Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Another fun cow and a short survey


I think I will call this one Freckles.  I just couldn't help myself today.  I found those two small orphan blocks that are in the body and figured they look sort of like cow's stomachs.  Of course, you have to squint your eyes and use a heavy dose of imagination.  Anyway, I pulled more of the fabrics in the blocks along with some purple and red and started cutting.  In my recent donated stash, I found several yards of grassy meadow looking fabric and decided to use some of it.  I had a small piece of batik that sort of looks like sky, so I decided to use it as background.  This was more fun to make because I had already worked out the measurements.  I am going to put more borders and embellishments on this one, I think.  Maybe a red hat?
Now for the survey.  If you belong now to a quilt guild, or have ever belonged to one, I would be so grateful if you could take the time to answer these few questions.
1.  How many dues paying members were in the group?
2.  How many of them were active?
3.  Did/does your guild have a quilt show?
4.  If yes, how often and do you charge admission?
5.  What kinds of activities does your guild do?  (ie: BOM, exchange blocks, presentation quilts, etc.)
6.  If your guild sponsors a quilt show, what percentage of the members enter quilts in the show?
7.  I would love some suggestions about how to motivate members who come regularly to meetings to become more active participants in all aspects of the guild.
Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy days to respond to my survey.
Quilters are the best.
Joyful quilting, everyone.

10 comments:

Em said...

wAHOO!!!!! mIKI, yoU KNOW HOW FUN i HAD MAKING MY VERSION OF THIS COW AND YOUR'S IS FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Impera Magna said...

Love Freckles the Cow, Miki... very cool!

Have never belonged to a quilt guild... the two in my area meeting on weekday mornings when I'm working.

Nancy Bowron said...

Aren't making pictures fun?! Love freckles. I may have to check out this book :)

I belong to a group of ladies from my church who all quilt together every other week. We go on a retreat once a year and visit shows and shops together, but there are no dues. Camaraderie and faith together are a great thing!

Ann Marie @ 16 Muddy Feet said...

1. How many dues paying members were in the group? around 150
2. How many of them were active? not sure
3. Did/does your guild have a quilt show? yes we do in Feb
4. If yes, how often and do you charge admission? I think it is free or $5
5. What kinds of activities does your guild do? (ie: BOM, exchange blocks, presentation quilts, etc.)
we do a lot of charity work
6. If your guild sponsors a quilt show, what percentage of the members enter quilts in the show? maybe less than 50%
7. I would love some suggestions about how to motivate members who come regularly to meetings to become more active participants in all aspects of the guild. As a member that works full time myself, I help when I can. But most of the members are retired and are in the day time group. I am in the nighttime group and there is around 30 of us there. So I do what I can for the charity stuff, and if I get a quilt in the show, great, if not, maybe next year.

Michele Bilyeu said...

350 -400. Quilt show every other year. Alternate year we have quilt college with members as teachers of mini classes. We also have gift boutiques at both and guild receives 15% of sales. Also one 'table garage sale' at a meeting same plan of our leftover fabric or gadgets. We have a free cycle table every month and we have a guild provide pillowcase kits already cut out and comfort quilt scraps bagged together for guild projects.Our quilt show averages about 150 quilts I think but non members may enter with a fee. It is professionally judged so costs more for that. We are so big we AM and PM meetings. We have $1 raffle drawings..three of them..each meeting for about $50 plus worth of goodies each, we have show and tell of personal projects after business meeting, we have 'no quilter left behind' where a mystery quilt's block of the month is given pattern in newsletter and participants make the block and show each month. We have nationally recognized speakers like Jo Morton, Jean Wells etc and they teach a class day before or after meeting. For a class guild pays half of our fee, we pay about $30-$40 for it. We try to offer skill level/types of quilting variety as we have young quilters and ladies in their 80's, too.

Willa said...

Love the cow!!!! What size is it?

Rebecka said...

Miki-
Love your cow!!

I belong to a guild that has about 250 members and about 100 come to the monthly meetings.
We have a quilt show every other year.
The guild has my community projects: Cuddle quilts, pillowcases, small wall hangings for Habit for Humanity new homeowners.
We have Show and Tell at the end of every meeting after the guest artist speaks and the meeting.
Check out my blog. The present blog post has our guild linked.
Or- let me know if I can answer more questions.
Keep on Stitching!

Chris said...

Used to be a very active member. Guild has 175 members, active maybe half? quilt show alternate years, many participate, well over 100 quilts; admission $5 I think. activities - raffle quilt for the show; charity quilts; speakers; workshops; pot luck dinners; retreats yearly.how to motivate? great speakers/programs for the serious quilters (like me) along with parties/dinners for the social ones. good luck!

Mary Lou Weidman said...

LOVE the cow and your talents! I need to go to my mailbox and find the fish...can't wait! Your blog is lots of fun! My guild was once 1200 members. They do a quilt show every October with between 500 to 600 quilts. Spokane chpt.Washington State Quilters-we meet four times a year at a college auditorium and then have many many many bee groups and potlucks 4 times a year at a large church where we have a theme and you sew all day (Saturday). It is a great guild though has had it's problems like all guilds do. Guilds are a wonderful thing for making life time friends and learning. I believe in perpetuating quilting and guilds do this.

Sandi said...

Hi Miki,

Your cow is great, didn't realize that your blocks were stomachs! Great idea.

Now onto guilds, current member of 2 was in a third but dropped out due to day of week and meeting time.

Large one at one time had 450 members now about half due to age, increase price of gas and smaller guilds forming closer to homes. Smaller one capped at 100 due to fire regulations in the room we meet in and have constant waiting list.

Large one has a day and evening meeting on Tuesdays and the small one evening on Friday nights.

Both have alternate year quilt show and charge about $5.00. Large one offers "free men." That even means the men who quilt!

Both do raffle quilts for the show and between 50-75% participating [I'm guessing].

Both guilds have BOM, tinners, fat quarter lottery, 50/50 draw recycling.

Both guilds have a program each meeting, sometimes it is a "big name" sometimes not so big, sometimes one of our own members who has a special talent or quilting story to share.

Both guilds have membership fees and monthly newsletters. Both offer classes again from the big name and others.

We also have a lot of splinter meetin in someone's house stitching groups often with themes and challenges or just plain visiting and stitching.

Have fun!