This is the last meeting that will be held at the New Pieces Quilt Shop! As a thank you to Sharona for hosting our meetings, we gifted a handmade sign to her shop to show how much we appreciate her store and her generosity in letting us hold our meetings there for the past years. Our next several meetings will be held at A Verb For Keeping Warm (AVFKW) on a trial basis. The store is located at 6328 San Pablo Ave, Oakland 94608. We are so grateful to Kristine in giving us this chance to meet at her store. The time has not changed- we will continue to meet on the last Tuesday of each month at 6:30 pm.

Thanks to everyone that filled out our survey. It was helpful to gauge what people are thinking at this time on the various issues that we have currently in our group. Here’s a brief recap on the survey results:

Most of the people who took the survey come to our meetings on a frequent basis and they live in either Berkeley or Oakland/ Piedmont. Most of our members are not affiliated with EBHQ, however many of us do belong to another MQG group. Most people felt that our guild is just the right size with several that think we are getting too big.

Overwhelmingly, people do not want this guild to change and maintaining affiliation  with the MQG is only slightly more important than becoming a SIG with EBHQ. Also, group autonomy was only slightly more important to our members than having the support/ insurance of a larger guild. About 55% of the people who took the survey are willing to be an officer to maintain our status with a larger guild. Meeting like-minded quilters and Show and Tell are the most important aspects that people like in our guild. Our show, Stitch Modern, ranks third in importance.

Most people do not mind paying dues and spending $45 and $55 per year tied at first place as being an acceptable amount someone would be willing to pay for membership dues. If dues were collected, people wanted it to be used for the meeting location. However, workshops and guest speakers rank 2nd and 3rd in importance. Other ideas for using the money include covering our basic costs, philanthropic ventures and that we fund for all items listed in the survey. Overwhelmingly, the most important extra event that people wanted the guild to support is our show, Stitch Modern. Guest lectures and workshops rank 2nd and 3rd in importance.

The most important aspect in a new meeting location is parking, followed by the ability to display quilts and adequate room for current group size.

Last year we started Sew Days, however most people couldn’t attend due to the time it was offered and of prior commitments. It appears that all day Sunday would be a better time for the most people.

Many people contributed additional comments and the most frequent point made is that they love the way this guild is currently run, especially our informal and friendly atmosphere. The most common complaints include needing a larger space to meet, needing better electronic communication, and poor viewing of quilts/ speakers due to space limitations and/ or how we are set up around the tables. The most common reasons people like EBMQG include our autonomy and doing what we want, Stitch Modern, and Show and Tell.

It’s a lot to consider in regards to all the issues (meeting location, joining MQG, or joining EBHQ) that our guild is currently facing. Obviously there will be a lot of changes up ahead so please keep an open mind and let’s continue the conversation at our next meeting!

And last, but not least, we said our goodbyes to Lauren with an after meeting party at Picante. We will miss her wonderful personality and presence at our meetings, but we wish her lots of fun (and fabric) in Japan!

Please show your support and check out these upcoming events!

May 8th – June 9th

32nd Annual Quilt Show at the Central Berkeley Library on the second floor.

May 20th

Our member, Joel, will be a featured quilter at the next EBHQ meeting. There is a $5 charge to attend the meeting if you are not a member.