What Quilters Are Looking For In A Guild Experience

Are you a Guild member, or perhaps on your Guild Board? Contessa wants to share what quilters are looking for in a great Guild experience.

"Big Name" or Out of Town Speakers/Teachers

Quilters have spoken and Quilting Contessa was listening. One of the major requests that quilters wanted to share with their Guild leaders was that they want more "big name" speakers and teachers. Of course, getting nationally known speakers or instructors from out of town takes a lot of money which is usually in short supply since Guilds traditionally charge a small amount to be a member. So what is a Guild to do? Raise dues, make raffle quilts to fundraise, do other fundraisers, partner with other Guilds to share expenses, all of these options work but require plenty of planning and work by Guild members. Is there a better way? Can you get a grant through your local City or State? Can you partner with a quilt shop or local non-profit or business to bring in a speaker/teacher that helps Guild members learn a new skill that they can use to make quilts or quilted items for a charity? This would allow the Guild to bring in the speaker with some monetary help which will help keep the speaker/teacher in business, it will help the Guild members learn a new technique, the charity their quilts or quilted items go to will benefit, and the stores where the quilters shop for supplies will also benefit.

Bees and Charity Work

Quilters are very social people who are also notoriously giving people. What better way to encourage your membership to participate in charity work than to have bees or small groups that meet on a regular basis to stitch together or make things for local charities that can benefit from the quilters skills. Depending on the size of your Guild, this can also be a way for quilters to meet with others that they have not had an opportunity to get to know during meetings. Charity workshops are also a great way for "new" quilters to learn from their more experienced friends in the Guild and share each other’s enthusiasm for their art.

Small Group Outings

More social time is also something quilters are looking for. Does your Guild offer outings? Shop hops, sit ‘n sews at someone’s home or a local library, trips to shows in other states, or retreats are all great opportunities for quilters to get together and enjoy one another’s company, get advice on a project, or just have a dedicated time to enjoy their art in an uninterrupted location. If you are organizing some of these events, be sure to try to offer them at various times so that all of your members can attend. Offering weekday, weekend, day and night options throughout the year will give your membership the opportunity to participate while still being able to take care of their other obligations like work, school, childcare, etc.

What Quilters Object To – Talking!

Yes, we do have one problem as a Guild – people who chat during programs or class instructions! This happens at every Guild meeting that Contessa has attended. She thought that perhaps this only bothered her, but she has now heard numerous times that others are bothered by the chatting too. Even if the person chatting is somewhere else in the room it really bothers everyone, especially those who have "less than perfect" hearing. So, please remember when you attend a Guild meeting, or other Guild function to be kind and save your discussions for after the speaker/teacher has finished their presentation so that you will not interfere with others getting the most they can from the presentation/class. The bonus is that you may actually learn something new yourself that you would have missed while you were talking.