What Traveling Quilt Teachers Do

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These pictures are from my lecture “Living With Quilts: A Survival Guide.” It’s a presentation that examines how quilters are sometimes “different” from other folks, and shares coping strategies for your family. It’s all in good fun, because no matter what you’re learning about, humor always makes it more enjoyable, and more memorable.

The mission of most quilt guilds is learning new skills and turning other people on to the wonderful world of quilting. This can be done informally, just sitting down and sharing what you know. Or, it could be in the form of a workshop or lecture presented by a guild member or a professional teacher.

If you are in charge of programs, here are my top five tips for providing a great learning experience for your group:

1. Make sure the classes/lectures you offer are of interest to your members. If you’re the only one who likes applique, better bring in someone who pieces.
2. Nail down all the details in writing well in advance so you can promote it properly, both to your guild and your community. Decide on specific workshops or lectures at least 4 months in advance.
3. Bring more quilters to the fold by encouraging local media (newspapers, radio stations) to write about your upcoming event.  Best way to encourage that is a face-to-face encounter with a quilt (any quilt) under your arm.
4. Piggy-back with nearby guilds and shops to cut travel and lodging costs. Groups just outside your regular stomping ground are best, so you don’t dilute the pool of workshop-takers for either group.
5. “Sell”  the program AND the speaker. Your enthusiasm about a speaker is probably the best motivation for your membership to take advantage of the programs you bring in.  Remember the basics: who, what, when, where, and why!   (Repeat, repeat, repeat!)

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