What are your quilt guild meetings like?
10-03-2015, 04:34 AM
#41
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Georgia
Posts: 305
Thank you for starting this post! Perfect timing as my guilds starts to prepare for next year!
Since my guild meets twice a month we have a business meeting the second Tuesday and a program meeting the fourth Tuesday. To add interest to business meeting night it really helps to have a ten minute tip presented by a member after the business but before show and tell. Members don't feel so intimated if they are asked to share a neat technique as compared to doing the entire program. Some ten minutes tips have include showing a new ruler, how to make a flange border, glue basting, a French braid table runner. Other ideas could be ways to label a quilt (in fact you could ask five different members to do this together!), your favorite quilting magazine and why, how to use pounce, the numbers are endless!
Since my guild meets twice a month we have a business meeting the second Tuesday and a program meeting the fourth Tuesday. To add interest to business meeting night it really helps to have a ten minute tip presented by a member after the business but before show and tell. Members don't feel so intimated if they are asked to share a neat technique as compared to doing the entire program. Some ten minutes tips have include showing a new ruler, how to make a flange border, glue basting, a French braid table runner. Other ideas could be ways to label a quilt (in fact you could ask five different members to do this together!), your favorite quilting magazine and why, how to use pounce, the numbers are endless!
Last edited by Kaye; 10-03-2015 at 04:41 AM.
10-03-2015, 06:44 AM
#42
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Northern, Utah
Posts: 973
We have our business first then show and tell. After that one of the members does a class. We then have refreshments provided by one of the members. We sign up once a year for which month we will do what. There are also on time and drawings for show and tell. One member will bring in prizes for that. It is quite enjoyable and not at all stressful. We also do 1 or 2 block exchanges a year. They vary and are decided on by vote.
10-03-2015, 06:56 AM
#43
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Iowa
Posts: 1,308
after our business meeting we play Quilto... a member found in a magazine. We were all given fabric scraps ( identical squares) to make our own bingo cards... then someone show scraps .... as we have them we cover with a button... Bingo as usual... 4 corners.... etc...
Also now we are playing left, right, center..... it is a boughten dice game, but you could use #'s on regular dice. We decide what kind of fabric we bring... sometimes 3/ 10 inch squares... sometimes 2 1/2 in strips... sometimes a 3 fat quarters... then you roll dice... passing fabric to your left , right, or putting in the center.... it is so much fun... then whoever wins makes something and brings next month for show and tell.
Another thing we do , is one member brings a quilt block with a focus fabric for each guild member ( we only have 15 members... it might be hard with larger guilds).. then we all use our own fabric for the rest of the block... We use these blocks for our charity quilts.. it is a lot of fun to see how different the blocks look...
We have also done a sampler... we were all given a yard of focus fabric.( with option to buy more... our coordinator picked 3 color waves of same design fabric) then each month a member brings a new block... only rule is that you have to use focus fabric in each block.
We did the 1 yard challenge... there is a video of this... where everyone brings 1 yard... you split in 1/2 and pass 1/2 and keep 1/2.. then split in 1/2 again... pass 1/4 keep 1/4 and continue... then make a project with what fabric you get.... It is a good idea to specify a color for the beginning fabric or a theme....
We have a small group and so we are able to do more than a bigger group.. shop hops , sew days, and demos are all part of our yearly program.
Also now we are playing left, right, center..... it is a boughten dice game, but you could use #'s on regular dice. We decide what kind of fabric we bring... sometimes 3/ 10 inch squares... sometimes 2 1/2 in strips... sometimes a 3 fat quarters... then you roll dice... passing fabric to your left , right, or putting in the center.... it is so much fun... then whoever wins makes something and brings next month for show and tell.
Another thing we do , is one member brings a quilt block with a focus fabric for each guild member ( we only have 15 members... it might be hard with larger guilds).. then we all use our own fabric for the rest of the block... We use these blocks for our charity quilts.. it is a lot of fun to see how different the blocks look...
We have also done a sampler... we were all given a yard of focus fabric.( with option to buy more... our coordinator picked 3 color waves of same design fabric) then each month a member brings a new block... only rule is that you have to use focus fabric in each block.
