Misty Mountain Quilters Guild was founded in May, 1984 to “educate, share, promote and keep alive the craft and traditions of quilting.”  We have close to 200 members, most of who live in Fannin, Towns and Union counties in Georgia and Cherokee and Clay counties in North Carolina. 

Membership dues are set annually by the Executive Board and must be paid between June 1 and June 30.  Members are entitled to the following:

• admission to monthly meetings, many of which feature well-known speakers;

• participation in all guild activities such as the Sewcial, workshops, bees, retreat and more (some will have additional fees);

• an information packed monthly newsletter via email;

• an electronic membership roster;

• the opportunity to meet quilters of all skill levels and become inspired;

• the opportunity to learn new and varied quilting skills;

• the opportunity to volunteer your time and talent to make our guild all it can be.

Membership Terms:

1. As a member of the Misty Mountain Quilters Guild, in addition to paying your annual membership dues, you agree to abide by the guild’s By-Laws, which may be found at the By Laws tab above.

2. You agree to make a Moon over the Mountain name tag & wear it at all general meetings.

3. You agree to bring refreshments for sharing to at least one meeting a year (not including luncheons).

4. You agree to participate in at least one community service project per year.

5. You agree to be a part of fund raising efforts that the guild sponsors.  This includes selling raffle tickets for the guild’s raffle quilt and may sometimes include other fund raisers.

6. You agree to participate in the guild’s quilt shows.  You will be asked to sign up for at least one task at the quilt show.  You are encouraged to enter your work in the quilt show but are not required to do so.

7. You agree to follow the rules of the meeting places.

8. No member may use, sell, distribute or give away the guild’s membership roster information for personal gain.

Meetings

General guild meetings are held on the 4^th Monday of every month (except December) at First United Methodist Church of Blairsville.  We gather at 1:00 PM for refreshments and conversation.  The meeting begins at 1:30 PM and consists of a short business session and a program with a regional or national speaker.  This is followed by awarding of door prizes, the raffle drawing, and Show & Tell by our members.

Our June meeting is a pot-luck luncheon and memorial service.  The December general meeting is on the 2^nd Monday and is a Christmas pot-luck luncheon.

Sewcials are held on the 2^nd Monday of each month (except February and December) from 10:00 AM until 3:00 PM at Mountain Presbyterian Church, Hwy. 76 East, Blairsville.  Usually a class using a specific pattern or technique is offered.  However, you are free to bring anything of your choosing to work on.  Everyone brings a lunch and sometimes we do more talking than quilting!  This is a wonderful way to get to know your Sisters of the Cloth. 

Workshops & Bees (must be a member to participate)
Workshops on various topics are offered by the guild during the year.  Generally the workshop will be led by the program speaker for that month and is held on the Tuesday after the general guild meeting.  Workshops are held at Mountain Presbyterian Church in Blairsville from 9:00 AM until approximately 3:00 PM.  Other workshops may be held one day for several weeks; i.e. beginning or intermediate quilting.  There is a workshop fee and additional costs for patterns and materials. 

The Divas is a machine embroidery bee.  We meet on the first and third Mondays of each month at Mountain Presbyterian Church from 10:00-2:00.  We try new embroidery techniques, finish class projects, teach each other a new skill we have learned, or work on our own projects.  Currently we are learning to use 5D Embroidery System by following step-by-step projects.  5D software allows us to manipulate designs to create new designs.  By working together and traveling to take classes, we have learned many skills needed to get the most out of our embroidery machines.   For more information contact Scottie Blumke. 

FiberActive will not be active until July. Contact Frances Allen for information

No Spouse in the House is a bee created for those members who are single.  This bee will have many quilting interests, but not any particular one.  Meet to do your own thing and to help each other, not only with quilting problems, but with issues that sometimes befall a single-member household.  We’ll also take various field trips and have an occasional "lunch with the girls".  This bee meets on the Tuesday following the General Meeting at Mountain Presbyterian Church at 10 AM. 

Other quilting groups
The Tuesday Strippers meets each Tuesday at Mountain Presbyterian Church in Blairsville from 9:30 AM until 3:00 PM.  You may bring any project you want to work on.  It is a great way to get help sandwiching a quilt, get other opinions about how to solve a problem, learn a new technique, and get to know your sister quilters.  This group is made up of people who sincerely want to help you learn to love quilting as much as they do.  Bring your lunch & have a fun time with us. 

Gathering of Quilters is an informal group that meets every Thursday at the United Methodist Church in downtown Murphy, in the basement of the adjoining classroom building. They meet at 10:00 a.m. and bring something to work on or chat or look through their extensive library of quilt books and magazines that different members have donated. They make quilts for sick children when the need arises. Several of the members teach at John Campbell and they occasionally teach classes for the group. Everyone is welcome to come. 

