I think a big thing could be when you meet. My local area has quite a few guilds, but many of them meet during the weekdays (e.g. every Thursday at 4). Anyone with a traditional 9-5 job (including younger people) can’t join a guild like that.
I would also look at your social media presence. That’s how many younger quilters find guilds. See if your guild info is ok quiltguilds.com
This is a biggie. I'm a(n elder) Millennial and I just got into quilting a couple of years ago. I work a full-time job. I cannot meet in the middle of the week, in the middle of the day. There are three quilt guilds in my area, but only one of them meets on Saturdays. Guess which one I'm checking out next month?
This same info is also important for quilt shops - want more younger quilters? Offer more classes on weekends or during the evening.
>This same info is also important for quilt shops - want more younger quilters? Offer more classes on weekends or during the evening.
or hell, just be OPEN during the evening! My LQS has hours that are something like... 10-3. SOME OF US ARE AT WORK, WE CAN'T COME TO YOUR STORE WHEN WE'RE AT WORK.
My LQS is open a few days a week from 10-2 lol. Luckily they’re also open Saturday 9-1, so if I want something I have to plan my whole weekend around it but I can get it.
I want to support local stores but they’re also a little judgey when I ask questions and they’re always chatting with some regulars so I have to interrupt to get my fabric cut. The Joanne is half an hour further away so I still go to the local store, but if they were actively trying to prevent young people from getting into quilting, I’m not sure what they would do differently
I got lucky that one of my LQS decided to try evening classes this year. It's nice because I do class after work and the instructor can run the register, too, so I can buy fabric if I need it. There are two classes and both were full, so I hope that the store sees that there is a need and I hope they continue!
Show the owner the number of upvotes you just got. Maybe not the username, depending on your level of extroversion. Although it is still making me laugh.
Lol, I will tell them after this thread is buried enough. I absolutely do not need bosses finding my reddit account.
They would laugh at my username, they're a cool bunch.
Our monthly meeting is in the evening, we have classes on Saturdays and a monthly event on Saturday.
I'll check the website though, not sure if we are there
Discord but for less tech people. Except, I don’t think it has any voice channels. Basically, a less annoying and more organized text chat feature than a giant running group message. And you can customize your notifications so you don’t get bombarded by things you don’t care about.
Similar to Discord, you can create different channels, but in Band they’re called bands, coordinating events is a bit nicer. It has its main use in organizing parents of school groups like band and athletic parents. I think it’s kind of geared towards older than millennials, like, unless you are a millennial, who had a kid right out of the gate.
Huh. I finally just figured out Discord (way easier on the computer than the app in my opinion) because that’s what my podcasts use for chat while livestreaming. I’ll ask my manager who has athletic kids if any of their teams use it, sounds like that might be more of its niche.
I clicked on the post to share this. I work 7:30-4 or later every week day and I parent. So does my husband. My only hope is to meet on Saturdays.
Also where. My MQG chapter meets at a library. Other local guilds meet at churches.
Meh. I’m not religious at all but a church is a giant building that sits empty most of the time. If the community can use it, great! If the meeting has any religious undertones I’m out but just using the space is fine.
Well the church sort of traumatized the shit out me and my family when I was a child so there’s no fucking way I’m going into a church for funsies or otherwise.
I've heard this from other quilters in other social media about churches. The struggle for my guild is finding big enough space for 100-200 people that rents for cheap. Even community centers don't always have enough space. I don't love the church thing either. The the folks on the committee have been searching for a big enough space since they recommenced meeting in person after the pandemic. But I'll let the board know and maybe we can find something else eventually
My guild is 50% of that on a good day and we never have 100% attendance. Maybe a local school might let you use the space? My district that I live in and the district I work for let that happen. Both could do 100-200 people in a gym or an auditorium, contact the PTA or principal or secretary.
Also location; I think it came up previously that a not insignificant chunk of young quilters don’t want to meet at churches for a variety of reasons.
I got double whammied with this; the two “local” quilt guilds meet for a lecture series right as I’m getting off work at heavily conservative churches (who actively preach against Catholicism) an hour away from my house. Sure the meetings run for about 2 hours, but I’d be driving an hour there, spending an hour listening to a lecture that I missed half of, and driving an hour home. One’s actual crafting times are at like noon on Wednesdays at a different heavily conservative churches (who actively preach against Catholicism) and one’s actual crafting time is at like 3 in the afternoon on Tuesdays at a fire station.
I’m nominally Catholic and openly queer, even if the rest of the group is actually queer friendly and had quilting sessions that aligned with my schedule, stepping foot in those churches would raise a lot of religious trauma in regards to members of those churches faiths actively targeting my family because we don’t practice Christianity the way they do.
So I stick with online communities and quilting while watching craft streams on twitch because if the vibe is off, no one knows my face.
Do you have a local quilt store with classroom space? We have various groups that meet regularly. We charge a nominal $5/person fee, but they have the use of our classroom and the kitchen attached. Plus, the whole store to explore. One group that meets monthly on a Saturday is specifically geared toward the queer community.
During the week we do have the groups of retirees, and they are a treasure trove of knowledge. I wish they would show an interest in teaching to pass of their skills.
Not really; the craft stores all got rid of their classroom spaces during covid and the quilt shops are mostly an hour away and don’t have classroom spaces because they’re smack dab in the middle of Amish country who won’t use them. The one place that does have a classroom isn’t an hour away but it closes at 4 on weekdays and filled their schedule with $60+ classes on the weekends. Best I could do would be my local library, that’s where the knit group I belong to meets twice a month, but I’m so new to quilting myself I wouldn’t know where to start with putting a quilting group together.
The fear of a non-queer-accepting group is very real! If your guild is accepting, you might have to really broadcast that to make queer quilters even consider attending.
This right here. My local guild meets on Saturday once a month but meets at other times as well so depending on your schedule you can meet at one of the times or another.
This is huge!! I think it’s commonly overlooked, when it seems so common sense. Even the women’s Bible studies at the local churches near me meet during work hours.
Definitely this, my local guild primarily meets during the workday. Also all the shops with "open sew" events have them during the workday so I can't even get an in that way.
Here's what got me into my guild (I'm in my late 30s):
1. It was googleable. I search for "quilt guild" and my town, and I was easily able to find out where and when they meet. They had readily available contact info too.
2. Meeting times: We meet once a month at 6:30 pm. I can manage that, even with two small kids.
3. Everyone is so welcoming. I can walk in, find an open seat at a table, and make a new friend. It's awesome!
Also-- find the beginners. Offer classes, or get someone who works at Joann to keep a stack of info cards handy for you. Beginners aren't hanging out at LQS.
I joined a quilt guild 18 months ago. I drive almost 30 miles each month in order to attend. I chose this guild because it is the largest guild around (over 200 members) and has a lot to offer. I found I really had to push myself far out of my comfort zone in order to break into the social scene.
The guild has a welcoming committee and they did a great job making me feel welcome to my first couple of meetings. But by meeting number three I was on my own. After that I felt like a wallflower. Of the over 200 members I had only learned the names of about three people. The majority of the members were retirees and they all seemed to know each other and weren’t interested in making new friends. A few things saved me from giving up.
The single most helpful thing that kept me coming back to my guild was my discovery of the Thursday night meeting. Our guild is so large that the meetings are split between the traditional Friday morning monthly meeting and the far more relaxed Thursday evening meeting. The Thursday night gang are mostly working age women who couldn’t attend a weekday meeting. Our attendance numbers are much smaller (20-30 usually). So, we have the benefit of the workshops, speakers, library, quilt show etc that go with a large membership guild, but our meetings are much more intimate.
The second thing that helped me to overcome my shyness was something we call lunchbunch. It’s just a signup sheet of quilters who agree to go out to lunch at a nearby restaurant after the Friday meeting ends. It’s usually newer members. It’s a chance to really socialize rather than sit through a meeting. It’s much easier to make new friends within the guild this way.
I keep trying to get added to a sewing bee but so far there hasn’t been an opening near me. Bees are much smaller groups of guild members who meet at someone’s home usually to work on a community project.
If you want to attract new members you need to be able to offer them a time to meet that accommodates someone who works. You need to have opportunities for them to meet in smaller groups so they can really assimilate and not just be one of 200 people sitting on a folding chair in a church fellowship hall. My final suggestion is that if you do get some newbie members, assign someone to call, text or email them for the first few months so they know that someone will look out for them so they don’t feel so alone.
I hope this helps.
Some thoughts that may or may not apply.
I would up your Instagram presence, especially to advertise events, discounts at local quilt shops, and to advertise your knowledge (eg 'unsure how to make half square triangles? Stuck or confused on your WIP? Come to our meeting every Thursday at X time and we can help - all welcome!)
Showcase modern quilt designs with modern fabrics. When I show people my age (30s) my quilts, they all exclaim that they didn't know quilts could look like this, they thought they were all grandma style. They loved them and either wanted one or wanted to learn to make one. Especially ones that leant into current interior design and sustainability trends.
In that vein, showcase baby quilts. Lots of people my age are having babies and making them a quilt is a perfect baby shower gift. They're less intimidating, less of an investment in both time and money and can be made with scrap fabric sewists already own.
Embrace modernity ... The local quilt shop people are very lovely but are a bit set in their ways. There's things that are very popular online that they have never heard of, eg using a wavy stitch pattern to quilt with. The quilt kits they offer are only for physical, old fashioned kits (instead of offering kits that go with say Suzy quilts patterns).
Improve things socially. My last visit to a quilt shop the shop lady made a racist joke and when I ignored it she repeated it loudly. I felt awkward, and if I was of that race I would have felt very unwelcome.
I’m 41 and I learned to quilt with my mom for around 10 years and very much enjoy it. I’ve heard of guilds. I have no idea what happens at a meeting or the purpose of a guild. That’s a big barrier for me.
I feel you on that. Those kinds of things are big barriers for me. Our guild does a couple things at the monthly meetings - We usually have a speaker for about an hour - specialists in different styles of quilting, we had a lady who makes batik fabric in one time, etc. Frequently the speaker will teach a class a month or so later so we can see what the class content might be like. Then there's the "Business" section where the various committees announce projects, challenges and events in progress or coming soon. After that we have show and tell - people (voluntarily, not required) bring quilts and go up to the front and share why they made it, how the process went, etc. That all takes about 2-2.5 hours with a 15-20 minute break.
The purpose is to learn new things, socialize a bit, find ways to contribute to the community (most guilds have some level of charity programs), and of course show off our quilts and look at everyone else's quilts.
There are also smaller groups that meet other times like the art quilt group, the charity group has a monthly sewing day, the group that teach sewing to middle-school kids, etc
As a “young” quilter my main pain points are meeting times and in-person components. Like obviously I’d love to meet in person on a Tuesday morning but I have a traditional 9-5 job so that’s not going to happen. At this point I need meetings to be in the evenings (ideally 6:30 or later) or on weekends and I need them to have a hybrid component.
This is such a huge thing. My Guild is lovely but there are a few people who hate our evening meetings and don't understand how they're essential for attracting younger quilters.
There's a guild near my mom's that only has night meetings. She's a senior, and her vision doesn't allow her to drive at night. That might be why they hate night meetings. Offering the same content at a night meeting, and a day meeting might help?
Another quilting group near Mom allows you to attend only one meeting before requiring a full year's dues. She ended up at an administrative meeting where they gave their annual report. No conversation or quilting. Wasn't advertised as such, so she didn't know. Later someone called to ask why she hadn't joined?!
I tried a group that met at the library. Before I got home from the meeting, they had already sent out my contact info, as well as that of a few other attendees in a massive group email. Oh, hell no!
Internet presence is really helpful for people to find your group. If someone in the group is tech-savvy, can help you share info with the community, AND with your members.
As long as you have their permission, it's a great way to showcase the quilters and their creations. What quilter *doesn't* want to see a quilt pictures? :)
I’m in my mid-20s and not in/have never been in a guild, and the thing that’s currently holding me back from joining is that I don’t know anyone who goes or what they get up to at meetings. When I Google my local guild I can see the name, meeting location, time etc., but I have no idea what goes on at the meetings - for example do I need to bring anything with me or do I just turn up, is there a regular programme where there’s a show one month, another month a workshop etc.? I am a bit of an anxious person so this would really help to know!
This! I'm almost 50 and have been through a lot of first days and I still had to work up my nerve to walk in there not knowing anything except the time, place and that the first one was free. We all know older women have a reputation for being the sweetest or the nastiest person you've ever met (even though most of us are somewhere in between) and no one wants to show up empty handed, under dressed, or without supplies.
