History of Arnprior and District Quilters' Guild

September 26, 2001 marked the first gathering of quilters interested in pursuing discussions on the topic of a guild. Joan Kelly put notices up in town and an ad in the paper to invite anyone interested in quilting to an informal meeting at the Library. Nine people with varied quilting experience met to discuss the potential of having a guild in this area. It was decided that interest was strong enough to organize a group that would meet monthly.

Those who met in September became the core of planners in the first year, without yet being fully organized. It was decided that we would meet on the fourth Wednesday evening of the month, with the exception of December. In order to make up for a lost meeting around Christmas, we would meet early and late in the month of January. June's meeting would be on the third Wednesday in order to not lose attendance to summer vacation.

Early in the planning stages, a constitution for the Guild was put together using other guild constitutions and by-laws as samples. It was planned that annual meetings for voting would take place during the May meeting. The first official annual meeting was held in May, 2002. At that time the membership was officially established and the Constitution and By-Laws were accepted. An executive was voted in to organize the next year's meetings and carry out official guild business.

During the first year of meeting, the Guild quickly reached just under 60 members. Quilters enjoyed socializing together, working on their own projects, learning new skills, and making a mystery quilt at the meetings. Show and Tell was always an inspiration.

The following year, while still meeting at the Library, the members and visitors enjoyed the Block of the Month, special guest speakers and particpated in the occasional workshop. By December, the first Newsletter was published for the membership. Numbers continued to grow and by the end of June 2003, it was evident that an new location needed to be found. So the current venue at the Christian Education Centre was arranged for the following September's meeting.

Based on a strong beginning, the Guild members look forward to continued enjoyment of each other and the craft of Quilting.