I've joined a quilters' guild and attended my first meeting earlier this week. There were at least 35-40 quilters there and the atmosphere reinforced my belief that quilters are happy people. They were warm and welcoming and very generous! Guild meetings are held the 2nd Thursday of each month, from September until June and there is a membership fee.
The meeting began with a brief discussion of financial matters and then began the interesting part...the quilt parade! First on the agenda was Charity Quilts which consisted mostly of children's and lap quilts. The cutest were the Preemie Quilts which were so small! One member collects quilts for
Project Linus and others are donated to Children's Hospital and similar organizations.
One of the members shared her Joke of the Day. and then began the Show & Tell, the theme for which was Your Very First And Most Recent Quilts. As each member who wanted to share got up to talk about her quilts, she gave us a verbal picture of what was going on in her life at the time. Most quilts were bed-sized and beautifully finished with free motion quilting. The most beautiful quilt of all was made in dedication to a quilting best friend who lived across the street whose name was Sue and who had departed this world. So naturally the quilt being shared was a Sunbonnet Sue quilt. I love those and was moved by the story behind it.
Door prizes, consisting of Fat Quarter & Charm bundles, among other quilt-related gadgets, were drawn during the meeting and raffle tickets for 2 quilts were sold after the meeting.
One of the traditions followed by this guild is that three members at each meeting are assigned to bring in goodies for the next month's meeting. We had cakes, zucchini bread and tea/coffee during the lunch break. During lunch, I was invited to sit with a group of quilters because they wanted to know all about me. I've always known how friendly quilters are, and this group was no exception.
The challenge for the guild this year is to complete projects half done (PhDs) and unfinished objects (UFOs). Finished projects will be shared during the March meeting.
Members can sign up monthly for a 5" Charm Square Exchange and there is a theme for every month.
October - Fall colors or leaves
November - Homespun; stripe, check or plaid
December - Winter or stars (not Christmas)
January - Batik any color
February - Tone on tone - any color
March - Pastels
April - Novelty prints
May - Floral
June - Patriotic: red, white and blue
There is a block exchange that members can sign up for where each person makes 10 blocks in a 'Michigan' theme and hands them in during the last meeting in June. There was an 'orphan' block exchange during the first meeting in September and a Show & Tell of finished 'orphan' blocks in December.
Guest instructors are invited to the meetings every now and then. In November there was a class on making Angel Ornaments from neckties. In February there will be a lecture and demo on Setting Options for Blocks, and in March a class on making Envelope Purses.
A quilt retreat is being planned for the spring in April for 3 nights and 4 days during which attendees will do nothing but socialize and quilt all day long, all the while enjoying the scenic beauty of Lake Huron. That sounds like so much fun! And the meals provided are supposedly very good!
After the meeting was over, I was given all kinds of useful information such as quilt stores in the area and the names and addresses for long-arm quilters. What a great time it was, spent with a like-minded group of people. I'm looking forward to the next meeting!
Cheers, everyone!