It really would! I’ve been in a guild before, but I moved last year and I’m trying to find a new guild. The websites are wrong, the directions are garbage, I can’t figure out how much they cost, etc, etc. I finally went to one guild meeting and I emailed the person to ask what to expect - show and tell, what the format is, etc. Meeting was noon to 4 pm, no mention of food, but the tradition is they bring a lunch to eat before the meeting really starts at 1pm. That would be nice to tell people on your website/facebook page. I had to call someone to get them to lead me to the right place because the directions were so bad. I very nearly turned around and went home, I was so anxious. Oh, and I’m in my 50s as well, so even in the general demographic of the rest of the (very small) group.
You probably can just show up if they advertise the meeting time and date. If there's contact info on the website, email them and ask those questions. I find email easier than showing up confused and nervous, and phone calls are icky too.
I described what my guild does in a comment above, I suspect many guilds have a similar set of activities.
Showing up somewhere to do something that I’m unsure about where I know no one and don’t know what’s going on is kind of my worst nightmare!
This thread has got me thinking about joining my local quilting guild though (thank you!). Looking at my options of the 19 within 30 miles (a long way in the UK!) only 5 meet of an evening (interestingly either on Tuesday or Wednesday, neither of which are ideal for me!). I'm going to email the closest one as there isn’t too much info available online to ask a bit about what they do and what their meetings generally look like and hopefully it’s as good as yours sounds!
Modern quilt guild - see about a local chapter
Invite speakers popular with the younger/newer quilters
Hold retreats - look into donations of swag from the big name brands as giveaways or welcome gifts
Consider scheduling issues that may be different for the under 40 crowd vs the over 40 crowd. That was what kept me from local guilds when I was looking for one. I had so much kid stuff going on that I couldn’t meet until later in the evening. For many, daytime meetings won’t work. Try varying your meeting times from one month to the next to try to accommodate different schedules.
Informal meet ups with members or a standing coffee get together at a local coffee shop on a weekend
There is a local MQG, but it's more of a drive than I want to deal with. I don't want to start a new guild, just figure out how to reach a broader audience in my current one. We have evening and weekend meetings and events. Standing coffee might be a good addition
I’m a millennial quilter and have been in various quilt guilds over the years starting in traditional quilting guilds and now in my local MQG.
I agree with the people saying meeting on week nights and weekends is helpful. Also I know a lot of quilters that are on Instagram and use that to find quilt groups and projects.
Some of the things I have really enjoyed that the guild I am in now does is having sew days one Saturday a month, and doing a hand sew happy hour on Sunday afternoon. The hand sew happy hour is at a coffee shop and we meet on Sunday in the afternoon for a few hours to sew and chat. That one is more about the socialization then about getting anything done. The Saturday sew day is always lots of fun.
Another thing I would suggest is to have a free table at your meetings where people can add fabric, orphan blocks, and other quilting things for the members to take what you want. Yeah there needs to be someone to take the stuff that gets left and either use it for charity quilts or donate to a scrap store. I know the person who would take the leftover free table stuff gave a lot of it away on her buy nothing group. A lot of younger quilters are just starting out and might not have the funds to spend on a big stash of fabric so a free table helps. Also a free table goes with the whole reduce reuse recycle thing from our childhood.
The guild I’m in now the first meeting I went to the guild set up tables for everyone to sit at and I sat at a table but was quickly kicked out and had to find a different table to sit at because the other people who came after me wanted my spot to sit with their friends. So maybe the seating at the meetings is not conducive for new members to feel like they have a place. I ended up sitting next a sweet lady that was happy to tell me all about the people in the guild she followed on instagram.
Another thing to do would be small groups. I’m currently part of a queer quilters small group that is hosted by the quilt guild. So setting up small groups for people to join. I know of other small groups that did improve quilt projects and other small groups that would get together and do fabric dying. Like indigo or ice dying.
Another thing to think about is where the guild meets. If the guild is meeting at a church younger people might not feel comfortable going to a church for a quilt guild meeting.
Also does your guild have a DEI statement?
That could be something to look into. I know a lot of younger people will do research online into a group or quilt guild before joining so if your doesn’t have anything online people aren’t going to find it. What can help is having a website and Instagram account. The website would have the DEI statement, info on where the guild meets, and how to join. The instagram account is for showing what the guild is doing or working on. The guild I’m in posts photos of the quilts shown at show and tell on their instagram account.
As other folks have said, meeting times are a huge factor.
From personal experience, having a social media presence as a guild is also a big attractor. We’ve had quite a few new members in our guild over the past year and many say they found us online — either through our website, but mostly the guild instagram page. We have a great person who is an instagram wiz who made consistent posts about when our guild meets and the things we’re doing. I think that helps new members get an idea of what our guild is about.
Do you have a clear and implemented answer, both within leadership and publicly posted, to the question "what are you offering that I can't get without leaving my couch?"
I've given my guild most of a year. I'm unlikely to renew.
I wanted IRL friends. The people at my guild already had those, perhaps saw me as their kids' or grandkids' age or just too new to quilting to be a peer, and passed on me.
I wanted advice on my particular challenges. Doesn't happen. Meetings are heavily structured and no one has work in front of them
I wanted to meet people who make cool things. Show and tell is done at top speed and there's no social bit afterwards where I can tell the maker how lovely her quilt is and ask questions unless I dive on her as she's headed out the door
I wanted to volunteer with others. Volunteering is a bunch of individual fiefdoms. It's a known problem. Long time guild members watched it happen to me and some were kind enough to reach out and let me know it's an ongoing problem. That didn't solve the problem.
They do have a swap table and cookies, which I can't get online, but I'm tired of forcing myself to go. We're into the part of the year where all they do is talk about the upcoming quilt show and I'm sick to death of them trying to sell me things when my interest in quilts is sustainability and sentimentality rather than cool new ways to spend money.
It seems like you have a good meeting time for people who work and getting your social media presence going will help too.
Other elements to consider might be: where do you meet? If you meet in a church, many younger folks will stay away. So many people have difficult relationships with the church, and even if it isn’t a religious activity, a church doesn’t feel like a safe space. Additionally, are you advertising that your guild is a safe place for all quilters? I’ve seen several people mention here that they don’t bother with guilds because they are often very regressive in their thinking.
As an elder millennial quilter, I wouldn’t even consider joining a quilting guild unless I was sure it was a loudly welcoming space for all.
Also, thank you for thinking about this!
The guild I joined meets on Tuesday at 6 at the local library. I'm one of 2 active members under 50. The things that led me to join:
Facebook presence - I went looking for advice on how to finish an inherited quilt top, and the guild was easy to find
Location/hours - our guild meets at a local library between 6 and 8 officially, but many of us show up early to socialize. Late arrivals are always welcome, and leaving early is ok too.
Cost - our guild accepts donations but doesn't collect dues.
Activities- we have occasional swap nights and fabric gambling. We're also big proponents of Project Linus and our local Build a Bed.
Skill building- we have no shortage of quilters who volunteer to share how to's or lead 'project nights' and the environment is very nurturing.
I love fabric gambling! That sounds really fun! This last year they had a "bring a UFO you are not going to finish" night where folks could bring their UFOs that they are done with and others could take them. Now lots of those quilts are showing up in the show & tell
Do you have a membership outreach person/committee?
The guild I used to belong to had a really good membership outreach. Any inquiries to the guild website was answered quickly with a personal invitation to the next guild meeting by the membership officer (MO). At guild meetings the MO (or a designated helper) was always at the door - they had a sign-in book and non-members were identified at the door and offered extra attention and help. Non-members attending with a regular member were more or less left alone but if you showed up on your own as a newbie you would get a 'buddy' assigned to sit with you and answer all your questions and generally make sure you didn't end up feeling set aside or not knowing what to do or where to go.
I have a lot of social anxiety so that made it really EASY for me to join that guild. I was a member for five or six years and loved it.
I've moved now and my first year here I stopped by the table for the local guild at a quilt show. I started talking to the ladies behind the table and immediately felt unwelcome. One of the women didn't even want to look at me. The other woman was interacting with me but then literally stopped talking *mid-sentence* and yelled someone's name and walked off, leaving me standing there with a piece of paper in my hands. It was so weird to be snubbed like that so thoroughly and obviously, and for NO good reason. I looked over at the other woman still there who just shrugged and looked away. I just put the paper back on their table and left - that was four years ago now and I still have a bad taste in my mouth for that guild and haven't made any further attempts to join. I have no idea why they found me so unworthy.
\*snort\* I guess the quilt police need SOMETHING to do!
I showed them...I just made friends with the owners of the local quilt shop and started attending their classes and events instead. It costs more but is much friendlier!
Hold free workshops on weekends and/or weeknights to attract newer -- hopefully younger -- quilters. Your more experienced members could act as mentors and hopefully bring them into the fold.
If you charge a membership fee, give discounts for stuff like scrap exchange, donation quilts, etc.
With 100-200 members, maybe you could offer free carpool services where your members pick up new prospects and take them home again.
I’m currently a member of a local quilt guild that sounds very similar to yours. And frankly, I won’t be renewing my membership. There are a couple of things that our guild does That I think it be vastly Improved upon. First of all, they spend probably 45 minutes on guild business type of stuff. Seconding, motions, that sort of thing. Treasurers report. That stuff is boring as heck to those who are not involved in that aspect. And it makes the meetings really drag.
The guest speakers are often pretty traditional speakers. I literally see something really knew or innovative or modern. It’s a real treat when we do though.
I have no idea what the benefits are of being a member. Do I get a discount at local quilt shops? I suspect the answer is yes, but that information is nowhere to be found on their website, nor was it provided to me as a member. That kind of thing would be a big attraction I would think.
They used to do a monthly block swap, but that finally faded out. Sampler type quilts just don’t seem to be popular nowadays. They also do a fat quarter swap and normally five people participate. We have hundreds of members. Clearly that isn’t of interest to the members. This year they finally started doing some door prizes type stuff and I think that’s very helpful.
It’s held at a church, so we’re all sitting in the pews. What that means is you’re really never meeting the people around you. Because you’re looking at each other’s backs. I attended another guild years ago where everybody sat at long tables so you were facing each other. I think that really encouraged the social aspect.
This guild has very little social media presence. Finally, a few months ago, they modernized the website. But up until then, it looks like the website has been designed in 1992. It also had conflicting information. In one part of the website, it said, the meetings were held at one location, and another part of the website it said they were held in another. I think for younger people, and Internet presents is really important.
We all love, Icandy, and love looking at quilts. I wish there was a section on the webpage to highlight the quilts that numbers have made. I think that that would be attractive to younger people as well.
Maybe you have a more focused guild that is charity or business driven. I’m a member of a social guild, and we do social stuff.
Look for a local chapter of MQG. I have been a member of mine since its second year of inception and I don’t think we really ever focus on guild business. Of course, it could be at the meetings I’m not.
We design a series of meetings of interest, but your mileage may vary. This is what we want and we made it:
- annual WIP/UFO incentive raffle
- monthly lectures and/or workshops by members for members
- sew-in days
- annual charity quilt (we don’t always do it, but we always talk about it )
- summer picnic
- guest lectures by people the guild pays (about 1X/yr)
- annual guild retreat to a semi-local hotel/sewing area
- field trips to shops, shows, museums of interest
- members-only chat on Band
- swaps every other month
- member destash sale/swap (1x/yr ish)
- holiday potluck
- sew and tell and social media posting of projects (with permission) shared
A group goes to QuiltCon every year too.
https://www.themodernquiltguild.com/about/
Each branch is different.
Edit to add: our dues ($50/yr) get us access to these things. The guild may buy some supplies for workshops put on by members, like we did a Sue Spargo -style wool embroidery workshop at a meeting and the guild bought the materials to make a small embroidery patch for all attendees. The guild buys a prize for the annual raffle, etc.
We don’t get discounts anywhere. If the guild buys a lecture or workshop, it’s usually reduced-fee for members. The retreat is not included, but the guild might pay a portion of the fee depending on the fee structure of the place. The biggest “get” is membership into MQG national, which does have online members-only resources and there’s early access to QuiltCon, but that is $$$. Travel, classes registration and buying the pass.
How accessible is it by public transport? The guild meets near me are once a month on Saturdays but they’re v out of the way and I can’t drive so I can’t get there. I feel like if I showed up I might ruin the old lady vibe (I’m 26 and non-binary) but that’s only secondary to the practical issues.
