I recently spent an entire day gathered with a group of very devoted women. This group is not only devoted to creating beautiful works of quilted art together, but we also are devoted to important causes in our community and across the nation. We are part of the Northern Lights Machine Quilters Guild.
Every woman there sacrificed her entire Sunday to create a beautiful quilt (pictured here) that will be raffled off. Proceeds for this quilt will go to PAVSA, an abuse center for women in our community. This is not the only charitable cause we support in our Guild – we also provide donations for Quilts of Valor and Project Linus, and we raffle quilts yearly to causes in our area.
This group of women is not unlike the women who are in quilt guilds in your community. If you haven’t discovered for yourself yet, you’ll find that guilds are a place where you can learn from and encourage one another. As well as being a great place to meet women with like interests, guilds are an awesome place to learn new quilting techniques. Bonus: it’s free! Sometimes there are annual dues varying between $20 and $50 per year, but it’s well worth it for the wealth of knowledge you will acquire from members and guest instructors.
Meetings are usually held once a month. They are filled with Sew and Tells, demos of new tools, tips and tricks, and conversations about what’s new on the quilting horizon. It’s also a great place to learn how to enter your quilts in shows as well as make great connections in the quilting community, like who you should have quilt your next masterpiece.
So what are you waiting for? Go check out your area quilt guild; you’ll be glad you did. Tell them Kelly sent you!
Until next time, happy quilting!
Related Video:
National Quilt Guild Resources:
Quilt Guilds and Quilt Shows Worldwide
Get in touch! Leave a comment or email editor@nationalquilterscircle.com.
I joined a local guild, I was told if I wanted to learn to quilt I had to join a class, some of them were expensive, I would have to drive through 3 cities to get there and spend 8hrs in a class on a Sat.. No one would sit down and explain anything with me. Plus I was doing a job for our quilt show and they removed me from the position less than a week from the show saying I was slurring my words .
I want to know more about quilting
Is the pattern available for sale?
Hi, Liz. Yes, it is a Claudia Clark Meyers pattern, “Ladies of the Lake.”
I *LOVE* your quilt that you have pictured!! Would you consider selling the pattern, with donations going to PAVSA? PLEASE???
Hi, Brenda. Ladies of the Lake by Claudia Clark Meyers. Foundation pieced.
I think it’s always worthwhile joining groups and it’s always for your benefit and hopefully we can help each other…
My comment is that some members are very “nasty” and if you don’t “conform” to their style of quilting you are ostracized (i.e. ignored)…it’s like the “popular girls” group in high school…no desire to join….nothing appeals to me about joining a guild
I feel sorry that you feel like you wouldn’t join a group. There is always someone who have isssues in life that’s life. But that is more about who they are as people not who you are and you change it. I came from the city to the country and knew no one joining my local quilting group was hard at first . The ladies had been together for 30 years and I was the new kid on the block. But in a year I was the president of the quilting Guild. So please don’t feel like you can’t make a difference you might just have the skills they are looking for and mostly Quilters are friendly.
If one quilt quilt gives problems there are other quilt guilds at different levels anyone can join. Not all are the same and some may be open to additional ideas where just the one you tried was not.
I wish I could join a guild. I am too tired by evening and I am working in the mornings. Need to find one that meets on Saturday!
Looking to find other quilters in Herefordshire
Love the quilt!!! What is the name of the pattern?
Hi, Kathy. It is called Ladies of the Lake by Claudia Clark Meyers.
Love the Raffle quilt! I happen to be in the room when the ladies were discussing what pattern and fabrics to use as the raffle quilt. It turned out beautiful. Good work ladies!
What is the name of that pattern, and is it made of batiks?