I'm founding a branch of the Modern Quilt Guild in my town and our first meeting is coming up...

I'm curious... what do you really like about your quilt guild or group? I would love to see what you guys think...

I'm also curious about quilt guild games that you play. I want this guild to be a fun thing to do so I would love some input :)

Quilting groups can be fun. But it's what you put into it also. You need to be part of it not just a member. It's alot of work. So if you want to be part of the qroup you need to do something for it. It's not for someone that doesn't have a lot of time..

we only have 5 left in our group. not a guild. We all left a guild because it seems majority of them were very catty and always talked about other peoples business. now we have a great group, talking about the old days, funny times sadtimes about ourselves. We also share a lot of things especially if someone is making a scrappy quilt and needs a particular color, we all dig in and make it happen.

I like the small groups "bees". Our guild is very large, so the best way to get acquainted is to join a "bee". I belong to 2 bees, one is small with 6 members and the other is a Quilts of Valor bee that has quite a few.

i have belonged to to guilds and love them both we have done exchanges blocks,fat quarters, charm squares,secret santa,round robin and some of the other things we do are bom,mystery quilt of the month, quilts for charity kids,fire victims, police/sheriffs office,sew days (nights),demos, door prizes, games, show and tell

What I love about our group of about 15 is the love of the same art - a passion - the sharing of ideas and fabrics. At the moment we are all working on a civil war quilt design, each making her own quilt, in her own color palette and in her own desired size. It is going to be exciting to see them all side by side - same pattern - but very different.

I had attended another group in another state, but it lasted just one session - the reason is that it was a gossip gathering and not a quilting gathering. I was appauled and never went back. Our group talks about quilting, we share ideas and help one another, we sometimes talk about our families, but always in a positive way, and we enjoy each other and our passion for quilting. We always leave having gained new knowledge, and feeling great about our art form. Isn't that the whole point of a guilt group?

I love the members of my guild. They are just wonderful. At one of our retreats we played fatquarter bunco. A first at bunco for a lot of the ladies. Had a wonderful time.

I love the people! We have a group of very caring women, fun to be with and very knowledgeable. I enjoy going and sharing.

I love my Stitchin' Sisters! They are a diverse group and always have something interesting going on. It is a small group and each and every one has become a dear friend.

We all share different projects and have a variety of skills and passions.

I belonged to one guild for one year. I hated it. I was the youngest (23 at the time) and was told that I shouldn't be a member because I wasn't old enough to quilt or have the respect needed to properly care for a quilt.

So this board is my guild. I love it here.

I am so sorry that you had the above experience...I just can't imagine someone being so hateful as to say that to you. Sounds like perhaps the other members may have been too full of themselves. Now you are here among friends and sharing the love of the art form of quilting. Glad you are here.

I have been putting a lot in the guild already - I am on a mission to really get a good, strong, active guild going. The one guild I went to about a year ago was boring, all business and they didn't have anything going on at all. I do plan to set up different quilting groups and have some classes. We have a Joann's opening soon and I intend to approach the manager and see about getting in with them there for smaller meetings - once a week if at all possible for different things - small project of the month, charity quilting, technique of the month, etc. I have a few quilt and sewing stores in town that have expressed a big interest in having us meet there as well which is fabulous. I'm looking forward to getting it all set up and going.

I am hoping to come up with some ideas for a quick game or something to do at each meeting - like a quilt square bingo game, exchanges etc. It's going to be fabulous :)

Shame on them! I'm glad you're here though.

