I have belonged to a small local guild, they meet the 2nd and 3rd Tuesdays, 10-noon. The time is the problem with me, just can't make it at that time now with my MIL to care for. I really enjoyed it. They make a quilt each month to display at the local library, have challenges, share ideas, have "theme days" for learning techniques or just having fun. Annual dues were only $12 so that was no problem.

Online I have 3 boards I belong to, plus the quilting teams on Spark People. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. I have really enjoyed the ideas and encouragement shared between members. I have learned several techniques and tried things I would never have even heard of on my own. I have met wonderful people and made friends simply by having quilting in common.

It isn't a guild, but there are a lot of quilters where I work. We don't have meetings, but do share ideas. It certainly helps bring different departments together when there are non work related topics to discuss.

beverly

Odessa - I just posted another QOD - sorry- didn't mean to step on yours:) I started writing it about 3 hours ago - should have checked the forum again before I submitted. My apologies.

To answer your question - the only "Guild" I participate in is here. We have a large local guild in my area. I think about joining, just to meet other like minded people and be able to take part in their classes and bees which feature known instructors. I am still working; I have limited time- they have shows, hang quilts in very public places, charity, many good and worthy activities and causes- I just do not have the time or energy to volunteer right now. I talked to someone last week about trying to go to April's meeting, but we both knew that neither one of us will go:)

My favorite part of this forum is selfish - I learn alot - I get answers to my questions almost immediately (thank you) and I am amazed at the kindness and generosity shown here.

I am in a B'Day Block Group this year, and I am enjoying it immensely! I can't believe how much joy this activity is bringing me. Jeanne - you are great!

I also try to participate in the monthly Block Lottos. Again, this is to learn and expose myself to making different blocks. Cathy -thanks for keeping the Lotto going!

This forum is my primary quilt guild just like the Florida Gardening forum is my garden club. Inspiration, enabling, support, encouragement, companionship and affirmation - I get it all here.

But I did recently join a guild for the first time. It's Cabin Fever Quilt Guild in Orlando FL and I joined because a couple people on this forum encouraged me and it seemed like a fun monthly outing with a co-worker who quilts. She and I joined on the same night. The guild meets monthly, has good guest speakers, does classes (I haven't attended any yet but hoping to this Spring), a few workshops during the year to work on charity quilts, a Block of the Month that includes a lotto, show and tell for any member who wants to get up and show their work (usually a dozen or more people do that), charity blankets (and pillows and pillow cases), a huge public quilt show every two years and probably some stuff I haven't heard about! The annual dues are $25 and seem to be well worth it. It meets at a large community center in central Orlando. I think they do a fabric swap thing with charm squares, but I haven't figured that out yet.

I recently posted a picture of the name badge I made so you know I love that part of the guild - everyone's badges are so unique and clever. Really, I think I like the guest speakers the best so far. I've been to two meetings (missed the last one 'coz I was sick) and enjoyed both speakers. I'm looking forward to being a part of the guild next January when they hold the big show and will be volunteering to help out on a committee for that, doing whatever they need done.

I heard someone talking about quilting recently and they described it as an intricate subculture, with it's own language, cruises, and obsessions. She said: "quilters walk among you and pass for regular people, but their brains are ALWAYS thinking about quilting". I thought that was hysterically funny, but probably true. Maybe I like this forum and the quilt guild because it's nice to be with people who understand this obsession and don't think it's crazy!

You said a lengthy answer was OK! :~))

Kate

Aside from this great forum, I have one guild in my town and another I just joined about 20 minutes away. One meets the first tues of every month and the other is the 3rd Monday of every month. Its nice then I have a meeting every 2 weeks. There is another group of ladies that get together every wednesday morning at a local library and do hand work, but I work on Wednesdays so I don't get to go very often. One does a show and one doesn't although the one that doesn't do a full show does a small display show at the local library. I love the inspiration and excitement I get from going to the meetings, really drives me to try new things. We do have speakers and great programs/classes, organized trips to major shows and retreats!!! One has annual dues of $20 and the other $30. They both do show and tell and charity quilts.