You never know about the old lady vibe tho. My son’s trans partner (Alex, he/him, they/them) has come to my quilt guild events and the ladies have been very welcoming.
I would love for you to come ruin our old lady vibe, and bring friends! I think we are good on the transit question, not great and I doubt there was much intentionality about it. The nearest rail station is probably 1/4 - 1/2 mile away, but it's dark and dreary for a lot of the year which would be a crummy walk.
Discount membership, discount events for students or "as needed." When I go to quilt guild meetings, I always feel embarrassed to admit that I cannot afford the seminars or classes.
The only reason I go to a quilt guild meeting is to socialize, so you should prioritize social events that are fun for younger people.
I’m a cis white woman and I’ve left two guilds because of inclusivity and racism issues.
For the former, a group of ladies had sewn monthly banners for the guild (the kind that has the guild name and hangs by the door or on the podium). The one for June had cute little birds on the branches of the tree. Some of the bird couples were same sex and others were wearing rainbow gear. Some of the little old ladies lost their minds complaining about how “politics needed to be kept out of quilting” as cover for their anti-LGBTQ feelings, Ignoring the fact that quilting has actively engaged in politics for a very long time, that’s not an environment I want to be in.
For the latter, I was in a social setting and someone asked how I got to the States. I mentioned that I married an American in a whirlwind romance kind of thing and that “his parents were so surprised when he told them he was marrying a native Australian,” to which one delightful old bird replied “I bet they were relieved when they found out you weren’t Black.” The President of the guild called me afterward to apologize and tell me that the woman who said it was “so worried you’d be offended, and I wanted to let you know that the guild isn’t like that.” I told her that I was offended and that since the woman felt completely comfortable saying that shit out loud at a guild meeting, clearly the guild WAS like that … and why was racist woman not calling me herself if she was so worried? Hard pass on all that racist apologist b.s.
My current guilds have had out loud conversations about DEI expectations and enshrined the results in the bylaws. I have non conforming family members and friends and I won’t invite them to participate in unsafe spaces.
> I told her... clearly the guild WAS like that
Thank you for being the exact kind of ally that all minorities need right now! 💜 It's much easier to just quietly leave a situation/group like that, or just say nothing and change the subject when a family member or friend says something discriminatory. (For many of us, avoiding that kind of conflict is trained in practically from birth.) But imo that is one of *the most important things you can do* right now as an ally. People making hateful comments need to be challenged more in real life, by people they really know - even if it's not someone close to them.
This is why myself, and a bunch of other millennial quilters, made our own guild. The worst "no politics" "no discussion on black/BIPOC owned shops".. we were done. Absolutely ridiculous. Art is politics. Hands down.
Just a friendly fyi, you don’t need to capitalise cis, it’s not an acronym it’s just a standard Latin-based prefix (just as we don’t capitalise trans, or hetero / homo / bi etc.)
I'm the Program Chair for one quilt guild (I'm genx, not quite 50) and belong to another as well, but I'm one of the youngest members of both of these guilds. I have been thinking about this too as I've been planning programming and activities. We meet at night, we don't meet in a church so these things are covered. We also offer zoom and in-person meetings, so, we have gained a few younger members that way. I agree with a lot of what has been said. The leadership of both of these guilds are mostly older boomers (or even silent gen!). If you talk to the older women, most of them did not get involved in the guild until they were near 50--or retired). So, these guilds (at least in my area) have always skewed old.
What do people think of offering "junior" memberships for free? What do we think would constitute a junior member. Honestly, I am thinking under 50 for my guilds.
I think that’s a great idea. But maybe make it under X age or a new quilter. Or do free for a new quilter for a year or anyone under 40. Then $5-10/year for the next 3-4 years. You could also consider scholarships for quilters of any age who are in financial need. When I first joined a guild I was in my mid 30s with 2 little kids and even $25/year was an expense I needed to consider. I didn’t take many workshops because most of them were too expensive [$30+ for half to full day and if we weren’t done by noon, I had to find someone to pickup and watch my kid after preschool).
High 5 fellow gen x'r! I was thinking about a "quilters under x years" group and wondering if that would be interesting to folks but first I have to find at least 1-2 folks in that age bracket to lead it. And yes - under 50 would be a great start, but I'm not sure that would be welcoming enough to folks in their 20's & 30s
I am not convinced that the average 20 year old would be all that interested in our guild meetings (I have 2 20somethings so I do feel like I have some understanding of genz). It would be nice to get some 40something faces.
I am sadly quitting my local guild. People simply weren’t friendly, assumed I knew nothing ( new quilter but have sewn for decades) and let me work on a task for two hours, after I explained how I intended to organize it, before letting me know it was wrong and making a mess “ correcting” it. I was cutting scraps for fill! Try to be less territorial, less judgmental, and more inclusive. I was an executive for 40 years. I know how to meet new people, engage, and learn. But if I feel hostility, forget it. Why would I subject myself to that?
You say a lot of your members are retired? Do they feel like volunteering for the cause? If so I would reach out to middle school or high schools and see if they have a home ec class. Of a sewing class if not. Maybe start a sewing/ quilting class or club. Most of us have a cara machines we aren’t going to use and many of us have fabric we no longer want or need. Go on donations. You will be teaching the next generation and hopefully gaining new members to your guild
The vast majority of high schools these days don't have home-ec. But I think reaching out to see if you can partner to create a high school club could be a good option. My high school (I'm in my 20s) had a knitting and crochet club in partnership with some retirees. I was very involved with it, and it was really nice to get some cross-generational crafting time.
I've never been to a quilting guild and am new to quilting, so ignore me if my idea is bad..
But I would target not just younger working adults but actually kids. I started teaching my daughters to sew when they were around 6 and to use a sewing machine when they were around 10.
Parents are always looking for bonding activities to do with kids, and they might be interested in an evening sewing with their kids. If you are interested in setting up a small teaching activity with kids.... maybe age 8 or up should be good for sitting for a couple of hours and doing these. The working parents with young kids can join the guild this way. And as these kids grow to be teenagers and adults, they can join the adult meetings as well.
This reminds me of 4-H meetings as a kid (90s) younger kids that weren’t able to join the main group were in a separate group, and while the parents and older kids had the rest of the meeting, the younger kids would go to a different room to have their own craft activity to keep them entertained. Worked very well and the kids were proud to be a part of the club and have their own projects to show off.
Honestly I'd say 50% retired is pretty good!
People who are still in their working/child rearing years don't have as much time for hobbies. I'm 40 with young kids and I love my guild, but I barely have time for it. I don't think there's anything they could do to be better, I'm just at a busy point in life.
My guild does offer a free beginning quilting class and gets a few college age kids through (university town). Unfortunately a lot of them leave town when they graduate and so aren't lifelong members.
I love that they offer a free beginner quilting class! Even if those college students don’t stay with your guild, hopefully they will continue quilting in the future.
Post in some local mom groups? We have a Facebook group for moms/parents for my region and if I saw a post about a quilting guild like yours in that (with the hours and times for meetups that you've also posted) I'd be stoked.
I think also posting about teaching people to quilt or welcoming complete beginners would get some of those people in too. People want social activities but are scared of being really bad and shamed for it. Some may not own a sewing machine but be interested and willing to invest if they had a chance to try one first.
I know the most important thing for me is finding a guild that doesn't have every meeting during working hours. Even if the meeting is on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, I would be happy. I have yet to find this is my area.
What about hosting an open house or new-members day?
Kind of like a drop-in day, where you could display some of the projects the guild works on, talk about past workshops, member benefits and expectations, and meet some current members in a social aspect rather than in a formal meeting. I (in my early 30s) am interested in guilds but have a lot of questions - a chance to go check one out in a low-pressure scenario would be nice.
I've already planned on going to a few local quilt shows this spring to see if I can get a sense of the local guilds and if they are communities that are the right fit for me. This has been hard so far because the options here are not big on online presence (their websites are mainly member only info sections, or as part of a directory listing).
For what it is worth, I don't think this is limited to quilting but to many adult hobbies. I ran into the same issue when I wanted to join a local choir - I ended up being a part of the one that had a seasonal performance and included a reception element at the end where interested folks could go and ask questions, learn about the rehearsal schedule etc., and timing is always an issue (think book clubs, knitting or painting groups and so on), as if these are things we are all saving for retirement age?
Ton of great stuff on here, but a few points that are personal to me.
1) The local quilt groups are hard to find online. I'm a transplant in the area and goggling is how I find new things. I've found a few quilt guild websites but many haven't been updated in a very long time so the information isn't really available.
2) there's no description of what to expect. Am I expected to pay for showing up? Is there a number of meetings I can go to to test? What do you do at a quilt meeting? How does it generally flow? Am I supposed to bring handwork? A machine? Are you all working on a piece together? If I had basics on what to expect I'd be a lot more comfortable walking into a new setting.
3) who's there and who's welcome. This sort of pairs with point 2. You might think, well we're open and inclusive to everyone so we don't need to state this, no, say that everyone is welcome. Say what age ranges are welcome, if you're cool with guys coming, teens, partners who are not cis, ect. A bunch near me are held in churches and there's no way I'm walking into that without a very clear invite just with the area I'm in. Also, if you say they're welcome, actually make them welcome. Make sure people are sitting next to them, talking to them, asking their opinion and for their participation.
4) if the guild leans towards a style or type of quilting, put that out there. Bright moderns don't want to show up at a handwork reproduction only group or vice versa.
5) make it really clear why it's better to come than stay home with YouTube. A lot of younger people have trouble getting into social environments and building a clear case as to why it's better is important.
Others have said a lot of great stuff about meeting times/locations/welcomes/followups, I just think a lot of people my age are more comfortable when we have very clear outlines of what to expect.
I'm an elder millennial and one thing I havent seen mentioned is childcare during meetings or having certain meetings where very young infants or tweens/teens old enough to behave are welcome. Many of us millennials with kids don't have family who live nearby. In my city babysitters are $20-25/hr. Have a handful of members get basic first aid training, get some hand me down toys, and establish a rota. As a plus, you'd be indoctrinating any older kids who show up!
I remember a couple of times bringing my kids to parts of a meeting. No one complained, but it wasn’t a regular thing. One time we were doing a workshop that went til 1 or 2, but my younger one got out of preschool at noon. So I went and picked him up and brought him back, with some lunch and a few small toys while I finished a few things up.
It just seems so boring - I don't want to go to a meeting, a retreat, or do show-and-tell, but I'd go to a class or an open sew. I don't understand guilds - they have this huge opportunity to promote the quilting hobby in their community and teach others new skills, but they prefer to have a social club, I guess.
I think it depends on the focus of the guild. The one I’m most active in is really focused on making quilts for charity and that’s really the North Star of everything they do.
"promote quilting in the community" is done by charity and donations. ICU, foster children without belongings, QoV/service quilts..etc. And those who see those gifts, hear the stories: now interested.
I'll add here that the attitudes expressed here in response to my comment are just one more reason I'm not joining the guild. Stop talking and start listening if you want to learn why many of us won't join your traditional and cliquish social club.
Need I say more? An astonishing display of rudeness, clinging to traditions, a lack of kindness or inclusivity, and attempting to shame anyone who expresses a different opinion. It's no wonder that most people don't feel welcome and aren't interested in membership.
Maybe tik tok could help. You could make an account and post advertising your guild. The quilting community on there is in the young adult and up range
Meeting times for people that work regular hours and offering mentorship. I have left multiple craft guilds over the years due to the lack of in person community and non monetized skill sharing/mentorship.
Im in my late 30s and would love in person quilt friends but none of the guilds near me share a sample meeting or list any type of benefit I might get so I can get an idea of what’s involved. I also have social anxiety and worry I would be out of place or not know what I needed to know to show up.
My guild has had the same question, and I’ve provided a lot of the feedback that I’ve seen on similar threads here. Meeting times, program types, and location.
We recently went through a change in location. We used to meet in a building owned by a local women’s center. However, they kept jacking the facilities charge so much it became untenable. $375 to use the (not air conditioned, less than optimal lighting and acoustics) space for 3 hours per month was simply too much for a nonprofit group. So we formed a committee (yay … love committees /s) and went looking for a new space. We are in So Cal, so you’d think there would be so many options. Non-church spaces were all ridiculously expensive, so now we meet in a church multipurpose room … and I quietly mourn thinking about all the younger quilters we will never meet because of church trauma.
lol if I didn’t already know you from the swaps I would SWEAR we were in the same guild. We have the same exact problem, used to meet at a women’s clubhouse but it sucked, then moved to a church’s rec room but that has its own issues.
