HISTORY
Welcome! We hope you decide to join us. We have been together for quite a few years having started from a homemakers group. We still have a charter member with us, Jill Schneider.
A BRIEF HISTORY:
The guild was founded in 1985 by three local women. They put an announcement in the Forsyth County News inviting all quilters to a meeting on the second Tuesday morning in September.
The guild met at the Homemakers Building located on Maple Street on the site of the present Forsyth County Jail. There were about 10 women to begin. The building had two rooms, a meeting room and a kitchen. A “drop down” quilt frame was hanging in the kitchen. One of the founders, Jill Schneider was appointed President.
There were no dues, no Constitution or bylaws, just a group of women with a love for quilting. Several years went by, the President remained the same for 7 years. During that time, the guild grew, they got involved in quilt making for one another and for local charities, and with the North Georgia Quilt Council.
In the early 1990s the Chicken House Fair became popular and was held at the Tri-County shopping area. By that time, the guild had started raising money to invite National quilt teachers to teach at guild meetings. They had also moved to Bethelview United Methodist Church. The Constitution was written, Dues were collected and Holly Anderson was elected President. National quilt teachers had started to teach and the guild grew to 30 to 35 members.
Some of the members had become active in the newly formed Georgia Quilt Council. Donation quilts were being delivered to The Family Haven, so that every child entering the haven received a quilt to keep. The Cumming Country Fairgrounds were being newly developed and we were able to be housed in one of the new cabins. The fair originally was 4 days long, but soon it became the big draw every fall and became 10 days long.
In 1996, The Olympics came to Atlanta. The GQC invited all quilters in GA to make 200 quilts to be awarded to the Countries attending the Olympics. The quilts were displayed prior to the Olympics, at the Atlanta History Center for a period of time. All participating guilds were invited to docent at the museum during that time. All quilt makers were invited to Olympic Village at Georgia Tech to observe the presentation of the quilts. A book was published of all the quilts, names of the quiltmakers and where the quilts were going. The book can be seen at the Forsyth County library and at the home of Jill Schneider, among others.
As the years went by, the donation quilts were being delivered to many organizations in the county. The meetings were held at the park district building on hwy 306 next to Chestatee Elementary School. The final home of the guild is Christ the King Lutheran Church.
Raffle quilts have always been a part of the guild’s mission. Many organizations have been the recipient of a percentage of the raffle money, the rest has been used for the purchase of fabric, batting and patterns and for education within the guild.
Today, the guild is strong and vibrant with over 60 members.
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