I love all the new ideas I get from these groups but it really just adds to my growing addiction. The advice and guidance from experienced quilters is priceless. The tennessee waltz quilt I just did was my first batik quilt and I had lots of help from one of my favorite batiks ladies in my guild. She spent 2 hours with me at the LQS helping me pull it all together. I have made so many new friends that are so wonderful and totally understand the obsession with fabric and quilting!!

Other then being a member of this forum I do not currently belong to a guild. I did belong for several years, one of the early members, of the Heart and Hand quilt guild in Farmington, NY. but had to quit because they meet on the same nite that I have another activity. They meet once a month on a monday.
I enjoyed being a member of a guild but find the friendship and knowledge that I find here very rewarding and meets my need to share the activity.Jayne

I resisted for a long time and then finally joined the local guild. Diablo Valley Quilters is a large group with many well known members who teach and write books. We are blessed by being in the middle of an area east of San Francisco Bay with many shops all around us, one owner founded C&T Publishing that does the books, and Alex Anderson's home nearby. How can you not quilt here.

We meet once a month at night. We have a big budget and hire well known teachers from all over the country to come and speak. We have a big show but only every other year. The guild in Oakland is yearly as is the one in Concord so I get other shows close by to attend each year.

We have block lottery every month and occasionally have a charm square exchange. Our show and tell is great with about 15 each meeting. We make an opportunity quilt to raffle each year, the design of which is donated by someone who is rather well known. They are always quite beautiful.

We go to a college up in the wine country for a retreat each summer, only 60 seats, but I won't go this year.

Because we are so large, we also break out into small "friendship" groups. Mine has only five and we meet monthly in someone's home. These ladies have become very good friends and we do more chatting than sewing it seems. We can solve all the problems of the world if they'd let us.

Kate's right - my mind is always designing quilts no matter where I am.

I've taken a few classes at my LQS. One of the classes was for Baltimore Album, and that was 12 months long (I really enjoyed that!!). There is still a small group of us that continue to send each other emails trying to keep us motivated. I think we're going to meet sometime in the spring to show what we've done. Otherwise, you guys are it! I love having somewhere I can ask a question and get such great answers. Maybe if I had more time, I'd join a guild. Work just keeps getting in the way!

I belong the the Appleseed Quilters Guild in Ft. Wayne, IN. We meet on the first Tuesday of each month and have annual dues of $25. We have a business meeting, door prizes, a program, block of the month, mini quilt raffle, and show and tell at each meeting. We are required to make a kid's quilt each year for a camp for kids with cancer. When we have a guest teacher for the program, we usually will have her give an all day class on the day of the meeting.
The guild puts on a quilt show every-other year. This is the year for a show and it will be held in August.
We make a quilt each year for the out-going president with each member making a block or two if they wish.
Those are the activities I am remembering at the moment. I know we do other things too.
I enjoy the programs,seeing quilts at show and tell, participating in the block of the month,and winning the monthly mini (which I did this month!).
I like to attend classes by nationally known teachers who come to the quilt shows and to present programs at our meetings. I can't always attend due to my work schedule.
I also belong to a small group that meets weekly at my church. We do several charity quilts each year and are more like a quilting bee.
Linda

I've been a member of the Piedmont Quilters' Guild for many years. Our guild meets once a month in Greensboro, but we have quilters from surrounding counties that are members also. We usually have a speaker at each meeting, show and tell, a social time, Charm Square exchange, and a guild library with many books available to check out.

We hold a big show every other year and have a quilt to raffle off also. The show proceeds and the proceeds from the raffle quilt are our main moneymaking projects to fund our speakers, workshops, and community projects. We have members that are teaching quilting to other groups in the community, making Linus quilts, and volunteering to speak to school and senior citizens groups.

There are "bees" and special interest groups within the guild. Our Round Robin group has been active for about ten years and some of the bees have been together longer than that.

Our workshops the past couple years have expanded, offering more and varied workshops, including work days for our charities.

I really enjoy my guild and wish I could be more active, but I can't do the drive over as much as I would like and my work schedule curtails some of my fun. I am working as one of the three show chairmen for our show in October 2010, so that takes up enough time and meetings in itself.