Library
Through the generous donation of books from Carolyn Meeks and Carolyn Miles, we have created Carolyn's Library; a lending library with over 100 titles available to guild members.  Topics range from applique to paper piecing to general crafts and sewing, including crocheting and knitting.  Items are available at the general meeting and may be checked out for one month.  Specific policies are available from the librarians. 

Newsletter
Our newsletter, The ScrapBag, is available through our website, www.mistymountainquiltguild.com or can be mailed to you for a nominal charge.  The newsletter is published each month shortly after the general meeting.

Name Tags
Our logo is the Moon over the Mountain block.  A pattern & instructions are included in New Member Kits.  We encourage you to make your name tag as quickly as possible and wear it to MMQG meetings so we can get to know you!  A 25 cent fine is levied for not wearing your name tag at the general meeting. 

Community Service Projects
Comfort Quilts creates lap quilts for our members who have a life-altering illness.  Members may make blocks at the request of the committee or participate by donating backing, batting, offering to quilt, or delivering the finished quilt. 

Hugs and Kisses is MMQG’s equivalent of Project Linus.  Quilts are made by MMQG members and donated to neglected, abused and seriously ill children in the surrounding counties.  These donations are made by requests from organizations such as S.A.F.E, Reach, and DFACS. 

Nursing Home Aids makes adult bibs, lap quilts, walker bags and other items needed by the area nursing homes. 

Storybook Quilts is a project to get children’s books about quilts into the classrooms in NC and GA.  Trunks of member-donated books and small quilts relating to those books are in schools in Towns & Union counties in Georgia and Cherokee & Clay counties in North Carolina.  Guild members, upon request from the schools, will talk to classes about the quilting process and do demonstrations. 

More information on the above projects may be obtained by contacting the individual committee chairmen found on our website.

Annual Retreat
A 3-day quilting retreat is held each year in February for current guild members.  Classes are offered in a wide range of quilting techniques & skills.  The cost of the retreat includes your room and board.  Class fees & supplies are extra.  Games are played, challenges offered, and door prizes awarded.  Come join us in a few days of sewing, quilting, eating & playing.  This is a wonderful way to get to know your quilting sisters! 

Quiltfest
Misty Mountain Quilters Guild holds a quilt show in the odd numbered years (2011, 2013), normally on the 3^rd weekend of October.  The show has up to 150 quilts which range in size from bed quilts to miniatures within several quilting categories.  Quilts are judged with ribbons and monetary awards given to winners.  We also have a Silent Auction which raises funds for a local charity; a boutique filled with items made by guild members, several vendors and a raffle quilt for which part of the proceeds also go to a local charity.  The success of Quiltfest is entirely dependent on the participation of guild members.

Officers/Executive Committee
Guild officers are President, 1^st Vice President, 2^nd Vice president, Secretary and Treasurer and are elected by the membership.  In addition to duties stated in the Bylaws, the 1^st Vice President is responsible for a new member orientation to be held as announced.  The 2^nd Vice President‘s duties include the Sewcial. These officers and the committee chairmen make up the Executive Committee.  A list of current officers, committee chairmen and Guild Bylaws are available by clicking on the appropriate tabs above.

Committees
The numerous activities of MMQG are conducted by committees.  We encourage you to jump in and contact the committees of interest to you since volunteerism is the heart of the Guild and is one of the best ways to meet new people.  From time to time, there will be opportunities to volunteer for various projects and activities mentioned at the monthly meetings and in the newsletter. 

Blotto:  This committee selects fabric & other criteria from which members make blocks.  Blocks are turned in at a specific time and the committee groups the blocks into kits ranging from table runners to large quilts.  Everyone who turned in a block is eligible to win a kit. 

Comfort Quilts:  The purpose of this committee is to show the guild’s love & support to our members who may have a difficult health related issue by coordinating the creation of a lap size quilt or tote with personal items and cards.  Committee members will notify all guild members of needs to create these items. 

Education:  Identifies on-going classes to be taught through the guild (Beginning or Intermediate Quilting), secures instructors, arranges for the facility and assists instructors as needed. 

Email messenger:  This is usually 1 person, with 1 or 2 more people as backup, who sends emails to all members concerning items of general interest (meeting changes, illness, death, etc.) 

Georgia Mountain Fair:  The Guild has a booth at the Georgia Mountain Fair in Hiawassee that must be decorated twice a year.  This committee decides on a theme & then requests quilted items to be displayed.  The committee sets up & takes down the display.  (The Guild also staffs the Log Cabin in the old town section of the fairgrounds where we demonstrate hand quilting and sell quilted items made by Guild members.  This is a function of the Festival committee (see below).)

