East Side Quilters

How East Side Quilters Was Formed

by Mary Beth Frezon

Sometime in 1991, my friend Pat and I were again wishing we had a quilt group that was closer to where we lived. We each belonged to Q.U.I.L.T.S. in Schenectady, and enjoyed it, but we were looking for something a little different and with less commuting. In the fall, Pat found that we could use the community room of the Nassau Free Library on evenings when it wasn't already scheduled. For FREE!

We thought about this for about 30 seconds and decided to give it a try. We picked a date in January 1992 when the room was free. I made some posters and hung them all over the area, mainly in grocery stores, local fabric shops and other libraries. We put notices in the local papers, in particular the local weekly newspaper.

When the night came, Pat and I arrived and went downstairs into the meeting room to find TWENTY wildly excited women already waiting for us! We were pretty excited and pleased ourselves! Who knew there were that many quilters in the area? As a group we decided to meet twice a month and discussed the various activities we wanted to try.

For a while, Pat and I did it all: Block of the Month, Newsletter, Publicity, you name it. When we found out that the Nassau Free Library had had its state funding cut, we proposed making a quilt to give them for fundraising. The Library Friends organization agreed that if we made the quilt, they would handle the fundraising aspects.

Between the Block of the Month patterns, and the mini-lessons we gave to accompany each month's pattern, and the making of our first raffle quilt, a beautiful bear's paw, we covered the entire quilt making process that first year. And along the way, we made some wonderful friends and had a great time.

That first year was a busy one, especially for Pat and me, but by the end of the year, several people suggested that we formalize our group. A committee was formed to investigate bylaws of other quilt guilds and a set for East Side was drawn up and adopted. Pat and I were elected VP and Pres. Our acting treasurer was made official and was joined by a secretary and standing committees.

One of the precepts that Pat and I had going into forming this organization was to work for member participation at all levels. Even when we brought ideas to the group, we discussed them, made group decisions and let the group carry them out. When people had ideas of activities, we encouraged them to find a buddy and take on the activity themselves. That way no one got burned out or took over the organization. Our new bylaws even had term limits to ensure that there were always fresh faces in charge. This has worked out really well for the group so far.

We have always encouraged people to bring new ideas and problems to the general business meeting for discussion. Everyone knows the financial state of the group and everyone has a say in decisions to be made.

Because we're still a very small organization as groups go, and because our finances are pretty small, we are still unincorporated.

There are no organizations in charge of deciding what your quilt group can be. There are no requirements in setting up a new guild. It can be anything from a small group of friends meeting informally to an organization of several hundred. Your group or guild can decide to join the National Quilting Association, but it is not mandatory. There may be a state guild or quilting organization that you can associate with.

The main steps:

• Find a group of starters with a common vision of the type of group you'd like (big small etc)
• Find a place to meet, preferably for free at least at first. Try libraries, churches, shopping malls, community centers.
• Look around at other quilt organizations. See what their meeting schedules are like and pick another date.
• ADVERTISE. Newspapers, cable tv community channels, quilt and fabric stores. Bulletin Boards in grocery stores, schools, churches, libraries, everywhere you can think of. Ask to put notices in newsletters of other guilds. Talk to everyone and tell EVERYONE. Your advertising should include: where (place including directions how to get there), when (date and time), what (especially if you want a group with special interest like art quilts etc), and who (pick a contact person with an answering machine who is personable and good at answering questions).
• Unless you are looking for specialized quilters, make it clear that all experience levels are welcome, including none!
• Be cheerful, friendly and open to other people's ideas and needs. Let the group decide the organization's direction. It's hard sometimes for leaders to let go of all the power, but in the long run, organizations whose members have a lot of say do better and are more active.
• PUBLICIZE your groups activities and achievements. Schedule open houses where people can check out your activities and members. Go to community fairs with quilts and literature about the group.