A guild is like any other public club. There will be great people and other people who are there to be takers. The best way to get the most out of any group is to be active and not afraid to speak up. The advantages of a larger guild is that they have money to hire speakers and instructors. The disadvatage is that there are a much higher percentage of disgruntled members to rain on your parade. If you join a guild volunteer in some capacity. Also be willing to do the job you take for a limited time, say one year or season. Then give someone else a chance. If you are in charge of speakers etc. you will get to meet personally some really great quilters. I served as program chair for both of my guilds at one time. I made a lot of friends among the local quilt experts. It was not unusual for one of them to give me a small gift or a special discount on one of their products. It is nice to run into one of them at a public show and have them remember you.
Both of my guilds have refreshments. One a pot luck lunch every meeting and the other just drinks and snacks. They both offer opportunities to donate goodies at least once a year.
There are also opportunities like Block of the Month. My first guild has allowed one of the early members to dominate that project for more than 20 years. She has made very restricting rules that should have been dropped years ago. I have not participated in that exchange in a very long time. She always dictates the pattern, includes one fabric that has to be used and sets the parameters of who can win etc. She also bills the guild for the fabric she gives to those who plan on participating. Of course she marters herself by having to cut it into pieces each month. When it was a very small guild if everyone didn't participate there were not enough blocks for anyone to make a quilt. Now that there are more than 100 members the rule that says if you win you have to participate without a chance of winning for the next 6 months is just stupid. The other guild usually has someone new do Block of the month each year. She comes up with the design and maybe suggests a fabric but that is all. There are no limits to how often you can win. It is no surprise that they often have enough entries to give away two sets of blocks. The second guild gets a whole lot of show and tells from members who participate in their Block of the Month. The other guild has it's winners busy making blocks they can't win for the next six months.
I have met and made friends with many other quilters through both of my guilds. It is a wonderful place to find your quilt soulmates.

I belong to the C.A.M.E.O. quilt guild. It is awesome. It stands for "Come and Meet Each Other. We have lots of activities with speakers and workshops, two potlucks a year. national quilting day, charity sewing day, a retreat and lots of other things. I just organized an I Spy block exchange. We had 33 participate. it was fun.

Our group loves show and tell and the BOM that we are doing. We also have a retreat planned and do some little classes on techniques. We all like to shop at the end of our meetings and we meet in a store ;)

My favorite thing is just the creativity and laughter we share :)

I'm one of the co-presidents of the Austin Modern Quilt Guild :)

I am hoping to come up with some ideas for a quick game or something to do at each meeting - like a quilt square bingo game, exchanges etc. It's going to be fabulous :)[/quote]

You could play LRC with charms. We use 10 5" charms for each player. Lots of fun.

I put quilt poems, word seaches, funny facts in my newsletter, we try to have a speaker 3x a yr at least and we have a holiday party outside of our usual meeting place...and this yr we had a snack nite, everyone brought, we ate and exchanged ogod and recipes and we also had an auction---white elephant sale, made $10.00 but was fun...

Have a small group called 4-4 Fun the four of us work on group projects sometimes. Larger groups, one club has around 35 members (most retired) and we have a ball. 2nd guild is larger and has a more diverse age range, all the way from youngsters, they pay 1/2 membership dues (most whose mother quilts and have infected their daughters) to some in their 80's. We really do not have a lot of cattiness in any of the groups.

What part of Alabama, are you from...Hope close to me..

I am another younger quilter - 27 when I first joined a guild. I feel for you Jennifer22206!!!

I haven't gone in about a year, I stopped attending because I was in school last year which I've since put on the back burner as we're having a new baby...but I'm returning to the guild tomorrow actually! There are things I liked and disliked about the guild. I was also a member of a small little group too that met at the library, there were only about 4 or 5 other ladies at that meeting who were incredibly nice, but I always had that feeling like I never really fit in. I think a lot of it had to do with my age. As for the bigger guild (of about 100 members) I really like that they hire speakers and teachers to come in which is really exciting. There are a lot of the dreaded "quilt nazi's" there who love to make you feel inferior, and it was REALLY difficult for me at first because I'm kind of a sensitive person. But for every stinker there are ten other really nice ladies who would love to talk quilts with you until your heart's content. I think it's REALLY hard to be a younger quilter...they are far and few between and it can be very challenging to connect with other ladies because either they assume you made a couple baby quilts for your kids and now call yourself a quilter or they lose all sense of manners and tell you how and what to do at every opportunity! Lol* I definitely joined to learn, but the approach counts for a lot too! It doesn't feel good to be treated like a little kid when you're nearly 30. ;) BUT, all that aside, I really do like guilds, I just think it helps to have a thick skin...something I'm working on.