We did the 1 yard challenge... there is a video of this... where everyone brings 1 yard... you split in 1/2 and pass 1/2 and keep 1/2.. then split in 1/2 again... pass 1/4 keep 1/4 and continue... then make a project with what fabric you get.... It is a good idea to specify a color for the beginning fabric or a theme....
We have a small group and so we are able to do more than a bigger group.. shop hops , sew days, and demos are all part of our yearly program.
10-03-2015, 11:49 AM
#45
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: NC
Posts: 1,165
Our guild is about 25 women. We take care of new business, then old business. During the old business portion we incorporate the different things we do in the guild...strip swap (anyone that wants to participate brings 3-6 2 1/2" strips all thrown into a garbage bag--names written in salvage on each strip--strip picked from bag & that person wins them all. Then she picks what color strips for the next month. Also, 10" sq. swap--whatever theme is picked for the month--cut 12; keep 1 & put 11 in ziplock bag with your name on it. The person in charge of the swap mixes them for the bags to turn back to whoever participated. Block of the month--whole guild involved. Several people teach a block (12 block teachers) & show everyone how to make. All levels & it's with the idea of learning something new each month, whether it's a different way to do something or new gadget to make things easier. Then at the end, a couple months to get the quilt top finished & show/tell it. We also do a mystery quilt every year, for those interested. We also do alot of quilt donations to a couple different places; show/tell those & turn in to person in charge of that. We have personal show/tell at the end of all this & then, if there's no more business, adjourn. Breaks up the monatony of business meetings. We also occassionally have local speakers. And always have raffle prizes at the end of meeting. Classes for different things are offered after the meeting each month & those that choose to stay do that. The thing I like best about my guild is that there are young & older & no politics or clicks...we are all one happy group!
Last edited by VickiM; 10-03-2015 at 12:04 PM.
10-04-2015, 02:43 AM
#46
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 428
Me again! I just read the other ideas posted before mine and I remembered another activity our guild did that was so rewarding. A field trip:
We visited a local assisted living center and did a quilt show for the residents. It was in the evening after the residents had dinner and would be ready for a social before bedtime. Members brought a quilt and told the story of the quilt...made by them or given to them. A few residents were quilters and brought their own quilts to show US. We also handed out tickets and gave away door prizes between the Show and Tell. The prizes were pillow cases that the members made and donated. As for door prizes, I advise making tickets with 2 numbers printed Large. (less confusing than the tickets we used with a long series on numbers) What a fun time had by all!
We visited a local assisted living center and did a quilt show for the residents. It was in the evening after the residents had dinner and would be ready for a social before bedtime. Members brought a quilt and told the story of the quilt...made by them or given to them. A few residents were quilters and brought their own quilts to show US. We also handed out tickets and gave away door prizes between the Show and Tell. The prizes were pillow cases that the members made and donated. As for door prizes, I advise making tickets with 2 numbers printed Large. (less confusing than the tickets we used with a long series on numbers)
What a fun time had by all!
10-04-2015, 08:18 AM
#47
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Central Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA
Posts: 7,695
10-04-2015, 12:19 PM
#48
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Florida
Posts: 3,830
Our local guild has three baskets to put your name in. One for remembering your name tag, one for bringing a show and tell item, and one that you put your name in if you brought a FQ for the drawing. Names are drawn at the end of the meeting. Prizes are items donated by members, FQ, quilt pattern, notions, etc. we have also had a block of the month, visiting teachers, group member tutorials, etc.
10-04-2015, 12:28 PM
#49
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Florida
Posts: 3,830
YES! We meet weekly and do our own thing. All skill levels are welcome and helped. There's lots of laughter. We get a room at a church for a very low rate. 3x/yr we have a work day for their charity efforts.
10-04-2015, 01:22 PM
#50
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,660
The San Marcos senior center where I teach a few times a week have two quilting groups. The Tuesday group gets together each week just to quilt. The Thursday group gets together to do charity quilts. I've been able to attend one or two of the Tuesday groups and they are delightful. You might try the senior centers for a group like this. I'm not a senior and they let me in.
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