MaggieLou

One of my GDs just informed me she would like to learn to quilt. I live 500 miles away so I'm no help. I thought if I could let her know of some guilds in her area that might help get her started. It would probably need to be a night guild since she works during the day. Also, I don't know if she even knows how to sew so that's another drawback. Any help/suggestions would be welcome.

selm

She might want to investigate sewing classes first. Many community education programs have sewing classes and fabric stores also have beginner classes I think. Guilds might be able to help but probably are more prepared to help those who know how to sew before they teach quilting.
Also, can she visit you for a beginning sewing class to see if she even likes it?

Prism99

How old is she? Maybe you two could do regular Skype sessions for instructions.

coopah

First, she does need to know how to sew and be knowledgeable about the machine’s workings. If she already has that knowledge, she can Google quilt shops and quilt guilds in whatever city is closest to her. There are a lot of guilds in the Villages which are near Leesburg. I don’t know their qualifications for belonging. Belleview has a guild, “Busy Bees.” Ocala has a guild, too. It just depends on how far she wants to travel, but Google is a friend to research these things. I wish her all the best in her search. BTW, we used to always stop in Statesville when we traveled to PA. Nice town!

Rhonda K

Send this link to her for information.

http://www.floridasewingsewciety.org...LOCATIONS.html

The yearly conference is held in her local area. There should be local stores where she can attend classes.

MaggieLou

You must live in Ocala. We used to live there in the 60's. My GD lives in Lady Lake which is adjacent to the Villages. I think the guilds in the Village are age restricted. She's 27 so she's a long way from retirement age. I'll check the areas you suggested. I think she has a basic knowledge of sewing. When she started college she wanted a sewing machine. I'll have to check with her about what she knows. I know my DD just knows the basics but probably not enough to teach her anything.

MaggieLou

Rhonda K, thanks for the link. I'll check them out but I didn't see one for Lake County. Marion County is the closest one.

Quiltbeagle

The Quilting Sisters guild is down in Leesburg. Mount Dora may have something, at least they used to I think? Also, if she's a resident in The Villages she can join theirs (I tried to join but was not able to...you MUST be a resident of the Villages, not just live in Ocala), they have about 1,000 members (The Villages is a huge community located in four counties, and though they keep growing but I don't know if they encompass Leesburg yet). Belleview also has a guild that puts on a show every year, but that may be too north for her.

toverly

She might want to start at Sewing Centers that sell machines. They will often offer beginning classes for people who have purchased machines or might want to purchase machine. Whenever I hear of a beginner sewer, I send them to the Missouri Star tutorials. If they start with precuts, it's not a huge investment to try out a new hobby.

coopah

Yes, I do live in Ocala, and Quiltbeagle is correct, you have to live in The Villages to belong. They have more than one guild, because there are so many members. If your granddaughter would want to drive to our guild, PM me. Busy Bees are the Belleview group and they are also friendly. No idea of what happens south of Belleview. The Quilt Shop of DeLand is a good place to start, too, as they will give demos once a month. Just Google “Quilt Shop of DeLand”. Judy Hansen owns it and is full of good ideas. We drive from Ocala to DeLand once a month for the demos...they energize me! I’m sorry I don’t have more info on the Lady Lake area.