I've been reading lots of different quilt blogs and many of the ladies say they belong to a guild.
What is a quilting guild?
How do you find one?
How do you join one?
Do you have to be asked to join or sponsored?
Just a few questions that I don't know who to ask.
Good night everyone and have a good weekend.
Robin
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A guild is a group of like-minded people getting together to share and learn their "thing". Many do lots of charitable giving (and some get the tax-exempt designation for that), some focus more on learning, some are a pumped-up Stitch n Bitch kinda thing. I've taken classes with some BIG-name quilters that were sponsored by a guild.
ReplyDeleteTo find one, the easiest way is to ask at a couple of shops where you find supplies for your "thing". Talk to your friends who also do the same "thing". I don't think that many guilds have entries in the phonebook, though many are online (but you need to know what to search for, yanno?).
To join, you just show up at a meeting. You get the first one or two 'for free'. Once you decide to join, you pay a yearly amount as dues, which usually go to paying for guild-related expenses. Stuff like venue rental and guest instructor fees. Sometimes the dues also go for supplies to make community service projects or even the fried chicken at the yearly picnic.
I used to be very, very anti-guild, because I'd had bad experiences. I was a member of the largest quilt guild in Sacramento for a year. I went to all of the meetings, the work parties, the classes. I participated in the block exchanges and the 'trash to treasure' trades and brought items for show and tell. In that entire year, one person - ONE person - initiated a conversation with me. Now, you know me. I shower fairly regularly. I can carry on a reasonably intelligent conversation. So, what's up with that? Well, that was my (FIRST) lesson in the clique-ishness that CAN be found in guilds (yes, I have other examples, but you get it). When you and I met, I was staying away from the local guild because, well, I knew a lot of the people who were members and I realized that I wasn't interested in spending any more time with them than I did already. :-(
BUT. Then I met some people from another guild. And just by their manner and how they talked about their guild's membership and activities, I wanted to visit them. I was immediately greeted warmly by more people that I can count. When I got a questioning look on my face, someone was right there to explain the lingo or what a particular event was all about. After a couple of months, I officially joined. When I was introduced to the group as a new member, someone piped up, "She's not new, she's already one of us!". Warm fuzzies galore.
So now I travel 50 minutes north (and then south again) at least once a month to attend MY guild's meetings and events. I am involved as much as I can be from such a distance, and I've even found a local-to-me friend to join, and we switch off on the driving.
I can now recommend that you find a comfortable guild and join in. You'll meet lots of new people, you'll learn things, you'll be inspired. And, if your new guild is anything like mine, at least once a meeting you'll laugh so hard you'll have to wipe your eyes. :-)
wish we had one around here
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