Togetherness is a key component of a quilting guild!

I have been sewing for a long time. Even before I got my first little sewing machine at 6 years old for Christmas, I remember sewing little clothes for my Barbie dolls. I am a product of home economics classes, 4H, and a house full of creative, sewing women. I made many of my own clothes throughout my youth and until I was in my late 30’s. I made dolls and bears and other novelty items. And then I just stopped. I got rid of my sewing machine right before I turned 40. I left home when I was 17. When she turned 50 or so, my Momma started quilting. She had never quilted when we were younger. So to suddenly see her start to turn out these beautiful quilts was amazing.

Around 2005, Momma came to live with me. And she was still making quilts. I was her helper. Then she started to show signs of dementia. She lost a lot of things to dementia. One of them was her ability to make her handmade quilts. I didn’t think about the significance of this until I made a colleague a quilt for her new baby. I looked at this wonderful piece of material and was very pleased! And suddenly I realized that Momma couldn’t do this anymore. All of her great great grandchildren would never have a quilt from Momma. I started quilting first out of an obligation to my family. And then I got hooked!

I love quilting! Like, I really love quilting. I love putting pretty colors together. I love gifting those I love with one-of-a-kind items that say, “I really love you so much that I would spend countless hours of my time cutting up little pieces of material and putting them back together for you.” I want others to be able to do this. The teacher in me wants to help others to do what I do. The lifelong learner in me wants to continue to learn how to do this better. A guild gives me the best of both worlds.

There are a number of reasons people set up quilt guilds.

• Perhaps the established group of your quilting friends has gotten too large and you want to make it available to more people.
• There are no guilds in your immediate area.

Attending guild meetings is an enjoyable experience. Members get to see interesting speakers and learn new techniques. New friends can be made and everyone gets a chance to show off their work.

I looked for guilds in the Indianapolis area. I specifically wanted to join a group for women of color. I wanted to connect with my Sistas who loved cutting up pieces of fabric. I wanted to sew with Marla Jackson in Lawrence, KS, but I moved back to Indianapolis. I searched the internet and found a group in Ft. Wayne. Too far away. I stumbled across a quilter in a local quilt store who stated that she quilted every Tuesday! Eureka! My excitement was short-lived, however. She never told me the name of the church. I never received that promised text. I’ve never found them on the internet search.

I found the Indianapolis Modern Quilt Guild and joined it after attending one meeting! I’m still psyched about how I felt at that meeting! I want this feeling for my friends and family and new friends that are yet to come. I want to create and share and find that “diamond in the rough.”  You know, that quilter that takes all of our breath away with his/her creations. That can literally be anybody at anytime. I just can’t stand the excitement of what’s to come!