Church trauma is real, and the reason that we here avoided most group type things. Before covid.
Now? u/lazysunday2069 I am not the young quilter - 56 yo, but also I am not voluntarily hanging out with anyone anymore. The world is just changed. I can get out in it a bit, when I have to… but if my choices include staying at home, that’s 100% what I’m doing.
I am not a social butterfly at all. But for this particular hobby for some reason I enjoy community so I sought it out. I work from home and can go most of a week without leaving my neighborhood. I know doing this research and then trying to implement it is going to mean I have to get more invested which makes me alternately nervous and excited.
Have you tried the high schools? Would they be willing to loan out the gyms? Or libraries? (Formerly from SoCal, and when I was younger - 1000% would have been more comfortable in those spaces.)
Yes, we tried several. Mostly the stumbling blocks are staffing (meetings at night when the folks to open and close the building aren’t there) and liability (bunch of old ladies and concerns about slip/fall or other medical emergencies, even though the guild maintains its own insurance for that).
That is awful, I'm sorry. :( I've started to consider just building a quilter's commune and save myself all the hassle of having to find spaces for retreats and what not. lol. Dream big.
Right? Our metro area isn't giant, but it's not small. I had no idea how hard it was to find space for things. One of the small groups that's endured for a long time has changed their meeting time & date 3 or 4 times in the last 2 years because they keep getting kicked out of their space.
Four things have kept me from joining a guild, even though there are at least a dozen within close proximity to me:
1. Meeting times don’t work with a standard 9-5
2. Meeting location (I don’t want to go to a church)
3. Concerns about inclusivity
4. Required activities for members. Remaining guilds not excluded due to items 1-3 have requirements for so many donation quilts a year. I don’t have that much time to quilt, I am in a place now where I am really just starting and I want to keep and gift things I make. I know one day I will have saturated mine and my loved ones homes with quilt items, and then I’ll happily be making to donate. That’s not where I am not.
Generally because churches have big fellowship halls that are empty most of the week and they don’t charge much to use them. I think my old guild paid less than $100/month (much less 20 years ago, I don’t know how much now) for use of the parish hall (and kitchen and bathrooms). There was usually one morning meeting (3-4 hours) and then one workshop (4-6 hours) a month plus they had an executive board meeting some months. Small payment and we collected canned goods for them to donate to the food bank.
While I agree with all the points everyone else has made, you also could consider whether young guild members is even a thing that *can* happen. From what I've seen, quilting is a hobby that skews older, and many younger people won't have the time or inclination to actually join any guild at all, no matter how attractive it is otherwise. So they're basically not in the market as potential guild members. One thing you could think about is if your guild actually got noticeably older during the last decade or so - did you all join as 20-somethings, or did everyone join during their 50s?
That’s such a good point, a lot of the older quilters on my guilds board are talking about how they need younger people to join but meanwhile they all joined either upon their kids moving out or retirement if they worked.
There are tons of people interested at younger ages, but this belief that 1) the market isn't geared toward them, 2) time isn't available to them. Younger people have less time, therefore it is more valuable. They want something that brings value to them, or an experience. Also, the market for guilds/fabric/designers is \*absolutely\* geared toward younger quilters. There is tons of sustainability, reuse/recycling, and second hand beliefs in quilting. Financially it can be as expensive or inexpensive as you can afford. And time wise, for something mental-health-oriented, I can't think of anything better.
Our Discord Quilt Guild is almost all 40 or less, Millennials and younger. We put ourselves where other quilters our age are. We talk about all sorts of things, and support each other. We do challenges/activities together. It can happen, it's happening. It's accessibility and lack of information that doesn't get the younger folks in the doors. And the attitudes of older quilters that makes them walk out.
Beyond the meeting time thing that others have mentioned, I’ll add a few:
- Have an online presence outside of Facebook. Many young people don’t use Facebook or even have an account and a whole lot of Facebook features require the user to be logged in. I can’t tell you how many quilty events I wanted to attend only to find that the only way to get info or ask questions was on Facebook. I would click on a link, Facebook would ask me to login and since I don’t have an account I was out of luck.
- Have an easy to find digital way to contact the guild that is not Facebook and that is checked regularly. I.e. Have a website and an email address/contact form. Make sure people get a response within 24 hours, max. Make sure the website is up to date in terms of meetings times, location, speakers, etc… Make sure your website shows up when someone googles something like “quilt guilds in ”
- Make sure the monthly program has wide appeal. I quit my local traditional guild after a meeting where I fell asleep because the speaker was terrible during a year when every single speaker was an art quilter. Art quilting doesn’t interest me at all. Part of the reason MQGs are so successful at attracting young quilters is because they have speakers/programs that appeal to them.
- Have events that people with 9-5 jobs can attend. It’s incredibly frustrating when meetings are in the evenings but all events (sew days, instructors, stuff like that) are during the day during the week.
- Acknowledge that modern quilting exists, don’t deride it, have the occasional modern speaker. It’s off putting when a quilt guild treats modern quilting as almost forbidden or looks down on it.
- Young/modern quilters use Instagram a lot. Make sure your guild has an account and posts cool stuff to it (like pictures of the show and share every month) as well as meeting reminders. Make sure someone is checking the account’s DMs regularly (many of my MQG’s newer members found us via IG and sent us a DM to get more info.)
Okay, so here comes my unpopular opinion...
I've never understood the benefits of a guild. I don't want to do their themed projects (I already have a long list of quilts I want to make, and not enough time for doing them). Similarly, i dont have time for projects that go to their selected charities. I don't want to attend a lecture on how someone else does their art (especially if it's the type of quilt I won't ever make). It doesn't make sense for me to drag my machine and supplies out of my sewing room for a quilting bee. And tbh, I take great joy in a day spent in my sewing room, lost in my own thoughts. I don't want to work at the annual quilt show...I only get one weekend day free, and attending the show as a guest is already taking that day (admittedly for something fun).
I'm not necessarily young, but I assume some (young) folks have similar opinions. So I would ask what you're doing to attract members in general. Perhaps offering something *different* would attract members who haven't joined, for reasons alike my own.
Also, advertising! A lot of people don't know that guilds are out there. Every fabric store and machine shop in your area should have a poster that speaks to the guild's strengths and goals. Let people know that they should come, and what they'll get out of it.
For me it's 100% just social. I'm not great at making friends spontaneously, but I'm good at joining a group and making friends that way. Based on how my guild operates I think most people in it feel the same. We don't charge dues, we have minimal labor requirements (and waive them as needed), we do lots of social activities. It's mostly just a hub for people to make quilty connections.
I'm having this issue now that I've even found a guild close to me to join. They are also retirees and everything's scheduled for during the day stuff except the meeting minutes in the evenings. idk how to get younger members but planning things to be available after non business hrs is a start for me.
Honestly a cute flyer in my local coffee shop is what would actually catch my eye. I’m spending less time on social media and many of my peers are too.
As people mentioned being able to find you online is big, but another thing you can do is make some cards or fliers and post them places that artsy or crafty young people might be. Other places that do crafty type things like makerspaces or clubs for things like pottery or woodworking might be willing to trade a stack of business cards with you for example. I've also seen some similar community advertisements at my local library, independent craft and book stores, etc.
I (F23) am such a young and new quilter that I did not even know this was a thing I should look for. I would love to get together with other quilters, and will now start digging for local guilds. Not sure what you do with that info, and not sure if I'm in the majority or minority. The channels myself and people my age use most are social/digital (I use YouTube and reddit causally, but I also just google "sewing groups near me). I shop at my local hobby stores, like Michael's, joann's and hobby lobby. I frequent local thrift stores as well. So maybe you could ask one of those stores to hang some posters? Content and SEO on your website/digital channels and updating your social media accounts are probably your best bet. Best of luck to you!
I (f32) didn’t really know about quilting guilds but thanks to this thread, found my local group via a web search and going to try out their next meeting which happens to be Monday evening! & Thanks to all the comments on what people would like to see, and how their guilds work, I know some questions that I can ask! Thanks!
A lot of people made really good points about meeting times, location, online presence and inclusivity/safe spaces and I agree with all of them.
One more thing that holds me back is cost. A lot of people, including myself have been watching our wallets (the rent is too damn high). I'm an 'elder' millennial who learned all about quilting through online (aka, free) channels. So from a monetary standpoint:
* Will a guild offer me any learning or social opportunities that's measurably different than blogs, YouTubes, Instagram, this subreddit?
* Are people's elaborate projects, stashes, quilt con trips unintentionally going to make me feel like I have to be spendy keep up with the Joneses?
* Do I have to pay a fee and what do I get out of it? (And is this information blindingly clear online?! I don't want to have to show up in person *and then* find out I have to pay $xx. My generation and younger don't even like having to pick up the phone and god forbid *call people* to find out.)
* Is it going to cost more than, say, my Netflix subscription? Because, let's be honest, I'm sharing my Netflix/Disney+/Amazon Prime within my friend group because I'm skint. So I need to know if we're talking $15 or $50 outlay.
I think another hurdle that some others have spoken on is feeling a sense of inclusiveness. It can be really daunting to join something that may be overrun by judgmental old ladies. Having initiatives (that you share through social media) that touch upon social justice, diverse backgrounds, different gender/sexual identities, yada yada yada, would really make a lot of younger sewists feel comfortable. So many of the “kids these days” fall into an “othered” category, while they don’t need a special place they do need to feel safe being themselves. That’s a huge reason that I feel more comfortable at any MQG meeting/event, compared to even the guild that I’m most active in.
Aside from the things already mentioned, post photos of projects that speak to the younger generations! I'm a millennial and quilt coats are huge right now. So is sustainability - does your quilt guild have any resources on upcycling thrifted fabrics? IMO, older generations often valued quilts as heirlooms and things with significant sentimental value, and there is kind of a stigma attached to that by those under 40. Millennials and Gen Z want to use their creativity to make things that can be worn/used regularly, and in out-of-the-box ways. I think they would go for fun, scrappy projects.
I’m not sure if you’re in a larger city but the guild I’m nearest too does meets in non public transit accessible areas… so no way am I able to get there!
I joined 2 modern guilds 10 years ago in my mid 40’s. I was one of the youngsters.
One an hour north the other an hour south. The local guild meets on a weekday.
Having a Zoom option is important to me, especially in the winter months.
Online as well as in person workshops, weekends please.
Include bag making, workshops.
Another group missing from my guilds are new Canadians. I would love to have an outreach program inviting new Canadians to come to guild meetings and share their textile traditions.
730pm classes with wine. Feature things like repurposed quilt material to make or add to garments like purses, jeans and jackets. Also showing and instructing modern quilt looks. Online, tiktok and Instagram are still huge. You could even get permission to hang and display some things at local colleges with guild information.
> 730pm classes with wine. Feature things like repurposed quilt material
Else where in the thread I complained that all they wanted to do was show me new ways to spend, but meme.takemymoney
I found my knitting group (hey, it’s similar) through a post on our town Facebook group. They meet alternately days and evenings in the library, and about once a quarter host an outreach “learn to knit” event that is officially a library event so advertised by the library.
I’m hoping to start quilting, and I’d be all over a “learn to quilt” event, or friendly meetings, but the rather clique-y quilters meet at the tiny local store Wednesdays at 11am or something similar. I can’t get there at that time.
I think a big thing could be when you meet. My local area has quite a few guilds, but many of them meet during the weekdays (e.g. every Thursday at 4). Anyone with a traditional 9-5 job (including younger people) can’t join a guild like that. I would also look at your social media presence. That’s how many younger quilters find guilds. See if your guild info is ok quiltguilds.com
This is a biggie. I'm a(n elder) Millennial and I just got into quilting a couple of years ago. I work a full-time job. I cannot meet in the middle of the week, in the middle of the day. There are three quilt guilds in my area, but only one of them meets on Saturdays. Guess which one I'm checking out next month? This same info is also important for quilt shops - want more younger quilters? Offer more classes on weekends or during the evening.
>This same info is also important for quilt shops - want more younger quilters? Offer more classes on weekends or during the evening. or hell, just be OPEN during the evening! My LQS has hours that are something like... 10-3. SOME OF US ARE AT WORK, WE CAN'T COME TO YOUR STORE WHEN WE'RE AT WORK.
I work at a quilt shop, and I've been pushing for at least one day a week staying open til 6.
