About Us

Who We Are

We are a Guild, legally classified as a 501(c)(3), of over 300 members. Many of us are mountain-grown, but because our mountains attract people from all over, we have a wonderfully diverse membership. We encourage you to join us and enjoy all that we have to offer!

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 time a local Guild was founded, so the Asheville Quilt Guild was born with a charter membership of 60.

Our publication is the disPatch and it is e-mailed to members each month except December.

Mission Statement:

To preserve and advance the tradition and art of quilting

Purpose and Vision Goals:

• To support and broaden a fellowship of quilters
• To educate the community in the art and techniques of quilting
• To provide members with opportunities for charitable giving to the greater community

Values:

• Service
• Creativity
• Social Connection
• Education
• Respect
• Inclusion

Why We Are

The Guild was formed to do several things:

What We Do

We Get Together

General meetings are conducted monthly with an alternating day and evening schedule to accommodate those who get out more easily in the daytime (10 a.m. – odd numbered months, ex. January, March, May) and those who can come only at night (7 p.m. – even numbered months, ex. April, June). We meet on the 3rd Tuesday of every month. The exceptions are November and December, when we combine those two meetings into a holiday party, usually in early December. All general meetings are held at the Folk Art Center unless otherwise noted.

Becoming a Guild member is easy and rewarding. There are many levels of involvement and many benefits to membership. The enthusiasm is contagious. Shortly after joining, new members are welcomed by a guild member (“friend”) who provides guidance and answers questions.

Members get together in small groups (Bees) 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.

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 are regularly juried into and win national quilt shows, so we have plenty of talent and opportunities to learn from the best.

AQG has an extensive 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.”

Supplementing our monthly programs are monthly, day-long workshops provided by our speakers. These usually take place on the day following the regular monthly meeting. This is an 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! For a current workshop schedule, visit our workshop schedule page.

We Share

Our guild is active in a number of projects around the community. In past years, the Guild has donated finished quilts to Projects Linus, Mission Hospital, Guardian ad Litem, Brother Wolf, the NC State Veterans Home, Ira Jones Elementary School, MAHEC, Meals on Wheels, Steadfast House and Habitat for Humanity. In addition to quilts, members have donated preemie hats to the NICU, pillows to the Care Partners Hospice, weighted blankets to Project Linus and adult bibs to Meals on Wheels. We are always looking for other ways to serve.

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!

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

We are a growing Guild, always learning and changing to meet the needs of quilters in our area. Getting involved is important to its growth, but it is also a way to meet people and form lasting friendships. We have an enormous amount of fun!