We are a Guild of over 300 members. Many of us are mountain-grown, but these mountains attract people from all over as well. We have a diverse membership with people joining us all the time. We encourage you to come see us, too!

The Guild started in 1988 when the organizers of Asheville's terrific street fair, Bele Chere, asked a group of local quilters to organize a quilt show for the fair. This "seed group" thought it was high time a local Guild got going, and the Asheville Quilt Guild was born with a charter membership of 60.

Our publication is the disPatch and it is mailed or e-mailed to members monthly except December.

The Guild was formed to do several things:

• Preserve our mountain heritage of quilting
• Be a source of information and inspiration for quilters
• Encourage excellence in quilting and related arts
• Be of service to the community
• Provide fellowship to people with a common interest

We Get Together

Meetings are monthly with an alternating day and evening schedule to accomodate those who get out more easily in the daytime (10 a.m.-odd numbered months, ex. Jan, March, May) and those who can come only at night (7 p.m.-even numbered months, ex. Feb, April, June). We meet on the 3rd Tuesday of every month. The exceptions are November and December; we combine those two meetings into a holiday luncheon, usually in early December. Our meetings are held at the Folk Art center unless otherwise noted. See MEETINGS.

It's easy and rewarding to become a Guild member. There are many levels of involvement and many benefits to membership. The enthusiasm is contagious. Shortly after joining, new members are contacted by a guild mentor as a welcome and to answer questions. See MEMBERSHIP.

Members get together in small groups on a regular basis to quilt and talk and eat and talk and quilt and eat! Presently the Guild sponsors many Quilting Bees for members. We have a "Bee Keeper" who keeps track of area bees and helps new members get into and start new bees. We want everyone to have an opportunity to get together with other quilters in a small group. See QUILTING BEES

Over the years, members of the Guild have organized trips to different quilting-type places. More trips are being planned all the time.

AQG Board meetings take place on the first Tuesday of every month, 10 a.m.

We Learn

There is a program at each meeting ranging from quilting clinics to presentations by nationally-known speakers. Our guild has several members who regularly are juried into and win national quilt shows, so we have plenty of talent and opportunities to learn from the best! See MEETINGS.

AQG has a fabulous lending library of quilt books, videos, magazines, and patterns. A member was overheard recently saying, "You know, I don't buy nearly as many books as I used to because our library is so good!" See LENDING LIBRARY.

Supplementing our monthly programs are monthly day-long workshops provided by our speakers. This is your opportunity to immerse yourself in learning a new technique or just soaking up the creativity of your teacher and the fellow students around you.... not to mention the fun! See WORKSHOPS.

We Share

Our guild is active in a number of projects around the community. Members regularly make quilts for premature babies, children at the battered women's shelter, and for distribution by the Sheriff's department to children who are in need of comfort and warmth for whatever reason. In addition, we provide fabric and notions to families in Nicaragua. We are always looking for other ways to serve. See COMMUNITY QUILTS AND GUILD PROJECTS.

We sponsor the annual "Asheville Quilt Show." Quilters all over the country enter quilts in this show where prize money is awarded. But we make it a point to also feature local quilters' work. We are, after all, a local guild! See QUILT SHOW.

Western North Carolina is packed with resources for quilters and we try to share these with each other. There are plenty of shops, local professional quilters, and just plain quilt-y things to do around here!

We Work Together

All things considered, we are a young Guild, always growing and changing to meet the needs of quilters in our area. Most of us pitch in and contribute to the operations of the Guild. There are always many ways to get involved--and when we do, that's when the fun really begins! See you at "Guild!"