mckwilter

I belong to two guilds and both of them have bees. I, too, had the problem of the bees being closed to new members or the only open ones met during the day when I am at work. One guild announced a "new members" bee that would meet in the evenings. I asked and was told that it would be OK for me to join, even though I wasn't a new member. It never hurts to ask. I am lucky enough to be in an area where there are several quilt shops, and most of them have a sit-n-sew at least one day a month. Several have bees that meet there regularly.

GrannieAnnie

Are you sure there are no quilting bees around you area? Not at a quild, or at a seniors center, or at a church, or a community center? And organizing one of your own mght be the ticket.

petthefabric

I like to quilt with others. How to you choose what to work on? My projects usually have a lot of little pieces and they get uorganized when moved. We tried starting one. How to you publicize?

irishrose

I have one at my church. We only meet once a month unless we are working on a project together and get behind. It's fun to see what others are working on and to help a new quilter with her first quilt.

Deb watkins

I would love to have a quilting weekend, where several of us could just get away and sew/quilt on our own projects but be in the company of those who enjoy the same craft. Thought of organizing one, but it does cost so much to book rooms and conference areas. I do miss the company of others!

toverly

I was lucky, mine was organized before I joined but there are several things going on at the same time. There are occasional sew days but it often is a sit and gab with a potluck lunch. 1 - Everyone works on their own projects at home and brings them in for show and share. 2- There is a block of the month where a name is drawn from a pile and that person brings in a block for the other members to work on for the next month. Stating what fabrics they would like (batiks, 30's, florals, whatever), 3 - There is a community quilt block that is ongoing that is assembled by the group and donated to various charities. 4- We also do placemats for meals on wheels or council on aging. 5 - There are challenges, we have done one that involved everyone bring in a greeting card, and another person drawing that card and making a quilt along that theme. 6 - There is an informal lesson, either a new block or binding. Each member has something they are good at and share their knowledge. We do lots and lots of other stuff. Most important, we grow friends. We share, we laugh, we cry. I love it.