Since its beginnings in 1992, our guild has a rich and full history.  Its members and activities have reflected a love of quilting, skill,  creativity, friendship and fun.

The guild’s history over the years has been carefully archived into paper scrapbooks.

Now that we’re in the digital age, guild members have volunteered to review past guild history scrapbooks and transform them into a digital format so we can share our rich history with you.

Please join us in a walk down memory lane!

Author:  Rosemary Goodall

Author’s Notes:  I brought the scrap book home with me after the last Guild Meeting at the end of May.  It’s difficult to appreciate it at a meeting with so much going on.  I just happened to open it up to a page that quickly caught my eye.  It is a letter to our Guild from the director of the Smithsonian. Another look, and I see a petition signed by 18 of the initial 20 guild members sent to the Smithsonian as a Formal Complaint against the Smithsonian Institution’s current practice of selling American quilts made in China.  These were copies of historical quilts that the museum owned. Some of you probably remember this “uprising”, but it was all new to me. More facts in the April Report below. The first year (1992) of our Guild history was an exciting one, and I am impressed at how quickly everything got organized.  The very first Guild Meeting was actually December 10^th 1991.  By December 1992, they had made two Heritage quilts and raffled them off to the tune of nearly $1000, and $800. The money was donated to the Pickens Country Museum where the Guild met for their meetings. In February, there was a quilt exhibition, and they started BOM in March.  There were guest speakers lined up for most of the year.  Their meetings were faithfully reported in the “Pickens Sentinel”

Chronology:

• December 10^th 1991  First Meeting held in the Pickens County Museum.  20 Attendant quilters.  An invitation was extended in the  Pickens Sentinel to anyone interested in forming a quilt guild.
• January 28^th, 1992 – The newly formed Guild held it’s first meeting. They had a guest speaker, Laurel Horton of Seneca.  She presented a slide show of antique South Carolina Quilts.  The Guild announced a Quilt Exhibition Feb. 1-25 at the museum
• February 1992 – They got busy – The exhibit consisted of quilts made by members, and antique and classic quilts.  Lots of pictures.  They got it ready within a week!  Lovely paragraph from Jeanette Moody about playing under her grandmother’s quilt frame with her cousins.
• February 25^th, 1992 – Committee assignments and positions to be filled.  They started the Block of the Month.  A nine -patch.   Pickens County Museum offers quilting lessons for beginners.  Show and Tell
• March 24^th 1992 –   Block of the Month – “ A blooming flowerpot appliqued just left of center on a 13-1/2 muslin square. Quilt blocks were created for the Heritage Day Quilt. The Guild agreed to do an annual money project for the museum which will be auctioned off at the Fall’s Heritage Day Festival
• April 28^th 1992 – Fran Smink of the Lake Mountain Quilters Guild in Seneca will demonstrate her picture quilts.   A Petition signed by 18 members lodging a formal complaint against the Smithsonian Institution’s  current practice of selling American Quilts made in China.  ………………The Smithsonian Institute should take advantage of the talented quilters here in the US.   Correspondence between the Smithsonian, Senator Strom Thurmond, The UpCountry Quilt Guild.   “The controversy spread like prairie fire at a Quilt ‘til you wilt slumber party”.  They were copying antique quilts.  Quilt enthusiasts cancelled their Smithsonian membership; picketed on the National Mall, signed petitions and testified in Congress.  Smithsonian was forced to cancel its contract.  2 domestic co-operatives; Cabin Creek Quilters in Appalachia and Missouri Breaks in the Lakota Sioux reservation were to produce quilts for the consumer market.
• May 26 1992 –  Speaker Roberta Wakefield to present her stained glass quilts
• June 23 1992  – Sarah Ballentine of Clemson’s Heirlooms and Comforts.  Presenting new quilting supplies and equipment. Her program was “what’s New in Quilting” and she donated two books to the Guild library.
• July 28^th 1992 – For this month’s program, guild members were asked to bring “their first, worst and current project”!   Special quilts were shown by Nan Tournier of the Cobblestone Quilters Guild in Charleston.  They included a Hawaiian applique in beige and dark green, an applique chintz Flower Basket and a chintz Charleston Quilt.
• August 25^th 1992 – Nell Jackson of the Foothills Piecemakers Guild presented a program, with plans for a workshop in September.    She shared several beautiful quilts.  One was A rose medallion design that  had won five ribbons. Mrs Jackson will conduct a Lone Star quilt workshop on 19th^d September
• September 22 1992 –  Ayumi Nakayama of Japan was guest at this meeting.  She was visiting US as a participant in an exhibit  of fifty blue ribbon Japanese quilts at the Sweetwater, Tenn, cultural center.  She spoke very little English, so Nell Jackson served as her spokeswomen.  Ayumi brought samples of Japanese cloth and each member of UCQG received a swatch to take home.  There is also a nice thank you card from Ayumi with tiny little origami figures on it.  Copies of the by-laws were also available and members were asked to read them in preparation for ratification in October.
• October 27 1992 –  By-Laws included in the scrap book.  Completed Heritage Quilt was displayed.   All the pictures are of hand quilters using a large frame.  Guild members were informed about the Ronald McDonald House program through which individuals or groups could make quilts for sick children.  The group also discussed plans for next years Quilt Show.
• November  24th 1992 –  Members will be sharing quilting tips and discussing Christmas projects and ideas.  New LOGO adopted,.  Jeanette Moody reported that Helping Hands, Inc. and possibly Baptist Medical Center would be interested in receiving Children’s quilts.  A motion was made and passed to begin a Children’s Quilt Program.
• December 29^th 1992 – Phew! They were keen to keep going.  1993 was the first Quilt Show.