Sandygirl

very sad. The younger member are the future in our sewing and quilting world. We need to support them! Imagine ten-fifteen years from now....how many shops will still be open as we age?
Sandy

copycat

Our Vice-President is in charge of the programs for the year. At the start of the year the members are given a form to fill in with ideas that they wish to learn about during the year. Also there is a space members can volunteer if they wish to do a demo for the guild on a fun project or technique such as binding etc. In December we watch quilting videos and eat popcorn..bring your fav. quilt to wrap up in. One program was fun where each person brought their favorite quilting tool. We sat in a circle and took turns telling how to use the tool and why we liked it. Round Robins are fun. For example, we had 3 tables set up with 3 easy projects to make for gifts. (like yo-yo tree ornament, kleenix holder, drawstring gift bag..) Members visit each table to listen and learn and then go to the next table and so on.

copycat

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!

lclang

We do the usual show and tell, make baby quilts for the NICU, sponsor a quilt show every summer in our community in conjunction with a summer celebration, send birthday and get well cards to members as needed, have a few member demos and hire quilters who are here for workshops at the local quilt shop to do a demo for the guild. There is often a progressive project of some kind going for those who like those, and participate in the Santa Cop program. Attendance falls if there is no program. Members of the guild meet every other Wednesday at the local quilt shop and sew for charity and just to enjoy the social time. There are oodles of projects for guilds and you can adjust them according to what your members like.

reginalovesfabric

our guild meetings are boring. No one wants to do anything. Some women only come to eat and talk.

maviskw

Sounds like you should find all those people who quit because of this and start your own quilt club. Call it the "Young Biddy Club". And 90-year-olds are often welcome at such a club because they are young at heart.

Sewnoma

That's what my guild does. They meet 2x a month - one meeting is business and then show & tell; the other is usually something educational or an interesting presentation of some kind, or in December it's a big potluck/dinner. (It's an evening guild)

nancyw

We have announcements, then committee reports, and then we have ten minute break. After that person who is teaching classes talks for a while and then show quilts.

citruscountyquilter

We meet twice a month. The first meeting of the month is a business program, show and tell, short demo. The second meeting of the month is show and tell, longer demo and quarter-yard lottery. Each month there is a theme or color for the quarter yard lottery. Anyone who wants to participate brings in a fat quarter and one is drawn and the winner gets all the material in the pot. We also have a give and take table with fabric, magazines, patterns and such before the meeting. Many times people take the material and make quilts for our donation quilts which go to one of four organizations. We donate over 100 quilts a year to these organizations. Our guild provides the batting for the quilts. We also have a door prize drawing each meeting. We don't have food at the meeting because where we hold the meetings doesn't allow it. Our guild has around 60 members with 35-45 at each meeting. We also have a monthly newsletter, a sunshine committee who sends cards to people who are ill. It's a nice low-key environment which I enjoy.

Nammie to 7

Our guild has two meetings -- one during the day and one in the evening -- we have over 200 members and having two meetings gives everyone, worker's and retiree's, the opportunity to participate. We have a "work day" every Tuesday morning and evening where we have show and tell, bring everyone up to date on events, etc. There is a group that makes Project Linus quilts and other charity quilts. Right now we are working on Christmas stockings for local troops who are deployed during Christmas. The stockings are filled with pens, writing paper, envelopes, crossword and sudoko books, etc. We sponsor a quilt show every year and have two - three SOYO's or class events each year. It is an active group with something for everyone!