guilds work on projects that only experienced quilters can participate in, and their programs are not geared toward teaching. Ask the clerks at your local quilt shops about local guilds and who to notify to ask questions.)

I'm the Program Coordinator for the group I belong to. We are not an official "guild" so we don't have to conduct our business meetings at the group meetings. We have the business meeting on a different day, but all members are welcome to attend and participate. I'm happy to say that we are a teaching group. We have approximately 80 members and we welcome beginners who want to learn to quilt. We also offer workshops for beginners that are taught be our more experienced members.

We have a Sunshine Lady who greets everyone at the door. Before the meeting begins, she walks around and chats with all visitors and new members. If you have a large group, maybe 2 Sunshine Ladies would be appropriate. She also sends out cards to members who are ill or having an operation. If a member (new or old) misses 2 meetings, she calls to invite the person back (which gives the member a chance to say if there is a problem).

We also ask board members to sit at different tables each month, so that no one ever sits alone.

At the start of each meeting, we ask visitors to introduce themselves and tell us about themselves. We also ask them about their quilting experiences.

We welcome ALL show and tell. There is always something to compliment about every piece of work. We never offer criticism unless someone asks what they are doing wrong and wants suggestions on how to fix it.

I hope to see some more positive ideas that my guild, as well as other guilds, may be able to use at our meetings. :thumbup: :D

It is nice to have a topic created that lends a positive light towards guilds. I wish that I lived closer to you!!!:D:D:D

I would love to join any type of quiling group. I just don't know where to find one. Any suggestions?

cminor - check with your LQS (local quilt shop), they usually know where meetings are.

Sitting at different places is a great idea.

One idea would be to assign an "ambassador" to each new member. Sombody who is outgoing and active. Match up types of quilters. Then the ambassador could help the new member through the first year, making introductions, explaining procedures, encouraging the new member.

In other organizations I am in, as a member, you have to pay a minimal fine ($.25) if you DONT introduce yourself to the guest during the social times before and at the break before the presenter. This works in smaller groups of 20-25 people, maybe not 80.

my negative experiences have been:
although a very large group...very 'clique-ie' if you aren't part of the original group (or one of their...protoge's) you are not hardly acknowledged...at show and tell these people always set up front...and if you are not part of their (group) they totally ignore you and talk rudely to each other while you are trying to show your accomplishment...then if the next person is one of theirs they get quiet and ooh & ahhhh...
although i have been quilting for quite awhile and belong to 2 different sewing/quilting groups who also take part in the guild i was never treated as if i belonged walking through their 'sacred doors' so i decided to no longer waste my money on their dues or waste my time showing up to be treated poorly...i can accomplish all of the same things, swaps, donation projects ect here on the forum and with the small groups where i do belong.

This is all the "guild" I need! Talk about friendly and welcoming as well as teaching - and I don't even have to put my teeth in!

I'm so sorry about others' experiences. And its so unnecessary to be nasty and stuck-up. They must forget they were newbies once. *sigh*

wow, talk about been there, done that bought the t-shirt in the face!!! i have tried to break into a guild in my area for the past two years and i've just about given up. you guys have really nailed it-sitting in the front row, no one talking to the new people, cliques. wow. one of my dear friends was an officer and invited me to join her guild, they had their show and i had a quilt i;d hand made and hand quilted - took 2 yrs to make it, they announced at a meeting they didn't have enough quilts to make the show and to bring them to so & so's house by the deadline, but failed to announce the "paperwork" deadline the week before, so i show up with the quilt and was tossed out with a what are we supposed to do with this, there's no paperwork. OH MY GOSH how my supposed to know!!!! no big sisters in this group, you're just supposed to know stuff. i just took my toys and went home and stayed away. now they are crying for members, i went back but its not better much nicer a place, but i'm moving soon, so i'll just kinda look at the pretty quilts during show and tell and go quietly home.

