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About Clamshell Quilt Guild
Considering joining?
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History
Clamshell was founded by a small group of women who were taking quilt lessons at a local sewing machine store. As they sat over their sewing machines learning new quilt patterns the talk was about starting a new guild. Although there were other guilds in the area, several of the women felt a guild was needed in the New London, Waterford, and East Lyme area. After many hours of pre-organization the first meeting of the Clamshell Quilt Guild was held on September 27, 1989. This small group of women expected about 35 people to show up. Lo and behold-75 interested quilters came the first night and we have continued to grow with a membership of over two hundred. Our members come from all over Southeastern Connecticut and parts of Northeastern Connecticut as well.
The name Clamshell was selected to reflect the rich nautical history of the area along with the other aspects of living by Long Island Sound and all it has to offer. As well as fitting the area the clamshell is also a popular quilt pattern that we have chosen for our logo.
Perks
Each month members can participate in the Block of the Month program. The finished block is brought to the guild meeting and placed on the block of the month table. During the meeting a name will be drawn from those who submitted blocks and the winner will receive all the blocks for that month. A new block of the month booklet is released each year in September to members.
Annual dues, paid in September, give members: free attendance at the monthly meetings, including those with well-known speakers; members' rates for classes offered by the speakers; a subscription to the monthly newsletter; a door prize ticket at each meeting; and access to the Guild lending library of books and videos.
Ways and Means is a self sustaining committee that runs a raffle and a door prize at each meeting. The money from the raffle pays for the door prize. If there is any money leftover, it goes into the general fund. Ways and Means also sells quild pins, mugs and totes.
Other more obvious perks include the opportunities to meet wonderful people who share a love of quilting in all its forms. All are welcome, beginner to expert; our programs incorporate all levels of interest.
The Clamshell Quilt Guild is made up of many women with just as many personalities. The Guild tries to make every effort to encourage inclusion and friendliness through our New Members Committee. We want you to feel welcome and comfortable enough to engage members in conversation, take a class, join a committee, in general just be an active part of the guild. We realize everyone does this in her own time and way. We also understand that you get as much out of the guild as you put into it. So join in and have fun, learn how to quilt, meet people, and make a friend.
Library
The guild has a library of more than 230 book titles and several videos. Members can borrow a maximum of three books for a month at a time. There is a $.25 charge per book per month if overdue. Monies collected purchase new books. The library receives $100. per year from the guild budget to buy new books.
Our guild is a member of the American Quilter’s Society (AQS) and receives their magazine, American Quilter, five times per year. Members can order books at a 30% discount from the AQS book catalog, which is available in the library. The library recycles member’s magazines and offers a selection at every meeting, free for the taking.
The library is open 30 minutes before each monthly meeting to allow members ample time to browse. The library is not open at the July (picnic) and December (holiday party) meetings.
Click here to see a list of our library books. (PDF). The list was last updated in April 2007.
Typical Meeting
Typically there are 2 parts to our meetings: a speaker or program portion and business meeting. We have other exciting things that take place throughout the evening as well. Those being: a drawing for the door and raffle prizes, the drawing for the winner of the Block-of-the-Month, any announcements about upcoming events and finally the best part of the meeting, Show-and-Tell. Show-and-Tell is where any member may show the guild any quilting project that they have completed or are currently working on. Inspiration abounds when members share their talents. We foster each others work by sharing our own.
The first thing that you do when you walk in the door is check in at the membership desk. Guests are welcomed here and non-current members are reminded to pay dues. Since we use the Waterford Senior Center facility, it may be necessary for you to retrieve your chair from the racks at the side of the room. Before the business part of the meeting there are several things that you can do. At the Ways and Means Table, members can get a door prize ticket. The Guild Library is a great place to visit for books and videos on quilting. Members can view the Current Events board or if you have made a Block of the Month this is the time to give it to the block of the month chairman who has a table for that purpose.
Past Projects
Clamshell Quilt Guild supports many charities either by contributing quilts, goods, or money. Projects to which the Guild has made contributions are: 9-11 quilts, Genesis and Phoenix Houses, preemie quilts for the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital, the New England Quilt Museum, Ronald McDonald House, the Waterford Senior Center, Hospice Unit at L & M Hospital, AIDS baby quilts, the Look Good, Feel Better program of the American Cancer Society, the East Lyme Scholarship Fund, and the Women and Girls' Fund of the Community Foundation of Southeastern Connecticut.
Committees
Working on a committee is the best way to meet the members and to fully enjoy your membership in the Guild. These Guild committees can always use another helper:
- Block-of-the-Month*
- Charity*
- Library*
- Membership*
- Newsletter*
- Ways and Means*
- Website*
- Welcoming*
- Current Events
- Historian
- Program
- Publicity
- Quilt Show
- Show-and-Tell
- Sunshine
- Telephone Tree
- Holiday Raffle Quilt
- Quilt Show Raffle Quilt
- Quilt Show Chair and Committee
- Consultant (normally the previous President)
- Hospitality (Christmas, Picnic, Birthday parties)