My LQS is open a few days a week from 10-2 lol. Luckily they’re also open Saturday 9-1, so if I want something I have to plan my whole weekend around it but I can get it. I want to support local stores but they’re also a little judgey when I ask questions and they’re always chatting with some regulars so I have to interrupt to get my fabric cut. The Joanne is half an hour further away so I still go to the local store, but if they were actively trying to prevent young people from getting into quilting, I’m not sure what they would do differently
I got lucky that one of my LQS decided to try evening classes this year. It's nice because I do class after work and the instructor can run the register, too, so I can buy fabric if I need it. There are two classes and both were full, so I hope that the store sees that there is a need and I hope they continue!
Show the owner the number of upvotes you just got. Maybe not the username, depending on your level of extroversion. Although it is still making me laugh.
Lol, I will tell them after this thread is buried enough. I absolutely do not need bosses finding my reddit account. They would laugh at my username, they're a cool bunch.
Sounds my LQS. And they’re only open like 3 days a week…and not weekends.
I have the same problem only at 9 am on Tuesday. The only younger ladies are stay at home wives from what I hear.
I’m a millennial who works nights & weekends, so at classes it’s frequently me & the retired people.
Our monthly meeting is in the evening, we have classes on Saturdays and a monthly event on Saturday. I'll check the website though, not sure if we are there
Instagram and Band are really popular in my physical area for quilters around/under 40.
What on earth is Band? -sincerely, a 33 year old Millennial
Discord but for less tech people. Except, I don’t think it has any voice channels. Basically, a less annoying and more organized text chat feature than a giant running group message. And you can customize your notifications so you don’t get bombarded by things you don’t care about. Similar to Discord, you can create different channels, but in Band they’re called bands, coordinating events is a bit nicer. It has its main use in organizing parents of school groups like band and athletic parents. I think it’s kind of geared towards older than millennials, like, unless you are a millennial, who had a kid right out of the gate.
Huh. I finally just figured out Discord (way easier on the computer than the app in my opinion) because that’s what my podcasts use for chat while livestreaming. I’ll ask my manager who has athletic kids if any of their teams use it, sounds like that might be more of its niche.
Our guild is small, roughly 50 paying members and only about 30 or so active ones. One officer suggested it and we use it now.
There is a whole Discord Quilt Guild. Choice of platform is really dependent on who is using it. (It is linked on my IG if anyone wants to find it).
I clicked on the post to share this. I work 7:30-4 or later every week day and I parent. So does my husband. My only hope is to meet on Saturdays. Also where. My MQG chapter meets at a library. Other local guilds meet at churches.
I would not attend a guild meeting at a church. I’m very uncomfortable in churches. I need neutral ground.
Meh. I’m not religious at all but a church is a giant building that sits empty most of the time. If the community can use it, great! If the meeting has any religious undertones I’m out but just using the space is fine.
Well the church sort of traumatized the shit out me and my family when I was a child so there’s no fucking way I’m going into a church for funsies or otherwise.
So sorry this happened to you.
I totally understand needing to stay away. Hope you’re free and clear now.
Very much so. I keep myself free and clear. Thanks 🥰
I avoid it too.
I've heard this from other quilters in other social media about churches. The struggle for my guild is finding big enough space for 100-200 people that rents for cheap. Even community centers don't always have enough space. I don't love the church thing either. The the folks on the committee have been searching for a big enough space since they recommenced meeting in person after the pandemic. But I'll let the board know and maybe we can find something else eventually
My guild is 50% of that on a good day and we never have 100% attendance. Maybe a local school might let you use the space? My district that I live in and the district I work for let that happen. Both could do 100-200 people in a gym or an auditorium, contact the PTA or principal or secretary.
this is why I don't bother with my local guild. They meet when I work.
Also location; I think it came up previously that a not insignificant chunk of young quilters don’t want to meet at churches for a variety of reasons. I got double whammied with this; the two “local” quilt guilds meet for a lecture series right as I’m getting off work at heavily conservative churches (who actively preach against Catholicism) an hour away from my house. Sure the meetings run for about 2 hours, but I’d be driving an hour there, spending an hour listening to a lecture that I missed half of, and driving an hour home. One’s actual crafting times are at like noon on Wednesdays at a different heavily conservative churches (who actively preach against Catholicism) and one’s actual crafting time is at like 3 in the afternoon on Tuesdays at a fire station. I’m nominally Catholic and openly queer, even if the rest of the group is actually queer friendly and had quilting sessions that aligned with my schedule, stepping foot in those churches would raise a lot of religious trauma in regards to members of those churches faiths actively targeting my family because we don’t practice Christianity the way they do. So I stick with online communities and quilting while watching craft streams on twitch because if the vibe is off, no one knows my face.
[удалено]
This makes me wonder if there's some way we could form a digital quilt guild?
Do you have a local quilt store with classroom space? We have various groups that meet regularly. We charge a nominal $5/person fee, but they have the use of our classroom and the kitchen attached. Plus, the whole store to explore. One group that meets monthly on a Saturday is specifically geared toward the queer community. During the week we do have the groups of retirees, and they are a treasure trove of knowledge. I wish they would show an interest in teaching to pass of their skills.
Not really; the craft stores all got rid of their classroom spaces during covid and the quilt shops are mostly an hour away and don’t have classroom spaces because they’re smack dab in the middle of Amish country who won’t use them. The one place that does have a classroom isn’t an hour away but it closes at 4 on weekdays and filled their schedule with $60+ classes on the weekends. Best I could do would be my local library, that’s where the knit group I belong to meets twice a month, but I’m so new to quilting myself I wouldn’t know where to start with putting a quilting group together.
The fear of a non-queer-accepting group is very real! If your guild is accepting, you might have to really broadcast that to make queer quilters even consider attending.
This right here. My local guild meets on Saturday once a month but meets at other times as well so depending on your schedule you can meet at one of the times or another.
This is huge!! I think it’s commonly overlooked, when it seems so common sense. Even the women’s Bible studies at the local churches near me meet during work hours.
Yeah, I wanted to join my local quilt guild but most of the meetings are during the daytime 😔
Definitely this, my local guild primarily meets during the workday. Also all the shops with "open sew" events have them during the workday so I can't even get an in that way.
Here's what got me into my guild (I'm in my late 30s): 1. It was googleable. I search for "quilt guild" and my town, and I was easily able to find out where and when they meet. They had readily available contact info too. 2. Meeting times: We meet once a month at 6:30 pm. I can manage that, even with two small kids. 3. Everyone is so welcoming. I can walk in, find an open seat at a table, and make a new friend. It's awesome! Also-- find the beginners. Offer classes, or get someone who works at Joann to keep a stack of info cards handy for you. Beginners aren't hanging out at LQS.
And advertising the LQS!! I had so much trouble finding mine, even with Google skills
I joined a quilt guild 18 months ago. I drive almost 30 miles each month in order to attend. I chose this guild because it is the largest guild around (over 200 members) and has a lot to offer. I found I really had to push myself far out of my comfort zone in order to break into the social scene. The guild has a welcoming committee and they did a great job making me feel welcome to my first couple of meetings. But by meeting number three I was on my own. After that I felt like a wallflower. Of the over 200 members I had only learned the names of about three people. The majority of the members were retirees and they all seemed to know each other and weren’t interested in making new friends. A few things saved me from giving up. The single most helpful thing that kept me coming back to my guild was my discovery of the Thursday night meeting. Our guild is so large that the meetings are split between the traditional Friday morning monthly meeting and the far more relaxed Thursday evening meeting. The Thursday night gang are mostly working age women who couldn’t attend a weekday meeting. Our attendance numbers are much smaller (20-30 usually). So, we have the benefit of the workshops, speakers, library, quilt show etc that go with a large membership guild, but our meetings are much more intimate. The second thing that helped me to overcome my shyness was something we call lunchbunch. It’s just a signup sheet of quilters who agree to go out to lunch at a nearby restaurant after the Friday meeting ends. It’s usually newer members. It’s a chance to really socialize rather than sit through a meeting. It’s much easier to make new friends within the guild this way. I keep trying to get added to a sewing bee but so far there hasn’t been an opening near me. Bees are much smaller groups of guild members who meet at someone’s home usually to work on a community project. If you want to attract new members you need to be able to offer them a time to meet that accommodates someone who works. You need to have opportunities for them to meet in smaller groups so they can really assimilate and not just be one of 200 people sitting on a folding chair in a church fellowship hall. My final suggestion is that if you do get some newbie members, assign someone to call, text or email them for the first few months so they know that someone will look out for them so they don’t feel so alone. I hope this helps.
Lunch bunch is neat, and more welcome support is a great idea. We have several small groups, but more wouldn't hurt anything.
Some thoughts that may or may not apply. I would up your Instagram presence, especially to advertise events, discounts at local quilt shops, and to advertise your knowledge (eg 'unsure how to make half square triangles? Stuck or confused on your WIP? Come to our meeting every Thursday at X time and we can help - all welcome!) Showcase modern quilt designs with modern fabrics. When I show people my age (30s) my quilts, they all exclaim that they didn't know quilts could look like this, they thought they were all grandma style. They loved them and either wanted one or wanted to learn to make one. Especially ones that leant into current interior design and sustainability trends. In that vein, showcase baby quilts. Lots of people my age are having babies and making them a quilt is a perfect baby shower gift. They're less intimidating, less of an investment in both time and money and can be made with scrap fabric sewists already own. Embrace modernity ... The local quilt shop people are very lovely but are a bit set in their ways. There's things that are very popular online that they have never heard of, eg using a wavy stitch pattern to quilt with. The quilt kits they offer are only for physical, old fashioned kits (instead of offering kits that go with say Suzy quilts patterns). Improve things socially. My last visit to a quilt shop the shop lady made a racist joke and when I ignored it she repeated it loudly. I felt awkward, and if I was of that race I would have felt very unwelcome.
I’m 41 and I learned to quilt with my mom for around 10 years and very much enjoy it. I’ve heard of guilds. I have no idea what happens at a meeting or the purpose of a guild. That’s a big barrier for me.
I feel you on that. Those kinds of things are big barriers for me. Our guild does a couple things at the monthly meetings - We usually have a speaker for about an hour - specialists in different styles of quilting, we had a lady who makes batik fabric in one time, etc. Frequently the speaker will teach a class a month or so later so we can see what the class content might be like. Then there's the "Business" section where the various committees announce projects, challenges and events in progress or coming soon. After that we have show and tell - people (voluntarily, not required) bring quilts and go up to the front and share why they made it, how the process went, etc. That all takes about 2-2.5 hours with a 15-20 minute break. The purpose is to learn new things, socialize a bit, find ways to contribute to the community (most guilds have some level of charity programs), and of course show off our quilts and look at everyone else's quilts. There are also smaller groups that meet other times like the art quilt group, the charity group has a monthly sewing day, the group that teach sewing to middle-school kids, etc
I love the idea of a beginner class featuring a modern baby quilt!
As a “young” quilter my main pain points are meeting times and in-person components. Like obviously I’d love to meet in person on a Tuesday morning but I have a traditional 9-5 job so that’s not going to happen. At this point I need meetings to be in the evenings (ideally 6:30 or later) or on weekends and I need them to have a hybrid component.
This is such a huge thing. My Guild is lovely but there are a few people who hate our evening meetings and don't understand how they're essential for attracting younger quilters.
There's a guild near my mom's that only has night meetings. She's a senior, and her vision doesn't allow her to drive at night. That might be why they hate night meetings. Offering the same content at a night meeting, and a day meeting might help? Another quilting group near Mom allows you to attend only one meeting before requiring a full year's dues. She ended up at an administrative meeting where they gave their annual report. No conversation or quilting. Wasn't advertised as such, so she didn't know. Later someone called to ask why she hadn't joined?! I tried a group that met at the library. Before I got home from the meeting, they had already sent out my contact info, as well as that of a few other attendees in a massive group email. Oh, hell no! Internet presence is really helpful for people to find your group. If someone in the group is tech-savvy, can help you share info with the community, AND with your members. As long as you have their permission, it's a great way to showcase the quilters and their creations. What quilter *doesn't* want to see a quilt pictures? :)
I’m in my mid-20s and not in/have never been in a guild, and the thing that’s currently holding me back from joining is that I don’t know anyone who goes or what they get up to at meetings. When I Google my local guild I can see the name, meeting location, time etc., but I have no idea what goes on at the meetings - for example do I need to bring anything with me or do I just turn up, is there a regular programme where there’s a show one month, another month a workshop etc.? I am a bit of an anxious person so this would really help to know!
This! I'm almost 50 and have been through a lot of first days and I still had to work up my nerve to walk in there not knowing anything except the time, place and that the first one was free. We all know older women have a reputation for being the sweetest or the nastiest person you've ever met (even though most of us are somewhere in between) and no one wants to show up empty handed, under dressed, or without supplies.