Minda, Thank you for this post. We have the power to change a negative into a positive. I am in a quilt group not guild. It is made up of 20 women from ages 50 years to 80 years plus. We have no formal meeting. We meet on Mondays from 10.30am to 1.00pm. We pin quilts, help with patterns and share ideas. We all look forward to Mondays. We close in June and reopen in September. We are on the go for 16 years now.

Let's try and keep everything on this thread positive with positive suggestions. There are many, many threads started already to post negative thoughts about quilt groups. I'm hoping this thread will help people involved with guilds be able to post suggestions on how they make new members feel welcome.

Thanks, Ann Clare. I'm hoping we get lots of helpful suggestions. Your group sounds great.

I'm not in a guild, but can see where your greeters are a great way to make people feel welcome. Since you have such a large group, what if you had specific areas for different skill levels. The "Pros" could float from area to area to offer tips and assistance. You could even have name badges with "Ask me about ...." (paper piecing, cutting tips, etc.) on them so everyone would know what a person's specialty is. Just some thoughts.

Hold meetings at a time when working folks can go! I can't go to my local guild meetings, because they hold them in the morning on a Wednesday, so only retirees and SAHM's can go.

Be welcoming to younger quilters; it's becoming more popular with younger folks, but I have had older women basically sniff and say that I didn't know what I was doing (maybe I don't, and you could show me, huh?)

Our guild has a get-together with new members for about 15 - 20 minutes before meetings, usually a member of the board heads this up. We tell about the guild, what is currently going on, and try to answer any questions. This at least gives new members a person to come to with questions or concerns. (At least we used to do this - this changes with each new board, but it's a nice thing to do.)

This is a great idea. I will bring it up at our next meeting.

Our guild has a couple members who sit next to a new person to help them understand what is happening. We greet newbies with enthusiasm so they will keep coming back. We like new blood!

It seems like you are on the right track. You are making it easily available, fun, and friendly. Try to get some of the 'regular members' to commit personally to sit with the newcomers and not with their usual clique.

Keep it fun.

OK, ok, ok, I am a guild JUNKIE!! I love them, I really do!!! I belong to 4 guilds, am very active in 3, a member of a 7 woman wrecking crew that holds a VERY professional retreat every year.

I do not know what goes on elsewhere, but I invite all new members to sit with me, I am always looking for new members and I am really hard to duck.

Guilds need to find a member who is outgoing and willing to get their behinds out there! No one asked me, but I am "new" here. Only 7 years!

Scoop up those new and potential memebers, wrap them in a loving quilt and get them involved!!! I am tired.

What a great idea!

Some of us aren`t "joiners". I like to putz around in my garden, stitch, cook and quilt. I have no desire to be in any club or guild. I`ve experienced the humiliation of sitting in on various meetings of all the above, in different states and the results were the same. High falootin experts with regular followers who make the newcomers feel like they don`t belong. I quit attending church for the same reason. I can talk to God, quilt, cook and garden without all the fancypants experts. I get all the news and clues I need via the internet. And for those of you saying "There`s no personal interaction with that", I say EXACTLY. Life is short. Fill it with what makes ya happy, not with what some goofy club thinks would make ya happy, if only you were up to their standards.

I found my sit and sew group by typing Quilt guilds orlando. It was not a guild, but the lady had a website..I sent her a note telling her a little about me and she invited me to visit the group. I loved it first day and have been with the group for about 4.5 years. We meet at one of our homes and mainly do hand work. We cannot handle more than 12 at our home so we keep the number small. I have learned more from this group than I can imagine. I also belong to a small guild (about 50 member) that is very friendly and enjoyable. It is not an official guild either.

For starters, guilds need to be open to men, too. (Yes, here I go again. :) ) My local county guild specifically prohibits men from joining (it's actually written into their bylaws), so yeah, that's a sticking point with me.

In the statewide guild that I'm in, they are very accepting and open to any and all comers. How refreshing! They actually appointed me to a committee chair position (Sponsors) as well. Since then, I have acquired 4 new paying sponsors for the guild, which brings in newsletter advertising revenue for us.

