What do you look for in a quilt guild ?

[SueinNH]

I am starting to look for a quilt guild to join. I visited one last week and found the meeting to be as I expected: old business, new projects, charity quilts, show and tell. There wasn't any outreach to new folks, or any small groups or bees where a new member might be able to get to know folks.

Is this typical ? What have you encountered when you have looked for a new guild ?

Thanks in advance for the sage advice, I know there will be some coming,

Sue

[PDQuilt]

It's great you have a choice! However, if I was in your situation, I'd probably - no - I would - join 'em all.

[PDQuilt]

Sue, I think guilds are a lot like church congregations. They are all different. Our guild is around 135. We meet twice a month, the first meeting is a business meeting and the second is a program meeting. More attendance at the program meetings! I didn't get really involved in our guild until I became a member of a small group. As a new person to the guild, it was a little daunting to go to meetings until I became acquainted with more people. We are working on increasing our hospitality. We have two greeters at the door at every meeting to welcome people. We are also considering starting a "big sister" program for new members.

Maggie in E. Central Illinois

[Judymc]

Sue, I hope you won't let your first visit discourage you. It just takes time to make friends in a new setting. Some guilds are friendlier than others, sorry to say, but my guild tries to make new members feel welcome. I found that when I took on a job in the guild that I got to know more people. Our guild president also asked the various friendship groups to open their group to more people if possible. Some groups are limited because of the size of the home or place where they meet. I was lucky that one of our friendship groups was able to take in two more people. You might just want to start a group of your own, too, made up of new members. Judy in Torrance

[Judymc]

Our guild has about 300 members...it is huge. No..not everyone comes to the meetings but it is still BIG. We do have a membership table...so new member check in there and she/he is matched with a 'buddy' to introduce the member around.

Sometimes groups are stuck in doing things a certain way. But why not give it a second chance and suggest some changes which may enhance a new members experiece. Remember everyone has been new once. Sometimes those who have been members for a long time forget what it is like to be new.

FW

[SueinNH]

Thanks, everyone---all good things to think about !

Given my age, and being a Boomer and a natural joiner, I'm pretty accustomed to finding my way in a group. I purposely walked around during the break trying to engage someone in conversation. I did manage to get one person to talk to me briefly. It was an interesting experiment since it is usually very easy to get people to chat about what they love, especially when you have that in common.

Maggie, I was very much analogizing to a church setting. If new people come in and we don't make them feel welcome in our churches, well, shame on us ! It's usually what makes people come or stay, how they are treated in that very first visit.

I thought that small groups or bees were a given for quilt guilds, but the one I visited definitely does not have those. One of the committe heads who spoke mentioned that new members have not come back or renewed because they didn't feel welcome and that they should do something about that.

I do have a few ideas I'll be sending to their email address. Really simple things like, when you have guests sign in, ask for contact information and have someone follow up with them to get feedback about the meeting, their interests etc. Also, as a couple of you have mentioned, assign a buddy to the new folks so they can get to know someone in the group and have their interest piqued. That's good for the individual you are reaching out to, but it also insures that your guild won't die from stagnation or declining membership.

I was curious if this was a common experience or not. I'v heard from others in the area that some of the guilds are not friendly and cliquish. But I like a challenge, so I thought I'd investigate myself

I also have some ideas for starting a different guild, an un-guild, that would be less heavy in organization and have a faith component to it. As if I need any more bright ideas :wink:

Next month I'll be trying to visit another one or two depending on how able I am to stay up past 8:00pm.

Thanks again for your input.

[SueinNH]

Another suggestion:

Two of my mini bees were born out of classes I have taken at the LQS. They are very informal...no dues...just simply a group who gets together once a month for a 'sew-in' at someone's home.
We start at 10AM and sometimes go until 3 or 4 in the afternoon. Everyone brings their own lunch. The hostess...provides drinks and sometimes a dessert if she wants.
During the month between the regular meetings...smaller groups get together. Generally we pick a day and throw it out to the group...and see what sticks. Those who can make the date do...and those who cannot catch us the next time around.
I find the sew-ins or mini retreats very productive and helpful.

