Membership

Membership Benefits

The Guild membership yearly fee is $55 (all ages). Benefits of membership include:

The attached Membership Brochure describes the many benefits of being a member of Empire Quilters. 

Membership form (pdf)

Membership Application

Contact the guild at contact us if you wish to receive a membership application form via regular mail.

We will be posting a membership form shortly.  When it is done:

Complete the application, and mail it to the address listed on the form. Enlose a check for your membership fee payable to Empire Quilters.

Be sure to introduce yourself to us as a new member at the next guild meeting. You're sure to be warmly greeted!

The membership application is a PDF file, and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you need Adobe Acrobat, you can download it free from Adobe by clicking their icon:

 Guild Events and Activities

We welcome all new members to the monthly meetings of the Empire Quilters Guild. We have become a very large organization and, although it may seem confusing at times, there is some order and structure to our monthly meetings. For the most part, guild meetings take place on the second Saturday of every month from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm, from September to June. This allows time for the business meeting, a special program or exhibit, and an opportunity to quilt with friends or learn new techniques in one of our Focus Groups. Many members arrive early to meet friends, shop with the Vendor-of-the-Month or just get comfortable. Since meetings usually start on time, coming early is an advantage. Changes in the schedule or location are announced in the Newsletter and on the Home page of the website.

At our monthly meetings we have an excellent selection of speakers and vendors, and members and guests enjoy participating in:

Members enjoying the Monthly Share Table

Service

Our guild has a firm standing as a charitable organization and in addition to month-to-month charity quilts donated by members, we devote one meeting each spring to making quilts for charity.  Further, throughout the fall we work on making holiday stockings and hand-made stuffed animals that are given as gifts to children in shelters and other oraganizations in the New York City area.

For lots of ideas about quilts and other items you can make to donate, please check out Basic Service Project guidelines on the Service page.

Classified Ads

Have a sewing machine, a quilting frame or a pound of fabric you'd like to sell? Members are invited to place a free, needle-art-related classified ad in the Newsletter. Ads can be no longer than 30 words and the EQ member name and phone number must appear in the ad. The Newsletter publishes a maximum of three consecutive listings. To place an advertisement, contact the newsletter editor (see next).

Newsletter

The monthly Newsletter is emailed to members prior to each meeting. It contains a message from the president, information about upcoming meetings and projects, information about shows (including ours!), competitions, volunteering opportunities, as well as updates on focus groups, programs, bus trips and lots more. Empire Quilters encourages members to write articles about qult related subjects — even to toot their own horn if they've taken part in a show — and to send them to the Editor: newsletter@empirequilters.net

The newsletter is available on the website for members to download. You will find that downloadable version on the Members Only page.

Volunteering

A guild, especially of our size, is only as good as its volunteers. Throughout the year, there are many volunteering opportunities. Some tasks (like selling prize tickets or helping with the meeting activities) can be performed during the meeting while others (like the newsletter and programs) require several hours during the month. Committee heads are listed on the last page of the Newsletter. Give them a call if you can lend a hand. (Calls for volunteers also appear in the Newsletter.)

Our Monthly Meetings

There are many events that occur during the meeting that are important to know about. Here is your personally guided tour to an Empire Quilters guild meeting.

1. If you are a registered member, you will find your name and address on the sign-in sheet at the Membership/Check-in table. Each member needs to sign in before finding a seat. Since your listing is the same as your mailing label, it's a good idea to check for any errors. Please make sure that we have your apartment number, correct zip code and current email address. At check-in time, if you have Show & Tell items, complete the Show & Tell form. The Membership/Check-in table is the place to ask questions — don't be shy! 

2. Find a seat and catch your breath! If focus groups are scheduled, members can divide and attend the focus group they are interested in. A list of the month's focus groups appears in the Newsletter, and on the Focus Groups page of the website. Here's your chance to learn a new skill, perfect an old one, or, better yet, share you skills with other members. However, you are free to use this time to quilt with friends, take your donations to the Monthly Fundraiser, put your scraps, old patterns, etc. on the Scrap Table, shop with the Vendor-of-the-Month, visit the Library and drop off magazine donations. Perhaps you made a Block of the Month (BOM) from the pattern posted on the BOM blog. If so, turn it in at the space reserved for BOM's and fill out your name on a slip of paper for each block that you made. Monthly fundraising tickets also go on sale until the drawing. $1 buys you a chance to win some great stuff and helps keep the guild's kitty filled to pay for our many service projects. Visit friends, make new ones, look around until the meeting begins.

3. At 1:00 pm the President calls the meeting to order. The agenda includes announcements, reports from officers and any of the administrative details involved in maintaining a not-for-profit guild. Members and guests are then given the opportunity to make announcements or share information. As a large group, we ask that all attendees listen and do not talk during the business meeting. It's often difficult to hear the speakers (and it's rude, besides!). The business meeting is relatively short unless there is a hot topic to discuss or debate.

4. Usually after the business discussion, a Guest Speaker will demonstrate unique techniques, experiences and/or products. Every effort is made to feature well-known quilters or fiber artists as well as noted Empire professionals.

5. After the speaker it's time for what might well be the most popular part of the meeting — Show & Tell! Here members present their completed works (usually quilts or quilted clothing), herilooms, unique purchases or other items of interest. This time is often used to show a work-in-progress and seek advice or suggestions from the audience. Volunteers photograph each item presented for the guild website. See the Show & Tell photo gallery page to see past Show & Tells.

6. Next the Block-of-the-Month display is noted and the winner-take-all drawing is held from among the participants. See the Block of the Month Blog page for samples of past blocks of the month.

7. Now comes the last-minute scramble to purchase Fundraising Prize tickets before the drawing. Winning tickets are drawn until all items are distributed.

8. The Scrap Table offers another opportunity for gentle fundraising for the guild. Members and local business donate various items, some of which show up here.  It opens after all other meeting features have ended. You can purchase scraps (and sometimes larger pieces), novelty items and patterns for as little as 25¢. Generally, the announcement of the end of the main meeting signals a free-for-all at the . Empire Quilters encourages donations. Often quilts shown at Show and Tell are made entirely from Scrap Table finds!

As you can see, meetings are busy and fun. Please join us!