But anyway, I would just say to be as welcoming as you can to newcomers, because all people are nervous to some extent when meeting new people. Making the extra effort to to extend the little niceties to people makes a large difference.

I will second the idea of creating a meeting time in the evening so that working quilters can be involved too. Also find a way to get the word out that you are having this evening meeting time so that people will actually come!

Good for you, I wouldn't be part of a group like that either. A couple years ago I was at a luncheon and the people at the same table I was seated were talking about types of RV's they had owned or own. This one lady who thinks she is some sort of mover and shaker in that commuity talked about the camping trailer that she and her husband have. I mentioned the brand my hubby and I have. She looks at me, "Oh, you can't join our club because we only allow "Brand X RV's". I return her "look" and said that I have no plans to join any camping club. She comes right back with, "You can't join ours". The other ladies at the table are looking at her and I could tell they were surprised at what they just heard. Mrs. High & Mighty just thought she was royal or something. Yep, it takes all kinds to make the world go around, my Gram used to say that.

Wow! I thought all that was behind us. I don't ask or look for differences except in how we quilt. Even then I am willing to learn more. Color is only important in the material we use for our quilts and quilts don't have to be gender or ethnic specific.

I am sure glad my guild welcomes the men among us. Thanks for the reminder.

Hopefully, anyone who attends such a restrictive guild will help t hem rewrite their ByLaws and move into the present century.

Minda, I wish I were in PA. I'd join your group.

Your group sounds ideal! Congratulations on being with a wonderful group of ladies.

We have name tags at our guild. If we didn't I would be so embarrassed because I am really bad with names. I agree with all you have said and will also take the information to my quild. This is a great group of people whom I enjoy!

Hi Minda, I like your positive attitude and that is precisely what is needed at guild meetings. In the military and in the Foreign Service, someone is asked to be a newcomer's mentor, if you will. If a newcomer is shy, this friend can then introduce her/him to the others, and answer any questions the new person might have.

Here's another one of my stories from when we were newly posted to North Africa. We always seemed to arrive at post after the school year began. Our little daughter, Rebecca, was entering first grade. The night before we were to take her to school for her first day, Rebecca came to us in a panic, saying that she had to learn French in order to understand her school. She had been hearing the French that was spoken in that country. We tried calming her by reminding Rebecca that she was going to the American School where English is spoken.

That first day of school found my Rebecca clinging to my hand. When we entered her classroom, a little girl jumped up and shouted "Rebecca, where have you been? I've been waiting for you. Come sit by me." This little girl is named Jennifer whom we had met in the States before they left for their assignment. Need I write that my Rebecca bounced right into that classroom, soon to be taking the lead. And we love Jennifer to this day for welcoming our daughter so warmly over thirty years ago.

A friendly welcome and a warm smile is what is needed. :lol:

I would like to join a guild, but I've been afraid of not being good enough of a quilter. And I have heard of more than one guild that really does't welcome all newcomers. (cliques?s)

Our guild has a welcome get together once a year for the new members. The some of the offices and someone representing the specialty groups explain what they are about and the type quilts they make. They also invite anyone who is interested to join them. (Some of he groups are closed due to size and meeting places.)
I like your idea about the quilt get together to meet the visitors and new members too,

I know what you mean about cliques - they are everywhere from families to work to hobby groups and church. Since I have moved a lot, and have had to become part of the group over and over, I have a little advice. Remember who you are and what you have to offer- they do not know, so you must be strong in knowing your own worth. Almost any group will welcome someone who is willing to put in their share of the work, according to her own skills.

Everyone's natural inclination is to talk to those we know first - it's just plain easier. Find a friendly face and make an effort to visit one on one. Do this with more than one person to start making a network of acquaintences. The more often you go, the more familiar you will be and the "stranger effect" will be lessened.

