History

The Formation of the Valley Quilt Guild

In the fall of 1981, a group of women who met at a quiltmaking class offered by Yuba College, decided to start a quilt guild in the area. At the first meeting on November 17, 1981, at the home of Ann Marks, the foundation for the Valley Quilt Guild was created. It was decided that membership would be open to anyone interested in quilts or quilting. A notice was placed in the local newspaper, posters were made and displayed to invite others to join the group. By March 1982, the group was gathering monthly and there were 34 charter members with Ann Marks serving as the first President. The meetings featured presentations from guild members on a variety of quilting techniques. Show and Tell was as popular from the group’s beginning as it is now almost 30 years later.

By 1983. the first newsletter was published and in July of that year. the original by-laws were approved by the growing membership. Later that same year, the first Opportunity Quilt was made and a Quilters’ Cookbook was compiled. Both of these fundraisers enabled the members to plan the first Quilt Show in March 1984. The show was a big success and the Valley Quilt Guild continues to have a yearly Quilt Show on the third weekend in March. Through the years the Valley Quilt Guild incorporated as the Yuba-Sutter Valley Quilt Guild, has grown in membership to over 300 quilters. Many active members make quilts for Community Service and several hundred quilts are given to those in need each year. The monthly meetings now feature well-known quilters and teachers although the Christmas potluck dinner is still a most popular event The Valley Quilt Guild continues to foster a sharing of quilting ideas among the members and welcomes all those interested in quilts and quilting to join the group.