Good luck with your new guild - oh and show and tells were always fun and I really like when they have the guild members volunteer to teach techniques that they've learned! It's nice because you are really less afraid to ask questions and kind of think to yourself, "well if she can do it, so can I!"

I belong to a guild of about 25 members. Our main focus is to make quilts for charity. We meet once a month and have day-long workshops 2 or 3 times a year. We go on a weekend retreat once a year on Cape Cod, have a summer picnic and Christmas party, and show and tell at every meeting. Every other year we collectively make a quilt which we raffle off and donate half the money to local charities and the other half to purchase more fabric to make more quilts. Twice a year we drive to Marden's in Sanford, ME to buy fabric (good selection, prices can't be beat). We do BOM's (2 at a time). One of the finished quilts is donated to the guild and the other we can keep for ourselves. It's a small guild, but active and we have built strong friendships over the years. We do accept new members, but don't want to get too big. I love my guild.

I've belonged to a guild for a year. We have speakers just about every meeting. Some have peaked my interest, some not, but that's OK. There's about 140 membership, but of course not all come for a meeting. There's usually around 75 - 100. There are also some small groups. I joined one this month. It's a contemporary group, so will push my buttons to get the creative juices flowing and try some new things. There's a challenge theme for each month and it's optional whether you make a quilt or not. These are not expected to be large. Postcard to 12" X 24" or whatever you can finish in a month. I know I'll be making a bunch of new friends with this smaller group.

I love my quilt guild! We have about 25 members and every one of them is willing to share their knowlege and help the others in the guild. I have learned more about quilting in the couple years since I found my guild than the 20 years previous to the guild.

We meet once a month for a sew in (basically 9am to 4 pm but we can stay longer if we want to). Everyone brings a current project to work on. I love to stroll around the room to check out what everyone else is doing. I love working on my own projects while listening to the happy voices conversing around the room. A favorite time is when someone is laying out their blocks for a quilt--then everyone gathers around to watch and offer suggestions. If you every have a sewing problem, this is the place to bring it--someone will know the answer.

Some come only for the refreshments and the business meeting which lasts about 1 1/2 hours in the afternoon. We hold 4 3-day retreats a year, do a quilt show with another quild each year, make a quilt for charity every other year and have various other activities that need to be planned. Every meeting ends with "tips and techniques" where members share short bits of information and then of course, everyone's favorite, "show and tell" where we get to admire the quilts members completed that month.

We do lots more stuff but this gives the main activities of this wonderful guild.

Donna

The very favorite part of our guild meetings is "Show and Tell" Our members are really good to share their work and it is so much fun to see what everyone is doing (and to hear the Oh's and Ah's when it is your quilt that is being shown).
The second favorite part for me is the workshops we have several times a year. I learn new things and have gotten acquainted with a lot of the women that way. My guild is a large group and I do NOT interact with the members except at the guild functions. We also have a lot of small groups within the guild where folks meet regularly to quilt together.

We started out as a quilt group but have ended up as friends. I call them my quilting friends.

If it wasn't for my guild I would have a Frenc Braid quilt top that was a complete diaster. They helped me fix it. I have also become good friends with of 3 of the most awesome women who I can truly call my friends

An 18-year-old has joined my guild and my Friendship group. She is sweet, friendly, and OH so talented! She puts many of the older quilters to shame

The guilds that I have enjoyed belonging to the most have had great outside speakers. Unfortunately I think a lot of guilds have cut back on that due to the economy and the hassle of dealing with airlines, etc. Also, I prefer a guild that allows everyone the chance to volunteer. I was given the opportunity to volunteer a lot with my 1st guild and enjoyed every minute of it. I not only got to know a lot of the other members by doing that, I learned a lot about how to run an organization. Unfortunately a lot of guilds have at least 1 person who tries to control everything and if you don't do things her way, forget it! With my 1st guild we also had bees & there are no words that can describe how much I miss the bee I belonged to then.