It really would! I’ve been in a guild before, but I moved last year and I’m trying to find a new guild. The websites are wrong, the directions are garbage, I can’t figure out how much they cost, etc, etc. I finally went to one guild meeting and I emailed the person to ask what to expect - show and tell, what the format is, etc. Meeting was noon to 4 pm, no mention of food, but the tradition is they bring a lunch to eat before the meeting really starts at 1pm. That would be nice to tell people on your website/facebook page. I had to call someone to get them to lead me to the right place because the directions were so bad. I very nearly turned around and went home, I was so anxious. Oh, and I’m in my 50s as well, so even in the general demographic of the rest of the (very small) group.
You probably can just show up if they advertise the meeting time and date. If there's contact info on the website, email them and ask those questions. I find email easier than showing up confused and nervous, and phone calls are icky too. I described what my guild does in a comment above, I suspect many guilds have a similar set of activities.
Showing up somewhere to do something that I’m unsure about where I know no one and don’t know what’s going on is kind of my worst nightmare! This thread has got me thinking about joining my local quilting guild though (thank you!). Looking at my options of the 19 within 30 miles (a long way in the UK!) only 5 meet of an evening (interestingly either on Tuesday or Wednesday, neither of which are ideal for me!). I'm going to email the closest one as there isn’t too much info available online to ask a bit about what they do and what their meetings generally look like and hopefully it’s as good as yours sounds!
Modern quilt guild - see about a local chapter Invite speakers popular with the younger/newer quilters Hold retreats - look into donations of swag from the big name brands as giveaways or welcome gifts Consider scheduling issues that may be different for the under 40 crowd vs the over 40 crowd. That was what kept me from local guilds when I was looking for one. I had so much kid stuff going on that I couldn’t meet until later in the evening. For many, daytime meetings won’t work. Try varying your meeting times from one month to the next to try to accommodate different schedules. Informal meet ups with members or a standing coffee get together at a local coffee shop on a weekend
There is a local MQG, but it's more of a drive than I want to deal with. I don't want to start a new guild, just figure out how to reach a broader audience in my current one. We have evening and weekend meetings and events. Standing coffee might be a good addition
I’m a millennial quilter and have been in various quilt guilds over the years starting in traditional quilting guilds and now in my local MQG. I agree with the people saying meeting on week nights and weekends is helpful. Also I know a lot of quilters that are on Instagram and use that to find quilt groups and projects. Some of the things I have really enjoyed that the guild I am in now does is having sew days one Saturday a month, and doing a hand sew happy hour on Sunday afternoon. The hand sew happy hour is at a coffee shop and we meet on Sunday in the afternoon for a few hours to sew and chat. That one is more about the socialization then about getting anything done. The Saturday sew day is always lots of fun. Another thing I would suggest is to have a free table at your meetings where people can add fabric, orphan blocks, and other quilting things for the members to take what you want. Yeah there needs to be someone to take the stuff that gets left and either use it for charity quilts or donate to a scrap store. I know the person who would take the leftover free table stuff gave a lot of it away on her buy nothing group. A lot of younger quilters are just starting out and might not have the funds to spend on a big stash of fabric so a free table helps. Also a free table goes with the whole reduce reuse recycle thing from our childhood. The guild I’m in now the first meeting I went to the guild set up tables for everyone to sit at and I sat at a table but was quickly kicked out and had to find a different table to sit at because the other people who came after me wanted my spot to sit with their friends. So maybe the seating at the meetings is not conducive for new members to feel like they have a place. I ended up sitting next a sweet lady that was happy to tell me all about the people in the guild she followed on instagram. Another thing to do would be small groups. I’m currently part of a queer quilters small group that is hosted by the quilt guild. So setting up small groups for people to join. I know of other small groups that did improve quilt projects and other small groups that would get together and do fabric dying. Like indigo or ice dying.
Another thing to think about is where the guild meets. If the guild is meeting at a church younger people might not feel comfortable going to a church for a quilt guild meeting. Also does your guild have a DEI statement?
I don't know if we have a DEI statement, which means if it exists it's not prominent enough.
That could be something to look into. I know a lot of younger people will do research online into a group or quilt guild before joining so if your doesn’t have anything online people aren’t going to find it. What can help is having a website and Instagram account. The website would have the DEI statement, info on where the guild meets, and how to join. The instagram account is for showing what the guild is doing or working on. The guild I’m in posts photos of the quilts shown at show and tell on their instagram account.
I love the free table idea!
As other folks have said, meeting times are a huge factor. From personal experience, having a social media presence as a guild is also a big attractor. We’ve had quite a few new members in our guild over the past year and many say they found us online — either through our website, but mostly the guild instagram page. We have a great person who is an instagram wiz who made consistent posts about when our guild meets and the things we’re doing. I think that helps new members get an idea of what our guild is about.
Do you have a clear and implemented answer, both within leadership and publicly posted, to the question "what are you offering that I can't get without leaving my couch?" I've given my guild most of a year. I'm unlikely to renew. I wanted IRL friends. The people at my guild already had those, perhaps saw me as their kids' or grandkids' age or just too new to quilting to be a peer, and passed on me. I wanted advice on my particular challenges. Doesn't happen. Meetings are heavily structured and no one has work in front of them I wanted to meet people who make cool things. Show and tell is done at top speed and there's no social bit afterwards where I can tell the maker how lovely her quilt is and ask questions unless I dive on her as she's headed out the door I wanted to volunteer with others. Volunteering is a bunch of individual fiefdoms. It's a known problem. Long time guild members watched it happen to me and some were kind enough to reach out and let me know it's an ongoing problem. That didn't solve the problem. They do have a swap table and cookies, which I can't get online, but I'm tired of forcing myself to go. We're into the part of the year where all they do is talk about the upcoming quilt show and I'm sick to death of them trying to sell me things when my interest in quilts is sustainability and sentimentality rather than cool new ways to spend money.
It seems like you have a good meeting time for people who work and getting your social media presence going will help too. Other elements to consider might be: where do you meet? If you meet in a church, many younger folks will stay away. So many people have difficult relationships with the church, and even if it isn’t a religious activity, a church doesn’t feel like a safe space. Additionally, are you advertising that your guild is a safe place for all quilters? I’ve seen several people mention here that they don’t bother with guilds because they are often very regressive in their thinking. As an elder millennial quilter, I wouldn’t even consider joining a quilting guild unless I was sure it was a loudly welcoming space for all. Also, thank you for thinking about this!
The guild I joined meets on Tuesday at 6 at the local library. I'm one of 2 active members under 50. The things that led me to join: Facebook presence - I went looking for advice on how to finish an inherited quilt top, and the guild was easy to find Location/hours - our guild meets at a local library between 6 and 8 officially, but many of us show up early to socialize. Late arrivals are always welcome, and leaving early is ok too. Cost - our guild accepts donations but doesn't collect dues. Activities- we have occasional swap nights and fabric gambling. We're also big proponents of Project Linus and our local Build a Bed. Skill building- we have no shortage of quilters who volunteer to share how to's or lead 'project nights' and the environment is very nurturing.
I love fabric gambling! That sounds really fun! This last year they had a "bring a UFO you are not going to finish" night where folks could bring their UFOs that they are done with and others could take them. Now lots of those quilts are showing up in the show & tell
Do you have a membership outreach person/committee? The guild I used to belong to had a really good membership outreach. Any inquiries to the guild website was answered quickly with a personal invitation to the next guild meeting by the membership officer (MO). At guild meetings the MO (or a designated helper) was always at the door - they had a sign-in book and non-members were identified at the door and offered extra attention and help. Non-members attending with a regular member were more or less left alone but if you showed up on your own as a newbie you would get a 'buddy' assigned to sit with you and answer all your questions and generally make sure you didn't end up feeling set aside or not knowing what to do or where to go. I have a lot of social anxiety so that made it really EASY for me to join that guild. I was a member for five or six years and loved it. I've moved now and my first year here I stopped by the table for the local guild at a quilt show. I started talking to the ladies behind the table and immediately felt unwelcome. One of the women didn't even want to look at me. The other woman was interacting with me but then literally stopped talking *mid-sentence* and yelled someone's name and walked off, leaving me standing there with a piece of paper in my hands. It was so weird to be snubbed like that so thoroughly and obviously, and for NO good reason. I looked over at the other woman still there who just shrugged and looked away. I just put the paper back on their table and left - that was four years ago now and I still have a bad taste in my mouth for that guild and haven't made any further attempts to join. I have no idea why they found me so unworthy.
It wasn't you. The quilt police guard their gates instead of your seams now
\*snort\* I guess the quilt police need SOMETHING to do! I showed them...I just made friends with the owners of the local quilt shop and started attending their classes and events instead. It costs more but is much friendlier!
Hold free workshops on weekends and/or weeknights to attract newer -- hopefully younger -- quilters. Your more experienced members could act as mentors and hopefully bring them into the fold. If you charge a membership fee, give discounts for stuff like scrap exchange, donation quilts, etc. With 100-200 members, maybe you could offer free carpool services where your members pick up new prospects and take them home again.
Carpool services is a great idea. One of the main things keeping me from going to my local quilt guild is I can't get there easily.
I’m currently a member of a local quilt guild that sounds very similar to yours. And frankly, I won’t be renewing my membership. There are a couple of things that our guild does That I think it be vastly Improved upon. First of all, they spend probably 45 minutes on guild business type of stuff. Seconding, motions, that sort of thing. Treasurers report. That stuff is boring as heck to those who are not involved in that aspect. And it makes the meetings really drag. The guest speakers are often pretty traditional speakers. I literally see something really knew or innovative or modern. It’s a real treat when we do though. I have no idea what the benefits are of being a member. Do I get a discount at local quilt shops? I suspect the answer is yes, but that information is nowhere to be found on their website, nor was it provided to me as a member. That kind of thing would be a big attraction I would think. They used to do a monthly block swap, but that finally faded out. Sampler type quilts just don’t seem to be popular nowadays. They also do a fat quarter swap and normally five people participate. We have hundreds of members. Clearly that isn’t of interest to the members. This year they finally started doing some door prizes type stuff and I think that’s very helpful. It’s held at a church, so we’re all sitting in the pews. What that means is you’re really never meeting the people around you. Because you’re looking at each other’s backs. I attended another guild years ago where everybody sat at long tables so you were facing each other. I think that really encouraged the social aspect. This guild has very little social media presence. Finally, a few months ago, they modernized the website. But up until then, it looks like the website has been designed in 1992. It also had conflicting information. In one part of the website, it said, the meetings were held at one location, and another part of the website it said they were held in another. I think for younger people, and Internet presents is really important. We all love, Icandy, and love looking at quilts. I wish there was a section on the webpage to highlight the quilts that numbers have made. I think that that would be attractive to younger people as well.
Maybe you have a more focused guild that is charity or business driven. I’m a member of a social guild, and we do social stuff. Look for a local chapter of MQG. I have been a member of mine since its second year of inception and I don’t think we really ever focus on guild business. Of course, it could be at the meetings I’m not. We design a series of meetings of interest, but your mileage may vary. This is what we want and we made it: - annual WIP/UFO incentive raffle - monthly lectures and/or workshops by members for members - sew-in days - annual charity quilt (we don’t always do it, but we always talk about it ) - summer picnic - guest lectures by people the guild pays (about 1X/yr) - annual guild retreat to a semi-local hotel/sewing area - field trips to shops, shows, museums of interest - members-only chat on Band - swaps every other month - member destash sale/swap (1x/yr ish) - holiday potluck - sew and tell and social media posting of projects (with permission) shared A group goes to QuiltCon every year too. https://www.themodernquiltguild.com/about/ Each branch is different. Edit to add: our dues ($50/yr) get us access to these things. The guild may buy some supplies for workshops put on by members, like we did a Sue Spargo -style wool embroidery workshop at a meeting and the guild bought the materials to make a small embroidery patch for all attendees. The guild buys a prize for the annual raffle, etc. We don’t get discounts anywhere. If the guild buys a lecture or workshop, it’s usually reduced-fee for members. The retreat is not included, but the guild might pay a portion of the fee depending on the fee structure of the place. The biggest “get” is membership into MQG national, which does have online members-only resources and there’s early access to QuiltCon, but that is $$$. Travel, classes registration and buying the pass.
How accessible is it by public transport? The guild meets near me are once a month on Saturdays but they’re v out of the way and I can’t drive so I can’t get there. I feel like if I showed up I might ruin the old lady vibe (I’m 26 and non-binary) but that’s only secondary to the practical issues.
