Friendship Groups
When members completed the initial surveys, it was clear that members want to form friendships with other quilters, learn additional quilting techniques, be active in the guild, and work together to give back to the community. With this in mind, the “constitution/by-laws” committee included provisions for the formation of friendship groups.
Each friendship group will become whatever its members want it to be. The vision is that the group members will develop friendships, share their skills with each other and the guild, create meaningful programs, initiate and be active in the guild, and complete projects within the group and the guild.
The friendship group may decide to focus on a particular type of technique such as appliqué, miniatures, paper-piecing, vintage, sampler, hand quilting, machine quilting, etc. They may schedule "bees" to work on projects and individuals or as a group. They may announce their "bees" and invite the rest of the guild members to join them.
Friendship groups will have some responsibilities:
- Block-of-the-Month
Each friendship group will get their turn hosting a monthly meeting. They will select a quilt block design, select the fabric, prepare block kits, and sell them at the guild meeting. At the following meeting, members who return their blocks will receive another piece to their "Participation Block" and have their names entered into a drawing for all of the finished blocks. One member will receive all of the blocks from that month. - Program
Each friendship group will get their turn creating the program for the guild meeting. The group may decide to bring some one in, prepare/present a program themselves, design/teach a project, etc. The program is completely within the control of the group. The guild vice president will assist the groups.
In addition to these responsibilities, the friendship groups may decide to do a project and invite the other guild members. For example, the group may decide that it wants to make quilts to be given to families who have escaped domestic abuse. Members research the "hows and whats" of donating quilts and organize the creation of these quilts.
There are numbers of ways for the friendship groups to be active participants within themselves and within the guild. The groups can be leaders and actively mold the guild into a fantastic, energetic group of quilters. The sky is the limit!
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