Greeters:  This committee of at least 3 greets members and guests at all general meetings.  The MMQG banner is to be displayed on the outside door of the building.  There should be a sign-in sheet for members & guests, along with blank name tags, pens and a box for the no-name tag fines.  The sign-in sheets are given to the President who introduces the guests.  The member sign-in sheet is used for door prizes.  Both sign-in sheets should be given to the Secretary for filing with the minutes.  A bulletin board is also available for members to post messages & items for sale. 

Festivals:  Duties are to select 3 or 4 area festivals during the year where the Guild can have a booth to sell quilted or sewn items made by our members.  This committee also staffs the Log Cabin at the Georgia Mountain Fair.  In years that we have Quiltfest, the festival should allow raffle ticket sales.  Committee will be responsible for contracting with festivals, securing workers, setting up & taking down of booth, accepting & returning sale items, disbursing of funds. 

Historian:  This person will keep all papers concerning history of the Guild, both past & present.  Photo albums/scrapbooks will be kept up to date.  Historian will share information with the Guild as appropriate. 

Hostesses:  Duties are to sign-up people to bring refreshments each month and have a sign-up sheet for those who plan to attend the luncheons in June & December.  This committee is responsible for securing refreshment supplies for each meeting, setting up & decorating tables for refreshments, making coffee.  Refreshment area & kitchen must be cleaned at close of meetings. 

Hugs and Kisses:  This committee coordinates the making of children’s quilts for the Hugs & Kisses project.  Responsibilities may include cutting fabric for kits, sewing & sandwiching quilts, assisting guild members in making quilts.  Committee members are usually available on Tuesday at Mountain Presbyterian Church.  This committee also makes arrangements with various organizations in the area to provide the completed quilts to those in need. 

Membership: - Responsibilities include collecting annual dues, updating the membership records, notifying members of new members & any changes in member phone numbers, addresses & email addresses and making new member kits.  Committee members are available at general guild meetings to welcome new members & answer questions. 

Programs/workshops: -The programs/workshops committee is responsible for finding and booking guest speakers or planning other activities for the program portion of the monthly meetings and is also responsible for making housing arrangements for the guest speaker, getting information to the speaker regarding the meetings, making sure the speaker has directions to the meeting location, and then introducing the speaker at the meeting.  The committee makes announcements at the monthly meeting regarding upcoming programs/workshops and sends updates to the webmaster for future programs/workshops.  Other duties include scheduling workshops, registering members for workshops and collecting money from the registrants.  Someone from the committee should be present at all workshops to set up the room, assist the workshop instructor in any way possible and put away all supplies after the workshop.  The committee is responsible for ensuring the programs/workshops stay within budget.  

Publicity: - The purpose of this committee is to inform the surrounding communities of the projects, programs and activities of our guild through photos & articles placed in area newspapers and other publications as needed. 

Quiltfest: - The coordinator's for Quiltfest are responsible for planning and overseeing the organization of our biennial quilt show.  They select, supervise and advise a variety of committees to plan, facilitate and bring the show to fruition.  This includes rules, guidelines, publicity, set up, vendors, boutique, judges, insurance, decorations, raffle quilt & ticket sales among others.  

Raffle: - This committee purchases items for a monthly raffle held at the guild’s general meeting and sets up the raffle table with prizes and materials needed for entering and drawing names.  During the drawing, someone from the committee supervises the prize table.  The money collected is spent on prizes for the next month’s raffle.  The committee keeps records on money collected and spent. 

Retreat: - The retreat committee finds a venue for the retreat and negotiates a contract.  The committee then registers members for the retreat, plans classes, games and activities, purchases prizes and solicits donated prizes from local businesses.  The committee will work with the event coordinator for whatever venue is chosen to decide the best use of available space, and then oversees the retreat while it is in session. 

ScrapBag (printed): - This is a one-person committee responsible for printing the ScrapBag and mailing it to those who chose not to receive it in electronic form.  Members pay $10/year for this monthly mailing. 

Storybook Quilts: - The committee takes trunks of children’s books and related mini-quilts to area schools.  Members visit classrooms or media centers, read the books & discuss the quilts.  Members may also be asked to participate in special projects as requested by the teachers.  Guild members may be asked to purchase or donate additional books and make a mini-quilt relating to the book. 

Webmaster: - The webmaster is responsible for updating our webpage every month based on information received from various committee chairmen.  The update is usually completed within a week after the general meeting. 

Please feel free to contact any officer or committee chairman should you have questions about the guild or if you wish to volunteer to serve on a committee.