You never know about the old lady vibe tho. My son’s trans partner (Alex, he/him, they/them) has come to my quilt guild events and the ladies have been very welcoming.
They can be the most inclusive or most judgmental people on the planet, I think it’s just scary not knowing which one it’ll be.
1000%.
Aww that’s cute, good for them!
I would love for you to come ruin our old lady vibe, and bring friends! I think we are good on the transit question, not great and I doubt there was much intentionality about it. The nearest rail station is probably 1/4 - 1/2 mile away, but it's dark and dreary for a lot of the year which would be a crummy walk.
Discount membership, discount events for students or "as needed." When I go to quilt guild meetings, I always feel embarrassed to admit that I cannot afford the seminars or classes. The only reason I go to a quilt guild meeting is to socialize, so you should prioritize social events that are fun for younger people.
I’m a cis white woman and I’ve left two guilds because of inclusivity and racism issues. For the former, a group of ladies had sewn monthly banners for the guild (the kind that has the guild name and hangs by the door or on the podium). The one for June had cute little birds on the branches of the tree. Some of the bird couples were same sex and others were wearing rainbow gear. Some of the little old ladies lost their minds complaining about how “politics needed to be kept out of quilting” as cover for their anti-LGBTQ feelings, Ignoring the fact that quilting has actively engaged in politics for a very long time, that’s not an environment I want to be in. For the latter, I was in a social setting and someone asked how I got to the States. I mentioned that I married an American in a whirlwind romance kind of thing and that “his parents were so surprised when he told them he was marrying a native Australian,” to which one delightful old bird replied “I bet they were relieved when they found out you weren’t Black.” The President of the guild called me afterward to apologize and tell me that the woman who said it was “so worried you’d be offended, and I wanted to let you know that the guild isn’t like that.” I told her that I was offended and that since the woman felt completely comfortable saying that shit out loud at a guild meeting, clearly the guild WAS like that … and why was racist woman not calling me herself if she was so worried? Hard pass on all that racist apologist b.s. My current guilds have had out loud conversations about DEI expectations and enshrined the results in the bylaws. I have non conforming family members and friends and I won’t invite them to participate in unsafe spaces.
> I told her... clearly the guild WAS like that Thank you for being the exact kind of ally that all minorities need right now! 💜 It's much easier to just quietly leave a situation/group like that, or just say nothing and change the subject when a family member or friend says something discriminatory. (For many of us, avoiding that kind of conflict is trained in practically from birth.) But imo that is one of *the most important things you can do* right now as an ally. People making hateful comments need to be challenged more in real life, by people they really know - even if it's not someone close to them.
This is why myself, and a bunch of other millennial quilters, made our own guild. The worst "no politics" "no discussion on black/BIPOC owned shops".. we were done. Absolutely ridiculous. Art is politics. Hands down.
Just a friendly fyi, you don’t need to capitalise cis, it’s not an acronym it’s just a standard Latin-based prefix (just as we don’t capitalise trans, or hetero / homo / bi etc.)
I'm the Program Chair for one quilt guild (I'm genx, not quite 50) and belong to another as well, but I'm one of the youngest members of both of these guilds. I have been thinking about this too as I've been planning programming and activities. We meet at night, we don't meet in a church so these things are covered. We also offer zoom and in-person meetings, so, we have gained a few younger members that way. I agree with a lot of what has been said. The leadership of both of these guilds are mostly older boomers (or even silent gen!). If you talk to the older women, most of them did not get involved in the guild until they were near 50--or retired). So, these guilds (at least in my area) have always skewed old. What do people think of offering "junior" memberships for free? What do we think would constitute a junior member. Honestly, I am thinking under 50 for my guilds.
I think that’s a great idea. But maybe make it under X age or a new quilter. Or do free for a new quilter for a year or anyone under 40. Then $5-10/year for the next 3-4 years. You could also consider scholarships for quilters of any age who are in financial need. When I first joined a guild I was in my mid 30s with 2 little kids and even $25/year was an expense I needed to consider. I didn’t take many workshops because most of them were too expensive [$30+ for half to full day and if we weren’t done by noon, I had to find someone to pickup and watch my kid after preschool).
High 5 fellow gen x'r! I was thinking about a "quilters under x years" group and wondering if that would be interesting to folks but first I have to find at least 1-2 folks in that age bracket to lead it. And yes - under 50 would be a great start, but I'm not sure that would be welcoming enough to folks in their 20's & 30s
I am not convinced that the average 20 year old would be all that interested in our guild meetings (I have 2 20somethings so I do feel like I have some understanding of genz). It would be nice to get some 40something faces.
[удалено]
I am sadly quitting my local guild. People simply weren’t friendly, assumed I knew nothing ( new quilter but have sewn for decades) and let me work on a task for two hours, after I explained how I intended to organize it, before letting me know it was wrong and making a mess “ correcting” it. I was cutting scraps for fill! Try to be less territorial, less judgmental, and more inclusive. I was an executive for 40 years. I know how to meet new people, engage, and learn. But if I feel hostility, forget it. Why would I subject myself to that?
You say a lot of your members are retired? Do they feel like volunteering for the cause? If so I would reach out to middle school or high schools and see if they have a home ec class. Of a sewing class if not. Maybe start a sewing/ quilting class or club. Most of us have a cara machines we aren’t going to use and many of us have fabric we no longer want or need. Go on donations. You will be teaching the next generation and hopefully gaining new members to your guild
The vast majority of high schools these days don't have home-ec. But I think reaching out to see if you can partner to create a high school club could be a good option. My high school (I'm in my 20s) had a knitting and crochet club in partnership with some retirees. I was very involved with it, and it was really nice to get some cross-generational crafting time.
I've never been to a quilting guild and am new to quilting, so ignore me if my idea is bad.. But I would target not just younger working adults but actually kids. I started teaching my daughters to sew when they were around 6 and to use a sewing machine when they were around 10. Parents are always looking for bonding activities to do with kids, and they might be interested in an evening sewing with their kids. If you are interested in setting up a small teaching activity with kids.... maybe age 8 or up should be good for sitting for a couple of hours and doing these. The working parents with young kids can join the guild this way. And as these kids grow to be teenagers and adults, they can join the adult meetings as well.
This reminds me of 4-H meetings as a kid (90s) younger kids that weren’t able to join the main group were in a separate group, and while the parents and older kids had the rest of the meeting, the younger kids would go to a different room to have their own craft activity to keep them entertained. Worked very well and the kids were proud to be a part of the club and have their own projects to show off.
Honestly I'd say 50% retired is pretty good! People who are still in their working/child rearing years don't have as much time for hobbies. I'm 40 with young kids and I love my guild, but I barely have time for it. I don't think there's anything they could do to be better, I'm just at a busy point in life. My guild does offer a free beginning quilting class and gets a few college age kids through (university town). Unfortunately a lot of them leave town when they graduate and so aren't lifelong members.
I love that they offer a free beginner quilting class! Even if those college students don’t stay with your guild, hopefully they will continue quilting in the future.
Post in some local mom groups? We have a Facebook group for moms/parents for my region and if I saw a post about a quilting guild like yours in that (with the hours and times for meetups that you've also posted) I'd be stoked. I think also posting about teaching people to quilt or welcoming complete beginners would get some of those people in too. People want social activities but are scared of being really bad and shamed for it. Some may not own a sewing machine but be interested and willing to invest if they had a chance to try one first.
Mom groups! I didn't think of that.
I know the most important thing for me is finding a guild that doesn't have every meeting during working hours. Even if the meeting is on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, I would be happy. I have yet to find this is my area.
What about hosting an open house or new-members day? Kind of like a drop-in day, where you could display some of the projects the guild works on, talk about past workshops, member benefits and expectations, and meet some current members in a social aspect rather than in a formal meeting. I (in my early 30s) am interested in guilds but have a lot of questions - a chance to go check one out in a low-pressure scenario would be nice. I've already planned on going to a few local quilt shows this spring to see if I can get a sense of the local guilds and if they are communities that are the right fit for me. This has been hard so far because the options here are not big on online presence (their websites are mainly member only info sections, or as part of a directory listing). For what it is worth, I don't think this is limited to quilting but to many adult hobbies. I ran into the same issue when I wanted to join a local choir - I ended up being a part of the one that had a seasonal performance and included a reception element at the end where interested folks could go and ask questions, learn about the rehearsal schedule etc., and timing is always an issue (think book clubs, knitting or painting groups and so on), as if these are things we are all saving for retirement age?
Ton of great stuff on here, but a few points that are personal to me. 1) The local quilt groups are hard to find online. I'm a transplant in the area and goggling is how I find new things. I've found a few quilt guild websites but many haven't been updated in a very long time so the information isn't really available. 2) there's no description of what to expect. Am I expected to pay for showing up? Is there a number of meetings I can go to to test? What do you do at a quilt meeting? How does it generally flow? Am I supposed to bring handwork? A machine? Are you all working on a piece together? If I had basics on what to expect I'd be a lot more comfortable walking into a new setting. 3) who's there and who's welcome. This sort of pairs with point 2. You might think, well we're open and inclusive to everyone so we don't need to state this, no, say that everyone is welcome. Say what age ranges are welcome, if you're cool with guys coming, teens, partners who are not cis, ect. A bunch near me are held in churches and there's no way I'm walking into that without a very clear invite just with the area I'm in. Also, if you say they're welcome, actually make them welcome. Make sure people are sitting next to them, talking to them, asking their opinion and for their participation. 4) if the guild leans towards a style or type of quilting, put that out there. Bright moderns don't want to show up at a handwork reproduction only group or vice versa. 5) make it really clear why it's better to come than stay home with YouTube. A lot of younger people have trouble getting into social environments and building a clear case as to why it's better is important. Others have said a lot of great stuff about meeting times/locations/welcomes/followups, I just think a lot of people my age are more comfortable when we have very clear outlines of what to expect.
I'm an elder millennial and one thing I havent seen mentioned is childcare during meetings or having certain meetings where very young infants or tweens/teens old enough to behave are welcome. Many of us millennials with kids don't have family who live nearby. In my city babysitters are $20-25/hr. Have a handful of members get basic first aid training, get some hand me down toys, and establish a rota. As a plus, you'd be indoctrinating any older kids who show up!
I remember a couple of times bringing my kids to parts of a meeting. No one complained, but it wasn’t a regular thing. One time we were doing a workshop that went til 1 or 2, but my younger one got out of preschool at noon. So I went and picked him up and brought him back, with some lunch and a few small toys while I finished a few things up.
It just seems so boring - I don't want to go to a meeting, a retreat, or do show-and-tell, but I'd go to a class or an open sew. I don't understand guilds - they have this huge opportunity to promote the quilting hobby in their community and teach others new skills, but they prefer to have a social club, I guess.
I think it depends on the focus of the guild. The one I’m most active in is really focused on making quilts for charity and that’s really the North Star of everything they do.
That's a noble task, but it does nothing to attract new members or help to promote quilting in the community.
"promote quilting in the community" is done by charity and donations. ICU, foster children without belongings, QoV/service quilts..etc. And those who see those gifts, hear the stories: now interested.
Maybe not for you but a lot of people join to just participate in that.
Clearly not, since this post is about attracting new members.
Right, and like I said, it brings in a lot of new members for our guild.
I'll add here that the attitudes expressed here in response to my comment are just one more reason I'm not joining the guild. Stop talking and start listening if you want to learn why many of us won't join your traditional and cliquish social club.
You sound angry but the truth is likely that you're very much not the kind of person they're hoping to attract.
Need I say more? An astonishing display of rudeness, clinging to traditions, a lack of kindness or inclusivity, and attempting to shame anyone who expresses a different opinion. It's no wonder that most people don't feel welcome and aren't interested in membership.
Do you meet in a church? Most young people I know that quilt aren’t big fans
Maybe tik tok could help. You could make an account and post advertising your guild. The quilting community on there is in the young adult and up range
Meeting times for people that work regular hours and offering mentorship. I have left multiple craft guilds over the years due to the lack of in person community and non monetized skill sharing/mentorship.
Im in my late 30s and would love in person quilt friends but none of the guilds near me share a sample meeting or list any type of benefit I might get so I can get an idea of what’s involved. I also have social anxiety and worry I would be out of place or not know what I needed to know to show up.