Our Guild which is a BIGGIE (180 members or so) has a new member tea, which helps orient the newbies. I appreciated this because I had never belonged to a guild, and had no clue about most of the activities or even the quilting "lingo." It also offers classes which give you a chance to learn something new and be in a smaller group setting. It also has smaller groups within the guild called Bees. These smaller groups are easier to become personalized in and get to know others - we have a group that does charity work, others who just get together to do their own projects at the same time, one that does applique in particular, so there is a great variety of ways a bee can be structured. Our guild has a secret sister option, which is another way of getting to know a single person in a fun way, and over time adds up.

It does take a group committment to welcome new members, and it does take desire and effort on the part of the individual to belong. And ignore the snobs. Life is too short!

I think it goes both ways too. I've seen some new members sit way in the back or take a seat at any empty table and never say a word to anyone and only say yes or no or nod when anyone talks to them and won't move to a seat closer up front when asked to join a group. I asked one new potential member if she would like to tell us a little about herself and what type of quilting she likes do do and she said No I rather not. Her tone put many on guard so they didn't mingle with her much. She never came back but later we found out she was saying how unfriendly the guild was.

I find it very sad that so many Quilting Board members have had such unhappy experiences with Quilting Guilds. Especially since my experience has (for the past 12 years) been WONDERFUL!! I belong to a Guild headquartered in Western Springs. SCQG has 250 members and ALWAYS a long waiting list. I've been chair of many, many committees and this upcoming Guild year I will be Membership Chair. I estimate that I know 225 of the members by name or sight. Because I would like to know all of them, I am suggesting that our members directory add a small photo of the member next to her name and address. (Wish me luck pushing that through the board - it will increase the cost considerably.) So many of the suggestions listed on the Quilting Board are good for joining and staying in a Guild, but I'd like to offer one more - head or join a committee. This is a perfect way to meet and get to know other members - and tell me - who is nicer than a quilter? Belles

Our guild is fairly small and meets in the evening so that working members can attend. We also make sure an officer calls every visitor after her (or his I guess) first meeting to welcome them and ask them to come back. New members seem to appreciate the call. Marylou

I belong to a guild that has about 80 members. We are all rural or small town people. I would not call our guild cliquey but wow, this topic is renewing my intent to speak to about 79 members when I attend next week. I like to think that I have never met a quilter that I didn't like. I must admit that my first year, I sat by myself, absorbing the atmosphere of quilt lovers, feeling shy. But the more you put in, the more you get out, just like Mom used to say.
Aren't we all little girls (or boys) inside, with the same insecurities and over compensating ways?

Here is your opening post for this thread:

"It seems like we have a lot of members who have had unhappy experiences with a quilt guild, so I thought maybe some of us who belong to groups could make suggestions on how to make new people feel welcome."

Then a few of us who have had unhappy experiences spoke up about what turned us off. To which you replied:

"Let's try and keep everything on this thread positive with positive suggestions. There are many, many threads started already to post negative thoughts about quilt groups. I'm hoping this thread will help people involved with guilds be able to post suggestions on how they make new members feel welcome."

So once again, it`s all about the people who are active in guilds and the opinions of newcomers or those "not active" because of bad experiences are not welcome.

Well Excuuuse us for interfering in your thread. Just wonder how you plan to make anybody feel welcome in your guilds if we`re not even permitted to state what sent us packing.

Doesn`t matter. You proved our point. I`m outta here.

One of our local guilds meets on the even number months in the evening and the odd number months in the day so as to accommodate all members. All members can attend day and/or night meetings for the one that works best for them.

I don't have that problem. I sit right on the front row. Don't want to miss anything. Anywhere I go.

Keep the great suggestions coming.

Eddie, I'm proud to say our group is open to men, although no men have joined us yet. I wish you could join our group. We also have 5 junior members who are learning to quilt. They are kids between 12 and 18 years old. Their dues are half the price of adult dues. We have name tags and draw a name for a door prize each month. If the name drawn is wearing her name tag, she gets the gift; if not, we draw another name. This is how we encourage members to wear their name tags. All of the local guilds in my area have their meetings in the evening.

Zoe, I love your story about your daughter's first day at a new school. What a great experience for her.