I think the smaller a group is the better it is. Ones I have been in sometimes the people would get caddy, or they already knew people coming in and there was no room for outsiders.

I had a very bad experience with a guild. I'd like to find a different one, but now i'm shy about giving it another try. Once bitten . . .

I belong to a guild that was church founded (not my faith). I am frequently impressed by the charitable attitude and true caring these ladies show for each other and others in the community.

I belong to a Bee and a Guild.
In the Bee, we all become fast friends. Helping each other with a technique, color choice, and lots of encouragement to beginner quilters, etc.. We make charity quilts for the sick, exchange books for reading and then give them to a nursing home, make 2 quilts a year to raffle for our church, have pot lucks at birthday times, a yearly retreat etc.
In the Guild, we have excellent classes, do charity quilts, have show and tell, block of the month, sell used quilting books, bi-yearly retreats, and a quilt show every year. It is hard to make friends in the group. They do say 'hello" and then go join their friends. I do volunteer, but have to admit, if it wasn't for the great classes at reasonable prices, I would not belong.

I wish you the very best for your new guild. I am the member of one guild and would probably be a serial guild attender if I didn't still have a child in school and there were more daytime guild meetings available. My guild added a daytime meeting a little over a year ago and that has worked out beautifully for me. With the daytime guild I have made it a point to try and greet everyone, learn their names and ask them to do something. There is always a general need for help on various chairs or committees, but asking someone directly seems to be a better approach.

Games: Our evening guild plays Quilto once a year and our daytime plays sewing box scavenger hunt once a year.

Challenges: The ones with a "carrot" of fabric seem to be the best participated in. Secondly, a meaningful topic idea also seem to generate many participants.

Silent Bid or Montly Mini Fundraising: Small quilted or quilty item valued at $15 or more.

Show and Tell: Of course! This is what many come for. We actually moved this before the speaker so it didn't get pushed to the bitter/late end of meetings.

Try: Make and takes, something that can be made in less than 45 minutes. Skills Rounds, have three different people demonstrate a skill or differing versions of a skill and then rotate groups every 20 minutes. Try a fun way of mixing the audience before you start to allow the opportunity to meet new people.

Their loss!!! you're better off here with those who appreciate you, regardless of age! This is a great group and from all over the world!

Our guild is very active in Charity quilts. We do one for ourselves every two years, this year we did one for the local Native american Rancheria to raffle off, we make cuddle quilts for the hospital, we do quilts for the safe house for battered women. These things are important to me, and we have classes, and challenges and all sorts of fun things. There is always one group that is catty, but they have kind of been sent off to one corner by themselves to be ignored, but I have made a lot of friends there, and met a lot of wonderful ladies that love to quilt for a purpose

My guild is large, 175, w about 75 at meetings. We get one or two national speakers a year, host two retreats a year, do BOM, a holiday block exchange where names are drawn at the party to win 9 or 12 blocks depending on how many people participate. Everytwo years we put on a quilt show and make a quilt to raffle to help defray costs. We meet at a Methodist Church so we cannot do this but another local group does - they raffle off 3-5 half yard cuts of fabric - one ticket for $1 or 6 for $5. Nice way to get a little money to do things with.

In both of the Guilds I belong to I enjoy the selflessness of the members. There are many different personalities and economic levels but we/they all share a willingness to help in any way needed. We live in an area where quilters abound and have lots of fun and projects.Some single Guilds, some combined. And there are some very good cooks in both groups. We always enjoy the treats. We learn a lot and share with each other.Do try a group and enjoy the members.

Ditto. our group is like this and I love it.
We are all very supportive of one another.

The best thing is the show and tell, and the people are not secretive about explaining the techniques. However, the true reason that I go regularly is that everyone is extremely nice and welcoming, with no nastiness or freezing - out behaviour. it is stimulating to go there.