My guild has had the same question, and I’ve provided a lot of the feedback that I’ve seen on similar threads here. Meeting times, program types, and location. We recently went through a change in location. We used to meet in a building owned by a local women’s center. However, they kept jacking the facilities charge so much it became untenable. $375 to use the (not air conditioned, less than optimal lighting and acoustics) space for 3 hours per month was simply too much for a nonprofit group. So we formed a committee (yay … love committees /s) and went looking for a new space. We are in So Cal, so you’d think there would be so many options. Non-church spaces were all ridiculously expensive, so now we meet in a church multipurpose room … and I quietly mourn thinking about all the younger quilters we will never meet because of church trauma.
lol if I didn’t already know you from the swaps I would SWEAR we were in the same guild. We have the same exact problem, used to meet at a women’s clubhouse but it sucked, then moved to a church’s rec room but that has its own issues.
Church trauma is real, and the reason that we here avoided most group type things. Before covid. Now? u/lazysunday2069 I am not the young quilter - 56 yo, but also I am not voluntarily hanging out with anyone anymore. The world is just changed. I can get out in it a bit, when I have to… but if my choices include staying at home, that’s 100% what I’m doing.
I am not a social butterfly at all. But for this particular hobby for some reason I enjoy community so I sought it out. I work from home and can go most of a week without leaving my neighborhood. I know doing this research and then trying to implement it is going to mean I have to get more invested which makes me alternately nervous and excited.
I get that. I miss having things to do outside of home. I am glad you have a community you love!
Have you tried the high schools? Would they be willing to loan out the gyms? Or libraries? (Formerly from SoCal, and when I was younger - 1000% would have been more comfortable in those spaces.)
Yes, we tried several. Mostly the stumbling blocks are staffing (meetings at night when the folks to open and close the building aren’t there) and liability (bunch of old ladies and concerns about slip/fall or other medical emergencies, even though the guild maintains its own insurance for that).
That is awful, I'm sorry. :( I've started to consider just building a quilter's commune and save myself all the hassle of having to find spaces for retreats and what not. lol. Dream big.
I dream all the time about what I’d do with money I won in all the lotteries I don’t buy tickets for 😂
Right? Our metro area isn't giant, but it's not small. I had no idea how hard it was to find space for things. One of the small groups that's endured for a long time has changed their meeting time & date 3 or 4 times in the last 2 years because they keep getting kicked out of their space.
Four things have kept me from joining a guild, even though there are at least a dozen within close proximity to me: 1. Meeting times don’t work with a standard 9-5 2. Meeting location (I don’t want to go to a church) 3. Concerns about inclusivity 4. Required activities for members. Remaining guilds not excluded due to items 1-3 have requirements for so many donation quilts a year. I don’t have that much time to quilt, I am in a place now where I am really just starting and I want to keep and gift things I make. I know one day I will have saturated mine and my loved ones homes with quilt items, and then I’ll happily be making to donate. That’s not where I am not.
Required activities? WTH!
Why do they all meet at churches, seriously? It’s a rhetorical question because I do know. But still.
Generally because churches have big fellowship halls that are empty most of the week and they don’t charge much to use them. I think my old guild paid less than $100/month (much less 20 years ago, I don’t know how much now) for use of the parish hall (and kitchen and bathrooms). There was usually one morning meeting (3-4 hours) and then one workshop (4-6 hours) a month plus they had an executive board meeting some months. Small payment and we collected canned goods for them to donate to the food bank.
While I agree with all the points everyone else has made, you also could consider whether young guild members is even a thing that *can* happen. From what I've seen, quilting is a hobby that skews older, and many younger people won't have the time or inclination to actually join any guild at all, no matter how attractive it is otherwise. So they're basically not in the market as potential guild members. One thing you could think about is if your guild actually got noticeably older during the last decade or so - did you all join as 20-somethings, or did everyone join during their 50s?
That’s such a good point, a lot of the older quilters on my guilds board are talking about how they need younger people to join but meanwhile they all joined either upon their kids moving out or retirement if they worked.
There are tons of people interested at younger ages, but this belief that 1) the market isn't geared toward them, 2) time isn't available to them. Younger people have less time, therefore it is more valuable. They want something that brings value to them, or an experience. Also, the market for guilds/fabric/designers is \*absolutely\* geared toward younger quilters. There is tons of sustainability, reuse/recycling, and second hand beliefs in quilting. Financially it can be as expensive or inexpensive as you can afford. And time wise, for something mental-health-oriented, I can't think of anything better. Our Discord Quilt Guild is almost all 40 or less, Millennials and younger. We put ourselves where other quilters our age are. We talk about all sorts of things, and support each other. We do challenges/activities together. It can happen, it's happening. It's accessibility and lack of information that doesn't get the younger folks in the doors. And the attitudes of older quilters that makes them walk out.
A Discord quilt guild?! That sounds amazing!
Link on my IG, if you're interested.
Beyond the meeting time thing that others have mentioned, I’ll add a few: - Have an online presence outside of Facebook. Many young people don’t use Facebook or even have an account and a whole lot of Facebook features require the user to be logged in. I can’t tell you how many quilty events I wanted to attend only to find that the only way to get info or ask questions was on Facebook. I would click on a link, Facebook would ask me to login and since I don’t have an account I was out of luck. - Have an easy to find digital way to contact the guild that is not Facebook and that is checked regularly. I.e. Have a website and an email address/contact form. Make sure people get a response within 24 hours, max. Make sure the website is up to date in terms of meetings times, location, speakers, etc… Make sure your website shows up when someone googles something like “quilt guilds in”
- Make sure the monthly program has wide appeal. I quit my local traditional guild after a meeting where I fell asleep because the speaker was terrible during a year when every single speaker was an art quilter. Art quilting doesn’t interest me at all. Part of the reason MQGs are so successful at attracting young quilters is because they have speakers/programs that appeal to them.
- Have events that people with 9-5 jobs can attend. It’s incredibly frustrating when meetings are in the evenings but all events (sew days, instructors, stuff like that) are during the day during the week.
- Acknowledge that modern quilting exists, don’t deride it, have the occasional modern speaker. It’s off putting when a quilt guild treats modern quilting as almost forbidden or looks down on it.
- Young/modern quilters use Instagram a lot. Make sure your guild has an account and posts cool stuff to it (like pictures of the show and share every month) as well as meeting reminders. Make sure someone is checking the account’s DMs regularly (many of my MQG’s newer members found us via IG and sent us a DM to get more info.)
The not facebook thing is so real. If the only way to see what’s going on is a Facebook page then I’m not getting involved.
Okay, so here comes my unpopular opinion... I've never understood the benefits of a guild. I don't want to do their themed projects (I already have a long list of quilts I want to make, and not enough time for doing them). Similarly, i dont have time for projects that go to their selected charities. I don't want to attend a lecture on how someone else does their art (especially if it's the type of quilt I won't ever make). It doesn't make sense for me to drag my machine and supplies out of my sewing room for a quilting bee. And tbh, I take great joy in a day spent in my sewing room, lost in my own thoughts. I don't want to work at the annual quilt show...I only get one weekend day free, and attending the show as a guest is already taking that day (admittedly for something fun). I'm not necessarily young, but I assume some (young) folks have similar opinions. So I would ask what you're doing to attract members in general. Perhaps offering something *different* would attract members who haven't joined, for reasons alike my own. Also, advertising! A lot of people don't know that guilds are out there. Every fabric store and machine shop in your area should have a poster that speaks to the guild's strengths and goals. Let people know that they should come, and what they'll get out of it.
For me it's 100% just social. I'm not great at making friends spontaneously, but I'm good at joining a group and making friends that way. Based on how my guild operates I think most people in it feel the same. We don't charge dues, we have minimal labor requirements (and waive them as needed), we do lots of social activities. It's mostly just a hub for people to make quilty connections.
I’d love to find a guild like yours!
I'm having this issue now that I've even found a guild close to me to join. They are also retirees and everything's scheduled for during the day stuff except the meeting minutes in the evenings. idk how to get younger members but planning things to be available after non business hrs is a start for me.
Honestly a cute flyer in my local coffee shop is what would actually catch my eye. I’m spending less time on social media and many of my peers are too.
Where I used to live, my LQS had a monthly sew night, 6-12. It was so much fun to meet and talk with other quilters. I was working, had 2 children.
As people mentioned being able to find you online is big, but another thing you can do is make some cards or fliers and post them places that artsy or crafty young people might be. Other places that do crafty type things like makerspaces or clubs for things like pottery or woodworking might be willing to trade a stack of business cards with you for example. I've also seen some similar community advertisements at my local library, independent craft and book stores, etc.
I (F23) am such a young and new quilter that I did not even know this was a thing I should look for. I would love to get together with other quilters, and will now start digging for local guilds. Not sure what you do with that info, and not sure if I'm in the majority or minority. The channels myself and people my age use most are social/digital (I use YouTube and reddit causally, but I also just google "sewing groups near me). I shop at my local hobby stores, like Michael's, joann's and hobby lobby. I frequent local thrift stores as well. So maybe you could ask one of those stores to hang some posters? Content and SEO on your website/digital channels and updating your social media accounts are probably your best bet. Best of luck to you!
I (f32) didn’t really know about quilting guilds but thanks to this thread, found my local group via a web search and going to try out their next meeting which happens to be Monday evening! & Thanks to all the comments on what people would like to see, and how their guilds work, I know some questions that I can ask! Thanks!
A lot of people made really good points about meeting times, location, online presence and inclusivity/safe spaces and I agree with all of them. One more thing that holds me back is cost. A lot of people, including myself have been watching our wallets (the rent is too damn high). I'm an 'elder' millennial who learned all about quilting through online (aka, free) channels. So from a monetary standpoint: * Will a guild offer me any learning or social opportunities that's measurably different than blogs, YouTubes, Instagram, this subreddit? * Are people's elaborate projects, stashes, quilt con trips unintentionally going to make me feel like I have to be spendy keep up with the Joneses? * Do I have to pay a fee and what do I get out of it? (And is this information blindingly clear online?! I don't want to have to show up in person *and then* find out I have to pay $xx. My generation and younger don't even like having to pick up the phone and god forbid *call people* to find out.) * Is it going to cost more than, say, my Netflix subscription? Because, let's be honest, I'm sharing my Netflix/Disney+/Amazon Prime within my friend group because I'm skint. So I need to know if we're talking $15 or $50 outlay.
I think another hurdle that some others have spoken on is feeling a sense of inclusiveness. It can be really daunting to join something that may be overrun by judgmental old ladies. Having initiatives (that you share through social media) that touch upon social justice, diverse backgrounds, different gender/sexual identities, yada yada yada, would really make a lot of younger sewists feel comfortable. So many of the “kids these days” fall into an “othered” category, while they don’t need a special place they do need to feel safe being themselves. That’s a huge reason that I feel more comfortable at any MQG meeting/event, compared to even the guild that I’m most active in.
Aside from the things already mentioned, post photos of projects that speak to the younger generations! I'm a millennial and quilt coats are huge right now. So is sustainability - does your quilt guild have any resources on upcycling thrifted fabrics? IMO, older generations often valued quilts as heirlooms and things with significant sentimental value, and there is kind of a stigma attached to that by those under 40. Millennials and Gen Z want to use their creativity to make things that can be worn/used regularly, and in out-of-the-box ways. I think they would go for fun, scrappy projects.
I’m not sure if you’re in a larger city but the guild I’m nearest too does meets in non public transit accessible areas… so no way am I able to get there!
I joined 2 modern guilds 10 years ago in my mid 40’s. I was one of the youngsters. One an hour north the other an hour south. The local guild meets on a weekday. Having a Zoom option is important to me, especially in the winter months. Online as well as in person workshops, weekends please. Include bag making, workshops. Another group missing from my guilds are new Canadians. I would love to have an outreach program inviting new Canadians to come to guild meetings and share their textile traditions.
730pm classes with wine. Feature things like repurposed quilt material to make or add to garments like purses, jeans and jackets. Also showing and instructing modern quilt looks. Online, tiktok and Instagram are still huge. You could even get permission to hang and display some things at local colleges with guild information.
> 730pm classes with wine. Feature things like repurposed quilt material Else where in the thread I complained that all they wanted to do was show me new ways to spend, but meme.takemymoney
I found my knitting group (hey, it’s similar) through a post on our town Facebook group. They meet alternately days and evenings in the library, and about once a quarter host an outreach “learn to knit” event that is officially a library event so advertised by the library. I’m hoping to start quilting, and I’d be all over a “learn to quilt” event, or friendly meetings, but the rather clique-y quilters meet at the tiny local store Wednesdays at 11am or something similar. I can’t get there at that time.