This past week...we did a F.A.R.T (fabric acquisition road trip) and lunch out. Four of the gals made the trip...we had a blast. Anyone can plan it.

Have fun and keep an open mind. Who knows you could be the spark that the guild needs!!

FW

[SueinNH]

We had a wonderful group for 3 years. Unfortunately, 2 of them moved out of state. We would meet 1-2 times a month, either at a school (one of the gals was a teacher) or at each other's home. No dues, no pressure, just lots of fun for 2 hrs. We shared meals, bdays, holidays & each other's company. I truly miss the group. Thinking about joining another group soon.

[SueinNH]

My friend and I tried our local guild for over a year, and never really felt like we were welcome with the existing members. Apparently the mandate of this guild is mostly social, and secondly to put on their quilt show.
Well, we didn't get any social interaction (excepting a very few members) and got really tired of hearing about all the business of the guild and their show.
The year that we joined was the guild's 50th anniversary and they seemed to be happy that younger people were joining them and yet they weren't friendly.
Apparently, having since talked to one of the past presidents, the daytime meeting is much more open to newcomers and it is only the evening problem that they are hearing these complaints. Only, problem is if they want younger blood, so their guild doesn't die of old age, they need to get the evening meetings straightened out. Most of us work full-time jobs and spend our leisure time where we are made to feel welcome.

Sorry about the rant

Jean in Windsor, ON

[SueinNH]

PCummings, That sounds lovely---hope you can find some new quilting friends soon.

Jean, I didn't think you were ranting, just sharing what you've experienced. From what I hear, it's pretty common, sadly.

I'm going to try to rephrase my original question positively.

When you look for a quilt guild, do you look for :

a) a quilt show to participate in
b) small groups or bees
c) workshops/learning
d) new friendships
e) charity projects to participate in
f) an chance to get away from housework :wink:
g) something else ?


Sue

[SueinNH]

When you look for a quilt guild, do you look for :

a) a quilt show to participate in ...our guild does a biennial show, I will probably be the chair for the next show
b) small groups or bees ... I was fortunate to be invited into a fabulous group of ladies
c) workshops/learning ...we have awesome workshops with national speakers 2-3 times per year
d) new friendships ... that goes without saying
e) charity projects to participate in ... we have an active Project Linus group
f) a chance to get away from housework ... hello? :roll:
g) something else ?

[SueinNH]

Maggie, that was totally unbiased :wink: :lol:

I would love to find a guild to visit in my area. I haven't found one as yet, but still looking :lol:

[SueinNH]

I thought I would try and join a guild for awhile but we live out in the country and it's about a 30-40 minute drive into where the Austin guild meets and I just don't want to drive all that way at night. I was lucky to find a church in the little town I live in that has a small group, 4-5 of us now, that quilt. We make 1 quilt a year, sometimes 2 for a Bazzar that the church has every year and we auction it off. We quilt from about February to November. I've really enjoyed that. We have gotten to all become really close friends, sharing both the good times and the bad and have all grown in our quilting. It's like a Bee in a lot of ways I think but there is no pressure of a guild. Sometimes looking close to home for a group of people with similar interests can be the best place to be. :-)
Charlotte

[SueinNH]

One thing that I've noticed is that many newbies to a quilt guild are unaware of the difference between a quilt guild and a quilting bee. If they are seeking a quilting bee, they may be sorely disappointed in a guild.

My experience working in many different types of organizations (both professional and social) is that no matter how much effort is made to make new people feel welcome, it is the individual member's responsibility to step up and get involved--that's the only way that they will ever feel like they are truly an integral part of the organization. I believe that every member should be required to serve the organization in some capacity of their choice--maybe with the exception of some of our elderly members. There is always enough work to go around, and isn't it ususally 5% of an organization's membership that does 95% of the work?

[SueinNH]

Nancy, I totally agree with your statement! My quild experience is certainly enhanced by being active in the guild, and having a small group of friends to do sewing projects with. Think of it like a Sunday School class within a larger church structure!

For those who don't have a guild close enough, a small sewing group that meets regularly would be a fantastic thing!

Maggie from E. Central Illinois, currently in El Paso, TX