Teresa

This is as close to a quilt guild as I will ever belong to!

The Austin Quilt Guild is very active and community oriented, but the meetings are so far away from me, it's not worth the trouble to go.

We have quilting here in the RV park where we live every Monday from 11AM to 3 or 4PM.(16 of us)
As close to a guild as I will probably get. This forum has been wonderful whenever I have had a problem.
We spend summers in RI where there are no guilds close enough for me.(Is that possible in RI?)

I don't belong to a guild. I may join one sometime, but right now I just enjoy you guys.

Yeah, it's easier to get to these meetings! LOL

I do belong to a guild in my local community. Won't mention their name because I am not crazy about it. I find the members very cliquey, but this may be partly my fault because I haven't participated in that many workshops. We meet once a month and have a show every other year. We have a block of the month and a fat quarter raffle every month. We have speakers but they are usually local people. We do participate in one charitable project each year and have challenges during the year we dont' have a show. The best thing is the classes that are held every six or eight weeks. They are much cheaper than classes at the LQS. I keep telling myself I am going to quit but haven't done it yet. I think if I had joined years ago I would probably have a lot of friends there now, but at this point in my life, I have a lot of other friends and am not just loooking for a reason to get out of the house.

This is my only "guild" and I love that I can drop in anytime, stay as long as I want or leave as quickly as I need to and find inspiration, information and many friendly people.

I will say that I know there are some local guild members at the LQS that I go to most regularly and never once has anyone invited me or even told me about the guild or meeting time, etc. Maybe the group is already large enough and they're not actively looking for new members. There is another LQS considerably further away from me that includes guild info in their newsletter, so if I ever do decide to join somewhere, I'd probably make the drive because they SEEM more open to new people.

But, until I am able to stop working full-time I guess I'd rather spend my free time actually surrounded by my patterns, machines and fabric!!

Linda

This is forum is my only quilt guild and it seems to fit all my needs and I love the flexibility and all the great advice and pics.

Just a few highlights.... Our guild is called Quiltessence Quilters. They meet the 3rd Saturday morning monthly, we are located in Shillington, PA (Lancaster and Reading areas is close to our members)The cost is $24.00 per year. The club is limited to 50 members.
Our guild has a variety of speakers and programs, we do charity quilts for a womans center. In addition we have a summer picnic, holiday dinner, a variety of swaps, show and tell, raffels, and as many of the things mentioned above. To raise funds for speakers and other programs we make and raffel off a queen/king size quilt by selling tickets at various quilt shows. This year we will attend the NQA show in Columblus, Ohio. (A four day trip) - There is also a retreat in the winter months. As with other guilds there are smaller groups that meet as suited by those groups. I have learn so much from such a fun bunch of women in the guild. I would recommend this experience to everyone.
Barbara

In October of '09 I joined a guild in my area.I'm trying real hard to be active and part of the group. We meet once a month and dues are $18 a year. We participate in community projects and are having a truck show in May. AT our meetings we have a BOM raffle, show and tell and programs. Haven't been it long enough to experience any wrokshops or teaching time. Maybe that will come. The group is very diverse and many personalities show through at the meetings. I'm not sure if this is the right group for me but I'm going to stick with it this year and see.
I also enjoy this forum. I have learned a lot from this "guild". I can go to meetings in my pjs at anytime day or night. I don't usually post too many comments but I enjoy reading comments and suggestions. I am participating in the Birthday Block and like making different blocks.
thanks everyone.

I wanted to join a quilt guild very badly. I went to one of thier meetings, I wasn't welcomed, no one talked to me while I was there but one lady and she was my quilting instructor. All in all it was a very bad experience, so now I just have this and other forums for my quild. If I have a problem you all are quick to answer and be of help. thank you so much all of you.

Rita

I belonged to a local quilt guild , but no longer attend due to the clique that seems to be present and the unfriendliness. No warm welcome and only certain members idea's count. I feel much more welcome here and on other forums I frequent. Wish it were different, plan to try to attend later this year to see if the climate has changed.