Posted by A weaver on Monday, 16 October 2006, at 10:00 a.m.:
In Reply to: Birmingham, Al guild. frustrating lack of info posted by Nancy Kenfield on Sunday, 15 October 2006, at 9:17 a.m.:
Agree with you 100%! I get tired of seeing people cheerlead for joining the local guild, when the local guild may be downright awful. Mine is very clique-ish, and they seem more into knitting than weaving or spinning. They're also sort of unfriendly to new people. I was a member for 3 years but went to only a couple of meetings. When I took lessons and started weaving in earnest, I went to the next meeting, expecting them to be a source of support and fellowship. I asked about a weaving study group, but was told that they'd done one and it hadn't worked out. They said if I wanted to learn more, I should take lessons from the president of the group, who was pushing them pretty hard herself. I had just finished paying $$$ for lessons from a pro and wanted to put that information to use, not pay for more lessons from her, and I said so. They stood fast in refusing to consider anything on a group basis, and insisted that taking this woman's classes was the way to go. I hadn't seen her weaving, but she couldn't even name the basic weaves, and sneered at weavers who followed "recipes" (drafts). Do you blame me for leaving? THAT is my guild, and the reason I come online for information and support.
BTW, when I called HGA and described how the guild was doing business, I was told it was wrong, but HGA couldn't do anything about it. They suggested I start my own guild. Sadly, the local weavers who weren't members of the bad guild (which meant just about all of the local weavers) had had similarly brusque treatment when they were members or considering joining, and had been turned off guilds in general. They were all going it alone, or working privately with one or two other weavers.
There are bad guilds out there, but don't take them personally. Keep weaving!