Monday, November 15, 2010

A finish and a little (lot) frustration

I finished my pillow for PTS4 and will be mailing it to it's new home tomorrow!  I'm pretty sure my partner will love it, but my fingers are still crossed for luck.

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On a totally unrelated note, I'm going to vent a little about my quilting guild.  Let me start by saying this is NOT a modern guild and I knew this going in, but I thought there could still be some things to learn, ideas to share, and maybe a few other secret modern quilters.  WRONG!  I was planning on leaving the guild at the end of the year simply because I don't fit in.  I have no one to relate to or bounce ideas off of.  Most of these women are 50-80 years old.  So while they have a wealth of knowledge, our aesthetic is completely different.  Anywho.  I was coerced into taking the position of VP and to be in charge of workshops.  I thought this would be an opportunity to make the guild work for me.  WRONG!  Over the past month, I have been told, not asked, that 8 of the 12 months are booked.  Why the hell did you need me then?!?!?  Most of these are for charity projects.  While I do love that the guild is involved in a lot of charities, why are they using workshop time?  I feel like a petulant child, stomping her foot and whining, "But that's MY time!"  Beyond that, the two real workshops that have been scheduled without much discussion with me are SO not anything I would ever want to do.  This isn't to say I have to like all the workshop projects, but I've been in the guild a year and there hasn't been one I like!  Further, we have a retreat in March and, again, there is not one project I want to do so I'm not attending.  I have committed myself to this position and I won't quit because I gave my word, but I'm most displeased to say the least.  Ok, rant over.  Sorry if you were bored senseless!

8 comments:

Sarah said...

sorry to hear of your frustrations...That stinks. Maybe they just wanted to say that they are starting to get younger input by putting you in that position, but are set in their ways. Ridiculous. I would resign. But good for you to stick to your word.

Anne at Film and Thread said...

That sounds really frustrating and may be the reason why younger or more modern style quilters aren't participating in the guild. The people who run it are doing what they want and aren't open to change. It is totally understandable that you just want the year to hurry and be done with.

Do you have a good quilt shop near you that could help you find a couple of friends with similar interests that you could get together with to quilt? I think you have to "audition" them, just like fabric, to see if they would be a good fit for you before making long commitments. I'm learning that lesson myself and sometimes it seems easier just to do stuff by yourself, but when you find some compatible souls, it is so worth the effort.

Cherie said...

That stinks, but I completely understand. I'm thinking that I am going to get a MQG started here sometime in early next year, as I feel completely out of place in our traditional quilt guild. When I went to sign my quilt in for the quilt show, the ladies "attacked me!" "No, don't put that there," "Stand over there (there was no one else around," "That's not how we do it here," and so on and so on. Thankfully, one of the members and local instructors rescued me from these bullies on the playground, but I don't think I will ever go back to another meeting.

Molly said...

I love a good rant so please ... rant away! I wish we lived closer to each other so we could start our own radical quilting guild!! I'm the only quilter around here but I got two of my work friends started quilting so I'm cultivating my own guild. Someday ....

cilvee said...

So frustrating! I went to one meeting at a local quilt guild and knew right away that it wasn't for me. I was definitely the youngest person there, by decades, and though the quilts they showed off were beautiful, they were not modern in any way, shape, or form. I live in a small town, so the odds of finding someone who also follows the modern quilting movement is slim. I have even joked that I should post a notice at the library - "If you recognize the names Heather Ross, Denyse Schmidt, and Elizabeth Hartman (to name a few) then call me."

AllieKatMom said...

That sucks! I totally get where you are coming from though. They like things done their way and we like to make things fun! Right?!
Have you thought about starting your own chapter? You may be surprised at some people who show up. If they don't then oh well you didn't lose anything from it.
And I understand if you make a commitment then you stick to it. I am the same way.

~Michelle~ said...

I was contemplating joining a non-modern guild, just so I could enter something cool into their show! but now you have me worried that I'll be suckered into a position I don't want to undertake!

CJ said...

I went to ONE meeting of the quilt group here in PODUNK. Enh. No thanks. FIRST OF ALL, I do NOT like meetings. I do NOT like being talked into some committee or leadership position. No one was very welcoming and I didn't care for how cliqueish they were. I''' stay home and get my inspiration online.

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