The Berks Quilt Guild offers many benefits with membership.  Here is a listing of the activities and projects members can take advantage of:

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Our Beekeeper maintains a list of where and when each of the bees meets and helps form new groups. Contact the Beekeeper if you are interested in forming a bee or getting into an existing bee.

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Block-of-the-Month is announced in the newsletter with pattern, fabric and color requirements listed along with the due date. Participation is optional.

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Every year members of the guild are invited to participate in a Challenge. The guidelines and requirements are given at the time the Challenge is announced. On the due date the completed items are brought in plain paper bags and hung by the committee. The members to vote according to the categories given by those running the challenge. This is a great way to test your creative skills.

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The guild has a beautiful Pin and pattern kits for a Collar available for purchase. Every member wears a collar at the guild quilt show which helps the visitors identify members. If you are interested in either of these, please contact the respective chairpersons and they will meet you at the next guild meeting.

Community Service -- Once a year we set aside a meeting to work on projects for charitable organizations.

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If you know of a member who is ill or has lost a close family member, please contact our Corresponding Secretary.

 

A Door Prize Raffle is held each month. Proceeds are used to purchase new books for our library. If you are interested, tickets are $1.00 each or 6 for $5.00. See the chairperson at the back of the meeting room for tickets.

Field Trips are offered periodically -- watch the newsletter for details. Where do we go? Fabric shops and quilt shows, of course!!!

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Our Guild Historian is in charge of recording the happenings of the guild and maintains a scrapbook with photos. If you have any that you would like to share, please contact her.

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Each year we enjoy a Holiday Banquet that is organized by our 1st Vice President. This is a relaxing evening with a great dinner and lots of fun and fellowship. Each year is slightly different - watch your newsletter for details.

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Our meeting would not be complete without refreshments. The Hospitality Committee will contact the members alphabetically and the list will be published in the newsletter.  If you find you are not attending the meeting for which you are responsible for an item, please find someone to take your place or contact the chairperson.

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The guild maintains a large selection of books and video tapes in our Library which is located on tables near the rear of the meeting room.   See the Links page for a list of the available books.

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The Membership Chairman maintains attendance records. Please be sure to sign in at each meeting.

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A bi-monthly Newsletter emailed to all members.   You can also access the newsletter on the News Page.

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We provide a wide variety of interesting topics during the Program segment of our monthly meetings. Some meetings are set aside for Community Service, picnics and challenges. If you have an idea for a program or know of a fantastic speaker, please bring them to the attention of our 2nd Vice President.

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We have been presenting a Quilt Show every other year since 1994. This is our opportunity to display our quilts to the public.

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A Raffle Quilt is made every other year. The winning raffle ticket is drawn during our Quilt Show.  This is usually our only fund raiser and is a major source of income for the guild. There are several opportunities during the year to sell tickets at local events and for members to work on the quilt. This is also a great way to get to know other members - similar to an old fashioned quilting bee.

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Meeting minutes are maintained by our Recording Secretary. If there is anything you need to know about a previous meeting, please contact her.

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During the fall the guild holds a retreat at Black Rock Retreat Center in Quarryville and in the spring at Camp Innabah.  What a great excuse to have a slumber party, sew all day and night, not have to cook, do dishes, answer phones and deal with the kids and husbands! Space is limited -- so sign up early -- these retreats fill up fast!!

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The Sewing Room Tour is an exciting opportunity to see how other members organize their sewing areas. This is a fun day of travel, ideas and door prizes.

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Show and Tell is an exciting segment of every guild meeting. It is the time when all the members who have completed projects since the last meeting get up and show their work. It is fun to see how members grow in their ability and color preferences. Please share your work regardless of your level of experience.

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Sit and Stitch is held at Bern Evangelical Curch and begins at 3:30 PM and ends at 8:30 PM, usually the first Tuesday of the month. In addition, the meeting room is also available for a Sew-In on the day of the meeting beginning at 9:00 AM.   There is no fee, no sign-up or obligations -- just show up and sew. You need to bring your own sewing machine, hand-work and cutting tools.

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Sourdough Quilts are small quilts that are based on a theme with a starter block and/or fabric. Members (about 6 to 12) volunteer to sign up to work on each project. When all of the participants have worked on the quilt, a drawing is held and one of them wins the quilt.  NO PEEKING!!!

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Watch the newsletter for the announcement of Workshops offered by the Guild. Supply lists are provided at the time of payment for the class. Some classes are offered by members of the guild and some are given by speakers brought in for meetings.

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There is a small Junior Guild composed of young people who are sponsored by our members. They meet in each other's homes several times throughout the year. Watch the newsletter for announcement of their meetings. The sponsoring member is required to stay with the junior member during the meetings.

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We hope you enjoy your membership in Berks Quilters Guild. If there is anything we can do to make your membership in our guild more enjoyable, please feel free to contact any committee member or officer. We will do our best to help you.