redstilettos

I am looking to join a quilt guild.

I have gone to two different ones so far and get very very different "feels".

There is one more I'd like to visit before I make up my mind, but I am just curious if any of you have "must haves" when you go and consider joining one?

I want one active, but not so much so they expect me to do "everything" they do, and I'd like a lively bunch.

What are your thoughts?

Homespun

I want one small enough to know the people who come. I don't want to be involved in a large quilt show or head up a committee. I want to learn new things and be able to sew while there. My group I belong to now is just like that. I did join a bigger group but felt lost.

Onebyone

1. Friendly
2. Offer workshops, classes, and retreats and expect members to pay for them not have fundraising all year long to pay for those that don't pay for anything.
3. Emphasis on Show and Tell

ube quilting

I belonged to a guild many years ago and the most important thing to me was how at easy I felt with the other people. I would never want to be around a bunch of people that made me uncomfortable. I left the guild because they insisted that part of being in the guild was being on committees and being in charge of stuff. It was just to big. I just wanted to quilt and make friends. I learned guilds were not my style and I am a lone quilter now and very happy that way.

Hope you find a nice guild.
peace

mike'sgirl

I hated my first guild, that I joined when I first moved to Florida. It was over a hundred people and full of cliques. Including the president. When I realized the board was holding the list to the retreat until all their friends signed up, before letting the rest of us have choice of 3 seats, I decided to leave. The next guild I joined is the one I'm still in. It's about 35-40 women, and a great group. We stay pretty busy with classes and ladies day out activities. We have show and tell and we help with Quiltfest every year. We are encouraged to head up a committee or hold a board position. But we are not forced or made to feel bad if we don't. But I feel like it's my duty to help where I can, not just fill a seat. If we all don't help to make the guild run, then pretty soon we won't have one.

ManiacQuilter2

I have found that most guilds have clicks. Those I avoid.

dunster

I haven't found a guild I didn't like. When I lived in Oregon, I belonged to 3 guilds. One was very small - under 30 women. The second was very large - close to 300 - and the third was probably around 100. Each had its advantages. The small guild was like a bunch of friends getting together for show and tell and an occasional outing, but lack of funds meant that there would never be any prominent quilters to lecture or teach. The other guilds had frequent top-notch speakers. It was natural that not everyone knew everyone else in the larger guilds, and people who already know each other are more likely to hang around together. I wouldn't call that a clique.

Now that I've moved to California, I've joined two guilds. One is large, and one is still small, having just started up this year. The new one is a branch of the Modern Quilt Guild. Again, there are people who know each other and people who don't know each other - yet. But I haven't met anyone who isn't friendly when approached.

Edited to say: I just realized I didn't answer the original question, which was what do you look for in a quilt guild. The answer, for me, is that I don't look for anything specific. I get something different out of each guild. I expect to find friendly and creative people, and I always do, because quilters are generous with their time and talent. I also realize that a guild can't function unless all of its members help out in some way, so I volunteer where I can. Every guild is going to have its own unique personality, and for me that's a good reason to join more than one guild.

Onebyone

.

Of course they do, that's natural and has no intent to snub new members.
Most new members come in sit down in back and never say a word unless it's to the person next to them. When they are ackowledged as a guest in the meeting (and all guests should be acknowledged at every guild meeting) they usually just say Hi or thank you. Their name is said one time and most forget it by the end of the meeting. When I go to a new guild I stand up and tell something about my quilting life. I express excitement and interest in getting to know people and all the projects I can help with or join in. I wear a big name tag so everyone can see my name. I bring a show and tell item and stand up and tell the story of it during Show and Tell. I get involved the very first meeting.

redstilettos

Good information, ladies~!

Never thought of the whole 'size being an issue thing', but I can see where it has advantages and disadvantages.

I left cliques behind in high school. I tend to avoid those who still believe in them, as it seems to give a false sense of power.

I'll probably check out this last one before I decide to join. Not sure I can handle more than one, but....never know!
Thanks!

Bree123

I really love my guild. It has 80-90 people in it which means we're large enough to be able to invite really amazing quilt teachers to run workshops & present at guild meetings without having to pay ridiculously high annual dues. The people in my guild are super friendly & we have a lot of mini gatherings outside of our monthly meetings where I can get to know members a lot more. It is really great about supporting some charities (not so much that it gets overwhelming, but enough that everyone who wants to has a chance to join in) and we have a large quilt show every 2 years that everyone can enter. I love the show & tell, too!

I am thinking about joining a second guild that is connected with TAS (The Applique Society) because my main guild has almost no one who does any applique and those who do mostly do it by machine; out of the nearly 90 members, only 2 of us do any needle turn and I really wish sometimes I had more people to share ideas with than just one other person. The TAS group by me doesn't have any presenters. They don't do workshops. They just rent out a space in a church and people come & do show-and-tell, handle a few items of guild business and then most of them stay to have lunch together and spend 3 hours in the afternoon just working on hand applique. It's a lovely slow paced time together.