What’s A Guild, Anyway?

Last night I went to a meeting of the Akron Modern Quilt Guild.  As always I learned some things, like my favorite regional fabric store is having a $5/yard sale.  But I got to thinking about why groups of quilters call themselves “guilds” as opposed to clubs or groups.  So I just looked up the definition of “guild” in my 1965 Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary.  That out of date tome defines a guild thusly: “an association of men with kindred pursuits or common interests or aims; esp. a medieval association of merchant or craftsmen.”

My takeaway from this is 1) that dictionary has got to go – as if only men can be in a guild; and 2) I think we use the term guild because we consider ourselves craftswomen.  So guilds are made up of people with certain skills in addition to having common interests.  I love the phrase “kindred pursuits.”

Our modern quilt guild even has a logo designed by Bailey, one of our members.  We usually meet the 4th Wednesday of each month, from 6-8 p.m.  Oh yeah, it’s on Facebook.