Quilt Guild Disapointment

Nope, not like that - my guild in Virginia (Hi, Pat!) is really friendly

- I visit now about once a year and am always made feel very welcome.

However, I did visit a guild here in London, close to where I live. The ladies there weren't too friendly, and they charged me a hefty fee as a visitor (like 1/4 of an annual membership fee, and there was to be no discount if I then joined). There are some very good quilters there (including several who make a living from quilting), so I could have probably learnt a lot, but in the end I didn't go back.

I understand that some guilds have to operate waiting lists due to space constraints in their meeting place, but what you experienced seems a bit weird to me. Maybe not all quilters are as friendly as us? :-)

I hope you find some other group to quilt with - it is good for inspiration, encouragement etc.

Hanne in London

Gosh, no. The guild here is always begging people to come. IMO that was way, over-the-top rude. The courteous thing to do since you were already there was to invite you to sit in and visit, but tell you there was a waiting list for membership. It makes them sound really clique-ish. Oh, well. I've read your posts, lurking here a long time. It is definitely their loss.

Sherry

A good way in the central US to get to know some quilters and learn a lot from them without going into the guild stuff is to locate a local church quilting group. They normally get together once a week and work together on a quilt at the church. The quilt is usually a project that will be sold by raffle or silent auction, or may be work on a quilt top for somebody who makes a fairly large donation to the church in exchange for the quilting. The "quilt ladies" are usually lovely elderly women who are generous with their time and expertise and very welcoming to new quilters. Ask what kind of cookies they like, and be prepared to thread needles for the ladies until you are considered good enough to add your stitches to the quilt.

Hanne Gottliebsen wrote:

OK, when can I move to central US?

Hanne > A good way in the central US to get to know some quilters and learn a

Sad to hear that!

I actually joined my guild outright at the first meeting - they too have a somewhat-steep guest fee ($5, but that's against a $35 membership) but I think it is to encourage membership over one-at-a-time guest attendance. Guests are usually hosted by someone, but it seems if someone just turns up at the door - the volunteers at the door turnaround and call for someone to come adopt a new guest. I'd met some folks from the guild, including my first quilt teacher, and they were all really friendly and invited me to stop in. So I joined rather than trouble someone to sign me in.

As a new member, at the meeting intro I was asked to stand up and be introduced, and whomever had the microphone also will check out who you sat beside and introduced them so you knew a name.

I suppose it all depends on the community you're in though. I had heard very different things about other (non-quilters) guilds in my area, such as them treating new members like cheap labour and MAKING you do X hours of work etc before you could "belong" and such.

Johanna

Hurricanes

There's a nearby guild with a reputation for doing that. (Their excuse is they are at capacity for their meeting place.) :(

My ex-DML was president of her Kansas quilting group. They quilted lovely quilts and I loved to go and visit her. So. FL. doesn't seem to be so enamoured of this past time. Unfortunately - however, I have high hopes for the further away group. I hear they have a lot of fringe groups that get together in smaller groups to actually quilt.

Thank you. I guess rules are rules.

I have never had it happen. I belong to two guilds, and only one charges for a guest, but that is only after your second visit. The charge is a big $1.00! We renew our membership in one guild every September, and the other one in January. The guild with the September membership prorates the membership. In fact if someone wants to join in July we usually tell them just to come as a visitor until the September meeting. Are any type of senior centers around you? I know in the DFW area, that a lot of them have quilting groups.

Sherry Starr

It might be wise to do a bit of checking ahead of time. Around here a lot of the church quilting groups make "mission quilts" -- quilts to be donated to relief agencies to be given to people in need. They are very utilitarian, using all kinds of fabric, and are usually tied, not quilted. Some of them turn out rather attractive, others are just plain ugly. I have been told that the relief agencies don't want them to be too attractive because then the recipients might sell them instead of using them as intended. The worst one I ever saw was made out of taffeta

-- a mixture of red, green, and black plaids and pastels. Yuck!

I'm not trying to be critical of these groups; they enjoy doing it and the quilts are put to good use, so it is worthwhile work. But they are not a substitute for a guild.

Julia > A good way in the central US to get to know some quilters and learn a

Would you really want to hang out with a group of people, quilters or not, who would be so rude? I'm sorry you had a such an unpleasant experience and I hope you find a supportive and happy group of quilters to stitch with. My guild is fun, mostly. There are -- of course -- a few personalities. But there are many great folks sharing what they know and do and having fun in the process. Our annual membership is $10 and the local Craft Warehouse (it's a subsiderary of Michaels's) gives a 10% discount on anything quilting related to guild members. Let's just say I suspect I more than saved my membership last year, LOL.

Sunny

Is it us? We've had to turn people away a few times. Our room only holds 115 and the organization we rent from sets up that many chairs and we get in big trouble if people are left standing. They've had visits from the Fire Marshall before and get mighty angry if that event is to be repeated.

marcella

Well we don't have a guild here in town (nearest is 100km away) so my house is de facto quilt HQ. And far from turning anyone away, we invite even the lady who delivers my "interesting" quilt-related parcels in for coffee and a muffin.

The local tourist info office has even phoned me a couple of time when travellers have stopped and asked for the nearest shop to get urgent supplies. We don't have a LQS "but we can put you in touch with someone . . . . . . ." rofl. I have met some lovely quilters that way, and one very skilled doll maker. Two of them call in once a year when they come camping in the area. You can join us any time you want!

Just shrug it off. It's their loss.

They may have a waiting list, but that was handled very rudely.

Seems to me, they could have been a wee bit more gracious, even if they are "at capacity"...... So sorry that happened to you.

Patti in Seattle

How rude! I'm surprised that if it's that full that some of them haven't branched off and created another guild.

Which guild was it? I'll need to make sure I steer clear of that one, should I ever decide to join a guild. Which are you going to try next?

Sounds damned rude to me. (Sorry for the language, ladies and gents.) Frankly, that group sounds like the reason guilds have a reputation for being snotty, cliquish and oh-so-superior. And it reflects upon the groups that are friendly and welcoming to new members and visitors, which is a shame.

replied privately

How unfriendly!!!!

Come to Cherry Hill, NJ and we'll make you feel like you're right at home!!!

Melissa in NJ :)